Fit! cried Mabberly. Ay, much more fit than you are, strong and vigorous though you be, for the voyage home has not only cured him; it has added superabundant health. Voyages always do to sick Anglo-Indians, dont you know? However ill a man may be in India, all he has to do is to obtain leave of absence and get on board of a ship homeward bound, and straightway health, rushing in upon him like a river, sends him home more than cured. So now our party is made up, yacht victualled, anchor tripped; andalls well that ends well.
But all is not ended, Bob. Things have only begun, and, as regards myself, they have begun disastrously, said Barret, who thereupon related the incident of the little old lady being run down.
My dear fellow, cried Mabberly, laughing, excuse me, dont imagine me indifferent to the sufferings of the poor old thing; but do you really suppose that one who was tough enough, after such a collision, to sit up at all, with or without the support of the railings, and give way to indignant abuse
Not abuse, Bob, indignant looks and sentiments; she was too thorough a lady to think of abuse
Well, well; call it what you please; but you may depend upon it that she is not much hurt, and you will hear nothing more about the matter.
Thats it! Thats the very thing that I dread, returned Barret, anxiously. To go through life with the possibility that I may be an uncondemned and unhung murderer is terrible to think of. Then I cant get over the meanness of my running away so suddenly. If any one had said I was capable of such conduct I should have laughed at him. Yet have I lived to do itcontemptiblyin cold blood.
Contemptibly it may have been, but not in cold blood, for did you not say you were roused to a state of frenzied alarm at the sight of the bobby? and assuredly, although unhung as yet, you are not uncondemned, if self-condemnation counts for anything. Come, dont take such a desponding view of the matter. We shall see the whole affair in the morning papers before sailing, with a report of the old ladys name and conditionI mean condition of healthas well as your unmanly flight, without leaving your card; so youll be able to start with an easy Ha! a cab! yes, its Jackman. I know his manservant, said Mabberly, as he looked out at the window.
Another moment and a broad-chested man, of about five-and-twenty, with a bronzed faceas far as hair left it visiblea pair of merry blue eyes, and a hearty manner, was grasping his old schoolfellows by the hand, and endeavouring to trace the likeness in John Barret to the quiet little boy whom he used to help with his tasks many years before.
Man, who would have thought you could have grown into such a great long-legged fellow? he said stepping back to take a more perfect look at his friend, who returned the compliment by asking who could have imagined that he would have turned into a Zambezian gorilla.
Wherell I put it, sor? demanded a voice of metallic bassness in the doorway.
Down thereanywhere, Quin, said Jackman turning quickly; and be off as fast as you can to see after that rifle and cartridges.
Yes, sor, returned the owner of the bass voice, putting down a small portmanteau, straightening himself, touching his forehead with a military salute, and stalking away solemnly.
I say, Giles, its not often one comes across a zoological specimen like that. Where did you pick him up? asked Mabberly.
In the woods and forests of course, said Jackman, where I have picked up everything of latefrom salary to jungle fevers. Hes an old soldieralso on sick-leave, though he does not look like it. He came originally from the west of Ireland, I believe; but theres little of the Irishman left, save the brogue and the honesty. Hes a first-rate servant, if you know how to humour him, and, being a splendid cook, we shall find him useful.
I hope so, said Mabberly, with a dubious look.
Why, Bob, do you suppose I would have offered him as cook and steward if I had not felt sure of him?
Of course not; and I would not have accepted him if I had not felt sure of you, Giles, my boy; so come along and lets have something to eat.
But you have not yet told me, Bob, said Jackman, while the three friends were discussing their meal, what part of the world you intend to visit. Does your father give you leave to go wherever you please, and stay as long as you choose?
No; he limits me to the Western Isles.
Thats an indefinite limitation. Dyou mean the isles of the Western Pacific?
No; only those of the west of Scotland. And, to tell you the truth, I have no settled or definite plan. Having got leave to use the yacht all the summer on condition that I dont leave our own shores, I have resolved to begin by running at once to the wildest and farthest away part of the kingdom, leaving circumstances to settle the rest.
A circumstantial account of the matter, no doubt, yet rather vague. Have you a good crew?
