So strong now were the remonstrances11 of the English representative, that the Dutch custom officials confiscated12 the Peggy, and she was brought into court. To save themselves a total loss, her cargo was resold at a great discount by Nesbit and Conyngham, and the Peggy herself was disposed of to a Dutch shipping13 house.
And now Captain Conyngham found himself stranded14, like many another American shipmaster, on the shores of a foreign country. His active spirit chafed15 at the enforced idleness, but week after week passed, and he saw no chance of getting away. But great things had happened in America since his departure, and great things were soon to happen in Europe.
The Declaration of Independence had been signed and heralded16 to the world. A small fleet had been organized, and it was rumored18 that vessels of war were building in the home ports to go out and fight the English on the high seas. Stronger and stronger grew the ambition in Conyngham’s heart to get into active service. He grew almost despondent19, however, as the time dragged on.
It was difficult even to obtain news, and the uncertainty20 of what was happening at home made his position more galling21. At last one day the information was brought by post from Paris to The Hague that two American vessels of war—the Reprisal22, commanded by a Captain Wickes, and a smaller vessel, the Lexington—had31 arrived in France; but, better news than all that, Dr. Benjamin Franklin had reached the capital itself armed with credentials23 from the American Congress to act as Minister Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary to the French court.
For a long time a plan had been in Captain Conyngham’s mind, the feasibility of which, granting that certain obstacles were removed, tempted24 him strongly. There were enough American sailormen, of good fighting stock, hanging idly about French and Dutch ports of entry, to man a small squadron. Why was it not possible to fit out one vessel at least and sail into the highway of British commerce? The risk would be great, the rewards would be tremendous, and the advantages to the American cause, if the project was successful, past reckoning. All it required was money and a starting place. It would be necessary, no doubt, from the very first to arrange matters with the immediate25 authorities in order to have them wink26 at the proceeding27, and to do this, back of the whole idea, there must lurk28 that important word, authority.
Any ship’s captain who sailed on his own account and made prizes in the English Channel, would get no mercy if he once fell into the hands of the enemy. But even without the authority Captain Conyngham was eager to take the risk, if a vessel could be procured29 and he could find others to join him.
Shortly after the news reached him at The Hague of Franklin’s arrival, he left Holland and sailed as passenger in a Dutch coaster to Dunkirk, and there, the very night of his arrival, he met with a man who was to have a great influence in his further doings.
Messrs. Hodge, Allan, and Ross were three Americans,32 part factors, part merchants, who were in France at the time of the breaking out of war between America and the mother country.
In the earlier months before the English had begun their very strict watching of the foreign ports, they had managed to send out some small and miscellaneous cargoes30 of supplies. Latterly, however, they had been unsuccessful, but with the arrival of Franklin and the appointment as commissioners31 of Mr. Arthur Lee and Mr. Silas Deane, the latter a New England merchant well known to them, a better prospect32 seemed to dawn.
The Reprisal had brought in with her three English vessels, all merchantmen, the first prizes to be brought into the ports of a foreign country. The English ambassador, Lord Stormont, had raised a dreadful row at the French court over this proceeding, and it was rumored that the American vessels and their prizes would be forced to quit the French harbors.
It was just at this time that Conyngham landed at Dunkirk, having come down by sea from Holland in a Dutch packet. He had hardly set foot on French shore when he met a Mr. Thomas Ross, whom he had known as a supercargo on one of his earlier voyages into the Mediterranean33. It was years since they had seen one another, but Mr. Ross remembered him at once.
“Well, indeed, Conyngham, this is a surprise!” he cried, shaking hands, after the young captain had accosted34 him. “And what are you doing here?”
“Fretting my head off,” was the reply. “Sure, it is a piece of ill fortune for a man like myself to be idle when there is so much that he would like to do. But before we talk of our own private grievances35 or affairs, tell me of33 the news. What has Dr. Franklin accomplished36, and what prospects37 are there that France will do anything for us?”
