![Between Science, Technology and Society
Alessandro Deserti and Francesca Rizzo
The intersection and permeability of science, innovation and society result in a series
of benefits and challenges, underlying the important role the latter can and should
play. The following paragraphs present the theoretical background and the objectives
of the SISCODE (Society in Innovation and Science through CO-DEsign) project
investigating this interconnection, the issues that emerged through its journey and
the results gained. Therefore, it frames the knowledge obtained throughout the three-
year duration of the project, situating the notion of Responsible Research and Inno-
vation (RRI) in the co-creation domain, and introducing the issues that emerge when
moving from the theoretical concept to practice [1, 2]. It inspects how co-creation
and design knowledge and tools can be applied to engage citizens in shaping solu-
tions that are meant to be more inclusive, responsible and sustainable, and how these
approaches and methodologies could be applied to operationalize RRI. Particular
attention is drawn to how small-scale experimentations can lead to significant scale-
in, scale-up and scale-out processes. The book will show how these processes can
lead to organizational learning and transformation, but also how they can provide
evidence-based knowledge which nurtures policy making processes with the poten-
tial of achieving broader societal impacts in Science, Technology and Innovation
(STI) policy making [3]. Investigating the benefits and implications of applying
participatory research and innovation approaches in society, this chapter embraces
a context-sensitive perspective [4] and explores the crossroads of diverse forms of
innovation: not only research-driven but also practice-based, and not only technolog-
ical but also social. This reasoning provided the theoretical background which led to
the construction of a learning framework, adopted as a guide for the 10 co-creation
labs in which the real-life experimentations described in this volume were conducted.
A. Deserti (B) · F. Rizzo
Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano, 20158 Milan, Italy
e-mail: alessandro.deserti@polimi.it
© The Author(s) 2022
A. Deserti et al. (eds.), Co-creation for Responsible Research and Innovation,
Springer Series in Design and Innovation 15,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78733-2_1
1](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/19286036-250523210557-4516f341/85/Cocreation-For-Responsible-Research-And-Innovation-Experimenting-With-Design-Methods-And-Tools-Alessandro-Deserti-13-320.jpg)
![2 A. Deserti and F. Rizzo
1 Areas of Interest of the SISCODE Project
SISCODE combined diverse fields of study and areas of work. In particular, the
research and innovation project investigated the relationship between RRI and co-
creation, with a specific focus on STI policy making. These distinct matters have been
reconnected in theory and practice, identifying a potentiality of achieving positive
results and impacts when applying co-creation approaches, methodologies and tools
to operationalize RRI [5].
Responsible Research and Innovation
Innovation and science are powerful drivers when it comes to the development
of all factors that influence modern society and therefore the direction of trans-
formation of societies and all the single individuals that are a part of it [6]. The
recognition of this influence has led to the emergence of a new approach in the fields
of science, research and innovation, to make them more responsible impacting STI
policy making. The emergence of the approach within the framework and context
of European policy making dates back to 2011 having been introduced as a top-
down approach for research policy which contrasts with the concept itself promoting
bottom-up initiatives and pathways to innovation [7].
RRI entails the transition from solutions developed internally within the research
community and only tolerated passively by society towards ones that are taking
citizens and other actors actively into consideration as part of the development of
solutions that are more apt to achieve desirable results with a high impact [6].
This reflection on the societal impact of innovation calls for a change in innovation
processes and a shift of roles of its actors, including all players into the innovation
process, which should lead to sharing and redefining power, privileges and respon-
sibilities [2]. Apart from the aspect of inclusion, RRI aims to anticipate impacts
by analyzing the contexts of implementation and taking into account all the actors
and factors that influence the implementation of a solution. Furthermore, findings
throughout the development are planned to impact on the process itself, making it
more reflective, flexible and responsive to new insights and perspectives [8].
Witnessing this shift towards the involvement of citizens and other actors in the
innovation process, it is necessary to understand its potentialities as well as its impli-
cations: this calls for new approaches, techniques, processes and mindsets for the
effective integration and involvement of society in innovation.
Despite having been widely discussed in theory as a relevant opportunity to move
towards more sustainable futures [9], there’s still a lack of evidence of impacts of
RRI in empirical settings, which leaves open issues especially in terms of context-
sensitivity and translation from theory into practice for real and measurable impact
[10].
It has been recognized that the full adoption of RRI requires an in-depth trans-
formation in organizations and ecosystems or institutional settings, to be embedded
as a general approach towards innovation that requires the reflection not only on the
outcomes of innovation itself but also the purpose and process of innovating leading
to a shift in the overall mindset and way of working.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/19286036-250523210557-4516f341/85/Cocreation-For-Responsible-Research-And-Innovation-Experimenting-With-Design-Methods-And-Tools-Alessandro-Deserti-14-320.jpg)
![Between Science, Technology and Society 3
The scientific and technological advancement and the responsibility related to it
discussed in RRI directly refers to the substantial societal challenges that are being
tackled with innovation [2].
Co-creation
Co-creation has received significant attention in the context of innovation in recent
years, in particular as a part of the field of participatory design. It has been identified
as a potential booster for the implementation of new and experimental solutions
due to both its practicality and its versatility in adapting to diverse and changing
environments and contexts [11].
One of the central points of co-creation is the transformation of passive actors like
end-users into operating ones, involving them actively in the development processes
of products, services and systems [12] to define and create value commonly and
taking all actors and their needs into account [13].
Co-creation considers users and actors not only during research phases, but aims
to actively involve them across the phases of ideation in co-design processes until
the prototyping and implementation of a solution, thus including co-production [14].
From a business point of view, this active involvement in participatory processes
usually aims at the co-creation of value, shifting the focus from a business-centric
one towards personalised and satisfying customer experiences [15].
These characteristics led to expanding the fields of application as well as the
notion of co-creation. In particular, it has been experimented as a promising means
to engage neglected actors and stakeholders in other fields of innovation (e.g. in
public sector innovation) and as a way to set up collaborative processes like those
that are needed to better include society in innovation [5].
The SISCODE project explored this pathway of operationalizing RRI through
co-creation to investigate the potentialities, opportunities and barriers of co-creation
in the RRI context. In particular, the project analysed the favorable conditions for
co-creation, the dynamics activated during the process of adoption of co-creation,
and how capacities for co-creation in organisations are built.
2 The SISCODE Project and Its Objectives
SISCODE (Society in Innovation and Science through CO-DEsign) is a three-
year EU-funded project within the Horizon 2020 programme with 17 cross-sector
partners, completed in April 2021.
It aimed to explore the application of co-creation, and co-design specifically, for
the operationalization of RRI in different contexts.
Its investigation is based on the triangulation of the results of different but inter-
connected research streams: the theoretical framing of the single areas of work
(primarily RRI, co-creation and policy making) and their interconnection; the anal-
ysis of existing cases where co-creation has been applied in the context of RRI in
Europe and beyond; and finally, the conduction of ten real-life experimentations. For
the conduction of the experimentation, an analytical, reflective learning framework](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/19286036-250523210557-4516f341/85/Cocreation-For-Responsible-Research-And-Innovation-Experimenting-With-Design-Methods-And-Tools-Alessandro-Deserti-15-320.jpg)
![4 A. Deserti and F. Rizzo
was developed to explore the provoked shifts and transformations in projects and
organizations, as well as in policies and policy making processes triggered by the
interaction between citizens, stakeholders and policy makers. Therefore, the project
frames the knowledge obtained throughout the three years of the project, situating the
notion of RRI in the co-creation domain, and introducing issues that emerge when
moving from the theoretical concept to practice [1, 2].
Objectives
To grasp and further explore the circulation and establishing of the phenomenon
of co-creation as an approach for bottom-up and design-driven development as well
as its potential for replication and scaling when applied in the context of RRI, the
SISCODE project was carried out according to three main objectives:
1. The production of a study extended across Europe to investigate existing co-
creation ecosystems at different scales ranging from local and regional to
national levels and identify and extract patterns of dynamics, drivers and barriers
encountered when integrating society in science and innovation. It specifically
addressed the cultural, organisational, institutional and regulatory conditions
that may favour or hinder co-creation. Furthermore, particular attention was
posed to the engagement of stakeholders, the techniques and dynamics of their
involvement and how their diversity influenced and affected the process and the
final solution.
2. The experimentation of (co-)design not only as an approach, but also as a set
of skills and competences, to see how the building of these capacities can be
favoured and supported to enable the application co-creation in RRI and STI
policy making.
3. The understanding of the transformation needed beyond the development of
capacities in terms of organisational, procedural and cultural shifts for the
permanent and stable embedding of co-creation in organisational processes and
culture and how eventual barriers identified can be overcome.
In essence, SISCODE aimed to explore the operationalization of RRI by investi-
gating the application of co-creation to reach this goal, starting from the theoretical
background and existing cases to then conduct its own transnational experimentation
across Europe.
This book describes this system of co-creation labs and provides insights drawn
from their experimentation of applying co-creation in their single contexts while
being in constant exchange with each other, with the networks that they created to
conduct the experimentation and with the other partners in the research consortium,
to foster peer-to-peer learning and cross-fertilisation.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/19286036-250523210557-4516f341/85/Cocreation-For-Responsible-Research-And-Innovation-Experimenting-With-Design-Methods-And-Tools-Alessandro-Deserti-16-320.jpg)
![6 A. Deserti and F. Rizzo
same general framework adapting its elements to the specific context and condi-
tions. This is relevant in terms of reacting to the previously identified importance
of the context while preserving the possibility to still assess and compare the
single experimentations notwithstanding their diversity.
The overall project adopted an approach to place these small-scale experiments
within larger ecosystems of co-creation exploring opportunities for scaling and
reconnect the findings to the general issues identified during the initial desk
research.
4 The Importance of Small-Scale Experiments
The necessity of impacting ecosystems on a broader scale to influence policies
requires impact at not only local, but regional, national and international levels [16].
Small-scale pilots have been identified as a potential to experiment new approaches
and concepts to then ‘scale, what works’ [17].
The advantage of pilots conducted on a smaller scale is not only related to their
feasibility but also to their focus on a limited and very specific environment adopting
a sensitive perspective in relation to the surrounding context [4]. This context-
sensitivity becomes particularly relevant when investigating RRI initiatives where
significant levels of context-dependence have been found as one of the barriers for
implementation [13, 18–20].
This aspect underlines both the importance of small-scale experiments conducted
in very specific contexts to then make considerations on their scaling as well as the
necessity to consider these scaling processes and integrate them into pilots like the
ones conducted in SISCODE from the very beginning.
Moore et al. have divided the scaling process into three different elements, scaling
up, scaling out and scaling deep, and all three of them combined are necessary to
impact larger systems [16].
• Scaling out refers to the wider dissemination and replication of the solution
to impact a larger number of addressants in this way [16]. In SISCODE, this
dimension has been addressed with a variety of dissemination activities in each
lab together with business model workshops and considerations on replication to
reflect and collect feedback on opportunities of scaling the single solutions out
beyond the project context.
• Scaling up relates directly to the influence on laws and policies transforming
existing institutions [16]. The pilots have addressed this dimension seeking direct
contact, exchange and confrontation specifically with policy makers and decision
makers in their respective field of work to collaboratively understand barriers and
opportunities within the current policy framework together with potentialities
to influence and transform this framework participating and contributing in the
shaping of new policies.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/19286036-250523210557-4516f341/85/Cocreation-For-Responsible-Research-And-Innovation-Experimenting-With-Design-Methods-And-Tools-Alessandro-Deserti-18-320.jpg)
![Between Science, Technology and Society 7
Here it is worth to be mentioned, that especially the value of evidence-based
knowledge has been explored to reach out to decision makers to achieve broader
impacts on society.
• Scaling deep introduces culture and mindset as an additional dimension to be
influenced to achieve impact at a greater scale. The cultural and visionary shift
that is required to deeply embed a new solution, its mindset and approach to ensure
not only its integration in a context but also create a fertile ground for replication
and scaling with the involved actors eventually becoming advocates to further
distribute innovation.
