I will put them down as part of the crew of the Furious. I want a few specially strong and active men for her; her commander is a very dashing officer, and I should like to see that he is well manned.
The two boys had especially noticed and admired theFurious, which was a thirty-four-gun frigate, so next morning, when the new hands were mustered and told off to different ships, they were delighted when they found their names appear at the end of the list for that vessel, all the more so because Dimchurch was to join her also.
I am pleased, Dimchurch, that we are to be in the same ship with you, Will exclaimed as soon as the men were dismissed.
I am glad too, youngster. I have taken a fancy to you, as you seem to have done to me, and it will be very pleasant for us to be together. But now you must go and get your kit-bags ready at once; we are sure to be sent off to theFurious in a short time, and it will be a bad mark against you if you keep the boat waiting.
In a quarter of an hour a boat was seen approaching from the Furious. The officer in charge ascended to the deck of the cutter, and after a chat with the captain called out the list, and counted the men one by one as they went down to the boat, each carrying his kit.
Not a bad lot, he said to the young midshipman sitting by his side. This pretty nearly makes up our complement; the press gang are sure to pick up the few hands we want either to-day or to-morrow.
I shall be glad when we are off, sir, the midshipman said.I am never comfortable, after beginning to get into commission, until we are out on blue water.
Nor am I. I hope the dockyard wont keep us waiting for stores. We have got most of them, but the getting on board of the powder and shot is always a long task, and we have to be so careful with the powder. There is the captain on deck; he is looking out, no doubt, to see the new hands. I am glad they are good ones, for nothing puts him into a bad temper so readily as having a man brought on board who is not, as he considers, up to the mark.
As they mustered on deck the captains eye ran with a keen scrutiny over them. A slight smile crossed his lips as he came to the two boys.
That will do, Mr. Ayling; they are not a bad lot, taking them one for all, and there are half a dozen men among them who ought to make first-rate topmen. I should say half of them have been to sea before, and the others will soon be knocked into shape. The two boys will, of course, go into the same mess as the others who have come on board. One of them looks a very sharp young fellow.
He has been rather specially passed down, sir. He belonged to one of the most noted smuggling villages on the Yorkshire coast, which is saying a great deal, and he struck against smuggling because some lady in the place told him that it was wrong. Of course he drew upon himself the enmity of the whole village. The coast-guard stopped a landing, and two or three of the fishermen were killed. The hostility against the lad, which was entirely unfounded, rose in consequence of this to such a pitch that he was obliged to take refuge in the coast-guard station. I hear from the captain of the Hearty that the boy has been far better educated than the generality of fisher lads, and was specially recommended to him by the officer of the receiving-ship.
Is there anything extraordinary about the other boy?the captain asked with a slight smile.
No, sir; I believe he joined chiefly to be near his companion, the two being great friends.
He looks a different kind of boy altogether, the captain said. You could pick him out as a fisher boy anywhere, and picture him in high boots, baggy corduroy breeches, and blue guernsey.
He is a strong, well-built lad, and I should say a good deal more powerful than his friend.
Well, they are good types of boys, and are not likely to give us as much trouble as some of those young scamps, run-away apprentices and so on, who want a ropes end every week or so to teach them to do their duty.
The boys were taken down to a deck below the water-level, where the crew were just going to begin dinner. At one end was a table at which six boys were sitting.
Hillo, who are you? the eldest among them asked. I warn you, if you dont make things comfortable, you will get your heads punched in no time.
My name is William Gilmore, and this is Tom Stevens. As to punching heads, you may not find it as easy as you think. I may warn you at once that we are friends and will stick together, and that there will be no punching one head without having to punch both.
We shall see about that before long, the other said.Some of the others thought they were going to rule the roost when they joined a few days ago, but I soon taught them their place.
Well, you can begin to teach us ours as soon as you like,Tom Stevens said. We have met bullies of your sort before. Now, as dinner is going on, we will have some of it, as they didnt victual us before we left the cutter.
Well, then, you had better go to the cook-house and draw rations. No doubt the cook has a list of you fellows names.
