Afloat at Last by John Conroy Hutcheson________________________________________________________________This short book tells the adventures over just one voyage to Shanghai ofthe hero, Allan Graham, whose father is a country vicar. Allan isobtained a place as an apprentice aboard the Silver Queen, which hejoins at Wapping Docks. An Irish bosun, Tim Rooney, takes a liking tothe lad and helps him learn the ropes. Hutcheson nearly always has anIrish co-hero in his books. We get a good description of how the vesselis warped out of the dock, how she makes her way down river, assisted bya steam-tug, and then down the English Channel and into the wideAtlantic Ocean. Allan begins to learn a bit about navigation andship-handling, when the movement of the vessel in the Bay of Biscaycauses him to retire with sea-sickness. A stowaway is found on board, in the forepeak. Allan finds an ally in the Chinese cook, Ching Wang. On the other hand the Portuguese steward, Pedro, hates that cook. They round the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), cross the Indian Ocean, and get into the Malay seas, where they notice a proa following them. After negotiating the tail end of a typhoon, they think they haveescaped these possible pirates, pass through another typhoon, in whichall their storm sails are blown out, yet see the pirates again. Theyare blown onto the Pratas shoal, aground, in which predicament thepirates attack. Ching Wang and Allan manage to get away in one of thepirates' small boats, and sail to where they can get help for the SilverQueen from a patrolling British Naval vessel, the Blazer. Rescued, eventually they get to Shanghai, where they receive their mails--it isextraordinary how the mails are always waiting for them, no matter howfast a vessel has travelled. Back home with an uneventful voyage, andthat's the end of the story. The book is very helpful in teaching youthe basics of reading these old nautical novels. N. H. ________________________________________________________________AFLOAT AT LAST BY JOHN CONROY HUTCHESON CHAPTER ONE. IN THE RECTORY GARDEN. "And so, Allan, you wish to go to sea?" "Yes, father, " I replied. "But, is there no other profession you would prefer--the law, forinstance? It seems a prosperous trade enough, judging from the factthat solicitors generally appear well to do, with plenty of money--possibly that of other people--in their possession; so, considering thematter from a worldly point of view, you might do worse, Allan, thanjoin their ranks. " I shook my head, however, as a sign of dissent to this proposition. "Well then, my boy, " went on father in his logical way, anxious that Ishould clearly understand all the bearings of the case, and have theadvantages and disadvantages of each calling succinctly set before me, "there is medicine now, if you dislike the study of Themis, as yourgesture would imply. It is a noble profession, that of healing the sickand soothing those bodily ills which this feeble flesh of ours is heirto, both the young and old alike--an easier task, by the way, than thatof ministering to `the mind diseased, ' as Shakespeare has it; although, mind you, I must confess that a country physician, such as you couldonly hope to be, for I have not the means of buying you a Londonpractice, has generally a hard life of it, and worse pay. However, thisis beside the question; and I want to avoid biassing your decision inany way. Tell me, would you like to be a doctor--eh?" But to this second proposal of my father as to my future career, I againsignified my disapproval by shaking my head; for I did not wish tointerrupt his argument by speaking until he had finished all he had tosay on the subject, and I could see he had not yet quite done. "H'm, the wise man's dictum as to speech being silvern and silence goldevidently holdeth good with the boy, albeit such discretion in youth issomewhat rare, " he murmured softly to himself, as if unconsciouslyputting his thoughts in words, adding as he addressed me more directly:"You ought to get on in life, Allan; for `a still tongue, ' says theproverb, `shows a wise head. ' But now, my son, I've nearly come to theend of the trio of learned professions, without, I see, prepossessingyou in favour of the two I have mentioned. You are averse to the law, and do not care about doctoring; well then, there's the church, lastthough by no means least--what say you to following my footsteps in thatsacred calling, as your brother Tom purposes doing when he leaves Oxfordafter taking his degree?" I did not say anything, but father appeared to guess my thoughts. "Too many of the family in orders already--eh? True; still, recollectthere is room enough and work enough, God knows, amid all the sin andsuffering there is in the world, for you also to devote your life to thesame good cause in which, my son, I, your father, and your brother havealready enlisted, and you may, I trust, yet prove yourself a doughtiersoldier of the cross than either of us. What say you, Allan, I repeat, to being a clergyman--the noblest profession under the sun?" "No, father dear, " I at length answered on his pausing for my reply, looking up into his kind thoughtful gray eyes, that were fixed on myface with a sort of wistful expression in them; and which always seemedto read my inmost mind, and rebuke me with their consciousness, if atany time I hesitated to tell the truth for a moment, in fear ofpunishment, when, as frequently happened, I chanced to be brought beforehim for judgment, charged with some boyish escapade or youthful folly. "I don't think I should ever be good enough to be a clergyman like you, father, however hard I might try; while, though I know I am a bad boyvery often, and do lots of things that I'm sorry for afterwards, I don'tbelieve I could ever be bad enough to make a good lawyer, if all thestories are true that they tell in the village about Mr Sharpe, theattorney at Westham. " The corners of father's mouth twitched as if he wanted to smile, but didnot think it right to do so. "You are shrewd in your opinions, Allan, " he said; "but dogmatic andparadoxical in one breath, besides being too censorious in your sweepinganalysis of character. I should like you to show more charity in yourestimate of others. Your diffidence in respect of entering the church Ican fully sympathise with, having felt the same scruples myself, andbeing conscious even now, after many years, of falling short of the highideal I had originally, and have still, of one who would follow theMaster; but, in your wholesale condemnation of the law and lawyers, judging on the _ex uno disce omnes_ principle and hastily, you shouldremember that all solicitors need not necessarily be rogues because oneof their number has a somewhat evil reputation. Sharpe is rather ablack sheep according to all report; still, my son, in connection withsuch rumours we ought to bear in mind the comforting fact that there isa stratum of good even in the worst dispositions, which can be found bythose who seek diligently for it, and do not merely try to pick out thebad. Who knows but that Sharpe may have his good points like others?But, to return to our theme--the vexed question as to which should beyour occupation in life. As you have decided against the church and thelaw, giving me your reasons for coming to an adverse conclusion in eachinstance, pray, young gentleman, tell me what are your objections to themedical profession?" "Oh, father!" I replied laughing, he spoke in so comical a way and withsuch a queer twinkle in his eye, "I shouldn't care at all to be only apoor country surgeon like Doctor Jollop, tramping about day and nightthrough dirty lanes and sawing off people's sore legs, or else feelingtheir pulses and giving them physic; although, I think it would be goodfun, father, wouldn't it, just when some of those stupid folk, who arealways imagining themselves ill wanted to speak about their fanciedailments, to shut them up by saying, `Show me your tongue, ' as DoctorJollop bawls out to deaf old Molly the moment she begins to tell him ofher aches and pains? I think he does it on purpose. " Father chuckled. "Not a bad idea that, " said he; "and our friend the doctor must have thecredit of being the first man who ever succeeded in making a woman holdher tongue, a consummation most devoutly to be wished-for sometimes--though I don't know what your dear mother would say if she heard me giveutterance to so heretical and ungallant a doctrine in reference to thesex. " "Why, here is mother now!" I exclaimed, interrupting him in my surpriseat seeing her; it being most unusual for her to leave the house at thathour in the afternoon, which was generally devoted to Nellie's musiclesson, a task she always superintended. "She's coming up the gardenwith a letter in her hand. " "I think I know what that letter contains, " said father, not a bitexcited like me; "for, unless I'm much mistaken, it refers to the verysubject about which we've been talking, Allan, --your going to sea. " "Does it?" I cried, pitching my cap up in the air in my enthusiasm andcatching it again dexterously, shouting out the while the refrain of theold song-- "The sea, the sea, a sailor's life for me! Hurrah! Hurrah!" Father sighed, and resumed his "quarter-deck walk, " as mother termed it, backwards and forwards along the little path under the old elm-tree infront of the summer-house, with its bare branches stretched out like agiant's fingers clutching at the sky, always turning when he got up tothe lilac bush and retracing his steps slowly and deliberately, as ifanxious to tread in his former footprints in the very centre of the box-edged walk. I think I can see him now: his face, which always had such a brightgenial look when he smiled, and seemed to light up suddenly from withinwhen he turned to speak to you, wearing a somewhat sad and troubled air, and a far-away thoughtful expression in his eyes that was generallythere when he was having a mental wrestle with some difficulty, ortrying to solve one of those intricate social problems that were beingcontinually submitted for his consideration. And yet, at first glance, a stranger would hardly have taken him to be a clergyman; for he had onan old brown shooting-jacket very much the worse for wear, and wassmoking one of those long clay pipes that are called "churchwardens, "discoloured by age and the oil of tobacco, and which he had lit and letout and relit again half a dozen times at least during our talk. "Very unorthodox, " some critical people will say. Aye, possibly so; but if these censors only knew father personally, andsaw how he fulfilled his mission of visiting the fatherless and widow intheir affliction, in addition to preaching the gospel and so winningsouls to heaven, and how he was liked and loved by every one in theparish; perhaps they could condone his "sin of omission" in the matterof not wearing a proper clerical black coat with a stand-up collar ofOxford cut and the regulation white tie, and that of "commission" insmoking such a vulgar thing as a common clay pipe! Presently, after his second turn as far as the lilac bush and back, father's face cleared, as if he had worked out the question that hadbeen puzzling him; for, its anxious expression vanished and his eyesseemed to smile again. "I suppose it's a family trait, and runs in the blood, " he said. "Yourgrandfather, --my father, that is, Allan, --was a sailor; and I know Iwanted to go to sea too, just like you, before I was sent to college. So, that accounts for your liking for it--eh?" "I suppose so, " I answered without thinking, just echoing his words likea parrot; although, now I come to consider the thing fully, I really cansee no other reason than this hereditary instinct to account for thepassionate longing that possessed me at that period to be a sailor, as, beyond reading Robinson Crusoe like other boys, I was absolutelyignorant of the life and all concerning it. Indeed, up to then, although it may seem hardly credible, I had only once actually seen thesea, and a ship in the distance--far-away out in the offing of whatappeared to me an immeasurable expanse of space. This was when fathertook my sister Nellie and me for a day's visit to Brighton. It was awonderful experience to us, from the contrast the busy town on the coastoffered to the quiet country village where we lived and of which myfather was the pastor, buried in the bosom of the shires away from thebustling world, and out of contact with seafaring folk and those thatvoyage the deep. Yes, there's no doubt of it. That love for the sea, which made me wishto be a sailor as naturally as a cat loves cream, ran in my blood, andmust have been bred in my bone, as father suggested. Before, however, we could either of us pursue the psychologicalinvestigation of this theory any further, our argument was interruptedby my mother's coming to where we were standing under the elm-tree atthe top of the garden. Father at once put away his pipe on her approach, always respecting andhonouring her beyond all women even as he loved her; and he greeted herwith a smile of welcome. "Well, dear?" said he sympathetically as she held out the letter shecarried and then placed her hand on his arm confidingly, turning heranxious face up to his in the certainty of finding him ready to shareher trouble whatever it might be. "Now tell me all about it. " "It has come, Robert!" she exclaimed, nestling nearer to him. "Yes, I see, dear, " he replied, glancing at the open sheet; for they hadno secrets from each other, and she had opened the letter already, although it had been addressed to him. Then, looking at me, fatheradded: "This is from Messrs. Splice and Mainbrace, the great ship-brokers of Leadenhall Street, to whom I wrote some time since, abouttaking you in one of their vessels, Allan, on your expressing such adesire to go to sea. " "Oh, father!" was all I could say. "They inform me now, " continued he, reading from the broker'scommunication, "that all the arrangements have been completed for yoursailing in the Silver Queen on Saturday next, which will be to-morrowweek, your premium as a first-class apprentice having been paid by myLondon agents, by whom also your outfit has been ordered; and youruniform, or `sea toggery' as sailors call it, will be down here nextMonday or Tuesday for you to try on. " "Oh, father!" I cried again, in wondering delight at his having settledeverything so promptly without my knowing even that he had acceded to mywishes. "Why, you seem to have decided the question long ago, while youwere asking me only just now if I would not prefer any other professionto the sea!" "Because, my son, " he replied affectionately, "I know that boys, likegirls, frequently change their minds, and I was anxious that you shouldmake no mistake in such a vital matter as that of your life's calling;for, even at the last hour, if you had told me you preferred being aclergyman or a doctor or a lawyer to going to sea, I would cheerfullyhave sacrificed the money I have paid to the brokers and for youroutfit. Aye, and I would willingly do it now, for your mother and Iwould be only too glad of your remaining with our other chicks at home. " "And why won't you, Allan?" pleaded mother, throwing her arms round meand hugging me to her convulsively. "It is such a fearful life that ofa sailor, amid all the storms and perils of the deep. " "Don't press the boy, " interposed father before I could answer mother, whose fond embrace and tearful face almost made me feel inclined toreconsider my decision. "It is best for him to make a free choice, andthat his heart should be in his future profession. " "But, Robert--" rejoined mother, but half convinced of this truth whenthe fact of her boy going to be a sailor was concerned. "My dear, " said father gently, interrupting her in his quiet way anddrawing her arm within his again, "remember, that God is the God of thesea as well as of the land, and will watch over our boy, our youngest, our Benjamin, there, as he has done here!" Father's voice trembled and almost broke as he said this; and it seemedto me at the moment that I was an awful brute to cause such pain tothose whom I loved, and who loved me so well. But, ere I could tell them this, father was himself again, and busycomforting mother in his cheery way. "Now, don't fret, dear, any more, " he said; "the thing is settled now. Besides, you know, you agreed with me in the matter at Christmas-tide, when, seeing how Allan's fancy was set, I told you I thought of writingto London to get a ship for him, so that no time might be wasted when hefinally made up his mind. " "I know, Robert, I know, " she answered, trying to control her sobs, while I, glad in the new prospect, was as dry-eyed as you please; "butit is so hard to part with him, dear. " "Yes, yes, I know, " said he soothingly; "I shall miss the youngscaramouch, too, as well as you. But, be assured, my dear, the partingwill not be for long; and we'll soon have our gallant young sailor boyback at home again, with lots of--oh! such wonderful yarns, and oh! suchpresents of foreign curios from the lands beyond sea for mother, whenthe Silver Queen returns from China. " "Aye, you will, mother dear, you will!" cried I exultingly. "And though our boy will not wear the Queen's uniform like hisgrandfather, and fight the foe, " continued father, "he will turn out, Ihope, as good an officer of the mercantile marine, which is an equallyhonourable calling; and, possibly, crown his career by being the captainof some magnificent clipper of the seas, instead of ending his days likemy poor old dad, a disappointed lieutenant on half-pay, left to rust outthe best years of his life ashore when the war was over. " "I hope Allan will be good, " said mother simply. "I know he will be, with God's help, " rejoined father confidently, hiswords making me resolve inwardly that I would try so that my life shouldnot disgrace his assuring premise. "I must go in now and tell Nellie, " observed mother after a pause, inwhich we were all silent, and I could see father's lips move as if insilent prayer; "there'll be all Allan's shirts and socks to get ready. To-morrow week, you said, the ship was to sail--eh, dear?" "Yes, to-morrow week, " answered father bracing himself up; "and whileyour mother and Nellie are looking after the more delicate portions ofyour wardrobe, Allan, you and I had better walk over to Westham, and seeabout buying some new boots and other things which the outfittershaven't got down on their list. " As he was going into such a fashionable place as Westham, the nearestcounty town to our parish, at mother's especial request father consentedto hide the beauties of his favourite old shooting-jacket under a moreclerical-looking overcoat of a greyish drab colour, or "Oxford mixture. "He was induced to don, too, a black felt hat, more in keeping with thecoat than the straw one he had worn in the garden; and thus "grandlycostumed, " as he laughingly said to mother and Nell, who watched ourdeparture from the porch of the rectory, he and I set out to make ourpurchases. Dear me! the bustle and hurry and worry that went on in the house andout of the house in getting my things ready was such that, as fathersaid more than once in his joking way, one would have thought the wholefamily were emigrating to the antipodes, instead of only a mere boy likeme going to sea! And then, when everything else had been packed and repacked a dozentimes or so by mother's loving hands in the big, white-painted sea-chestthat had come down from London--which had my name printed on the outsidein big capital letters that almost made me blush, and with such a jollylittle washhand-basin and things for dressing on the top of it justinside the lid--the stupid outfitters delayed sending my blue uniform totry on in time; and it was only on the very day before I had to startthat it was finished and sent home, for mother and Nellie to see how Ilooked in it, as I wished them to do, feeling no small pride when I putit on. Tom, too, got away from Oxford to spend this last day with me at home;and, though he could hardly spare the time, mother believed, from hisstudies, I think he was more interested in some forthcoming race inwhich his college boat was engaged. My last morning came round at length, and with it the final parting withmother and all at the rectory, which I left by myself. Father decidedthis to be the wisest course; for, as I was, as he said, making my firststart in life, it was better to do so in a perfectly independent way, bidding the dear home-folks good-bye at home. My last recollection was of father's eyes fixed on mine with a lovingsmile in them, and an expression of trust and hope which I determined todeserve. The long railway journey to town, which at any other time would havebeen a rattle and whirr of delight and interest, seemed endlesslymonotonous to me, full of sad thoughts at parting with all I loved; andI was glad enough when the train at length puffed and panted its wayinto the terminus at London Bridge. Thence, I took a cab, according to father's directions, to the officesof the brokers in Leadenhall Street, handing them a letter which he hadgiven me to establish my identity. In return, Messrs. Splice and Mainbrace, as represented by the juniorpartner of the firm, similarly handed me over to the tender mercies ofone of the younger clerks of the establishment, by whom I was escortedthrough a lot of narrow lanes and dirty streets, down Wapping way to thedocks; the young clerk ultimately, anxious not to miss his dinner, stopping in front of a large ship. "There you are, walk up that gangway, " he said; and thereupon instantlybolted off! So, seeing nothing better to be done, I marched up the broad plank hepointed out, somewhat nervously as there was nothing to hold on to, andI should have fallen into the deep water of the dock had my footslipped, the vessel being a little way out from the wall of the wharf;and, the next instant, jumping down on the deck, I found myself on boarda ship for the first time in my life. CHAPTER TWO. MY FRIEND THE BOATSWAIN. I soon made the discovery on getting there, however, that I was neitheralone nor unobserved; for a man called out to me almost the same instantthat my feet touched the deck. "Hullo, youngster!" he shouted. "Do you mean me?" I asked him politely, as father bad trained me alwaysto address every one, no matter what their social condition might be. "An' is it manin' yez, I am?" retorted my interlocutor sharply. "Tarean' 'ouns, av coorse it is! Who ilse should I mane?" The speaker was a stout, broad-shouldered, middle-aged man, clad in arough blue jersey as to the upper portion of his body, and wearing belowa rather dirty pair of canvas overalls drawn over his trousers, which, being longer, projected at the bottom and overlapped his boots, givinghim an untidy look. He was busy superintending a gang of dock labourers in their task ofhoisting up in the air a number of large crates and heavy deal packing-cases from the jetty alongside, where they were piled up promiscuouslyin a big heap of a thousand or so and more, and then, when the crane onwhich these items of cargo were thus elevated had been swung round untilright over the open hatchway, giving entrance to the main-hold of theship, they were lowered down below as quickly as the tackle could beeased off and the suspending chain rattle through the wheel-block above. The clip-hooks were then unhitched and the chain run up and the craneswung back again over the pile of goods on the jetty for another load tobe fastened on; and, so on, continually. The man directing these operations, in turning to speak to me, did notpause for an instant either in giving his orders to "hoist!" and "loweraway!" or in keeping a keen weather-eye open, as he afterwards explainedto me, on the gang, so as to see that none of the hands shirked theirwork; and, as I stared helplessly at him, quite unable as yet toapprehend his meaning, or know what he wished me to do, he gave a quickside-glance over his shoulder to where I stood and renewed hisquestioning. "Sure an' ye can answer me if you loike, for ye ar'n't dumb, me bhoy, an' ye can spake English fast enough. Now. I'll ax ye for the lasttoime--whare d'ye spring from?" "Spring from?" I repeated after him, more puzzled than ever and awed byhis manner, he spoke so sharply, in spite of his jovial face andtwinkling eyes. "I jumped from that plank, " pointing to the gangway bywhich I came on board as I said this. This response of mine seemed, somehow, to put him into all the greaterrage--I'm sure I can't tell why. "Bad cess t'ye for an omahdawn! Sure, an' it isn't springin'--joompin'I mane, " he thundered in a voice that made me spring and jump both. "Where d'ye hail from, me joker? That's what I want to know. An' ye'dbetther look sharp an' till me!" "Hail from?" I echoed, completely bewildered by this time; for, beingunused to sailor's talk, as I've previously mentioned, I could not makehead or tail of his language, which his strong Irish brogue, equallystrange to me then, made all the more difficult to be understood. Icould see, of course, that he wanted to learn something of me; but whatthat something was I was unable to guess, although all the time anxiousto oblige him to the best of my ability. He was so impatient, however, that he would hardly give me time to speak or inquire what he wanted, besides which, he frightened me by the way in which he roared out hisunintelligible questions. So, unable to comprehend his meaning, Iremained silent, staring at him helplessly as before. Strange to say, though, my answer, or rather failure to answer this lastinterrogatory of his--for I had only repeated his own words--instead offurther exasperating him as I feared, trembling the while down to myvery boots, appeared to have the unexpected effect of appeasing hissudden outburst of passion, which now disappeared as quickly as it hadbroken out over my unoffending head. "Be jabers, the gossoon's a born nat'ral!" he said sympathetically in asort of stage whisper to the stevedores, although in loud enough tonesfor me to hear; and then, looking at me more kindly, and speaking in agentler key than he had yet adopted, he added, accentuating every wordseparately and distinctly, with a racier Milesian accent than ever:"Arrah, sure, an' I didn't mane to be rough on ye, laddie; but, till menow, whar' d'ye come from, what's y'r name, an' what for are ye doin'here?" This was plain language, such as I could understand; and, seeing that hemust be some one in authority, despite his tarred clothes and somewhatunpolished exterior, I hastened to answer his string of questions, doffing my cap respectfully as I did so. "My name is Allan Graham, " I said on his motioning to those working thecrane to stop a bit while I spoke, "and I came up early this morningfrom the country to sail in the Silver Queen. The brokers in LeadenhallStreet, Messrs. Splice and Mainbrace, to whom I went first, told me togo on down to the docks and join the ship at once, sending a clerk toshow me the way, which he did, pointing out this vessel to me andleaving me after saying that I was to go on board by the `gangway, ' ashe called the plank I walked up by--that is why I am here!" I uttered these last words somewhat sturdily and in a dignified tone, plucking up courage as I proceeded; for, I began to get rather nettledat the man's suspicions about me, his questions apparently having thatlook and bearing. "Och, by the powers!" he ejaculated, taking no notice of my dignifieddemeanour; "yis, an' that's it, is it? Sure, an' will ye till me now, are ye goin' as a cabin passinger or what, avic?" "I'm going in the Silver Queen as a first-class apprentice, " I answeredwith greater dignity than ever, glancing down proudly at the smart bluesuit I wore, with its shining gilt buttons ornamented with an anchor inrelief, which mother and sister Nellie had so much admired the daybefore, when I had donned it for the first time, besides inspecting mecritically that very morning previous to my leaving home, to see that Ilooked all right--poor mother! dear Nell! "Whe-e-e-up!" whistled my questioner between his teeth, a broad grinoverspreading his yet broader face. "Alannah macree, me poor gossoon!it's pitying ye I am, by me sowl, from the bottom av me heart. Ye'reloike a young bear wid all y'r throubles an' thrials forenenst ye. Aye, yez have, as sure's me name's Tim Rooney, me darlint!" "Why do you say so, sir?" I asked--more, however, out of curiosity thanalarm, for I thought he was only trying to "take a rise out of me, " asthe saying goes. "Why should you pity me?" "An' is it axin' why, yez are?" said he, his broad smile expanding intoa chuckle and the chuckle growing to a laugh. "Sure, an' ye'll larnafore ye're much ouldher, that the joker who goes to say for fun moightjist as well go to the ould jintleman's place down below in thethropical raygions for divarshun, plaize the pigs!" His genial manner, and the merry twinkle in his eyes, which reminded meof father's when he made some comical remark, utterly contradicted hisdisparaging comments on a sailor's life, and I joined in the hearty "ho, ho, ho!" with which he concluded his statement. "Why, then, did you go to sea, Mr Rooney, " I asked, putting him into aquandary with this home-thrust; "that is, if it is such a bad place asyou make out?" "Bedad, sorry o' me knows!" he replied, shoving his battered cheese-cutter cap further off his brows and scratching his head reflectively. "Sure, an' it's bin a poozzle to me, sorr, iver since I furst wint aforethe mast. " "But--" I went on, wishing to pursue my inquiries, when he interruptedme before I was able to proceed any further. "Whisht! Be aisy now, me darlint, " he whispered, with an expressivewink; and, turning round sharply on the stevedores, who, takingadvantage of his talking to me, had struck work and were indulging in asimilar friendly chat, he began briskly to call them to task for theiridleness, raising his voice to the same stentorian pitch that hadstartled me just now on our first introduction. "What the mischief are ye standin' star-gazin' there for, ye lazy swabs, chatterin' an' grinnin' away loike a parcel av monkeys?" he cried, waving his arms about as if he were going to knock some of them down. "If I had my way wid ye, an' had got ye aboord a man-o'-war along o' me, it's `four bag' I'd give ivery man Jack o' ye. Hoist away an' be blowedto ye, or I'll stop y'r pay, by the howly pokher I will!" At this, the men, who seemed to understand very well that my friend ofthe woollen jersey and canvas overalls's hard voice and words did notreally mean the terrible threats they conveyed, although the speakerintended to be obeyed, started again briskly shipping the cargo andlowering it down into the hold, grinning the while one to another as ifexpressing the opinion that their taskmaster's bark was worse than hisbite. "I must kape 'em stirrin' their stoomps, or ilse, sure, the spalpeens'ud strike worrk the minnit me back's toorned, " said he on resuming histalk with me, as if in explanation of this little interlude. "Yez aidy'r name's Grame, didn't ye? I once knew a Grame belongin' to Cork, an'he wor a pig jobber. S'pose now, he warn't y'r ould father, loike?" "Certainly not!" cried I, indignantly. "My father is a clergyman and agentleman and an Englishman, and lives down in the country. Our name, too, is Graham and not Grame, as you pronounce it. " "'Pon me conshinsh, I axes y'r pardin, sorr. Sure, an' I didn't mane noharrm, " said my friend, apologising in the most handsome way for theunintentional insult; and, putting out a brawny hairy paw like that ofEsau's, he gave a grip to my poor little mite of a hand that made eachknuckle crack, as he introduced himself in rough and hearty sailorfashion. "Me name's Tim Rooney, as I tould you afore, Misther Gray-ham--sure, an' it's fond I am ov bacon, avic, an' ham, too, by the sametoken! I'd have ye to know, as ye're a foorst-class apprentice--whichkills me enthirely wid the laffin' sure!--that I'm the bosun av theSilver Quane; an' as we're agoin' to be shipmets togither, I hopesthings'll be moighty plisint atwane us, sure. " "I'm sure I hope so, too, " I replied eagerly, thinking him an awfullyjolly fellow, and very unlike the man I imagined him to be at first; andwe then shook hands again to cement the compact of eternal friendship, although I took care this time that my demonstrative boatswain shouldnot give me so forcible a squeeze with his huge fist as before, observing as I looked round the vessel and up at her towering mastsoverhead: "What a splendid ship!" "Aye, she's all that, ivery inch of her from truck to kelson, " heanswered equally enthusiastically; "an' so's our foorst mate, a sailorall over from the sole av his fut to the crown av his hid. " "And the captain, " I inquired, "what sort of a man is he?" "Arrah, now you're axin' questions, " he rejoined with a sly look fromhis roguish eyes. "D'ye happen to know what's inside av an egg, now, whither it's a chicken, sure, or ownly the yoke an' white, till yebhrake the shill?" "No, " said I laughing. "But, we don't find chickens generally in oureggs at home. " "Wait till ye thry one on shipboord, " he retorted. "Still, ye can'tdeny now that ye don't know for sure what's insoide the shill till yebhrake it, an' say for yoursilf--eh?" "No, " I assented to this reasoning; "but, I don't see what that's got todo with the captain. " "Don't ye, honey?" replied he with another expressive wink. "Wait tillye can say for yourself, that's all. " "Oh!" I exclaimed, understanding now that he was shrewd enough not tocommit himself to any opinion on the point; so, I did not pursue theinquiry any further. "Sure, ye'll excuse me, Misther Gray-ham, " he said presently, afteranother word or two on irrelevant matters; "but I must stop yarnin' now, as I expexes the foorst mate aboord ivery minnit, an' he'll begroomblin' like a badger wid a sore tail if those lazy lubbers ain'thove all the cargy in. We've got to warp out o' dock this arternoon, an' the tide'll make about `six bells'!" "When is that?" I asked, to know the meaning of this nautical term, which I guessed referred to the time of day, as my friend the boatswainturned round again towards the stevedores, hurrying them on and makingthem work with a will. "Thray o'clock. Sure, I forgot ye didn't savvy our sailor's lingo atall, at all, " he explained to me between the interval of his orders tothe men, shouted out in the same high key as at first. "An', be thesame token, as it's now jist toorned two bells, or one o'clock, savin'your prisince, I've got no toime to lose, me bhoy. Jist d'ye go oopthat ladder there, an' wait out av harum's way till I've done me job an'can come for ye. " He pointed as he spoke to the steps or stairway leading from the main-deck, where I had been standing alongside of him, to the poop. I at once obeyed him; and, ascending with alacrity the poop ladder, wasable to see from that elevated position the capital way in which heurged on and encouraged the men, until, as if by magic, the heavy boxesand lumbering crates that had but a short time before almost covered thejetty beside the ship, were all hoisted inboard and lowered down intoher hold. Here, below, another gang of stevedores, not less busy than those above, took charge of the stowage of the cargo, slamming the chests and cratesabout, and so ramming and jamming them between the decks by the aid ofjack-screws, that they were soon packed together in one homogeneousmass--so tightly squeezed that not even a cockroach could have crawledin between them, not a single crack or cranny being left vacant. "Thare now! Sure, an' that job's done wid anyhow for this v'yge, plaizethe pigs, ma bouchal!" exclaimed the boatswain with a jolly laugh, afterseeing the main-hatchway covered and battened down, and a tarpaulinspread over it to make all snug, gazing round with an air of proudsatisfaction, as he slowly made his way up the poop ladder again andcame up to where I was standing by the rail looking over. "Don't yethink we've made pretty sharp work of it at the last, sorr, eh?" "I'm sure you have, Mr Rooney, " I replied enthusiastically. For, Icould not help admiring the way in which he had got the stevedores towork so steadily and speedily in getting in the cargo and clearing theship's deck, so that it was now trim and orderly in place of beinglittered over with lumber as previously--the active boatswain helpingone here, encouraging another there, and making all laugh occasionallywith some racy joke, that seemed to lighten their labour greatly andcause them to set to their task with redoubled vigour. --"It's wonderfulhow you managed them. " "Arrah, sure it's a way I've got wid me, honey, " said he with a wink. Still, I could see he was pleased with my remark all the same, from thesmile of contentment that overspread his face as he added: "Bless yethough, me darlint, sure an' it's ownly blarney arter all!" "And what is that?" I asked. "Faix, ya moost go owver to old Oireland to larn, me bhoy, " he answeredwith a laugh. "Wait till ye kiss the blarney stone, an' thin ye'llknow!" "I suppose it's what father calls the _suaviter in modo_, " said I, laughing also, he put on such a droll look. "And I think, Mr Rooney, you possess the _fortiter in re_, too, from the way you can speaksometimes. " "Bedad, I don't ondercumstubble, " he replied, taking off his cap andscratching his head reflectively, rather taken aback by my Latinquotation; "though if that haythen lingo manes soft sawder, by thepowers I've got lashins av it! Howsomedevers, youngster, we naydn'targify the p'int; but if the foorst mate were ownly aboord, d'ye knowwhat I'd loike to do?" "What?" I inquired. "Why, trate them dock loompers to grog all round. They've worrukedloike blue nayghurs; specially that l'adin' man av theirs, that chapthere, see him, wid the big nose on his face? I'd loike to pipe allhands down in the cabin to splice the main-brace, if ownly the foorstmate were aboord, " he repeated in a regretful tone. Adding, however, the next moment more briskly: "An', by the blissid piper that playedbefore Moses, there he is!" CHAPTER THREE. WARPING OUT OF DOCK. While the boatswain was still speaking, and expressing his regret at notbeing able to show the stevedores that he properly appreciated the modein which they had done their work, I noticed a boy come out fromsomewhere on the deck below, just underneath where we were standing, andmake his way towards the forepart of the ship, apparently in a greathurry about something or other. I wondered what he was going to do, and was puzzling my head about thematter, not liking to interrupt Tim Rooney, when the boy himself thenext instant satisfied my curiosity by going up to the ship's bell, which was suspended in its usual place, under the break of theforecastle, just above and in front of the windlass bits away forward;when, catching hold of a lanyard hanging from the end of the clapper, hestruck four sharp raps against the side of the bell, the sound ringingthrough the air and coming back distinctly to us aft on the poop. Ishould, however, explain that I, of course, was not familiar with allthese nautical details then, only learning them later on, mainly throughTim Rooney's help, when my knowledge of ships and of sea terms becamemore extended. Just as the last stroke of the bell rang out above the babble of themen's voices and the shuffling noise of their feet moving about, thefour strokes being sounded in pairs, "cling-clang, cling-clang!" like adouble postman's knock, a slim gentlemanly young man, with brown hairand beard and moustache, who was dressed in a natty blue uniform likemine, save that he wore a longer jacket and had a band of gold laceround his cap in addition to the solitary crown and anchor badge whichmy head-gear rejoiced in, appeared on top of the gangway leading fromthe wharf alongside. The next instant, jumping down from the top of thebulwarks on to the main-deck, a couple of strides took him to the footof the poop ladder, quickly mounting which, he stood beside us. "Sure, an' it's proud I am to say yez, sorr, " exclaimed the boatswain, touching the peak of his dilapidated cheese-cutter in salute, and with asmile of welcome on his genial face; "though it's lucky, bedad, yedidn't come afore, Misther Mackay, or faix ye'd have bin in toime to betoo soon. " "How's that, Rooney?" inquired the other with a pleasant laugh, showinghis nice white teeth. "Instead of being too early, I'm afraid I am alittle late. " "The divil a bit, sorr, " replied Rooney. "We've only jist this viryminnit struck down the last av the cargo; an' if ye'd come afore, why, it's ruckshions there'd a bin about our skulkin', I know. " "No, no, " laughingly said the young officer; who, I suppose, was olderthan he looked, for Tim Rooney told me in a loud whisper while he wasspeaking that he was the "foorst mate" of the ship. "I'm not half sucha growler as you are, bosun; but, all the same, I'm glad you've got thejob done. Who's been looking after the dock mateys below, seeing to thestowage?" "Misther Saunders, sorr, " promptly answered Rooney. Adding aside for myenlightenment as to who this worthy might be: "The `sicond mate, ' sure, mavourneen. " "Ah, then we need have no fears about its being well done, " rejoined MrMackay, or the first mate, as I'd better call him. "Who is our friendhere alongside of you, bosun? I don't recollect having the pleasure ofseeing him before. Another youngster from Leadenhall Street--eh?" He looked at me inquiringly as he asked the question. "Yes, sorr. He's Misther Gray-ham, sorr; jist come down to jine theSilver Quane, sorr, as foorst-class apprentice, " replied the boatswainwith a sly wink to the other, which I was quick enough to catch. Addingin a stage whisper, which I also could not help overhearing: "An' it'sfoorst-class he is entoirely--a raal broth av a bhoy, sure. " "Indeed, " said Mr Mackay, smiling at the Irishman's irony at myexpense, in return no doubt for my whimsical assumption of dignity whentelling him who I was. "I suppose he's come to fill the place of youngRawlings, who, you may remember, cut and run from us at Singapore on ourlast voyage out?" "I s'pose so, sorr, " rejoined Tim laconically. "I'm very happy, I am sure, to see you on board and make youracquaintance, " said the pleasant-faced young officer, turning to me in anice cordial way that increased the liking I had already taken to him atfirst sight. "Have you got your traps with you all right, Mr Graham?" "My father sent on my sea-chest containing all my clothes and thingslast night by the goods train from our place, addressed to the brokersin Leadenhall Street, as they directed, sir; so I hope it will arrive intime, " I replied, quite proud of a grown-up fellow like Mr Mackayaddressing me as "Mister. " "You needn't be alarmed about its safety, then, I suppose, " observed hejokingly. But, of course, although he might have thought so from mymanner, I had really no fears respecting the fate of my chest, and ofits being forthcoming when I wanted it. Indeed, until that moment, Ihad not thought about it at all; for I knew father had despatched it allright from Westham; and when he attended to anything no mishap everoccurred--at least that was our opinion at home! Fancying, from the expression of my face as these thoughts and therecollection of those I had left behind at the rectory flashed throughmy mind, that I was perhaps worrying myself about the chest, which ofcourse I wasn't, Mr Mackay hastened, as he imagined, to allay my fears. "There, there! don't bother yourself about your belongings, my boy, "said he kindly; "your chest and other dunnage came down to the shipearly this morning from the brokers along with that of the otheryoungsters, and you'll find it stowed in that after-deckhouse belowthere, where you midshipmen or apprentices will all live together in ahappy family sort of way throughout the voyage. " "Thank you, sir, " I answered, much obliged for his courtesy andinformation; although, I confess, I wondered where the "house" was ofwhich he spoke, there being nothing like even a cottage on the deck, which with everything connected with it was utterly strange to me. My face must again have reflected my thoughts; for even Tim Rooneynoticed the puzzled expression it bore, as I looked over the poop railin the direction Mr Mackay pointed. "I don't think, sorr, the young gintleman altogether onderconstubblesyour manin', " he remarked to the mate in that loud whisper of his whichthe poor man really did not intend me to hear, as I'm sure he wouldn'thave intentionally hurt my feelings. "Sure an' it's a reg'ler greenhand the bhoy is entoirely. " "Never mind that now; he'll soon learn his way to the weather earring, if I don't mistake the cut of his jib, " retorted Mackay in a lower toneof voice than the other, although I caught the sense of what he saidequally well, as he turned to me again with the evident desire ofputting me at my ease. "Have you seen any of your mess-mates yet, myboy--eh?" "No, sir, " I answered, smiling in response to his kindly look. "I haveseen no one since I came on board but you and Mr Rooney, who spoke tome first; and, of course, those men working over there. " "Sure, sorr, all av 'em are down below a-grubbin' in the cuddy sincedinner-toime, " interposed my friend the boatswain by way of explanation, on seeing the mate looked surprised at hearing that none of the otherofficers were about when all should have been so busy. "Ivery man Jackav 'em, sorr, barrin' Misther Saunders; who, in coorse, as I tould you, sorr, has bin down in the hould a-sayin' to the stowage of the cargy, more power to his elbow! An', be the same token, I thinks I sayed himjist now coom up the main-hatchway an' goin' to the cuddy too, to jointhe others at grub. " "Oh!" ejaculated Mr Mackay with deep meaning, swinging round on hisheel, all alert in an instant; and taking hold of a short bar of ironpointed at the end, lying near, which Tim Rooney told me afterwards waswhat is called a "marling-spike, " he proceeded to rap with it vigorouslyagainst the side of the companion hatchway, shouting out at the sametime so that he could be heard all over the ship: "Tumble up, all youidlers and stowaways and everybody! Below there--all hands on deck towarp out of dock!" "Be jabers, that'll fetch 'em, sorr, " cried Tim with a huge grin, muchrelishing this summoning of the laggards to work. "Sure, yer honour, ye're the bhoy to make 'em show a leg when ye wants to, an' no misthakeat all, at all!" "Aye, and I want them now, " rejoined the other with emphasis. "We havegot no time to lose; for, the tide is making fast, and the tug has beenoutside the lock-gates waiting for the last half-hour or more to take usin tow as soon as we get out in the stream. Below there--look alive andtumble up before I come down after you!" In obedience to this last hail of Mr Mackay, which had a sharpauthoritative ring about it, a short, podgy little man with a fat neckand red whiskers, who, as I presently learned, was Mr Saunders, thesecond mate, came up the companion way; and as I perceived him to bewiping his mouth as he stepped over the coaming of the hatchway, thisshowed that the boatswain's surmise of his being engaged "grubbing" withthe others was not far wrong. Mr Saunders was followed up from below by a couple of sturdy youths, who appeared to be between eighteen and nineteen or thereabout; and, behind them again, the last of the file, slowly stepped out on to thedeck a lanky boy of about the same age as myself--which I forgot tomention before was just fifteen, although I looked older from my buildand height. "You're a nice lot of lazy fellows to leave in charge of the work of theship!" cried Mr Mackay on the three presenting themselves before him, slowly mounting the companion stairs, one after the other, as if theexertion was almost too great for them, poor fellows, after theirdinner! "Here, you Matthews, look sharp and stir your stumps a bit--onewould think you were walking in your sleep. I want you to see to thatspring forwards as we unmoor!" The boatswain had already descended from the poop and gone to hisstation in the fore part of the ship; and now, with the first mate'swords, all was stir and action on board. The tallest of the two youths immediately dashed off towards the bows ofthe ship with an alacrity that proved his slow movements previously hadbeen merely put on for effect, and were not due to any constitutionalweakness; for, he seemed to reach the forecastle in two bounds, and Icould see him, from a coign of vantage to which he nimbly mounted on topof the knightheads, giving orders to a number of men on the wharf, whohad gathered about the ship in the meantime, and directing them to passalong the end of the fore hawser round a bollard on the jetty, near theend of the lock-gates by which entrance was gained from the adjacentriver to the basin in which the vessel was lying. Tom Jerrold, the second youth--I heard him called by that name--was sentto look after another hawser passed over the bows of the ship on thestarboard side, the end of the rope being bent round a capstan in thecentre of the wharf. Then, on Mr Mackay's word of command, the great wire cables mooring theship to the jetty were cast off; and, a gang of the dock labourersmanning the capstan, with their broad chests and sinewy arms pressedagainst the bars, as they marched round it singing some monotonouschorus ending in a "Yo, heave, ho!" the ship began to move--at firstslowly inch by inch, and then with increased way upon her as the _visinertiae_ of her hull was overcome--towards the lock at the mouth of thebasin, the gates of which had been opened, or rather the caisson floatedout shortly before, as the tide grew to the flood. Dear me! What with the constant and varied orders to the gang of menworking the capstan, and the others easing off the hawser that had beenpassed round the bollard, keeping a purchase on it and hauling in theslack as the vessel crept along out of the dock so as to prevent her"taking charge" and slewing round broadside on at the entrance where shemet the full force of the stream, I was well-nigh deafened with thehoarse shouts and unintelligible cries that filled the air on all sides, everybody apparently having something to say, and all calling out atonce. "Bear a hand with that spring!" Mr Mackay would roar out one instantin a voice that quite eclipsed that of Tim Rooney, loud as I thoughtthat on first going on board. "Easy there!" screamed Matthews from hisperch forwards, not to be outdone; while the boatswain was singing outfor a "fender" to guard the ship's bows from scrunching against the dockwall, and Tom Jerrold overseeing the men at the bollard on the wharfcalling out to them to "belay!" as her head swung a bit. Even lankyyoung Sam Weeks, the other middy like myself, had something or other tosay about the "warp fouling, " the meaning of which I did not catch, although he seemed satisfied at adding to the general hubbub. All thetime, too, there was the red-headed Mr Saunders, the second mate, whohad stationed himself in the main-chains, whence he could get a goodview of what was going on both forward and aft alike, continually urgingon the men at the capstan to "heave with a will!"