Particular attention has been posed at this dimension in SISCODE investigating
the changes in mindset and way of working, that the pilot has triggered both in the
organisation and the surrounding ecosystem together with the dynamics of these
transformations.
5 Levels and Dimensions of Investigation
The specific levels investigated in SISCODE range from the micro and meso up to
the macro level. While the micro level refers to the internal activities and dynamics
as well as the immediate surroundings of an organisation, the meso level zooms
out to networks of stakeholders and bigger groups often still limited to a regional
level, while the macro level takes a focus on national and institutional governance
processes up to transnational dynamics and systems [21].
While the experimentations did mainly take place and directly impacted on a
micro-level, the project explored and reflected on how each of the experimental
solutions could be scaled or replicated to influence systems on meso- and even macro
levels.
These levels of analysis are taken up in the final chapter, the comparative analysis,
where the ten experimentations conducted are compared identifying essential differ-
ences and common aspects with a specific focus on policies and policy making when
applying co-creation in RRI contexts, reconnecting them to the theoretical back-
ground of the project by drawing initial conclusions on barriers and opportunities
considering a wider scale from a future perspective.
The following chapter presents the empirical reasoning at the ground of the exper-
imentation and its methodology with the learning framework set up to plan, conduct
and monitor the pilots. In particular, it shows how the process has been established to
support the tackling of challenges for the single organisations in terms of stakeholder
engagement, dealing with communities and society and managing transformations.
References
1. Von Schomberg L, Blok V (2018) The turbulent age of innovation. Synthese, pp 1–17](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/19286036-250523210557-4516f341/85/Cocreation-For-Responsible-Research-And-Innovation-Experimenting-With-Design-Methods-And-Tools-Alessandro-Deserti-19-320.jpg)
!["Service, man—wi' yeer sarvice! will ye neer gie ower miscaaing his
Majestie's English? But weel a weel, and it may not be the last I will render
ye, so nae mair about it, man; I meant nae offence,—and to say sooth, my
mind was away among the hill-folk, the puir persecuted remnant whereof
my great-grandfather was an unworthy member; and mony a weary nicht
did he skirl up the Psalms on the wet hillside, before he was exalted, with
the cauld spongy fog[1] for a mattrass, and a damp rash bush for a pillow."
[1] Moss.
"Ho, ho!" chuckled Peter at this; "you are always gammoning about old
stories, and book-larning; but I have you now, Master Lennox;—your great-
grandfather was exalted, was he?—that is hanged, I suppose?"
I was a good deal tickled at this, and listened, in spite of myself, to hear
how my Scotch friend would brook this insinuation.
Lennox replied, quite calmly—"He was hanged."
"Ha! ha! I have you on the hip now, my master," shouted Peter.
"Indeed, man, you are a coorse-minded animal," responded the corporal.
"I spoke in yae sense metaphorically, and alluded to his reward in Heaven—
where I have nae doubt he went—but leeterally, I will no deny, in another;
for he was in verity hanged by that villain Lauderdale in the Lawnmarket,
and sang this very hundredth Psalm, that you have heard raised on board
that vessel, at the"——
"What, the whole of it?" interrupted honest Peter.
"Ay, the whole of it, from stem to stern, on the scaffold."
Here poor Lennox's voice fell a little, so that honest Peter, thinking that
the disclosure of his great-grandfather's exaltation, which, in his innocence,
he considered he had cleverly wrung from him, was giving him pain, sung](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/19286036-250523210557-4516f341/85/Cocreation-For-Responsible-Research-And-Innovation-Experimenting-With-Design-Methods-And-Tools-Alessandro-Deserti-51-320.jpg)
Cocreation For Responsible Research And Innovation Experimenting With Design Methods And Tools Alessandro Deserti
- 1. Cocreation For Responsible Research And Innovation Experimenting With Design Methods And Tools Alessandro Deserti download https://ebookbell.com/product/cocreation-for-responsible- research-and-innovation-experimenting-with-design-methods-and- tools-alessandro-deserti-38572072 Explore and download more ebooks at ebookbell.com
- 2. Here are some recommended products that we believe you will be interested in. You can click the link to download. Cocreation For Responsible Research And Innovation Experimenting With Design Methods And Tools 1st Edition Alessandro Deserti https://ebookbell.com/product/cocreation-for-responsible-research-and- innovation-experimenting-with-design-methods-and-tools-1st-edition- alessandro-deserti-51704236 Cocreation For Sustainability The Un Sdgs And The Power Of Local Partnerships Christopher Ansell https://ebookbell.com/product/cocreation-for-sustainability-the-un- sdgs-and-the-power-of-local-partnerships-christopher-ansell-49974248 Online Intermediaries For Cocreation An Explorative Study In Healthcare Knne https://ebookbell.com/product/online-intermediaries-for-cocreation-an- explorative-study-in-healthcare-knne-6751038 Collaboration And Cocreation New Platforms For Marketing And Innovation 1st Edition Gaurav Bhalla Auth https://ebookbell.com/product/collaboration-and-cocreation-new- platforms-for-marketing-and-innovation-1st-edition-gaurav-bhalla- auth-4269020
- 3. The Art Of Cocreation A Guidebook For Practitioners 1st Ed Bryan R Rill https://ebookbell.com/product/the-art-of-cocreation-a-guidebook-for- practitioners-1st-ed-bryan-r-rill-7327950 Higher Creativity For Virtual Teams Developing Platforms For Cocreation Premier Reference Steven P Macgregor https://ebookbell.com/product/higher-creativity-for-virtual-teams- developing-platforms-for-cocreation-premier-reference-steven-p- macgregor-1657386 Managing Collaborative Rd Projects Leveraging Open Innovation Knowledgeflows For Cocreation Gabriela Fernandes https://ebookbell.com/product/managing-collaborative-rd-projects- leveraging-open-innovation-knowledgeflows-for-cocreation-gabriela- fernandes-43023976 Meeting Challenges For Rural Tourism Through Cocreation Of Sustainable Tourist Experiences 1st Edition Elisabeth Kastenholz Maria Joo Carneiro Celeste Eusbio https://ebookbell.com/product/meeting-challenges-for-rural-tourism- through-cocreation-of-sustainable-tourist-experiences-1st-edition- elisabeth-kastenholz-maria-joo-carneiro-celeste-eusbio-51579246 The Cocreation Edge Harnessing Big Data To Transform Sales And Procurement For Business Innovation 1st Edition Francis Gouillart https://ebookbell.com/product/the-cocreation-edge-harnessing-big-data- to-transform-sales-and-procurement-for-business-innovation-1st- edition-francis-gouillart-5610332
- 5. Springer Series in Design and Innovation 15 Co-creation for Responsible Research and Innovation Alessandro Deserti Marion Real Felicitas Schmittinger Editors Experimenting with Design Methods and Tools
- 6. Springer Series in Design and Innovation Volume 15 Editor-in-Chief Francesca Tosi, University of Florence, Florence, Italy Series Editors Claudio Germak, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy Francesco Zurlo, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy Zhi Jinyi, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China Marilaine Pozzatti Amadori, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Maurizio Caon , University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Fribourg, Switzerland
- 7. Springer Series in Design and Innovation (SSDI) publishes books on innovation and the latest developments in the fields of Product Design, Interior Design and Communication Design, with particular emphasis on technological and formal innovation, and on the application of digital technologies and new materials. The series explores all aspects of design, e.g. Human-Centered Design/User Experience, Service Design, and Design Thinking, which provide transversal and innovative approaches oriented on the involvement of people throughout the design development process. In addition, it covers emerging areas of research that may represent essential opportunities for economic and social development. In fields ranging from the humanities to engineering and architecture, design is increasingly being recognized as a key means of bringing ideas to the market by transforming them into user-friendly and appealing products or services. Moreover, it provides a variety of methodologies, tools and techniques that can be used at different stages of the innovation process to enhance the value of new products and services. The series’ scope includes monographs, professional books, advanced textbooks, selected contributions from specialized conferences and workshops, and outstand- ing Ph.D. theses. Keywords: Product and System Innovation; Product design; Interior design; Communication Design; Human-Centered Design/User Experience; Service Design; Design Thinking; Digital Innovation; Innovation of Materials. How to submit proposals Proposals must include: title, keywords, presentation (max 10,000 characters), table of contents, chapter abstracts, editors’/authors’ CV. In case of proceedings, chairmen/editors are requested to submit the link to conference website (incl. relevant information such as committee members, topics, key dates, keynote speakers, information about the reviewing process, etc.), and approx. number of papers. Proposalsmustbesentto:serieseditorProf.FrancescaTosi(francesca.tosi@unifi.it) and/or publishing editor Mr. Pierpaolo Riva (pierpaolo.riva@springer.com). More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/16270
- 8. Alessandro Deserti · Marion Real · Felicitas Schmittinger Editors Co-creation for Responsible Research and Innovation Experimenting with Design Methods and Tools
- 9. Editors Alessandro Deserti Department of Design Politecnico di Milano Milan, Italy Felicitas Schmittinger Department of Design Politecnico di Milano Milan, Italy Marion Real Fab Lab Barcelona Barcelona, Spain ISSN 2661-8184 ISSN 2661-8192 (electronic) Springer Series in Design and Innovation ISBN 978-3-030-78732-5 ISBN 978-3-030-78733-2 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78733-2 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2022. This book is an open access publication. Open Access This book is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribu- tion and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
- 10. Preface The relationship between science, technology and society is being rethought towards logics of permeability and dialogue, rendering the needs, desires and expectations of the latter as important drivers for innovation. A paradigmatic shift concerning the role of citizens in science, research and innovation is witnessed, as well as in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policymaking. In particular, the discourse on public engagement and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) powerfully became a matter of spread interest, showing the need of models that lead to an effective integration of co-design and bottom-up co-creation initiatives for encour- aging/stimulatingscientificandtechnologicaladvancementastheresultofasynergic, inclusive cooperation among actors that usually work autonomously. To address the topic, 17 cross-sector partners from all over Europe started the three-year EU-funded project SISCODE (Society in Innovation and Science through CO-DEsign). Inter- connecting an analysis of the theoretical background and existing cases with real-life experimentations (RLEs), the investigation sets up a reflective and learning frame- work to explore the transformations in initiatives and policies emerging from the interaction between citizens and stakeholders. The book presents a critical analysis of the co-design processes activated in 10 co- creation laboratories addressing societal challenges across Europe. Each laboratory as a case study of a RLE is described through its journey, starting from the purpose on the ground of the experimentation and the challenge addressed. Specific atten- tion is then drawn on the role of policies and policymaker engagement. Finally, the experimentation is enquired in terms of its output, transformations triggered within the organisation and the overall ecosystem, and its outcomes, opening the reasoning towards the lessons learnt and reflections that the entire co-creation journey brought. Milan, Italy Barcelona, Spain Milan, Italy Alessandro Deserti Marion Real Felicitas Schmittinger v
- 11. Contents Between Science, Technology and Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Alessandro Deserti and Francesca Rizzo A Framework for Experimenting Co-creation in Real-Life Contexts . . . . 11 Marion Real and Felicitas Schmittinger Framing Real-Life Experimentations as Case Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Stefano Crabu, Ilaria Mariani, and Felicitas Schmittinger FabLab Barcelona—Co-design With Food Surplus: Better Redistributing, Upcycling and Composting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Marion Real, Anastasia Pistofidou, and Milena Juarez Calvo Polifactory. Transforming Playful Movement into Sound: Co-create a Smart System for Children with Cerebral Palsy . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Carla Sedini, Laura Cipriani, Mirko Gelsomini, Stefano Maffei, and Massimo Bianchini Maker—Plastic In, Plastic Out: Circular Economy and Local Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Asger Nørregård-Rasmussen, Malte Hertz-Jansen, and Felicitas Schmittinger KTP—Collectively Improving Air Quality in Krakow: A New Air Quality Plan for the Małopolska Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Agnieszka Włodarczyk-G˛ ebik, Aleksandra Gabriel, Maria Dubis, and Monika Machowska PA4ALL—Innovative Learning Methods for Education in Agriculture: An ICT Based Learning Programme for High Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Isidora Stojacic vii
- 12. viii Contents ThessAHALL—A Life-Long Learning Programme for the Social Inclusion of “Early-Stage” Older Adult Researchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Despoina Mantziari, Evdokimos Konstantinidis, Despoina Petsani, Nikolaos Kyriakidis, Vassiliki Zilidou, Efstathios Sidiropoulos, Maria Nikolaidou, Aikaterini-Marina Katsouli, and Panagiotis Bamidis Ciência Viva—Promoting Marine Activities Around Lisbon: Self-Constructed Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Gonçalo Praça Cube Design Museum—Empathic Co-design for Societal Impact . . . . . . . 109 Anja Köppchen Science Gallery Dublin—Open Mind: Improving Mental Health of Young People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Grace D’Arcy and Ilaria Mariani TRACES—In 2030, Artificial Intelligences Will Visit Museums? . . . . . . . 129 Matteo Merzagora, Aude Ghilbert, and Axel Meunier Assessing Co-creation in Relation to Context for RRI Operationalisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Francesca Rizzo and Alessandro Deserti