“We’re all in the fog, as you sailors would say,” returned Mr. Ross. “But there are some prospects. The army at home has done as well as can be expected, although the British have possession yet of many places, including New York. But come,” he added, “you must join me to-night at supper. We’re expecting our friend Hodge down from Paris, and my brother and Mr. Allan. They can tell you much of importance. Mr. Hodge was to see Dr. Franklin, and Mr. Deane was to speak for all of us. There will be work here and plenty for good men, if I’m not out in my reckoning. The French as a nation have no love for England, nor has the king, if rumor17 speaks rightly, and a few big successes on our part may sway the ministry38 into action, for mark me, my friend, the common people are seldom wrong, and their voice is the heart-beat of the nation.”
“By the Powers,” rejoined Conyngham, “but you talk like a book. Is it a speech you have been preparing to convince the king?”
Ross laughed.
“I know of one king that was never convinced by speeches,” he returned, “and that’s the one who sits there across the water.”
“Ah, there’s one thing that will convince him,” returned Conyngham softly and dropping, as he often did, into the very richest of brogues. “Whisht, my lad, and that’s cannon-balls and straight shooting.”
“You’re right, Friend Conyngham,” answered Ross. “But there is one thing more that is necessary—supplies34 and ships—and a truth must be acknowledged: Europe must recognize us as a nation. Three or four big victories on our part would turn the scale. But more of this to-night when we meet. You will find me at my lodgings39, there in that little gray house on the corner, the one with the sloping roof, at five o’clock, and we will go to a little tavern40 that I know of that is kept by a Frenchman we can trust. Don’t fail me.”
“I will be on hand,” returned Conyngham, and the two men parted.
At six o’clock that evening, in the little front room of the Chanticlear Tavern, there were five men seated about the table. The conversation, that had first been of home affairs and the discussion of the latest news from the army—the battles of Trenton and Princeton and Washington’s doings—soon turned to matters nearer at hand. Mr. Hodge, a strong-featured, red-faced man of a traditional John Bull appearance, sat between the two Ross brothers. After the waiter had left and they were all alone he began to talk, and his audience resolved themselves into the most eager listeners.
Conyngham had told his story of the capture of the prize crew, and the recital41 had at once placed him as one who was worthy42 of every confidence, and before whom everything could be said openly.
“You’d have laughed,” went on Mr. Hodge, continuing the story of his trip to Paris, “to have heard the good doctor describe his arrival in Paris. As yet he has not been received openly at court, but that will all come in due time. Nevertheless, the number of fine names and titles and high personages whom he has met would make quite a bill of lading. You see Lord Stormont, the English35 ambassador, has his suspicions. He would be a dolt43 if he hadn’t. And the Count de Vergennes, the king’s Prime Minister, has his also, but the latter’s are the harder to guess. I don’t exactly understand the Frenchman,” continued Mr. Hodge. “He’s a bit too deep for me, and whether or not he is blowing hot and cold to save time, or whether he is really anxious in the end to be of service to us, is more than I can answer for. My own idea of it is that he has but one idea in his head, and that is France, and that he would see our country swamped and ruined if he could further France’s interest in the slightest degree. He realizes, no doubt, that in England’s troubles and difficulties lie France’s opportunities, and that the more she is weakened and distressed44, the easier it will be for France when the war comes; for, mark my words, the temper of the French people can not long be restrained, and sooner or later England and this country will be at each other’s throats. But, nevertheless, gentlemen, it is well worth our time to keep a wary45 eye on M. le Comte de Vergennes, and mind his doings carefully. But I have digressed. I was speaking of Franklin—he told me that Lord Stormont had objected to his coming to Paris at all, and said that ‘if this arch-rebel reaches the city I will away home with me, bag and baggage.’ ‘All right,’ says de Vergennes, ‘anything to please your excellency! We will despatch46 a messenger to stop him.’ And so a messenger was sent to meet the diligence by which ‘Goodman Richard’ was coming into Paris, but the messenger took the wrong road and never met the doctor, and the first thing you know Lord Stormont hears that the ‘arch-traitor’ has arrived. ‘Heavens, mercy me!’ exclaims de Vergennes, when his lordship calls upon him. ‘How36 could it have happened? I will speak strongly to this fool of a messenger. I will admonish47 him.’ ‘But what are you going to do about it?’ insists Lord Stormont. ‘What can we do?’ returns Monsieur le Comte. ‘You can not expect us to be uncivil! Surely it is no one but an old gentleman who flies kites and writes almanacs, and we Frenchmen have a reputation for politeness to sustain. We can not ask him to leave without ceremony. It is not our way.’ So there he is,” continued Mr. Hodge, “hob-nobbing with lords and ladies and what not, and thinking great things in that great head of his; making arrangements with Beaumarchais, who is our friend with good interest now. Oh, such a man!” Mr. Hodge interrupted his long speech by throwing back his head and laughing heartily48.