--just as if theywanted any further urging, when they had Mr Mackay at them already andtheir tramping chorus, "Yo, heave, ho" to fall back upon! It was a wonder, with so many contradictory commands, as these allseemed to my ignorant ears, that some mishap did not happen. But, fortunately, nothing adverse occurred to delay the ship; and those onshore being apparently as anxious to get rid of the Silver Queen asthose on board were to clear her away from the berth she had so longoccupied when loading alongside the jetty, she was soon by dint ofeverybody's shouting and active co-operation warped out of the basininto the lock, drifting thence on the bosom of the tideway into thestream. Here, a little sturdy tug of a paddle steamer, which had been waitingfor us the last hour or more, puffing up huge volumes of dense blacksmoke, and occasionally sounding her shrill steam whistle to give ventto her impatience, ranged up alongside, someone on her deck heavingdexterously a line inboard, which Tim Rooney the boatswain asdexterously caught as it circled in the air like a lasso and fellathwart the boat davits amidships. The line was then taken forwards by Tim Rooney outside the rigging, hewalking along the gunwale till he gained the forecastle; there, anotherman then lending a hand, the line was hauled in with the end of a strongsteel hawser bent on to it, that had been already passed over the sternof the tug, and the bight carried across the "towing-horse" and firmlyfastened to the tug's fore-deck, while our end on reaching theforecastle of the Silver Queen was similarly secured inboard, Timsatisfying himself that it was taut by jumping on it. "Are you ready?" now hailed the master of the tug from the paddle-box ofhis little vessel, calling out to Mr Mackay who was leaning over thepoop of ours which seemed so big in comparison, the hull of the shiptowering above the tug and quite overshadowing her. "Are you ready, sir?" "Aye, aye!" sang out Mr Mackay in answer. "You can start as soon asyou like. Fire up and heave ahead!" Then, the steamer's paddles revolved, the steel hawser, stretched overher towing-horse astern and attached to our bows, tightened with a sortof musical twang as it became rigid like a bar of iron; and, in anotherminute or so, the Silver Queen was under good way, sailing down theThames outwards bound. "Fo'c's'le, ahoy there!" presently shouted out Mr Mackay near me all ofa sudden, making me jump round from my contemplation of the river, intowhich I was gazing down from over the stern, looking at the broad whitefoaming wake we left behind us as we glided on. "Is the bosun there?" "Aye, aye, sorr, " promptly replied Tim Rooney, showing himself frombehind the deck-house between the mainmast and foremast, which hadpreviously hidden him from the view of the poop. "I'm here, sort. " "Then send a hand aft to the wheel at once, " rejoined Mr Mackay. "Looksharp, we're under steerage-way. " "Aye, aye, sorr, " answered the boatswain as before; and as he spoke Icould see a tall seaman making his way aft in obedience to the firstmate's orders; and, before Mr Mackay had time to walk across the deck, he had mounted the poop, cast off the lashings that prevented the wheelfrom moving, and was whirling the spokes round with both hands inthorough ship-shape style. This man's name was Adams, as I subsequently learnt; and he was thesailmaker--one of the best sailors on board, and one of the old hands, having sailed with Tim Rooney, as the latter told me, the two previousvoyages. That sort of man, in the boatswain's words, who was always"all there" when wanted. I am anticipating matters, however, Mr Mackay being not yet done withTim; for, after telling Adams to go aft to take his trick at the wheel, the worthy boatswain was just about disappearing again behind theforward deck-house as before to resume some job on which he seemed veryintent, when his steps were once more arrested by the mate's hail, "Bosun!" "Aye, aye, sorr, " cried Tim Rooney rather savagely as he stopped andfaced round towards the break of the poops on which Mr Mackay stood bythe rail; and I'm sure I heard him mutter something else below hisbreath even that distance off. "Is the anchor all clear?" asked the first mate. "You know we shallwant it for bringing up at Gravesend. " "Yis, sorr, " said the other. "I ased off the catfalls an' shank painteriver since the mornin'; an', sure, the blissid anchor is a-cockbill, allriddy to lit go whin ye gives the worrud. " "And the cable--how many shackles have you got up?" "Thray lingths, sorr. I thought that enough for the river, wid a fowerfathom bottom; so, I've bitted it at that, an' me an' Jackson are a-sayin' about clearin' the cable range now. " "That's right, " replied Mr Mackay, apparently satisfied that at lasteverything forward was going on as it should; for he turned away fromthe poop rail and entered into conversation with a stout thicksetstrange man, dressed in sailor's clothes, but with a long black oilskinor waterproof over his other garments reaching down to his heels, although it wasn't raining at all, being a bright, fine afternoon. Not only had this new-comer arrived on board without my noticing him, although I had been looking out all the time, but he managed to get upon the poop in the most mysterious way. I was certain he had not beenanywhere near the moment before, and yet, now, there he was. He must be the captain at last, I thought, having been expecting to seethat personage appear on the scene every moment; and my impression ofhis being one in authority was confirmed a moment later, when, from hisgiving some order or command, Mr Mackay left him hastily, and comingfurther aft took up a position nearer me, close to Adams, just abaft thebinnacle. The oilskin man, however, remained on the weather side of thepoop at the head of the ladder, whence he had a good look-out ahead, clear of all intervening obstacles, and from which post he proceeded todirect the steering of the ship by waving his arms this way and that asif he were an animated windmill The first mate interpreted as quickly these signals for the benefit ofAdams, passing on the words of warning they conveyed, "Hard up!" or"Down helm!" or "Steady!" as the case might be. These frequent andoften contradictory orders were necessary, when, owing to someunexpected bend in the river, the Silver Queen would luff up suddenlyand shoot her head athwart stream hard a-port, or else try to "take thebit between her teeth, " and sheer into the shore on the starboard handas if she wanted to run up high and dry on the mud, loth to leave hernative land. She required good steering. Aye, and careful watching too, on the part of the helmsman; for, inaddition to the natural turnings and windings of the channel-way, whichwere many, the Thames curving about and twisting itself into the shapeof a corkscrew between London Bridge and the Nore, the tug had besidescontinually to alter her course, thus, naturally, making us change ourstoo, as the tow-rope slackening one moment would cause the ship's bowsto fall off, and then tightening like a fiddle-string the next instanther head would be jerked back again viciously into its former position, right astern of the little vessel at whose mercy we were, as if sheinsisted on the Silver Queen following obediently in her wake. This eccentric mode of procedure, however, must not be altogetherascribed to any contrariness of disposition on the part of the gallanttug, which, in spite of occasional stoppages and frequent alterations ofcourse, yet towed us along steadily down the river--a pigmy pulling agiant. Such a monster we seemed, lumbering behind her as she panted andpuffed huge volumes of black smoke from her tall striped funnel, withmuch creaking of her engines and groaning of her poor strained timbers, and the measured rhythmical beat of her paddle-floats on the surface ofthe water, that sounded as if she were "spanking" it out of spite. No, it wasn't the fault of the little, dirty, toiling tug, whose dailydrudgery did not give her time to look after her toilet and study herpersonal appearance like those bigger craft she had always tacked on toher tail. For these turnings and twistings we had to take in ourdownward journey to Gravesend and the open sea beyond; the innumerablebackings and fillings and bendings this way and that, now going aheadfull speed for a couple of minutes, now coming to a full stop with asharp order to let her drift astern, were all due to the fact of the tughaving to keep clear, and keep us clear, too, of the innumerable inward-bound steamers, passenger boats, and other vessels coming up stream. The tideway being crowded with craft of all sorts, navigation wasexceedingly difficult for a heavily-laden ship in tow, especially inthat awkward reach between Greenwich and Blackwall, where the river, after trending south by east, makes an abrupt turn almost due north. This place I thought the worst part of the journey then when I first sawit; and, I am of the same opinion still, although now better acquaintedwith the Thames and all its mysteries. On the bustle that ensued when she began to warp out of dock, I had leftthe poop, along with the boatswain and the others, going down the ladderat the side on to the main-deck; but, when arrived there, I soondiscovered that an idler like myself, standing by with nothing to do, was in the way alike of the ropes that were being thrown and draggedabout and of the men handling them--this knowledge being brought homevery practically by my getting tripped and knocked about from pillar topost by those rushing here and there to execute the various ordershoarsely bawled out to them each instant, and which would not admit ofdelay. "Look out there!" would shout one, nearly strangling me with the bightof a line circling in the air round my unfortunate head. "By yourleave!" would cry another, jamming me, most certainly without myconsent, against the bulwarks, and making me feel as flat as a pancakeall over. So, first pushed this way and then driven that, and mauledabout generally, I got forced away by degrees from the forward part ofthe deck, where I had taken up a position in the thick of the fray, backagain to my original starting-point, the poop; and here, now, ensconcingmyself by the taffrail at the extreme end of the vessel, I thought therewas no danger of anyone asking me to get out of the way or move on anyfurther, unless they shoved me overboard altogether. CHAPTER FOUR. DOWN THE RIVER. I remained for some time very quiet on the poop, for Mr Mackay was toobusy giving his orders, first as we worked out of dock and, afterwards, in directing the steersman, when we were under way, to notice me; andseeing him so occupied, of course I did not like to speak to him. I did not like to talk to Adams either for he was equally busy, besideswhich I did not know him then; and the same obstacle prevented myentering into conversation with the fat man in the oilskin, although Ifelt sure he could tell me a lot I wanted to know, I having a thousandquestions simmering in my mind with reference to the ship and herbelongings, and all that was going on around me on board the SilverQueen, in and on the river, and on either shore. Still, I had plenty to interest me, even without speaking, my thoughtsbeing almost too full, indeed, for words; for, the varied and ever-varying panorama through which we were moving was very new and strangeto one like myself who had never been on board a vessel of any sortbefore, never sailed down the river Thames, never before seen in all itsglory that marvellous waterway of all nations. I was in ecstasies every moment at the world of wonders in which I nowfound myself;--the forests of masts rising over the acres of shipping inthe East and West India docks away on our right, looking like the trunksof innumerable trees huddled together, and stretching for miles andmiles as far as the eye could see; the deafening din of the hammermenand riveters, hammering and riveting the frames of a myriad iron hullsof vessels building in the various shipwright yards along the river bankfrom Blackwall to Purfleet; the shriek of steam whistles in every keyfrom passing steamers that seemed as if they would come into collisionwith us each moment, they sheered by so dangerously near; the constantsuccession of wharfs and warehouses, and endless rows of streets andterraces on both sides of the stream; the thousands of houses joined onto other houses, and buildings piled on buildings, forming one endlessmass of massive bricks and mortar, with the river stealing through itlike a silver thread, that reached back, behind, up the stream to where, in the dim perspective, the dome of Saint Paul's, rising proudly above acirclet of other church spires, stood out in relief against the brightbackground of the crimson sky glowing with the reflection of the settingsun just sinking in the west, --all making me wonder where the peoplecame from who lived and toiled in the vast city, whose outskirts only Isaw before me, seemingly boundless though my gaze might be. All this flashed across me; but most wonderful of all to me was thethought that my dream of months past was at length realised; and thathere I was actually on board a real ship, going towards the sea as fastas the staunch little Arrow tug could tow us down the river, aided by agood tide running under us three knots the hour at least. It was almost incredible; and, unable to contain myself any longer Ifelt I must speak to somebody at all hazards. My choice of this "somebody, " however, was a very limited one, for MrMackay and the mysterious man in the oilskin coat, and Adams, thesteersman, the only persons on the poop besides myself, were all toobusy to talk to me; albeit the former good-naturedly gave me anoccasional kindly glance, as if he wished me to understand that hissilence was not owing to any unfriendliness, or intended to make me"keep my distance, " as I might otherwise have thought. As for Mr Saunders, the second mate, he had dived down the companionway into the cuddy below as soon as we had got out into the river andwere in tow of the tug; and was probably now engaged in finishing hisinterrupted dinner, as his services were no longer required on deck. Matthews, the biggest of the three young fellows who had come up withhim to help unmoor the ship and warp out of dock, had also followed hisexample in the most praiseworthy fashion. Jerrold, the other youth, in company with the lanky boy of my own sizewere still hovering about, though neither had spoken to me; and the twowere just now having a chat together by the door of the after-deckhouse, which Mr Mackay had pointed out to me as set apart for theaccommodation of us "middies, " or apprentices, although I had not yethad an opportunity of inspecting its interior arrangements. But, strange to say, the noisy gangs of men, who had been only a shorttime before bustling about the deck below, rushing from the forecastleaft and then back again, and pulling and hauling and shoving everywhere, so effectively as to push me to the other end of the ship and almostoverboard, seemed to have disappeared in almost as unaccountable afashion as the man in the oilskin had made his appearance. Beyond this latter gentleman, therefore, and Mr Mackay, and Adams thesteersman--to whom I was going to speak once only Mr Mackay shook hishead--and my fellow apprentices on the main-deck below, I could only seeTim Rooney forward, with a couple of sailors helping him to range thecable in long parallel rows along the deck fore and aft, the triolifting the heavy links by the aid of chain-hooks and turning it overwith a good deal of clanking, so as to disentangle the links and make itall clear for running out without fouling through the hawse-hole whenthe anchor was let go. The boatswain looked quite as busy as Mr Mackay, if not more so, hiswork being more noisy at any rate; but he wore so good-humoured anexpression on his face, and had made friends so nicely with me after ourlittle difficulty when I first came on board, that I thought I reallycould do no great harm in speaking to him and asking him to solve someof the difficulties that were troubling me about everything. So resolving, I made my way down the poop ladder for the third time, passing my fellow apprentices, who did not speak, though the lanky one, Sam Weeks, put out his tongue at me very rudely; and, at last I came towhere Rooney was standing by the windlass bitts below the topgallantforecastle. "Hullo, Misther Gray-ham!" he cried on seeing me approach, "I was jist awondtherin' how long ye'd be acting skipper on the poop! You looked allforlorn up there, ma bouchal, loike Pat's pig whin he shaved it, thinkin' to git a crop o' wool off av its back. Aren't ye sorry now yecame to say, as I tould ye--hey?" "Not a bit of it, " said I stoutly. "I'm more glad than ever now that Icame; and I wouldn't go back on shore if I could. " "Be jabers, that's more'n you'll say, me bhoy, a fortnight hince!" heretorted with a grim chuckle, while the other men grinned inappreciation of the remark. "Sure now, though, there's no good anyhowin fore-tastin' matthers, as the ould jintleman aid whin he onhitchedthe rope from off his nick which he was agoin' to hang himsilf wid. Isthere innythin' I can do in the manetoime to oblige ye, Misther Gray-ham?" "I wish you would tell me a lot of things, " I replied eagerly. "Be aisy, me darlint, " he rejoined in his funny way; "an' if ye can't beaisy, be as aisy as ye can! Now, go on ahid wid ye'r foorstquestion--`one dog, one bone, ' as me ould friend Dan'l sez. " "Well, what have become of all the sailors?" I asked to begin with. "The sailors? Why, here we are, sure, all aloive an' kickin'! What doye take me an' me lazy mates here for, ma bouchal?" "Oh, but I mean all those men you were ordering about when I first cameon board, " I said. "Bedad, my hearty, there's no doubt but ye ought for to go to say, as yeaid y'rsilf, " rejoined the boatswain indignantly. "It shows how graneyez are to misthake a lot av rowdy rapscallion dock loompers for genuineJack Tars! Them fellers were ownly the stevedores, hired at saxpencethe hour to load the ship; an' they wint off in a brace av shakes, asyou must have sayn for y'rsilf, whin their job was done! No, me bhoy, them weren't the proper sort av shellbacks. There's ownly fower raalsailors, as ye call's 'em, now aboard, barrin' Misther Mackay and thesecond mate; an' them's Adams over thar aft at the wheel, these two idlejokers here beside me, the ship's bhoy, an' thin mesilf--though, faix, me modesty forbids me say'n it, sure!" "And are you really the only sailors on board?" I said, much surprisedat this piece of information, being under the impression that the othershad all gone below. "Iv'ry ha'porth, " he answered; "that is, lavin' out ye're brothermiddies, or `foorst-class apprentices' loike y'rsilf, Misther Gray-ham--faix, though, they aren't sailors yit by a long shot. There's thatPortygee stooard, too, that the cap'an's got sich a fancy for, I'm sureI can't till why, as he's possissed av the timper av ould Nick himsilf, an' ain't worth his salt, to me thinkin'!" "And is that the captain up there now with Mr Mackay?" I asked. "That the skipper? Bless ye, no, me lad--that's ownly the river pilot!" "Where is the captain, then?" was my next query, without stopping tothink. "By the powers, ye bates Bannagher for axin' quistions, Misther Gray-ham!" cried Tim, amused at my cross-examination of him--just as if hewere in a court of justice, as he afterwards said when he brought up thematter one day. --"Sure, how can I till where he or any other mother'sson is that I can't say before my eyes? I can till you, though, where Ibelaives him to be this blissid minnit; an' that is, by the `Crab an'Lobster' at Gravesend, lookin' out for to say if he can say the SilverQuane a-sailin' down the sthrame. " "And will he come on board there?" I asked. "Arrah, will a dook swim?" replied the boatswain in Irish fashion. "Avcoorse he will, in a brace av shakes. Ould Jock Gillespie ain't thesort av skipper to lit the grass grow under his cawbeens, whin he sayshis ship forninst him!" "Oh, he'll come on board at Gravesend, " I repeated after him, my mindgreatly relieved; for I had been much concerned as to how and when thecaptain would make his appearance as well as the remainder of the crew, having read enough about ships to know that the Silver Queen could notwell be navigated with such a small number of hands as were only in herthen. "And will he bring any more sailors with him?" "Aye, sonny, the howl bilin' av the crew, barrin' us chaps here alriddy. Yis, an' our say pilot will come aboord there, the river one lavin' usthere. " "I'm glad of that, " I said. "I thought there weren't enough on board tosail the ship, with only you four men and the boy who struck the bell!" "Did ye? Then, sure, ye've got the makin's av a sailor in yez aftherall, as Misther Mackay aid whin he foorst clapped eyes on ye. An', sure, it's now me toorn to be afther axin' quistions, me bhoy--don't yefeel peckish loike?" "Peckish?" I echoed, unable to understand him. "Now, don't go on loike an omadhawn, an' make me angry, as ye did atfoorst, " he cried. "I mane are yez houngry? For I don't belaive you'vehid a bit insoide yer little carcase since ye came aboord this forenoon;an' we're now gittin' through the foorst dog-watch. " I declare I never thought of it before, but, now he mentioned it, I didfeel hungry--very much so, indeed, not having tasted a morsel since thehasty meal that morning before leaving home; when, as might be supposed, I did not have over much of an appetite, with the consciousness that itmight possibly be the last time I should breakfast with father andmother and sister Nell. The parting with Tom did not affect me much, ashe had got priggish and rather above a boy like me since he had been toOxford. "By the powers!" exclaimed the kind Irishman when I confessed to feeling"peckish, " as he called it, telling him I had not had anything sinceeight o'clock that morning, "ye must be jist famished, me poor gossoon;an' if I'd been so long without grub, why it's atin' me grandfather I'dbe, or my wife's sister's first coosin, if I had one! But, now I've gotthis cable snug, jist you come along o' me, me bhoy, an' we'll say whatthat Portygee stooard hez lift in his panthry; for I've got no propermess yit an' have to forage in the cabin. " "I thought you said, though, he was bad tempered, " I observed as Ifollowed the boatswain along the deck towards the door opening into thecuddy from the main-deck under the break of the poop, and only usedgenerally by the steward and cook going to and from the galley forward, the other entrance by the companion way, direct down from the poop, being reserved for the captain and officers, as a rule. "Perhaps he'llsay he has nothing left, now that the others have all had their dinner?" I said this rather anxiously; for, now that I came to think of eating atall, I felt all the hungrier, although until Tim asked me the question Ihad not once thought about the matter, nor experienced the slightestqualm from that neglected little stomach he had pitied! "Bedad, whatsomedever he may say, me lad, he'll have to git somethin'for us to ate, an' purty sharp too, if he's forced to fry that ooglyould mahogany face av his!" So saying, Tim entered the door of the passage leading into the cuddy, which seemed very dark coming in from the open deck, and was all thedarker as we proceeded, the skylight in the poop having been coveredover to protect the glass-work while the ship was loading in the dock, and the tarpaulin not having been yet taken off. It was like going from the day into the night at one jump; but, afterfumbling after my leader for a step or two, almost feeling my way andstumbling over the coaming at the entrance, placed there to prevent thewater the ship might take in over the side when at sea from washing infrom the main-deck, I all at once found myself in a wide saloonstretching the whole length of the after part of the ship, with a seriesof small cabins on either side and two larger ones at the end occupyingthe stern-sheets. The doors of the latter, however, were closed so thatno light came through the slanting windows that opened out on eitherside of the rudder-post, above which is usually fitted what is calledthe stern gallery on board of an East Indiaman or man-of-war. The skylight above being now blocked up and the ports and side scuttlesclosed, the cuddy was only dimly illuminated by a couple of glassbull's-eyes let into the deck above, and one of the swinging lamps thatwere suspended at intervals over the long table that occupied the centreof the saloon, the rest being untrimmed and only this one lit. The light was certainly dim, but quite enough for me to see how finelyfitted-up the saloon was, with bird's-eye maple panelling to the cabinsand gilt-mouldings; while the butt of the mizzen-mast that ran upthrough the deck and divided the table, was handsomely decorated allround its base, the Silver Queen having been originally intended for thepassenger trade, although since turned into a cargo ship, and now goingout to Shanghai with a freight of Manchester goods, and Sheffield andBirmingham hardware. A nicely-cushioned seat with a reversible back, so that people couldeither face their cabins or the table as they pleased by shifting itthis way and that, was fixed along either side of the table; and at theextreme aftermost end of this, behind the mizzen-mast, I saw MrSaunders and Matthews. They were comfortably enjoying themselves overtheir tea, judging by the cups and saucers before them, and otheraccompaniments of that meal; and evidently not hurrying themselves aboutit, for it was more than an hour since they had left the deck. Our appearance did not at all discompose them; both looking up at ourentrance, while Mr Saunders motioned to Tim to take a seat beside him. "Hullo, bosun! Come in to forage--eh?" he cried, with his mouth stillfull and his jaws wagging away, "Bring yourself to an anchor, old ship;and bear a hand. " "Thank ye kindly, Misther Saunders; I will sorr, savin' y'r prisince, "said Tim Rooney, seating himself, however, on the other side of thetable close to the end of the passage way by which we had entered. "Ithought it toime to have a bit atwane me teeth as I haven't tasted bitnor sup since dinner, an' that war at eight bells. This youngster, too, wor famished, an' so I brought him along o' me. " "I'm sure you're welcome, " answered the second mate, losing no timethough at his eating, but still keeping up his knife and fork play whiletalking. "Ah, the new apprentice Mr Mackay was telling me about justnow--eh?" "Yes, sir, " said I for he glanced over towards me as he spoke. "Well, I hope you'll get on well with your shipmates. " He did not say any more, completing his sentence by draining his tea-cup; and my friend the boatswain, apparently taking this as a hint, shouted out in a tone that made my ears tingle: "Ahoy there, stoo-ard!" "Yase, yase, I coom, " replied someone in a queer squeaky voice, that hada strong foreign accent, from somewhere in the darkness beyond the footof the the companion way, where the gleam of the solitary saloon lampdid not quite penetrate; "I coom, sare, queek, queek. " "Ye'd betther come sharp, sharp, or I'll know the rayson why, " growledTim Rooney, however, before he could say any more a little dark man withblack crinkly hair like a negro's emerged into the light, looking by nomeans amiable at being disturbed by the boatswain's hail. "What you want--hey?" he asked angrily. "I got my bizness to do inpantry, 'fore ze cap'in coom aboard. " "What do I want, me joker?" returned Tim, in no way put out by his rudeaddress. "I want somethin' to ate for me an' this young jintleman here. D'ye hear that?" "Zere's nuzzing left, " surlily answered the man. "You should coom downin ze propare time. " "The dickens I should? Confound y'r impudence, ye mangy Porteegee swab!Allow me to till ye, Misther Paydro Carvalho--an' be the powers it's asin ag'in the blessed Saint Pater to name such an ugly thafe as yeafther him--that I'll pipe down to grub whin I loikes widout axin y'rlaive or license. Jist ye look sharp, d'ye hear, an' git us somethin'to ate at once!" To emphasise his words, the boatswain jumped up from his seat as hespoke; and the other, thinking he was going to make an attack on him, dodged to the opposite side of the table so as to have this as a sort ofbulwark in between the irate Irishman and himself, vehemently protestingall the while that there was "nuzzing" he could put on the table. "Nonsense, steward, " interposed the second mate, who with Matthewsseemed highly amused at the altercation, the two grinning between theirbites of bread and butter. "There's that tin of corned-beef you openedfor me just now, bring that. " "An' tay, " roared out Tim Rooney, resuming his seat again, which seeing, the dark little man, who had grown almost pallid with fright, swiftlyretreated into the darkness of his pantry, muttering below his breath;while Tim, turning to me, asked, "Ye'd loike some tay wid y'r grub, Misther Gray-ham, wouldn't ye now?" "Yes, " I said. "Tay for two, ye spalpeen!" he thereupon roared out a second time; "an'ye'd betther look sharp, too, d'ye hear?" The answer to this was a tremendous smash from the pantry, and the soundof things clattering about and rolling on the floor, as if all thecrockery in the ship was broken, whereat Tim and the second mate andMatthews burst altogether into one simultaneous shout of laughter. "Tare an' 'ouns, he's at it ag'in!" cried the boatswain when he was ableto speak; "he's at it ag'in!" "Aye, he's at it again. A rum chap, ain't he?" said Mr Saunders. "It's ownly his nasty timper, though; an' he vints it on them poorharmless things bekase he's too much av a coward to have it out wid themthat angers him, " replied Tim Rooney, adding, as another crash resoundedfrom the distance: "Jist he'r him now. Bedad he's havin' a foine flingthis toime, an' no misthake at all, at all!" "What is he doing?" I asked, seeing that the boatswain and the othertwo took the uproar as a matter of course, and were in no way surprisedat it. "Is he breaking things?" "No, ma bouchal, " replied Tim carelessly. "He's ownly kickin' presarvedmate tins about the flure av his panthry, which he kapes especial fursuch toimes as he's in a rage wid anyone as offinds him, whin, insteadav standin' up loike a man an' foightin' it out wid the chap that angershim, he goes and locks himsilf in the panthry an' kicks the harmlessould tins about, an' bangs 'em ag'in the bulkhead at the side, till ye'dthink he was smashin' the howl ship!" "What a funny man!" I exclaimed. "He's all that, " said the boatswain sententiously. "An' the strangestthing av all is, that whin he's done kickin' the tins about an' hasvinted his passion, he'll come out av his panthry as cool an' calm as aChristian, an' do jist what ye wants him, as swately as if he'd nivirbin in a timper at all, at all. Jist watch him now. " It was as Tim Rooney explained. While he was yet describing the steward's peculiar temperament andstrange characteristics, the clattering sounds all at once ceased in thepantry; and the Portuguese presently appeared with a tray on which wereclean plates and cups and saucers, which he proceeded to lay neatly anddexterously at one end of the table, looking as calm and quiet as if"butther wouldn't milt in his mouth, sure, " as Tim remarked. Making a second journey back to the pantry, he returned with a dish ofcold beef and a cheese, besides a plate piled up with slices of breadand butter, which he certainly must have been cutting all the time hewas kicking the tins about. Then, taking a large bronze teapot from thetop of a stove in the after part of the cabin, where it had been keepinghot all the while without my noticing it before, the steward poured outa cup of tea apiece for Tim Rooney and myself, asking politely if therewas anything more he could get us. "No, thank ye, Paydro, " replied Tim rubbing his hands at sight of theeatables; "this will do foorst rate, me bhoy. Misther Gray-ham, whydon't ye fire away, ma bouchal? Sure an' y'r tay's gettin' cowld. " I hardly needed any pressing, feeling by this time as hungry as ahunter; the waiting having sharpened my appetite, as well as the sightof the second mate and Matthews at work at the other end of the table, they only just finishing their meal and going up on deck again as wecommenced ours. We did not lose any time, though, for all that, when once we began, Ican tell you, following to the full the second mate's praiseworthyexample. No; for, we made such good use of our opportunities that in less than aquarter of an hour we had both assuaged our hunger--Tim appearing as badin this respect as myself--by making a general clearance of everythingeatable on the table, the corned-beef and bread and butter and piece ofcheese vanishing as if by magic, washed down by sundry cups of tea, which, if not strong, made up for this deficiency by being as sweet asmoist brown sugar could make it. "Sure, an' that Paydro ain't such a bad sort av chap afther all, "observed Tim Rooney complacently as he rose from his seat, feelingcomfortable as to his interior economy, the same as I did, and at peacewith all mankind. "Bedad, I'd forgive him ivrythin', for a choild couldplay wid me now!" Any further remark on his part, however, was cut short at the moment bya hail from Mr Mackay down the companion. "Bosun, ahoy, below there!" "Aye, aye, sorr!" cried Tim Rooney starting up and making a rush for thedoorway leading to the main-deck from the cuddy, "I'm a-coming, sorr!" And the next moment he was out on the deck, "two bells, " or fiveo'clock, as I knew by this time, just striking from the fore part of theship as we both emerged from below the break of the poop in view ofthose standing above--I having followed close on Tim Rooney's heels likehis very shadow. "Oh, you're there, bosun!" exclaimed Mr Mackay as soon as he caughtsight of Tim out on the deck below him. "We're just abreast of Tilbury, and the pilot thinks we had better bring up in accordance with CaptainGillespie's orders. Are you ready for anchoring?" "Quite riddy, sorr, " replied Tim, looking up at the first mate and theman in the oilskin, whom I now knew to be the Thames pilot, as theyleaned over the poop rail. "Lasteways, as soon as iver I can rache thefo'c's'le. " "Carry-on then. You'll find Mr Saunders already in the bows to helpyou, " said Mr Mackay, hailing at the same time the master of the tugthat had brought us so far down the river, and who was at his post onthe paddle-box waiting for the pilot's orders to "stand by, " the littlesteamer, having already stopped her engines and now busy blowing off herwaste steam, waiting for us to cast off her towing-hawser from ourbollard, where it was belayed on the forecastle. While I was noticing these details, Tim was scrambling forwards towardsthe windlass bitts, mounting thence on to the forecastle, where MrSaunders and Matthews, with the other middies, were assembled. Adams, who had been relieved from the wheel, and the other two sailors, as well as the boy who remained with the rest after coming out to strikethe bell, was attending to the compressor and watching the cable on themain-deck, just below the group above, which I now joined, racing aftermy friend Tim. Looking back astern as soon as I attained this elevated position in thebows of the ship, I noticed the pilot on the poop bring his arm down, whereupon Mr Mackay by his side, putting both his hands to his mouthfor a speaking trumpet, shouted out towards us on the forecastle: "Are you all ready for'ard?" "All ready!" yelled back Mr Saunders in reply. "Let go!" then called out Mr Mackay, the second mate supplementing hiscry with a second shout-- "Stand clear of the cable!" At the same moment, Tim Rooney giving the tumbler a smart stroke with ahammer which he had picked up from off the windlass, the cathead stopperwas at once released and the anchor fell from the bows into the waterwith a great heavy splash, the chain cable jiggle-joggling along thedeck after it, and rushing madly through the hawse-hole with a roaring, rattling noise like that of thunder! CHAPTER FIVE. CAPTAIN GILLESPIE COMES ABOARD. "Oh!" I exclaimed at the same moment, drawing back hastily and tumblingover the boatswain, who with Adams was now busy hauling inboard thetackle of the disengaged cathead stopper. "I'm blinded!" You see, I had been leaning over the bows, watching the operation ofletting go the anchor; and, as the ponderous mass of metal plunged intothe river, it sent up a column of spray on to the forecastle that cameslap into my face, drenching my clothes and wetting me almost to theskin at the same time. "Whisht, ma bouchal!" cried Tim Rooney, laughing at my sorry plight as Ipicked myself up. "One'd think ye're kilt entoirely, wid all that rowye'r makin'! Ye'll niver be a sailor, Misther Gray-ham, if ye can'tstand a bit av fun!" "Fun, you call it?" I rejoined, rather angrily, I must confess, lookingdown ruefully at my soaking suit. "Why, I'm wet through!" "Niver moind that, " replied he, still grinning, as was also Adams. "Sure, it's ownly y'r say chris'nin', though it's pricious little av thesay there is, be the same token, in this dirthy shoal wather alongsideav us now. " "But, it is salt for all that, " said I, having had an opportunity oftasting it's flavour, my mouth being wide open when I got the ducking. "It is just like brine and even more nasty!" Tim laughed all the more at the faces I made, as I spluttered and fumed, trying vainly to get rid of the taste; for, I had swallowed about half apint at least of the stuff. "It ain't as good as Paydro's tay that we had jist now, is it?" heobserved consolingly. "Thare's too many did dogs an' cats an' otherpoor bastesesses in it for that, me bhoy; but, faix, ye jist wait tillwe gits into blue wather an' out av soundin's, it'll be a real traytefor ye to taste it thin. " "I don't know about that, " I answered, getting over my little bit oftemper and laughing too, he gave such a knowing wink and looked socomical--as I daresay I did, with all the shine taken out of my newuniform--"I think I've had quite enough of it already. " I do not believe I could forget anything, however trivial, that occurredthat day, every incident connected with the ship and its surroundingsbeing stamped indelibly on my mind. The bright February afternoon was already drawing to a close, the sunhaving set, as usual at that time of year, about half-past five o'clock, going down just as we were in all the bustle of "bringing up;" and, asthe Silver Queen had swung with the tide after anchoring, her head nowpointing up stream, looking back as it were on the course she had goneover, I had an uninterrupted view from where I stood on the forecastleof the western horizon, with the hazy city still apparent between. Inoticed how the warm crimson and orange tints of the after-glow changedgradually to the more sober tones of purple and madder and pale sea-green, marking the approach of evening, a soft semi-transparent mist thewhile rising from the surface of the water and blotting out one by onethe distant objects. It was still light enough, however, to seeeverything all round near where we were lying, we being then just offthe Lobster, midway in the stream, which at that point is about a milewide, with Gravesend on our left or "port" hand, and the frowning fortof Tilbury guarding the entrance to the river on our right. All seemed very quiet, as if old Father Thames and those who went to andfro on his broad bosom were thinking of going to sleep; and thus, theshades of night slowly descended on the scene, hushing the spirit of thewaters to rest, the ebbing tide lapping its lullaby. Two other vessels, large merchantmen both, were moored close to ours, and a tug far-away down the stream astern was toiling up wearily againstthe current with a long string of heavily-laden coal barges in tow, andmaking but poor headway judging from the long time she took to getabreast of us; while our own gallant little Arrow, which had pulled usalong so merrily to our anchorage, was lying-to, about a cable's lengthoff, waiting to see whether we would require her services any further, blowing off her superfluous steam in the meantime, with a turn of herpaddles every now and then to show that she was quite ready for morework. These were all the signs of life afloat in our immediate vicinity on thewhilom teeming, busy tideway; and the shore on either side was equallystill, only an occasional light, twinkling here and there like a Will o'the Wisp, bearing evidence that some people were stirring, or beginningto wake up as the darkness grew, with that topsy-turvy habit which thosewho live on land have sometimes of turning day into night! We aboard ship, though, preserved the regular ways of sea-folk; andbeyond myself and Tim Rooney, who remained behind on the forecastle, tokeep me company more than to act as look-out, I believe, not a soul wasto be seen on the upper deck of the Silver Queen during this last half-hour of the first dog-watch, now just expiring. No, not a soul. For Mr Saunders, the second mate, with Matthews andthe other apprentices had started aft to their quarters the moment theanchor had been dropped and all things made snug forwards; Mr Mackayhad disappeared from the poop, having taken our river pilot down intothe cuddy for a glass of grog prior to his departure for the shore tomake his way back by land to the docks he had started from, unless hecould pick up a job of another vessel going up, and so "combine businesswith pleasure, " as Sam Weeks remarked to Matthews with a snigger, as ifhe had said something extremely funny; while Adams and the other twosailors, the remaining hands we had aboard, had likewise proceededtowards the cuddy by the boatswain's advice to try and wheedle thesteward Pedro into giving them some tea, there not being as yet any cookin the ship to look after the messing arrangements of the crew, so thatthey were all adrift in this respect, having no proper provision madefor them. Then, all was still inboard and out; nothing occurring, until, presently, the same boy I had noticed before, and who I found washelping the steward stowing provisions in the after-hold beneath thesaloon, came out from under the break of the poop at six o'clock tostrike the ship's bell, or "make it four bells, " nautically speaking, inthe same way as he had done previously. I think I can hear the sound now as I heard it that calm evening when wewere anchored off Gravesend. The "cling-clang, cling-clang!" of ourtocsin, tolling and telling the hour, being echoed by the "pong-pang, pong-pang!" of the merchantman lying near us, and that again answered asecond or so later by the "ting-ting, ting-ting!" of the other vesselfurther away, the different tones lingering on the air and seeming to melike the old church bells of Westham summoning the laggards of thecongregation to prayers. Father wasn't an extreme high churchman, orotherwise I would have said vespers! After sunset, it grew colder, the wind coming from the eastwards up theopen reach of the river; and so, what with my wet things and standing solong on the forecastle I began to shiver. The boatswain noticed this onthe sound of the ship's bell waking him up from a little nap into whichhe had nearly fallen when things became quiet and I ceased to talk. "Bedad ye're tremblin' all over, loike a shaved monkey wid the ag'ey, sure, " he said as he yawned and stretched himself, rising from his seaton the knightheads, where he was supposed to be keeping a strict look-out in the absence of the other men from forward. "Why the dickensdon't ye go into the cuddy aft an' warrum y'rsilf, an' dhry y'r witclothes be the stowve there, youngster?" "I was just thinking of it, " I replied. "Ye'd betther do it, that's betther nor thinkin', " he retorted; "or ilseye'll be catching a cowld an' gittin' them nasty screwmatics as makes mehowl av a winther sometimes. " As Tim spoke, I heard a splashing noise in the distance, with therattling sound of oars moving in the rowlocks; and, looking over thebows to the left, I noticed a large boat rowing rapidly up to us fromthe direction of Gravesend. This boat, as it got nearer, seemed to be crammed full of men, itsgunwale being quite down to the water's edge with the weight of itshuman cargo. In an instant, the thought flashed through my mind, ridiculous though itwas, that the ship was about to be boarded by pirates, my reading forsome time past, and especially during the last week or so when I wasassured of going to sea, having been mainly confined to stories ofnautical adventure, in which such gentry generally played a prominentpart. "Look, look, Mr Rooney!" I cried stopping my shivering and feeling allaglow with excitement. "Don't you see that boat there coming towards usto capture the ship?" "Arrah, don't make a fool av y'rsilf, Misther Gray-ham, " he answered, laughing and taking the matter quite coolly. "It's ownly goin' to thatYankee astern av us; but the tide bein' on the ebb, in course, they'vegot to make foorther up the strame towards this vessel, so as to fetchtheir own craft handsomely--d'ye see?" He was mistaken, however, for the boat approached closer and closer tous, so that the occupants could be clearly distinguished; and, just asit came alongside, a man in the stern-sheets, who had been steering, stood up, still holding the yokelines, and hailed the ship. "Silver Queen, ahoy!" "Begorra, it's the skipper!" ejaculated Tim, recognising the voice atonce; and he then shouted out in a louder tone: "Aye, aye, Cap'enGillespie, it's the owld barquy, sure enough. Stand by, an' I'll haiveye a rhope in a brace av shakes!" The quiet that had reigned on board now vanished; and all was bustle andactivity, the captain's loud hail having been heard by others besidesthe boatswain. Almost before he had time to pitch the promised rope to the bowman ofthe boat so that it could drop down with the stream under the ship'scounter, Mr Mackay and the pilot appeared again on the poop; while theothers came out on to the main-deck, ready to receive the new-comers inseaman-like fashion, the second mate and Matthews taking up a positionjust amidships, abaft of the main-chains, where the side-ladder wasfixed, acting as a sort of guard of honour as it were. First to appear on board, holding on to the side lines which the secondmate had thrown over within his reach, and stepping up the narrow andslippery ladder cleats as if he were ascending a comfortable staircase, only pausing an instant on the edge of the gunwale of the bulwarksbefore jumping down on the deck, was a tall spare man with a thin faceand high cheekbones, a long pointed nose being also a most prominentfeature. He had very scanty whiskers, too, and this seemed to make hisface look thinner and his nose longer, so that the latter resembled abird's beak. This was Captain Gillespie, as I quickly learnt from the way MrSaunders and Matthews addressed him; Mr Mackay, meanwhile, giving him acordial salutation from the head of the poop, his proper place as theofficer in command, until his superior took the reins in his own hand, which as yet the captain did not offer to do. "I hardly expected you so soon, sir, " said Mr Mackay, leaning over therail. "We brought up earlier than I thought we should, the tidefetching us down in capital time. " "Aye, but I was on the look-out for ye, Mackay, for I told you I'd beaboard almost as you anchored; and, you know, when I say a thing I meana thing. " "Hear that now?" said Tim the boatswain to me in a loud whisper, hehaving come down from the forecastle after heaving a rope over to thosein the boat, and I following him to where the others were standing onthe deck. "Ye'll soon know owld Jock's ways. We allers calls him`Sayin's an' Maynins'; for that's what he's allars a-sayin'!" While the captain was exchanging greetings with the mates and Matthews, my other two fellow apprentices being nowhere to be seen, another thinman followed him up the side-ladder from the boat, who, wearing a thickmonkey-jacket, looked a trifle less lean than Captain Gillespie; and tohim succeeded a shoal of sailors, nineteen clambering in on board afterhim. Tim Rooney did not notice these much, only telling me that the one whocame immediately in the captain's wake was the "say, " or channel pilot, who would con the ship for the remainder of her course down the riverand to the Downs beyond; and I may add that this individual was the onlythin pilot I have ever seen! Rooney also said that the batch of men brought to complete our crewseemed "a tidy lot;" but when the last man stepped down from thebulwarks, he seemed a little more impressed, not to say excited. "Bedad, " he exclaimed sotto voce to me, "I'm blissid if the skipperar'n't picked up that Chinee cook we'd aboard two v'y'ges agone, owldChing Wang! There's his ugly yalle'r face now toorned this wayforeninst you, Misther Gray-ham. Begorra hee don't look a day oulder, if a troifle uglier since I sayed him last!" "And is he a Chinaman?" I asked, full of curiosity; "a real, liveChinaman from the East?" "Be jabers he is, ivery inch av him from his blissid ould pigtail, tiedup with a siezin' of ropeyarn, down to his rum wooden brogues an' all, the craythur!" replied Tim, stretching out his big hairy fist to theother, who had advanced on seeing him and stopped just abreast, hissaffron-coloured face puckered up into a sort of wrinkled smile ofpleasure at meeting an old shipmate like the boatswain, who said in hishearty way: "Hallo, ye ould son av a gun! Who'd a-thought av sayin' yeag'in in the ould barquey, Ching Wang? Glad ye're a-comin' with us, an'hopes ye're all roight!" "Chin-chin, Mass' Looney, " answered the Chinee, putting his monkey-likepaw into Tim's broad palm and shaking hands cordially in Englishfashion. "Me belly well, muchee sank you. Me fetchee chow-chow numberone chop when you wauchee. " "Aye, that's roight, me joker; if ye say that I gits me groob whin Iwants it, we'll be A1 friends an' have no squalls atwane us, " said myfriend the boatswain as the Chinaman passed along the deck to theforward deck-house, entering the galley as if he knew the way well, Timadding as he got out of hearing: "The ig'rant haythin, he nivir canspake me name roight; allers callin' me `looney, ' jist as if I wor ablissid omahdawn loike himsilf!" Meanwhile, the