- 13. Between Science, Technology and Society Alessandro Deserti and Francesca Rizzo The intersection and permeability of science, innovation and society result in a series of benefits and challenges, underlying the important role the latter can and should play. The following paragraphs present the theoretical background and the objectives of the SISCODE (Society in Innovation and Science through CO-DEsign) project investigating this interconnection, the issues that emerged through its journey and the results gained. Therefore, it frames the knowledge obtained throughout the three- year duration of the project, situating the notion of Responsible Research and Inno- vation (RRI) in the co-creation domain, and introducing the issues that emerge when moving from the theoretical concept to practice [1, 2]. It inspects how co-creation and design knowledge and tools can be applied to engage citizens in shaping solu- tions that are meant to be more inclusive, responsible and sustainable, and how these approaches and methodologies could be applied to operationalize RRI. Particular attention is drawn to how small-scale experimentations can lead to significant scale- in, scale-up and scale-out processes. The book will show how these processes can lead to organizational learning and transformation, but also how they can provide evidence-based knowledge which nurtures policy making processes with the poten- tial of achieving broader societal impacts in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy making [3]. Investigating the benefits and implications of applying participatory research and innovation approaches in society, this chapter embraces a context-sensitive perspective [4] and explores the crossroads of diverse forms of innovation: not only research-driven but also practice-based, and not only technolog- ical but also social. This reasoning provided the theoretical background which led to the construction of a learning framework, adopted as a guide for the 10 co-creation labs in which the real-life experimentations described in this volume were conducted. A. Deserti (B) · F. Rizzo Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano, 20158 Milan, Italy e-mail: alessandro.deserti@polimi.it © The Author(s) 2022 A. Deserti et al. (eds.), Co-creation for Responsible Research and Innovation, Springer Series in Design and Innovation 15, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78733-2_1 1
- 14. 2 A. Deserti and F. Rizzo 1 Areas of Interest of the SISCODE Project SISCODE combined diverse fields of study and areas of work. In particular, the research and innovation project investigated the relationship between RRI and co- creation, with a specific focus on STI policy making. These distinct matters have been reconnected in theory and practice, identifying a potentiality of achieving positive results and impacts when applying co-creation approaches, methodologies and tools to operationalize RRI [5]. Responsible Research and Innovation Innovation and science are powerful drivers when it comes to the development of all factors that influence modern society and therefore the direction of trans- formation of societies and all the single individuals that are a part of it [6]. The recognition of this influence has led to the emergence of a new approach in the fields of science, research and innovation, to make them more responsible impacting STI policy making. The emergence of the approach within the framework and context of European policy making dates back to 2011 having been introduced as a top- down approach for research policy which contrasts with the concept itself promoting bottom-up initiatives and pathways to innovation [7]. RRI entails the transition from solutions developed internally within the research community and only tolerated passively by society towards ones that are taking citizens and other actors actively into consideration as part of the development of solutions that are more apt to achieve desirable results with a high impact [6]. This reflection on the societal impact of innovation calls for a change in innovation processes and a shift of roles of its actors, including all players into the innovation process, which should lead to sharing and redefining power, privileges and respon- sibilities [2]. Apart from the aspect of inclusion, RRI aims to anticipate impacts by analyzing the contexts of implementation and taking into account all the actors and factors that influence the implementation of a solution. Furthermore, findings throughout the development are planned to impact on the process itself, making it more reflective, flexible and responsive to new insights and perspectives [8]. Witnessing this shift towards the involvement of citizens and other actors in the innovation process, it is necessary to understand its potentialities as well as its impli- cations: this calls for new approaches, techniques, processes and mindsets for the effective integration and involvement of society in innovation. Despite having been widely discussed in theory as a relevant opportunity to move towards more sustainable futures [9], there’s still a lack of evidence of impacts of RRI in empirical settings, which leaves open issues especially in terms of context- sensitivity and translation from theory into practice for real and measurable impact [10]. It has been recognized that the full adoption of RRI requires an in-depth trans- formation in organizations and ecosystems or institutional settings, to be embedded as a general approach towards innovation that requires the reflection not only on the outcomes of innovation itself but also the purpose and process of innovating leading to a shift in the overall mindset and way of working.
- 15. Between Science, Technology and Society 3 The scientific and technological advancement and the responsibility related to it discussed in RRI directly refers to the substantial societal challenges that are being tackled with innovation [2]. Co-creation Co-creation has received significant attention in the context of innovation in recent years, in particular as a part of the field of participatory design. It has been identified as a potential booster for the implementation of new and experimental solutions due to both its practicality and its versatility in adapting to diverse and changing environments and contexts [11]. One of the central points of co-creation is the transformation of passive actors like end-users into operating ones, involving them actively in the development processes of products, services and systems [12] to define and create value commonly and taking all actors and their needs into account [13]. Co-creation considers users and actors not only during research phases, but aims to actively involve them across the phases of ideation in co-design processes until the prototyping and implementation of a solution, thus including co-production [14]. From a business point of view, this active involvement in participatory processes usually aims at the co-creation of value, shifting the focus from a business-centric one towards personalised and satisfying customer experiences [15]. These characteristics led to expanding the fields of application as well as the notion of co-creation. In particular, it has been experimented as a promising means to engage neglected actors and stakeholders in other fields of innovation (e.g. in public sector innovation) and as a way to set up collaborative processes like those that are needed to better include society in innovation [5]. The SISCODE project explored this pathway of operationalizing RRI through co-creation to investigate the potentialities, opportunities and barriers of co-creation in the RRI context. In particular, the project analysed the favorable conditions for co-creation, the dynamics activated during the process of adoption of co-creation, and how capacities for co-creation in organisations are built. 2 The SISCODE Project and Its Objectives SISCODE (Society in Innovation and Science through CO-DEsign) is a three- year EU-funded project within the Horizon 2020 programme with 17 cross-sector partners, completed in April 2021. It aimed to explore the application of co-creation, and co-design specifically, for the operationalization of RRI in different contexts. Its investigation is based on the triangulation of the results of different but inter- connected research streams: the theoretical framing of the single areas of work (primarily RRI, co-creation and policy making) and their interconnection; the anal- ysis of existing cases where co-creation has been applied in the context of RRI in Europe and beyond; and finally, the conduction of ten real-life experimentations. For the conduction of the experimentation, an analytical, reflective learning framework
- 16. 4 A. Deserti and F. Rizzo was developed to explore the provoked shifts and transformations in projects and organizations, as well as in policies and policy making processes triggered by the interaction between citizens, stakeholders and policy makers. Therefore, the project frames the knowledge obtained throughout the three years of the project, situating the notion of RRI in the co-creation domain, and introducing issues that emerge when moving from the theoretical concept to practice [1, 2]. Objectives To grasp and further explore the circulation and establishing of the phenomenon of co-creation as an approach for bottom-up and design-driven development as well as its potential for replication and scaling when applied in the context of RRI, the SISCODE project was carried out according to three main objectives: 1. The production of a study extended across Europe to investigate existing co- creation ecosystems at different scales ranging from local and regional to national levels and identify and extract patterns of dynamics, drivers and barriers encountered when integrating society in science and innovation. It specifically addressed the cultural, organisational, institutional and regulatory conditions that may favour or hinder co-creation. Furthermore, particular attention was posed to the engagement of stakeholders, the techniques and dynamics of their involvement and how their diversity influenced and affected the process and the final solution. 2. The experimentation of (co-)design not only as an approach, but also as a set of skills and competences, to see how the building of these capacities can be favoured and supported to enable the application co-creation in RRI and STI policy making. 3. The understanding of the transformation needed beyond the development of capacities in terms of organisational, procedural and cultural shifts for the permanent and stable embedding of co-creation in organisational processes and culture and how eventual barriers identified can be overcome. In essence, SISCODE aimed to explore the operationalization of RRI by investi- gating the application of co-creation to reach this goal, starting from the theoretical background and existing cases to then conduct its own transnational experimentation across Europe. This book describes this system of co-creation labs and provides insights drawn from their experimentation of applying co-creation in their single contexts while being in constant exchange with each other, with the networks that they created to conduct the experimentation and with the other partners in the research consortium, to foster peer-to-peer learning and cross-fertilisation.
- 17. Between Science, Technology and Society 5 3 RRI in SISCODE—From Theory to Practice through Co-creation SISCODE investigated how knowledge, methodologies and tools from the field of design can be applied to shape concrete solutions to relevant societal chal- lenges towards Responsible Innovation taking the inclusivity, responsibility and sustainability of these solutions into account. The activities conducted are aimed to function as a bridge for the identified gap between theory and practice in RRI through the collaborative development of specific solutions. In these processes, citizens and other stakeholders are engaged to collaboratively develop solutions for specific local and global problems. The research project inves- tigated and reflected upon the broader transformations triggered by the experimen- tations and the exchange within the project, both at an organisational level of the single labs as well as within their surrounding ecosystem. Co-creation has been applied as a means to deal with and overcome the barriers identified in the operationalization of RRI and to trigger the shift within organisations needed to fully embed the new approach to then influence the entire ecosystem. A series of activities were planned and conducted to support these processes in the frame of the project and provide concrete support to the pilots: • Training Knowledge on co-creation was transmitted in specific training sessions, providing background knowledge, tools for the conduction of co-creation activities, like canvases, cards and instruction, and building capacities for the planning, conduc- tion and facilitation of workshops and other co-creation activities. • Opportunities for peer-to-peer learning Acknowledgingthediversityofthepilotsandtheinfluenceofthesedifferencesand the entirely distinct contexts, confrontation has been identified as an opportunity to exchange best practices, ideas and collaboratively find solutions to specific problems. For this reason, regular meetings and calls have been organised as a space for interrelation, conversation and peer-to-peer learning. • Dialogue between researchers and practitioners Recognizing the gap between theory and practice not only identified in literature but in the project itself among academic partners and practitioners, a series of meetings have been organised to discuss specific research topics from the various points of view, aiming to bridge this gap within the project and identifying points of connection and dialogue between researchers and practitioners. • Reporting as an instrument for self-reflection Material to be produced for reporting and assessing the experimentation has been mainly collected following templates composed by a series of reflective questions to trigger reflections on the conducted activities and ongoing transformations while reporting them. A learning framework, described in detail in Chap. 2, was set up to support and guide this process of moving from theory to practice having all pilots following the
- 18. 6 A. Deserti and F. Rizzo same general framework adapting its elements to the specific context and condi- tions. This is relevant in terms of reacting to the previously identified importance of the context while preserving the possibility to still assess and compare the single experimentations notwithstanding their diversity. The overall project adopted an approach to place these small-scale experiments within larger ecosystems of co-creation exploring opportunities for scaling and reconnect the findings to the general issues identified during the initial desk research. 4 The Importance of Small-Scale Experiments The necessity of impacting ecosystems on a broader scale to influence policies requires impact at not only local, but regional, national and international levels [16]. Small-scale pilots have been identified as a potential to experiment new approaches and concepts to then ‘scale, what works’ [17]. The advantage of pilots conducted on a smaller scale is not only related to their feasibility but also to their focus on a limited and very specific environment adopting a sensitive perspective in relation to the surrounding context [4]. This context- sensitivity becomes particularly relevant when investigating RRI initiatives where significant levels of context-dependence have been found as one of the barriers for implementation [13, 18–20]. This aspect underlines both the importance of small-scale experiments conducted in very specific contexts to then make considerations on their scaling as well as the necessity to consider these scaling processes and integrate them into pilots like the ones conducted in SISCODE from the very beginning. Moore et al. have divided the scaling process into three different elements, scaling up, scaling out and scaling deep, and all three of them combined are necessary to impact larger systems [16]. • Scaling out refers to the wider dissemination and replication of the solution to impact a larger number of addressants in this way [16]. In SISCODE, this dimension has been addressed with a variety of dissemination activities in each lab together with business model workshops and considerations on replication to reflect and collect feedback on opportunities of scaling the single solutions out beyond the project context. • Scaling up relates directly to the influence on laws and policies transforming existing institutions [16]. The pilots have addressed this dimension seeking direct contact, exchange and confrontation specifically with policy makers and decision makers in their respective field of work to collaboratively understand barriers and opportunities within the current policy framework together with potentialities to influence and transform this framework participating and contributing in the shaping of new policies.
