CHAPTER VIII.
ALEXANDRIA.
TEN days' hard work and the _Wild Wave's_ equipment was nearly complete.The riggers were to put the finishing touch to their work that evening,and the carpenters to finish all below, and were to begin in the morningscraping and cleaning the decks, and there then remained only thepainting to be done. The captain's usual hour for coming on board waseleven o'clock, but the men were just knocking off for dinner when hearrived.
"Well, Mr. Timmins, when do you think we can be ready to take cargo onboard?"
"Well, sir, it will take them three days to get the decks planed. Theyare in a beastly state, you see. She must have had a dirty lot on boardher on her last voyage, and she has picked up six months' dirt in thedocks. Nothing short of planing will get them fit to be seen. Then thepainters will take another four days, I should say, perhaps five, as thebulwarks and all the paint on deck must be done."
"That makes eight days' work, Mr. Timmins. I suppose we cannot set thepainters at work until the carpenters are done?"
The mate shook his head. "Decidedly not, if the paint is to be worthlooking at, sir. It would be throwing money and time away to begin topaint as long as the chips and dust are flying about."
"If we were to get the painting on deck done directly the carpentersknock off we might do the outside while we are taking the cargo in?"
"Yes, we might do that," the mate assented; "though even then if it isanything like a dusty cargo the paint wouldn't show up as smooth andclean as one would like to see it."
"Well, we can't help that," the captain said. "I have just come from theoffice, and they have had an offer for a freight, part to Alexandria andpart to Smyrna; but they wanted to begin to load at once. I said thatwas out of the question, but that I thought I could begin to take it onboard next Monday."
"Well, it will be quick work, sir. However, if you can get them to put agood strong gang of carpenters on board they might get the deck finishedoff by Wednesday evening. Anyhow, we might have the painters on boardon Thursday morning, and if they are sharp they should finish by thetime they knock off on Saturday."
"WE ARE DESPERATE MEN AND WELL ARMED"]
"Yes. Two coats will be sufficient," the captain said; "at any rate inmost places. They might send a man or two to-morrow to put a coat atonce on at the gangways and other places where it is worst."
"Do you know what the cargo is, captain?"
"Mixed cargo; some railway iron for Egypt, the rest hardware and drygoods of one sort and another, but beyond that I did not hear anyparticulars."
"Well, captain, I think we can say that we shall be ready to take it onboard on Monday. Will you get them at the office to write to the twomates to tell them to be here the first thing in the morning?
"I think you are in luck, youngster," Mr. Timmins went on as the captainleft the ship to see that a strong gang of carpenters were set to work."A trip up the Mediterranean will be a capital breaking in for you. Youwill hardly be out of sight of land all the way, and Alexandria andSmyrna are two ports well worth seeing. We don't very often get a jauntup the Mediterranean now; those rascally steamers get all the work."
When the riggers had once left the ship Jack had nothing more to do, andMr. Timmins told him that it would be no use his coming again untilMonday morning.
"You will be useful then," he said, "helping to check off the cargo asit comes on board. You had better bring your chest down and take up yourquarters here. I shall get the cook in on Monday, and I expect we shallall stop on board. Of course when work is over you can always go backhome when you are disposed."
To Mrs. Robson's delight, therefore, Jack was able to spend the next fewdays at home, and also to assure her that his first voyage was to be ashort one only.
All was in readiness on Monday morning. The second and third mates cameon board early; the crew were not to join until the evening beforesailing, as the work of loading was done by stevedores. The second andthird mates were both young men. They had spoken to Jack on board thebawley, and had shaken hands with him when they left Leigh with warmexpressions of gratitude, and they both greeted him most cordially assoon as they met him on the deck of the _Wild Wave_. Jack thereforecommenced his career as a sailor under altogether exceptionally pleasantconditions. The captain and two of the mates were under very deepobligations to him, and Mr. Timmins had already conceived a veryfavourable opinion of him from his willingness to turn his hand toanything, and from his quickness and handiness.
For the next three days work went on from morning until night. Jack wasstationed at one of the hatchways with the second mate checking offevery box, bale, and package as it went down. The boatswain and crewcame on board on the Tuesday, as there was the work of bending the sailsand getting all in readiness for the start to be got through. Jack hadnot returned home on Monday or Tuesday night, but on Wednesday he wenthome to say good-bye, for the vessel was to go out of dock at noon onThursday.