other men who had come on board, most of whom were finestrapping fellows, as if Captain Gillespie had selected them carefully, scrambled past us to their quarters in the forecastle, the boatswainscanning them keenly with his sharp seaman's eye as they went by, andcommenting on their appearance; some being sturdy and having decentchests of clothes, which they lugged after them, while others lookedlean and half starved, carrying their few belongings in bags, whichshowed that they had little or nothing beyond what they stood up in, andwere but ill provided for the long voyage we were about to take. Tim shook his head at these latter. "Begorra, thay're as lane as Job's toorkey, an' that wor all skin an'faythers, " he muttered. "Thay'll pick up, though, whin they gits out tosay an' has a good bit av salt joonk insoide av 'em, instid av the poorlivin' thay've hid av late. " As soon as the men had all disappeared under the forecastle, leavingroom for us to pass along the deck, the boatswain stepped up to thecaptain to present himself; and I followed his example. "Hi, Rooney, man, " said Captain Gillespie accosting Tim, "I'm glad youhaven't deserted us; though I knew it before, for I heard your voiceanswering my hail. " "No, cap'en, I'll niver desart the ould ship so long's ye're theskipper, " replied Tim. "It's goin' on foive years now since we'vesailed togither. " "Aye, close on that; and I hope we'll sail together for five years more, man, for I don't wish a better bosun, " responded the other pleasantly. "But, who's that you've got in tow?" "Misther Gray-ham, sorr, " said Tim, shoving me more in front as I tookoff my cap and bowed. "Our new apprentice, " explained Mr Mackay from the top of the poopladder as he caught sight of me. "He came aboard just before we leftthe docks. " "Ah, I thought I didn't see him this morning, " observed the captain. And turning to me he said: "I've read a very good letter the owners gotabout you, youngster, and if you only do your duty and obey orders I'lltry to make a sailor out of you, and we'll get on very well together;but, mind you, if you try any tricks with me, you'll find me ascorcher. " "Oh, I think he'll turn out all right, " put in Mr Mackay as I blushedand stood before the old fellow not knowing what to say, he looked sostern at me when he spoke. "I've had a chat with him already, and Ithink he's got the right stuff in him. " "Has he?" returned the captain. "That's got to be proved by and by. All boys promise well at first, but generally end badly! However, Ionly want him to understand me at the start, and know that when I say athing I mean a thing, and stick to it, too. Where are the other'prentices?" "I told them they might turn in, as there was nothing else for them todo, " replied the first mate, excusing them; "they were hard at it allday getting the cargo in, and helping to warp out of dock. " "H'm, " muttered the captain, as if he did not like the idea of anyonehaving a rest off while he was about; and he compressed his lips whilehis long nose seemed to grow longer. "H'm!" "What do you think of doing sir?" inquired Mr Mackay in the middle ofthis awkward pause, by way of changing the conversation. "The windlooks as if it was going to hold from the east'ard. " "Aye, so I think, too, " assented Captain Gillespie, looking more amiableas his mind was recalled to action. "It's just the wind we want forgoing down Channel; and the sooner we take advantage of it, the better. What say you pilot?" "I'm agreeable, " replied the thin man alongside him in the monkey-jacket, who was giving some parting message to the one in the oilskin ashe went down the side-ladder to take a passage back to Gravesend in theshoreboat that had brought his comrade off. "I think we'd better loseno time but tow on at once to the Downs. " "Just what I wish, " said Captain Gillespie springing up the poop ladderand taking his place by the side of Mr Mackay; and, as the shoreboatpushed off with its now solitary passenger and only one waterman topull, he shouted out, "Hands, up anchor!" "Aye, aye, sorr, " responded the boatswain, who, expecting the order, hadalready gone forwards to rouse out the men before they had stowedthemselves into their bunks, quickly followed by Mr Saunders the secondmate, who also anticipated what was coming; and the next moment I couldhear Tim's shrill whistle and his hoarse call, which seemed an echo ofthe captain's, albeit in even a louder key, "A-all hands up anchor!" Mr Mackay now hailed the tug, which had been standing by still with hersteam up, awaiting our summons, and she steered up alongside shortly;so, while our portion of the crew manned the windlass, hauling in thecable with a chorus and the clink-clanking noise of the chain as thepauls gripped, another set of hands busied themselves in getting in thetowing-hawser from the Arrow, and fastening it a second time around ourbollards forward. "Hove short, sir!" soon sang out the second mate from his station on theknightheads, when the anchor was up and down under our forefoot. "It'llshow in a minute!" "All right, " answered Captain Gillespie from aft, "bring it home!" More clink-clanking ensued from the windlass; and, then, as the vessel'shead slewed round with the tide, showing that she was released from theground, Mr Saunders shouted, "Anchor's now in sight, sir!" "Heave ahead!" the captain roared in answer to the master of the tug;and, a second or two later, we were under weigh and proceeding once moredown the river, Captain Gillespie calling to the second mate that hemight "cat and fish" the anchor if he liked, as he did not intend tobring up again, but to make sail as soon as the tug cast off in themorning. Adding, as Mr Saunders turned away to give the order formanning the catfalls: "And you'd better see to your side-lights at once, for fear of accidents. " Mindful of my previous experiences on the forecastle, I now kept awayfrom this part of the vessel, especially now that it was crowded withthe additional hands that had come on board; and after remaining forsome little time near the deck-house, I went up on the poop after thenew pilot, who as soon as we were moving took up a similar position onthe weather side as his predecessor had done, proceeding likewise to conthe ship in the same manner. The evening was rapidly drawing in; and the big red and green lanterns, which I noticed were placed presently in the fore-chains on the port andstarboard sides respectively, began to shoot out their party-colouredgleams across the surface of the water, stretching out to meet thebright twinkling lights ashore on either hand, which multiplied fourfoldas the darkness grew. Adams was not at the wheel now, one of the fresh hands having taken hisplace. But I did not mind this man being a stranger, nor did I feel solonesome and anxious for someone to speak to as was the case earlier inthe day; for Captain Gillespie having taken command of the ship, MrMackay the first mate was a free man, and he came and talked to me, explaining things very kindly as we pursued our way onward, the tidestill with us and adding considerably to the rate we were being towed bythe little Arrow, which had red and green side-lights like ours and abright clear white one at the masthead as well, to show to other craftthat she was a steamer under weigh, so that they might avoid fouling inthe fairway. An hour or so after starting from Gravesend, we passed a bright redbeacon, which Mr Mackay told me was the light marking the Mucking Flat;and, later on yet, glided by the one on Chapman Head, getting abreast ofthe light at the head of Southend Pier on our left at ten o'clock, or"four bells" in the first watch--soon after which, the revolving lightof the Nore lightship was sighted, like a single-eyed Cyclops, staringat us in the distance one moment and eclipsed the next. The moon now rose, putting all these artificial lights to shame as itflooded the stream with its silver sheen; but I got so sleepy with thenight air after all my excitement through the day, besides beingthoroughly exhausted from standing so long on my legs, that, as MrMackay was pointing out something in connection with Sheerness and theIsle of Sheppey, and a light house on top of a church--I'm sure I can'trecollect what it was all about--I made a stumble forward and nearlyfell on my face on the deck, dead beat. "Poor little chap, you're tired out, " said the first matesympathisingly, putting his arm round me and holding me up; "and when afellow's tired out, the best thing he can do is to turn in!" "Eh, sir, " said I sleepily. "Turn where?" "Turn in, my boy, " he replied laughing. "Go to roost, I mean. To bed--if you understand that better. " "But where shall I go, sir?" I asked, catching his meaning at last. "Come along and I'll soon show you, " he answered, taking me down thepoop ladder to the after-deckhouse, and hailing the steward to show alight: "There!" It was a little narrow box of a cabin with four bunks in it, two on oneside running athwart the deck and two fore and aft. The ends of thesecrossed each other, and they looked exactly like shelves in a cupboard;while, to add to the effect and trench on the already limited space ofthis apartment, the floor was blocked up by two other sea-chests besidesmy own, and a lot of loose clothes and other things strewn about. The two bottom bunks were already occupied, Jerrold and Sam Weekssnoring away respectively in them; and one of the two upper ones wasfilled with what looked like a collection of odds and ends and crockeryware. --This was the situation. What was I to do? I looked at Mr Mackay appealingly. "Well, Graham, " he said in answer to my look, "you must make the best ofa bad job. These two fellows have turned in first, so, as you're thelast comer you've only got Dobson's choice in the matter of bunks--thattop one there, which seems a little less crowded than the other, ornothing. " "I'm so weary, " I replied, "I can sleep anywhere. I don't mind. " "Then, in you go, " cried he, giving me a hoist up, while he covered meover with a blanket which he pulled off young Weeks, that worthy havingwith his customary smartness appropriated mine as well as his own. "Areyou all right now?" "Yes--th-ank you, " I answered, closing my eyes; "g-ood night, sir. " "Good night, my boy. " "Goo-goo-oo-ah!" I murmured drowsily, falling asleep in the middle bothof a yawn and of my sentence, only to wake again the next moment--itseemed to me--from a horrible dream, in which I was assailed by a crowdof savages, who were dancing round me with terrible cries and just goingto make an end of me, for they were pulling and hauling away at me andshaking me to pieces! And, strange to say, my first waking impression appeared to confirm thestory of my dream; for there really was an awful noise going on allround and a yellow tawny face was bending over me looking into mine, allthe yellower from the bright sunlight that streamed through the opendoor of the cabin fall upon it, while the owner of the face was shakingme and calling out close to my ear in a strange dialect, "Hi, lillypijjin, rousee and bittee!" CHAPTER SIX. THE STARLING. Rubbing my eyes and then opening them to the full, wide awake at last, Iat once recollected where I was, and who was speaking to me as he shookme. It was Ching Wang, the Chinese cook, smiling all over his round yellowface, and holding out a tin pannikin with something steaming in it, thatsent forth a fragrant smell which made my mouth water. "Hi me wakee can do, " he said in his broken pigeon English, althoughfrom having been several voyages he spoke more intelligibly than themajority of his countrymen, "Mass' Looney me axee lookee after lillypijjin, and so me fetchee piecee coffee number one chop. You wanchee--hey?" "Thank you, " I cried gratefully, drinking the nice hot coffee, whichseemed delicious though there was no milk in it. Then, forgetting I wasin the top bunk, I sprang off the mattress on which I had been lying, falling further than I thought, it being quite six feet to the deckbelow; and, knocking down the good-natured Chinaman, with whom I tumbledover amongst the things scattered about the floor and landed finallyoutside the door of the deck-house in a heap, rolled up with him in theblanket I had clutched as I fell! Fortunately, however, neither of us was injured by this littlescrimmage, which somehow or other seemed to smooth over the awkwardnessof our making acquaintance, both of us grinning over the affair as apiece of good fun. "Chin-chin, lilly pijjin, " said my new friend, as he picked himself upfrom the deck and made his way back to his galley with the emptypannikin, whose contents I was glad to have swallowed before jumping outof the bunk, or else it would have been spilt in another fashion. "Whenyou wanchee chow-chow you comee Ching Wang and he givee you first chop. " "Thank you, " I replied again, not knowing then what he meant by his term"chow-chow, " although I fancied he intended something kind, and probablyof an edible nature, as he was the cook. But all thoughts of him andhis intentions were quickly banished from my mind the moment I lookedaround me, and saw and heard all the bustle going on in the ship; for, men were racing here and there, and ropes were being thrown down withheavy bangs, the captain and Mr Mackay both on the poop were yellingout queer orders that I couldn't understand, and Mr Saunders and theboatswain on the forecastle were also shouting back equally strangeanswers, while, to add to the effect, blocks were creaking and canvasflapping aloft, and groups of sailors everywhere were hauling andpulling as if their lives depended on every tug they gave. It was broad daylight and more; the sun having, unlike me, been up longsince, it being after eight o'clock and a bright beautiful morning, withevery prospect of fine weather before us for the run down the Channel. We had come through the Bullock Channel, emerging from the estuary ofthe Thames ahead of the North Foreland, which proudly raised its headaway on our starboard bow, the sun shining on its bare scarp and pickingout every detail with photographic distinctness. Further off in thedistance, on our port quarter, lay the French coast hazily outlinedagainst the clear blue sky, from which the early mists of dawn that hadat first hung over the water had withdrawn their veil, the fresh nor'-easterly breeze sweeping them away seaward with the last of the ebb. The tide was just on the turn, and the dead low water showed up thesandbanks at the river's mouth. The little tug Arrow was right ahead; but she had eased her paddles andstopped towing us, preparatory to casting off her hawser and leaving theSilver Queen to her own devices. The good ship on her part seemednothing loth to this; for, those on board were bustling about as fast asthey could to make sail, so that they might actually start on theirvoyage--all the preliminary work of towing down the river by the aid ofthe tug being only so much child's play, so to speak, having nothing todo with the proper business of the gallant vessel. And here I suddenly became confronted with one of the discomforts ofboard-ship life, which contrasted vividly with the conveniences to whichI had been accustomed at home ever since childhood. Before presenting myself amongst the others I naturally thought ofdressing, or rather, as I had gone to sleep in my clothes, of performingsome sort of toilet and making myself as tidy as I could; but, lo andbehold, when I looked round the cabin of the deck-house, nothing in theshape of a washhand-stand was to be seen, while my sea-chest beingunderneath a lot of traps, I was unable to open the lid of it and makeuse of the little basin within, as I wished to do if only to "christenit. " I was completely nonplussed at first; but, a second glance showing meTom Jerrold, one of my berthmates who had turned out before me, washinghis face and hands in a bucket of sea-water in the scuppers, I followedsuit, drying myself with a very dirty and ragged towel which he lent mein a friendly way, albeit I felt inclined to turn up my nose at it. "You thought, I suppose, " observed Jerrold with a grin, "that you'd havea nice bath-room and a shampooing establishment for your accommodation--eh?" "No, I didn't, " said I, smiling too, and quite cheerful under thecircumstances, having determined to act on my father's advice, which TimRooney had subsequently confirmed, of never taking umbrage at any jokeor chaff from my shipmates, but to face all my disagreeables like a man;"I think, though, we might make some better arrangement than this. I'vegot a little washhand-basin fixed up inside my chest under there, only Ican't get at it. " "So have I in mine, old fellow, " he rejoined familiarly; "and it wasonly sheer laziness that prevented me rigging it up. The fact is, asyou'll soon find out, being at sea gets one into terribly slovenlyhabits, sailors generally making a shift of the first thing that comesto hand. " "I see, " said I meditatively; looking no doubt awfully wise and solemn, for he laughed in a jolly sort of way. "I tell you what, Graham, " he remarked affably as he proceeded toplaster his hair down on either side with the moistened palm of his handin lieu of a brush. "You're not half a bad sort of chap, though Weeksthought you too much of a stuck-up fine gentleman for us; and, d'youknow, I'll back you up if you like to keep our quarters in the deck-house here tidy, and set a better example for imitation than MasterWeeks, or Matthews--though the latter has left us now, by the way, for acabin in the saloon, the skipper having promoted him to third mate, as Iheard him say just now. Do you agree, eh, to our making order out ofchaos?" "All right! I'll try if you'll help me, " I answered, reciprocating hisfriendly advances, as he seemed a nice fellow--much nicer, I thought, than that little snob Sam Weeks, with his vegetable-marrow sort of face, my original dislike to the latter being far from lessened by theobservation Jerrold told me he had made about me! "I like things to beneat and tidy; and as my father used to say, `cleanliness is next togodliness. '" "I'm afraid, then, " chuckled Tom Jerrold, "we poor sailors are in a badway; for, although we live on the water and have the ocean at command, Idon't believe there's a single foremast hand that washes himself oftenerthan once a week, at least while he's at sea, from year's end to year'send. " "Oh!" I exclaimed, making him laugh again at my expression of horror. "Aye, it is so; I'm telling the truth, as you'll find if you ask theboatswain, whom I see you've got chummy with already. But, by Jove, they're just going to set the tops'les; and we'll have the skipper orold Sandy Saunders after us with a rope's-end if we stop jawing here anylonger. " From the way he spoke you would think we had been talking for a verylong time; but, really, our conversation had only lasted a couple ofminutes or so at the outside, while I was making myself tidy, using alittle pocket-comb my mother had given me just before I left home, toarrange my hair, instead of imitating Jerrold with his palm brush. Ialso utilised the bucket of sea-water as an improvised looking-glass soas to get the parting of my hair straight and fix my collar. The ropes I had heard thrown about the decks were the halliards andclewlines, buntlines, and other gear belonging to the topsails being letgo, the gaskets having been thrown off before I was awake; and now at aquick word of command from Mr Mackay--"Sheet home!"--the sails on thefore and main-topsail yards were hauled out to the ends of the clews andset, the canvas being thus extended to its full stretch. Then followed the next order. "Man the topsail halliards!" Thereupon the yards were swung up and the sails expanded to the breeze;and then, the outer jib being hoisted at the same time and the lee-braces hauled in, the man at the wheel putting the helm up the while, the ship payed off on the port tack, making over towards the Frenchcoast so as to take advantage of the tide running down Channel on thatside. At the same time, the towing-hawser which had up to now stillattached us to the tug, was dropped over the bows as we got under weigh. The Silver Queen seemed to rejoice in her freedom, tossing her bowspritin the air as she cast off from the tug; and then, heeling over toleeward as she felt the full force of the breeze on her quarter, shegave a plunge downwards, ploughing up the water, now beginning to becrested with little choppy waves as the wind met the current, andsending it sparkling and foaming past her bulwarks, and away behind herin a long creamy wake, that stretched out like a fan astern till ittouched Margate sands in the distance. I now went up on the poop, avoiding the weather side, which Tim Rooneyhad told me the previous evening was always sacred to the captain orcommanding officer on duty; for I noticed that the thin pilot in themonkey-jacket, who had just mounted the companion stairs from the cuddyafter having his late breakfast, was walking up and down there withCaptain Gillespie, the latter smiling and rubbing his hands together, evidently in good humour at our making such a fine start. "Good morning!" said Mr Mackay, who was standing at the head of the leepoop ladder, accosting me as I reached the top. "I hope you had asound, healthy sleep, my boy?" "Oh yes, thank you, sir, " I replied. "I'm ashamed of being so late wheneverybody else has been so long astir. Isn't there something I can do, sir?" "No, my boy, not at present, " cried he, laughing at my eagerness to beuseful, which arose from my seeing Jerrold nimbly mounting up the after-shrouds with Matthews and a couple of other hands to loosen the mizzen-topsail. "You haven't got your sea-legs yet, nor learnt your way aboutthe ship; and so you would be more a hindrance than a help on a yard upaloft. " "But I may go up by and by?" I asked, a little disappointed at notbeing allowed to climb with the others, they looked so jolly swingingabout as if they enjoyed it; with Tom Jerrold nodding and grinning at meover the yard. "Sha'n't I, sir?" "Aye, by and by, when there's no fear of your tumbling overboard, youngster, " he answered good-naturedly. "You must be content withlooking on for a while and picking up information. Use your eyes andears, my lad; and then we'll see you shortly reefing a royal in a gale!You needn't be afraid of our not making you work when the time comes. " "I'll be very glad, sir, " I said. "I do not like being idle when othersare busy. " "A very good sentiment that, my boy; and I only hope you'll stick toit, " he replied earnestly. "That desire to be doing something showsthat you're no skulker, but have the makings of a sailor in you, as Itold the captain last night; so, you see, you mustn't go back on thecharacter I've given you. " "I won't, sir, if I can help it, " said I, with my heart in my words;and, from Mr Mackay's look I'm sure he believed me, but just at thatmoment he crossed over to the other side of the poop, Captain Gillespiecalling him and telling him what he wanted before he could take a stepto reach him. "We'd better get some more sail on her, " said the captain, still rubbinghis hand as if rolling pills between them; "the pilot thinks so, and sodo I. " "All right, sir!" replied Mr Mackay; and going to the front by therail, he shouted out forwards: "Hands make sail!" "Aye, aye, sorr, " I heard the boatswain answer in his rich Irish brogue, supplemented by his hail to the crew of: "Tumble up there, ye spalpeens!Show a leg now, smart!" "Lay out aloft there and loose the fore and main topgallants, my men!"cried Mr Mackay, as soon as he saw the sailors out on the deck. "And, some of you, come aft here to set the spanker!" Up the ratlines of the rigging clambered the men, racing against eachother to see who would be up first, while others below cast off theropes holding up the bunt and leech of the sail, as soon as the smartfellows had unloosed the gaskets; and then, the folds of the sails beingdropped, were sheeted home with a "one, two, three, and a yo heave ho!"by those on deck, before the top men were half-way down the shrouds. Matthews and Jerrold alone managed the mizzen topgallant-sail, afterwhich the spanker was set, making the ship drive on all the fasterthrough the water; though, even then, Captain Gillespie was not contentyet. "We must have the main-sail and forecourse on her, " he said a fewminutes later to Mr Mackay. "It would be a sin to lose this wind. " "All right, sir!" replied the other; and the order being at once given, these lower sails were soon set, adding considerably to our average ofcanvas, the vessel now forging ahead at a good eight knots or more; andwe passed Deal, on our starboard hand, some couple of hours or so fromthe time of our leaving the river. "I call this going--eh?" cried Captain Gillespie to the pilot, while hecocked his eye up aloft as if he seriously thought of setting theroyals. "I said I'd get out of the Straits before the afternoon; and, you know, when I say a thing I always mean a thing!" "Aye, aye, " returned the other, motioning to the helmsman to keep heroff a bit as the ship luffed up; "but we'll soon have to come about, forwe'll be getting a little too near that shoal to the eastwards on thistack. " "Very good, " said the captain; "whenever you please. " "I think we'll wait till we pass the South Sands light, " replied thepilot. "Then we can round the Foreland handsomely on the starboard tackwith the wind well abaft our beam. " "All right!" was Captain Gillespie's laconic response, rubbing his handsgleefully together again. "Carry-on. " Noticing Tom Jerrold just then on the main-deck, I went down from offthe poop and joined him. "Have you had any breakfast?" he asked when I got up to him, patting hisstomach significantly. "I was just thinking of getting mine as I feelvery empty here, for all the rest have had theirs. " "No, I haven't had anything but some coffee the cook brought me a longwhile ago, and I feel hungry too, " I replied. "Where do we get ourmeals?" "In the cuddy, after the captain and mates have done grubbing, " he said. "Come along with me and we'll rouse up that Portugee steward. " "What! Pedro?" "Yes; you've made his acquaintance already, I see. Did you noticeanything particular about him?" "Only his temper, " I said. "Dear me, hasn't he got an awful one!" "Bless you he only puts half of it on to try and frighten you if you'rea new hand, " replied Jerrold as he jauntily walked into the cuddy withthe air of a commodore. "Only give him a little backsheesh and he'll doanything for you. " "Backsheesh! What is that?" "Palm oil--tip him. Do you twig?" whispered Tom; "but, mum's the word, here we are in the lion's den!" To my surprise, however, the whilom cranky steward made no difficultyabout supplying our wants; and I strongly suspect that my fellowapprentice must have carried out his advice anent tipping Pedro thatvery morning, he was so extremely civil. He gave us some cold fried hamand eggs, the remains no doubt of Captain Gillespie's breakfast, withthe addition of some coffee which he heated up for us especially, andwhich I enjoyed all the more from its having some milk in it--it was thevery last milk that I tasted until I landed in England again, alas! After making a hearty meal, I suggested to Tom that if he'd nothing todo we'd better go to work and make our cabin in the deck-house more cosyand habitable; and, on his agreeing, we left the cuddy, I taking carebefore going out to slip five shillings into the steward's ready palm asan earnest of my future intentions towards him should he treat me well. "Well, you're in luck's way now, old fellow, " said Jerrold when I toldhim of this outside the passage, Pedro retiring to his pantry to secretemy tip along with others he had probably already received. "Only a dayon board, and friends with the first mate, boatswain, cook, and steward;and, last, though by no means least, your humble servant myself, I beingthe most important personage of all. " "Are you really such a very important personage?" I rejoined, laughingat his affected air--"as big a man as the captain?" "Aye, for after another voyage I'll be made third mate too, likeMatthews, and then second, and then first; and after that a captain likeour old friend `sayings and meanings' here, only a regular tip-topper, unlike him. " "Aren't you anticipating matters a bit, like the Barber's Fifth Brotherin the Arabian Nights, " said I--"counting your chickens before they'rehatched, as my father says?" "Your father must be a wonderful man, " he retorted; but he grinned sofunnily that I really couldn't be angry, though I coloured up at hisremark; seeing which, to change the subject, he added, "Come and let usrouse out the deck-house and make things comfortable there forourselves. " This was easier said than done; for in the first place Weeks, who onlyseemed to think of eating and sleeping and nothing else, was having aquiet "caulk, " as sailors call it, cuddled up in the bunk appropriatedby Jerrold as being the roomiest, with all our blankets wrapped roundhim, although the day was quite warm and spring-like for February. "Hullo!" cried Jerrold at the sight of the slumbering lamb, seizing holdof the blankets. "Out you go, my hearty; and confound your cheek fortaking possession of my crib!" With these words, giving a good tug, Weeks was rolled out on the deck, tumbling on his head. This angered him greatly, and he got up as red asa turkey cock, with the freckles on his face coming out in strongrelief. Seeing that Tom Jerrold was the culprit, however, he soon quieted down, being an arrant sneak and afraid of him. "What did you do that for?" he whined. "I was only having a nap. " "You're always napping, " retorted Tom; "and I should like to know whatthe dickens you mean by going snoozing in my bunk? I've half a mind topunch your head. The next time I catch you at it I'll keelhaul you, Master Sammy, by Jupiter!" Jerrold kept on grumbling away, pretending to be very angry; and hefrightened Weeks so that he forgot the ugly knock he had received on hisown head, and apologised abjectly for the offence he had committed. Tomthen allowed his assumed indignation to pass away, and forgave him onthe condition that he took away all the spare crockery ware, which thesteward had stowed in the top bunk of the deck-house, into the cuddy, giving it to the Portuguese with his, Tom's, compliments. Weeks thereupon proceeded to execute this mission, Jerrold and Iawaiting the result with much anticipated enjoyment, Tom saying to meconfidentially as he started for the cuddy, "Won't Pedro carry-on athim! I wouldn't be in the young fool's shoes for something. " The denouement justified our expectations; for, no sooner had Weeksentered the passage way than he came flying out again looking awfullyscared, a tremendous crash following as if all the crockery ware waspitched after him, bang! Next, we heard Pedro swearing away in hisnative tongue, and kicking his preserved meat tins about his pantry atsuch a rate that Captain Gillespie sang out on the poop above, and sentMatthews down the companion to find out what he was making all the rowabout. This finally quieted the steward down, but subdued mutteringscame to our ears from the cuddy for long afterwards, Pedro never havingbeen so roused up before, not even when Tim Rooney tackled him on theprevious day. Weeks got very angry on our laughing at him when he returned crestfallento the deck-house, and he went off forwards in high dudgeon; but thisdid not make any difference to us, we being rather pleased at gettingrid of his company--at least I was, for one. So we went on arrangingthe chests and things in the little cabin until we ultimately made itquite ship-shape and comfortable. As Jerrold had proposed, he had hischest on one side of the doorway and mine and Weeks's were now stowedalongside our bunks, just sufficient space and no more being left for usto open them without having to shift them, and also to get in and out ofthe cabin. "Be jabers ye've made a tidy job av it, lads, " said the boatswain, coming up as we finished, and surveying approvingly our arrangements. "I couldn't have done it no betther mesilf! Ye can well-nigh swing acat round, which it would a poozled ye to a-done afore, faix. An' sure, Misther Gray-ham, does ye loike bayin' at say yit?" "Of course I do, " I answered. "Why shouldn't I?" "Begorra, ye're a caution!" he ejaculated. "An', did that haythin, Ching Wang, wake ye up this mornin' wid some coffee, as he promised me. I wor too busy to say you or ax you afore?" "Yes, " I replied; "and many thanks for your kind thoughtfulness. " "Stow that flummery, " he cried; and to prevent my thanking him he beganto tell Jerrold and me one of his funny yarns about a pig which hisgrandmother had, but unfortunately the story was nipped in the bud by aroar from the captain on the poop. "Hands 'bout ship!" In a second the boatswain was away piping on the forecastle, and ropescast off and sails flapping again. "Helms a-lee!" was the next order from the captain, followed by a secondwhich grew familiar enough to me in time. "Raise tacks and sheets!" andthe foretack and main-sheet were cast off with the weather main-bracehauled taut. Then came the final command, "Main-sail haul!" and the Silver Queen cameup to the wind slowly. The foretack being then boarded and the main-sheet hauled aft, she heeled over on the starboard tack with the windwell on her starboard beam, heading towards the South Foreland, whichshe rounded soon after. Off Dungeness, which we reached about three in the afternoon, or "sixbells, " exactly twenty-four hours from the time of our leaving thedocks, we hove-to, backing our main-topsail and hoisting a whiff at thepeak as a signal that we wanted a boat from the shore to disembark ourpilot. A dandy-rigged little cutter soon came dancing out to us; when the thinman in the monkey-jacket took his farewell of Captain Gillespie and wenton board to be landed, the Silver Queen filling again and shaping acourse west by south for Beachy Head, and so on down channel, free nowof the last link that bound her to old England. The afternoon, however, was not destined to pass without anotherincident. It was getting on for sunset; and, steering more to the west well outfrom the land so as to avoid the Royal Sovereign shoal, we must havebeen just abreast of Hastings, although we could not see it, the weatherthickening at the time, when suddenly a strange bird settled on therigging utterly exhausted. It had evidently been blown out to sea andlost its reckoning. "Here's a Mother Carey's chicken come aboard!" cried Sam Weeks, makingfor the poor tired thing to catch it. "I'll have it. " "Don't hurt it, it's a starling, " I said. "Can't you see its nice shinyblack-and-green plumage, and its yellow bill like a blackbird? Leavethe poor little thing alone, it's tired to death. " "A starling! your grandmother!" he retorted, nettled at my speaking, andbearing me a grudge still for what had recently occurred in the deck-house. "A fine lot you know about birds, no doubt! I tell you I'llcatch it, and kill it too, if I like. " So saying, he made another grab at the little creature, which, justfluttering off the rigging in time, managed for the moment to escape himand perched on the backstay, when the cruel lad hove a marlin-spike atit. He again missed the bird, however, and it then flew straight intothe bosom of my jacket as I stood in front of it, whistling to entice itin that chirpy kissing way in which you hear starlings call to eachother, having learnt the way to do so from a boy at Westham. Weeks was furious at my succeeding in the capture of the poor bird whenhe had failed; although he would not understand that I had only coaxedit to protect it from his violence. Poor little thing. I could feelits little heart palpitating against mine as it rested safe within thebreast of my jacket, nestling close to my flannel shirt! "Why, you've caught it yourself after all, you mean sneak!" he cried;and thinking he was more of a match for me than he was for Tom Jerrold, and could bully me easily, he made a dash at my jacket collar to tear itopen, exclaiming at the same time, "I will have it, I tell you. There!" He made a wrong calculation, however, for, holding my right arm acrossmy chest so as to keep my jacket closed and protect the poor bird thathad sought my succour, I threw out my left hand; and so, as he rushedtowards me, my outstretched fist caught him clean between the eyes, tumbling him backwards, as if he had been shot, on to the deck, where herolled over into a lot of water that had accumulated in the scuppers toleeward--the pool in the scuppers washing forwards and then aft as theship rose and fell and heeled over to port on the wind freshening withthe approach of night. CHAPTER SEVEN. AT SEA. "Hullo, Weeks!" cried Tom Jerrold, coming up at the moment and grinningat him rolling in the scuppers. "What's the matter, old fellow? Youseem rather down. " "Begorra, he's ownly havin' a cooler to aise that nashty timper av hisown, " said the boatswain from the door of his cabin, which was just nextours in the deck-house, only more forward. And then, turning to me, headded, "Sure an' that wor a purty droive, Misther Gray-ham; ye lit himhave it straight from the shouldher. " "I'm sure I didn't mean to hurt him, " I answered, sorry now for myopponent as he scrambled at last up on his feet, looking very bedraggledand showing on his face the signs of the fray. "I only held out my handto save the poor bird, and he ran against my fist. " "Oh, did you?" slobbered Weeks, half crying, in a savage, vindictivevoice, and rushing at me as soon as he rose up. "You spiteful beggar!Well, two can play at that game, and I'll pay you out for it if you'vegot pluck enough to fight!" "Be aisy now, " interposed Tim Rooney, stepping between us and holdinghim back. "Sure an' if y're spilin' for a batin' I'm not the chap toprivint you; but, if you must foight, why ye'll have to do it fair an'square. Misther Gray-ham, sorr, jist give me the burrd as made therumpus, I've a little cage in me bunk that'll sarve the poor baste forshilter till ye can get a betther one. It belonged to me ould canary astoorned up its toes last v'y'ge av a fit av the maysles. " "The measles?" exclaimed Tom Jerrold, bursting into a laugh. "I neverheard of a bird dying of that complaint before. " "Faix, thin, ye can hear it now, " said the boatswain with some heat. "An', sure, I don't say whare the laugh comes in, me joker! Didn't itsfaythers dhrop off av the poor craythur, an' its skin toorn all spotty, jist loike our friend Misther Wake's phiz here; an' what could that be, sure, but the maysles, I'd loike to know?" "All right, bosun; I daresay you're right, " hastily rejoined Jerrold toappease him; but he made me smile, however, by his efforts to lookgrave, although my own affairs were just then in such a criticalposition, with the prospect of a battle before me. "I was only laughingat the idea of a canary with the measles; but I've no doubt they havethem the same as we do, and other things like us, too. " "In coorse they does, an' plinty of tongue, too, loike some chaps I'vecome across on shipboard!" replied Tim, all himself again in all goodhumour; and then, popping into his cabin, he reappeared quickly with thecage he had mentioned, saying to me, "Sorr, give me the burrd. " I had a little difficulty in extricating the starling from its saferetreat, for it had crept within my flannel shirt inside my jacket, tickling me as it moved; but, going carefully to work, I finallysucceeded in taking it out without hurting it. Then, placing the littlefluttering thing in the cage, the boatswain bore it off to his bunk, giving me an expressive wink as he took it away, as if to say that itwould be safer and more out of harm's way in his keeping, albeit I wasquite at liberty to reclaim the bird when I pleased. "Now, jintlemin, " said Tim, addressing Weeks and myself after puttingthe innocent cause of our quarrel inside his cabin and locking the doorto prevent accidents, as he shrewdly observed, "if ye're both av yeriddy an' willin', as it's goin' on for the sicond dog-watch, whin allhands are allers allowed at say to skoilark an' devart theirsilves, yecan follow me out on the fo'c's'le, me jokers, an' have y'r shindy outfairly in a friendly way. " I didn't want to fight Weeks, I'm sure; for I was not of a quarrelsomedisposition, besides which my father had cautioned me against everhaving any disputes with my comrades, if I could avoid such; although hetold me also at the same time always to act courageously in the defenceof my principles and of my rights, or when I took the part of anotherunable to defend himself. Here, therefore, was a quarrel forced uponme, almost against my will, to save the poor starling's life; and, beyond that, the aggravating way in which Weeks looked at me and shookhis fist in my face would have provoked even a better-tempered boy thanI. Tom Jerrold said afterwards that I turned quite white, as I alwaysdid when excited; while Weeks, on the contrary, was naming with fury andas red as a lobster. "Come on, you coward!" he blustered, thinking I was afraid of him. "I'll soon let you know what it is to have a good hiding, my finegentleman of a parson's son. You only floored me just now because youcaught me unawares. " "I'm quite ready, Mr Rooney, " said I to the boatswain, paying noattention to the cur's snobbish bravado; but I felt his sneer against myfather's profession keenly, and had to bite my lip to prevent myselffrom replying to it. I added, however, for his personal benefit as Iturned my back on him in contempt, "Those who crow the loudest, I'veheard, generally do the least when the time for real action comes!" "Thrue for ye, Mister Gray-ham, " cried Tim Rooney. "Brag's a good dog, but Howldfast's the bist for my money. Come on wid ye, though, to thefo'c's'le if ye manes foightin'; for we've had palaverin' enough now inall conshinsh!" So saying, the boatswain led the way forward, Tom Jerrold, who dearlyloved anything in the way of a spree, and was overjoyed at the prospectof what he called "a jolly row, " following with Weeks, to make sure thathe did not back out of the contest at the last moment, which, knowinghis cowardly character very well, as Tom told me afterwards, heanticipated his doing. I brought up the rear--and so we proceededtowards the bows of the ship along the lee-side of the deck, so as toescape the observation of Captain Gillespie and Mr Mackay. These werestanding together, I noticed when the starling flew on board, by therail on the weather side of the poop, where they were having a goodlook-out to windward, and watching some clouds that were pilingthemselves in black masses along the eastern sky--shutting out the lastvestiges of land in the distance, already now become hazy from the mistrising from the sea after sunset. Passing under the bellying main-sail, whose clew-garnet blocks rattledas it expanded to the breeze, which was now blowing pretty stiff, withevery indication of veering more round to the north, causing the yardsto have a pull taken at the braces every now and then, our littleprocession soon got clear of the deck-house that occupied the centre ofthe main-deck, finally gaining the more open space between the cook'sgalley at the end and the topgallant forecastle. Here, the folds of the foresail, swelled out like a balloon, interposedlike a curtain betwixt the after-glow of the setting sun and ourselves, the shadows of the upper sails, too, making it darker than on the afterpart of the deck whence we had started; but it was still quite lightenough for me to see the expression on Weeks' mottled face as he stoodopposite me. Not much time was wasted in preliminaries, the boatswain, who acted asmaster of the ceremonies, placing me against the windlass bitts while myopponent had his back to the galley, what light there was remainingshining full upon him. I had been present at one or two fights before, at the school I used toattend at Westham, where the boys used to settle their differencesgenerally at the bottom of the playground under a little clump of shadytrees that were grouped there, which shut off the view of the house andthe headmaster's eye; but never previously had the surroundings of anysimilar pugilistic encounter seemed so strange as now! As usual in such cases, the news had circulated through the ship withastonishing rapidity, considering that only a couple of minutes or so atmost had elapsed since I had saved the starling and knocked down Weeks;for the whole crew, with the exception of two or three hands standing bythe braces and the man at the wheel, appeared to scent the battle fromafar, and were now gathered near the scene of action--some on theforecastle with their legs dangling over, others in the lower rigging, whence they could command the issues of the fray. It was a pitiful contrast! Here was the noble vessel surging through the gradually rising sea, withher towering masts and spreading canvas, and the wind whistling throughthe cordage, and the water coming every now and then over her bows in acascade of iridescent spray, as the fast-fading gleams of the sunset litit up, or else rushing by the side of the ship like a mill-race as weplunged through it, welling in at the scuppers as it washed inboard. All illustrated the grandeur of nature, the perfection of art; whilethere, on the deck, under the evening sky and amid all the glories ofthe waning glow in the western horizon and the grandeur of the sea inits might and the ship in its beauty and power over the winds and wavesalike, were we two boys standing up to fight each other, with a parcelof bearded men who ought to have known better grouped round eagerlyawaiting the beginning of the combat. A contrast, but yet only an illustration of one of the ordinary phasesof human nature after all, as father would have said, I thought, thisreflection passing through my mind with that instantaneous spontaneitywith which such fancies do occur to one, as Rooney placed me in myassigned position. Then, recalling my mind to the present, I noticedthat Matthews, my whilom fellow apprentice and lately promoted thirdmate, sinking the dignity of his new rank, had come forward to act asthe second, or backer, of my opponent, who must have sent some messageaft to summon him. "Now, me bhoys, are ye riddy?" sang out the boatswain, who stood on theweather side of the deck, glancing first at me and then at Weeks. "One, two, thray--foire away!" I was not quite a novice in the use of my fists, my brother Tom, who, before he went to Oxford and got priggish, had bought a set of boxing-gloves, having made me put them on with him, sometimes, and showed mehow to keep a firm guard and when to hit. My experience was invariablyto get the worst of these amicable encounters, for I used to be knockedoff my pins, besides feeling my forehead soft and pulpy; for, no matterhow well padded gloves may be, a fellow can give a sturdy punch withthem, or appreciate one, all the same. Still, the practice stood me ingood stead on this eventful occasion, especially as my brother had welldrilled me into being light on my feet and dexterous in the art ofstepping forward to deliver a blow and backward to avoid one--no smalladvantage, and the resource of science over brute force. So, holding my right arm well across my chest and just about level withit, so that I could raise it either up or down as quick as lightning, toprotect my face or body, I advanced my left fist, and waited for SamWeeks to come on with a rush, as I was certain he would do, bracingmyself well on my legs to receive the shock, although the pitching ofthe ship made me somewhat more uncertain of my equilibrium than if thecombat had taken place ashore. My antagonist acted exactly as I had expected. Whirling his arms round like those of a windmill, he beat down my guardand gave me a nasty thump with one of them on the side of the head, forbeing lanky, as I said, he had a longer reach than I; however, as he gotin close enough, my left fist caught him clean between the eyes again, landing on the identically same spot where I had hit him before, theplace being already swollen, and whereas I only staggered against thewindlass from his blow, mine sent him tumbling backwards, and he wouldhave fallen on the deck if Matthews had not held him up just in time. "Bray-vo, dark 'un!" shouted one of the men standing around, complimenting me on having the best of this first exchange, and alludingno doubt to the colour of my hair, which was dark brown while that ofWeeks was quite sandy, like light Muscovado sugar. "Give him a one-twonext time; there's nothing like the double!" "I'll back freckles, " cried another; "he's got more go in him!" "Arrah, laive 'em alone, can't ye?" said the boatswain, as we faced eachother again. "Don't waste y'r toime, sure. Go it, ye chripples; an'may the bist av ye win, sez I!" The next two rounds had somewhat similar results to the first, I keepingup a steady defence and hitting my antagonist pretty nearly in the sameplace each time, while he gave me a couple of swinging blows, one ofwhich made my mouth bleed, whereat his admirers were in high glee, especially Matthews, his second, for I heard the latter say to him, "Only go on and you'll soon settle him now, Sam!" My friend the boatswain, however, was equally sanguine as to the result, as his encouraging advice to me showed. "Kape y'r pecker up, Misther Gray-ham. Sure, he's gittin' winded, asall av thim lane an' lanky chaps allers does arter a bit, " said Tim, wiping the blood away that was trickling from my lip with his soft silkhandkerchief, which he took off from his own neck for the purpose. "Begorra, ye've ownly to hammer at his chist an' body, me lad; an' ye'llfinish him afore ye can say `Jack Robinson, ' an' it's no lie I'mtellin'!" Hitherto I had been merely acting on the defensive, and parrying theblows rained on me by Weeks in his impetuous rushes, more than hittingin return; for only keeping my left fist well out and allowing him tomeet it as he so pleased, and which, strange to say, whether he wishedit or not, he did so meet. But now, thinking it time to end matters, the sight of the blood theboatswain had wiped from my face somehow or other bringing out what Isuppose was the innate savagery of my nature, I determined to carry thewar into the enemy's camp; or, in other words, instead of standing to bestruck at, to lead the attack myself. As Weeks, therefore, advanced with a grin, confidently as before, thinking that I should merely remain on guard, I threw my left straightout, swinging all the weight of my body in the blow; and then, steppingforwards, I gave him the benefit of my right fist, the one following upthe other in quick succession, although I acted on Tim's advice, anddirected my aim towards his body. The result of these new tactics of mine