- 19. Between Science, Technology and Society 7 Here it is worth to be mentioned, that especially the value of evidence-based knowledge has been explored to reach out to decision makers to achieve broader impacts on society. • Scaling deep introduces culture and mindset as an additional dimension to be influenced to achieve impact at a greater scale. The cultural and visionary shift that is required to deeply embed a new solution, its mindset and approach to ensure not only its integration in a context but also create a fertile ground for replication and scaling with the involved actors eventually becoming advocates to further distribute innovation. Particular attention has been posed at this dimension in SISCODE investigating the changes in mindset and way of working, that the pilot has triggered both in the organisation and the surrounding ecosystem together with the dynamics of these transformations. 5 Levels and Dimensions of Investigation The specific levels investigated in SISCODE range from the micro and meso up to the macro level. While the micro level refers to the internal activities and dynamics as well as the immediate surroundings of an organisation, the meso level zooms out to networks of stakeholders and bigger groups often still limited to a regional level, while the macro level takes a focus on national and institutional governance processes up to transnational dynamics and systems [21]. While the experimentations did mainly take place and directly impacted on a micro-level, the project explored and reflected on how each of the experimental solutions could be scaled or replicated to influence systems on meso- and even macro levels. These levels of analysis are taken up in the final chapter, the comparative analysis, where the ten experimentations conducted are compared identifying essential differ- ences and common aspects with a specific focus on policies and policy making when applying co-creation in RRI contexts, reconnecting them to the theoretical back- ground of the project by drawing initial conclusions on barriers and opportunities considering a wider scale from a future perspective. The following chapter presents the empirical reasoning at the ground of the exper- imentation and its methodology with the learning framework set up to plan, conduct and monitor the pilots. In particular, it shows how the process has been established to support the tackling of challenges for the single organisations in terms of stakeholder engagement, dealing with communities and society and managing transformations. References 1. Von Schomberg L, Blok V (2018) The turbulent age of innovation. Synthese, pp 1–17
- 20. 8 A. Deserti and F. Rizzo 2. Von Schomberg R (2013) A vision of responsible research and innovation. In: Owen R, Bessant J, Heintz M (eds) Responsible innovation. Wiley, Chichester, pp 51–74 3. Deserti A, Rizzo F, Smallman M (2020) Experimenting with co-design in STI policy making. Policy Des Pract 3(2):135–149 4. Bekkers V, Tummers LG, Stuijfzand BG, Voorberg W (2013) Social innovation in the public sector: an integrative framework. LIPSE Working articles, 1 5. Bajmócy Z, Pataki G (2019) Responsible research and innovation and the challenge of co- creation. In: Responsible research and innovation and the challenge of co-creation (in press) 6. Owen R, Bessant J, Heintz M (eds) (2013) Responsible innovation: managing the responsible emergence of science and innovation in society. Wiley, Chichester 7. Zwart H, Landeweerd L, van Rooij A (2014) Adapt or perish? Assessing the recent shift in the European research funding arena from ‘ELSA’ to ‘RRI.’ Life Sci, Soc Policy 10(1):1–19 8. Stilgoe J, Owen R, Macnaghten P (2013) Developing a framework for responsible innovation. Res Policy 42:1568–1580 9. European Commission: Responsible research and innovation. https://ec.europa.eu/pro grammes/horizon2020/en/h2020-section/responsible-research-innovation. Last accessed 2021/03/28 10. European Commission (2015) Directorate-general for research and innovation: indicators for promoting and monitoring responsible research and innovation: report from the expert group on policy indicators for responsible research and innovation. Publications Office, Luxembourg 11. Payne AF, Storbacka K, Frow P (2008) Managing the co-creation of value. J Acad Mark Sci 36(1):83–96 12. Saarijärvi H (2012) The mechanisms of value co-creation. J Strateg Mark 20:381–391 13. Rizzo F, Deserti A, Komatsu TT (2020) Implementing social innovation in real contexts. Int J Knowl Based Dev 11(1):45–67 14. Frow P, Nenonen S, Payne A, Storbacka K (2015) Managing co-creation design: a strategic approach to innovation: managing co-creation design. Br J Manag 26(3):463–483 15. Prahalad CK, Ramaswamy V (2004) Co-creation experiences: the next practice in value creation. J Interact Mark 18:5–14 16. Moore M-L, Riddell D, Vocisano D (2015) Scaling out, scaling up, scaling deep: strategies of non-profits in advancing systemic social innovation. The J Corp Citizensh 58:67–84 17. Bradach J, Grindle A (2014) Emerging pathways to transformative scale. In: Smarter philan- thropy for greater impact: rethinking how grantmakers support scale. Supplement to ‘Stanford Social Innovation Review.’ 18. Deserti A, Rizzo F (2019) Embedding design in the organizational culture: challenges and perspectives. In: Design culture: objects and approaches, pp 39–51 19. Deserti A, Rizzo F (2019) Context dependency of social innovation: in search of new sustainability models. Eur Plan Stud 28(5):864–880 20. Howlett M (2014) From the ‘old’ to the ‘new’ policy design: design thinking beyond markets and collaborative governance. Policy Sci 47(3):187–207 21. Rizzo F, Deserti A, Crabu S, Smallman M, Hjort J, Hansen SJ, Menichinelli M (2018) Co-creation in RRI practices and STI policies. SISCODE deliverable D1.2. https://ec.eur opa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5bedc3a0d& appId=PPGMS. Last accessed 2021/03/21.
- 21. Between Science, Technology and Society 9 Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this chapter are included in the chapter’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the chapter’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.
- 22. Another Random Scribd Document with Unrelated Content
- 23. reef. I ran on deck, but as I ascended the ladder, "Pooh," said I to myself, "all nonsense—why put myself into a flurry?" And as I stepped off the ladder, little Binnacle called down the main-hatchway— "I say, De Walden—Henry—Henry De Walden—come on deck, man— come on deck—this is no time for skylarking—Mr Lanyard is on deck." Several gruff voices replied from below, "Mr De Walden is not here, sir."—"No Mr De Walden here." The buzz increased—"Is Mr De Walden forward there?" "No." "Is he below?" "No, sir, no—no Mr De Walden here." Old Bloody Politeful, kind-hearted soul as he always was, had now also turned out—"Why, Brail, what is all this bother about?" "My dear Sprawl," said I, greatly excited, "young De Walden is nowhere to be seen." "Nonsense," rejoined he; "why, he was standing close beside me the whole time we were crossing the bar, even up to the time when I was fool enough to squir my old hat over the masthead." "And so he was," chimed in Pumpbolt. "Then beat to quarters," said Mr Lanyard;—"the gallant youngster never missed muster yet—Desire them to beat to quarters, Mr Marline." "Ay, ay, sir," responded the midshipman. All hands turned out promptly. "Men," said the lieutenant—"Mr De Walden is missing.—Have any of you seen him?" "No, sir,—none of us have seen him since the strange schooner struck."
- 24. "Have you overhauled the midshipmen's berth, Mr Marline?" "Yes, sir." "The whole ship has been searched," said little Binnacle, who had just returned from below; "cable-tier, hold, and all. The boatswain and carpenter have been all over her. The gunner has even looked into the magazine. Mr De Walden is not on board, sir." "Poo, there he is at the masthead,—there," said I; for as I looked up I distinctly saw, either with my bodily optic, or my mind's eye, I am not quite certain which to this hour, a dark figure standing on the long-yard, with one hand holding on by a backstay, while with the other it pointed upwards into the pure sky. Old Dick at this was in a towering passion. "Come down—Mr De Walden—come down. sir—what is the fun of all this?—why, your absence has put the whole ship in a fuss—we thought you had fallen overboard." The dark object remained stock-still. "What can the captain see?" passed amongst the men. "Why, I see nothing, but Mr Brail does," quoth el señor teniente. "Do you see any thing at the masthead?" said one to his neighbour—"Do you see any thing?" quoth another. No one saw any thing but myself. "Look there, Sprawl—there—by Heaven what can this mean—do you really see nothing there?" The worthy fellow shaded his eyes with his hand, and kept twisting and turning and rolling his head about, as if it had been fixed on the ball and socket principle; but the object that had fascinated me was invisible to him. Gradually the figure, without changing its position, thinned; and anon, as if it had been a shred of dark vapour between us and the heavens, the stars were seen through it; but the outline, to my distempered vision, was still as well defined as ever. Presently, however, it began to grow indistinct and misty; and, whatever it was, it imperceptibly melted away and disappeared. De Walden was nowhere to be found. I looked back towards the dark estuary we had left. The sky in the background was heavy, black, and surcharged, as if it had been one vast thundercloud; but the white line of breakers on the bar continued distinctly visible; over which the heavenly moonlight rainbow still hovered, although gradually fading; and even as I looked it ceased to be distinguishable. As it disappeared in the surrounding blackness, even so vanished all hope from my mind of young De Walden's safety: and remembering the poor boy's last
- 25. words—"A good omen!" said I, "Alas, alas, an evil one it hath been to thee, poor boy!" "Call the watch, boatswain's mate," said Lanyard; and without speaking a word more, he, old Davie, and I descended to the cabin again. "What saw you aloft, Benjie? tell us truly—none of your waking dreams, you mongrel, half Scotchman, half Pat," said Sprawl. I told him. "I know it is downright nonsense—there was no one aloft, and I am persuaded it was all a delusion; still"—— "Nonsense—to be sure it is all nonsense—regular moonshine, Benjie," said Davie—"cannot be—you are overfatigued, man—you will laugh at all this to-morrow—but poor young De Walden—he must have fallen overboard when we drove the Don on the reef. God help us—what a melancholy report we shall have to make to Sir Oliver! but give us some grog, Lanyard, you sticky old villain, and I will lie down on the locker till daylight." I was bewildered—my mind from my early youth was tinged with superstition, but, nevertheless, what could this have been? For four-and- twenty hours, whatever I might have drank, I had eaten little or nothing,— and I began to perceive that I laboured under the oppressive effects of such a recoil as one experiences after having had the folly and audacity to get tipsy on unaided champagne, without having stowed away a ground tier of wholesome solid food; besides, I now found that the blow on my head, hard and thick as that might be, was beginning to tell; for I was aware that my pulse was feverish, and I had had several attacks of giddiness during the evening. I puzzled myself for half-an-hour in vain; at length I came to the conclusion, no doubt the correct one, that it was a freak of the imagination. When I raised my head from my hand, by which time the lamp was flickering in the socket, I saw my friends sound asleep, so I was not long in following their example, and worn out as I was, I soon forgot every thing, and was as fast as they were.