Yes; two men and a boy, one of the men being skipper, and the nearest approach to a human machine you ever saw. He is a Highlander, a thorough seaman, hard as mahogany and about as dark, stiff as a poker, self-contained, silent, except when spoken to, and absolutely obedient.
And we set sail to-morrow, early? asked Barret.
Yes; after seeing the morning papers, said Mabberly with a laugh.
This, of course, turned the conversation on the accident, much to the distress of Barret, who feared that the jovial, off-hand reckless man from the woods and forests would laugh at and quiz him more severely than his friend Bob. To his surprise and great satisfaction, however, he found that his fears were groundless, for Jackman listened to the account of the incident quite gravely, betrayed not the slightest tendency to laugh, or even smile; asked a good many questions in an interested tone, spoke encouragingly as to the probable result, and altogether showed himself to be a man of strong sympathy as well as high spirits.
Next morning found our three adventurers dropping down the Thames with the first of the ebb tide, and a slight breeze from the south-west; Mabberly and Jackman in the very small cabin looking after stores, guns, rods, etcetera; Barret anxiously scanning the columns of a newspaper; Quin and the skipper making each others acquaintance with much of the suspicion observable in two bull-dogs who meet accidentally; the boy in the fore part of the vessel coiling ropes; and the remainder of the crew at the helm.
Port! port! stiddy, growled the skipper.
Port it is; steady, replied the steersman in a sing-song professional tone, as a huge steamer from the antipodes went slowly past, like a mighty leviathan of the deep.
Is it to the north, south, east, or west were bound for, captain? asked Quin, with a voice like that of a conciliatory bassoon.
I dont know where were bound for, growled the skipper slowly. Starboard a bit; stiddy!
Steady! sang out the man at the tiller.
A few hours carried them into the German Ocean. Here Quin thought he would try again for a little information.
Sure its nor-east were steerin, captain, he remarked in a casual way.
No, its not, growled the skipper, very much through his nose; shes headin west.
Its to somewhere that coorse will take us in the ind, no doubt, if we carry on? suggested Quin, interrogatively.
Ay; oot to sea, replied the skipper.
Quin was obliged to give it up for the time being.
Quin was obliged to give it up for the time being.
For some time they were nearly becalmed; then, as the land dropped astern and the shades of night deepened, the wind fell altogether, and, when the stars came out, a profound calm prevailed over the gently undulating sea. The exuberant spirits of our three friends were subdued by the sweet influences around, and, as the hour for rest drew near, the conversation, which at first became fitful, dropped at last to silence.
This was broken at length by Jackman saying, to the surprise of his companions, What dyou say to reading a chapter before turning in? Im fond of striking whats called a key-note. If we begin this pleasure-trip with an acknowledgment of our dependence on God, we shall probably have a really pleasant time of it. What say you?
Both Mabberly and Barret gladly agreed to their friends proposalfor both had been trained in God-fearing familiesthough neither would have had the courage to make the proposal himself. The crew were invited to join, and thus family worship was established on board the Fairy from the first day.
Only one point is worthy of note in connection with thisalthough no one noted it particularly at the time, namely, that the portion of Scripture undesignedly selected contained that oft-quoted verse, Ye know not what a day may bring forth.
The truth of this was very soon thrust home upon them by stern experience.
Chapter Two
The Voyage Auspiciously Begun and Promptly Ended
A voyage up the east coast of Great Britain and through the Pentland Firth does not usually take a long time. When the vessel is a swift little schooner-yacht, and the breeze is stiff as well as fair, the voyage is naturally a brief one.
Everything favoured the little Fairy. Sun, moon, and stars cheered her, and winds were propitious, so that our voyagers soon found themselves skimming over the billows of the western sea.
It was one part of Mabberlys plan that he and his friends should do duty as part of the crew. He was himself accustomed to the handling of yachts, and Barret he knew had been familiar with the management of boats from childhood.
You can steer, of course? he had asked Giles Jackman almost as soon as they were fairly at sea.
Well, yees, oh yes. No doubt I could steer if I were to try.
Have you never tried? asked his friend in surprise.