altered alike the complexion notonly of the fight but that of my antagonist as well; for he went down onthe deck with a heavy dull thud, almost all his remaining breath knockedout of him. "Hurrah, the little un wins!" cheered some of the hands; while othersrejoined in opposition, "The lanky one ain't licked yet!" But, to my especial friend the boatswain the end of the contest was nowa foregone conclusion and victory assured to me. "Bedad, me bhoy, " he whispered in my ear as he prepared me for whatturned out to be the final round of the battle, "that last dhroive avyourn wor loike the kick av a horse, or a pony anyhow! One more braceav them one-twos, Misther Gray-ham, an' he'll be kilt an' done wid!" It was as Rooney said. Matthews forced Weeks well-nigh against his will to face me once more, when my double hit again floored him incontinently, when the ship, giving a lurch to leeward at the same time, rolled him into thescuppers, as before at our first encounter. This settled the matter, for, with all the pluck taken out of him andcompletely cowed, Master Sammy did not offer to rise until Matthews, catching hold of his collar, forcibly dragged him to his feet. "Three cheers for the little un!" shouted one of the hands, as I stoodtriumphant on the deck in their midst, the hero of the moment, sailorsfollowing the common creed of their fellow men in worshipping success. "Hooray!" A change came over the scene, however, the next instant. For, ere the last note of the cheer had ceased ringing out from theirlusty throats, Captain Gillespie's long nose came round the corner ofthe cook's caboose, followed shortly afterwards by the owner of thearticle--causing Ching Wang, who had been surveying the progress of thefight with much enjoyment, to retreat instantly within his galley, thesmile of satisfaction on his yellow oval face and twinkle of his littlepig-like eyes being replaced by that innocent look of one conscious ofrectitude and in whom there is no guile, affected by most of hiscelestial countrymen. "Hullo, bosun!" cried the captain, addressing Tim Rooney, who washelping me to put on my jacket again, and endeavouring, ratherunsuccessfully, to conceal all traces of the fray on my person. "Whatthe dickens does all this mean?" "Sorry o' me knows, sorr, why them omahdawns is makin' all av that rowa-hollerin', " said Tim, scratching his head as he always did whenpuzzled for the moment for an answer. "It's ownly Misther Gray-ham, sorr, an' Misther Wakes havin' a little bit of foon togither, an'settlin' their differses in a frindly way, loike, sorr. " "Fighting, I suppose, --eh?" An ominous stillness succeeded this question, the men around followingChing Whang's example and sneaking inside the forecastle and otherwiseslily disappearing from view. Presently, only Tim Rooney and Matthewsremained before the captain besides us two, the principals of the fight, and Tom Jerrold, who, blocked between Captain Gillespie and the caboose, could not possibly manage to get away unperceived. "Yes, there's no doubt you've been fighting, " continued the captain, looking from Weeks to me and from me to Weeks, and seeming to takeconsiderably more interest than either of us cared for in our bruisedknuckles and battered faces and generally dilapidated appearance; forhis long nose turned up scornfully as he sniffed and expanded hisnostrils, compressing his thin lips at the end of his inspection with anair of decision. "Well, youngsters, I'd have you to know that I don'tallow fighting aboard my ship, and when I say a thing I mean a thing. There!" "But, sir, " snivelled Weeks, beginning some explanation, intended nodoubt to throw all the blame on me. "Graham--" Captain Gillespie, however, interrupted him before he could proceed anyfurther. "You'd better not say anything, Weeks, " said the captain. "Graham's anew hand and you're an old one; at least, you've already been onevoyage, whilst this is his first. I see you've had a lickin' and I'mglad of it, as I daresay it's been brought about by your own bullying;for I know you, Master Samuel Weeks, by this time, and you can't take mein as you used to do with your whining ways! If I didn't believe youwere pretty well starched already, I'd give you another hiding now, mylad. Please, my good young gentleman, just to oblige me, go up in themizzen-top so that I can see you're there, and stop till I call youdown! As for you, Matthews, whom I have just promoted I'm surprised atyour forgetting yourself as an officer, and coming here forrud, to takepart with the crew in a disgraceful exhibition like this. I--" "Please, sir--" expostulated the culprit. But the captain was firm onthe matter of discipline, as I came to know in time. "You'll go aft at once, Mr Matthews, " he said, waving him away with hisoutstretched arm. "Another such dereliction from duty and you shallcome forrud altogether, as you appear to like the fo'c's'le so well. Ihave made you third officer; but bear in mind that if I possess thepower to make, I can break too!" It was now Tim Rooney's turn, the captain wheeling round on him as soonas he'd done with Matthews. "Really, bosun, " he said, "I didn't think a respectable man like youwould encourage two boys to fight like that!" "Bedad it wor ownly to privint their bein' onfrindly, sorr, " pleadedTim, looking as much ashamed as his comical twinkling left eye wouldpermit. "I thought it'd save a lot av throuble arterwards, spakin' asregards mesilf, sorr; fur I'm niver at paice onless I'm in a row, sure!" "Ha, a nice way of making friends--pummelling each other to pieces andupsetting my ship, " retorted Captain Gillespie. But, as Tim Rooney madeno answer, thinking discretion the better part of valour in thisinstance, and going up into the bows as if to look out forward, thecaptain then addressed me: "Graham!" "Yes, sir, " said I, awaiting my sentence with some trepidation. "I'mvery sorry, sir, for what has happened, I--" "There, I want no more jaw, " he replied, hastily snapping me up before Icould say another word. "I saw all that occurred, though neither of youthought I was looking. Weeks rushed at you, and you hit him; and thenthis precious hot-headed bosun of mine made you `have it out, ' as hecalls it, in `a friendly way, ' the idiot, in his Irish bull fashion!But, as I told you, I won't have any fighting here, either between boysor men, and when I say a thing I mean a thing; so, to show I allow norelaxation of discipline on board so long as I'm captain, Master Graham, you'll be good enough to remain on deck to-night instead of going tobed, and will keep the middle watch from `eight bells' to morning. " "Very good, sir, " I replied, bowing politely, having already taken offmy cap on his speaking to me; and I then went back to our deck-housecabin and had a lie down, as I felt pretty tired. Ching Wang, however, came to rouse me up soon afterwards with a pannikin of hot coffee, hisway of showing his appreciation of my conduct in the fray, and Isubsequently went with Tim Rooney to see the starling--which made mequite forget all about being tired and having to stop up all night, andthat Tom Jerrold had escaped any punishment for his presence at thefight! At eight o'clock, when it was quite dark, we passed Beachy Head, seeingthe light in the distance; and then, feeling hungry again, I went to thesteward in the cuddy and got something to eat, meeting there poor Weeks, whom the captain had only just called down from his perch in the mizzen-top, very cold and shivery from being so long up there in his wetclothes in the night air. He looked rather grimly at me, and from the light in the saloon Inoticed that he had a lovely pair of black eyes; but, on my stretchingout my hand to him, we made friends, and agreed to bury all thedisagreeable occurrences of the day in oblivion. We had a lot of yarning together until midnight inside the deck-house, where Tom Jerrold lay an his bunk snoring away, utterly regardless ofour presence; and then, on Mr Mackay's summoning me, by the captain'sorder as he told me, to keep watch with him on the poop, I went up theladder and remained with him astern, watching the ship bowling alongunder all plain sail, with the same buoyant breeze behind her with whichwe had started. "Now, Graham, " said Mr Mackay at daybreak, when we were just off SaintCatharine's Point in the Isle of Wight, as he informed me, "you can goand turn in. Bosun, call the starboard watch!" "Aye, aye, sorr, " answered Tim Rooney from the bows, where he had beenkeeping his vigils, too, like us aft. "Starbowlines, ahoy--!" I only remained on the poop while the man at the wheel was beingrelieved, and Mr Saunders, the second mate, came on deck to take MrMackay's place; when, going below to the deck-house cabin, I was soon inmy little shelf of a bed, falling asleep more quickly, I think, than Ihad ever done before; doing so, indeed, almost the instant I got withinthe blankets. The next day, at noon, we tore by the Start, and, later on, that noblestmonument a man could have, the Eddystone, Smeaton's glory; the shipracing down Channel as if all the sea-nymphs were chasing us, and oldNeptune, too, at their heels to hurry them on, with his tritons afterhim. Our average speed all that day was a good ten knots, the wind nevershifting and every sail drawing fore and aft. Sometimes it was evenmore, according to Tom Jerrold's calculations, he having to heave thelog at intervals and turn the fourteen-second glass, his especial duty, in order to determine our rate of progress through the water; but Idon't think it was ever less from the time the sun rose in the morning. At all events, the Silver Queen made such good use of her time that, atsix o'clock on this evening of our second day under sail, we were up tothe Lizard, the last bit of English shore we should see in a hurry; andat "six bells" in the first watch, were speeding along some ten milessouth of the Bishop's Rock lightship in the Scilly Isles, really, atlast, at sea! CHAPTER EIGHT. A SUDDEN INTERRUPTION. "Now, my boy, " said Mr Mackay, who had the "first watch, " from eighto'clock till midnight that is, I sharing it with him, speaking as wewere just abreast of the light I've mentioned, although so far to thesouthward that it could only be seen very faintly glimmering on thehorizon like a star, a trifle bigger than those which twinkled above itand on either side in the clear northern sky--"we've run exactly forty-six miles from our departure point. " "Departure point, sir!" I repeated after him, my curiosity aroused bythe use of such a term. "What is that?" "The last land sighted before a ship gains the open sea, " replied hekindly, always willing to give me any information, although I'm afraid Icaused him a good deal of trouble with my innumerable questions, in myzeal to get acquainted with everything connected with the ship and myprofession as an embryo sailor. "Ours was the Lizard; didn't you noticeCap'en Gillespie taking the bearings of it as we passed this afternoon?" "Yes, sir. I saw him with his sextant, as you told me that queertriangular thing was, " said I; "but I didn't know what he was doing. Ithought our starting-place was the Thames? We must have gone miles andmiles since we left the Downs. " "So we have, my boy; still, that was only the threshold of our longjourney, and sailors do not begin to count their run until fairly out atsea as we are now. When you came up to town the other day from thatplace in the country--West something or other?" "Westham, sir, " I suggested; "that's where we live. " "Well, then, " he went on, accepting my correction with a smile, "whenyou were telling your adventures and stated that you came from Westhamto London in three hours, say, you would not include the time you hadtaken in going from the door of your house to the garden gate and fromthence to the little town or village whence you started by the railway--eh?" "No, sir, " said I, laughing at his way of putting the matter. "I wouldmean from the station at Westham to the railway terminus in London. " "Just so, " he answered; "and, similarly, we sailors in estimating thelength of a voyage, do not take into consideration our passage along theriver and down channel, only counting our distance from the last pointof land we see of the country we are leaving and the first we sight ofthat we're bound to. Our first day's run, therefore, will be what weget over from the Lizard up to the time the cap'en takes the sun at noonto-morrow, which will tell us our latitude and longitude then, when, bythe aid of this fixed starting-point or `point of departure, ' andcalculating our dead reckoning and courses steered, we will be enabledto know our precise position on the chart. " "I see, sir, " said I. "I won't forget what you've told me another time, and shall know in future what the term means, sir, thank you. " "You're quite welcome, Graham, " he replied pleasantly as he resumed hiswalk up and down the deck, with an occasional glance to windward and alook at the compass in the binnacle to see that the helmsman was keepingthe ship on the course the captain had directed before going below ashort time before--west-sou'-west, and as close up to the wind as wecould sail, so as to avoid the French coast and get well across themouth of the Bay of Biscay into the open Atlantic. "I hope to make agood navigator of you in time, my boy. " "I hope so, too, sir, " said I, trying to keep pace with his measuredtread, although I always got out of step as he turned regularly at theend of his walk, which was backwards and forwards between the cabinskylight and the binnacle. "I will try my best, sir. " While bearing in mind the "departure point, " however, I must not forgetto mention, too, that immediately after Captain Gillespie had taken ourbearings off the Lizard, he sang out to Tim Rooney the boatswain to sendthe hands aft. "Aye, aye, sorr, " responded Tim, at once sounding his shrill whistle andhoarse shout. "A-all ha-ands aft!" "Now for a bit of speechifying, " said Tom Jerrold, who was along with meon the lee-side of the poop, watching the crew as they mustered togetheron the main-deck underneath. "The `old man' loves a jaw. " But Tom was mistaken; for the captain's speech was laconic in theextreme, being "much shorter, indeed, than his nose, " as my fellow midwas forced to acknowledge in a whisper to me! "My men, " said he, leaning over the brass rail at the head of the poop, and gazing down into the faces of the rough-and-ready fellows looking upat him expectantly, with all sorts of funny expressions on theircountenances, as they wondered what was to come--"we're now at sea andentering on a long voyage together. I only wish you to do your duty andI will do mine. If you have anything to complain of at any time, cometo me singly and I will right it; but if you come in a body, I'll takeno notice of ye. Ye know when I say a thing I mean a thing. " "Aye, aye sir!" shouted the hands, on his pausing here as if waiting fortheir answer. "Aye, aye, sir!" "All right then; ye understand me, I see. That will do the watch. " Whereupon, half of them went back into the forecastle to finish theirtea, while the remainder took their stations about the ship, remainingon deck until their span of duty was out, the whole lot having beendivided into two groups, styled respectively the port and starboardwatches, under charge of Mr Mackay and the second mate, Mr Saunders--Tom Jerrold and I being in the port watch with the first mate; while SamWeeks and Matthews, who was like the fifth wheel of a coach as "thirdmate, " a very anomalous position on board-ship, mustered with thestarbowlines under Mr Saunders. Counting in Captain Gillespie, with the three mates, us apprentices, theboatswain, sailmaker Adams and carpenter Gregory--the three latter all"old hands, " having sailed several voyages previously together in theship--the steward Pedro Carvalho, Ching Wang our cook, Billy the boy, our "second-class apprentice, " and the eighteen fresh men who had comeaboard with the Chinaman at Gravesend, our crew mustered all told somethirty-one hands; and, to complete the description of the vessel and herbelongings, the Silver Queen was a sharp-bowed, full-rigged ship, with atremendous bilge, built for carrying a goodish cargo, which consisted, as I believe I mentioned before, mainly of Manchester goods andBirmingham hardware, besides a private speculation of our captainconsisting of a peculiarly novel consignment of Dundee marmalade, packedup in tins like those used for preserved meats and such like dainties. About this marmalade I shall have something to say by and by; but Ithink I had better go on with my yarn in proper ship-shape fashion, narrating events in the order in which they occurred--merely stating, inorder to give a full account of all concerning us, that, in addition tothe particulars of our cargo as already detailed, we had sundry items oflive freight in the shape of some pigs, which were stowed in the long-boat on top of the deck-house; three cats, two belonging to thePortuguese steward and messing in the cuddy, while the third was avagrant Tom that had strayed on board in the docks, and making friendswith the carpenter Gregory, or "old chips" as he was generally called, was allowed to take up his quarters in the forepeak, migrating to thecook's cabin at meal-times with unwavering sagacity; a lot of fowls, accommodated aristocratically in coops on the poop; and, lastly, thoughby no means least, the starling which I'd caught coming down Channel, and which now seemed very comfortable in the boatswain's old canarycage, hung up to a ringbolt in his cabin next to mine, and regarded as asort of joint property between us two. There, you have our list of passengers; and, now, to continue my story. Shortly after passing the Bishop's Rock lighthouse, which we did somefew minutes before "Billy, " the ship's boy, came out of the forecastleand struck "six bells, " eleven o'clock, near the end of the port watch'sspell on deck, the wind, which had freshened considerably since sunset, began to blow with greater force, veering, or "backing" as sailors say, more and more round to the north; so that, although our yards werebraced up to the full and the vessel was sailing almost close-hauled, wehad to drop off a point or two within the next half-hour from our truewestern course. Within the next half-hour, south-west by west was as close as we couldnow keep her head outward across "The Bay, " the wind even thencontinuing to show a tendency to shift further round still to thenorthwards and westwards, and naturally forcing us yet more in asoutherly direction before gaining the offing Captain Gillespie wished. The sea, too, had got up wonderfully during the short period that hadelapsed from our leaving the Chops of the Channel--I suppose from itshaving a wider space to frolic in, without being controlled by thenarrow limits of land under its lea; for, the scintillating light of thetwinkling stars and pale sickly moon, whose face was ever and anonobscured by light fleecy clouds floating across it in the east, showedthe tumid waste of waters heaving and surging tempestuously as far asthe eye could reach. The waves were tumbling over each other and racingpast the ship in sport, sending their flying scud high over theforeyard, or else trying vainly to poop her; and, when foiled in this, they would dash against her bows with the blow of a battering-ram, orfling themselves bodily on board in an angry cataract that poured downfrom the forecastle on to the main-deck, flooding the waist up to theheight of the bulwarks to leeward, for we heeled over too much to allowof the sea running off through the scuppers, these and our port gunwaleas well being well-nigh under water. Presently, we had to reduce sail, brailing up the spanker and taking asingle reef in the topsails; but still keeping the topgallant-sails setabove them, a thing frequently done by a skipper who knows how to"carry-on. " Then, as the wind still rose and as with less canvas the ship would goall the better and not bend over or bury herself so much, thetopgallants were taken in. At length, when Mr Mackay and I quitted thedeck at midnight, the men were just beginning to clew up the main-sail, the captain, who had come up from below with Mr Saunders when thestarboard watch relieved us, having ordered it to be furled and anotherreef to be taken in the topsails, as it was then blowing great guns andthe ship staggering along through a storm-tossed sea, with the skyovercast all round--a sign that we had not seen the worst of it yet! The Silver Queen pitched so much--giving an occasional heavy roll tostarboard as her bows fell off from the battering of the waves, with herstern lifting up out of the water, and rolling back quickly to portagain on her taking the helm as the men jammed it hard down--that Ifound it all I could do to descend the poop ladder safely. I climbeddown gingerly, however, holding on to anything I could clutch until Ireached the deck-house, which was now nearly knee-deep in the water thatwas sluicing fore and aft the ship with every pitch and dive she gave, or washing in a body athwart the deck as she rolled, and dashing like awave against the bulwarks within. I went to turn in to my bunk, which was on top of that occupied by SamWeeks, who, very luckily for him, had to turn out, going aft on dutywith the rest of the starboard watch; for, in my struggles to ascend tothe little narrow shelf that served me for a bed, and which from themotion of the ship was almost perpendicular one moment and the nexthorizontal, I would have pretty well trampled him to jelly, having tostand on the lower bunk to reach the upper one assigned to me. Ultimately, however, I managed to climb up to my perch and pulled myblankets about me; and then I tried to sleep as well as the roaring ofthe wind and rushing wash of the sea, in concert with the creaking ofthe chain-plates and groaning of the ship's timbers and myriad voices ofthe deep, would let me. But, it was all in vain! Hitherto, although I had been more than two days and two nights on boardand had sailed all the way from the docks along the river and down theChannel, I had never yet been sea-sick, smiling at Tim Rooney'sstereotyped inquiry each day of me, "An' sure, Misther Gray-ham, aren'tye sorry yit ye came to say?" Since the afternoon, however, when the water had become rougher and theship more lively, I had begun to experience a queer sensation such as Irecollect once having at home at Christmas-time--on which occasion DrJollop, who was called in to attend me, declared I had eaten too muchplum-pudding, just in order to give me some of his nasty pills, ofcourse! I hadn't had the chance of having anything so good as that now; but, attea-time Tom Jerrold, who, like myself, had made friends with ChingWang, had induced him to compound a savoury mess entitled, "dandy funk, "composed of pounded biscuits, molasses, and grease. Of this mess, I amsorry to say, I had partaken; and the probable source of my presentailment was, no doubt, the insidious dandy funk wherewith Jerrold hadbeguiled me. Oh, that night! Dandy funk or no, I could not soon forget it, for I never was so sick inmy life; and what is more, every roll of the ship made me worse, so thatI thought I should die--Tom Jerrold, the heartless wretch, who wassnoring away as usual in the next bunk to Weeks' below, not paying theslightest attention to my feeble calls to him for help and assistancebetween the paroxysms of my agonising qualms. Somehow or other a sympathetic affinity seemed to be established betweenthe vessel and myself, I rolling as she rolled and heaving when sheheaved; while my heart seemed to reach from the Atlantic back to theChannel, and I felt as if I had swallowed the ocean and was trying toget rid of it and couldn't! _Ille robur et aes triplex_, as Horace sang on again getting safelyashore--for he must have been far too ill when afloat in his trireme--and as father used to quote against me should I praise the charms of asailor's life, "framed of oak and fortified with triple brass" must havebeen he who first braved the perils of the sea and made acquaintancewith that fell demon whom our French neighbours style more elegantlythan ourselves _le mal de mer_! Weeks had his revenge upon me now with a vengeance indeed for all hemight have suffered from my pummelling of the previous day; yes, and forthe reproach of the two black eyes I had given him, which had sincealtered their colouring to the tints of the sea and sky, they being nowof a bluish-purple hue shaded off into green and yellow, so that thegeneral effect harmonised, as Tom Jerrold unkindly remarked, with hissandy hair and mottled complexion. But, my whilom enemy and now friend Sammy must have been amplyindemnified for all this when, at the end of the middle watch, he camein due course to rouse me out again for another turn of duty, notknowing that Mr Mackay, as if anticipating what would happen after theshaking up I had had, had given me leave to lie-in if I liked and "keepmy watch below;" for, when Weeks succeeded in opening the door of thedeck-house, which he did with much difficulty against the opposingforces of the wind and the water that united to resist his efforts, hefound me completely prostrate and in the very apogee of my misery. "Hullo, Graham!" he called out, clutching hold of the corner of theblanket that enveloped one of my limp legs, which was hanging downalmost as inanimate over the side of the bunk, and shaking this latter, too, as vigorously as he did the blanket. "Rouse out, it's gone eightbells and the port watch are already on deck, with Mr Mackay swearingaway at a fine rate because you're not there--rouse out with you, sharp!" There was no rousing me, however, pull and tug and shake away as much ashe pleased both at my leg and the blanket. "Leave me alone, " I at last managed to say loud enough for him to hearme. "Mr Mackay told me I needn't turn out unless I felt well enough;and, oh, Weeks, I do feel so awfully ill!" "Ill! what's the row with you?" "I don't know, " I feebly murmured. "I think I'm going to die; and I'mso sorry I hurt your eyes yesterday, they do look so bad. " "Oh, hang my eyes!" replied he hastily, as if he did not like thesubject mentioned; and I don't wonder at this now, when I recollect howvery funny they looked, all green and yellow as if he had a pair ofgoggle-eyed spectacles on. "Why can't you turn out? You were wellenough when you called me four hours ago--shamming Abraham, I suppose, --eh?" I was too weak, though, to be indignant. "Indeed I'm not shamming anything, " I protested as earnestly as I could, not quite knowing what his slang phrase meant, but believing it to implythat I was pretending to be ill to shirk duty when I was all right. "Weeks, I'm terribly ill, I tell you!" He scrutinised me as well as he could by the early light of morning, nowcoming in through the open cabin door, which he had not been able toclose again, the wind holding it back and resisting all his strength. Tom Jerrold, too, aroused by Weeks' voice and the cold current of airthat was blowing in upon him, rubbed his eyes, and standing up in hisbunk while holding on to the top rail of mine, had also a good look atme. "Bah!" cried he at length. "You're only sea-sick. " That was all the consolation he gave me as he shoved himself into hisclothes; and then, hastily lugging on a thick monkey-jacket hurried outon deck. "A nice mess you've made, too, of the cabin. " This was Master Weeks' sympathy as he took possession of Jerrold'svacated bunk and quietly composed himself to sleep, regardless of mygroans and deaf to all further appeals for aid. Tim Rooney, however, was the most unkind of all. Later on in the morning he popped in his head at the cabin door. "Arrah, sure now, Misther Gray-ham, arn't ye sorry ye iver came to say, at all at all?" I should like to have pitched something at him, although I knew what hewould say the moment he opened his mouth, with that comical grin of hisand the cunning wink of his left eye. "No, " I cried as courageously as I was able under the circumstances, "I'm not sorry, I tell you, in spite of all that has happened, and whenI get better I'll pay you out for making fun of me when I'm ill!" "Begorra don't say that now, me darlint, " said he, grinning more thanever. "Arrah, though, me bhoy, ye look as if ye'd been toorned insoideout, loike them injy-rubber divils childer has to play wid. 'Dade an'I'd loike to say ye sprooce an' hearty ag'in; but ownly kape aisy an'ye'll be all roight in toime. D'ye fale hoongry yit?" "Hungry!" I screamed, ill again at the very thought of eating. "Goaway, do, and leave me alone--o-oh!" And then I was worse than ever, and seemed afterwards to have no heart, or head, or stomach left, or legs, or arms, or anything. The boatswain did not forget me though, in spite of his fun at myexpense; and he must have spoken to Ching Wang again about me, for theChinaman came to the cabin after giving the men their breakfast at eightbells, bringing me a pannikin of hot coffee, his panacea for every woe. "Hi, lilly pijjin, drinkee dis chop chop, " said he, holding the pannikinto my mouth. "Makee tummy tummy number one piecee!" I could not swallow much of the liquid; but the drop or two that I tookdid me good; for, after Ching Wang had gone away I fell asleep, notwaking till the afternoon, when, the ship being steadier, I managed toscramble out of my bunk and made a late appearance on deck, feelingdecidedly weak but considerably better than in the morning. "Hullo, found your sea-legs already?" cried Mr Mackay on my crawling upthe poop ladder. "I didn't expect to see you out for another day atleast. " "I don't feel all right yet, sir, " said I, and I'm sure my pale facemust have shown this without any explanation; "but, I didn't like togive way to being ill, thinking it best to fight against it. " "Quite right, my boy, " he replied. "I've never been sea-sick myself, not even the first time I went afloat; but, I've seen a good manysuffering from the complaint, and I have noticed that the more theyhumoured it, the worse they became. You're getting used to the motionof the ship by this time--eh?" "Yes, sir, " said I, holding on tightly, however, to the bulwarks as Ispoke, the Silver Queen just then giving a lurch to starboard thatnearly pitched me overboard. "I'll soon be able to stand up like you, sir. " "Well, at all events, you've got plenty of pluck, Graham; and that's thesort of material for making a good sailor. You were asking me lastnight about the course of the ship, if your sickness hasn't put our talkout of your head. How far do you think we've run?" "A good way, I suppose, sir, " I answered, "with that gale of wind. " "Yes, pretty so so, " he said. "When the cap'en took the sun at noon to-day we were in latitude 48 degrees 17 minutes north and longitude just 8degrees 20 west, or about two hundred miles off Ushant, which we're tothe southward of; so, we've run a goodish bit from our point ofdeparture. " "Oh, I remember all about that, sir, " I cried, getting interested, as heunfolded the chart which was lying on top of the cabin skylight andshowed me the vessel's position. "And we've come so far already?" "Yes, all that, " replied he laughing as he moved his finger on thechart, pointing to another spot at least a couple of inches away fromthe first pencil-mark; "and we ought to fetch about here, my boy, atnoon to-morrow--that is, if this wind holds good and no accident happensto us, please God. " The ship at this time was going a good ten knots, he further told me, carrying her topgallants and courses again; for, although the sea wasrough and covered with long rolling waves, that curled over their ridgesinto valleys of foam like half-melted snow, and it was blowing prettywell half a gale now from the north-west, to which point the wind hadhauled round, it was keeping steady in that quarter, for the barometerremained high, and the Silver Queen, heading south-west by south, wasbending well over so that her lee-side was flush almost with theswelling water. She was racing along easily, and presented a perfectpicture, with the sun bringing out her white clouds of canvas instronger contrast against the clear blue sky overhead and tumbling oceanaround, and making the glass of the skylight and bits of brass-workabout on the deck gleam with a golden radiance as it slowly sank belowthe horizon, a great globe of fire like a molten mass of metal on ourweather bow, the vessel keeping always on the same starboard tack, forshe wore round as the wind shifted. Oh, yes, we were going; and so, evidently, Captain Gillespie thoughtwhen he came up the companion presently and took his place alongside MrMackay on the poop. "This is splendid!" said he, rubbing his hands as usual and addressingthe first mate, while I crept away further aft, holding on to thebulwarks to preserve my footing, the deck being inclined at such a sharpangle from the ship heeling over with the wind. "I don't know when theold barquey ever went so free. " "Nor I, sir, " replied the other with equal enthusiasm; "she's fairlyoutdoing herself. We never had such a voyage before, I think, sir. " "No, " said the captain. "A good start, a fairish wind and plenty of it, a decent crew as far as I can judge as yet, and every prospect of a goodvoyage. What more can a man wish for?" "Nothing, sir. " "And I forgot, Mackay, while speaking of our luck, for you know I liketo be particular, and when I say a thing I mean a thing--no stowaways onboard!" "True, sir, " responded the first mate with a laugh, knowing thecaptain's great abhorrence of these uninvited and unwelcome passengers. "I think it's the first voyage we've never been troubled with one. " "Aye, aye, they're getting afraid of me, Mackay, that's the reason, "said Captain Gillespie chuckling at this. "They've heard tell of theway I treat all such swindling rascals, and know that when I say a thingI mean a thing!" His satisfaction, however, was short-lived; for, just then, severalconfused cries and a general commotion was heard forward. "Hullo!" cried the captain, staggering up to the poop rail and lookingtowards the bows, "what's the row there?" "Bedad, sorr, " shouted back the boatswain, yelling out the words asloudly as he could, like Captain Gillespie, and putting his hands to hismouth to prevent the wind carrying them away seaward, "there's a did manin the forepake!" CHAPTER NINE. OUR STOWAWAY TUMBLES INTO LUCK. "A man in the forepeak--eh?" yelled out Captain Gillespie, all hiscomplacency gone in a moment, his voice sounding so loudly that itdeadened the moaning of the wind through the shrouds and the creaking ofthe ship's timbers, whose groans mingled with the heavy thud of thewaves against her bows as she breasted them, and the angry splash of thebaffled billows as they fell back into the bubbling, hissing cauldron ofbroken water through which the noble vessel plunged and rolled, spurningit beneath her keel in her majesty and might. "A man in the forepeak, and dead, is he, bosun? I'll bet I'll soon quicken him into life againwith a rope's-end!" He muttered these last words as he hastily scrambled down the poopladder and along the weather side of the main-deck towards theforecastle, making his way forward with an activity which might haveshamed a younger man. Mr Mackay at once tumbled after him, and I followed too, as quickly asI could get along and the motion of the ship would allow me, beingbuffeted backwards and forwards like a shuttlecock between the bulwarksand deck-house in my progress onwards, as well as drenched by the spray, which came hurtling inboards over the main-chains from windward as itwas borne along by the breeze, wetting everything amidships and soakingthe main-sail as if buckets of water were continually poured over it, although the air was quite dry and the sun still shining full upon itsswelling surface. "Begorra, he's as did as a door-nail, sorr, " I heard Tim Rooney sayingon my getting up at last to the others, who were grouped with a numberof the crew round the small hatchway under the forecastle leading downto the forehold below, the cover of which had been slipped off leavingthe dark cavity open. "I ownly filt him jist move once, whin I kickedhim wid me fut unknowns to me, as I wor sayin' about stowin' the cable. " "Dead men don't move, " replied the captain sharply, the hands roundgrinning at the boatswain's Irish bull. "Some of you idlers there, godown and fetch this stowaway up and let us see what he's made of. " The boatswain, spurred by Captain Gillespie's rejoinder, was the firstto dive down again into the dark receptacle, where he had previouslybeen searching to find room for stowing the cable, the anchor havingbeen hoisted inboard and the chain unshackled on the ship now getting tosea; and, Tim was quickly followed below by a couple of the other hands, as many as could comfortably squeeze into the narrow space at theircommand. "On deck, there!" presently called out Tim Rooney from beneath, hisvoice sounding hollow and far off. "Some av ye bind owver the coamin' av the hatch an' hilp us to raise thepoor divil!" A dozen eager hands were immediately stretched downwards; and, the nextinstant, between them all they lifted out of the forepeak the limp bodyof a ragged youth, who seemed to be either already dead or dying, not amovement being discernible in the inert, motionless figure as it waslaid down carefully by the men on the deck, looking like a corpse. Captain Gillespie, however, was not deceived by these appearances. "Sluice some water over his face, " cried he, after leaning down andputting his hand on his chest; "he's only swooned away or shamming, forhe's breathing all right. Look, his shirt is moving up and down now. " "I think he must be pretty far gone with starvation, " observed MrMackay, bending over the unconscious lad, too, and scrutinising hispinched features and bony frame. "He could only have stowed himselfdown there when we were loading in the docks, and it is now over threedays since we cleared out and started down the river. " "Humph!" growled Captain Gillespie, "the confounded skulker has onlybrought it on himself, and sarve him right, too. " "Shame!" groaned one of the men, a murmur of reproach running roundamongst the rest, in sympathy with this expression of opinion againstsuch an inhuman speech, making the captain look up and cock his ears andsniff with his long nose, trying to find out who had dared to call himto account. But, of course, he was unable to do so; and, after glaringat those near as if he could have "eaten them without salt, " as thesaying goes, he bent his eyes down again on Mr Mackay and theboatswain. These were trying to resuscitate the unfortunate stowaway ina somewhat more humane way than the captain had suggested; for, whilethe mate opened his collar and shirt and lifted his head on his knee, Tim Rooney sprinkled his face smartly with water from the bucket thathad been dipped over the side and filled. At first, Tim's efforts were unsuccessful, causing Captain Gillespie tosnort with impatience at his delicate mode of treatment; but, the thirdor fourth dash of the cold water at last restored the poor fellow toconsciousness, his eyelids quivering and then opening, while he drew adeep long breath like a sigh. He didn't know a bit, though, where he was, his eyes staring out fromtheir sockets, which had sunk deep into his head, as if he were lookingthrough us and beyond us to something else--instead of at us closebeside him. In a moment, however, recollection came back to him and he tried toraise himself up, only to fall back on Mr Mackay's supporting knee;and, then, he called out piteously what had probably been his cry forhours previously as he lay cramped up in the darkness of the forepeak: "Hey, let Oi out, measter, and Oi'll never do it no more! Oi be clemmedto da-eth, measter, and th' rats and varmint be a-gnawing on me cruel!Let Oi out, measter, Oi be dying here in the dark--let Oi out, forGawd's sake!" "It is as I told you, " said Mr Mackay looking up at the captain; "he isstarving. See, one of you, if the cook's got anything ready in hisgalley. " "Begorra, it wor pay-soup day to-day, " cried Tim Rooney getting up toobey the order; "an' Ching Wang bulled it so plentiful wid wather thatthe men toorned oop their noses at it, an' most of it wor lift in thecoppers. " "The very thing for one in this poor chap's condition, " replied MrMackay eagerly. "Go and bring a pannikin of it at once. " Captain Gillespie sniffed and snorted more than ever of being baulkedfor the present in his amiable intention of giving the stowaway a bit ofhis mind, and, possibly, something else in addition. He saw, though, that his unwelcome passenger was too far gone to bespoken to as yet; and so, perforce, he had to delay calling him toaccount for his intrusion, putting the reckoning off until a moreconvenient season. "Ah, well, Mackay, " said he, on Tim Rooney's return presently with apannikin of pea-soup and a large iron spoon, with which he proceeded toladle some into the starving creature's mouth, which was ravenouslyopened, as were his eyes, too, distended with eager famine craving as hesmelt the food--"you see to bringing the beggar round as well as youcan, and I'll talk to him bye and bye. " So saying, Captain Gillespie returned to his former place on the poop, and contented himself for the moment with rating the helmsman forletting the ship yaw on a big wave catching her athwart the bows andmaking her fall off; while the first mate and Tim Rooney continued theirgood Samaritan work in gently plying the poor creature, who had justbeen rescued from death's door, with spoonful after spoonful of thetepid soup. Presently a little colour came into his face and he wasable to speak, recovering his consciousness completely as soon as thenourishment affected his system and gave him strength. In a little time, he also was able to raise himself up and stand withoutassistance; and, then, Mr Mackay asked him who he was and why he cameon board our ship without leave or license. He said that he was a country bricklayer, Joe Fergusson by name; andthat, not being able to get work in London, whither he had tramped allthe way from Lancashire, he had determined to go to Australia, hearingthere was a great demand for labour out there. By dint of inquiries hehad at length managed to reach the docks, hiding himself away in theforepeak of the Silver Queen, she being the first ship he was able toget on board unperceived, and the hatchway being conveniently open as ifon purpose for his accommodation. "But, we're not going to Australia, " observed Mr Mackay, who had onlycontrived to get all this from the enterprising bricklayer by the aid ofa series of questions and a severe cross-examination. "This ship isbound for China. " "It don't matter, measter, " replied Mr Joe Fergusson with the mostcharming nonchalance. "Australy or Chiney's all the same to Oi, so longas un can git wa-ark to dew. Aught's better nor clemming in Lonnon!" "You've got no right aboard here, though, " said Mr Mackay, who couldnot help smiling at the easy way in which the whilom dying man now tookthings. "Who's going to pay your passage-money? The captain's in afine state, I can tell you, about it, and I don't know what he won't doto you. He might order you to be pitched overboard into the sea, perhaps. " The other scratched his head reflectively, just as Tim Rooney did whenin a quandary, looking round at the men behind Mr Mackay, who weregrinning at his blank dismay and the perturbed and puzzled expression onhis raw yokel face. "Oi be willin' to wa-ark, measter, " he answered at length, thinking thatif they were all grinning, they were not likely to do him much harm. "Oi'll wa-ark, measter, loike a good un, so long as you gie Oi grub andlet Oi be. " "Work! What can you, a bricklayer according to your own statement, doaboard ship? We've got no bricks to lay here. " "Mab'be, measter, you moight try un, though, " pleaded the poor fellow, scratching his head again; and then adding, as if a brilliant thoughtall at once occurred to him from the operation, "Oi be used toscaffoldin' and can cloimb loike sailor cheaps. " "Ah, you must speak to the captain about that, " replied Mr Mackaydrily, turning aft and giving some whispered instructions to Tim Rooneyto let the stowaway have some more food later on and give him a shake-down in the forecastle for the night, so that he might be in betterfettle for his audience with Captain Gillespie on the morrow. "You canstop here with the men till the morning, and then you will know whatwill be done in the matter. " "Well, " cried Captain Gillespie as soon as Mr Mackay stepped up thepoop ladder, "how's that rascal getting on?" "I think he'll come round now, sir, " said the first mate, thinking itbest not to mention how quickly his patient had recovered, so that hemight have a few hours' reprieve before encountering the captain'swrath. "I've told the boatswain to give him a bunk in the fo'c's'le forthe night, and that you'll talk to him in the morning. " "Oh, aye, I'll talk to him like a Dutch uncle, " retorted the captain, sniffing away at a fine rate, as if Mr Mackay was as much in fault asthe unfortunate cause of his ire. "You know I never encourage stowawayson board my ship, sir; and when I say a thing I mean a thing. " "Yes, sir; certainly, sir, " said Mr Mackay soothingly, taking no noticeof his manner to him and judiciously turning the conversation. "Do youthink, though, sir, we can carry those topgallants much longer? Thewind seems to have freshened again after sunset, the same as it did lastnight. " "Carry-on? Aye, of course we can. The old barquey could almost standthe royals as well, with this breeze well abeam, " replied "Old Jock, "who never agreed with anyone right out if he could possibly help, especially now when he was in a bit of temper about the stowaway; but, the next instant, like the thorough seaman he was, seeing the wisdom ofthe first mate's advice, he qualified what he had previously said. "Ifit freshens more, though, between this and eight bells, you can take inthe topgallants if you like, and a reef in the topsails as well. Itwill save bother, perhaps, bye and bye, as the night will be a darkishone and the weather is not too trustworthy. " Captain Gillespie then went down the companion into the cuddy to havehis tea; and Mr Mackay, thinking I ought to be hungry after all mysacrifices to Neptune, advised me to go down below and get some too. I was hungry, but I did not care about tea, the flavour of the pea-soupthe stowaway had been plied with having roused my appetite; so, receiving Mr Mackay's permission, instead of seeking out the stewardPedro, I paid a visit to Ching Wang in his galley forward. "Hi, lilly pijjin, " cried this worthy, receiving me far more pleasantlythan I'm sure the Portuguese would have done, for as I passed under thebreak of the poop I heard the latter clattering his tins about in thepantry, as if he were in a rage at something. "What you wanchee--hey?" I soon explained my wants; and, without the slightest demur, he ladledout a basinful of soup for me out of one of the coppers gently stewingover the galley fire, which looked quite bright and nice as the eveningwas chilly. The good-natured Chinaman also gave me a couple of hardship's biscuits which he took out of a drawer in the locker above thefireplace, where they were kept dry. "Hi, you eatee um chop chop, " said he, as he handed me the basin and thebiscuits and made me sit down on a sort of settle in the galley oppositethe warm fire--"makee tummee tummee all right. " The effects of this food were as wonderful in my instance as in that ofthe poor starved bricklayer shortly before; for, when I had eaten thelast biscuit crumb and drained the final drop of pea-soup from thebasin, I felt a new man, or rather boy--Allan Graham himself, and notthe wretched feeble nonentity I had been previously. Of course, I thanked Ching Wang for his kindness as I rose up from thesettle to go away, on the starboard watch, who were just relieved fromtheir duty on deck, coming for their tea; but the Chinee only shook hishead with a broad smile on his yellow face, as if deprecating any returnfor his kind offices. "You goodee pijjin and chin chin when you comee, " he only said, "andwhen you wanchee chow-chow, you comee Ching Wang and him gettee you chopchop!" Then, I stopped in front of the forecastle, as Tim Rooney giving me acheery hail, and saw to my wonder Joe Fergusson looking all hale andhearty and jolly amongst the men, without the least trace of havingbeen, apparently, at his last gasp but an hour or so before. He was half lying down, half sitting on the edge of one of the bunks, nursing the big stray tortoise-shell tom-cat which had shared hislodgings in the forepeak, and he had mistaken it for a rat as it creptup and down the chain-pipe to see what it could pick up in the cook'sgalley at meal-times, which it seemed to know by some peculiar instinctof its own; and although thus partially partial to Ching Wang's society, the cat now appeared to have taken even a greater fancy to his bed-fellow in his hiding-place below than it had done to the cook, lookingupon the stowaway evidently as a fellow-comrade, who was unfortunatelyin similar circumstances to himself. Joe Fergusson not only looked all right, but he likewise was in the bestof spirits, possibly from the tot of rum Tim Rooney had given him afterhis soup, to "pull him together, " as the boatswain said; for, ere I leftthe precincts of the forecastle he volunteered to sing a song, and as Imade my way aft I heard the beginning of some plaintive ditty concerninga "may-i-den of Manches-teer, " followed by a rousing chorus from thecrew, which had little or nothing to do with the main burden of theballad, the men's refrain being only a "Yo, heave ho, it's time for usto go!" A hint which I took. The wind did not freshen quite so soon as either Mr Mackay or thecaptain expected; but it continued to blow pretty steadily from thenorth-west with considerable force, the ship bending over to it as itcaught her abaft the beam, and bowling along before it over the billowyocean like a prancing courser galloping over a race-course, tossing herbows up in the air one moment and plunging them down the next, andspinning along at a rare rate through the crested foam. As it got later, though, the gale increased; and shortly after "twobells in the first watch, " nine o'clock that is in landsman's time, Captain Gillespie, who was on deck again, gave the order to shortensail. "Stand by your topgallant halliards!" cried Mr Mackay, giving thenecessary instructions for the captain's order to be carried intoeffect, following this command up immediately by a second--"Let go!" Then, the clewlines and buntlines were manned, and in a trice the threetopgallants were hanging in festooned folds from the upper yards, Idoing