- 26. I was awoke by the mate of the watch calling Mr Lanyard about half an hour before daylight. "We see the commodore, sir, about two miles on the lee-beam," said Mr Marline, as he stuck his head into the cabin. "Very well—I will be on deck presently—how is her head?" "South-west, sir—but the wind is very light." He retired—and Dick having rigged with an expedition unknown to all mankind, barring a sailor or a monkey, went on deck. A restless fit had overtaken me, so I soon followed him. It was now four in the morning—there were clouds in the sky, but very little wind. In the east, all was clear—the morning star had already slipt her moorings, and was several degrees above the horizon, against which the rolling swell rose and sank as black as ink, except where the glorious planet cast a tiny wake on it, glittering in a small line of silver light; underneath, the glow of the advancing sun gradually tinged the sky and every shred of clouds with a crimson flush. On the other hand, when we looked down to leeward, far in the steamy west, the declining moon hung over the dark sea pale and sickly, as a lamp whose oil had failed. She looked as if she would have dropped at once into the ocean, and the feeble wake she cast through the ascending fog was dull and cheerless. There, however, in the very centre of her half quenched radiance, lay the noble frigate, rolling heavily on the long seas, under her three topsails; now rising distinct and clear against the horizon on the ridge of the dark swell, and again sinking on the liquid hills until she disappeared, as if the ever heaving waters had swallowed her up. All overhead continued blue, and cold, and serene. "Mr Marline, bear up, and run down to her." "Ay, ay, sir."
- 27. The deadening splash and gushing sound of the felucca's counter, as it came surging down, while lying to, was soon, but gradually, exchanged for the rushing of the water and buzzing of the foam past a vessel rapidly cleaving the billows. As we approached, all remained quiet and still on board the frigate. We stood on—not a soul seemed to notice us—we crossed her stern—still all silent, and at length we rounded to under her lee. We were so close that one might have chucked a biscuit into her gangway. "Are you waiting for a boat, Mr Lanyard?" at length said the officer of the watch, the old gunner. "No, no," he replied, "I will be on board presently." Sprawl was roused out, and in a few seconds we were in our own tiny skiff, and approaching the frigate. All continued dark and dismal, as we looked up at her black hull, dark sails, and tall spars. She was rolling heavily, the masts and yards groaning, the bulkheads creaking and screaming, and the topsails fluttering and grumbling, until the noise, every now and then, ended in a sounding thump, as if the old ship, in all her parts, were giving audible indications of her impatience of the tedious calm; while her stained canvass appeared to be as heavy as if a wetting shower had just poured down. We approached, and as the man in the bow stuck his boat- hook into the old lady's side to fend off, the sidesman handed us the man- ropes, and presently we were all three on the Gazelle's quarterdeck. Every thing was wet and uncomfortable—the heavy dew was dripping down from the shrouds and rigging, and every lumbering flap of the topsails sent a cold shower pattering on deck. The watch had all roused out from the booms, and were clustered on the hammock cloths, looking down on us. When we got on deck, they followed us as far aft as they thought they might venture to do, while others again had hung themselves in a variety of ways over the side to get the marrow of our secret out of our boat's crew. The old gunner was arrayed in his pea-jacket and blue trowsers, as if he had been in the North Sea; and the red sparkle of the light in the binnacle glanced on the face and chest of the sunburned seaman at the wheel.
- 28. "How is Sir Oliver, and Mr Garboard, and Mr Donovan?" Any man who has lived in such a climate will evince no wonder at the anxiety and rapidity with which the questions were put. "Why, all pretty well," said the gunner. "Sir Oliver, indeed, has been ill, but is now better—and Mr Garboard is nearly all right again; he took the forenoon watch yesterday, sir. But as for Mr Donovan, why, sir,"—— "Never mind, never mind," said Sprawl; "send down to Sir Oliver, and say that we have got on board." The man dived, and presently brought a message that Sir Oliver desired to see us in his cabin. We descended; a solitary lamp hung from the deck above, and lit up the large cabin any thing but brilliantly. It had the appearance of having been newly lit, and wanting oil,—for when we first entered it was flaring up like a torch, but gradually declined until we could scarcely see about us. As you have not been below before, I will describe it. The cabin was very large, even for a vessel of her class, and was not subdivided in any way. There were four guns, long twenty-fours, two of a side, but the devil a stick of furniture in it, with the exception of the table in the middle, and six or seven chairs, two black hair sofas, one on each side of the cabin, a chest of drawers, and the crimson curtains before the stern windows. The portrait of a lady was the only ornament, a buxom-looking dame, but of the Earth earthly, nothing etherial about her. The commodore's cot hung well aft, near the small door that opened into the quarter-gallery on the starboard side—the bed-clothes were all disarranged as if he had recently risen; and at first we thought he must have left the cabin as we came down, and walked forward on the main-deck. "Where is the commodore?" said Lanyard to the captain's steward, who accompanied us with a light, but which had been blown out by the opening of the cabin door.
- 29. "I left him in the cabin, sir—I suppose he is there still, sir." By this time the ruddy east was brightening; the light that shone through the stern windows came in aid of the dim lamp, and we saw a figure, Sir Oliver as we conceived, stretched on one of the sofas that stood between the aftermost gun and the quarter-gallery door, on the larboard side. The man brought two candles and placed them on the table. Both Sprawl and myself had been rather surprised that the commodore did not instantly address us as we entered, but we now noticed that the gallant old fellow was very pale and wan, and that he spoke with difficulty, as if he had been labouring under asthma. "Welcome, gentlemen—glad to see you back again. I am prepared to hear that you have failed in your object—quite prepared; but I have been down ever since you shoved off, and am far from well yet." He rose and shook hands with us with all his usual cordiality of manner. "Sit down, gentlemen,—there—sit down. Howard, get coffee." It was handed. "Well, Master Brail—you have had enough of piloting and cutting out," said he, endeavouring to appear cheery and unconcerned—"curiosity quite satisfied I daresay." I was about replying when he continued, addressing the lieutenants. "You have had some fighting, I suppose—indeed, we heard the firing distinctly enough." "Yes, commodore," said Sprawl, "enough and to spare of that; but, as you have guessed, we were unable to bring out the polacre—she now lies sunk in the river." "Well, well," rejoined Sir Oliver, "I will hear the particulars by and by; but I hope you have not lost any, at least not many of the people—none killed I hope?—this horrible climate will leave few of us for gunpowder soon—none killed I hope?—a few wounded, of course, I bargain for"——
- 30. Sprawl was silent for a minute, and then handed him the return. —"Indeed, Sir Oliver," said he, "I am grieved to tell you that it has been a bad business; we have lost several excellent men, and our doctor's list is also heavy; however, all the wounded are likely to do well." The commodore took the paper in his nervous hand, and as he read the official account of our adventure, it shook violently, and his pale lip quivered, as he exclaimed from time to time—"God bless me, how unfortunate! how miserably unfortunate! But, gentlemen, you deserve all praise—you have behaved nobly, gallantly. I have no heart, however, to read the return. You have had how many killed?" turning to Lanyard. He mentioned the number. "And wounded?" He also gave him the information he desired in this respect. "Merciful Heaven!" groaned the excellent man—"but it cannot be helped —it cannot be helped. Pray," said he, the tone of his voice changed—I noticed it quavered, and he seemed to screw his words through his clenched teeth with difficulty,—all of which surprised me a good deal—"none of the boys—the young gentlemen—none of the midshipmen are hurt, or"—— He seemed afraid to pronounce the word "killed." Sprawl looked at Lanyard. He saw that he hung in the wind. "Why, no, sir," said he. "Why, no, none of them seriously hurt." "Nor killed?" said the commodore, affecting to be at ease, as he lay back on his sofa; "I am glad of it—I thank heaven for it. But really I am so weak from this confounded complaint!" "No, sir," continued old Davie, "none of the midshipmen are either killed or wounded, but Mr De Walden"—— He suddenly raised himself into a sitting position, and the increasing daylight, that streamed through the stern windows, and the scuttle overhead,
- 31. showed that he was paler than ever; the ague of his lip increased, and his whole frame trembled violently, as he said in a weak nervous voice—"Mr De Walden, did you say? what of him? You just now said none of the young gentlemen were either killed or wounded." And he looked first at Sprawl, then at Dick, and lastly at me, but all of us were so taken aback by such unusual and unaccountable conduct, that for a second or two we could make no answer. At length Lanyard rallied his wits about him. "You are right, sir, none of the midshipmen were hurt, but Mr de Walden"—— "Mr de Walden again!—what can you mean? Speak out, for the love of mercy"—and he seized his arm, and then shrunk away again, and held up his hand, as if he could not stand the hearing of what he might utter. "Don't say it, Mr Lanyard; don't, if you regard me, say it;" and he lay back, and held both hands on his eyes, and sobbed audibly. Sprawl and I again exchanged looks, but neither of us could find it in our hearts to speak. At length the old man made a violent effort at composure,—"Gentlemen, you will pardon me; disease has broken me down, and fairly unhinged me; and I could, as you see, cry like a woman. I had, indeed, a very peculiar cause for loving that poor boy, I fancy, God help me"—here the large tears streamed over his old cheeks, that had stood the washing up of many a salt spray—"that I see him now!" "Where?" said I, like honest Horatio, somewhat startled. He did not notice the interruption. "I believe he had not an enemy in the world; I am sure he will be lamented by every man and officer in the ship, poor young fellow. But come, gentlemen, enough and to spare of this"—and he rose up, and strode across the cabin, speaking with a forced composure, as we could easily perceive. "We must all die, in a sick bed or in action—either on shore or at sea; and those who, like him, fall while fighting gallantly, are better off than others who drag through a tedious and painful disease. This is trite talking,
- 32. gentlemen; but it is true—God's will be done! Peace be with him, poor boy; peace be with him." Thinking he was mad, I several times tried to break in, and disburden my mind of the whole story; but he always waved me down impatiently, and continued to walk backwards and forwards very impetuously. At length he made a full stop, and looked earnestly in the first lieutenant's face—"He behaved gallantly, and died nobly?—all his wounds in the front?" I could allow this to go on no longer. "Why, Sir Oliver, young De Walden is not killed, so far as we know." He gasped—caught my arm convulsively—and burst into a weak hysterical laugh—"Not dead?" "No, sir; none of us can say that he is dead. He did indeed behave most gallantly through the whole affair; but"—— "But what?" said he—his eyes sparkling, his brows knit, and his features blue and pinched, as if he had seen a spectre—"But what, Mr Brail? for God Almighty's sake, tell me the worst at once." "Sir Oliver, he is missing." His hands dropped by his side, as if suddenly struck with palsy; his jaw fell, and his voice became hollow, tremulous, and indistinct, as if the muscles of his lips and tongue had refused to do their office. When he spoke, it seemed as if the words had been formed in his chest—"Missing!" "Yes, Sir Oliver," said Sprawl, utterly thunderstruck at his superior's conduct—"Mr De Walden is missing." The old man staggered, and would have fallen, had he not caught hold of the scroll head of the sofa. I thought he had fainted, but he gradually recovered himself, and stood erect. There was a long pause. At length he made a step towards us, and said, with an expression of the most bitter
- 33. irony—"So, gentlemen, Mr De Walden is missing; the only officer missing is a poor young midshipman; a prisoner amongst these savages, forsooth; a prisoner! Oh, God! I could have brooked hearing of his death;—but a prisoner, and in the power of such an enemy! I bless Heaven, that his poor mother has been spared this misery—would that I had also been in my grave before—But, but"—his tone suddenly became fierce and threatening, and he raised his hand close to my face. I thought he would have struck me —"But how came it, Mr Brail—Mr Sprawl and Mr Lanyard there, I see, are both scathless—but you have been wounded, so I will speak to you—How came it, sir, that he is missing? He must have been deserted, sir—forsaken —left to his fate—and such a fate!—while you, my worthy lieutenants," here he turned round fiercely on his two subalterns, "were wisely looking out for a sound skin and safety." We were all so utterly taken by surprise at this furious climax to what we began to consider the commodore's insanity, that neither the first lieutenant, Lanyard, nor myself, notwithstanding all that had passed, could speak; which gave Sir Oliver time to breathe and continue in the same tone of fiendlike acerbity—"If I live, you shall both answer for this before a court- martial. Yes; and if you escape there, you shall not escape me." "Commodore—Sir Oliver," said Sprawl, deeply stung; "by Heaven, Sir Oliver, you will make me forget who I am, and where I am. You do me, you do Mr Lanyard, and the whole of the party engaged, exceeding injustice— the grossest injustice; but I will leave the cabin; I dare not trust myself any longer. I have served with you, Sir Oliver, for seven years, in three different ships, and, to my knowledge, we have never, until this moment, had an angry word together"—and here the noble fellow drew himself up proudly —"and I will yet put it to you yourself, when you are yourself, whether in all that time you ever knew me failing in my duty to my king and country— whether, during the whole seven years, you, sir—ay, or any man in the ships we have served in together—can now lay, or ever attempted to lay, any action or deed at my door derogatory to my character as an officer, or that in any the smallest degree sullied my reputation as a gentleman." This unlooked-for spunk on old Davie's part startled me, and evidently made a strong impression on the excited nerves of the old commodore;
