Aaron Trow.docx

Aaron Trow.docx

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AaronTrow

AaronTrowbyAnthonyTrollopeIwouldwishtodeclare,atthebeginningofthisstory,thatI

shallneverregardthatclusterofisletswhichwecallBermudaastheFortunateIslandsoftheancients.Donotletprofessionalgeographerstakemeup,andsaythatnoonehassoaccountedthem,andthattheancientshaveneverbeensupposedtohavegottenthemselvessofarwestwards.WhatImeantoassertisthis--that,hadanyancientbeencarriedthitherbyenterpriseorstressofweather,hewouldnothavegiventhoseislandssogoodaname.ThattheNeapolitansailorsofKingAlonzoshouldhavebeenwreckedhere,Iconsidertobemorelikely.ThevexedBermoothesisagoodnameforthem.Thereisnogettinginoroutofthemwithoutthegreatestdifficulty,andapatient,slownavigation,whichisveryheart-rending.ThatCalibanshouldhavelivedhereIcanimagine;

thatArielwouldhavebeensickoftheplaceiscertain;andthatGovernorProsperoshouldhavebeenwillingtoabandonhisgovernorship,Iconceivetohavebeenonlynatural.Whenoneregardsthepresentstateoftheplace,oneistemptedtodoubtwhetheranyofthegovernorshavebeenconjurorssincehisdays.

Bermuda,asalltheworldknows,isaBritishcolonyatwhichwemaintainaconvictestablishment.Mostofouroutlyingconvictestablishmentshavebeensentbackuponourhandsfromourcolonies,buthereoneisstillmaintained.Thereisalsointheislandsastrongmilitaryfortress,thoughnotafortresslookingmagnificenttotheeyesofcivilians,asdoMaltaandGibraltar.Therearealsoheresomesixthousandwhitepeopleandsomesixthousandblackpeople,eating,drinking,sleeping,anddying.

TheconvictestablishmentisthemostnotablefeatureofBermudatoastranger,butitdoesnotseemtoattractmuchattentionfromtheregularinhabitantsoftheplace.ThereisnointercoursebetweentheprisonersandtheBermudians.Theconvictsarerarelyseenbythem,andtheconvictislandsarerarelyvisited.Astotheprisonersthemselves,ofcourseitisnotopentothem--orshouldnotbeopentothem--tohaveintercoursewithanybuttheprisonauthorities.

Therehave,however,beeninstancesinwhichconvictshaveescapedfromtheirconfinement,andmadetheirwayoutamongtheislands.

Poorwretches!

Asarule,thereisbutlittlechanceforanythatcansoescape.Thewholelengthoftheclusterisbuttwentymiles,andthebreadthisunderfour.Theprisonersare,ofcourse,whitemen,andthelowerordersofBermuda,amongwhomalonecouldarunagatehaveanychanceofhidinghimself,areallnegroes;sothatsuchaonewouldbeknownatonce.Theirclothesareallmarked.

TheironlychanceofapermanentescapewouldbeintheholdofanAmericanship;butwhatcaptainofanAmericanorothershipwouldwillinglyencumberhimselfwithanescapedconvict?

But,nevertheless,menhaveescaped;andinoneinstance,Ibelieve,aconvictgotaway,sothatofhimnofarthertidingswereeverheard.

ForthetruthofthefollowingtaleIwillnotbyanymeansvouch.

Ifoneweretoinquireonthespotonemightprobablyfindthattheladiesallbelieveit,andtheoldmen;thatalltheyoungmenknowexactlyhowmuchofitisfalseandhowmuchtrue;andthatthesteady,middle-aged,well-to-doislandersarequiteconvincedthatitisromancefrombeginningtoend.Myreadersmayrangethemselveswiththeladies,theyoungmen,orthesteady,well-to-

do,middle-agedislanders,astheyplease.

Someyearsago,soonaftertheprisonwasfirstestablishedonitspresentfooting,threemendidescapefromit,andamongthemacertainnotoriousprisonernamedAaronTrow.Trow'santecedentsinEnglandhadnotbeensovillanouslybadasthoseofmanyofhisfellow-convicts,thoughtheoneoffenceforwhichhewaspunishedhadbeenofadeepdye:

hehadshedman'sblood.Ataperiodofgreatdistressinamanufacturingtownhehadledmenontoriot,andwithhisownhandhadslainthefirstconstablewhohadendeavouredtodohisdutyagainsthim.Therehadbeencourageinthedoingofthedeed,andprobablynomalice;butthedeed,letitsmoralblacknesshavebeenwhatitmight,hadsenthimtoBermuda,withasentenceagainsthimofpenalservitudeforlife.Hadhebeenthenamenabletoprisondiscipline,--eventhen,withsuchasentenceagainsthimasthat,--hemighthavewonhiswayback,afterthelapseofyears,tothechildren,andperhaps,tothewife,thathehadleftbehindhim;buthewasamenabletonorules--tonodiscipline.Hisheartwassoretodeathwithanideaofinjury,andhelashedhimselfagainstthebarsofhiscagewithafeelingthatitwouldbewellifhecouldsolashhimselftillhemightperishinhisfury.

Andthenadaycameinwhichanattemptwasmadebyalargebodyofconvicts,underhisleadership,togetthebetteroftheofficersoftheprison.Itishardlynecessarytosaythattheattemptfailed.

