CHAPTER XVI. SAILORS' REFUGE.

 

JOEY ran ahead, we following, until we came near a building. This building was not remarkable for its beauty of architecture; it looked more like a hospital than anything else, yet, not quite like the hospitals of earth.

 

The main body of the structure was similar to a round house, about ten feet in height, completely arched by a dome, as nearly all the buildings were in this beautiful world. There were four arched entrances—one North, one South, one East, one West,—and these entrances had each two windows" one on either side, which made four doors and eight windows. The windows were also arched like the doors.

 

The body of the house was like pearl; the dome, like very thick sea-green glass; and, stamped upon the glass, at equal distances apart, were four large vessels under full sail; and I perceived that the very thick glass appeared like the waves of the ocean. A tall flag-staff, of shining gold, ran up from the center of the dome, from which floated a large white flag, the one I had seen hoisted at the time Sigismund waved his hat, previous to our landing.

 

We were walking leisurely, which gave me time to observe groves of palm trees, intersected with bread­fruit and cocoa-nut trees, dates, oranges, and many other kinds of tropical fruit trees. I now observed that these, groves were filled with parrots, monkeys, and birds-of-paradise, and I caught sight of a leopard or two.

 

The island was gorgeous with bright-colored birds of various kinds, brilliant flowers, and tropical vegetation generally.

 

As we drew near, a man came forth to meet us. Joey ran up to him with extended hand.

 

"How do you do, Captain?" he said; then, taking off his little sailor hat, he gave the regular seaman's salute. Sigismund and Herman did the same. Annie led me forward with a smile.

I raised my eyes to his, and gave him my hand. He bowed over my hand and kissed it.

 

"Welcome, madam," he said. "All are welcome who desire to visit this home for lost sailors."

 

"Have you any new ones to-day?" asked Annie.

 

"Two were brought in a short time since," he replied. "One, a young boy, the other, an old man. The old man still sleeps; the boy awoke a short time ago, and is calling piteously for his mother."

 

The captain, as he was called, was a large man, and looked about forty. He was dressed in silver-grey trousers, together with a blouse, tied around the waist by a cord and tassels of gold; he wore sandals of sandal­wood; his dark brown hair waved gently to his shoulders; his handsome, noble countenance was extremely benign; the expression of his eyes, mild and pitiful. They called him Daking—Captain Daking, and Annie whispered to me, that he had not been here long himself, having been lost at sea a few months previous, but was much interested in the work of assisting lost sailors.

 

"One might easily associate him with the story of Robinson Crusoe, might one not?" she asked. "And he has an assistant who might well pass for good man Friday; but Friday is away just now, hunting for more lost sailors."

 

We now entered the building. Its lofty beauty surprised and pleased me greatly, for it was very large: the dome, simply immense, and the pale green light which it shed over all things inside, gave to them a peculiar charm; and as I looked at the pictured vessels, they appeared so real one could hardly believe them to be pictures. The interior of the building was even more beautiful than its exterior. The windows were curtained with rose-colored silken draperies; the circular wall, which was some ten feet high before it joined the dome, was of frosted work, but of a very singular kind, which had the appearance of waving sea-grasses, inlaid with all manner of beautiful shells, alternating with fishes, crabs, lobsters, and occasionaIly a great whale, together with porpoises and seals, while over laying all was a sparkling work like hoar frost, glinting and glistening in the beautiful pale green light of the dome.

 

The floor appeared like a hard, dry beach of beaten gold. In the center of the room was a round divan of rose-colored velvet. There were easy chairs of the same material. A number of very beautiful leopard skins were thrown down in various places. There was a grand piano, harps, violins, horns, bugles, and other musical instruments; small tables, covered with music, books, and flowers.

 

About three feet distant from the beautiful wall were posts equally apart, between which hung hammocks, low down; these hammocks sparkled with jewels shining between all their meshes, and each had a pillow of white satin, embroidered in pale blue and gold. Two of these hammocks were occupied, one by an old man still asleep: by this I mean he had not yet awoke to consciousness since being drowned, but his disenthralled spirit had been received by Captain Daking's assistant, and fetched hither to be cared for until he should awake. In the other hammock lay a wild-eyed boy, about twelve years of age, moaning piteously and calling for his mother. One could readily see that he was not yet conscious of his whereabouts or surroundings, that he was not even aware that his spirit was out of his mortal body.