- 34. especially as Sprawl followed it up, by slowly adding, while the tears hopped over his iron visage—"But, if it is to be so, I will save you the trouble, Sir Oliver, of bringing me to a court-martial"—he paused for a good space—"Sir Oliver Oakplank, I demand it." The commodore had by this lain down again on the sofa, with his head resting on the pillow, and his arms clasped on his breast, as if he had been an effigy on a tombstone. For a minute he did not utter a word—at length —"David Sprawl, man and boy, I have known you five-and-twenty years; that your promotion has not kept pace with your merits I regret, almost as much as you yourself can do; but, in the present instance, you knew I had been ill, and at your hands I had expected more"—— "I could not help it, Sir Oliver—I had looked for other things; but mine has been a life of disappointment." Sir Oliver rallied, and rose, ill as he was, and, stepping up to him, he laid hold of old Bloody Politeful's large bony hand—"Mr Sprawl, I—I beg pardon—illness and anxiety, as I said before, have broke me down; to you and Mr Lanyard I offer my apology; as brave men I know you won't refuse it; bad health is my excuse;—but neither of you can imagine the ties that bound me to that beautiful—that most excellent young man, Henry De Walden." Dick now thought it was his turn, and made a rally—"Why, Sir Oliver, I am sure that neither Mr Sprawl nor myself would yield, even to you, in regard for him." He shook his head. "Indeed, sir, we both knew the poor boy well; and"—here he plucked up more courage, determined in his own mind apparently that he would clap a stopper on their being ridden rough- shod over in this sort of way—but the commodore, far from showing fight, quietly allowed him to say out his say—"We both knew him well—a finer or a braver lad never stepped; and I fancy, when I say so, I answer not only for Mr Sprawl and myself, but for every man who was with us in this ill- fated expedition. Had his rescue depended on our devoting ourselves, you may rely on it, Sir Oliver, either we should not have been here to tell the story, or he would have been alive to tell his own."
- 35. The commodore once more lay back on the sofa, covering his face with his hands—"Go on, Mr Lanyard—go on." "Why, sir, he was with us, safe and sound, until we crossed the bar. I heard him sing out, 'a good omen—a good omen!' just as we jammed the Spanish schooner that had waylaid us, right down on the bank, in the very middle of the bar; but from that very instant of time no man in the ship saw or heard any thing of him." The old commodore appeared to be screwing up and gathering all his energies about him. "Never saw him!—what—did he fall overboard? Tell me—tell me—did he fall overboard?" "None of us saw him fall overboard, sir;" said I, desirous of making a diversion in favour of my friends, "but after that moment I never saw him alive." "Alive!" echoed the commodore—"Alive! Did you see him dead, then?" "No, sir, I think with you he must have gone overboard." There was a long and most irksome pause; at length the commodore broke it. "Well, well, Benjamin, it cannot be helped, it cannot be helped." Desirous of preventing another lull in the conversation, I hinted to the commodore that I had been subjected to a very strange delusion of the senses in passing the bar. "Ay, indeed," said he, with a faint smile—"second sight, I presume— your Scotch star has been in the ascendant—but come, tell the whole story at once." "I have told it before to Mr Sprawl, Sir Oliver; but really, on reflection, I have some scruples about recapitulating such nonsense at length again." "Tell it," said Sir Oliver, looking at me with his lack-lustre eye—"tell it."
- 36. "Then, sir, I will, although I am quite prepared to be laughed at." I made a pause, for, to say the truth, I was really disinclined to say more on the subject, which I now regretted I had broached; but he waited for me. "We had just cleared the bar, sir, when, on looking up, to see how the sail drew, I saw, holding on by the main haulyards, and with his feet spread out on our long lateen yard, a figure between me and the moonlight sky, as like Mr De Walden's as one could fancy any thing." "Pray, did any other person see it?" "No, sir, I don't believe any one else saw it." "Then," continued the commodore, "it must have been all fancy. How had you lived that morning?" "Why, sir, I was weak from want of food—indeed fairly worn out. Yet that the object was as palpable to me as if it had really been there, there is no disputing. I was startled at the time, I will confess; but"—here my superstitious feelings again began to rise up,—"he was never seen afterwards." "Then your simple and entire opinion is—that he is gone?" We bowed our heads in melancholy acquiescence. "Never mind then," said Sir Oliver. "Never mind, God's blessed will be done. But, gentlemen, come and breakfast with me at half past eight." And we found ourselves straightway on deck again. "I say, friend Sprawl," said I, so soon as we arrived at the upper regions —"have patience with me once more, and tell me seriously, what think you of me as a ghost seer; how do you account for the figure that I saw at the masthead?" "In this very simple way, Benjie, as I told you before, that, at the best, you are an enthusiast; but in the present instance, being worn out by fatigue and starvation, you really and truly fancied you saw what was uppermost in your mind, and, so far as your excited fancy was concerned,—why, you did see it. But come down below—come down below. Let us go and rig for our
- 37. appearance before the commodore. So come along." And straight we dived into the gunroom. I had, verily, as my excellent friend Sprawl said, been much excited, and while we were below, I had time to gather my thoughts about me. My first feeling was, that I had done very foolishly in telling my absurd story to the commodore; my second, that I had, which was really the simple fact, been imposed on by a false impression on my senses. "Donovan, my darling," said I, addressing our friend, who was lying in his berth close to us, "I can forgive you now for being mad a bit, Dennis, dear." "Come now, Brail, no quizzing, if you please; I am deuced weak yet." We made our toilet, and presently we were in the cabin again. Sir Oliver, when we entered, was sitting at the breakfast table. He had dressed; and although he was still very pale, there was nothing peculiar in his manner, if it were not that he was, if any thing, kinder than usual. He led the conversation as far away from the recent expedition as he decently could, until breakfast was nearly over, when he suddenly addressed me. "Do you think, Mr Brail, since you saw him last, that there is any, the remotest chance of that poor boy being alive? Would it, in your opinion, be of any avail our hovering off the coast for a few days, and sending in the boats occasionally?" I looked at old Bloody Politeful, who thereupon took the word up. "No, commodore, I believe the poor boy is gone. I conceive it would be lost time remaining here in the hope of his being alive." "Enough, enough," said Sir Oliver. And from that time forth, he never, in my hearing at least, mentioned his name.
- 38. CHAPTER VIII. CAPE MISSIONARIES. I returned on board of the Midge, as in Sir Oliver's weak state of health I thought it better to resist his desire that I should resume my cot in his cabin for the present. Notwithstanding the hopelessness of young De Walden being alive, still we clung to this part of the coast for three whole days; and several boats were sent in across the bar at high water on each day. But over the whole banks of the vile river there prevailed a churchyard silence. Not a native was to be seen; and, on the evening of the third day, we all got safely and finally on board again. The night was spent as usual in making short boards, so as to hold our ground; and at eleven on the following forenoon, Lanyard's signal was made to repair on board. The gig was manned, and we pulled to the frigate. A number of joyous faces were stuck over the hammock cloths reconnoitring us as we approached, all on the broad grin apparently. I had no sooner reached the quarterdeck than I met Sprawl. "Ah! Benjie, my love, congratulate us, we are to bear up for the West Indies at noon, my boy. What do you think of that? We shall lose sight of this infernal coast for six months at all events." "Ha, ha," said old Dick, forcing a laugh in great bitterness, "very lucky, very comfortable. What a beautiful station we must have, when the prospect of a furlough in the West Indies—the very shrine of the demon of yellow fever—is hailed with such uproarious demonstrations. However, be it so; any change must be for the better, so I do from my heart congratulate you. But as for me, I suppose I am destined to kick about in the Midge here, between Cape Coast and Fernando Po, so long as we last. None of us, Sprawl, will cope with Methuselah, take my word for it." The excellent fellow took his hand. "True enough, Lanyard. You say rightly, Richard Lanyard. I had forgotten you altogether; and now, regarding
- 39. your own course, really I can give you no information whatever. However, here comes the commodore. Shall I ask him?" "By no manner of means," said Lanyard, feeling a little thin-skinned after the late affair; "time enough when he speaks himself." Sir Oliver approached. I cannot say that I now perceived any difference between his usual manner and his present bearing. He was, if any thing, kinder than ever, and his quizzical way of carrying on had returned on him in full force. He first addressed himself to Mr Sprawl. "See all clear, Mr Sprawl, to bear up at noon." The first lieutenant bowed. The master was standing about ten feet from us. "Mr Pumpbolt," said the commodore, "come down with me to the cabin, if you please." And forthwith he stumped aft, and was in act to descend, when Lanyard caught his eye. "Oh, I had forgotten.—Here, Mr Lanyard, if you please." Dick walked aft to him. "Mr Lanyard, I had at first intended to have left the tender with the Cerberus, but, on second thoughts, as I may require all the people on the voyage home, I have determined to take you with me. That is, if you think the craft capable of making tolerable weather of it." Don Ricardo was near pitching his hat over the mizen peak, and shouting aloud for joy, but that "idol, ceremony," restrained him. "Strong, sir! Here, Shavings,"—the carpenter's mate of the Gazelle, who had been promoted as a functionary of his in the Midge, and who had bested to come on board along with us, was passing forward at the moment —"Here, Shavings, Sir Oliver wants to know whether we consider the Midge capable of making the voyage from this to the West Indies; if we do not, we are to be left on the coast here." "Come—come," said the commodore, laughing, "no leading, Mr Lanyard." The lieutenant began to think he had gone a little too far; and feeling somewhat out, looked towards Shavings for relief. The old carpenter,
- 40. however, was not so prompt as he calculated on. His honesty appeared more stubborn than suited him—until he repeated the words, slewing them a little to his own side, to suit the emergency. "Why, Mr Shavings, we are to be kept cruising about here, as tender to the Cerberus one day, and to Heaven knows who the next, while the Gazelle goes to the West Indies, and so round by Portsmouth, and all because the felucca is not considered sea- worthy, nor competent to the middle voyage." "Oh," said Shavings, with a long drawl, "THAT is what you want to know, sir?" He then faced right round on Sir Oliver. "Why, sir, that 'ere little feluccre is as strong as well-seasoned Spanish oak and copper bolts can make her. The smell of the hold is so bad, sir, that we has to pump fresh water into her every morning watch to sweeten her, sir. Strong? if one half of her beams were sawn up into firewood, it would boil the frigate's coppers for a month; and the feluccre that is, Sir Oliver, would be swifter by half a knot, and none the weaker; and her bottom—oh, it is a perfect bed of timbers—why you might caulk them, sir; as for her bows, I believe they are strong enough for an ice-boat on the Neva; and such transomes—why, sir, I would rather be in her in a hurricane, than ere a fourty-four in the sarvice— were she even the old Gaz"—— Here the poor fellow saw he had in his zeal and desire to break away from this accursed coast, gone somewhat farther than he intended, so making his obeisance, he hauled off. Sir Oliver smiled. "Well, well, Mr Lanyard, as I shall have occasion to call at Kingston, Jamaica, and afterwards proceed through the Gulf to Havanna, I will take you with me, and send you to Havanna direct—so go on board, and send me your supernumeraries. I suppose all the wounded are well enough to be moved now?" "Yes, Sir Oliver," said Dick, "all but that poor devil, Lennox, the corporal of marines. He is again down with fever." "Well, but he will be better cared for here—so send him on board with the rest—he is a very good man, and you know I must be marine officer myself, now since poor Howlet invalided"—(this was the lieutenant of marines)—"so send him with the rest."