my first bit of service at sea by laying hold of the ropes thattriced up the mizzen-topgallant-sail, and hauling with the others, MrMackay giving me a cheery "Well done, my lad, " as I did so. Tom Jerrold, who now appeared on the poop, and whom I had fought shy ofbefore, thinking he had behaved very unkindly to me in the morning, wasone of the first to spring into the mizzen-shrouds and climb up theratlines on the order being given to furl the sail, getting out on themanrope and to the weather earing at the end of the yard before eitherof the three hands who also went up. Seeing him go up the rigging, I was on the point of following him; butMr Mackay, whose previous encouragement, indeed, had spurred me on, stopped me. "No, my boy, " said he kindly, "you must not go aloft yet, for you mightfall overboard. Besides, you would not be of the slightest use on theyard even if you didn't tumble. Wait till you've got your sea-legs andknow the ropes. " I had therefore to wait and watch Tom Jerrold swinging away up there andbundling the sail together, the gaskets being presently passed round itand the mizzen-topgallant made snug. When Tom and the others came down, he grinned at me so cordially that I made friends with him again; but Iwas longing all the time for the blissful moment when I too could goaloft like him. Previously to this, I had given Billy, the ship's boy, a shilling toswab out our cabin and make it all right, so that neither Tom nor Weekscould grumble at the state it was in; and Sam Weeks, at all events, seemed satisfied, for he turned into his bunk as soon as Billy had donecleaning up, having begged Tom Jerrold to take his place for once withthe starboard men, who had the first watch this evening instead of the"middle watch, " as on the previous night. This shifting of the watches, I may mention here, gives all hands in turn an opportunity of being ondeck at every hour of the night and day, without being monotonouslybound down to any fixed time to be on duty throughout the voyage, aswould otherwise have been the case. This alternation of the four hours of deck duty is effected by the dog-watches in the afternoon, which being of only two hours duration each, from four o'clock till six the first, and the second from six to eighto'clock, change the whole order of the others; as, for instance, theport watch, which has the deck for the first dog-watch to-night, say, will come on again for the first night watch from eight o'clock tilltwelve, and the morning watch from four o'clock until eight, thestarboard watch, which goes on duty for the second dog-watch, taking themiddle watch, from midnight till four o'clock, and then going below tosleep, while the port watch takes the morning one. The arrangement forthe following night is exactly the reverse of this, the starbowlinesstarting with, the first dog-watch and taking the first and the eveningwatch; while the port watch has only the second dog-watch and the middleone, from midnight till morning. I thought I had better explain this, as it was very strange at first tome, and I could not get out of the habit of believing sometimes that Iought to be on deck when it was really my turn to have my "watch in"below. This evening, as I felt all right and hearty after my pea-soup and had agood sleep in the afternoon, I remained on deck, although the portwatch, to which I belonged, was not on duty, Mr Mackay, who had onlystayed on the poop to see the topgallants taken in, having at once gonebelow on this operation being satisfactorily performed. I was glad I stopped, though; for, presently, Captain Gillespie, ignoring Mr Saunders the second mate, who was now supposed to be incharge of the deck, sang out in his voice of thunder, his nose no doubtshaking terribly the while, albeit I couldn't see it, the evening beingtoo dark and lowering for me even to distinguish plainly that longproboscis of his: "Hands reef topsails!" The men, naturally, were even more spry than usual from the fact of "OldJock" having given the order; so, they were at their posts before thecaptain could get at his next command. "Stand by your topsail halliards--let go!" The yards tumbled down on the caps in an instant as the last word cameroaring from Captain Gillespie's lips; and at almost the same momentparties of the men raced up the fore and main and mizzen-shrouds, eachlot anxious to have their sail reefed and rehoisted the first. The foretop men, however, this time, bore away the palm over thoseattending to the main-topsail; while those on the cro'jack-yard werecompletely out of the running with only four hands against the fourteenin the other top--although Tom Jerrold was pretty quick again, and ifthose helping him had been but equally sharp they might, in spite ofbeing short-handed, have achieved the victory. Urged on by Tim Rooney, though, the men forward were too smart for thoseaft, and had handed their topsail and were hoisting away at thehalliards again before those reefing the main-topsail were all in fromtheir yard. The last man, indeed, was just stepping from the yard intothe rigging again, when an accident happened that nearly cost him hislife, although fortunately he escaped with only a fall and a fright. In order to render the work of reefing easier for the hands, the captainhad directed the men at the wheel by a quick motion which theyunderstood to "luff her up" a bit, so as to flatten the sails; and now, on the folds of the main-topsail ballooning out before being hoistedagain as it caught the wind, the sail flapped back and jerked theunfortunate fellow off the yard, his hands clutching vainly at the emptyair. We could see it all from the poop, although the night was darkish, because the whiteness of the sails made everything stand out in reliefagainst their snowy background; and, as he fell, with a shriek thatseemed to go through my heart, I held my breath in agonised suspense, expecting the next moment to hear the dull thud of his mangled body onthe deck below. But, in place of this, a second later, a wild hurrah burst from the menat the halliards and from those coming down the rigging, who hadremained spellbound, their descending footsteps arrested in the ratlinesin awful expectancy and horror. It was a cheer of relief on theiranxious fears being dispelled. I never heard such a hearty shout in my life before, coming, as it did, as if all the men had but one throat! I seem to hear it now. "Hurrah!" It rang through the ship; and we on the poop soon saw the reason for thetriumphant cry and shared the common feeling of joy. The main-sail had jibed and then bellied out again in the same way asthe topsail above it had done; and when the man fell, a kind Providencewatching over him caused it to catch him in its folds, and then gentlydrop him into the long-boat above the deck-house below, right in themidst of the captain's pigs there stowed--thus breaking his fall, sothat he absolutely escaped unhurt, with the exception of a slightshaking and of course a biggish fright at falling. "Who is the man?" sang out Captain Gillespie as soon as some of thehands had clambered up on top of the deck-house and released theircomrade from the companionship of the pigs, who were grunting andsquealing at his unexpected descent in their midst. "Who is that man?" "Joe Fergusson, " cried out one of the men. "It's Joe Fergusson, sir. " Captain Gillespie was bothered, thinking he could not hear aright. "Joe Fergusson?" he called back. "I don't know any man of that name, oranything like it, who signed articles with me, and is entered on theship's books. Pass the word forrud for the bosun--where is he?" "Here, sorr, " cried out Tim Rooney, who of course was close at hand, having bounded to the scene of action the moment he heard the man's wildweird shriek as he fell, arriving just in time to see his wonderfulescape. "Here I am, sorr. " "Who is the man that fell?" "Our new hand, sorr. " "New hand?" repeated Captain Gillespie after him, as perplexed as ever. "What new hand?" "Joe Fergusson, sorr. Himsilf and no ither, sure, sorr. " "What the dickens do ye mean, man?" said the captain, angry at themystification. "I don't know of any Joe Fergusson or any new hands savethose I brought on board myself at Gravesend; and there was no one ofthat name amongst 'em, I'm certain. " "Aye, aye, thrue for ye, cap'en, " answered Tim, and although, of course, I couldn't see him, I'm sure he must have winked when he spoke, therewas a tone of such rich jocularity in his voice; "but, sure, sor this isthe chap as brought himsilf aboard. He's the stowaway, sorr; JoeFergusson, by the same token!" CHAPTER TEN. CROSSING THE LINE. "Humph!" grunted Captain Gillespie, astounded by this information. "That's the joker, is it?" "Aye, aye, sorr, " said Tim Rooney, thinking he was asked the questionagain as to the other's identity; "it's him, sure enough. " "Then I should like to know what the dickens he means by such conduct asthis? The beggar first comes aboard my ship without my leave orlicense, and then tries to break his neck by going aloft when nobodysent him there!" "Arrah sure, sorr, the poor chap ownly did it to show his willin'ness toworruk his passige, sayin' as how Mr Mackay tould him ye'd blow him upfor comin' aboard whin he came-to this arternoon, sorr, " pleaded Tim, not perceiving, as I did, that all the captain's anger against theunfortunate stowaway had melted away by this time on learning that hehad shown such courage. "Begorra, he would cloimb up the shrouds, sorr, whin ye tould the hands to lay aloft; an' the divil himsilf, sorr, wouldn't 'a stopped him. " "He's a plucky fellow, " cried the captain in a much more amiable tone ofvoice, to Tim's great surprise. "Send him aft, bosun, and I'll talk to him now instead of to-morrow, asI said. " "Aye, aye, sorr, " replied Tim; and, presently, the stowaway, who lookednone the worse for his fall, came shambling sheepishly up the poopladder, Tim following in his wake, and saying as he ushered him into thecaptain's presence, "Here he is, sorr. " "Well, you rascal, " exclaimed Captain Gillespie, looking at him up anddown with his squinting eyes and sniffing, taking as good stock of himas the faint light would permit, "what have you got to say foryourself--eh?" "Oi dunno, " answered the ragged lad, touching his forelock and making ascrape back with his foot, in deferential salute. "Of's got nowt tersay, only as Oi'll wark me pessage if you'll let me be, and dunno put mein that theer dark pit agin. " "Do you know you're liable to three months imprisonment with hard labourfor stowing yourself aboard my ship?" replied Captain Gillespie, payingno attention to his words apparently, and going on as if he had notspoken. "What will you do if I let you off?" "Oi'll wark, measter, " cried the other eagerly. "Oi'll wark loike agood un, Oi will, sure, if you lets Oi be. " "Ha, humph! I'll give you a try, then, " jerked out Old Jock with asnort, after another nautical inspection of the new hand; "only, mindyou don't go tumbling off the yard again. I don't want any accidents onboard my ship, although I expect every man to do his duty; and when Isay a thing I mean a thing. What's your name--eh?" "Oi be called Joe Fergusson, measter, " replied the shock-headed fellow, moving rather uneasily about and shuffling his feet on the deck, thecaptain's keen quizzical glance making him feel a bit nervous. "Mymates at whoam, though, names me, and the folk in Lancacheer tew, `Joeythe moucher. '" "Oh, then, Master Joey, you'll find you can't mooch here, my lad, "retorted Old Jock, glad of the opportunity of having one of his personaljokes, and sniggering and snorting over it in fine glee. "However, I'llforgive you coming aboard on the promise of your working your passage toChina; but, you won't find that child's play, my joker! Fergusson, I'llenter you on the ship's books and you'll be rated as an able seaman, foryou look as if you had the makings of one in you from the way you'vetried already to earn your keep. " "Thank ye koindly, measter, " stammered out the redoubtable Joe, seeingfrom the captain's manner that his peace was made, and that nothingdreadful was going to be done to him, as he had feared from all that TimRooney and the hands forward had told him of Old Jock's temper--althoughhe did not understand half what the captain said--"Oi'll wark, measter. " "There, that will do, " said Captain Gillespie interrupting him ere hecould proceed any further with his protestations of gratitude; "theproof of the pudding lies in the eating, and I'll soon see what you'remade of. Bosun, take him forrud and rig him out as well as you can. I'll send you an old shirt and trousers by the steward. " "Aye, aye, sorr, " answered Tim obediently, pleased at "the ould skipperbehavin' so handsomely, " as he afterwards said; "an' I'll give him anould pair av brogues av me own. " "You can do as you like about that, " said Captain Gillespie, turning onhis heel and calling the watch to tauten the lee-braces a bit, tellingthe men at the wheel at the same time to "luff" more; "but, you'd betterlet the chap have a good lie-in to-night and put him in the port watchto-morrow so that Mr Mackay can look after him. " "Aye, aye, sorr, " replied Tim, leading his charge down the poop ladderagain. "I'll say to that same, sorr. " "And, bosun--" "Aye, aye, sorr. " "Just see if those pigs in the long-boat got damaged by that fellowtumbling on top of them. His weight ought to have been enough to havemade pork of some, I should think!" "Aye, aye, sorr, " said Tim as he went off laughing; and I could hear hiswhispered aside to Adams, who was standing by the deck-house. "Begorra, I'd have betted the ould skipper wouldn't forgit thim blissid pigs avhis. He wor thinkin' av thim all the toime that poor beggar wor fallin'from aloft, I belave!" Much to the captain's satisfaction, though, the grunting inhabitants ofthe long-boat were found to be all right, escaping as harmlessly as JoeFergusson; and so, with his mind relieved Old Jock went below soon after"six bells, " or two o'clock, leaving the charge of the deck to MrSaunders--who, grumbling at the captain's rather insidious usurpation ofhis authority, had betaken himself to the lee-side of the taffrail, whence he watched the ship's wake and the foaming rollers that cametumbling after her, as she drove on before the stiff nor'-wester underreefed topsails and courses, the waves trying to poop her every instant, though foiled by her speed. So things went on till midnight, when the men at the wheel wererelieved, as well as the look-out forward, and the port watch came ondeck; while, the starbowlines going below, Mr Mackay took the place ofthe second mate as the officer on duty. Tom Jerrold, too, lugged outSam Weeks and made him put in an appearance, much against his will; butnothing subsequently occurred to vary the monotony of the life on boardor interfere with the vessel's progress, for, although it was blowingpretty nearly "half a gale, " as sailors say, we "made a fair wind ofit"--keeping steadily on our course, south-west by west, and gettingmore and more out into the Atlantic with each mile of the seething waterthe Silver Queen spurned with her forefoot and left eddying behind her. The wind, somehow or other, seemed to get into my head, like a glass ofchampagne I had on Christmas-day when father and all of us went toWestham Hall and dined with the squire. I can't express how jolly itmade me feel--the wind I mean, not the champagne; for it was as much asI could do to refrain from shouting out aloud in my exultation, as itblew in my face and tossed my hair about, pressing against my body withsuch force that I had to hold on by both hands to the weather bulwarksto keep my feet, as I gazed out over the side at the magnificent scenearound me--the storm-tossed sea, one mass of foam; the grand blue vaultof heaven above, now partially lit by the late rising moon and twinklingstars, that were occasionally obscured by scraps of drifting clouds andflying scud; and, all the while, the noble ship tearing along, a thingof beauty and of life, mastering the elements and glorying in the fight, with the hum of the gale in the sails and its shrieking whistle throughthe rigging, and the ever-murmuring voices of the waters, all fillingthe air around as they sang the dirge of the deep! "You seem to like it, youngster, " observed Mr Mackay, stopping hisquarter-deck walk as he caught sight of my face in the moonlight andnoticed it's joyous glow, reflecting the emotions of my mind. "You looka regular stormy petrel, and seem as if you wanted to spread your wingsand fly. " "I only wish I could, sir, " I cried, laughing at his likening me to a"Mother Carey's chicken, " as the petrel is familiarly termed, a numberof them then hovering about the ship astern. "I feel half a birdalready, the wind makes me so jolly. " Mr Mackay quietly smiled and put his hand on my shoulder. "Take care, my boy, " said he good-humouredly, "you'll be jumpingoverboard in your enthusiasm. You seem to be a born sailor. Are youreally so fond of the sea?" "I love it! I love it!" I exclaimed enthusiastically. "Now, I canimagine, sir, the meaning of what I read in Xenophon with father, aboutthe soldiers of Cyrus crying with joy when they once more beheld the seaafter their toilsome march for months and months, wandering inland overa strange and unknown country without a sight of its familiar face totell them of their home by the wave-girt shores of Greece!" "You're quite a poet, Graham, " observed Mr Mackay, laughing now, thoughnot unkindly. There was, indeed, a tone of regret and of sadness, itseemed to me, in his voice. "Ah, well, you'll soon have all suchromantic notions taken out of you, my boy, when you've seen some of thehardships of a sailor's life, like others who at one time were, perhaps, as full of ardour for their profession at the start as yourself. " "I hope not, sir, " I replied seriously. "I should never like to believedifferently of it to what I do now. I think it is really something tobe proud of, being a sailor. It is glorious, it--it--it's--jolly, that's what it is, sir!" "A jolly sight jollier being in bed on a cold night like this, " mutteredWeeks, who was shivering by the skylight, the tarpaulin cover of whichhe had dragged round his legs for warmth. "Don't you think so, sir?" "That depends, " replied Mr Mackay on Sammy putting this question to himrather impudently, as was his wont in speaking to his elders, his bumpof veneration being of the most infinitesimal proportions. "I think, though, that a fellow who likes being on deck in a gale of wind willturn out a better sailor than a skulker who only cares about caulking inhis bunk below; and you can put that in your pipe, Master Sam Weeks, andsmoke it!" This had the effect of stopping any further conversation on the part ofmy fellow apprentice, who retired to the lee-side of the deck in highdudgeon with this "flea in his ear;" and, it being just four o'clock inthe morning now and the end of the middle watch, eight bells were struckand the starbowlines summoned on deck again to duty, we of the portwatch getting some hot coffee all round at the galley and then turningin. For this I was not sorry, as I began now to feel sleepy. "I'd rather be a dog with the mange than a sailor, " yawned Tom Jerroldwhen Sam Weeks roused him out of his nice warm bunk to go on duty in thecold grey morning. "Heigh-ho, it's an awful life!" So, it can be seen that all of us were not of one opinion in the matter. But, in spite of sundry drawbacks and disagreeables which I subsequentlyencountered, and which perhaps took off a little of the halo of romancewhich at first encircled everything connected with the sea in my mind, Ihave never lost the love and admiration for it which I experienced thatnight in mid Atlantic when I kept the middle watch with Mr Mackay, norregretted my choice; neither have I ever felt inclined, I may candidlystate, to give an affirmative answer to Tim Rooney's stereotyped inquiryevery morning-- "An' ain't ye sorry now, Misther Gray-ham, as how yeiver came to say?" The next day, our third out from the Lizard, we spoke the barque MaryWebster from Valparaiso for London, sixty days at sea. She signalled that she had broken her chronometer and had to trust onlyto her dead reckoning, so Captain Gillespie hove-to and gave them ourlatitude and longitude, 45 degrees 15 minutes North and 10 degrees 20minutes West, displaying the figures chalked on a black-board over ourquarter, in order that those on board the other vessel might read theinscription easily with a glass, as we bowed and dipped towards eachother across the rolling waves, both with our main-topsails backed. Before the following morning we had weathered Cape Finisterre, MrMackay told me, having got finally beyond the limits of the dread Bay ofBiscay, with all its opposing tides and contrary influences of winds andcurrents which make it such a terror to navigators passing both to andfrom the Equator; and, in another two days, we had reached as far southas the fortieth parallel of latitude, our longitude being now 13 degrees10 minutes west, or about some five hundred miles to the eastward of theAzores, or Western Islands. As we worked our way further westwards I noticed a curious thing which Icould not make out until Mr Mackay enlightened me on the subject. On my last birthday father had given me a very nice little gold watch, similar to one which he had presented to my brother Tom, much to my envyat the time, on his likewise obtaining his fifteenth year. This watch was a very good timekeeper, being by one of the best Londonmakers; and, hitherto, had maintained an irreproachable character inthis respect, the cook at home, whenever the kitchen clock went wrong, always appealing to me to know what was the correct time, with theflattering compliment that "Master Allan's watch, at all events, " was"sure to be right!" But now, strange to say, although my watch kept exactly to railway timeup to the day of my arrival in London and while we were on our way downthe river, I found that, as we proceeded into the Channel and out to seait began to gain, the difference being more and more marked as we gotfurther to the westward; until, when the captain, after taking the sunon our fifth day out, told Tom Jerrold who was on the deck beside him to"make it eight bells, " or strike the ship's bell to declare it was noon, I was very nearly an hour ahead of that time--my watch, which I wasalways careful about winding up every evening as father enjoined me whengiving it to me, pointing actually to one o'clock! I could not understand it all. Mr Mackay, however, made it clear to me after a little explanation, showing me, too, how simple a matter it was with a good chronometer tofind a ship's position at sea. "For every degree of longitude we go westwards from the meridian ofGreenwich, which is marked with a great round 0 here, you see, my boy, we gain four minutes, " said he, pointing out the lines of longituderuled straight up and down the chart as he spoke, for my information;"and thus, the fact of the hands of your watch telling, truly enough, that it is now about eight minutes to one o'clock in London, shows thatwe are thirteen degrees further to the west than at the place where yourtime is set--for we are going with the sun, do you see?" "Yes, I see, sir, " said I; "but suppose we were going to the eastinstead of the west?" "Why then, my boy, " he replied, "your watch, in lieu of gaining, wouldappear to lose the same number of minutes each day, according to ourrate of sailing. A ship, consequently, which goes round the world fromthe east to the west will seem to have gained a clear day oncircumnavigating the globe; while one that completes the same voyagesailing from the west continually towards the east, loses one. " "How funny!" cried I. "Is it really so?" "Yes, really, " said he; "and I've seen, on board a ship I was once in, the captain skip a day in the log, to make up for the one we lost on thevoyage, passing over Saturday and writing down the day which followedFriday as `Sunday'--otherwise we would have been all out of ourreckoning with the almanac. " "How funny!" I repeated. "I never heard that before. " "Probably not, nor many other things you'll learn at sea, my boy, beforeyou're much older, " answered Mr Mackay, as he turned to the log slateon which Captain Gillespie had been putting down his calculation aboutthe ship's position after taking the sun and working out his reckoning. "Let us see, now, if your watch is a good chronometer for telling ourlongitude. Ha, by Jove, 13 degrees 10 minutes west, or, nearly what wemade out just now. Not so bad, Graham, for a turnip!" "Turnip, sir!" cried I indignantly. "Father told me it was one ofDent's best make, and to be careful of it. " "I'm sure I beg both your father's and Dent's pardon, " said Mr Mackay, laughing at my firing up so quickly. "I was only joking; for your watchis a very good one, and nicely finished too. But I must not stop anymore now. I hope you won't forget your first lesson in navigation andthe knowledge you've gained of the difference between `mean time' andwhat is called `apparent time' on board a ship, and how this will tellher correct longitude--eh?" "Oh, no, sir, " I answered as he went off down the companion way below, to wind up the chronometers in the captain's cabin, a task which healways performed every day at the same hour, having these valuableinstruments under his especial charge; "I won't forget what you've toldme, sir. " Nor did I. Shortly afterwards Mr Mackay showed me how to use the sextant and takethe sun's altitude, on his learning that I was acquainted withtrigonometry and rather a dab at mathematics, the only portion indeed ofmy studies, I'm sorry to confess, in which I ever took any interest atschool. I was thus soon able under his instruction to work out theship's reckoning and calculate her position, just like the captain, whosniffed and snorted a bit and crinkled his nose a good deal on seeing meengaged on the task; although he gave me some friendly commendation allthe same, when he found that I had succeeded in actually arriving at asimilar result to himself! Wasn't I proud, that's all. But, before advancing so far in my knowledge of navigation, I had to beinitiated into my regular duties on board, and learn the more practicalparts of seamanship; however, having willing tutors in Mr Mackay andthe boatswain, and being only too anxious myself to know all they couldteach me, it was not long before I was able to put it out of the powerof either Tom Jerrold or Weeks to call me "Master Jimmy Green, " as theyat first christened me--just because they had the advantage of going tosea a voyage or two before me! I may add, too, that my progress towardsproficiency in picking up the endless details of nautical lore was allthe more accelerated by the desire of excelling my shipmates, so as tohave the chance of turning their chaff back upon themselves. Spurred on by this motive, I quickly learnt all the names of the ropesand their various uses from Mr Mackay; while Tim Rooney showed me howto make a "reef knot, " a "clove hitch, " a "running bowline, " and a"sheep-shank, " explaining the difference between these and theirrespective advantages over the common "granny's knot" of landsmen--myfriend the boatswain judiciously discriminating between the typicalpeculiarities of the "cat's-paw" and the "sheet bend, " albeit the onehas nothing in connection with the feline tribe and the other noreference to one's bed-covering! The wind moderated when we got below the Azores, while the sea alsoceased its tumultuous whirl, so that we were able to make all plain sailand carry-on without rolling as before; so, now, at last, I was allowedto go aloft, my first essay being to assist Tom Jerrold in setting themizzen-royal. Really, I quite astonished Tom by climbing up the futtockshrouds outside the top, instead of going through "the lubber's hole, "showing myself, thanks to Tim Rooney's private instructions previously, much more nimble in casting off the gaskets and loosening the bunt ofthe sail than my brother mid expected; indeed, I got off the yard, afterthe job was done, and down to the deck a good half minute in advance ofhim. On our sixth day out, we reached latitude 35 degrees north and 17degrees west, drifting past Madeira a couple of days later, thetemperature of the air gradually rising and the western winds growingcorrespondingly slack as we made more southing; until, although it wasbarely a week since we had been experiencing the bitter weather of ourEnglish February, we now seemed to be suddenly transported into thebalminess of June. The change, however, took place so imperceptiblyduring our gradual progress onward to warmer latitudes, that, in lookingback all at once, it seemed almost incredible. I found the work which we apprentices had to do was really very similarto that of the hands forward, Tom Jerrold and I in the port watch, andWeeks and Matthews--who, although styled "third mate, " had still to goaloft and do the same sort of duties as all the rest of us--in thestarboard watch under the second mate, having to attend to everythingconnected with the setting and taking in of sail on the mizzen-mast, aswell as having to keep the ship's time, one of us striking the bellevery half-hour throughout our spell on deck. After the first few days at sea, too, I came to the conclusion that ifour work was like that of the sailors our food was not one whit thebetter; albeit, one of the stipulations in the contract when my fatherpaid the premium demanded by the owners of the ship for me as a "first-class apprentice, " was that I should mess aft in the cabin. I certainly did so, like Tom Jerrold and the two others; but all thateither they or I had of cabin fare throughout the entire voyage was anoccasional piece of "plum duff" and jam on Sundays--on which day, by theway, we had no work to do save attending to the sails and washing decksin the morning; while, in the afternoon, Captain Gillespie read prayerson the poop, his congregation being mainly limited to ourselves and thewatch on deck, the crew spending their holiday, on this holy day, inmending their clothes in the forecastle. Yes, our rations were the same as those of the ordinary hands; namely, salt junk and "hard tack, " varied by pea-soup and sea-pie occasionallyfor dinner, with rice and molasses as a treat on Saturdays. Ourbreakfast and tea consisted of a straw-coloured decoction known onboard-ship as "water bewitched, " accompanied by such modicums of ourdinner allowance as we were able to save conscientiously with ourappetites. This amounted to very little as a rule, for, being at seamakes one fearfully hungry at all hours, and, fortunately, seems toendow one, also, with the capacity for eating anything! Really, if it had not been by currying favour with Ching Wang andbribing the steward, Pedro Carvalho, between whom there were continualrows occurring about the provisions, which it was the duty of thePortuguese to serve out, we must have starved ere reaching the Equator;for Captain Gillespie, in order to "turn an honest penny" and make hisDundee venture prove a success, persuaded the men forward and ourselvesto give up a pound and a quarter of our meat ration for a pound tin ofhis marmalade, which he assured us would not only be more palatable withour biscuit, being such "a splendid substitute for butter, " as theadvertisements on the labels say, but would also act as an antiscorbuticto prevent the spread of scurvy amongst us--it being, as he declared, better than lime-juice for this purpose! The hands consented to this arrangement at first as a welcome change;but, when they presently found themselves mulcted of their salt junk, they grumbled much at Old Jock for holding us all to the bargain, and heand his marmalade became a by-word in the ship. I did not wonder atall, after a bit, that Pedro the steward got into the habit of ventinghis wrath when vexed by kicking the empty tins about! I cannot say, however, that I disliked my new life, in spite of thesedrawbacks in the way of insufficiency of food and constancy of appetite, throughout which Ching Wang remained my staunch friend, bringing me manya savoury little delicacy for supper when it was my night watch on deck. These tit-bits in the "grub" line I conscientiously shared with TomJerrold, who received similar favours from the steward, with whom he wasa firm favourite, the only one, indeed, to whom the Portuguese appearedto take kindly on board. No, on the contrary, the charm of being a sailor grew more and more uponme each day as the marvels of the deep became unfolded to me, and thebetter I became acquainted with the ship and my companions. All was endless variety--the sky, the sea, and our surroundings changingapparently every moment and ever revealing something fresh and novel. It did not seem real but a dream. Could that be the Madeira I had read about in the distance, and that theBay of Funchal of which I had seen pictures in books; and that thelittle nautilus or "Portuguese man-of-war" floating by the side of thevessel, now almost becalmed, with its cigar-shaped shell boat and pinkmembraneous sail all glowing with prismatic colouring? Was it anactuality that I saw all these things with my own eyes; or, was Idreaming? Was it really I, Allan Graham, standing there on the deck ofthe good ship Silver Queen, or somebody else? An order from the captain, who came up from his cabin just then andcaught me mooning, to go forward and "make it eight bells, " stopped myreflections at this interesting point; and the next moment I was moreinterested in a most appetising odour of lobscouse emanating from ChingWang's galley than in poetical dreams of Atlantic isles and oceanwonders! On passing Madeira, we soon got out of the Horse Latitudes, a softbreeze springing up from the west again towards evening, which wafted usdown to the Canaries within the next two days. Here we picked up thenorth-east trades south of Palma, just when we could barely discern thePeak of Teneriffe far-away off high up in the clouds, and then we wenton grandly on our voyage once more with every sail set, logging over twohundred miles a day and going by the Cape de Verde Islands in finestyle. We did not bring up again until we reached "the Doldrums, " inabout latitude 5 degrees north and 22 degrees west, where the ficklewind deserted us again and left us rolling and sweltering in the greatregion of equatorial calm. The north-east and south-east trades herefight each other for the possession of their eventful battle-ground, theLine, and old Neptune finds the contest so wearisome that he goes tosleep while it lasts, the tumid swelling of his mighty bosom onlyshowing to all whom it may concern that he merely dozes and is not dead! The temperature of the sea seemed to increase each day after we lostsight of the Peak of Teneriffe until it was now lukewarm, if one drew abucket from over the side; although Captain Gillespie said it was "quitecold" for that time of year! Talking about this, Mr Mackay told me that sea-water is composed of anawful lot of things such as I would not have supposed--oxygen andhydrogen, with muriate of soda, magnesia, iron, lime, copper, silica, potash, chlorine, iodine, bromide, ammonia and silver being amongst itsingredients, and the muriate of soda forming the largest of the solidsubstances detected in it. With such a mixture of things as this, it isnot surprising that it should taste so nasty when swallowed--is it? With the enforced leisure produced by the calm, I had plenty ofopportunity for observing the various strange varieties of animal lifewhich came about the ship--the flying-fish with beautiful silvery wingsthat sparkled in the sunlight coming inboard in shoals, pursued by theirenemies the albacores, who drove them out of the sea to take refuge inthe air; besides numbers of grampusses and sharks swimming round us. Adams, the sailmaker, killed one of these latter gentry with a harpoon, spearing him from the bowsprit as he came past the ship. He looked upwith his evil eye, fancying perhaps that he would "catch one of usnapping, " but no one was unwary enough to get within reach of hisvoracious maw; and Mr Shark "caught a tartar" instead and got a tasteof cold steel for his pains, much to our delight, though the captain waschagrined at the loss of the harpoon, the shark parting the lineattached to it in his death struggles, and carrying it below with himwhen he sank. The brute, to end the story, was eaten up at once by hisaffectionate comrades, the sea being dyed red with his blood. We had not all leisure, though, thus hanging about the Equator under thescorching sun, now at noon precisely perpendicular over our heads, theheat at night too being almost as stifling and the stars as bright asmoons; for Captain Gillespie took advantage of our inaction to "set up"the rigging, which had slackened considerably since we entered thetropics, the heat making the ropes stretch so that our masts got looseand the upper spars canted. While doing this, of course, I had another practical lesson inseamanship, learning all about "double luffs" and "toggles, " "salvageestrops" and "Burton tackles, " and all the rest of such gear, whose nameis legion. But I must go on now to a more important incident. One morning, about a week after the wind left us, with the exception ofan occasional cat's-paw of air which came from every point of thecompass in turn, we ultimately drifted to the Line; accomplishing thisby the aid of the swell ever rolling southward and the eddy of the greatsouth equatorial current, setting between the African continent and theCaribbean Sea. This meets the Guinea current running in the oppositedirection in the middle of the Doldrums, and helps to promote thepleasant stagnation, of wind and water and of air alike, of thisdelightful region so dear to mariners! I recollect the morning well; for the night was unusually oppressive, the heat between the middle watch and eight bells having been moreintense than at any period, I thought, during the week. So, after tossing about my bunk, unable to get to sleep I was only tooglad when the time came to turn out for duty, the task of washing decksand paddling about in the cool water--for it was cool at the earlierhours of the morning if tepid at noon--being something to look forwardto. I forgot, however, all about the terrible rites of Neptune for thosecrossing the Line for the first time, and neither Tom Jerrold nor Weeks, naturally, enlightened me on the subject; so that I was completely takenby surprise when a loud voice hailed us from somewhere forward, justabout "four bells, " as if coming from out of the sea. "What ship is that?" "The Silver Queen, " answered Mr Saunders, who was on the poop and ofcourse in the joke, answering the voice, which although portentouslyloud, had a familiar ring about it suspiciously like Tim Rooney's Irishbrogue. "Bound from London to Shanghai. " "Have ye minny of me unshaved sons aboard?" "Aye, two, " shouted back Mr Saunders, "a stowaway and an apprentice. " "Ye spake true, " returned the voice. "I knows 'em both, Misther AllanGray-ham an' Joe Fergusson. I will come aboard an' shave 'em. " Then it all flashed upon me, and I tried to run below and hide; but twoof Neptune's tritons seized me and pushed me forward to where theboatswain, capitally got up in an oakum wig with an enormous tow beard, was seated on the windlass, trident in hand. Joe Fergusson, who hadbeen made prisoner before me, lay bound at his feet, close to animprovised swimming bath made out of a spare fore-topsail, rigged upacross the deck on the lee-side and filled with water to the depth offour feet or more. The ceremonies were just about to begin; and, I could readily imaginewhat was in store for both me and my companion in distress, the ex-bricklayer, who, like myself, having never been to sea before would haveto go through the painful ordeal as well as being made fools of andlaughed at by all our grinning shipmates around; so, seeing Tom Jerroldand Sam Weeks conspicuous right in front of me, and Mr Saunders lookingon too with much gusto, I made another desperate attempt to free myselffrom those holding me, urging on Joe Fergusson to try and save himselfand me too. Our struggles were in vain; but, strange to say, help came for us from amost unexpected quarter. As I have said before, the night had been extremely hot and the morninglowering; and now, all at once, a violent squall caught the ship in themidst of Neptune's carnival. "Stand by your royal halliards!" roared out Captain Gillespie, whocoming up quickly behind Mr Saunders on the poop made him jump round inconsternation at his neglect in not keeping a look-out overhead whilewatching the game going on in the bows amongst the crew. Neptune darted down from his perch instanter in the most ungodlikefashion; and, the rest of the men rushing to their stations, left JoeFergusson and I rolling on the deck. "Let go!" next cried the captain; adding a moment later, "Bosun, goforward and slack off the head sheets!" And then the rain came down in a perfect deluge, as if it were beingemptied out of a tub, and as it only can pour down in the tropics; andthat is how we "crossed the Line!" CHAPTER ELEVEN. "ONE PIECEE COCK-FIGHTEE. " The ship had nearly all her canvas spread, so as to take advantage ofthe first puff of air which came to waft us beyond the Doldrums towardsthe region of the south-east trades, then beginning to blow just belowthe calm belt; consequently, it took all hands some time to clew up andfurl all the light upper sails, and squall after squall burst over usere we could reduce the ship to her proper fighting trim of reefedtopsails and courses, our outer jib getting torn to shreds before itcould be handed. "Begorra, it's a buster an' no mishtake!" exclaimed Tim Rooney comingoff the forecastle as soon as he had seen the other head sails attendedto, and setting me free from the lashings with which his whilom tritonshad bound my hands and legs. "Sp'ilin' all av our fun, too, MistherGray-ham, jist whin I wor goin' to shave ye!" I did not regret this, though, I'm sure. Still, I did not stop toanswer him, being in too great a hurry to join Tom Jerrold and theothers aft in taking in the mizzen-royal and topgallant--my fellowapprentices having had time already to get aloft while I was rolling onthe deck forward like a trussed fowl! "Take it aisy, me darlint, " shouted Tim after me as I rushed up the poopladder and swung myself into the shrouds; but, I was half-way up theratlines before he could get out the end of his exordium, "Aisy doesit!" I was too late to help hand the royal, my especial sail since I had gotfamiliar with my footing aloft; but the mizzen-topgallant sheets, bowlines and halliards having been hardly a second let go, and the menon the poop having only just begun to haul on the clewlines andbuntlines, I was quite in time to get out on this yard. My aid, indeed, came in usefully in assisting to stow the sail; although, in my hastenot to be eclipsed by Tom Jerrold, I nearly got knocked off my perch onthe foot-rope through the canvas ballooning out, in the same way as itdid when Joe Fergusson so narrowly escaped death only three weeks or sobefore! The fright, as I clutched hold of a rope and saved myself, made my heartcome in my mouth; and what with this, and the turmoil of the elementsaround me as I clung to the yard, with the deck of the ship so small andfar-away below, and saw the immense area of the swelling sea as far asthe eye could reach--now chopped up into short rolling waves, crownedwith foam, almost in an instant, and the black cloud-covered dome of theheavens that was almost as dark as at midnight--I could not helpthinking of the grandeur of the works of God, and the insignificance ofman and his pigmy attempts to master the elements. For, beyond the quick sharp puffs of wind that came with the squalls ofrain from almost every point of the compass in succession, the downpourwhich descended from the overcast sky was accompanied with terrible ear-splitting peals of thunder. This seemed to rattle and roll almostimmediately above our heads, as if the overhanging black vault was aboutto burst open every moment; while dazzling forked flashes of bluishlightning zigzagged across the horizon from the zenith, first blindingour eyes with its brilliancy for a second and then making the darknessall around the darker as the vivid glare vanished and the accompanyingthunderbolt sank into the sea--providentially far off to leeward, wherethe full force of the tropical storm was spent, and not near our vessel. The sight was an awful and magnificent one to me suspended there in mid-air, as it were; but I confess I was not sorry when, presently, themizzen-topgallant was snugly stowed, with the gaskets put round it, andI was able to get down to the more substantial deck below, where I wasnot quite so close to the cloud war going on above! When I reached the poop, as the Silver Queen was now stripped of hersuperfluous canvas and ready for anything that might happen should thesqualls last, Mr Mackay seeing that I was wet through told me that Imight go down and change my clothes. This I gratefully did, feeling allthe better on getting into a dry suit, over which I took the precautionbefore coming out of the deck-house again of rigging my waterproof and atarpaulin hat; for the rain was still coming down in a regular deluge, "as if the sluice-valve of the water tank above had somehow or otherjammed foul, so that the water couldn't be turned off for a while"--thisbeing Tom Jerrold's explanation of it. Feeling chilled from the damp after the great heat of the morning, assoon as I had doffed my wet things I went round to the galley to see ifI could discover a drop of hot coffee knocking about, as it was gettingon for tea-time, being now late in the afternoon; but when I got there, instead of finding Ching Wang, who was always punctuality itself in thematter of meal-times, busy with the coppers, there he was flat on hisstomach on the floor of his caboose, with a hideous little brass imageor idol, which might have been Buddha for all that I know to thecontrary, set up in the corner--the Chinese cook being so activelyengaged in salaaming in front of this image, by touching the deck withhis forehead and burning bits of gilt paper before it, as incense Isuppose, that he did not notice me. "Hullo, Ching Wang, " I said, "what are you about?" "Me chin chin joss, lilly pijjin, " he answered, turning to me his round, unconscious, and imperturbable face as if he were engaged in someordinary occupation of everyday life. "Me askee him me watchee ifkyphong catchee ship, no sabey?" The poor fellow evidently believed more in his god than I did in mine;for here he was in a moment of danger, as he thought, praying for help, while I, who had almost lost my life when I so nearly escaped tumblingfrom the topgallant yard only a moment or so since, had thoughtlesslyforgotten Him who had saved me! I think of this now, but I didn't then. Nay, I even laughed at ChingWang's ignorance when speaking to Tim Rooney, whom I met as I retreatedfrom the galley, telling him that I wondered how the generally astuteChinaman could really fancy he was propitiating Buddha, or whoever elsehe believed in as his sovereign deity, by burning a few scraps of tinselpaper to do honour to the senseless image. "Be jabers, though, " argued Tim on my giving him this opinion of mine, "I can't say, sorr, as how we Christians be any the betther. " "Why!" I exclaimed indignantly. "How can you say so?" "Begorra, sure we all thry to have our ray-ligion as chape as we can, "replied he coolly. "Don't we, Cath'lics an' Protistints aloike, forthere's little to choose atwane us on the p'int, contint oursilves widas little as we can hilp, goin' once to chapel or church, mebbe, av aSunday an' thinkin' we've wiped out all the avil we may a-done in thewake, an' have a clane sheet for the nixt one--jist as this poor ig'ranthaythin booms his goold paper afore his joss an' thinks that clears offall his ould scores. I say no differ, sure, mesilf, Misther Gray-ham, atwane us, that same, as I tould ye. " I did not answer Tim, but his words affected me more than any sermon Iever heard from the pulpit; and, as I went back to my cabin I determinedto try and keep to something I had promised father before parting fromhim, and which I had neglected up to then--my promise being never toforget my daily prayer to "Him who rules the waves, " even should I haveno time to look at my Bible. The weather cleared up before sunset, and the wind subsequently began toblow steadily from the southward and eastward, showing that we had atlength got into the wished-for "trade;" so the ship soon had all plainsail set on her again, now heading, though, sou'-sou'-west on the porttack, and making a bee-line almost for the island of Trinidad off theSouth American coast. Having lost our outer jib, however, from its blowing away in the firstsquall, a new one had to be fitted and bent on; and as we were hoistingstudding sails, too, the jewel block on the main-topsail yard carriedaway. So, another block had to be got up and secured to the end of theyard-arm before the halliards could be rove afresh for getting up thestu'n'sail; and, I had opportunities in both instances for acquiringbetter knowledge of seamanship--gaining more by watching Adams thesailmaker and Tim Rooney at work on their respective jobs, than I couldhave obtained in a twelvemonth by the perusal of books or from oralinformation. We had long lost sight of our old friend the North Star and hispointers, who guide the mariner, should he be without a compass, innorthern latitudes, making acquaintance now with a new constellation, the Southern Cross, which grew more brilliant each night as we ranfurther and further below the Equator. Other stars, too, of surpassingbrightness made the heavens all radiant as soon as the sun set eachevening, there being no twilight to speak of--the night and its gloriescoming upon us as quickly as the last scrap of daylight fled. In themorning it was the same, the firmament being still bright with starlightwhen the glorious orb of day rose in all his majesty and paled intoinsignificance his lesser rivals, who, however, twinkled up to the verylast. This was by far the jolliest part of our voyage; for, although theweather was nice and warm, it had not that disagreeable, clammy heat weexperienced at the Line, on account of the fresh south-east breezetempering the effect of the sun, which, however, still shone down on usat noon with tropical force, its rays being as potent almost as at theEquator. But the sea had lost all that glassy brazen look it had in the calmlatitudes, now dancing with life and as blue as the heavens above it;while as our gallant ship sailed on, running pretty large on the porttack with