 

"Cap'n!" he moaned, "don't send me aloft in this gale. I don't feel strong; I'm not used to it. I shall fall—I know I shall! O Cap'n! Cap'n! I can't go! just hear how the wind blows? We can't even keep our feet on deck. O Cap'n, spare me—spare me! O my mother—my mother—my poor, poor mother! She will die if I am drowned. My mother told me just how it would be. She didn't want me to come to sea, but I wouldn't mind her, and ran away from home. O Cap'n! Cap'n! let me live and go home once more. I want to see my mother! O mother! mother! I will never go to sea again—never— never!"

 

Then he would catch his breath with a gasping, shuddering scream, and grasp and claw with his hands and feet, as though trying to climb the rigging of a pitching, tossing vessel, all the while crying:

 

"O Cap'n! Cap'n! don't—don't kick me! Oh, it hurts awfully! I am only a little boy:

 

I don't feel strong enough. I can't do it: I shall fall and be drownded!"

 

Then would come more gasping, gurgling struggling, and screaming; again his poor little hands and feet would claw wildly at the supposed rigging, then, once more, he would cry out:

 

"O Cap'n! Cap'n! don't shoot!—don't shoot! I'm goin'! I'm goin'!"

 

And he would claw fiercely, with starting eyeballs and frightened, agonized features; then his hands and feet would relax, as though they had lost their hold, a great shuddering sigh would shake him throughout, his eyes would close, and he would lie quite still for a short time, except a gurgling, gasping sound in his throat. Presently his eyes would open wide once more, and he would again go through the whole scene.

 

"I have tried to bring him to his senses," said Captain Daking, "but have not yet succeeded. He confounds me with the cruel captain of the ship from which he was lost overboard in a fearful gale, being swept from the rigging. The captain had forced him aloft, to furl the sail, with kicks and blows, and, when he could reach him no longer, with a pointed revolver. Poor child! he is passed all his troubles if he could be made to understand it." The boy was again screaming for his mother.

 

I could bear it no longer. O my dear reader! I was a mother myself, the mother of three beautiful boys, and Joey was nearly as old as this little fellow. O! would my two precious orphans on earth ever go to sea? They might, for they would suppose themselves motherless. Would their fate be like this poor child's? I shuddered to think that they might have to pass through an ordeal similar to the one this child had—one he was living over and over again within his frightened mind or spirit. I could bear it no longer, but glided softly to the hammock in which he lay. I put my arms about him, and folded him to my heart, murmuring sweet words to him.

 

"Poor little boy! poor little boy!" I said. Look at me, darling. See! Am I not like your mother? Will I not do? placing my hand on his burning brow and kissing his cold lips. O my poor boy! my poor boy! again pressing him to my breast, holding him there for some time: when I again laid him back he was calm, opening his large blue eyes, and looking at me with returning reason. Annie whispered:

 

"Your motherly magnetism is fetching him round."

 

And when the little nervous hands commenced to claw slightly, I held them fast in mine, and fixed his wandering eyes with a loving look: soon, lie lay as calm as an infant, gazing at me with a pleased smile, as though it were an angel, although at that time I was but a spirit. Shortly, he said in a weak voice:

 

"Who are you, lady? You are not my mother, and how did you come to be aboard this ship?

 

"My dear little boy," I replied, "you are not on board that dreadful ship now, but are all safe in a nice home where there is no cruel captain to send you aloft with kicks and blows."

 

"How did I get here?" he asked. "Was I washed ashore on an island? We were near some islands, I remember. How cold the water, was," he continued, with a shudder, "and then I forgot everything, the water choked me so," and he gurgled slightly.

 

"Yes, darling! you are safe and sound on an island," I answered. "Look about you, dear: see what a lovely place you are in!"

 

14 But I want to see my mother," he said, with a sob.

 

"You shall see your mother, by-and-by," I replied, not yet daring to tell him he was dead. "Look about you now, dear boy, and see what a lovely place you have found; and, look! here is a little boy very nearly as large as yourself." Joey came up to us holding out a beautiful bouquet for the child's acceptance. The little weary hands grasped the flowers, and then the childish eyes fastened themselves on Joey.