Before leaving home he donned for the first time his neat uniform, whichhad only come a few days before. Lily was delighted with his appearance,and his mother felt no little pride as she looked at him, and, sad asshe was at the prospect of his long absence, was thoroughly convincedthat the choice he had made was a wise one. Mrs. Godstone and herdaughter had been down twice to call upon Mrs. Robson since her arrivalat Dulwich, and on the previous Saturday Jack and his mother had gonethere to dine, Captain and Mrs. Murchison being the only other guests.
After a tearful good-bye Jack started from home. On his arrival on boardhe found two other lads, one a year older than himself and one as muchyounger. Jim Tucker, the elder, had already made two or three voyages inMr. Godstone's ships. Arthur Hill was going to sea for the first time.Jack knew that two other midshipmen were sailing in the _Wild Wave_, andfound them arranging their things in the little cabin, with three bunks,allotted to them.
"Hallo! You are Robson, I suppose?" Jim Tucker began as he entered. "Youhave got a lot of gear here in the cabin, and you must stow it away in asmaller space than it takes up at present or we shall never fit in."
"I have not begun to stow it away yet," Jack said. "I was waiting to seehow much you had both got, and which berth you were going to choose,before I began to settle at all."
"Yes, that is all right enough," Tucker answered. "Well, as I am thesenior, I will take this berth under the port."
"I suppose I am next," Jack said. "I will take the top one opposite."
This being settled the lads proceeded to put things straight and stowaway their portmanteaus.
As soon as they had done this they went on deck. The vessel was alreadywarping out of the dock, and as soon as she was through the gates asteam-tug seized her and took her down the river. It was eight o'clock,and the sun was just setting, when the hawser attached to the tug wasthrown off. Some of the sails had already been hoisted, for the wind wasnortherly. The rest were now shaken out and sheeted home, and under acloud of white canvas--for the _Wild Wave_ had been fitted with anentirely new suit of sails--the vessel proceeded on her way. Theofficers were divided into two watches. The first and third mates andArthur Hill were in one watch, the second mate and the other two lads inthe other.
After the constant work on board the smack Jack found it strange as hecame down the river to be walking up and down the deck with nothing todo. The _Wild Wave_ passed through a fleet of bawleys trawling off HoleHaven; he knew every one of them by sight, but the _Bessy_ was not amongthem.
Meals had been irregular that day with the officers, for there was muchto be seen after in coiling down ropes, washing the decks, and ingetting everything neatly in ship-shape. As they passed the Middle Sunkthe second mate touched Jack on the shoulder.
"That's her," he said; "at least all that remains of her," and hepointed to some black timbers just appearing above the surface of thewater.
"Yes; that's her," Jack said. "I heard from my uncle that they blew herup three weeks ago."
"Rather a different scene from what it was that
day," the mate, whosename was Hoare, said. "I thought it was all up with us, and even when wesaw you coming we hardly believed that you could get near enough to takeus off; and now it is as smooth as glass."
"It was a lucky day for me, sir, that was," Jack said. "I had thennothing to look forward to, beyond sailing a bawley; now I have got thelife I always wanted to follow, and every prospect of getting on."
"That you have, my lad," Hoare agreed. "It was a rare bit of luck foryou that you made us out, no doubt, and a rare bit of luck for us too."
The voyage began well. The wind continued light and in the right quarterall the first week. Jack and his companions were not idle, and alwayswent aloft with the watch when there was occasion to make any changewith the sails. This was at first a trial for Arthur Hill; but JimTucker was an old hand at it, and Jack, who had often had to make hisway up the _Bessy's_ mast when she was rolling heavily, was soon quiteat home on the yards of the _Wild Wave_. For two hours every morning thethree boys worked at navigation, Mr. Hoare acting as instructor.
So smooth was the sea and so slight the motion that Jack could hardlybelieve that he was sailing down through the Bay of Biscay, of which hehad heard so much; and he was quite surprised when, on the fifth dayafter sailing, Mr. Hoare pointed to land on the port bow, and told himthat was Portugal.
"We have had capital luck, so far," the officer said. "If the wind doesbut hold till we once get fairly round Cape St. Vincent, it may changeas soon as it likes into any quarter except the east, and we are notvery likely to get that at this time of the year."
"I should not mind a change of wind a bit, sir," Jack said; "it wouldbring us something to do."
"Ah, yes; after being accustomed to go about every five minutes or so onthe Thames, I understand you finding this monotonous, Jack. When youhave had a little more of the sea, you won't mind how much you get offine weather and favouring winds. As for storms, I don't care if I neversee another. They are very grand to read of in books, and when you havegot a stout ship and plenty of sea room there is no need to be afraid;but when you are wet through for a week at a spell, and the galley-firescan't be kept going, there is very little comfort in it."