everything set that could draw--skysails being hoisted on topof the royals and staysails, and trysails on every mast, with theforetopmast staysail, jib and flying jib forward, and upper and lowerstu'n'sails spread out to windward--she looked like some beautiful birdin full flight with outstretched wings, her motion through the waterbeing so easy and graceful, while the sparkling spray was tossed upsometimes over the sprit-sail yard as she ever and anon dipped her bows, as if curtsying to Neptune. It seemed to me the most delightful thingin the world to be there, ship and sea and air and sky being all alikein harmony, expressing the poetry of progression! My work, too, although we had plenty to do, to "keep us out ofmischief, " as the captain said, was not too hard, especially at thisperiod. In the morning, after an early coffee, when few thought of turning inagain although it might be their watch below, the weather was soenjoyable, the order was given for "brooms and buckets aft, " and thefirst duty of the day was attended to. This was to scrub decks, just asin a well-ordered household the servant cleans the door-step beforeanyone is astir; the decks of a ship giving as good a notion of what hercommander is like, as the door-step of a house does of its mistress! For this job the men forward rigged the head pump and sluiced theforecastle and main-deck; while we apprentices had to wash down thepoop, having a fine time over it dowsing one another with buckets ofwater, and chasing each other round the mizzen-mast and binnacle, orelse dodging the expected deluge behind the skylight--sometimes awakingCaptain Gillespie up, and making him come up the companion in a toweringrage to ask "what the dickens" we were "kicking up all that row for?" Once, as he came up in this way, Tom Jerrold caught him full in the facewith a bucket of water he was pitching at me; and wasn't there a shindyover it, that's all! "Old Jock" was unable to find out who did it, forof course none of us would tell on Tom, and the water in the captain'seyes prevented him from seeing who was his assailant; but, heimmediately ordered Tom, as well as Weeks and I, all up into the cross-trees, Tom at the fore, Sam at the main, and I on the mizzen-mast, to"look out for land, " instead of having our breakfast. As we were some hundreds of miles off the nearest coast, our task oflooking out for land was entirely a work of supererogation; still, wedid not realise this, and strained our eyes vainly until we were calleddown from aloft at "two bells, " after the hands had all had theirbreakfast and there was nothing left for us. This was "Jock's"satisfaction in return for the shower bath he had been treated to sounceremoniously. Tom Jerrold afterwards said that he did not noticeJock coming up the companion way, and that of course he would never havedreamt of treating the captain so disrespectfully; but, as Master Tominvariably grinned whenever he made this declaration, Weeks and I, aswell as Tim Rooney, who somehow or other got hold of the yarn, all hadour suspicions on the point. However, this is a digression from the description of our daily duties. After scrubbing decks, each watch alternately had breakfast; and then, as now, when the wind was fair and hardly a brace or rope required to behanded from morning till night or from night till morning, we and therest of the crew were set to work unravelling ends of junk and pickingoakum, like convicts. After being thus disintegrated, the tow was spun into sennit or finetwine and yarn which is always of use on board, quantities of it beingused in "serving" and "parcelling" for chafing gear. At noon, the crew had their dinner, watch in and watch out, but weapprentices had to wait till the captain and mates had theirs; although, as I've already mentioned, we saw little of the delicacies of the cabintable except occasionally of a Sunday, on which day, sometimes, CaptainGillespie's heart was more benevolently inclined towards us apparently. During the afternoon watch on week-days we were allowed to amuseourselves as we liked, and I frequently took advantage of thisopportunity to learn all that Tim Rooney and Adams could teach meforward--the two being great cronies, and busying themselves at thisperiod of the day, if there were nothing to call their attentionelsewhere, in doing odd jobs on the forecastle, the one in thesailmaking line and the other attending to his legitimate occupation oflooking after the weak points of the rigging, all concerning which camewithin his special province as boatswain. After tea, all hands were allowed to skylark about the decks below andaloft until the end of the second dog-watch at "eight bells;" when, thenight being fairly on us in the southern latitudes we were traversing, those whose turn it was to go below turned in, and the others having the"first watch" took the deck until they were relieved at midnight andretired to their well earned rest. But, of course, should "all hands"be called to take in sail, on account of the wind shifting or a suddensquall breaking over the ship, which fortunately did not happen at thetime of which I am speaking, those who might only have just turned inhad to turn out again instanter. In the same way, I may add, had theweather been stormy and changeable all of us would have had plenty to doin taking in and setting sail, without leisure for sennit reeving andyarn spinning and playing "Tom Cox's traverse" about the decks frommorning till night, as we did in those halcyon days between the tropics. We sighted Martin Vas Rocks, to the eastward of Trinidad Islands, inlatitude 20 degrees 29 minutes south and longitude 28 degrees 51 minuteswest, a little over a week from our leaving the Line, having made a verygood passage so far from England, this being our thirty-sixth day out. Soon after this, the south-east trades failing us and varying westerlybreezes taking their place, we hauled our wind, altering our course tosouth-east by south, and making to pass the meridian on the forty-seventh parallel of latitude. This we did so as to get well to thesouthward of the Cape of Good Hope, between which and ourselves a longstretch of some three thousand miles of water lay; although both CaptainGillespie and Mr Mackay appeared to make nothing of this, looking uponit as the easiest part of our journey. Indeed, the latter told me so. "Now, it's all plain sailing, my boy, and we ought to run that distancein a fortnight or so from here, with the strong westerly and sou'-western winds we'll soon fetch into on this tack, " said he; "but, waittill we come to the region of the Flying Dutchman's Cape, and thenyou'll make acquaintance with a sea such as you have never seen before, all that we've gone through as yet being merely child's play incomparison. " "What, worse than the Bay of Biscay?" I cried. "Why, that was only a fleabite, youngster, " he replied laughing. "Isuppose you magnified it in your imagination from being sea-sick. Theweather off the Cape of Storms, however; is a very different matter. Itis quite in keeping with its name!" But, still, for the next few days, at first proceeding close-hauled onthe starboard tack and then, as the wind veered more round to the west, running free before it, with all our flying kites and stu'n'sails set, the time passed as pleasantly as before; and we had about just as littleto do in the way of seamanship aboard, the ship almost steering herselfand hardly a tack or a sheet needing to be touched. I noticed, though, Adams a little later on with a couple of men whom he requisitioned assailmakers' mates busy cutting out queer little triangular pieces ofcanvas, which he told me were "storm staysails, " the old ones havingbeen blown away last voyage; while I saw that Tim Rooney, besidesassuring himself of the security of the masts and setting up preventerstays for additional strength by the captain's orders, rigging up life-lines fore and aft, saying when I asked him what they were for, "Tohould on wid, sure, whin we toombles into Cape weather, me darlint!" There were no signs of any change yet, though; and the hands got so hardup for amusement with the small amount of work they had to perform, inspite of Captain Gillespie hunting up all sorts of odd jobs for them todo in the way of cleaning the brass-work of the ship and polishing thering-bolts, that they got into that "mischief, " which, the proverb tellsus, Satan frequently "finds for idle hands" to do. Tom Jerrold and I were in the boatswain's cabin one afternoon teachingthe starling to speak a fresh sentence--the bird having got quite tameand learnt to talk very well already, saying "Bad cess to ye" and "Tipus yer flipper, " just like Tim Rooney, with his brogue and all; when, all at once, we heard some scrambling going on in the long-boat abovethe deckhouse, and the sound of men's voices whispering together. "Some of the fellows forrud are having a rig with the skipper's pigs, "cried Tom. "Let us watch and see what they're up to. " "They can't be hurting the poor brutes, " said I, speaking in the samesubdued tone, so as not to alarm the men and make them think anyone waslistening; "I'm sure of that, or they would soon make a noise!" "I suppose I was mistaken, " observed Tom presently, when we could nothear the sailor's whispering voices any longer nor any grunting from thepigs; although we kept our ears on the alert. "I fancy, though, theywere up to something, from a remark I heard just now when I passed bythe fo'c's'le as the starboard watch were having their tea. " "What was that?" I asked. "Did they speak of doing anything?" "No-o, " replied Tom hesitatingly, as if he did not quite like telling meall he knew, being afraid perhaps of my informing Mr Mackay, from thelatter and I being now known to be close friends albeit I was only anapprentice and he the first mate. "I only heard them joking about thatbeastly marmalade the skipper has palmed off on them, and us, too, worseluck, in lieu of our proper rations of salt junk; and one of them saidhe'd `like to swap all his lot for the voyage for a good square meal ofroast pork, ' that's all. " "Why, any of us might have said that, " cried I laughing, and not seeingany harm in the observation. "I'm sure I would not object to a changeof diet. " Later on in the evening, though, what Tom had related was brought backto me with much point; for, a curious circumstance occurred shortlyafter "four bells, " when it was beginning to get dark after sunset, thenight closing in so rapidly. The captain was then on the poop talking to Mr Saunders about somethingor other in which they both seemed deeply interested, the one sniffingand twitching his long nose about, and the other wagging his red beardas he moved his jaws in talking. I was just above their heads in themizzen-top, my favourite retreat of an evening, whither I had taken up abook to read, although I could barely distinguish the print by thistime, daylight had disappeared so quickly on the sun's sinking in thedeep astern; when, all at once, a violent squealing and grunting brokeout from the long-boat, sufficient for more than a herd of porkers allin their last agony, instead of its coming from one or even all three ofthe pigs Captain Gillespie had stowed there, fattening them up until hethought them big enough to kill for the table. "Who the dickens is that troubling my pigs?" roared the captain, clutching hold of the brass rail of the poop in front of him, andsquinting forwards as well as he could in the dim light to where theclew of the main-sail just lifting disclosed the fore part of the deck-house with the long-boat on top. "None of your sky-larking there, d'yehear? Leave 'em alone!" But, there was no one to be seen either on top of the deck-house or inthe long-boat, although the squealing still continued. "D'ye hear me there, forrud?" shouted Captain Gillespie again in a voiceof thunder, having now worked himself up into one of his tornado-likerages. "Leave those pigs alone, I tell ye!" "Sure, sorr, there's nobody there, " said Tim Rooney, who was on themain-deck below, just under the break of the poop. "There's divil asowl botherin' the blissid pigs, sorr, as ye can say for y'rsilf. Faix, they're ownly contrary a bit, sorr, an' p'raps onaisy in their moind!" "Nonsense, man!" cried Captain Gillespie stamping his foot. "It is someof those mutinous rascals carrying on their games, I--I know! Justlook, will ye, bosun?" "There ar'n't a sowl thare, I tell ye, sorr, " protested Tim, rather abit vexed at his word being doubted, as he turned to go forward wherethe row was still going on. "Ain't I jist come from there, sorr, an'can't I say now wid me own eyes there ain't nobody not nigh the long-boat nor the pigs neither--bad cess to 'em!" He muttered the last words below his breath, and getting up into themain-rigging he climbed half-way up the shrouds, so as to be able todrop from thence on to the deck-house, this being his quickest mode ofreaching the roof of that structure; and from thence, as he knew, hewould of course be able to see right into the long-boat as well asinspect its four-footed tenants. "There's not a sowl in the boat or near it, sorr, at all, at all, cap'endear, barrin' the pigs sure, as I towld ye, " he repeated on getting sofar; and he was just proceeding to lower himself down to the top of thedeck-house by a loose rope that was hanging from aloft, when he swunghimself back into the rigging in alarm as a dark body jumped out of thelong-boat right across his face, uttering the terrified ejaculation, "Murther in Irish! Howly Moses, what is that?" It was one of the pigs, which, giving vent to a most diabolical yell, appeared to leap from the long-boat deliberately over the port side ofthe ship into the sea, sinking immediately with a stifled grunt, alongside. Then more weird squeaking was heard, and a second pig imitated hiscomrade's example, jumping also from the boat overboard--just as if theywere playing the game of "follow my leader" which we often indulged inwhen sky-larking in the second dog-watch! This was no sky-larking, however, for the captain on the poop, as wellas Mr Saunders and myself up in the mizzen-top, had witnessed the wholeof the strange occurrence the same as Tim Rooney, and all of us wereequally astonished. As for Captain Gillespie, being a very superstitious man, he seemedstrongly impressed by what had happened. His voice quite trembled as hecalled out to Tim Rooney after a moment's pause, during which he was toomuch startled to speak: "Wha--what's the matter with them, bosun?" "Sorry o' me knows, " replied Tim in an equally awestruck voice, eitherfull of real or very well assumed terror, "barrin' that the divil's gothowld av 'em; an' it's raal vexed I am, sorr, av spakin' so moightydisrespectful av his honour jist now. Aye, take me worrud for it, cap'en, they're possiss'd, as sure as eggs is mate!" "I think the same, and that the deil's got into 'em, " said CaptainGillespie gravely, wrinkling up his nose so much and nodding his head, and looking so like an old owl in the bright light of the moon which hadrapidly risen, and was already shining with all the fulness andbrilliancy it has in these southern latitudes, that it was as much as Icould do to keep from bursting out laughing and so betraying my presencein the top above his head. I was all the more amused, too, when "OldJock" turned to the second mate and added: "I look upon this as avisitation, and am glad I never killed the animals; for I would nottouch one now for anything! Have the remaining brute chucked overboard, Saunders; it would be unlucky to keep it after what has happened. I'msure I could not bear the sight of it or to hear it grant again!" So saying, Captain Gillespie went below and took a stiff glass of grogto recover his nerves. He must then have got into his cot for he didnot appear on deck again until the middle watch--a most unusual thingfor him to do. "It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good, " however, and the aptnessof the adage was well illustrated in the present instance, the menfeasting on roast pork, besides putting by some tit-bits salted down fora rainy day, at the expense of "Old Jock's" superstitious fears. It was wonderful, though, how many legs were owned by that one "lastpig" which the captain had ordered to be chucked overboard, and whichMr Saunders had, instead, given over to Ching Wang's tender mercies forthe benefit of himself and the crew, stipulating, however, that he wasto have one of the best pieces stuffed and baked, the second mate beinga great glutton always, and fond of good living. Yes, it was wonderfulfor one pig to have no less than twelve legs! I will tell you how this was. Tom Jerrold let me into the secret. It seems that the apparent suicidaltendencies of the pigs who jumped into the sea in that mysterious waywas caused by the fore-topgallant stu'n'sail halliards being dexterouslyfastened round them by a couple of the hands previously in slingfashion; and when the poor brutes were jerked overboard by the aid ofthese, they were allowed to tow under the keel of the ship until theirsqueals were hushed for ever, and then drawn inboard again and cut up inthe forecastle. When they were carved properly into pork, the menthought them none the less delicious because they had come to theirdeath by water instead of by the ordinary butcher's knife; and, as I hadthe opportunity of testing this opinion in a savoury little pig's frywhich Ching Wang presented me with the same evening for supper, I cannotbut acknowledge that I agreed thoroughly with the judgment of the handsin the matter of "spiflicated pork, " as Tom Jerrold called it. "Dick, Dick, what do you think of it all?" said I, chirping to thestarling, who was whistling wide awake when I turned out next morning at"eight bells" after dreaming of the poor murdered pigs, on my way to thegalley to get some hot coffee. "What do you think of it all--eh, Dick?" "Tip us your flipper!" hoarsely croaked the bright-eyed little bird withthe voice of Tim Rooney, only seeming to be a very long way off. Healso seemed to have the nose of Captain Gillespie, which we all said hislong beak strongly resembled. "Tip us your flipper!" That was all I could get out of him; but I thought that, really, a wronghad been righted, and the captain's marmalade imposition on us and onthe hands forward been amply avenged. Poor "Old Jock's" live stock of late appeared to be in a very bad way;for, not only was he deprived of his favourite pigs so unfortunately, but since we had begun to run more to southward after leaving the Line, his supply of eggs from the collection of hens he had in the coops onthe poop daily dwindled down to nothing, although they had previouslybeen good layers. Somehow or other the fowls seemed to have the pip, while the threecocks, one a splendid silver and gold fellow, who lorded over the haremof Dorkings and Brahmas, all looked torn and bedraggled as if they hadgiven way to dissipated habits. Besides this, they took to crowingdefiance against each other at the most unearthly hours, whereas, priorto this, their time for chanticleering had been as regular as clock-work, in the afternoon and in the "middle watch" generally. Captain Gillespie couldn't make it out at all. One fine morning, however, coming on the deck through the cuddy doorsbelow the break of the poop instead of mounting up to the latter by thecompanion way as usual, before the time for washing down, he surprised anumber of the men assembled about the cook's galley. There was Ching Wang in the centre of the group, holding CaptainGillespie's pet gold and silver crower and urging it on to fight one ofthe other cocks, which the carpenter was officiating for as "bottleholder" in the most scientific way, he apparently being no novice at thecruel sport. The captain did not see what they were about at first; but thedelinquent was soon pointed out by Pedro Carvalho, between whom and theChinaman the most deadly enmity existed, and who had indeed alreadyinformed the captain of the cook's treatment of his fowls, thePortuguese steward doing this with much alacrity, as if proud of beingthe informer. "Look dere, sah!" cried Pedro. "Dere is dat Ching Wang now, sah! Oh, yase, dere he was, sah, as I say, killin' your cockles magnificent--oh!" The captain's appearance at once broke up the ring, the carpenterdropping his bird incontinently and fleeing into the forecastle with theother men; but, the Chinaman never moved a muscle of his countenancewhen he turned his round innocent-looking, vacuous, Mongolian face andcaught sight of "Old Jock's" infuriated look bent on him. He did not even let go the gold and silver cock, whose plumage had beensadly tarnished by a previous tournament with the Dorking which thecarpenter had squired. No, he held his ground there before the galleywith a courage one could not but admire, the only sign he gave of aninward emotion being the occasional twinkling of his little beadyChinese eyes. "Wh-wha-what the dicken's d-d-d'ye mean by this?" stuttered andstammered Captain Gillespie, his passion almost stopping his speech. "Wh-wh-what d'ye mean, I say?" "Me only hab piecee cocky-fightee, " answered Ching Wang as calmly aspossible. "Me chin chin you, cap'en. " Captain Gillespie fairly boiled over with rage. "This beats cock-fighting!" he cried, stating the case inadvertently inhis exclamation. "I thought it was those confounded cats we have aboardthe ship that ill-treated the poor fowls and prevented them from layingme any eggs, till Pedro here told me it was you, though I didn't believeit. I wouldn't have believed it now if I hadn't seen you at it. Byjingo, it's shameful!" Ching Wang, however, paid no attention to this violent tirade, onlysalaaming humbly and looking the very picture of meekness andcontrition. But his eyes, as I could see, being close by, having been attracted bythe row as most of us were, had altered their expression, now flashingwith a peculiar glare as the Chinaman, with a more abject bow thanbefore to the captain, asked him deferentially: "And dis one manee you tellee Ching Wang cocky-fightee one piecee--hi?" "Yes, Pedro told me, " replied Captain Gillespie, sniffing and snortingout the words. "And a good job too; for, else, I wouldn't have known ofyour goings on!" Ching Wang's yellow face almost turned white with anger. "Hi, blackee-brownee manee, " he yelled, springing upon Pedro like atiger. "You takee dat number one, chop chop!" CHAPTER TWELVE. A STRANGE SAIL. Although a coward at heart, the Portuguese steward, nerved by hisintense hatred of the cook, made a bold resistance to his firstonslaught, clutching at Ching Wang's pigtail with one hand and clawingat his face with the other; while the Chinaman gripped his neck with hissinewy fingers, the two rolling on the deck in a close embrace, whichwas the very reverse of a loving one. "Carajo!" gurgled out Pedro, half-strangled at the outset, but havingsuch a tight hold of Ching Wang's tail, of which he had taken a doubleturn round his wrist, that he was able to bend his antagonist's headback, almost dislocating his neck. "Matarei te, podenga de cozenheiro!" "Aha cutus pijjin, me catchee you, chop chop!" grunted the other throughhis clenched teeth; and then, not another word escaped either of them asthey both sprawled and tumbled about in front of the galley, lockedtogether, the Chinee finally coming up on top triumphantly, with Pedro, all black in the face and with his tongue protruding, below his litheenemy. "Take him off the man, some of you, " cried Captain Gillespie, who hadnot made any effort to stop the combat until now that it bad arrived atsuch an unsatisfactory stage for the steward. "Don't you see thatyellow devil's murdering him? He looks more than half dead already!" Tim Rooney hereupon stepped forwards; but Ching Wang did not need anyforce to compel him to quit his powerless foe. Disengaging his pigtail from Pedro's limp fingers, he arose with a sortof native dignity from his prostrate position over the Portuguese, hisround face all one bland smile--although it bore sundry scratches on itsotherwise smooth surface, whose oiliness had probably saved it fromgreater hurt. "Him no sabbey, " he exclaimed, pointing down to the still prostratePedro, who, now that the Chinaman's grip had been released from histhroat, began to show signs of returning life, "what me can do. Himmore wanchee, Ching Wang plenty givee chop chop!" "I tell ye what, me joker, " cried "Old Jock" after him as the victoriouscook retired into his galley on making this short speech, with all thehonours of war--the hands raising a cheer, which the presence of thecaptain could not drown, at the result of the encounter; for all of themlooked on the steward as one opposed to their interests, and who cheatedthem in their provisions when serving them out, regarding the Chinaman, on the other hand, as their friend and ally, he always taking their partin this respect. "I tell ye what, me joker, I'll stop your wages andmake ye pay for my fowls when we get to Shanghai! I don't mind yourbasting the steward, for a thrashing will do him good, as he has wantedone for some time; but I do mind your knocking those fine birds of mineabout with your confounded `one piecee cock-fightee. ' Look at this one, now; he's fit for nothing but the pot, and the sooner you cook him thebetter. " Ching Wang only smiled more blandly than ever as the captain, who hadpicked up the two cocks, flung the silver and gold one into the galley, taking the other aft and restoring it to its coop; while Pedro, risingpresently to his feet, amidst the grins of the men around, sneaked after"Old Jock, " saying never a word but looking by no means amiable. Hisdeparture ended the incident of the morning, and we immediately finishedsluicing the decks, the cook and steward fight having somewhat delayedthis operation, as it was getting on for "eight bells" and nearlybreakfast-time. Towards noon, on the same day, we passed by the island of Tristan daCunha, the land bearing on our port quarter sou'-west by south whenseen; and, on the thirteenth day after turning our backs on the MartinVas Rocks, we crossed the meridian of Greenwich in latitude 46 degrees58 minutes south, steering almost due east so as to weather the Cape ofGood Hope. The westerly wind was dead aft, which made us roll a bit;but we "carried on, " with the ship covered with sail from truck tokelson and stu'n'sails all the way up both on our weather side and toleeward, as well as spinnakers and a lot of other things in the sailline whose names I can't remember. Proceeding thus gaily along, with our yards squared and every stitch ofcanvas drawing fore and aft, in another couple of days or so the Capepigeons and shearwaters began to come about the ship, showing that wewere approaching the stormy region Mr Mackay had warned me of; and onthe fourth night the sky ahead of us became overcast, while a lot ofsheet and zig-a-zaggy "chain lightning, " as sailors call it, told us tolook out for squalls. This was a true portent; for the wind freshened during the first watch, causing us to take in all of our stu'n'sails before midnight. Thenfollowed the royals and topgallants in quick succession, the main-sailand inner and outer jibs being next furled and the foresail reefed, thevessel at "four bells" being only under topsails and fore-topgallantstaysail and reefed foresail. As I had noticed previously, when crossing the Bay of Biscay, the seagot up very quickly as the wind increased, only with much more alarmingrapidity now than then; for, while at sunset the ocean was comparativelysmooth, it became covered with big rolling waves by the time that webegan to reduce sail, the billows swelling in size each moment, andtossing and breaking against each other as the wind shifted round deadin our teeth to the north-east, the very quarter where we had seen thelightning. "We're going to have a dirty night of it, sir, " said Mr Mackay to thecaptain, who after turning in for a short time when the starboard watchwas relieved had come on deck again, anxious about the ship. "I thoughtwe'd have a blow soon. " "Humph, Cape weather!" snorted out Captain Gillespie. "We're just inthe proper track of it now, being nearly due south of Table Mountain, asI make it. I think you'd better get down our lighter spars, Mackay, forthis is only the beginning of it--the glass was sinking just now. " "Aye, aye sir, " returned the first mate, who had previously called thewatch aft for this very purpose, crying out to the men standing by: "Layaloft there, and see how soon you can send down those royal yards!" Matthews, who was trying all he could to deserve his promotion and hadremained up after the rest of his watch had gone below, helped TomJerrold and me in sending down ours; and, when up aloft, the most activetopman I noticed was Joe Fergusson, the bricklayer. As "Old Jock" withhis shrewd seaman's eyes had anticipated, he had developed into a smartsailor, considering the short time he was learning, being now quickerthan some of those who had been to sea for years and were thought goodhands. On the present occasion he ran us a rare race with the main-royal yard, we getting the mizzen spar below but a second or two in advance of hisparty. After this the topgallant yards were sent down likewise on deck and themasts struck, "all hands" being called to get the job done as soon aspossible. Indeed this was vitally necessary, for the storm wasincreasing in force every moment, and our topsails had to be reefedimmediately the royal yards were down and the topgallants lowered. Getting rid of all this top hamper, however, made the ship ride all theeasier over the heavy waves that met her bows full butt; and, now, shedid not roll half as much as she had done while she had all those sparsup, although what she lost in this respect she made up for in pitching--diving down as the big seas rolled under her keel and lifted up herstern as if she were about paying a visit to the depths below, and thenraising her bowsprit the next instant so high in the air that it lookedas if she were trying to poke a hole in the sky with it! Shortly before "six bells" the gale blew so fiercely that it was as muchas we could do to stand on the poop; and when, presently, Mr Mackaygave the order for us to take in the mizzen-topsail, we had to waitbetween the gusts to get up aloft, for the pressure of the windflattened us against the rigging as if we had been "spread-eagled, "making it impossible to move for the moment. But sailors mustn't be daunted by anything to be "worth their salt;" so, watching an opportunity, we climbed up by degrees to the top and then onto the upper rigging until we gained the cross-trees, being all thewhile pretty well lashed by the gale. Our eyes were blinded, and ourfaces all made sore and smarting by it, I can tell you, while we werewell out of breath by the time we had got so far. The topsail sheets and halliards, of course, had been let fly before weleft the deck; but in order not to expose the sail more than could behelped to the force of the storm, the clewlines and buntlines were nothauled open until we were up on the yard, so that the topsail should notremain longer bagged in folds than necessary before we could furl it outof harm's way. Still, the precaution was of no avail; for hardly had the men on deckhanded the clewlines, when the sail, bulging out under our feet like ahuge bag, or rather series of bags, as the wind puckered its folds, burst away from its bolt-ropes with a noise like the report of a gundischarged close to our ears, just as if we had cut it from off theyard, thus saving us any further trouble in furling it. Casting my eyes round ere beginning the perilous task of climbing downthe shrouds again, for it was as much as one could do to hold on, thesharp gusts when they caught one's legs twirling them about likefeathers in the air, the outlook was not merely grand but positivelyawful. The sea was now rolling, without the slightest exaggeration butliterally speaking, mountains high as far as the eye could reach, andthe scud flying across my face in the mizzen cross-trees; while thewaves on either side of the ship, as we descended into the hollowbetween them every now and then, were on a level with the yard-armsbelow and even sometimes rose above these. "Come, my men, " I heard Mr Mackay calling out, as I at last put my footdown to feel for the nearest ratline before commencing to descend therigging, "look sharp with that fore-tops'le or we'll have it go like themizzen!" His words were prophetic. "R-r-r-r-r-r-ip!" sounded the renting, tearing noise of the sail, almostas soon as he spoke; and then, with a greater "bang!" than that of themizzen-topsail, the main topsail split first from clew to earing and thenext second blew away bodily to leeward, floating like a cloud as it wascarried along the crests of the rollers out of our ken in a minute. Thefore-topsail imitated its example the next moment, leaving the ship nowwith only the reefed foresail on her in the shape of canvas, a wonderfulmetamorphosis to the appearance she presented the previous evening atsunset! We had been trying to beat to windward, so as not to fall off ourcourse; but now that we had hardly a rag to stand by, the captain put upthe helm and let her run for it, the foresail with the gale that wasblowing sending her at such a rate through the water as to prevent anyof the following seas from pooping her. The fear alone of this hadprevented him doing so before, "Old Jock" being as fond of scudding ashe was of carrying on when he had a fair wind. Adams and the hands forward, though, were busy getting ready the stormstaysails I had seen the former cutting out some days previously so asto be prepared to hoist them on the first available opportunity, as itwould never do to run too far off our course, which many hours going atthat rate before the nor'-easter would soon have effected; and so, during a slight lull that occurred about breakfast-time, a mizzenstaysail and foretopmast staysail, each about the size of a respectablepocket-handkerchief, were got aloft judiciously and the foresail ascarefully handed, when the ship was brought round again head to wind andlay-to on the port tack. A little later there was one terrific burst, the tops of the waves beingcut off as with a knife and borne aboard us in sheets of water, whilethe Silver Queen heeled over to starboard so greatly that it seemed asif she would "turn the turtle" and go down sideways with all hands; butit was the last blast of the storm, for each succeeding hour lessenedits force, although the sea continued high. After that it grewgradually calmer and calmer, until we were able to make sail again andbear away eastwards, rounding the Cape two days afterwards, our fifty-sixth from England, in 37 degrees south latitude--the meridian of the"Flying Dutchman's fortress, " as Table Mountain has been termed by thosewho once believed in the Vanderdecken legend, being a little over 18degrees east longitude. "Begorra, that's a good job done wid anyhow, " said Tim Rooney on "OldJock" telling us that all danger of weathering the Cape was past andthat we were well within the limits of the Southern Ocean, whose longroll, however, and the cold breath of the Antarctic ice-fields hadalready betrayed this fact to the old hands on board. "I once knockedabout in a vessel as were a-tryin' to git round this blissid place for amonth av Sundays, an' couldn't. " "And what did you do, measter?" asked Joe Fergusson, who had a greatrespect for the boatswain and was eyeing him open-mouthed. "What didyou do when you couldn't sail round it?" "Be jabers we wint the other way, av course, ye nanny goat, " cried Tim, raising the laugh against Joe. "Any omahdawn would know that, sure!" The wind hauled round more to the west-sou'-west again when we hadpassed the Argulhas Bank, reaching down to the southward until we werein latitude 39 degrees South; so, squaring our yards again, we preservedthis parallel until we fetched longitude 78 degrees east, just belowSaint Paul's Island, a distance of some three thousand miles. Weaccomplished this in another fortnight after rounding the Cape; andthen, steering up the chart again, we shaped our course nor'-east bynorth, so as to cross the southern tropic in longitude 102 degrees East. After two or three days, we reached a warmer temperature, when the windfalling light and becoming variable we crossed our topgallant and royalyards again, spreading all the sail we could so as to make the best ofthe breezes we got. These were now mingled with occasional showers ofrain, as is customary with the south-west monsoon in those latitudes atthis time of year, it being now well into the month of May. For weeks past the Silver Queen had delighted the captain, and, indeed, all of us on board, with her sailing powers, averaging over two hundredknots a day, which considering her great bilge was as fast as the mostfamous clippers; but now that she only logged a paltry hundred or so, going but five or six per hour instead of ten to twelve, "Old Jock"began to grumble, snapping and finding fault with everybody in turns. The men forward, too, reciprocated very heartily in the grumbling line, there not being so much for them to do as of late; and, the greatmarmalade question again cropping up, things became very unpleasant inthe ship. One day I really thought there was going to be a mutiny. The men came in a body aft, headed by the carpenter, whom the captainhad been rather rough on ever since he found him that morning we wereoff Tristan da Cunha aiding and abetting Ching Wang in his cruel cock-fighting propensities; although, strange to say, "Old Jock" seemed tocondone the action of the chief offender, never having a hard word forthe Chinee albeit plenty for Gregory, the carpenter. On this eventful occasion Captain Gillespie was seated on the poop in anAmerican rocking-chair which he had brought up from his cabin, enjoyingthe warm weather and wrinkling his nose over the almost motionless sailshanging down limply from the yards; and he did not disturb himself inanywise when Gregory and the others advanced from forward, stepping aftalong the main-deck one by one to the number of a round dozen or more, the crowd halting and forming themselves into a ring under the poopladder, above which the captain had fixed his chair, looking as if they"meant business. " "Hullo!" cried "Old Jock" rousing himself up, rather surprised at thedemonstration. "What are you fellows doing below there?" "We wants meat, " replied the carpenter, taking off his straw hat andgiving a scrape back with his left foot, so as to begin politely at anyrate. "We aren't got enough to eat in the fo'c's'le, sir, an' we wantsour proper 'lowance o' meat, instead of a lot of rotten kickshawmarmalade!" "Wh-a-at--what the dickens d'ye mean?" roared out "Old Jock, " touched onhis tenderest point, the word "marmalade" to him having the same effectas a red rag on a bull. "Didn't I tell ye if ye'd any complaints tomake, to come aft singly and I'd attend to 'em, but that if ye ever cameto me in a body I'd not listen to ye?" "Aye, aye, " said Gregory, "but--" "Avast there!" shouted the captain interrupting him. "When I say athing I mean a thing; and so ye'd better go forrud again as quick as yecan, or I'll come down and make ye!" An indignant groan burst from the men at this; while "Jock" danced aboutthe poop brandishing a marlinespike he had clutched hold of, in a mightyrage, storming away until the hands had all, very reluctantly, withdrawngrumbling to the forecastle. In the afternoon, they refused to turn out for duty; when, after aterrible long palaver, in which Mr Mackay managed to smooth downmatters, the controversy was settled by all the men having half theirmeat ration restored to them, and being obliged only to accept a half-pound tin of marmalade in lieu of a larger quantity as previously. Bothsides consequently gained a sort of victory, the only persondiscontented at this termination of the affair being the steward, Pedro, who took a malicious pleasure in serving out the marmalade each day. Ioften caught sight of him watching with a sort of fiendish glee thedisappointed faces of the hands as they looked at the open casks of porkand beef, which he somewhat ostentatiously displayed before them, as ifto make them long all the more for such substantial fare. I knew the Portuguese was upset at the amicable end of the difficultybetween the captain and crew, for I saw him stealthily awaiting theresult, peeping from underneath the break of the poop; and, when thehands raised a cheer in token of their satisfaction at the settlement, he immediately went and locked himself in his pantry, where he begankicking the despised marmalade tins about as if twenty riveters andboiler-makers and hammermen were below! It was very nearly a mutiny, though. A westerly current being against us as well as the winds light, it tookus nearly a week to get up to the thirty-third parallel of latitude, during which time this little unpleasantness occurred; but then, pickingup the south-east trades off the Australian coast, we went bowling alongsteadily again northward for the Straits of Sunda, making for thewestwards of the passage so as to be to windward of a strong easterlycurrent that runs through the strait. I was the first on board to see Java Head, a bluff promontory stretchingout into the sea that marks the entrance to Sunda. This was how it was:we'd got more to the north of the captain's reckoning, and while up inthe mizzen cross-trees, in the afternoon of our eighty-fifth day outfrom land to land, I clearly distinguished the headland far-away in thedistance, over our starboard quarter. "Land ho!" I sang out; "land ho!" "Are you sure?" cried Captain Gillespie from the deck below looking upat me, when his long nose, being foreshortened, seemed to run into hismouth, giving him the most peculiar appearance. "Where away?" "Astern now, sir, " I answered. "South-east by south, and nearly off theweather topsail. " "I think I'd better have a look myself, " said "Old Jock, " clambering upthe mizzen-shrouds and soon getting aloft beside me; adding as he caughtsight of the object I pointed out--"by Jingo, you're right, boy! It'sJava Head, sure enough. " He then scuttled down the ratlines like winking. "Haul in to leeward!" he shouted. "Brace round the yards! Down withyour helm!" "Port it is, " said the boatman. "Steady then, so!" yelled "Old Jock, " conning the ship towards the mouthof the straits. "Keep her east-nor'-east as nearly as you can, givingher a point if she falls off!" By and by, we entered the Straits of Sunda; and then, keeping the Javashore on board, we steered so as to avoid the Friar's Rock in the middleof the channel, making for Prince's Island. The wind and current being both in our favour, and the moon rising soonafter sunset, we were able to fetch Anjer Point in the middle watch andgot well within Java Sea by morning. Next day we passed through BancaStrait by the Lucepara Channel, keeping to the Sumatra coast to avoidthe dangerous reefs and rocks on the east side, until we sighted theParmesang Hills. After that we steered north by east, by the SevenIslands into the China Sea. So far no incident had happened on our nearing land, which all of uswere glad enough to see again, as may be imagined, after our now nearlythree months confinement on board without an opportunity of stretchingour legs ashore, the only terra firma we had sighted since leavingEngland having been Madeira, the Peak of Teneriffe, and the rocks ofMartin Vas; but now, as we glided along past the lovely islets of theIndian Archipelago, radiant in the glowing sunshine, and theiratmosphere fragrant with spices and other sweet odours that concealedthe deadly malaria of the climate, a new sensation of peril addedpiquancy to the zest of our voyage. On passing the westernmost point of Banca, as the channel we had topursue trended to the north-east, we came up to the wind and then paidoff on the port tack; when, just as we cleared the group of islandslying at the mouth of the Straits of Malacca to windward, we saw a largeproa bearing down in our direction, coming out from behind a projectingpoint of land that had previously prevented us from noticing her. "Hullo!" I exclaimed to Mr Mackay whom I had accompanied from aft whenhe went forward on the forecastle to direct the conning of the ship, motioning now and again with his arms this way and that how the helmsmanwas to steer. "What a funny-looking vessel, sir. What is it?" "That's a Malay proa, " replied he. "They're generally ticklish craft todeal with; though, I don't suppose this beggar means any harm to us insuch a waterway as this, where we meet other vessels every hour or so. " "Do you think it's a pirate ship?" I asked eagerly, "I should like tosee one so much. " "More than I should, " said he with a laugh; "but I don't suppose thischap's up to any game like that, though, I think, all the Malays arepirates at heart. He's most likely on a trading voyage like ourselves, only he's going amongst the islands while we're bound north. " However the proa did not bear away, either to port or starboard, nor didit make for any of the clusters of islands on either hand; and, althoughit was barely noon when we had first noticed her, as night came on, bywhich time we were well on our way towards Pulo Sapata, running up tothe northwards fast before the land breeze that blew off shore aftersunset, there was the proa still behind us! It was very strange, to say the least of it. Nor was I the only one to think so; for the hands forward, and amongthem Tim Rooney, the boatswain, had also observed the mysterious vessel, as well as taken count of her apparent desire to accompany us. "Bedad she ain't our frind, or, sure, she'd have come up an' spoke usdacintly, loike a jintleman, " I heard Tim say to the sailmaker, outsidethe door of his cabin in the deck-house. "She's oop to no good anyhow, bad cess to the ould thafe, as sure as eggs is mate; an' may I niver atea pratie ag'in if I'm tellin' a lie sure, for I misthrusts them Malayraskils jist as the divil hates howly wather!" CHAPTER THIRTEEN. THE TAIL-END OF A TYPHOON. "But I allers heard them Malay chaps are awful cowards, " said Adams, continuing the conversation. "You never sees 'em singly, their pirateproas, or junks, allers a sailing with a consort. I ought ter know;'cause, 'fore I ever jined Cap'en Gillespie, I wer in a Hongkong trader;and many's the time we've been chased by a whole shoal of 'em when goingto Singapore or along the coast. " "The divil ye have, " interposed Tim. "Ye niver tould me that afore, Sails, how's that?" "I didn't recomember at the time, bo; but now, as that feller is afollering us astern, in course, I thinks on it. There're a lot of thempiratical rascals in these waters; but you should go to the back ofHainan to see 'em in their glory, the little creeks and bays therefairly swarms with 'em!" "Adams!" called out Mr Mackay at this juncture; "Adams!" "Aye, aye, sir, " quickly responded the sailmaker, stopping his talk withTim Rooney and walking up nearer to Mr Mackay. "Here, sir. " "I want you to go in the chains with the lead, " said the other, turninground and speaking confidentially to old "Sails, " as Adams was generallytermed by his intimates amongst the crew. "There's no man in the ship Ican trust to for sounding like you; and it's necessary for us to knowwhat sort of water we're in till we clear all these islands and get intothe open sea. " "Aye, aye, sir, " answered the sailmaker, who, besides his moredistinctive calling, was an experienced seaman, proud of being selectedfrom the rest for such a duty, disagreeable and monotonous though itwas. "I'm quite ready, sir. " Thereupon, going back to the boatswain's cabin, where he was provided byTim with the lead-line and a broad canvas belt, he proceeded to climbover the bulwarks into the fore-chains, fastening himself to the riggingby placing the belt round his waist and hooking it on to the lower partof the shrouds--this arrangement holding him against the side of thevessel securely and at the same time enabling him to have his arms freeto use for any other purpose. Adam's next operation was to swing the lead-line with the weightattached backwards and forwards, like a pendulum, until it had gainedsufficient momentum, when he slung it as far forwards as he could, letting the coil of the line which he had over his arm run out until theway of the ship brought it perpendicularly under him; when, hauling itup quickly, and noticing how many fathoms had run out before the leadtouched the bottom, he called out in a deep sort of sepulchral chant, "And a half-five!" "Ha!" exclaimed Mr Mackay, "I thought we were shoaling. Keep it going, Adams. " "Aye, aye, sir, " replied the other, swinging the lead as before when hehad coiled up the slack and preparing for another throw; addingpresently as he had gauged the depth again, "By the mark seven!" "That's better, " cried Mr Mackay; calling out at the same time to thehelmsman as we nearly ran over a small native boat crossing our track, "starboard--hard a starboard!" Adams, however, went on sounding mechanically, not minding the movementsof the ship, his sing-song chant varying almost at every throw; and, "Bythe deep nine" being succeeded by, "And a quarter ten, " until the fulllength of the lead-line, twenty fathoms, was let out without findingbottom. "That will do now, you can come in, " cried Mr Mackay on learningthis--"we're now all right and out of danger. Aft, there, steer east-nor'-east and keep a steady helm, we're now in open water and all'splain sailing!" It took us three days to pilot up to the Natuna Islands, only some threehundred and fifty miles north of Banca, the south-westerly wind which wehad with us generally falling slack in the middle of the day, and theland breeze of a night giving us the greater help; but, still, all thewhile, the suspicious proa never deserted us, following in our tracklike a sleuth-hound--keeping off at a good distance though when the sunwas shining and only creeping up closer at dark, so as not to lose sightof us, and sheering off in the morning till hull down nearly on thehorizon. We had got almost accustomed to the craft by this time and used to cutjokes about it; for, as we were continually passing other vessels boundthrough the straits, it was obvious that even had the intentions of theproa been hostile it would not have dared to attack us at sea with sucha lot of company about. However, on our getting abreast of Saddle Island, to the north-west ofthe Natuna group, behold the proa was joined by a companion, two of themnow being in our wake when morning dawned and we were better able to seearound us. We noticed, too, that this second craft was built more injunk fashion with large lateen sails, and it seemed to be of about fivehundred piculs burthen, Mr Mackay said, the