- 41. "Why, Sir Oliver, the man is exceedingly willing, as we all know, but his stamina is gone entirely, and this he is himself aware of. Indeed this morning he preferred a request to me, which I know is against rule altogether; still, under correction, I promised to make it known to you." "Out with it—what is it?" "Simply this, sir—that you would allow him to act as my steward for the cruise, now since poor Jacobson is gone"—— "Why, it is against all rule, as you say, Mr Lanyard—but I see no great harm in it, if the poor devil be really unable to keep watch—so, at all events, keep him on board in the mean time. We shall bear up, and make sail at noon; and come on board to dinner, if you please, at three." Old Dick returned with a joyous heart to the Midge—I accompanied him —Mr Marline was the officer of the watch. "Send all the supernumeraries on board the Gazelle, Mr Marline, bag and baggage, will ye?" "Ay, ay, sir," responded the master's mate, now acting master of the Midge—"shall we send the wounded, too, sir?" "Yes, all hands of them." I went down to dress for dinner. When I came on deck again, the men were all ready with their bags, in their clean trowsers and frocks, and well-shaven chins, on the starboard side; while the wounded had crept on deck, and were ranged under the awning on the other. They had all rallied astonishingly, but poor Lennox, who was miserably weak and ill—he looked as if he were dying. Little Joe Peak came up to the lieutenant, "Am I to go with them, sir?"—"Certainly." The wee mid looked disappointed—and made no answer. Presently he came up to him again, "The men ask if they may give you a cheer, sir."—"Heaven help us, no—no —we have had nothing to brag off, Master Peak—no—no." But Dick twigged, on a moment's reflection, what the drift was.
- 42. "I say, steward, give the men who are going in the boat a glass of grog a- piece to drink my health." It was done, and the boat shoved off, and was returning for the wounded, when I happened to notice Lennox looking earnestly at me. "Bless me, Lennox, I have forgotten you entirely." "Do you know if I am to go on board the frigate sir?" said the poor fellow, with a weak voice. "No, Lennox, not unless you choose, I believe—the commodore has no objection to your acting as steward, agreeably to your wish, until you get strong; so you may remain, if you like." "Thank you, sir." I noticed the large tears roll down his cheeks as he turned his emaciated countenance to the ship's side and wept. I was mightily surprised at all this, and mentioned the circumstance to my worthy cousin, who did not seem to understand it either. "What can you mean by this, my man? No sham sentimentality with me, my fine fellow." "Oh no, sir—no—I am unused to kindness, sir, and weak enough, God knows; but really, in my present condition, I am unable to do my duty in the frigate." "Well, has not Mr Brail told you you might stay if you choose?" "Yes, thank you, sir—you don't know what a load you have taken from my heart, sir." "What mean you, man—speak out—no humbugging. If you won't answer me—by the powers"—he approached the spot where he lay—the poor wasted lad had fainted. He now called the surgeon, who immediately saw there was no make-believe in the matter, so he had him taken below; and as time and tide wait for no man, we now returned to the frigate to dinner.
- 43. I had previously determined in my own mind, taking into account Sir Oliver's ailing condition, to remain in the Midge; more especially as she was bound direct to the port where my chief business lay, trusting to get down to Jamaica afterwards; so the first thing I did on reaching Gazelle, was to get the commodore's concurrence to the plan. I had some difficulty in obtaining this; but finally, after many good advices, he acquiesced; and we adjourned to the cabin. Mr Garboard, who was by this time well enough to be out of his cot, and old Sprawl, along with one of the midshipmen, were, with Lanyard and myself, Sir Oliver's guests at dinner. The thing went on very much as usual—the cloth had been drawn, and during a pause in the conversation, I asked Sir Oliver "If he knew any thing of Lennox?" "What—the corporal of marines? Why, no—I don't know much about him, Mr Brail,—how should I?" said he, smiling. "I did not expect that you would, Sir Oliver," replied I, taken a little aback; "but he is certainly a very odd creature." The commodore here rang his bell. "Gascoigne, send the Serjeant of marines here." "Which, Sir Oliver," said the man—"Sergeant Lorimer, or Pigot, sir?" "Send Serjeant Lorimer here." The soldier, in his white jacket and trowsers, black cross belts, round hat, with a white tape band round it, and white cords, or lanyards on each side, fastening the brims up to the crown, like tiny shrouds, appeared at the door; and facing us, made his salute, as stiff as a poker, putting his hand up to his hat-brim, and swaying about in the narrow door-way, like a statue on a ball and socket. "Lorimer," said Sir Oliver, "what do you know of Lennox—corporal Lennox?"
- 44. "Anan!" said the Serjeant, not comprehending the question; "beg pardon, sir, what is your pleasure?" "Why," said the choleric commodore—"what know ye of Lennox, you numbscull, the marine who is left sick on board of the Midge—where and when did you pick him up?" "Oh, beg pardon," said the man—"why, Sir Oliver, he enlisted at the depot at Portsmouth about twelve months ago. He had come round in some Scotch steam-boat, and he was then one of the handsomest-looking young chaps I ever se'ed, Sir Oliver; but he seemed always to feel as if the country was too hot to hold him, for he volunteered three times for rather badish frigates, before we were drafted for Gazelle, when you commissioned her. In the small affairs we have had under your honour's eye he has always, when in health, been a most desperate fellow. He seemed to value his life no more as a quid of tobacco—lately he has become a leetle more circumspect, but he is terribly fallen off in bodily health, sir." "How came he to be made corporal so soon after joining?" said I. "Easy, sir. He came under my hands at drill; but I found the first day, that the poor fellow, Scotchman though he was, knowed more of his trade than I did myself, sir—and as I hope I never bears malice nor envy against nobody, I could not help advertising Lieutenant Howlett, that as he wanted a corporal no man was more fitterer for that same than Lennox, and so he made him corporal; and if your honour wants any penmanship done, now since your clerk is laid up, ne'er a man in the ship, always barring my superiors," here he again touched his cap, "can write running hand like Jack, poor fellow,—and as to spelling—oh my eye." "Well—well," said Sir Oliver—"but what is his general character?" "The steadiest man in the ship, when on duty, Sir Oliver—marine or able. He never missed muster in his life. I never saw him drunk or dirty— the only fault I ever had to him is, that sometimes when the men should have been airing themselves in their best on a Sunday forenoon, he has been known to keep them below until eight bells were fine run—extorting them out of the Bible, Sir Oliver."
- 45. "Nothing more?" said Sprawl. "Yes, he sometimes gives all his grog to his messmates for a week at a time, whereby Bill Swig once caught it at the gangway, your honour—and he does gammon in some foreign tongues, now and then, as if he really and truly had at one time or another been somebody, Sir Oliver." "You say he is a good steady man on duty, Lorimer," quoth Sir Oliver —"what may there be peculiar about him, when below?" The Serjeant smiled, and fidgetted about, but seeing his captain waited for him to speak—"Oh, I don't know, Sir Oliver, but he has a many vagaries, and dreams dreams, Sir Oliver—and fancies he sees sights—and speaks the damnedest nonsense—beg pardon, Sir Oliver—in his sleep." The commodore laughed, and touched his forehead knowingly with his forefinger. "Your honour has hit it," said the man, laughing. "And is this all you know of him?" "All and whole entirely, Sir Oliver." "Very well—here"—— The commodore had filled a very sufficing tumbler of grog, and handed it to the Serjeant of marines. The man now unbent, stept into the cabin— wiped his mouth with the back of his large brown paw, and then, looking as sheepish as need be, seized the tumbler in his right hand—"Sir Oliver—and gentlemen all"—and swigging it off, he once more raised his hand to the brim of his chapeau—turned round on his heels, and marched out of the cabin. About six in the evening, I returned on board the Midge, which had hove to, so soon as she noticed the frigate do so. As soon as we got on deck, and the boat was hoisted up, Lanyard desired the gunner, who had the watch, to bear up again in the wake of the commodore, for whom he was to keep a bright look out.