The wind changed next day to the west, and by evening was blowing hard.A good deal of the canvas was taken off, and the ship edged further awayfrom land; but after blowing strongly the wind abated again, and thenext day the _Wild Wave_ passed Cape St. Vincent and headed for theStraits of Gibraltar. As the wind still held from the west they made arapid run, and in ten days after passing St. Vincent dropped anchor inthe harbour of Alexandria.
The next day the captain said to Jim Tucker, "You three lads can goashore after dinner to-day. There is nothing particular for you to do onboard, and it is well to get a view of these foreign towns while youcan. When you once get to be mates you will not have much chance to doso, for then you will have to be looking after the loading and unloadingof the cargo. Come off before gun-fire. There are about as cut-throat alot of thieves in Alexandria as in any port on the Mediterranean, andthat is saying a good deal."
"It is quite possible that there will be trouble here before long," Mr.Hoare remarked at dinner.
"I saw something in the paper about it," Mr. Alston, the third mate,said; "but I did not trouble to read through the accounts. What is itall about?"
"There has been a sort of peaceable revolution," Mr. Hoare said. "Thecolonels of the regiments in Cairo, headed by a general named ArabiPasha, mutinied, and the viceroy had to give way to them."
"What did they mutiny about?" the third mate asked.
"Well, in the first place they wanted privileges for the army, and inthe second place they wanted a lot of Europeans who hold berths to bedismissed, and the government to be entirely in the hands of natives. Itis a sort of national movement, with the army at the head of it; and theviceroy, although still nominally the ruler of Egypt, is in fact littlemore than a cipher in the hands of Arabi and the colonels. They say theFrench are at the bottom of it, and it is likely enough. They havealways been jealous of our influence in Egypt. However, I do notsuppose we shall interfere in the matter, unless they break regularlyout and ill-treat Europeans, and threaten to seize the canal orsomething of that sort."
After dinner the three boys landed together in a boat. Half a dozennatives pressed round them directly they stepped ashore, and offered toact as guides; but these offers they refused, for, as Jim Tucker said,"We have only got to walk about, and we are certain to find ourselvessomewhere. It will be time enough talking about taking a guide when itis time for us to make down to the port again. This is a long street,let us follow it. It must lead somewhere."
Staring into the funny little shops, and at the varying crowds, composedof people of all the nationalities of the Mediterranean, mingled with aswarm of scantily-clad natives, and women wrapped up in dark blue cottoncloths, the lads made their way along.
"What an awful place for flies!" Arthur Hill said, after brushing two orthree off his cheek. "Just look at that child! Why, there are a dozenround its eyes, and it doesn't seem to mind them in the least; and thereis another just the same!"
"I expect the coating of dirt is so thick that they do not feel it," JimTucker said. "Poor little beggars, most of them look as if they had nothad a wash for the last month. The women are ugly enough, what you cansee of them, and that is not much. What a rascally set the Europeanslook! The Egyptians are gentlemen by the side of them. I fancy from whatI have heard they are the sweepings of the European ports--Greeks,Italians, Maltese, and French. When a fellow makes it too hot at homefor the place to hold him, he comes over here--
"Ah! this is more like a town," he broke off as they entered the greatsquare. "My goodness! how hot the sun does blaze down here. I say, hereis a refreshment place. Sorbette--Ices. It is lucky that they put theEnglish. Come on, you fellows, an ice would be just the thing now."
As they came out they were accosted by an Egyptian driver. "Take acarriage, gentlemen? Drive to Sweet-water Canal. See the gardens."
"What do you say, Jack?" Tucker asked. "I suppose we may as well gothere as anywhere else."
"Well, we will go there later, Tucker. One does get shade in the narrowstreets; but there would be no fun in driving with this sun blazing downon us. By five o'clock, when the sun gets a bit lower, it will bepleasant enough. I vote we go into the narrow streets, where we shallget shade, and see the natives in their own quarters."
The others agreed, and turning out of the square they were soon in thelanes.
"This is not half as amusing as the Indian towns," Tucker said. "Lastvoyage I went to Calcutta, and it is jolly in the natives' town there,seeing the natives squatting in their little shops, tinkering andtailoring, and all sorts of things. And such a crowd of them in thestreets! This is a poor place in comparison, and most of the shops yousee have European names over them. However, one gets the shade; that issomething."