Ravenshoe. By Henry Kingsley.

TIE WARREN HASTINGS. 41
heart, a darling; mamma's in heaven, my tender, and baby
too."
" No, indeed," said the child, eagerly; " she's on the quarterdeck. Mr. Archer! Mr. Archer!"
The mate, a tall, brawny, whiskerless, hard-faced man, about
six-and-twenty, who had been thrust into a pea-coat, now approached.
" Where's mamma, Mr. Archer?" said the child.
"Where's mamma, my lady-bird? O dear! O dear!"
"And where's the ship, and Captain Dixon, and the soldiers?"
" The ship, my pretty love," said the mate, putting his rough
hand on the child's wet hair; "why the good ship Warren Hastings, Dixon master, is a-sunk beneath the briny waves, my darling; and all on board of her, being good sailors and brave
soldiers, is doubtless at this moment in glory."
The poor little thing set up a low, wailing cry, which went to
the hearts of all present; then the women carried her away, and
the mate, walking between M4ackworth and Densil, headed the
procession homeward to the hall.
"She was the Warren Hastings, of 900 tons," he said, "from
Calcutta, with a detachment of the 120th on board. The old
story, - dismasted, both anchors down, cables parted, and so on.
And now I expect you know as much as I do. This little girl is
daughter to Captain Corby, in command of the troops. She was
always a favorite of mine, and I determined to get her through.
How steady those sojers stood, by jingo, as though they were on
parade. Well, I always thought something was going to happen,
for we had never a quarrel the whole voyage, and that's curious
with troops. Capital crew, too. Ah, well, they are comfortable
enough now, eh, sir?"
That night the mate arose from his bed like a giant refreshed
with wine, and posted off to Bristol to "her owners," followed by
a letter from Densil, and another from Lloyd's agent, of such a
nature that he found himself in command of a ship in less than a
month. Periodically, unto this day, there arrive at Ravenshoe,
bows and arrows (supposed to be poisoned), paddles, punkahs,
rice-paper screens; a malignant kind of pickle, which causeth the
bowels of him that eateth of it to burn; wicked-looking old gods
of wood and stone; models of Juggernaut's car; brown earthenware moonshees, translating glazed porcelain Bibles; and many
other Indian curiosities, all of which are imported and presented
by the kind-hearted Archer.
In a fortnight the sailors were gone, and save a dozen or so of
new graves in the churchyard, nothing remained to tell of the
Warren Hastings but the little girl saved so miraculously, - little
Mary Corby.