size of those craft thatare usually employed in the opium trade. Matters began to look serious, it really appearing as if the beggarswere going to follow us all the way up the China Sea until they had anopportunity of attacking us when there was no chance of any other vesselbeing near! "Let us stand towards them, Mackay and see what they're made of--eh?"said Captain Gillespie, after squinting away at the two craft behind us. "I'm hanged if I like being dodged in this way. " "With all my heart, sir, " replied the other. "But, I'm afraid, asthey're well up in the wind's eye they can easily keep out of our reachif they don't want us to approach too near them. " "We'll try it at any rate, " grunted out "Old Jock, " sniffing andsnorting, as he always did when vexed or put out. "Stand by to 'boutship!" The watch at once ran to their respective stations, Tom Jerrold and Iwith a couple of others attending to the cross-jack yard. "All ready forrud?" "Aye, aye, sorr, " shouted back Tim Rooney from the forecastle, "allready forrud. " "Helms a-lee!" The head sheets were let go as the captain roared out this order, thejib flattening as the vessel went into stays. "Raise tacks and sheets!" cried Captain Gillespie, when the foretack andmain-sheets were cast off just as his next command came--"Main-sailhaul!" Then the weather main-brace was hauled taut and the heavy yard swunground, the Silver Queen coming up to the wind with a sort of shiver, asif she did not like turning back and retracing her course. However, so "Old Jock" willed it, and she must! "Brace round your head yards!" he now sung out; and the foretack wasboarded while the main-sheet was hauled aft, we on the poop swinging thecross-jack yard at the same time, the captain then calling out to thehelmsman sharply, "Luff, you beggar, luff, can't ye!" And now, hauled up as close as we could be, the ship headed towards thestrangers; steering back in the direction of Banca again as near towindward as she could forereach. It was "like trying to catch a weasel asleep and shave his whiskers, "however, to use Tom Jerrold's words; for the moment the proa and herconsort observed our manoeuvre and saw that we were making for them, round they went too like tops, and sailing right up in the wind's eye, all idea of pursuit on our part was put entirely out of question withinthe short space of five minutes or so--the Malay craft showing that theyhad the power when they chose to exercise it of going two knots to ourone. "Begorra, I'd loike to have a slap at 'em with a long thirty-two, oraven a blissid noine-pounder Armstrong, " cried Tim Rooney, as vexed as"Old Jock" was at the result of this testing of the Silver Queen withher lighter heeled rivals to windward. "I'd soon knock 'em intoshavin's, by the howly poker, I wud!" "It's no good, as you said, " sniffed out the captain, with a sigh to MrMackay, evidently cordially echoing the boatswain's wish, which he musthave heard as well as I did, for he stood just to leeward of him. "Ready about again, stand by, men!" And then, our previous movement was repeated and the ship brought roundonce more on the port tack, heading for Pulo Sapata to the northwards--the name of this place, I may say, is derived from two Malay words, theone pulo meaning "island" and the other sapatu "shoe, " and the entirecompound word, consequently, "Shoe Island, " or the island of the shapeof one. We did not see anything more of the suspicious craft that day; so we allbelieved that our feint of overhauling them had effectually scared themaway, Tom Jerrold and I especially being impressed with this idea, attaching a good deal of importance to the talk we had overheard betweenRooney and Adams, Tom being in his bunk close by the boatswain's cabinat the time when I was outside listening to the two old tars as theyconfabbed together. Weeks, though, was of a contrary opinion, and Master Sammy could be verydogged if he pleased on any point. "I'll tell you what, my boys, " said he, with some trace of excitement inhis mottled face, which generally was as expressionless as a vegetable-marrow, "we haven't seen the last of them yet. " "Much you know of it, little un, " sneered Tom Jerrold in all the prideof his longer experience of the sea. "Why this is only the secondvoyage you've ever taken out here, or indeed been in a ship at all; andon our last trip we never tumbled across anything of this sort. " "That may be, " argued Weeks; "but if I am a green hand, as you make out, like Graham here, my father was in a China clipper for years, and he hastold me more than you'll ever learn in all your life, Mister Jerrold, Itell you. Why, he was once chased all the way from Hainan to Swatow bypirates. " "Was he?" I cried, excited too at this. "Do tell us, Weeks, all aboutit. " "There ain't anything to tell, " said he nonchalantly, but pleased, Icould see, at putting Tom Jerrold into the shade for the moment; "only, that they beat 'em off as they were trying to board father's ship offSwatow, when a vessel of war, that was just then coming down fromFormosa, caught the beggars in the very act of piracy, before they couldrun ashore and escape up the hills--as they always do, my dad said, whenever our blue-jackets are after them. " "And then--" I asked, on his pausing at this interesting point, afterrousing Jerrold's and my interest in that way, a thing which was quitein keeping with Sam Weeks' character, his disposition being naturally anexasperating one, to other people, that is, --"what happened then?" "Oh, nothing, " he replied coolly; adding after another tantalisingpause, "I recollect, though, now, dad said as how the beggars were alltaken to Canton and given over to the mandarins for trial. " "Yes, " said I, "and--" "Well, some of 'em were tortured in bamboo cages, he told me, and hesaid, too, that they made awful faces in their agony, " Weeks continued, his face looking as if he enjoyed the reminiscence; "while the others, twenty in number, were all put up in a row kneeling on the ground, withtheir pigtails tied up over their heads so as to leave their necks bare, and the executioner who had a double-bladed sword like a butcher'scleaver, sliced off their heads as if they were so many carrots. Itmust have been jolly to see 'em rolling on the ground. " "You cold-blooded brute!" exclaimed Tom Jerrold; but I only shudderedand said nothing. "You seem to revel in it!" "If you'd heard all my dad told me of what those beggars do to thepeople they capture, sometimes making them walk the plank and shuttingthem up in the hold of their own ship and burning them in a lump, you'dbe glad of their being punished when caught! I only hope they won'tseize our vessel; but, I tell you what, I'm certain we haven't seen thelast of those two craft yet. They'll come back after us at nightfall, just you see!" "By Jove, I hope not!" said Tom, impressed by Weeks' communication allthe more from the fact of his not being generally talkative, always"keeping himself to himself" as the saying goes. "I hope you won'tprove a true prophet, Sammy, most devoutly. " I could see, also, from Mr Mackay's anxious manner and that of thecaptain, though neither said anything further about the matter, thattheir fears were not allayed. There was no doubt that they shared thesame impression as that of Sam Weeks; for as we bore away now nor'-nor'-west, with the south-west wind on our quarter, more sail was made on theship, and a strong current running in the same direction helping us on, we were found to be going over eight knots when the log was hove at sixbells, just before dinner-time. "Old Jock" beamed again at this, walking up and down the poop andrubbing his hands and sniffing with his long nose in the air to catchthe breeze, as was his wont when the Silver Queen was travelling throughthe water. "By Jingo, we'll weather 'em yet!" he said to Mr Mackay, who alsoseemed more relieved in his mind; "we'll weather 'em yet. " "Yes, I think so, too, " said the latter, scanning the horizon with thebig telescope away to windward. "There isn't a trace of them anywhereout there now, and there are no islands for them to hide behind where welast sighted them; so, if we can only carry-on like this, perhaps we'llbe able to give them the slip--eh?" "Humph!" grumbled the other, "so I told you, Mackay; and, you know, whenI say a thing I always mean a thing!" The afternoon passed without any further appearance of the proa or junk, and then the evening came on, the wind veering round to our beam atsunset, making us brace up more sharply. We looked about us prettykeenly now, as might be imagined, but still nothing was to be seen ofour whilom pursuers; and so all on board turned in that night much morecomfortably than on the preceding one, when the danger appeared moreimmediate. The morning, however, told a different tale. At the early dawn, when I was with Mr Mackay on the poop, the portwatch coming on deck just then in their turn of duty, we could seenothing of the suspicious strangers; however as the sun rose higher up, his rays lit a more extended range of sea, and then, far-away off on thehorizon to windward, could be seen two tiny white sails in the distancedead astern of us. "Sail ho!" shouted I from the mizzen cross-trees, where I had gone tolook out, Tom Jerrold being sent up aloft forward for the same purpose. "Sail ho!" "Where away?" cried Mr Mackay, clutching the glass and climbing up intothe rigging as he spoke, being as spry as a cat. "What do you makeout?" "Two of them, sir, " said I; "and I believe it's these pirates, sir, again. They're on our weather quarter, hull down to windward. " "Right you are, my boy!" cried he presently after a careful inspectionof the objects I had pointed out from the top, though he did not come upaloft any higher, his telescope under his arm being rather awkward tocarry. "They are the same craft, sure enough. It is most vexatious!" He went down below to tell the captain, and, of course, the news soonspread through the ship, all hands turning out and coming on deck tohave a look at these bloodhounds of the deep, that seemed bent onpursuing us to the death. They did not close on us, though, keeping the same distance off, someten miles or so, till sundown, when they approached a little nearer andcould be seen astern of us, through the middle watch, by the aid of thenight-glass; but they sheered off again at the breaking of this thirdday, by which time we could see Pulo Sapata right ahead, a mostuninviting spot apparently, consisting of nothing but one big bare rock. Here, hauling round on the starboard tack, we shaped our course east-nor'-east, to pass over the Macclesfield Bank, in a straight line almostfor Formosa Strait, our most direct route to Shanghai, the proa and thejunk still keeping after us at a safe distance off. "By Jingo, I'll tire 'em out yet!" cried "Old Jock" savagely, when, onour getting abreast of the Paracels, although far off to leeward, he sawthe beastly things still in our wake as he came on deck in the morning. "I'll tire 'em out before I've done with 'em. " But, now, all at once, we had something more important to think of thaneven the supposed pirates. The wind had freshened during the morning, blowing as usual from thesouth-west and west, and towards noon it slackened again; but noimportance was attached to this circumstance, at first, by the captainand Mr Mackay, although, when presently the water became thick and adeep irregular swell set in, they both grew rather uneasy. "It looks uncommon like a typhoon, sir, " said the first mate to "OldJock, " after looking out both to windward and leeward. "There is somechange coming. " "I think so, too, " said the other. "Go down, Mackay, and have a look atthe barometer. It was all right when I came up, but it may have fallensince then; if it has, that will make our doubt a certainty. " "Aye, aye, sir, " replied the first mate hurrying down the companion. Hewasn't long absent, returning the next moment with the information: "Ithas gone down from 29. 80 to 29. 60. " "That means a typhoon, then, " said Captain Gillespie; "so the soonerwe're prepared for it the better. All hands take in sail!" The men tumbled up with a will, the sheets all flying as the halliardswe're let go and all hands on the yard like bees; and, as soon as thetopgallants had been clewed up, these sails were furled and lashed, aswell as having the sea-gaskets put on, so as to make them all the moresecure. The topsails followed suit, and then the courses; the ship's head beingbrought round to the nor'-west, from which quarter the storm wasexpected, as typhoons always blow eight points to the right of theregular wind, which with us, at the time these precautions were taken, was from the south-east. The Silver Queen now lay-to, motionless in the water, with only her maintrysail and a storm staysail forward set. "What is a typhoon?" I asked Mr Mackay, when I got down on deck againafter helping to hand the mizzen-topsail, the last job we had to do onour mast. "What does it mean?" "It's the Chinese word for a `big wind, ' my boy, " said he kindly; butlooking very grave. "You'll soon be able to see what it's like foryourself. " The opportunity he spoke of was not long delayed. By the time the sails had been taken in and all our preparations madefor the reception of our expected but unwelcome visitor, everythingbeing lashed down that was likely to get blown away, and life-lines rovealong the deck fore and aft, the same as when we were making ready toweather the Cape of Good Hope, it was late in the afternoon. At four o'clock, the commencement of the first dog-watch, the barometerhad fallen further down the scale to 29. 46; while, an hour later, it wasdown to 28. 96, the wind increasing in force almost every minute and thesea growing in proportion, until the very height of the cyclone wasattained. The dinghy, which was lashed inboard behind the wheel-house, was blownbodily away to leeward, the ropes holding it parting as if they had beenpack-thread, heavy squalls, accompanied with heavy rain all the timebeating on us like hail, and bursting over the ship in rapid succession;but the old barquey bravely stood it, bending to the blast when it came, and then buoyantly rising the next moment and breasting it like the goodsea-boat she was. At "six bells" the barometer fell to its lowest point, 28. 60, when theviolence of the wind was something fearful, although after this therewas a slight rise in the glass. During the next half-hour, however, themizzen-topsail, which Tom Jerrold and I, with Gregory to help us, hadfastened as we thought so firmly to the yard, was blown to ribbons, thespanker getting adrift shortly afterwards and being torn away from itslacing to the luff rope, scrap by scrap. The main trysail, also, although only very little of it was shown whenset, now blew away too, making a great report no doubt; but theshrieking of the wind was such that we couldn't hear anything else butits howling through the rigging, the captain's voice close alongside ofme, as I sheltered under the hood of the companion, sounding actuallyonly like a faint whisper. The typhoon now shifted from the north-west to the westwards, and thebarometer, rising shortly afterwards to 29. 20, jumped up thence anothertwenty points in the next hour. "It's passing off now, " said Captain Gillespie, when he could makehimself heard between the squalls, which now came with a longer intervalbetween them. "Those typhoons always work against the sun, and we'venow experienced the worst of it. There goes our last sail, though, andwe'll have to run for it now. " As he said the words the storm staysail forward was carried away with adistinct bang, hearing which showed that the wind was not so powerfulquite as just now--when one, really, couldn't have heard a thirty-fiveton gun fired forwards. On losing this her only scrap of canvas left, the ship half broached to. Joe Fergusson, however, came to the rescue, no doubt from hearingsomething the boatswain had said, for the gale was blowing so furiouslythat the captain would not have thought of ordering a man aloft; for, whether through catching Tim Rooney's remark or from some sailor-likeintuition, the ex-bricklayer in the very nick of time voluntarilyclambered up the rigging forwards and loosened the weather clew of theforesail. Mr Mackay who was aft, seeing his purpose, at once told the men at thewheel to put the helm up; when, the Silver Queen's head paying off, shelifted out of the trough of the heavy rolling sea and scudded away nor'-eastwards right before the wind, which had now got back to the normalpoint of the "trade" we had been sailing with previous to the storm--when, as this new south-westerly gale was blowing with more than twentytimes the force of our original monsoon from the same quarter, the ship, although with only this tiny scrap of her foresail set, was soon drivingthrough the water at over twelve knots the hour, in the very direction, too, we wanted her to go, to fetch our port. "This is what I call turning the tables, " yelled the captain, puttingboth his hands to his mouth for a sort of speaking trumpet as he roaredout the words to Mr Mackay at the wheel. "By Jingo, it's turning thetail of a typhoon into a fair wind!" CHAPTER FOURTEEN. ATTACKED BY THE PIRATES. It was "the tail of a typhoon" with a vengeance; for as we raced onwardsthrough the boiling sea, now lit up by a very watery moon, lots ofbroken spars and timbers could be seen, as well as several junksfloating bottom upwards, thus showing what the fury of the storm hadbeen and the damage done by its ravages. Mr Mackay noticed these bits of wrecks and wreckage as the captainspoke; and, mingled with a feeling of pity for those who had perished inthe tornado, came a satisfactory thought to his mind. "Yes, sir, " said he in reply to Captain Gillespie's observation, "we'remaking a fair wind out of a foul one; but, besides that, sir, we've gotsomething else to thank the typhoon for, under Providence. It hasprobably settled the hash of those piratical rascals that were chasingus!" "Humph! I forgot all about 'em, " snorted out "Old Jock, " equallypleased at this idea. "No doubt they've gone to the bottom, and goodluck to 'em too. One can't feel sorry for such vermin as those that areprowling after honest craft, and who'd cut one's throat for a dollar. " "We mustn't be too sure, though, sir, " continued the first mate, as ifhe had been turning the matter over in his mind. "We've managed toweather the gale so far, and so might they. Those fellows areaccustomed to these seas and can smell a typhoon coming; so, if they ranto windward in time, instead of lying-to and waiting for it, as we did, they might have got out of it altogether by keeping ahead of it. " "Pooh!" ejaculated "Old Jock" contemptuously--"I've no fear of beingtroubled by them again. They're all down in Davy Jones' locker by this;and may joy go with them, as I said before!" "Well, sir, " said Mr Mackay, not pursuing his theory any further, anddesirous of turning the conversation, if conversation it can be calledwhen both were holding on still to the life-lines and shouting at eachother more than speaking, "what are we to do now?" "Carry-on, of course, " replied "Old Jock, " with a squint up at thewatery moon and the flying clouds that ever and anon obscured its palegleams, making everything look black around the moment it was hidden, "There's nothing else to be done but to let her scud before it until thegale has spent its force. I wish we could get up some more sail, though. " "Would it be safe, sir?" "Safe!" snorted "Old Jock, " sniffing with his nose up directly. "Why, what the dickens have you got to be afraid of, man? We're now in theopen sea, with nothing in the shape of land near us for a hundred milesor more anywhere you chose to cast the lead. " "But, you forget, sir, " suggested the other good-humouredly, so as notto anger the "old man, " who was especially touchy about his navigation;"you forget the rate the ship's going--over twelve knots?" "No, I don't forget, Mister Mackay; and, if we were going twenty itwouldn't make the slightest difference, " retorted the captain, who wasthoroughly roused now, as the first mate could tell by his addressinghim as "Mister, " which he never did unless pretty well worked up and ina general state of temper. "I'd have you to know I'm captain of my ownship; and when I say a thing I mean a thing! Call up the hands to tryand get some more sail on her; for I'm going to make the best of thistyphoon now, as it has made the best it could of me--one good turndeserves another. " Of course there was no arguing with him after this; so all Mr Mackaycould do was to pass the word forward for Tim Rooney, and tell him whatCaptain Gillespie's orders were--there was no good attempting to hailthe boatswain, for not a word shouted could be heard beyond the poop. "Begorra, it's a risky game, puttin' sail on her, sorr, " said Timmeeting Mr Mackay half-way on the main-deck; "but we moight thrylettin' out a schrap more av the fores'le, if the houl lot don't fetchaway. " "We must try it, " returned Mr Mackay. "He will have it so. " "All right, sorr, I'm agreeayble, as the man aid whin he wor agoin' tobe hung, " said Tim Rooney grinning, never taking anything serious forvery long; "faix I'll go up mesilf if I can't get none av the hands tovolunteer. I couldn't order 'em yet, sorr, for it's more'n a man'sloife is worth to get on a yard with this wind. " "Very good, Rooney, do your best, " replied Mr Mackay. "Only don't runinto any danger. We can't afford to loose you, bo'sun. " "Troth I'll take care av that same, sorr, " returned Tim with a laugh. "I wants another jollification ashore afore I'd be after losin' thenoomber av me mess. " I had come down from off the poop with Mr Mackay, and now, standing byhis side, watched with anxiety Tim's movements. He had no lack of volunteers, however, for the ticklish work of layingout on the yard, Joe Fergusson's previous example having inspiredwhatever pluck was previously wanting; and, almost as soon as he gotforward we saw several of the hands mounting the fore rigging on thestarboard side--this being the least dangerous, as there was no chanceof their being blown into the sea against the wind. But Tim Rooney would not suffer them to go aloft alone, his stalwartfigure being the first to be seen leading the way up the shrouds, withJoe Fergusson close behind, not satisfied apparently with his previousattempt; and both, I noticed in the moonlight, which just then streamedout full for a few minutes, had their jack-knives between their teeth, ready for any emergency, as well as to cut away the double lashings ofthe foresail, "sea-gaskets" having been laced over the regular ones soas to bind the sail tighter to the yard. As they went up, the crew were flattened like pancakes against theratlines; and Mr Mackay and I held our breath when they got on thefoot-rope from the shrouds, holding on to the yard and jack-stay, withthe wind swaying them to and fro in the most perilous manner. TimRooney especially seemed in the most dangerous position, as he made forthe lee earing, whence he might be swept off in an instant into thefoaming waves that spurted up from the chains as if clutching at him, while Joe Fergusson worked his way out to the end of the weather yard-arm, fighting the fierce gusts at every sliding step he took. Then, when all were at their posts, Tim gave some sort of signal to thefour others whom he allowed to go up with him, and at the same instantthe gaskets were severed, parties of men below slacking off theclewlines and pulling on the sheets by degrees. By this means theforesail, having been double-reefed fortunately before being furled, wasset satisfactorily, without a split as all of us below expected, thehands getting down from the yards while we were yet hauling the tackaboard. The effect of this additional sail power on the ship was magical, lifting her bows out of the water and making her plunge madly throughthe billowy ocean, now all covered with foam and spume, like a maddenedhorse taking the bit between his teeth and bolting. "She wants some after sail to steady her, " roared the captain bendingover the poop rail, although he held on tightly enough to it the while, and calling out to Mr Mackay, who remained with me just below him onthe main-deck. "We must try and get some sort of rag up. " Mr Mackay made a motion up at the fragments of the main trysail, which, it may be remembered, had been carried away by the first blast of thetyphoon. "Aye, " roared back "Old Jock, " understanding him, and knowing that ifthe first mate had spoken he couldn't have heard a word he said, fromthe fact of the wind blowing forward. "I know it's gone, but try astaysail. " "Bedad, he bates Bannagher!" said Tim Rooney, who had returned aft andjoined Mr Mackay and I under the break of the poop, where we weresheltered more from the force of the gale. "I niver did say sich a chapfor carryin' on, fair weather an' foul, loike `Ould Jock Sayins an'Mayins. ' Sure, he wants to be there afore himsilf!" "We must rig up a storm staysail, I suppose, " replied Mr Mackay, smiling at the other's remark. "Try one on the mizzen staysail--thesmallest you've got. Ask Adams, he'll soon find one; and, mind you, send it up `wift' fashion, so as to lessen the risk of its getting blownaway, bosun. " "Aye, aye, sorr, " said Tim, opening his eyes at this expedient ofhoisting a sail like a pilot's signal, and starting to work his wayforward again along the weather side of the deck. "Begorra, you're theboy, sure, Misther Mackay, for sayin' through a stone hidge as well asmost folk!" But the dodge succeeded all the same, and likewise had the advantage ofsteadying the vessel, which did not roll nearly so much when the aftersail was hoisted, with the sheet hauled in to leeward; although, theSilver Queen bent over when she felt it, as if running on a bowline, notwithstanding that the wind was almost dead aft and she spurring onbefore it. As the night came on it darkened more, the moon disappearing altogetherand the sky becoming completely covered with black angry clouds; whileheavy showers of cold rain pelted down on us at intervals from midnighttill "four bells" in the middle watch. Then the rain ceased and the heavens cleared a bit, a few stars peepingout; and the phosphorescent light from the sea enabled us to have a goodview of the boiling waves around us, still heaving and tossing as far asthe eye could reach, although the wind was perceptibly lessening. An hour later its force had fallen to that of a strong breeze, and thecaptain had the topsails and mizzen-topgallant set, carrying on stillfull pitch to the north-east, notwithstanding that just before dawn itbecame pitch dark again and we couldn't see a cable's length ahead. The starboard watch had been relieved shortly before this, but MrSaunders remained up, as indeed had most of us since the previousafternoon; while Captain Gillespie, indeed, never left the deck oncesince the first suspicion of the typhoon. He now yawned, however, the long strain and fatigue beginning to tell onhim. "I think I'll go below, " he said; and, turning to Mr Mackay, allamiable again, especially at having carried his point of "carrying on"successfully in spite of the first mate's caution, he remarked with asniff, "You see, Mackay, we've gone on all right and met no dangers, andit'll puzzle those blessed pirates, if they're yet in the land of theliving, to find us at daybreak!" Just as he uttered these words, however, there was a tremendous shockforwards that threw us all off our feet, succeeded by a peculiar gratingfeeling under the ship's keel, after which, her heaving and rollingceased as if she had suddenly sailed from amidst the waves into the calmwater of some sheltered harbour. A second shock followed soon, but notso violent as the first; and then, all motion ceased. "By Jingo, she's aground!" snorted out "Old Jock, " scrambling to hisfeet by the assistance of Mr Saunders' outstretched hand. "Where onearth can we've got to? there's no land here. " Mr Mackay said nothing, although he had his suspicions, which indeedhad led in the original instance to his remonstrance against thecaptain's allowing the ship to rush on madly in the dark; but, presently, as the light of morning illumined the eastern sky and we wereable to see the ship's position, a sudden cry of alarm and recognitionburst from both-- "The Pratas shoal!" This was their joint exclamation; and, on the sun rising a little lateron, when the whole scene and all our surroundings could be betterobserved, the wonder was that the Silver Queen was not in pieces andevery soul on board her drowned! To explain our miraculous escape, I may mention that this shoal, whichCaptain Gillespie and Mr Mackay so quickly named beyond question, was acircular coral reef almost in the centre of the China Sea, and about ahundred and thirty miles distant from Hongkong, absolutely in the veryhighway of vessels trading east and west. Breakers encircled it, showing their white crests on every side, thesharp points of the coral composing the reef almost coming to thesurface of the water, while at some spots it was raised above it. Inthese latter places it was covered with rank grass, exhibiting incipientsigns of vegetation; and, within the reef, inclosed by a lagoon somethree miles wide that went completely round it, lay a small island, onwhich were several shrubs and a prominent tree on a slight elevation, which will in process of time become a hill, whereon stood also theremains of a pagoda, or Chinese temple, while pieces of wreck andbleached bones were scattered over the shores. Of course we did notnotice all these things at first, but such was the result of oursubsequent observations and investigations. As wild, desolate, and dreary a spot it was as ever anchorite imaginedor poet pictured; such, at all events, we all thought on looking at itand realising the providential way in which our safety had beeneffected. It happened in this wise. There were one or two breaks in the reef surrounding this desert isle, as we could see from a link missing here and there in the chain ofbreakers. This was especially noticeable towards the south-westernportion of the rampart the indefatigable coral insect had thrown up, where an opening about double the width of the Silver Queen's beam wasplainly discernible. Through this fissure in the reef, piloted by thatpower which had watched over us throughout all the perils of our voyage, the ship had been driven; and she had beached herself gradually on theshore of the little island, as her way was eased by the placid lagooninto which she entered from the troubled sea without the naturalbreakwater. Here she was now fixed hard and fast forward, with herforefoot high and dry, although there was deep water under her sternaft. "Thank God for his mercy!" exclaimed Mr Mackay fervently; and I'm sureI echoed this recognition of the loving care that had so wonderfullypreserved us. "We couldn't have got in here without striking on thereef, if we had seen the entrance before our eyes and tried our verybest; not, at all events, with that gale shoving us on and in such a seaas is running--only look at it now!" "Oh, aye, " agreed Captain Gillespie, gazing out as we all did at thecreamy line of foaming breakers all round, that sent showers of surfyspray over the coral ledge into the placid lagoon, which was calm andstill in comparison, like a mountain tarn, albeit filled with brackishsea-water all the same. "Oh, aye, it's wonderful enough our gettinghere; but how are we going to get out--eh?" "No doubt we'll find a way, " said the other, who had bared his head whengiving thanksgiving where it was due; and whose noble, intelligent face, I thought, as I looked at him admiringly, seemed capable of anything, hespoke so cheerfully, his courage not daunted but increased, it seemed, all the more by what had happened--"No doubt we'll find a way, sir. " But "Old Jock" wouldn't be comforted. Obstinately insisting before, against Mr Mackays advice, that we weregoing on all right, he was even more dogmatically certain now that wewere all wrong; saying that, as far as he could see, the ship and hercargo and every one of the thirty-one souls she had on board weredoomed! "I can't see how it's going to be managed, Mackay, " he replieddespondingly to the other's cheery words, even his nose drooping withdismay at the prospect, superstition coming to aid his despairingconviction. "I knew there was something uncanny when those pigs jumpedoverboard that evening, and I told you so, if you recollect, Saunders;and you know, when I say a thing, I mean a thing. " "Aye, aye, " said the second mate, thus appealed to; and who being ashallow-pated man with little feeling for anything save the indulgenceof his appetite, thought there was some connection, now the captain putit so, between the loss of the porkers and the ship's being castaway, henot having been let into the secret of the reason for the strangebehaviour of the pigs on the occasion referred to. "Aye, aye, cap'en, Iremember your saying so quite well. " Mr Mackay couldn't stand this, and he walked down the poop ladder toconceal his amusement; and I followed him when I found him bent onconsulting Tim Rooney as to what was to be done, the captain beinghopeless at present. "Be jabers, we're in a pritty kittle av fish an' no mistake!" said Timwhen asked his opinion about the situation. "We might be able to kedgeher off, sorr, an' thin ag'in we moightn't; but the foorst thing to say, sorr, is whither she's all roight below. " "A good suggestion, " answered Mr Mackay. "Tell the carpenter to soundthe well at once. " "That'd be no good at all, sorr, " interposed the other, "for the poorcraythur's got her bows hoigh an' dhry, while she's down by the starn. The bist thing as I'd advise, sorr, excusin' the liberty, is to get downalongside an' say if she's started anythin'. That big scrape she got asshe came over the rafe, I'm afeard, took off a bit av her kale, sorr. " "Right you are, Rooney, sensible as ever, " said Mr Mackay. "We'll havea boat over the side at once and see to it. " This, however, was a work of time, for the jolly-boat, which was theonly one of moderate size we had left, since the dinghy had been carriedaway in the typhoon, was stowed inside the long-boat; and so purchaseshad to be rigged to the fore and main yards before it could be raisedfrom its berth and hoisted over the ship's bulwarks. But, all hands helping, the job was done at last; when Mr Mackaydescended the side-ladder into the boat along with the boatswain and acouple of men to pull round the ship, so as to ascertain what, if any, damage she might have received. I could not help noticing, though, thatthe captain did not exhibit the slightest interest when the first matesubmitted what he was about to do and asked his permission--only tellinghim that he might go if he liked, but he thought it of little use! I should have liked to have gone with them too, and I mentioned this toTom Jerrold, as he and I leant over the bows and watched the jolly-boatand those in her below us; for although Tim Rooney had spoken of theship being "high and dry" she was still in shallow water forward, theshelly bottom being to be seen at the depth of two or three feet or so, the beach shelving abruptly. While the two of us were looking at the boat, though, and the island infront spread out before us, with its solitary tree, ruined Chinesepagoda and all, which Ching Wang was also inspecting with much interestfrom the forecastle, we were suddenly startled by a shout aft fromCaptain Gillespie, who still remained on the poop. "Hi, Mackay, " he cried, "come back. Here is that blessed proa and junk, and a whole fleet of pirates after us!" This made both Tom and I turn pale, although Ching Wang betrayed noexpression of alarm when we explained the captain's hail to him, onlyhis little beady eyes twinkling. "You fightee number one chop, tyfong makee scarcee chop chop, Sabby? Nogoodee when sailor-mannee fightee!" When we got aft, where we were soon joined by Mr Mackay, who hadinstantly obeyed the captain's order of recall, and said, by the way, that they could not discover much injury to the ship forward save that aportion of her false keel had been torn off, "Old Jock" pointed out somespecks on the horizon to windward. These, on being scrutinised throughthe glass by the first mate, were declared to be the now familiar proaand her consort, a fact which I corroborated with my naked eye from themizzen cross-trees whither I at once ascended. The sea, I noticed too, had calmed down considerably outside the reef, which the pirate junks gained later on in the afternoon, coming throughthe opening we had observed to the south and west one by one, in singlefile, and then advancing towards the Silver Queen in line. Presently, when about half a mile off, they stopped on a flag beinghoisted by the leading proa, which appeared to command the expedition;and then, amidst the hideous din of a lot of tin-kettly drums and gongs, the pirates, for such they now showed themselves to be without doubt, opened fire on the ship with cannon and jingals--the balls from theformer soon singing in the air as they passed over our masts, their aim, however, being rather high and eccentric, although the first thatwhistled past made me duck my head in fright, thinking it was comingtowards me. "Oh!" I cried; but I may say without any exaggeration or desire tobrag, that I did not flinch again, nor did I utter another "Oh!" CHAPTER FIFTEEN. CHING WANG AND I ESCAPE IN THE SAMPAN. It must not be thought, though, that we were inactive all the time thepirates were coming nearer after the first warning of their unexpectedapproach. No, on the contrary, we made every preparation, with the means at ourdisposal, to receive them with proper respect. "Begorra, if they'd ownly tould us afore we lift the ould country we'd ahad some big guns, too, " said Tim Rooney as he blazed away at a chapwith a red sash on in the prow of the proa, taking aim at him with oneof the Martini-Henry rifles that had been brought up by the captain fromhis cabin. "So, me hearties, ye'll have to take the will for the dade, an' this little lidden messenger, avic, to show as how we aren'tonmindful av ye, sure, an' that there's no ill falin' atwane us!" Yes, we had made every preparation. The moment Captain Gillespie was assured that the the pirates--towardswhom he had conceived a deadly hatred, although believing them lost inthe storm that had caught us--were coming again in chase of ourunfortunate ship, he woke up once more into his old animated self, hisnose twisting this way and that as he sniffed and snorted, full ofwarlike energy. "I'll soon teach 'em a lesson, " he cried cheerily to Mr Mackay. "Whenthey tackle Jock Gillespie, they'll find their match; and, ye know, whenI say a thing I mean a thing!" Thereupon he bounced down the companion, telling Jerrold and me tofollow him; which, as may be supposed, we did with the greatestalacrity, "Old Jock" not often inviting us to his sanctum. "Here, lads, " he said, emptying out an old arm-chest which was stowedunder his bunk on to the floor, "lend a hand, will ye?" Of course we did "lend the hand" he requested thus politely in a tone ofcommand, only too glad to overhaul the stock of weapons tumbled out alltogether from the chest. There were a couple of Martini-Henry rifles, sighted for long ranges;three old Enfields of the pattern the volunteers used to be suppliedwith some years ago; a large bore shot-gun; and a few revolvers ofvarious sorts--one of the latter making my eyes glisten at the sight ofit, for it was just suited to me, I thought. The captain seemed to anticipate my wish, even before I could give itutterance. "Do ye know how to fire a pistol?" he asked Jerrold and me, looking fromone to the other of us, with a profound sniff of interrogation. "Haveeither of ye handled ere a one before?" "Oh, yes, sir, " said I; while Tom Jerrold laughed. "Don't you remember, cap'en, " he cried, "giving me that fat one there, the Colt revolver, last voyage when you thought there was going to be amutiny; and how you instructed me how to use it?" "Oh, aye, I remember. I clean forgot, lad; this bother about the shiphas turned my head, I think, " snorted he, not a bit angrily though. "Well, take the same weapon again now, lad, as you're familiar with it;and you, youngster, have you got any choice?" "I'd like this one, sir, " I replied, fixing on my original selection, ashe turned to me and asked this question, "if you'll let me have it. Iwon't hurt it. " "No, I don't fancy ye will, " he said, sniffing and chuckling andtwitching his nose. "I hope ye'll hurt some of those rascally pirateswith it, though. " The captain then opened another chest, a smaller iron one, which he alsodragged out from under his bunk, unlocking it with a heavy key he tookoff a bunch which was hanging up on a nail over his writing-desk andthrowing back the lid. This second receptacle, we soon discovered, contained a lot ofcartridges for the rifles, there being a hundred or more of varioussorts, some for the breech-loaders and some for the Enfields of the old-fashioned regulation size. There were also a variety of smallercartridges for the revolvers, and "Old Jock" gave Tom and I each apackage of these latter for our weapons. In the chest, likewise, were two or three large flasks of powder and alot of bullets loose, which the captain crammed into a leathern bag andtold us to take on the poop with the rifles, Tom and I carrying up acouple each with the bag of bullets and powder-flasks and then returningfor the rest. In our absence "Old Jock" had ferreted out from some other hiding-placeof his a couple of swords and a number of cutlasses, which he likewisedirected us to take up the companion, he assisting us; until, presently, we had the whole armoury arranged on the top of the cabin skylight. "Now, Mackay, " said Captain Gillespie, blowing like a grampus after hisexertions, "take y'r choice, but I think that the two best shots in theship ought to have the Martini rifles; and if I were picking out thepicked marksmen--he! he! that's a joke, `picking' and `picked, ' didn'tintend it though--I'd have chosen y'rself and the bosun!" Of course we all laughed at his joke, as he had taken such pains topoint it out; and he was so pleased with it himself that it was sometime before he could speak again, he sniffed and snorted so much. "Not bad that, Mackay, " he said; "not bad--eh? But which of thesethings would ye like best--eh?" "I think I'll take the breech-loader, sir, " replied the other, suitingthe action to the word and proceeding to examine the lock of one of theMartini-Henrys, which seemed to be an old acquaintance of his, for heloaded the chamber much quicker than I could manage my new acquisition;"and I don't believe you could do better than hand the other to Rooney, as you suggested. He's the best shot in the ship, I'm certain. " "Y'rself excepted, " interposed the captain wonderfully politely for him;singing out loudly at the same time, "Bosun!" "Here, sorr, " cried Tim, who had been waiting below close to the poopladder, expecting the summons, and who was all agog at the prospect of afight. "Here I am, sorr. " "Well, bosun, " said Captain Gillespie, "it looks as if we'll have tofight those rascals coming up astern and making for us. The cowards!They didn't dare attack the old barquey when she was all ataunto in theopen sea; and only now rely on their numbers and the fact of our beingin limbo here. However, if they do attack us, we shall have a fight forit. " "Bully for ye, sorr!" cried Tim enraptured. "It's mesilf as loikes afight, sure. I'm niver at pace barrin' whin I'm in a row, sure, sorr!" "Then you'll be soon in your element, " retorted Jock grimly. "Call thehands aft. " "Aye, aye, sorr, " answered Tim; and going up to the rail he shouted outin his ringing voice, "All ha-a-nds aft!" "Now, my men, " said "Old Jock, " leaning over the poop and addressingthem as they stood below on the main-deck--"we've got a batch ofrascally pirates coming up after us astern; and, as you know, we can'trun away from 'em. What will ye do--cave in to 'em or fight 'em?" The crew broke into a rousing cheer. "Ye'll fight 'em, then?" "Aye, aye, fight 'em till we make 'em sick!" shouted one of the handsspeaking for the rest, who endorsed his answer on their behalf with a"Hip, hip, hooray!" "And one for the skipper, " shouted Joe Fergusson, who was a sailor ofsailors by this time and had learnt all their ways and talk, droppingout of his old provincialisms. "Hip, hip, hooray!" "And another for Mr Mackay, " cried a voice that sounded like that ofAdams, causing the hooraying to start again with fresh force, this cheerbeing much heartier than the first. "Now, men, " said Captain Gillespie, "as ye've let off all your gas, letme see what ye can do in action. Bosun, serve out the cutlasses anddistribute the rest of the guns. " This being done and all of the men armed in one way or another, thedeficiencies of the captain's armoury being made good by the aid ofhandspikes which Mr Mackay had thoughtfully ordered to be brought aftwhile we were taking up the rifles and other things from the cabin. Even Billy, the ship's boy, got hold of an old bayonet, which hebrandished about near Pedro Carvalho the steward, who had come out ofhis pantry to see what all the noise was about, which gesture on hispart almost frightening the Portuguese, who, as I've related before, wasan innate coward, into a fit. At all events, it made him turn of ayellowish pallor that did not improve his complexion. "Carramba!" he exclaimed, as he retreated back within his pantry. "Fora, maldito!" When offered a weapon, Ching Wang only smiled that innocent bland smileof his, producing his own long knife, that had a blade like an Americanbowie, being over a foot long and with a double edge. "Me one piecee in tyfong tummee tummee, chop chop, pijjin!" he said, brandishing the awful blade in a way that I'm sure the "kyfongs, " theChinese term for pirates, would not relish, especially in such friendlyrelation with their "tummee tummees. " All the crew being now armed, the captain and Mr Mackay disposed themin parties about the deck and forecastle to windward, so as best tooppose the pirates' attack; while the men provided with the Enfieldrifles were placed in the tops, with the bullets and powder forammunition when their cartridges ran short. Tim Rooney took his stationwith Mr Mackay on the poop, from which the advancing pirates could bestbe picked off, and where also were gathered the captain, as a matter ofcourse; Mr Saunders, who carried an old single-barrel pistol with aheavy lock, which the second mate intended to make more use of as a clubthan to shoot with; and Tom Jerrold and Sam Weeks, as well as myself--Sam being sadly jealous of Tom and I from the fact of our havingrevolvers, while he, coming too late after they'd all been distributed, had to be contented with a marlin-spike--poor Sammy! It was thus that we all awaited the attack, every man Jack of us beingat his specially appointed post and on the alert; when the pirates--after pounding away at us a long time at a distance, with the result ofneither wounding a soul on board nor damaging the ship very materially, none of the shot penetrating her hull between wind and water, the onlything we had to fear--at length mustered up courage enough to give uptheir rather unremunerative game of "long bowls" and come to closequarters. I had got quite accustomed now to the rushing sound of round shot in theair and the waspish phit phitting of rifle bullets past my head; and Iwas filled with a wild excitement that made my heart pant, as I stood onthe poop between Mr Mackay and Tim Rooney. These two were peppering away at the leading proa and the junks, as theypaddled in hastily towards the ship with their long double-bankedsweeps, anxious to get in close alongside and so to be sheltered by ourhull from the murderous and rapid fire which the wielders of theMartini-Henrys rained on them. But every bullet found a billet in some pirate breast sooner or later, one of the villainous desperadoes falling over his oar here and anotherdropping down on the bamboo deck of a junk there; while, occasionally, some wretch would tumble overboard with a wild yell, in answer to theping of the rifle, shot through the heart as dead as a herring, andgoing down to his grave amongst the fishes in Neptune's coral cavernsbelow! "There's that scoundrel of a fellow in the red sash again, " cried MrMackay, when the Malay proa, which still led the van, was only abouthalf a cable's length off. "There he is, Rooney, --do you see him?" "Aye, bad cess to the black divil, I say him well enough, sorr, "returned Tim, carefully putting a fresh cartridge into the chamber ofhis weapon. "Begorra, I thought I'd kilt the beggar a dozen toimesalriddy; but he's got the luck of ould Nick, an' sames to save his skinsomehow or ither. Here goes for him ag'in--take that now, ye ouldthaife!" "Ping!" But the pirate captain, as the tall dark man in the stern of the proaseemed to be, only let fall the long crease which he had held in hisright hand brandishing at us, the bullet from Tim's rifle having brokenhis arm, that also dropped powerless by his side. "You nearly had him there, " cried Mr Mackay, now taking a shot. "Ihope I'll have better luck though. " "I hope ye will, sorr, " heartily echoed Tim. "I mint to riddle hiscarkiss an ownly winged him. The ugly black divil sames to kape acharmed loife, an' I dare say his ould frind below helps him, thenayghur!" Mr Mackay, however, was equally unsuccessful; for, as luck would haveit, another of the pirates jumping up in front of the chief received thebullet intended for him. The scoundrel who got killed was, certainly, one off the list; still, the small fry did not count like their leader, the loss of whom all ofus thought might have paralysed the enemy's advance. It really seemed, however, as if the gigantic villain, who towered overhis men, bore a charmed life; for, although our fellows in the tops withthe Ennelds, as well the first mate and boatswain, aimed at him, while, now that the proa was within revolver range, the captain and TomJerrold, and even I, with my little weapon, pelted bullet after bulletin his direction, all of us missed hitting the swarthy scoundrel. Wenoticed, too, on seeing him closer, that he appeared to be more of PedroCarvalho's nationality than belonging to the Malay race, his featuresand shape of head being altogether different; albeit, he was fully asugly as his rascally comrades in the proa and following junks--a hybridlot of Javanese and Chinese and all the vile scourings of the StraitsSettlements; long-haired heavy-eyed and sullen-looking most of them, with narrow retreating foreheads, and evidently of the lowest type ofhumanity. As they got closer and closer to the ship, too, we noticed that severalhad red sashes round their blue frocks, into which were stuck fearfulcurved knives and the butt-ends of pistols; and so, with "so manyRichmonds in the field, " it was not to be wondered that Tim Rooney andMr Mackay had previously missed their mark--albeit now that the proawas near, it was strange that they could not pick off the pirate leader, who, as the proa sheered up alongside the Silver Queen, looked up at usastern and grinned a horrible sardonic grin, drawing the while hissolitary left hand across his bare tawny throat with a most unmistakablegesture. "Ping!