“Beaumarchais? Beaumarchais? I’ve heard the name,” interrupted Conyngham. “But who is he?”
“The most interesting and fantastic of creatures,” replied Mr. Hodge. “A man whose career sounds like the invention of the romancer. His real name is Caron, and he is but the son of a watchmaker, whose timepieces are celebrated49. I believe that he himself was brought up to follow his father’s trade, but playing the harp50 attracted him more than adjusting springs and balance-wheels, and he became an instructor51 and harpist at the court. Being a man of parts besides of harps52, and a natural born courtier, he soon made his way and became one of the petted favorites despite his lowly birth. A consummate53 Jack54 of all trades. He is the author of plays, two of which I have had the pleasure of seeing—‘The Barber of Seville’ and ‘The Marriage of Figaro.’ The king and the queen trust him implicitly55, and he has the ear of most of the37 noblemen, though some of them dislike him and fear his sharp wits.”
“I met him once,” interrupted Mr. Allan, “at Nantes—a quietly dressed, smooth-spoken, business-like fellow.”
“Then you don’t know him at court,” laughed Mr. Hodge, “for there he is an exquisite57, and can flutter his laces and make his bow with the best of them. He has a hundred sides, and can change color like a chameleon58.”
“He is a good friend of America and a hater of England,” remarked the elder Ross. “If he had his way, Lord Stormont would be packed off to London, bag and baggage, and there would be no more of this dissembling. He knows the temper of the people, and has his finger on the national pulse.”
“I wish that he had his fingers in the national purse,” laughed his brother, “for the good doctor is not overburdened with money.”
The entrance of the landlord here interrupted the conversation, but as soon as he disappeared Mr. Hodge, who had been doing a great deal of thinking, and had paid little attention to the steaming rago?t, followed him to the door and closed it firmly. Then, coming back to the table, he leaned over his chair and in a low but eager voice addressed the company.
“We’re all Americans here,” he said, “and Captain Conyngham’s recital of his own mission and adventures proves his discretion59, and so, gentlemen—a secret.” He paused and his eyes swept around the table. “The money will be forthcoming, and if I make no mistake there will be plenty of it.”
“Surely the Count de Vergennes, and Necker while38 he has charge of the purse-strings, will disgorge little,” said Mr. Allan dubiously60.
“The Prime Minister is a deep one,” replied Mr. Hodge. “It pays to keep both eyes on him. He would use America as a cat’s-paw, I have no doubt; but nevertheless he sees in the success of our cause the way to stab England deeply. Beaumarchais, with the help of the rest, will prove a match for him.”
“But you are digressing,” remarked the younger Ross, who had spoken little up to this time. “How are we to get the arms and munitions?”
“We shall see,” answered Hodge, smiling wisely. “The French Government doesn’t wish to commit itself at present, and as a nation will offer us no direct or open aid, but there is nothing to prevent a private company or corporation from advancing money on its own responsibility, if it assumes the risk, and there lies the secret, to which you gentlemen, I know, will consider yourselves pledged from this minute. Have you heard of Hortalez et Cie. of Paris? It is a new name, and one as yet unknown in commercial circles, but mark me, some day history will record it, and we Americans shall have good cause not to forget it.”