The boys took the advice and soon procured a cooked ration of meat and potatoes. The cook told them where they would find plates.
One of the mess has to wash them up, he said, and stow them away in the racks provided for them.
Johnson, the eldest boy said to the smallest of the party,you need not wash up to-day; that is the duty of the last comer.
I suppose it is the duty of each one of the mess by turn,Will said quietly; we learnt that much as we came down the coast.
You will have to learn more than that, young fellow, the bully, who was seventeen, blustered. You will have to learn that I am senior of the mess, and will have to do as I tell you. I have made one voyage already, and all the rest of you are greenhorns.
It seems to me from the manner in which you speak, that it is not a question of seniority but simply of bounce and bullying, and I hope that the other boys will no more give in to that sort of thing than Stevens or myself. I have yet to learn that one boy is in any way superior to the others, and in the course of the next hour I shall ascertain whether this is so.
Perhaps, after the meal is over, you will go down to the lower deck and allow me to give you a lesson.
As I told you, Will answered quietly, my friend and I are one. I dont suppose that single-handed I could fight a great hulking fellow like you, but my friend and I are quite willing to do so together. So now if there is any talk of fighting, you know what to expect.
The bully eyed the two boys curiously, but, like most of the type, he was at heart a coward, and felt considerable doubt whether these two boys would not prove too much for him. He therefore muttered sullenly that he would choose his own time.
All right! choose by all means, and whenever you like to fix a time we shall be perfectly ready to accommodate you.
Who on earth are you with your long words? Are you a gentleman in disguise?
Never mind who I am, Will said. I have learnt enough, at any rate, to know a bully and a coward when I meet him.
The lad was too furious to answer, but finished his dinner in silence, his anger being all the more acute from the fact that he saw that some of the other boys were tittering and nudging each other. But he resolved that, though it might be prudent for the present to postpone any encounter with the boys, he would take his revenge on the first opportunity.
CHAPTER III
A SEA-FIGHT
As the conflict of words came to an end, a roar of laughter burst from the sailors at the next mess-table.
Well done, little bantam! one said; you have taken that lout down a good many pegs, and I would not mind backing you to thrash him single-handed. We have noticed his goings-on for the past two or three days with the other boys, and had intended to give him a lesson, but you have done it right well. He may have been on a voyage before, but I would wager that he has never been aloft, and I would back you to be at the masthead before he has crawled through the lubbers hole. Now, my lad, just you understand that if you are ready to fight both those boys we wont interfere, but if you try it one on one of them we will.
The boys duties consisted largely of working with the watch to which they were attached, of scrubbing decks, and cleaning brass-work. In battle their place was to bring up the powder and shot for the guns. On the second day, when the work was done, Will Gilmore went up to the boatswain.
If you please, sir, he said, may I go up the mast?
The boatswain looked at him out of one eye.
Do you really want to learn, lad?
I do, sir.
Well, when there are, as at present, other hands aloft, you may go up, but not at other times.
Thank you, sir!
Will at once started. He was accustomed to climb the mast of John Hammonds boat, but this was a very different matter. From scrambling about the cliffs so frequently he had a steady eye, and could look down without any feeling of giddiness. The lubbers hole had been pointed out to him, but he was determined to avoid the ignominy of having to go up through it. When he got near it he paused and looked round. It did not seem to him that there was any great difficulty in going outside it, and as he knew he could trust to his hands he went steadily up until he stood on the main-top.
Hallo, lad, said a sailor who was busy there, do you mean to say that you have come up outside?
Yes, there did not seem to be any difficulty about it.
And is it the first time you have tried?
Yes.
Then one day you will turn out a first-rate sailor. What are you going to do now?
Will looked up.
I am going up to the top of the next mast.
You are sure that you wont get giddy?
Yes, I am accustomed to climbing up the cliffs on the Yorkshire coast, and I have not the least fear of losing my head.
Well, then, fire away, lad, and if you find that you are getting giddy shout and I will come up to you.
Thank you! I will call if I want help.