- 46. For a week we had beautiful weather, although the wind continued very light, so that we had almost daily communication with the frigate, and had the happiness of seeing even poor Donovan on deck again. As we widened our distance from the abominable coast, all hands seemed to improve astonishingly, so that by the seventh day after we had taken our departure, there was not a sick man in the ship. The weather had during all this time been invariably fine, but on this Sunday evening, it had become very much overcast right a-head. Sir Oliver had in the forenoon, at Lanyard's and the youngster's own request, spared him Mister Peak, the midshipman already mentioned, a very wicked little Irish rascal, but a nice boy notwithstanding. He now stood beside me on the felucca's deck. "A very heavy bank that, sir, right a-head as we are steering," said little Joey. "Very," said I—"but I don't think there is any wind in it, Mr Peak." Gradually the dark clouds rose up and up, until they reached the zenith— we appeared to be entering into a gigantic black arch—under whose dark shade the frigate, about a mile on our lee bow, had already slid and become undistinguishable. The breeze was now very light—sufficient to keep the sails sleeping, and no more. Dennis Donovan, who had that morning paid us a visit, to try whether change of discomforts might not benefit his health, and I were standing together, leaning our arms on the drum of the capstan, and looking out to windward, endeavouring to detect any indication in the dark sky as to the sort of weather we might expect. I was solacing myself with my cheroot, and Donovan was chewing his cud—quid I mean—when I thought I heard something in the air. "Hush! do you hear nothing?" He suspended his mastication, and I took my cigar out of my mouth, and listened all ear— Dennis all mouth—for I could see, dark as it was, that he gaped, as if he expected to catch the sound by the tail in his teeth. "Again—there!"—a faint distant strain of solemn music seemed now to float over head on the gentle night wind, in a low melancholy liquid cadence—increasing like the swell of an Æolian harp, and gradually dying away again, until nothing but
- 47. the small rushing of the felucca through the water was heard. Startled as I was, still "It came o'er my soul, like the sweet south, Soft breathing o'er a bed of violets." "Benjamin Brail!" quoth the Irishman. "Dennis Donovan!" said I. And there we stood staring at each other as if we had seen a ghost. "Pray, Mr Peak," said old Dogvane, the quartermaster (in the small vessel it was a difficult thing to avoid being an eavesdropper sometimes), "what do you think of that?" "Poo," rejoined little Peak, "the devil, I suppose, is busy aloft." "He don't often sing psalms on a Sunday evening, does he, Mr Peak?" rejoined old Dogvane. The midshipman laughed. "Ay, you may laugh, Mr. Peak—you may laugh—but I don't like them kind of sounds thereaway; and mark my words, Master Peak, we shall either have a gale of wind within eight and forty hours"—— "Or no," rejoined Joey. "I say, Donovan, that can't be the band on board the frigate?" said Lanyard, who now joined us. His senior laughed outright. "Band—band— why, they might give you a regular rumpti tumpti, Dick—but such a piece of sacred music as that was, is altogether out of their line—besides, it was vocal, man—it was vocal." The weather astern of us was as yet perfectly clear, but gradually the thickest of the pitchy curtain lifted from the horizon on our weather beam,
- 48. suddenly disclosing the cold, blue star-light sky—which, gradually brightening, with a greenish radiance, gave token that the moon was not far below the horizon, against which the tossings of the dark waves were seen distinctly. "Hillo!—who have we here?" said I, as the black sails and lofty spars of a large vessel, diminished by distance into a child's toy, were hove up out of the darkness into the clear, in strong relief against the increasing light of the lovely background, rolling slowly on the bosom of the dark swell, and then disappearing, as if she had slid down the watery mountain into the abyss whereout she had emerged. Presently the object appeared again; and this time, by the aid of my glass, I made out a stately vessel, gracefully rising and falling on the ever-heaving waters. Anon, the bright planet, the halo round whose forehead had already lit up the clearing east, emerged, all pure and fresh, from the dark sea, and floated on the horizon like a crystal globe, shedding a long stream of trembling light on the sparkling and tumbling waves. Mr Peak at this instant called out from forward—— "The commodore is showing lights, sir." "Very well—what are they?" It was the night signal for a strange sail in the north-east. "Answer it—but mind you keep the lanterns under the lee of the sail, so that our friend to windward may not see them." It was done—and I again looked in the direction where we had seen the stranger, but she had suddenly become invisible—the dazzling of the dancing moonbeams on the water preventing our seeing her. "She must be right in the wake of the moon, sir," quoth Mr Marline; "I cannot make her out now at all." "Very well," said Lanyard again—"but the shine that makes her invisible to us will indicate our whereabouts surely enough to her, for it is glancing
- 49. directly on our white sails." I had in my time learned a bucaniering trick or two.—"How thought you she was standing when you saw her last—when you was busy with the commodore's lights?" said I. "Right down for us, sir." "Then, Dick, my beauty, if you will take my advice, you will lower away the yard, and haul down the jib." The suggestion was taken, and we were soon rocking on the dark billows, with our solitary mast naked as a blasted pine. As I expected, to any one looking at us from windward, we must have become invisible, against the heavy bank of black clouds down to leeward; and, in corroboration of this, the strange vessel gradually emerged from out the silvery dazzle, and glided majestically down the glorious flow of bright moonlight, standing right for us, evidently unaware of our vicinity. She was not steered so steadily, but that I could perceive she was a ship, sailing dead before it with all sail set to woo the faint breeze; royals, sky-sails, and studding-sails aloft and alow. Presently it freshened a bit, and she took in her light and steering-sails—she was now about two miles from us. The sight was beautiful; and while some of the people were keeping a bright look-out for the commodore down to leeward, the rest of the crew were gazing out to windward at the approaching vessel. I had at no time from the first thought she was a man-of-war, her sails and yards being by no means square enough; but if I had hesitated at all in the matter, the slow and awkward way in which she shortened sail, must have left no doubt of the fact on my mind. "There—there again—what can that be?" said I involuntarily. "Hillo," sung out several of the crew forward, "hear you that, messmate —hear you that?"
- 50. A low, still, most heavenly melody again floated down to us, but louder than before, and died meltingly away as the breeze fell, until it once more became inaudible. Since we had discarded the frigate from our thoughts, the ship to windward was now of course the only quarter from whence the sounds could proceed. I listened again—but all was still—presently the dark outlines of the sails of the approaching vessel became clearer. There was now a long pause, and you might have heard a pin drop on deck, when the solemn strain once more gushed forth high into the pure heavens. We all listened with the most intense attention. It was the hundredth Psalm—and I could now distinguish the blending of male and female voices in the choir —presently the sound sank again, and gradually died away altogether. Corporal Lennox was standing near me, indeed so close, that I could not help overhearing what passed between him and one of the quartermasters. "I say, Peter," quoth the soldier, "did you ever read about the Covenanters?" "Anan?" quod Peter. "Have you never read about the Covenanters, my man?" "Can't say as I have—what ship did they belong to? they must have been brothers, I suppose—stop—eh!—let me think—why I did know one of that name in the water-guard at"—— "Oh man, Peter, you are an unenlightened creature—amaist as much so as the brutes that perish—I hope there may not be much expected o' ye at the great muster, Peter, when the archangel shall be boatswain's mate, and all hands shall be piped to answer for their deeds done in the body—yea, when the grey moss-grown grave-stone shall no longer shield the sinner from the glance of the Almighty—I hae a regard for ye though, notwithstanding—but ye'll forgive me if I say yeer but a puir brute at the best, Peter." "Why, Master Lennox," retorted Peter, "I have borne more from you, my fine fellow, than I thought I could have done from ere a messmate I have ever had, for you have done me more than one sarvice—but"——
- 51. "Service, man—wi' yeer sarvice! will ye neer gie ower miscaaing his Majestie's English? But weel a weel, and it may not be the last I will render ye, so nae mair about it, man; I meant nae offence,—and to say sooth, my mind was away among the hill-folk, the puir persecuted remnant whereof my great-grandfather was an unworthy member; and mony a weary nicht did he skirl up the Psalms on the wet hillside, before he was exalted, with the cauld spongy fog[1] for a mattrass, and a damp rash bush for a pillow." [1] Moss. "Ho, ho!" chuckled Peter at this; "you are always gammoning about old stories, and book-larning; but I have you now, Master Lennox;—your great- grandfather was exalted, was he?—that is hanged, I suppose?" I was a good deal tickled at this, and listened, in spite of myself, to hear how my Scotch friend would brook this insinuation. Lennox replied, quite calmly—"He was hanged." "Ha! ha! I have you on the hip now, my master," shouted Peter. "Indeed, man, you are a coorse-minded animal," responded the corporal. "I spoke in yae sense metaphorically, and alluded to his reward in Heaven— where I have nae doubt he went—but leeterally, I will no deny, in another; for he was in verity hanged by that villain Lauderdale in the Lawnmarket, and sang this very hundredth Psalm, that you have heard raised on board that vessel, at the"—— "What, the whole of it?" interrupted honest Peter. "Ay, the whole of it, from stem to stern, on the scaffold." Here poor Lennox's voice fell a little, so that honest Peter, thinking that the disclosure of his great-grandfather's exaltation, which, in his innocence, he considered he had cleverly wrung from him, was giving him pain, sung
- 52. out, in what was meant for a consolatory tone—"Never mind, Lennox, man —don't mind; better men have been hanged than your grandfather;—but what was it for, man?"—his curiosity combating with his kindly feelings —"I dare say something the poor fellow had done in his drink; some unfortunate blow or thrust that rid the world of a vagabond; or a little bit of forgetfulness in signing another man's name for his own, eh?" "Why, freend Peter," chimed in Lennox, "since ye crack sae croose— wha may yeer great-grandfather hae been?—tell me that." Peter was rather caught. He twisted himself about. "My father I know—I am sure I had a father,—and a grandfather too, I suppose; but as to a great- grandfather"—— "I say, Peter, my man, 'never cudgel yeer brains about it,' as Shakspeare hath it; and never again disparage a man wha can authentically show that he had a great-grandfather, even although he had the misfortune to be hanged, until ye can honestly tell whether ye ever had a grandfather or no at all. But none of these brought him to his end, noo since ye maun ken." "Well, well, I hope it was not for stealing," said honest Peter, bearing no malice; "that's a low vice, you knows, Lennox." "It was not," said the corporal, energetically—"No, it was because he worshipped God according to his conscience, and refused to bow down before"—— "The strange sail is keeping away, sir, and will go a-head of us, if we don't bear up," sung out Mr Marline from forward. She was now within a mile of us, or less, rolling heavily on the long black swell. It was once more almost calm. "Hoist away the sail again," said Lanyard, "and let us overhaul her." As the white canvass spread out high into the night air, on the long elastic yard, the clear moon shone brightly on it. We became instantly visible to those in the ship; for we could see there was a bustle on board,
- 53. and heard the sound of pulling and hauling, and the rattling of the cordage: the blocks and gear squeaking, and the yards cheeping against the masts, as they were being braced round. They were making more sail, as if desirous of eschewing our company. We stood on, and presently fired a gun across her bows, as a hint to heave-to; but, in place of its being taken, it was promptly returned; the shot whistling over our masthead. "Hey-day, Mr Wadding, you had better open the magazine, if this is to be the way of it," said Mr Lanyard; "and beat to quarters, Mr Marline, if you please." "Surely a craft manned by parsons, or singing men and women, don't mean to fight?" said little Joe Peak to Mr Marline. "Hush, Joe, will ye," quoth his senior; "don't you see the captain is on deck? But, entre nous, my lad, if this Psalm-singing don't stir up a gale of wind by four-and-twenty hours from this, I shall be exceedingly surprised." "Poo, poo; you have been taking a leaf out of Dogvane's book," quoth Joey. All seamen, it is well known, have a great repugnance to sail with a parson on board—that is, if he be a tortoise, or stray land parson. As for the regular chaplain—Lord love you, he is altogether another kind of affair— being his Majesty's officer in one sense. When we had again made sail, our friend Peter set to Lennox once more —"You are above them things, I knows, Lennox; but I thinks along with Mr Peak there, that these Psalm-singing folks will bring us bad weather, as sure as a gun." "Hoot, nonsense, mony a skart has skirled, and naething followed. Peter, ye're a superstitious fule; now, why should a clergyman being on board prove a bad omen? Why should a storm arise because a priest is part of the cargo?" "Oh!" persisted Peter, "it depends on the kind of character he may have. If he is no better than he should be, why I don't care if we shipped a dozen
- 54. on 'em, but a real vartuous clergyman is a very dangerous subject to the barky and all on board, take Peter Quid's word for it." "Ay, indeed?" said Lennox—"and the greater rogue the greater safety— the more excellent his character the greater danger?" "Just so," quoth Callaghan, the Irishman whose tobacco had so plagued him when he was wounded; and who now came on deck with his head tied up, to see the fun, and lest he "should miss any fighting," as he said; "and I'll give you a sufficing rason why it should be so. You sees, ould Davie, I don't mean Mr Sprawl, is always on the look-out for betterer sowls, as it were—why, he cares no more than a frosted potato for such poor devils— such sure bargains as Jack Lennox and me, now"—— "Speak for yourself, friend Callaghan," rejoined the corporal. "And so I do, to be sure; and you being a friend, I am willing to spake for ye too, ye spalpeen; so be asy—as I was saying, he can have bushelsful such as we, whenever he chooses, as regular as we gets our own grog and grub. We are his every-day meals;—but when he can catch a parson—ah— he puts himself to some trouble to catch a parson; and so, you see, if you have not a regular snifter before to-morrow night, may I,"—— "Silence there," sung out Lanyard, not quite satisfied apparently with having so long played the eavesdropper. "Silence, and go to stations, will ye?" Every thing again relapsed into its former calm; the vessel approached; and to prevent her crossing our forefoot, as she came down within pistol shot, we edged away, and finally bore up almost alongside of her. "Ho—the ship, a-hoy!" "Hillo!" "What ship is that?" This was answered Scotch fashion—"What felucca is that?"
- 55. Welcome to our website – the perfect destination for book lovers and knowledge seekers. We believe that every book holds a new world, offering opportunities for learning, discovery, and personal growth. That’s why we are dedicated to bringing you a diverse collection of books, ranging from classic literature and specialized publications to self-development guides and children's books. More than just a book-buying platform, we strive to be a bridge connecting you with timeless cultural and intellectual values. With an elegant, user-friendly interface and a smart search system, you can quickly find the books that best suit your interests. Additionally, our special promotions and home delivery services help you save time and fully enjoy the joy of reading. Join us on a journey of knowledge exploration, passion nurturing, and personal growth every day! ebookbell.com