 

"Oh! my eyes!" he said. "What a fine little gentleman you be! Be you the cap'n's little boy? He'd never kick you aloft, I know, and my mother loved me just as well as he loves you, only she was poor, and father he went away and left her. He used to get drunk, you know. That's why she was poor. She only had me and two little girls. They couldn't do anything, you know, 'cause they was little, and I had growed so big, I thought I'd run away and go to sea, and earn some money to help poor mother; but she didn't want me to go, she didn't. Oh, I want to see my mother, bad!"

 

"I am not that captain's boy," said Joey, "but this lady is my mother, and you shall be my brother, and have my mama for your mama, and in a little while we will take you to see your own mama. You are on an island now, and this is a nice home for little sailor boys. Come, don't you want to get up, and run about with me and play?"

 

The child started up, and stared about him amazedly.

 

"By jingo!" he exclaimed. "This beats all! Why, it makes me think of the Arabian Nights, and I have read all about Alladin too. Oh! Crackey! Ain't this fine! Your name's Jo, is it? and mine's Bill. Willie, mother calls me, and your mama calls you Joey, but then its Jo and Bill all the same, you know. Jiminy! that floor's a nice place to play marbles on. Say; Jo! Have you got any marbles? The cap'n throwed mine all overboard, or he told the second mate to do it; all the same, you know. But where's my pants? Guess I don't like to put urn on afore the ladies."

 

He glanced at his limbs, then his eyes roved slowly all over his form. Again his great blue eyes stared into mine.

 

"They was all wet," he said, "so, I suppose you took um off?"

 

Captain Daking now came forward, holding out a little blouse of blue, together with short white pants and a little sailor hat something like Joey's.

 

"Madam," he said, "I will dress the child in these, and you can join your sister while I do so."

 

I did as he requested, and presently Joey led little Willie up to where we were sitting. The child was very handsome, and but a half-head taller than Joey.

 

"Lady," he said, "I don't know what to make of all this, but I feel very funny. I am so light I can hardly keep myself down. Seems as though I should go right up through that curious ceiling where them ships be. Guess I must be dreaming, and all of you look so funny, too. You don't any of you look like real flesh and blood, but just like the people do when I dream. Say, Jo; we're all so funny, ain't we? Yet we're folks, ain't we now?"

And his great eyes looked strangely puzzled. "Guess this ere's some furrin land," he continued. "P'raps it's Italy or Venice, or some such place that I've read about in my georgerfy; but, then, I didn't know they could fly, and I know I could if I tried. Now look here! I'll bet I'm dead! I'll bet I was drownded, and you 're all cheatin' me and making me think I'm alive; now, ain't yer?" he asked, gazing intently at me. "Oh! what'll my poor mother do? She'll cry her eyes out and die of grief, and my poor little sisters 'll never see Billy no more. Yes; I know I'm dead; I know I'm drownded, and never was washed ashore, 'cause them islands didn't have any but niggers on um; the cap'n and all the crew said so."

 

He stooped and examined his limbs, and then his hands and arms.

 

"By Jiminy!" he exclaimed, "I ain't got no bones; that's why I'm so light. Now I know I'm dead, but I guess it's jolly after all, that is, if I'm not sent to hell. Do you think I'll be sent to hell? for you know I sweared sometimes; but I didn't do much else that was wicked, and I loved my mother and little sisters. Say; are you going to take me to God? Is that why you've dressed me so fine? Guess I don't want to see God, 'cause I sweared so much, and he 'll look awful at me, but then I loved my mother and little sisters, you know; p'raps God will forgive me?"

 

"Billy," said Annie, "how would you like to go to a nice school with little Joey's teacher," she went on, pointing to Herman; "and after you have been there a few days you shall go and see your mother and sisters."

 

Oh, I'd like that, bully!" said Billy. "Then I'm dead, ain't I?"

 

"Yes, Willie," I answered. "You were lost at sea: you fell from the rigging and were drowned."

 

"Well; that cap'n 'll never kick and cuff me no more, will he?"

 

"No; never any more," I replied. "You are to be a good and happy little boy, be placed in a school where you will learn a great deal."

 

"And mayn't I have some marbles?" he asked. "Do you think the teacher will whip me much and the boys call me bad names?"

 

"You shall never be whipped at all," said