The Pirate by Henry Poe-Part One
by theliterarymaiden
In the next few posts, I will be scribing William Henry Leonard Poe’s stories, as I had done with his poetry.
Now, I happily present The Pirate, part one.
[Part Two]
[Original.]
To the Editor of the North American.
On my last voyage to the West Indies, a friend whom I met after a long separation, related to me the following adventure, and as it appeared singular and romantic, I made a memorandum of it, and I now transcribe it from my “log book” for your use, which you are at liberty to do with as you may deem proper. Yours, W.H.P.
__________________________
THE PIRATE.
I went to the Havana in the summer of 182-, on business, and having settled it to my satisfaction, engaged my passage in a vessel bound to New York–We had been but a few hours on the voyage when I felt that weariness and pain which indicates the approach of the yellow fever. I continued to grow worse, and to add to my distress, the vessel began to roll violently and sea-sickness with all its horrors cause upon me–I would have sacrificed every thing for a quiet place in which to die, as I felt that this was all I could wish for. Overcome at length with weakness, and completely exhausted, I fell asleep, from which I was awakened by a confused noise. I at first believed it was merely imagination, but as it became louder, I felt convinced that what I heard was a reality. At length the cabin door opened, and several persons descended. Our captain approached my birth and told me the vessel had been captured by pirates, and that we were now standing in for the land. I heard the first part of his speech with an apathy which my illness only can account for;-but the very name of land seemed to operate like a charm upon me. A young man now approached and told me to be under no apprehension, as no personal injury was intended, and that every care should be bestowed upon me. He inquired the nature and state of my disease, and brought me a cordial, which considerably relieved me. In a short time we were at anchor, and I was told our vessel would be detained for a day or two, and after a few articles had been taken out, permitted (cannot read word here) proceed on her voyage. The same person subsequently entered, and observed that I could be much better attended on shore, where I would be relieved from the bustle and confusion of the vessel. To this I cheerfully assented, and in the afternoon I was placed in a boat and carried to a hut near the beach;-here I was treated kindly, and every attention paid me. I had been three days on shore when the young man (whom I now discovered to be captain of the corsair) arrived, and told me our vessel would sail in an hour, and if I wished to proceed in her I was at liberty to do so, although he remarked, in my present state it would no doubt cost me my life:-and that if I would trust to him, and could bear the detention of a month or so, he would convey me to some part of Cuba, from whence I could easily procure a passage home. Believing a removal in my present state would be almost certain death, added to a strong desire to know more of a man who appeared so different from what I had heard of men engaged in the profession with which he was connected, made me assent to his proposal. In about a week I was decidedly convalescent, and I felt really grateful for the kindness of the youthful outlaw. One evening on entering my room he expressed himself gratified to see me so much recovered, as he was to sail in the morning for the other side of the islands, and it was his wish that I should accompany him, as it was likely he would fall in with some vessel bound to the United States, and I could thus get home–the next morning we were underweigh.
It was near midnight when I was awakened by a deep groan in the cabin in which I slept–I raised my head and perceived the captain gazing on a small but beautiful dagger, which he was holding to the light as if to see more plainly–before him on the table, as well as I could judge, lay a miniature–he was in tears, and appeared much affected–In a few moments he placed them in his desk and went on deck. I mused some time on the singularity of this man, who seemed fitted for a situation better than that of a piratical captain:–he was rather small in his person, but well formed–had been handsome, I should think, but sorrow seemed to have set her seal upon his brow; his hair exhibited the marks of premature old age, although he could not be more than twenty-three.
The next night I determined to watch and see if he would again look at the dagger–he at length came down, and after sitting some time in a contemplative posture, opened the desk and again the dagger met my eye–Curiosity could bear it no longer–“What a singularity beautiful dirk,” I exclaimed–he started as if he had been shot, but suddenly reocvering himself, said, with a look which seemed as if he would reach my very thoughts, “Why did you make that remark?” I felt abashed, but he immediately added, “Since you appear anxious to know my history, I will tell it you. Do you see that,” he exclaimed, as he moved the light nearer and placed the dagger before me–“‘Tis blood,” I answered, sickening at the sight–“Ay, ’tis blood!–blood! to save one drop of which I would give all this miserable body contains–and yet,” added he, wildly, “’twas I that shed it!”–He buried his face in his hands and groaned deeply–in a few moments he became more composed, and began his story.
This is a great post of Poe’s work. I love the dedication you bring to this piece, and as someone with a literary blog, I admire the fact that you appreciate this author this much. Great post.
Thank you, I deeply appreciate you stopping by to read this. I shall be posting Part Two of Henry’s story soon, if you wish to read the rest of it! Thanks again.
[…] This is my second and final installment of Henry Poe’s The Pirate. (I apologize that this had been put off so long until now.) You can read the first part here. […]
Hello Ann- Thank you so much for transcribing Henry Poe’s works. I am working to learn a bit about the Poe siblings, Internet-wise, because I suspect there may be a faint reflection of them in the BBC’s current production of Sherlock Holmes.
I’m going to write up a brief post or two on Tumblr about THE PIRATE, suggesting a few connections to SHERLOCK. I would like to refer to your work here in whatever manner you’re comfortable with. A link? Your name? Or if you prefer, not at all: I could simply note that Henry’s writings can be found by searching online.
I’ll give you a link to my “Henry and Edgar” Tumblr post, so you can see where I’m coming from. I’m just bumping around in the dark, really- trying out different puzzle pieces to see if they fit. Thanks again for writing this up, I was thrilled to find it! -Corinne
Hello, Corinne,
Thank you for reaching out, I am delighted to hear that somebody else is interested in reading Henry’s stories. Please feel free to also take a look at the other stories and poems that I have also transcribed for this blog.
I took a quick look at your Tumblr post. Your information was accurate, and I look forward to reading more. Please feel free to email me at thematerialisticmaiden@gmail.com if you are need of any other Henry transcriptions, have any questions about Poe, Henry, or Rosalie, or to link me to your blog post when it is done. I look forward to hearing your connection between Henry, Eddie, and Sherlock.
A simple link would be just fine, in regard to your post, but please note that the original source of these stories is Thomas Ollive Mabbot’s Poe’s Brother. He did all the work, certainly!
Again, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any other Henry Poe/overall Poe questions. I look forward to your article.
Best
-Ann
Hi Ann, thanks for the quick response!
First- I am SO sorry for including the link in my message, I had no idea it would expand right there into an ugly mess. I hope you can delete it? My lesson is learned, anyway. Won’t do THAT again. 😕
I am working to finish up my initial Tumblr posts about THE PIRATE, the Poe brothers, and Sherlock. I think there are some pretty clear connections, but I tend to work in odd, unpopular corners of the fandom, so it’s very possible I’ll get very little response. (Which turns out to be quite satisfactory, really. When I accidentally post an idea that strikes a chord, it’s a little overwhelming! 😳).
I’ll send another email with links when they’re out there. If you have corrections or suggestions, please let me know, and I’ll make appropriate updates.
And I will continue to read more of/about Henry, Edgar and Rosalie! Thanks again- Corinne
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