Oh yes, I have triedonce. It was on an occasion when a number of us had gone on a picnic. We had to proceed part of the way to our destination by river in a small boat, which was managed by a regular old sea-dogI forget his name, for we generally hailed him by the title of Old Salt. Some of the impatient members of the party suggested a little preliminary lunch. There are always people ready to back up impatient suggestions! It was agreed to, and Old Salt was ordered to open the provision basket, which had been stowed away in the bows of the boat. Would you steer, sir? said Old Salt to me, as he rose to go forward. Certainly, with pleasure, said I, for, as you know, its an old weakness of mine to be obliging! Well, in a few minutes they were all eating away as if theyd had no breakfast, while we went merrily down the river, with the current and a light breeze in our favour.
Suddenly Old Salt shouted something that was smothered in its passage through a bite of sandwich. I looked up, and saw a native canoe coming straight towards us. Port! roared Old Salt, in an explosion that cleared away half the sandwich. No, thankee; I prefer sherry, said I. But I stopped there, for I saw intuitively from the yell with which he interrupted me that something was wrong. Hard a-port! he cried, jumping up and scattering his rations. I shoved the tiller hard to the side that suggested itself, and hoped for the best. The worst followed, for we struck the native canoe amidships, as it was steering wildly out of our way, and capsized it! There were only two men in it, and they could swim like ducks; but the river was full of alligators, and two sharp-set ones were on the scent instantly. It is my opinion that those two natives would, then and there, have been devoured, if we had not run in between and made such a splashing and hullaballoo with boat-hook, oars, and voices, that the monsters were scared away. I have never steered since that day.
I dont wonder; and, with my consent, you shall not steer now, said Mabberly, laughing. Why, Giles, I was under the impression that you understood everything, and could do almost anything!
Quite a mistake, Bob, founded in error or superstition. You have confused the will with the deed. I am indeed willing to try anything, but my capacity for action is limited, like my knowledge. In regard to the higher mathematics, for instance, I know nothing. Copper-mining I do not understand. I may say the same with reference to Tartar mythology, and as regards the management of infants under two years I am densely ignorant.
But do you really know nothing at all about boats and ships, Giles? asked Barret, who, being a good listener, did not always shine as a speaker.
How can you ask such a question? Of course I know a great deal about them. They float, they sail and row, they steer
Rather badly sometimes, according to your own showing! remarked Barret.
Having cleared the Pentland Firth, Mabberly consulted the skipper one morning as to the prospects of the weather. Going to fall calm, I fear, he said, as McPherson came aft with his hands in his pilot-coat pockets.
Ay, sir, that iss true, what-ë-ver.
To pronounce the last word correctly, the central ë must be run into a long-drawn, not an interjectional, sound.
More-ö-ver, continued the skipper, in his drawling nasal tone, its goin to be thick.
Being a weather-wise man, the skipper proved to be right. It did come thick; then it cleared, and, as we have said, things became favourable until they got further out to sea. Then a fancy took possession of Mabberlynamely, to have a spin out into the Atlantic and see how it looked! It mattered not to Jackman or Barret what they did or where they went; the first being exuberantly joyous, the other quietly happy. So they had their run out to sea; but twenty-four hours of it sufficedit became monotonous.
I think wed better go back now, suggested Mabberly.
Agreed, said his companions.
Iss it goin back youll be? asked the skipper.
Yes. Dont you think we may as well turn now? said Mabberly, who made it a point always, if possible, to carry the approbation of the skipper with him.
I think it wass petter if we had niver come oot.
Why so, Captain?
Because its comin on to plow. Putt her roond, Shames.
James McGregor, to whom the order was given, and who was the other man of the crew, obeyed. The yacht, which had latterly been beating against a headwind, now ran gaily before it towards the Scottish coast, but when night closed in no outlying islands were visible.
We wull hev to keep a sharp look-oot, Shames, remarked the skipper, as he stopped in his monotonous perambulation of the deck to glance at the compass.
Oo, ay, responded McGregor, with the air of a man who knew that as well as his superior.
What do you fear? asked Mabberly, coming on deck at the moment to take a look at the night before turning in.
I fear naething, sir, replied McPherson, gravely.
I mean, what danger threatens us?
None that I ken o; but were makin the land, an it behooves us to ca canny.