--ping!" came from Mr Mackay's and the boatswain's rifles againin quick succession. And yet again, marvellous as it may seem, they both missed. There wasno longer time, though, for any more pot shots; for, with a wild savagehowl and the beating of drums and gongs again, mingled with a shower ofjingal balls over the ship, the proa struck against the fore-chains onour starboard bow, one of the junks steering to our port side at thesame time, while another remained across our stern and raked us fore andaft with round shot, there being a couple of hundred at least of thebloodthirsty demons in the three craft assailing us. There wereprobably as many more, too, in the junks astern, which were coming upmore leisurely, leaving their comrades in the van to bear the brunt ofthe fray. "Now, men!" shouted "Old Jock, " who I must say came out like a brave manand a hero on the occasion, losing all his peculiarities andlittlenesses of manner and behaviour--at least we did not notice them. "Now, men, we've got to fight for our lives! We must first try andprevent the pirates getting aboard; and, when we can't do that anylonger and they gain the decks, we'll retreat into the cabin andbarricade ourselves, and fight 'em again there. " "Hooray!" cried the men. "Hooray!" "And when we can't hold the cabin any longer, " continued Old Jock, whoseemed to be in a punning vein this afternoon, "we'll go below to thehold, and hold that as long as we can!" "Hooray!" shouted the hands again, full of the fire of battle now andspurred on by his words. "We'll fight, old man, never fear!" "And when we can't fight 'em any longer, my lads, " cried CaptainGillespie, looking round at us all with an expression of determinationthat I had never seen in his face before, "we'll blow up the ship soonerthan surrender to this villainous gang!" The cheer that followed this ending of his speech was so loud andgenuine, so full of British pluck, so hearty, that the piratesabsolutely quailed at the sound of it, holding back a second or twobefore they sheered up alongside with the intention of boarding us. They only made a short delay, though, during which we were not idle withour guns and revolvers; for, the next moment, with another yell ofdefiance, the pirate craft flung their grapnels in our rigging andclimbed up on both sides of the ship simultaneously. "Come down out of the tops!" shouted Mr Mackay to the hands aloft. "Come down at once, we want all of your aid with cold steel now!" These soon joined us, and then followed a series of shouts and cries andshots and groans which it makes me dizzy even now to think of; until, after losing three of our number, amongst them being poor Mr Saunders, whom we dragged in mortally wounded with us, we all retreated to thecabin, barricading ourselves there with all sorts of bales and boxes, and bracing up the saloon table, which we had previously unloosed fromits lashings, to act as a shield under the skylight. The pirates made a rush after us, but we were too quick for them; sothen, leaving us alone for awhile, they proceeded to rummage the shipforward, where, from the noise they made hacking and hewing at the deck, they were evidently trying to break open the hold so as to get at thecargo. But the hatchways being constructed of iron beneath the woodtheir battering away at them did not bother us much for the moment, aswe knew they would find their work cut out for them and the job a longone. Meanwhile, poor Mr Saunders lay dying on the cabin floor, bleeding froma wound in his breast. The captain said there was no hope for him, forhe had been shot through the lungs; and as I bent over him with a glassof water I had got from the pantry, he murmured something that soundedlike Ching Wang. "By Jove!" exclaimed Mr Mackay. "Where is the Chinaman?" Nobody knew; and although Mr Saunders had been the first to miss him, he could not say anything else about him, or tell us what had become ofthe poor fellow. We were all, therefore, giving him up for lost, when, suddenly Pedro Carvalho, who, it may be remembered, bore no friendlyfeeling towards the cook, called out from the pantry window whence, through the jalousies, or open shutters, he could survey a portion ofthe main-deck. "Diante de Deos!" he exclaimed, "dere is dat raskil Ching Wang yondare, chummy chumming and chin chinning does peerats. Yase, yase, dere he is!I see him! I see him! Carajo! Cozenheiro maldito!" This news came upon us like a thunderbolt, but none of us would believeit until we had been absolutely convinced of the truth of what thesteward had stated by seeing for ourselves. Yet, there was no mistake;for sure enough we could presently see with our own eyes, Ching Wang onthe friendliest terms, apparently, with a lot of the yellow piraterascals, who were of his own celestial nationality, away forward, thecook showing them all that was to be seen and grinning and gesticulatingaway finely! Still, even then we could hardly believe in his treachery. Somehow or other, too, whether through Ching Wang's offices or not, ofcourse, we could not say, the pirates did not bother us much during theday, only coming up to the skylight occasionally and firing down on usas well as they could with their clumsy muskets and pistols--a firewhich we just as promptly returned, aiming wherever we saw a flash. They once pitched in one of their terrible fire balls or "stink-pots" offulminating stuff to asphyxiate us with its beastly smell; but TimRooney, taking hold of it and plunging the obnoxious thing in a bucketof water, rid us at once of the poisonous fumes. In the evening, when it was growing dark, a tapping was heard at one ofthe ports in the captain's cabin; and both Tim and I were just on thepoint of firing, when, to our great surprise Ching Wang's well-knownvoice was heard. "Chin, chin lilly pijjin! Comee one chop quick, me wantee talkeetalkee. Lis'en me, an' you lickee kyfong number one go!" "I thought he'd never turn traitor, " cried Captain Gillespieemphatically; Tim Rooney adding with equal warmth, "Nor I, sorr. I'veallers found the Chinee chap a good Oirishman ivery day he's bin'aboord!" The upshot of Ching Wang's communication was, that the pirates wereanxious to get all they could out of the ship and clear off; and, believing that he had joined them, they had sent him to negotiate termswith the captain, the pirate chief saying that he would spare all ourlives if we would let him have what dollars there was on board and aransom for the ship, on account, of course, of their not being able toget at the cargo. Before Captain Gillespie could indignantly refuse making any terms withthe rascals, Ching Wang proceeded to say that he had overheard thepirates saying that the reason for their violent hurry was that anEnglish gunboat had been seen in the distance cruising off the mouth ofthe Canton river. "Me gottee sampan, " continued Ching Wang, declaring now his real motive. "Lilly pijjin squeezee one port, me go along findee gunboat an' catcheekyfong chop chop!" "First rate, " cried Mr Mackay, who acted as general interpreter, knowing the Chinaman's lingo well, explaining that the reason why ChingWang had not gone off by himself in the sampan was that he did not knowthe right course to steer for the Canton river in the first place; and, secondly, he was afraid that the officers of the gunboat might notbelieve his story about the Silver Queen being assailed by piratesunless some European belonging to her accompanied him. "Nothing couldhave been more sensible, you see, cap'en; and Ching Wang's got his headscrewed on straight. " "And where is this boat ye're going in?" "Sampan, go long now, " returned Ching Wang, motioning with his hand tothe water below the stern. "Go long chop chop, soon lilly pijjin comedown topside. " His selection of me, though apparently a very flattering one, was due tothe fact of my being the only one capable of squeezing through the port, Weeks, who had grown awfully fat on the voyage, being incapable ofaccomplishing the feat, while all the rest of us were far too big. "How will ye be able to steer for Canton?" asked Captain Gillespiesniffing--"even if ye know all about managing the boat?" "Oh, sir, " cried I, quite joyous at the idea of starting off on such anexpedition and coming with a British gunboat to take the pirates bysurprise and give them a licking, "Ching Wang'll see to the sampan, ashe calls it, and I will steer, sir, if you give me the course, sir. I've got a little compass here on my watch chain. " "Humph!" he ejaculated; "I think ye'll do, boy. Ye're smart enough atany rate for the job; and, besides, there's no one else that can getthrough the port. Ye can go!" "Thank you, sir, " said I, grateful for even this semi-reluctantconcession, being afraid he might refuse; and then, squeezing gingerlythrough the port and carefully lowering myself down by a rope which TimRooney hitched round the captain's bunk, I landed on the bottom boardsof the boat that old Ching Wang had ready below. I recollect well Tim's whispering softly as I let go my hold of the portsill, "Sure, now, take care av y'rsilf, Misther Gray-ham, sorr, an'don't forgit what the skipper's tould you about your coorse whin ye gitsoutsoide the rafe; ye're to steer nor'-nor'-west, wid a little more westin it, an' kape a good look-out for the blissid gunboat--an'--an' Godbliss ye me bhoy, an' that's Tim Rooney's dyin' wish if ye niver say himag'in!" CHAPTER SIXTEEN. THE "BLAZER" TO THE RESCUE. "Hist!" whispered Ching Wang softly, catching hold of my legs as I camedown the rope to prevent my feet making a noise on touching the bottomof the sampan; while he carefully guided me into a seat in the stern-sheets. "Makee quiet, tyfong watchee. If catchee no go, all uptopside!" I hardly needed this caution; although, after receiving it I was asstill as any mouse suddenly finding itself in the company of a catunsuspicious of its presence could possibly be. It was quite dark now, the hull of the ship looming faintly above us, abig black shadow, and the water was without a glimmer near, save where, just ahead, the light of a flare-up, which the pirates had kindled onthe forecastle, shone out over the sea there, besides illuminating theisland beach--where a number of black figures could be seen moving aboutopening some casks, which, Ching Wang explained to me, he had assistedin getting up from the forehold, so as to distract their attention fromus for awhile; for, knowing that these casks contained salt pork, andbeing acquainted with the predilections of his countrymen for thisdainty, he was certain they would have an orgy before proceeding tofurther hostilities. This impression of the Chinaman proved to be quite correct; for not onlydid the pirates rout out the salt pork, but they immediately proceededto cook it in Ching Wang's coppers, which were full of boiling waterwhich he had got ready in the first instance for the purpose of throwingover the gentlemen as they boarded the ship. He had, however, subsequently changed his mind on this point, thinking that by adoptingthe guileless subtlety of his race and pretending to side with ourenemies he might in the end be of more effectual service to us. Of course the Chinaman did not mention to his new allies the originaluse for which the coppers were intended, as such candour on his partmight have led to his getting into "hot water" and so spoilt his littleplot, the complete success of which was further assured by hispurloining Tim Rooney's private bottle of rum from his cabin in thedeck-house, and bestowing it with his benediction on the stalwartPortuguese captain of the pirates. This gentleman, being partial to theliquor, enjoyed himself to such an extent over the unexpected treasure-trove, keeping it selfishly for his own gratification, that he was morethan "half-seas-over" ere his rascally fellow cut-throats had beguntheir pork feast; so, he was equally disinclined with them for furtheractive operations against the ship, the captain and crew of which heregarded for the moment in a most benevolent spirit on account of theirhaving saved him the trouble of making them captive, probably at theexpense of several lives on his side, by locking themselves in the cabinbelow of their own accord! I got out all this by degrees from Ching Wang, as, paddling in the mostnoiseless fashion across the lagoon where it was darkest, and carefullyavoiding the other junks anchored out in the middle, he directed thecourse of the sampan towards the opening in the reef. This became allthe more distinct as we got near its edge from the phosphorescentglitter of the surf breaking over the coral ledge, excepting at theplace where the Silver Queen had steered through the rocks and breakersand entered the calm sheet of water within. The pirates ashore on the island and on board the junks were all toobusy to notice us, and indeed their eyes must have been wonderfullyacute to have done so through the darkness that enveloped sky and seaalike, swallowing our little barque up in its folds; so, when we gotwell outside the reef and beyond the line of breakers Ching Wang put upa small sprit-sail, which he had been thoughtful enough to take out ofthe long-boat when he had secured the sampan, rigging it on top of oneof his oars, and stepping it forward like a lug. We then kept the wind which we knew was south-west on our port hand andpretty well abeam, steering as nearly as we could guess to the northwardand westward, according to Captain Gillespie's directions to me; forthere was not light sufficient yet to see my little pocket-compass so asto take the proper bearings for making a straight course to fetch themouth of the Canton river. When daylight came, fortunately, not a trace of the reef or the ship andpirate craft could be seen, though Ching Wang peered over our starboardquarter, where we ought to have sighted any trace of them, while Ishinned up the little mast too for a better look-out. Nothing was to be seen, not even a passing sail--only the rolling seafar and wide as far as the eye could reach, now lit up by the early dawnand rose-coloured in the east, where the sun, just rising above thehorizon, was flooding the heavens with crimson tints, that presentlychanged to gold and then gave place to their normal hue of azure. Thisthe ocean reflected with a glorious blue, seeming to be but one hugesapphire, except where crystal foam flecked it here and there from thetopping of some impatient wavelet not content to roll along in peacetill it reached the shore. I could, of course, look at my compass now, and I noticed that bykeeping the wind abeam we had been working in the right direction duringthe night, the head of the sampan now facing pretty nearly nor'-nor'-west, "and a little westerly too, " as Tim Rooney enjoined on me atparting. Ching Wang told me in his pigeon English that we must have already runfrom thirty to forty miles--"one hunled li, " he said; so, we hadtherefore accomplished a quarter of our journey towards the coast. The sun rose higher and higher, until it was almost over our heads atnoon, when the wind dropping I found it very hot. Besides thediscomfort of this the fact of our not getting on so fast as previouslymade me anxious about those we had left behind, although the Chinamantold me the pirates would not be likely to start fighting again until itwas getting towards evening, which was their favourite time for attack, as they always kept quiet in the day. They would, he said, be especially afraid now of making a row in the daymore than at any other time, for fear of the sound of the fray beingheard by the gunboat, which they knew was cruising about near. "I only wish we could see it now, Ching Wang, " I cried, thinking thatbefore we got to the Canton river and returned with the man-of-war, allour shipmates might be murdered and the poor Silver Queen set fire to bythe ruffians after pillaging her, as they would be certain to do whenCaptain Gillespie and the brave fellows with him could hold out nolonger. "I only wish we could sight her now. " "You waitee, lilly pijjin, " said he. "Bimeby soon comee. " It was dreary work, though, waiting, for we were going along very slowlyon the torpid sea, which seemed to swelter in the heat as the breezefell; but about two o'clock in the afternoon the south-west windspringing up again, we once more began dancing on through the water at aquicker rate, the sampan making better progress by putting her rightbefore wind and slacking off the sheet of our transformed sprit-sail. An hour later, Ching Wang, who had gone into the bows to look out, leaving me at the tiller, suddenly called out: "Hi, lilly pijjin!" he shouted, gesticulating and showing moreexcitement than he had ever displayed before, his disposition generallybeing phlegmatic in the extreme. "One big smokee go long. Me see threepiecee bamboo walkee, chop chop!" I rose up in the stern-sheets equally excited; and there, to my joy, Isaw right ahead and crossing our beam, a small three-masted vessel, showing the white ensign and blood cross of Saint George, the mostbeautiful flag in the world, I thought. It was the gunboat, without doubt. She had sighted us long before we noticed her; and seeing from ouraltering our course now that we desired to speak her, she downed herhelm and was soon alongside the sampan. Breathless, I clambered on board, a smart blue-jacket with "HMS Blazer"printed in gold letters on the ribbon of his straw hat, handing me thesidelines of the accommodation ladder, which reached far enough down forme to step on to it from the gunwale of the sampan; and when thelieutenant in command of the gunboat, a handsome fellow like Mr Mackay, addressed me, I could not at first speak from emotion. But my mission was too important to be delayed, and I soon found myvoice; a very few words being sufficient to explain all thecircumstances of the case to the lieutenant. "Full speed ahead!" he called out to the officer on the bridge, as soonas he had heard me out, directing also the blue-jacket who had receivedme at the entry port to pass the word down that he wanted to speak tothe gunner; while Ching Wang was invited to come on board and the sampanveered astern by its painter and taken in tow. The lieutenant turned to me when these orders had been given, althoughhe did not keep me half a minute waiting; and, calling me by my name, which I had told him, said, "We shall be up to the pirates beforenightfall, Mr Graham, for the old Blazer can go ten knots on anemergency like this. I've no doubt we'll be in plenty of time to rescueyour shipmates before they have another brush with the pirates. " He then invited me to go below and have some refreshment; but I was tooanxious about those on board the poor Silver Queen to care about eatingthen. However, I took a nice long drink of some delicious lemonade withpleasure, for I was so thirsty that my tongue had swollen to the roof ofmy mouth; while Ching Wang, who had recovered his usual placid andimperturbable demeanour, accepted the hospitalities of the crew withgreat complacency, his emotion not affecting his appetite at any rate. If I did not care about eating, though, I was highly interested in thepreparation of the Blazer presently for action, her five-inch breech-loaders being loaded with Palliser shell and the hoppers of her machine-guns filled; while the crew with rifles in their hands and cutlasses bytheir side mustered at quarters. "I think, Mr Graham, " said the lieutenant, noticing my admiring gaze, "we'll be able to teach your Malay friends something of a lesson--eh?" "I hope so, sir, " I replied. "I don't think there's much thinking aboutit, though. I'm only afraid they'll run away before we can reach them. " "No fear of that, " said he laughing. "The Blazer, as I've told you, cantravel fast when we want her; and if she's not fast enough, why, thatgun there on the sponson forrud can send a speedier messenger in advanceof her, to tell the pirates she's coming!" "Will it reach them inside the reef, sir?" "Reach them inside the reef!" he repeated after me in a quizzing sort ofway. "Of course it will, my lad, and further too. That gun will carryseven miles at an elevation of less than forty-five degrees!" "Oh, crickey!" I exclaimed; whereat he and the other officers laughedat my astonishment, which my face betrayed, of course, as usual. Thecrew, though, who were near were too well trained to laugh, exceptaccording to orders. Being men-o'-war's men, they only smiled at myejaculation. It was getting on for sunset when we sighted the Pratas shoal, the mastsof the Silver Queen being seen much further off than the reef, althoughI forgot to mention that her sails of course had been furled after shegrounded; and, as we got nearer and nearer, we did not hear any noise ofrifle shots, or the junks' matchlocks, as would have been the case ifthey had been fighting again--my comrades I was certain would diedearly. I hoped that they had not begun yet; for I could not bear to think thattheir fate might have been sealed in my absence, and all those bravefellows, perhaps, been butchered by the pirates! Closing in upon the reef and making for the entrance on the south-westside, we noticed that boats were passing to and fro between the junksand the ship. Just then a puff of smoke came from the stern of the ship, followed bythe sound of a rifle shot in the distance, after which followed aregular fusillade of musketry fire. The lieutenant had meanwhile not been idle, the man-of-war's launch andpinnace having been lowered with their nine-pounders in the bows, allprimed and loaded; and, on my getting after him in the pinnace, he gavethe order to pull in towards the scene of action, the gunboat meanwhilebringing her big Armstrongs to bear on the fleet of junks in the middleof the lagoon, only waiting until we got well up to the ship beforefiring so as to take the pirates by surprise. I cannot describe the feeling I had as we dashed forward, the thought ofcheckmating the bloodthirsty scoundrels and saving my shipmates beingtoo great to be expressed by words. Ching Wang, whom the lieutenant allowed to come in the pinnace with me, also looked wonderfully excited again, for one generally sophlegmatic:--he seemed really to turn his back on the traditions of hisrace. We, though, rushed forwards; and, when close to the Silver Queen, thelieutenant ordered the captain of the gun in the bows to "fire!" into ajunk that was coming round under her stern. "Bang!" and a shell burst right in the centre of the junk's bamboo deck, sending forty of the villains at least to Hades, for she was crowdedwith men. A wild yell of surprise came from the pirates at the reportof the gun, succeeded by a faint hurrah from those on board the SilverQueen. This told us that Captain Gillespie and the rest now knew, fromthe second report caused by the bursting of the shell, that theirrescuers had at last arrived, in the very nick of time. Then a big boom rolled in from seaward as the gunboat opened fire withher five-inch Armstrong, shell and shot being pitched into the group ofjunks as fast as those on board the Blazer could load; the launch andpinnace, with Ching Wang and myself in the latter, pulling to the shipand boarding her on both sides at the same time. Captain Gillespie and all the hands who had been intrenched in thecabin, now burst out of their prison; and after this, those pirates whowere not cut down by the men's cutlasses or shot, surrendered atdiscretion, as did also their brother scoundrels on the island and inthe junks, who were all caught completely in a trap, there being nocreeks here for them to smuggle their boats into, nor mountainfastnesses to retreat to, the gunboat commanding the only way of escapeopen to them, and her launch and pinnace within the lagoon having themat their mercy. "Begorra I am plaized to say you ag'in, Misther Gray-ham, sorr!" criedTim Rooney, wringing my hand again and again as Mr Mackay released it--all the poor fellows who had been relieved from almost instant death bythe coming of the gunboat seeming to think that I had brought abouttheir rescue, whereas, of course it was Ching Wang who ought to bethanked, if anybody had to be praised, beyond Him above who had sent uson our mission and brought the Blazer up in time. Tim, too, was evenmore absurd about the whole matter than any of the rest. --"Bedad, you'vesaved us all, sorr, " said he again and again; and I could only get himoff this unpleasant tack by asking what further damage the pirates haddone after I left. They had not done much, he said, their leader having only just succeededin breaking open the main-hold, and just beginning another attack on thecabin, when the report of the shell from the Blazer's pinnace as itburst made the pirates scramble overboard for their lives. "But, sure, I caught that chafe villain av theirs, at last, MistherGray-ham. " "Oh, did you!" I cried. "That chap in the red sash?" "Aye, I kilt him as de'd as mutton jist now by the dor av me cabin inthe deck-house, where, would ye belaive me, sorr, the thaife wordrainin' the last dhrop av grog out av me rhum bottle!" "He didn't steal it though, " said I, telling him all about Ching Wang'splot for making the rascal drunk; whereat Tim was highly delighted, patting the Chinaman on the back as the latter blandly smiled and beamedupon him, not understanding a word he said. After this matter wassettled I bethought me of my bird "Dick. "--"And how about the starling?" "Oh, that's all roight, " said Tim. "He scramed out `Bad cess to ye'whin he saw the ugly pirate cap'en fall, an' sure, that wor as sinsibleas a Christian. " Everybody had got off pretty well, the majority only having a few slightscratches and flesh wounds; all, save, of course, the three of the handswho had been killed on deck in the first attack, and poor Mr Saunders, who, Tim said, was sinking fast. He did not die yet awhile, though, having a wonderful constitution andpersisting in eating and living where another man would have expiredlong since. And the ship? She wasn't lost after all, as might have been thought, albeit ashore there on Prata Island and inside the reef. Oh, no. MrMackay managed it all, and surprised everybody by the way he did it--making even Lieutenant Toplift of the Blazer open his eyes. I'll tell you what he did. --Our chief mate battened down two of thepirate junks, making them water-tight, and then, weighting them withheavy ballast till their decks were almost flush with the water, he madethem fast under the bows of the ship. The ballast was then taken out of them, when, of course, as they floatedhigher they lifted the Silver Queen; and a stream anchor being then gotout astern she was floated out into the lagoon, where on subsequentexamination she was found pretty water-tight below and staunch and soundall round. To get her out of the lagoon, the passage through the reef was wellbuoyed and the ship lightened of her cargo, a large portion of which wastaken out of her and stowed in the junks. She was then kedged over the reef, as Tim Rooney had suggested to MrMackay in the first instance as the best plan; the Blazer's officers andcrew helping us to get her outside, and afterwards assisting us inloading her up again. Then, our dear old barquey sailed for Hongkong, where she put in fortemporary repair so as to be able to prosecute the remainder of hervoyage, and here poor Mr Saunders died at last, and was laid to rest in"Happy Valley, " the English burying-place, that has such a poetical nameand such sad surroundings! We were detained nearly a month here docking, and during our stayCaptain Gillespie rejoiced all hands by rewarding them for their pluckin fighting and floating the ship again with the present of a month'swages for a spree ashore. "Old Jock" could well afford to be liberal, too; for a native speculator gave him a better price for the balance ofhis marmalade than he would have realised if he had fed the men on itthroughout our home voyage. Our repairs and refit being at last completed we set sail for Shanghai, casting anchor in the Yang-tse-kiang eight days exactly after ourleaving Hongkong. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. HOMEWARD BOUND. "Bedad, sorr, it sames I'm dhramin', sure, " observed Tim Rooney to MrMackay as the two now stood together on the forecastle, looking out overthe hows. "It's moighty loike the ould river; an' I'd a'most fancy Iwor home ag'in, an' not in Chainee at all at all!" "You're not far wrong, bosun, " replied Mr Mackay, smiling at hisremark, or rather at the quaint way in which it was made. "I can fancythe same thing myself, the appearance of the Yang-tse-kiang hereaboutsbeing strangely like that of the Thames just below Greenhithe. " I, overhearing their conversation, thought the same too; for, although, of course, there was no dome of Saint Paul's in the distance, norforests of masts, nor crowds of steamers passing to and fro, nor allthat bustle of business and din and dense black smoke from thoseinnumerable funnels that distinguishes the waterway which forms thegreat heart artery of London, still there were many points ofresemblance between the two--the show of shipping opposite Shanghai, where we lay, being almost as fair as that which is to be seen sometimesat the mouth of the Thames on a fine day, when it blows from the southand there are many wind-bound craft waiting to get down Channel. The sampans and other native boats, darting about hither and thither inshoals, somewhat made up for the absence of the panting tugs and paddlesteamers plying on the former stream, albeit there was no deficiencyhere either of Fulton's invention, steamers running regularly a distanceof more than seven hundred miles up the Yang-tse-kiang; and, as forhouses and the signs of a numerous population, there were plenty ofthese, although different to the bricks and mortar structures of ourmore accustomed eyes in England, with the peaks of pagodas doing dutyfor church spires, while the paddy fields planted with rice on eitherhand offered a very good imitation of the low-lying banks of our greatmother river along the Essex shore. "Aye, it's the very image, an' as loike as two pays, " reiterated TimRooney on my joining the two. "Don't ye think so, too, Misther Gray-ham?" "I wish you would leave the `ham' out of my name!" I replied laughing, but a bit vexed all the same. "I think you might by this time, it'sgetting quite a stale joke. " "Faix, I dunno what ye manes, sorr, " he replied, pretending to bepuzzled, but the wink in his eye showing clearly that this density ofhis mental powers on the point was only assumed. "Sure, an' I can'thilp me brogue, ye know, if ye manes that?" "Nobody says you can, " said I rather shortly; for one or two of thehands by the windlass bitts were grinning, as well as Sam Weeks who wasstanding by, too, and I did not like being made fun of before them. "Noone could mistake you for anything else but a Paddy all the world over!" "Begorra, an' I'm proud av that very same, Misther Gray-ham, " heretorted, not one whit put out by my words, as I imagined he would be. "If other folks had as little to be ashamed av, it's a blissid worrldsure this'd be, an' we'd be all havin' our wings sproutin' an' sailin'aloft, loike the swate little cheroob, they says, looks arter poorJack!" A general laugh followed this; and the captain just then coming out ofhis cabin, where he had been busy getting all his papers and bills oflading together, and ordering the jolly-boat to be lowered to pull himashore, Tim turned away to see to the job--so, he had the best of me inour little skirmish, albeit we were nevertheless good friendsafterwards. In the afternoon, Captain Gillespie came off to the ship again, with agang of coolies under a native comprador. These were sent by theconsignees to help discharge the cargo into a lot of small junks thatthey brought alongside; but the Chinamen made a poor show, contrastingtheir work with that of our stalwart able-bodied tars, one of whomthought nothing of handling a big crate as it was hoisted out of thehold which it took ten of the others merely to look at. Fortunately, only a few boxes of the Manchester stuffs that were stowedin our fore compartment were found damaged by the sea, the rest of thegoods being in good condition, and the cargo generally as sound as whenit came on board in the docks; a result which afforded "Old Jock" muchsatisfaction, as he had feared the worst. The only loss, therefore, theowners would have to suffer would be the small amount of our freightthat had been jettisoned when the ship first went ashore on the Pratas, the cargo that had subsequently been taken out to lighten her beforegetting her off the shoal having been carefully preserved. "`All's well that ends well, '" cried he, rubbing his hands and sniffingand snorting, when the people ashore reported this after a systematicexamination of all the bales and stuff. "I told ye so, Mackay, I toldye so; and when I say a thing, ye know, I mean a thing. " "I'm sure, I'm only too glad everything has turned out right, " repliedthe first mate, smiling to himself, though, at "Jock's" assertion ofhaving prognosticated this favourable issue, the contrary being thecase; for, he'd been grumbling all the way from Hongkong about thesalvage to be paid, and compensation to the consignees for deteriorationof the cargo, besides perhaps demurrage for late delivery, the shiparriving at Shanghai more than a month beyond her time. "`All's wellthat ends well, ' as you say, sir; and I only hope we'll soon have afreight back which will recoup any loss the owners may have sufferedfrom the mishaps of our voyage out. " But, hoping for a thing, and having it, are two very different things. It was the middle of July when we finally reached Shanghai, and it tookus, with the slow way of going to work of the Chinese coolies and theircomprador and the people ashore and all, a good three weeks to unloadour cargo; so that, by the time we had the hold swept out and got readybelow for the reception of a freight of tea promised the captain, lo andbehold we found we were too late, for the consignment intended for uswas now well on its way home in another vessel. This latter, however, we were told in excuse for our disappointment, had been waiting longerfor a cargo than us, having been lying in the river since May, and onlystarting off as we commenced discharging. We were cheered up, though, by the hope of having a cargo of the secondseason tea, which the shore folk said was expected in the town from upcountry shortly; which "shortly" proved to be of the most elasticproperties, it being September before we received authoritativeinformation of our expected freight being at last at Shanghai and readyfor shipment. When it came, though, we did not lose much time in getting it on boardand stowed, even Tom Jerrold and I working under hatches. "Begorra, we'll show them poor craythurs, " cried Tim Rooney, bracinghimself up for the task and baring his sinewy arms with much gusto as hebuckled to the job, setting the hands a worthy example to follow. "Aye, we'll jist show them what we calls worruk in our counthry, me darlints. Won't we, boys?" "Aye, aye, " roared out the men, all anxious to set sail and see OldEngland again; sailors being generally the most restless mortals underthe sun, and never satisfied at being long in one place. "Aye, aye, bo, we will!" And they did, too, "Old Jock" rubbing his hands and snorting andsniffing in fine glee as the tea-chests were rattled up out of the junksalongside and lowered into the hold, where they underwent even a greateramount of squeezing and jamming together than our original cargo out, the process of compression being helped on by the aid of the jack-screwsand the port watch under Mr Mackay--who now superintended the stowageof the cargo, in place of poor Mr Saunders. No one, apparently, savethe faithful Tim Rooney, gave a thought to the latter, now resting inhis quiet tomb in Happy Valley! "Bedad, we miss our ould sickond mate, sorr, " I heard him say to MrMackay, who was a little strange to the job, having had nothing to do inthe stowing line for some time, his duties as first mate being moreconnected with the navigation of the ship. "He wor a powerful man toate, sure; but he knew his way about the howld av a vissil, sorr, thatsame. " "That means, I suppose, bosun, " replied Mr Mackay laughing and coughingas the tea-dust caught his breath, "that I don't--eh?" "Be jabers, no, sorr, " protested Tim; "I niver maned to say that, sorr, aven if I thought it. But poor ould Misther Saunders samed, sorr, totake koindly to this sort av worruk, betther nor navigatin'; which heweren't a patch on alongside av you, sorr, as ivery hand aboard knows. " "Get out with your blarney, " said Mr Mackay good-humouredly, urging thecrew on to fresh exertions by way of changing the topic. "If we stopjawing here long we'll never sail from Shanghai before next year. Putyour hearts in it, men, and let us get all stowed and be done with it. " "Look aloive, " yelled the boatswain, following suit; "an' hurry up widthim chistesses--one'd think ye wor goin' to make the job last a monthav Sundays, sore!" They "hurried up" with a vengeance; so that, before the week was out, the tea was all stowed and the hatches battened down, with the shipquite ready to sail as soon as Captain Gillespie got all his permits andpapers from the shore--of which latter, by the way, I may confess, TomJerrold and I got tired at last. I had received no less than three letters from home, all in a batch, when we got to Shanghai, one also coming after we arrived, telling meabout father and them all; and it seemed, as I read of their doings atthe vicarage and what went on at Westham, as if it had been years sinceI left England, instead of only six months or so passing by; the changeof life and all that had happened making me feel ever so much older. However, reading these dear home letters made me long all the more toget back and see them again; and, in anticipation of this, you may becertain I did not forget to make a good collection of nice things formother and my sister Nellie, as well as some "curios" for father, suchas he had promised in my name when the letter came which made my mothergrieve so, telling that all the arrangements had been completed for mygoing to sea, --do you recollect? Yes; and besides the curios I myself bought ashore, I had one given me, at the very last moment before we left the Yang-tse-kiang, by ChingWang, who, much to the surprise of all, said he wasn't going back in theSilver Queen--not, at all events, this voyage, he made the captainunderstand, being desirous of remaining at Shanghai until the next year. "Me likee lilly gal, she likee me, " he explained with his bland vacuoussmile and his little beady eyes twinkling. "Me wifoo get chop chop. Two men not stop one placee--no go ship and 'top shore too. " "You rascal!" shouted "Old Jock" in a rage, "you served me just the sametrick the voyage before last. You'd better come with us now, for I'mhanged if I give you the chance again. " "No, cap'en, " grinned the imperturbable Chinaman, "no can do. " So, amidst the chaff of the men, who asserted that Ching Wang must haveabout fifty wives by this time at various ports, considering the numberof times he had contracted matrimonial engagements, he went over theside into a sampan he had waiting for him, smiling blandly to the last, and giving me as a parting present the little brass figure of Buddhawhich he worshipped as his deity. This was a sure token of the strongaffection he entertained for me, his "lilly pijjin, " as he always calledme from the time that Tim Rooney had commended me to his good graces. "He'll come back with us next trip, " said Mr Mackay, as he with all ofus gave Ching Wang a parting "chin chin" on the celestial cook beingpresently rowed ashore in great state, sitting in the stern-sheets ofhis sampan and beaming on us with his bland smile as long as his roundface could be distinguished, dwindling away in the distance till itfinally disappeared. "I'm sorry to lose him, though, sir, for he was acapital cook, besides being a plucky fellow. Recollect how he helped tosave all our lives the other day, as well as the ship and cargo. " "Humph!" grunted "Old Jock, " who appeared to have forgotten this. "He'sserved us a shabby trick now, by going off like that at the last moment, and I've half a mind not to have any truck with him again. " "Ha, ha, cap'en, " laughed Mr Mackay, "you said so last time, don't youremember? Yet, you brought him aboard again with the other hands beforewe started from Gravesend this trip. You're too good-natured to bear inmind all the hard things you say sometimes. " "Perhaps I am, Mackay, perhaps I am, " sniggered and snorted "Old Jock, "thinking this a high compliment. "Though, when I say a thing, I mean athing, you know. " Ching Wang, when he got ashore, did not forget his old friends and leaveus altogether in the lurch; for he sent off a black cook, a native ofJamaica, one Tippoo by name, to take his place; and as a messenger fromthe brokers on shore came off at the same time with the ship's papers, nothing now delayed our departure from Shanghai. Then was heard Tim Rooney's piercing whistle once more on board, and thewelcome--thrice welcome cry: "All ha-a-nds make sail!" The topsails were soon loosed by one watch, while the other hove up theanchor in fine style to the chorus of "Down in the lowlands, oh!" "Up and down!" cried Matthews on the forecastle, taking poor Saunders'place here, for he was now doing duty as second mate, although he hadnot yet passed the Trinity House examination for the post. "Anchor's upand down, sir!" "Then heave and paul!" answered Mr Mackay from the poop, calling out atthe same time to the men standing by the halliards: "Sheet home andhoist away!" In another minute, the topsails were dropped and the yards hoisted, thejib run up and the spanker set; when, as our anchor cleared the ground, soon peeping over our bows and being catted and fished in the oldfashion, the Silver Queen's canvas filled and she bade adieu to Chinawith a graceful curtsy, making her way down the Yang-tse-kiang at a ratethat showed she was as glad as those on board her to lose sight of itsyellow waters at last! It was the 14th September when we sailed; and, although it was ratherearly in the year for it, the nor'-east monsoon had already begun toblow, fine and dry and cold, bowling us down through the Formosa Channeland into the China Sea beyond, "as if ould Nick war arter us, " as TimRooney said. In our progress past the same latitudes in which we had previouslyencountered such perils, we now met with nothing of interest; steeringsouth by the Strait of Gaspar--to the other side of the island of Banca, instead of by our former route when coming up--we navigated Sunda thesame day, getting out into the Indian Ocean at the beginning of October. Shaping a course from here to pass about a hundred miles to thesouthward of Madagascar, our nor'-east wind changing to a nor'-westwardin 15 degrees south latitude, which was all the more favourable for us, we were able to fetch the Cape of Good Hope in forty-three days from ourstart. Our passage round the stormy headland was now comparativelyeasy, being aided by the strong current that comes down the Africancoast through the Mozambique, and so did not cost us any bother at all, as we had fine weather all the time until we turned into the Atlantic. From the Cape to the Channel we made a splendid passage, sighting theLizard on the 20th December and getting into dock on the afternoon ofthe 22nd of the month. Strange to say, too, we were towed up from theDowns by our old friend the Arrow, just as we were towed down the riverat starting on our eventful voyage. Captain Gillespie gave me leave to go home the next day, telling me hewould write when the ship would be ready again for another trip early inthe following year; and so, bidding my mess-mates a cordial farewell, Iwas soon in a train on my way to Westham once more, with "Dick" thestarling in a bran new wicker cage I had bought for him at Shanghai, aswell as my sea-chest packed full of presents for the home-folk andeverybody. It was late in the afternoon of Christmas-eve when I reached the oldwell-known little station, which seemed to look ever so much smallerthan when I left; and the very first person I saw whom I knew--none ofmy people coming to meet me, as they did not know when I would arrive, not expecting me indeed until the next morning--was Lawyer Sharpe, asferrety-looking as ever! He gave me a hearty greeting, however, saying he was glad to see me backagain, and to have "ocular demonstration, " as he expressed it, that Ihad not been lost at sea as was reported; so, I recalled what father hadsaid when I had turned up my nose at the legal profession, and thoughtMr Sharpe no doubt was misjudged by a good many, and might not bealtogether such a tricky customer as the Westham folks made out. Leaving my traps at the station to be sent on by a porter, only takingDick's cage with me, I was soon trotting along through the village, passing old Doctor Jollop on my way. He, too, was the very same asever, without the slightest alteration, muddy boots and all; for, although there was a little sprinkling of snow on the ground, asbefitted the season, it had thawed in the streets of Westham, and as amatter of course the doctor, who always appeared to choose the verymuddiest of places to tramp in, had managed to collect as much of themire as he could on his boots and legs. But, mud or no mud, he was a jolly kind old fellow, and more reallypleased again to see me than--even with the most charitable feelings Imust say it--Lawyer Sharpe pretended to be. "Just back in time, Allan, for the plum-pudding, " he called out onseeing me. "Eh, my boy, eh?" "Yes, sir, " said I, laughing as I shook hands with him. "Just in timefor it. " "And the pills, too, " he added, chuckling as he went into a cottageclose by. "And the pills, too; you mustn't forget them. " Nasty old fellow, as if I wished to be reminded of anything sodisagreeable at such a moment! The next instant, however, I was at the vicarage gate, when Nellie, whowas on the watch, although as I've said I was not expected till nextday, flew out of the porch and had her arms round my neck, with mymother after her and father and my brother Tom, too--the latter bringingup the rear, his dignity not allowing him to hurry himself too much; andwhat with meeting and greeting these all thoughts of Doctor Jollop andhis pills and everything else were banished from my mind--everything, save the delicious feeling of being at home again. "And what have you here, Allan?" inquired sister Nellie when all thekissing and hugging was over, and I'd asked and answered at least athousand questions. "A bird?" "Yes, a starling, " said I, introducing Dick and telling them his historyas we all went back into the house, keeping this a surprise and notmentioning about the little beggar in my letter from Shanghai. "I'vebrought him home for you, Nellie. " "Oh, thank you, Allan, " she cried, hugging me again. "What a dearlittle fellow!" "Ah, wait till you hear him talk, " said I, speaking to Dick and givinghim my old whistle, "Dick, Dick!" "Hullo!" cracked the starling, so comically, in Tim Rooney's voice thatthey all burst out laughing, "here's a jolly row!" Dick then whistled a couple of bars, which was all he could accomplish, of "Tom Bowling, " after which he ejaculated his favourite expression, "Bad cess to ye!" in such a faithful imitation of my friend theboatswain's manner that father smiled with the rest; although he saiddrily, "Your bird, Nellie, I hope will learn better language when he hasbeen amongst us a bit longer!" My chest arriving presently from the station, I had the happiness ofshowing them all that I had forgotten none when away; for I had got aMandarin hat for Tom, and two old china jars I had brought for motherdelighting her heart, while Ching Wang's idol which I gave fatherespecially pleased him. He became, too, I may add, all the more deeplyinterested in this little idol when I told him all the circumstancesconnected with it, and the impression the Chinaman's devotion to his godhad made on me. I have little further to say, having now given a full, true, andfaithful account of my first voyage; although I might point out to youthat I was no longer a "green" apprentice, but now able to "reef, hand, and steer, " as "Old Jock, " or rather Captain Gillespie to speak morerespectfully of him, said when I was leaving the ship, expressing thehope of having me with him on his next trip out, as I "had the makingsof a sailor" in me, and was "beginning to be worth my salt. " I had told father, though, so much about Tim Rooney, recounting all hiskindness to me on board the Silver Queen from almost the first moment Isaw him--almost, but not quite, the commencement of our first interviewhaving been rather alarming to me--that nothing would suit him but myfriend Tim's coming down to Westham for a short visit, if only for aday. Of course, I wrote to him, inclosing a letter father sent inviting him, and Tim came next day prompt as usual in his sailor fashion, winning allthe hearts at the vicarage before he had been an hour in the place. Father naturally thanked him for all that he had done for me, which madethe bashful boatswain blush, while he deprecated all mention of his careof me. "Bedad, sorr, " said he to father in his raciest brogue, and with thatsuspicion of mirth which seemed always to hover about his left eye, "itwor quite a plisure, sure, to sarve him; for he's the foorst lad I ivercame across as took so koindly to the thrade. 'Dade an' sure, sorr, Ibelaive he don't think none the worse av it now, by the same token; an'would give the same anser, sorr, to what I've axed him more nor oncesince he foorst came aboord us. Faix, I'll ax him now, your riverince. Ain't ye sorry, Misther Gray-ham, as how ye iver wint to say, now?" "No, not a bit of it, " replied I sturdily, in the same way as I hadalways done to his stereotyped inquiry. "And I'll go again cheerfullyas soon as the Silver Queen is ready again for her next voyage. " "There ye are, sorr!" cried Tim admiringly. "He's a raal broth av a boyentoirely. Sure, he'll be a man afore his mother yit, sorr!" THE END.