Steadily he went up till he stood on the cap of the topmast.
I may as well go up one more, he said. I cant think why people make difficulties of what is so easy.
The sailor called to him as he saw him preparing to ascend still higher, but Will only waved his hand and started up. When he reached the cap of the top-gallant mast he sat upon it and looked down at the harbour. Presently he heard a hail from below, and saw the first lieutenant standing looking up at him.
All right, sir! I will come down at once, and steadily he descended to the maintop, where the sailor who had spoken to him abused him roundly. Then he went to where the lieutenant was standing.
How old are you, youngster?
I am a little past fifteen, sir.
Have you ever been up a mast before?
Never, sir, except that I have climbed up a fishing-boats mast many a time, and I am accustomed to clambering about the cliffs. I hope there was no harm in my going so high?
No harm as it has turned out. You are a courageous little fellow; I never before saw a lad who went outside the lubbers hole on his first ascent. Well, I hope, my lad, that you will be as well-behaved as you are active and courageous. I shall keep my eye upon you, and you have my permission henceforth, when you have no other duties, to climb about the masts as you like.
The lieutenant afterwards told the captain of Wills exploit.
That is the sort of lad to make a good topman, the captain remarked. He will soon be up to the duties, but will have to wait to get some beef on him before he is of much use in furling a sail.
I am very glad to have such a lad on board, said the lieutenant. If we are at any station on the Mediterranean, and have sports between the ships, I should back him against any other boy in the fleet to get to the masthead and down again.
One of the midshipmen, named Forster, came up to Will when he left the lieutenant, and said: Well done, young un! It was as much as I could do at your age, though I had been two years in the navy, to climb up where you did. If there is anything I can do for you at any time I will gladly do it. I dont say that it is likely, for midshipmen have no power to speak of; still, if there should be anything I would gladly help you.
There is something, if you would be so very good, sir. I am learning navigation, but there are some things that I cant make out, and it would be a kindness indeed if you would spare a few minutes occasionally to explain them to me.
The midshipman opened his eyes.
Well, I am blowed, he exclaimed in intense astonishment.The idea of a newly-joined boy wanting to be helped in navigation beats me altogether. However, lad, I will certainly do as you ask me, though I cannot think that, unless you have been at a nautical school, you can know anything about it. But come to me this evening during the dog-watches, and then I will see what you have learned about the subject.
That evening Will went on deck rather shyly with two or three of his books. The midshipman was standing at a quiet spot on the deck. He glanced at Will enquiringly when he saw what he was carrying.
Do you mean to say that you understand these books?
Not altogether, sir. I think I could work out the latitude and longitude if I knew something about a quadrant, but I have never seen one, and have no idea of its use. But what I wanted to ask you first of all was the meaning of some of these words which I cannot find in the dictionary.
It seems to me, youngster, that you know pretty well as much as I do, for I cannot do more than fudge an observation. How on earth did you learn all this? I thought you were a fisher-boy before you joined.
So I was, sir. I was an orphan at the age of five. My father left enough money to buy a boat, and, as one of the fishermen had lately lost his, he adopted me, and I became bound to him as an apprentice till I was fourteen. The clergymans daughter took a fancy to me from the first, and she used to teach me for half an hour a day, which gave me a great advantage over the other boys in the school. I was very fond of reading, and she supplied me with books. As I said I meant to go to sea, she bought me some books that would help me. So there is nothing extraordinary in my knowing these things; it all came from her kindness to me for ten years.
Why didnt she try to get you into the mercantile marine?
She got married and left the place, sir, but before she went she told me that it was very wrong to have anything to do with smugglers. So I decided to give it up, and that set the whole village against me, and I should probably have been killed if I had not taken refuge in the coast-guard station. There the officer in charge spoke to me of joining the royal navy, and it seemed to me that it would do me good to serve a few years in it; for I could afterwards, if I chose, pass as an officer in the merchant service.
You are the rummest boy that I ever came across, Forster said. Well, I must think it over. Now, if there is anything that you specially wish to know, I will explain it to you.