Suchattemptsalwaysfail.Itfailedonthisoccasionsignally,andTrow,withtwoothermen,werecondemnedtobescourgedterribly,andthenkeptinsolitaryconfinementforsomelengthenedtermofmonths.Before,however,thedayofscourgingcame,Trowandhistwoassociateshadescaped.

Ihavenotthespacetotellhowthiswaseffected,northepowertodescribethemanner.Theydidescapefromtheestablishmentintotheislands,andthoughtwoofthemweretakenafterasingleday'srunatliberty,AaronTrowhadnotbeenyetretakenevenwhenaweekwasover.Whenamonthwasoverhehadnotbeenretaken,andtheofficersoftheprisonbegantosaythathehadgotawayfromtheminavesseltotheStates.Itwasimpossible,theysaid,thatheshouldhaveremainedintheislandsandnotbeendiscovered.Itwasnotimpossiblethathemighthavedestroyedhimself,leavinghisbodywhereithadnotyetbeenfound.ButhecouldnothavelivedoninBermudaduringthatmonth'ssearch.So,atleast,saidtheofficersoftheprison.Therewas,however,areportthroughtheislandsthathehadbeenseenfromtimetotime;thathehadgottenbreadfromthenegroesatnight,threateningthemwithdeathiftheytoldofhiswhereabouts;andthatalltheclothesofthemateofavesselhadbeenstolenwhilethemanwasbathing,includingasuitofdarkbluecloth,inwhichsuitofclothes,orinoneofsuchanature,astrangerhadbeenseenskulkingabouttherocksnearSt.

George.Allthisthegovernoroftheprisonaffectedtodisbelieve,buttheopinionwasbecomingveryrifeintheislandsthatAaronTrowwasstillthere.

Avigilantsearch,however,isataskofgreatlabour,andcannotbekeptupforever.Bydegreesitwasrelaxed.Thewardersandgaolersceasedtopatroltheislandroadsbynight,anditwasagreedthatAaronTrowwasgone,orthathewouldbestarvedtodeath,orthathewouldintimebedriventoleavesuchtracesofhiswhereaboutsasmustleadtohisdiscovery;andthisatlastdidturnouttobethefact.

Thereisasortofprettinessabouttheseislandswhich,thoughitneverrisestothelovelinessofromanticscenery,isneverthelessattractiveinitsway.Thelandbreaksitselfintolittleknolls,andthesearunsup,hitherandthither,inathousandcreeksandinlets;andthen,too,whentheoleandersareinbloom,theygiveawonderfullybrightcolourtothelandscape.OleandersseemtobetherosesofBermuda,andarecultivatedroundallthevillagesofthebetterclassthroughtheislands.Therearetwotowns,St.

GeorgeandHamilton,andonemainhigh-road,whichconnectsthem;

buteventhishigh-roadisbrokenbyaferry,overwhicheveryvehiclegoingfromSt.GeorgetoHamiltonmustbeconveyed.Mostofthelocomotioninthesepartsisdonebyboats,andtheresidentslooktothesea,withitsnarrowcreeks,astheirbesthighwayfromtheirfarmstotheirbestmarket.Inthosedays--andthosedayswerenotverylongsince--thebuildingofsmallshipswastheirchieftrade,andtheyvaluedtheirlandmostlyforthesmallscrubbycedar-treeswithwhichthistradewascarriedon.

AsonegoesfromSt.GeorgetoHamiltontheroadrunsbetweentwoseas;thattotherightistheocean;thatontheleftisaninlandcreek,whichrunsupthroughalargeportionoftheislands,sothatthelandontheothersideofitisneartothetraveller.Foraconsiderableportionofthewaytherearenohouseslyingneartheroad,and,thereisoneresidence,somewayfromtheroad,sosecludedthatnootherhouselieswithinamileofitbyland.Bywateritmightprobablybereachedwithinhalfamile.ThisplacewascalledCrumpIsland,andherelived,andhadlivedformanyyears,anoldgentleman,anativeofBermuda,whosebusinessithadbeentobuyupcedarwoodandsellittotheship-buildersatHamilton.InourstoryweshallnothaveverymuchtodowitholdMr.Bergen,butitwillbenecessarytosayawordortwoabouthishouse.

Itstooduponwhatwouldhavebeenanislandinthecreek,hadnotanarrowcauseway,barelybroadenoughforaroad,joinedittothatlargerislandonwhichstandsthetownofSt.George.Asthemainroadapproachestheferryitrunsthroughsomerough,hilly,openground,whichontherightsidetowardstheoceanhasneverbeencultivated.Thedistancefromtheoceanheremay,perhaps,beaquarterofamile,andthegroundisforthemostpartcoveredwithlowfurze.Ontheleftoftheroadthelandiscultivatedinpatches,andhere,somehalfmileormorefromtheferry,apathturnsawaytoCrumpIsland.Thehousecannotbeseenfromtheroad,and,indeed,canhardlybeseenatall,exceptfromthesea.Itlies,perhaps,threefurlongsfromthehighroad,andthepathtoitisbutlittleused,asthepassagetoandfromitischieflymadebywater.

Here,atthetimeofourstory,livedMr.Bergen,andhereliv