“And who composes this new firm?” asked Mr. Ross.
“That,” replied Mr. Hodge, “is more than I can answer. But they say that Beaumarchais could tell all about it, and the shareholders61 have noble names. Even royalty62 has invested, and there is plenty of money behind the new name.”
“Be more outspoken,” suggested Mr. Allan. “Who is Hortalez?”
“Hortalez,” answered Mr. Hodge, “and this under39 pledge of secrecy63, gentlemen, is none other than Beaumarchais himself, and Beaumarchais is the court.”
For an instant there was silence, and the five men looked at one another without saying a word. Then it was Conyngham who spoke56.
“Mr. Hodge,” he said, “what you have told me opens the way at once to something that I intended to speak of before this company here at the table. In every port in France, and even in Holland, there are scores of American seamen64 lying idle because of the embargo65 that has been placed upon our shipping. They’re eager, every one of them, to strike a blow against the enemy. With money, and brains to direct its disposal, the matter would be easy. There is the Channel filled with British shipping before us. We are here on this side of the water. I have in my mind a long-fostered idea that is easy of accomplishment66, and that would promise big returns if successfully set on foot.”
“Your idea, Captain Conyngham,” answered Mr. Hodge, “might not be hard to guess, and let me tell you that it has already been spoken of. By the way,” he added, “I start to-morrow morning for Paris. Will you not accompany me thither67, for I think that Dr. Franklin may have something to say to you.”
Conyngham’s face flushed with excited pleasure, as he reached across the table and struck his palm into that of Mr. Hodge.
“I am with you,” he cried, “mind, soul, and body.”
As the party broke up to go they halted at the door. The elder Ross placed his hand on Conyngham’s shoulder.
“You are the man we have been looking for,” he said in a whisper, “the very man.”
40 “Hold, gentlemen,” whispered Mr. Hodge, softly, “what we have spoken of here this evening we will consider buried in the catacombs of our memory, and it would be better,” he suggested, “if we should meet Captain Conyngham elsewhere to be as strangers to him. Is it so understood?”
The rest nodded, and they passed out into the hallway, at the end of which the smiling landlord greeted them and bowed them out into the street.
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1
outfitting
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| v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的现在分词 ) | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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seaports
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| n.海港( seaport的名词复数 ) | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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munitions
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| n.军火，弹药；v.供应…军需品 | |
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consul
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| n.领事；执政官 | |
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sloop
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| n.单桅帆船 | |
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remonstrances
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| n.抱怨，抗议( remonstrance的名词复数 ) | |
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confiscated
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| 没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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stranded
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| a.搁浅的，进退两难的 | |
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chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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heralded
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| v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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rumored
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| adj.传说的，谣传的v.传闻( rumor的过去式和过去分词 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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despondent
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| adj.失望的，沮丧的，泄气的 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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galling
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| adj.难堪的,使烦恼的,使焦躁的 | |
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reprisal
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| n.报复，报仇，报复性劫掠 | |
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credentials
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| n.证明，资格，证明书，证件 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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lurk
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| n.潜伏，潜行；v.潜藏，潜伏，埋伏 | |
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procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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cargoes
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| n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负 | |
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commissioners
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| n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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Mediterranean
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| adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的 | |
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accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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grievances
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| n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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dolt
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| n.傻瓜 | |
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distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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46
despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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47
admonish
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| v.训戒；警告；劝告 | |
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48
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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49
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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50
harp
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| n.竖琴；天琴座 | |
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51
instructor
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| n.指导者，教员，教练 | |
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52
harps
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| abbr.harpsichord 拨弦古钢琴n.竖琴( harp的名词复数 ) | |
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53
consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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54
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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55
implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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56
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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57
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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58
chameleon
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| n.变色龙，蜥蜴；善变之人 | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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dubiously
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| adv.可疑地，怀疑地 | |
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shareholders
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| n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 ) | |
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royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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64
seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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65
embargo
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| n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商） | |
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accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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