CHAPTER II.
OUR LIBERAL PASSENGERS.
"Where are we now, Alick, my boy?" asked my cousin Owen Garningham, ashe came on deck after we had anchored off the pier.
"We are at St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States, foundedby the Spaniards in 1565----"
"Cut it short, if you please, my affectionate cousin," interposed Owen,with an affected yawn. "I haven't been to breakfast yet; and surely youdon't expect me to learn history so early in the morning. I simplyasked you where we were, and you go back over three hundred years toanswer the question."
"I thought you might want to know something about the place," Ireplied.
"Exactly so. Where are we?"
"We are here."
Owen bit his lip, smiled, and then looked about him at the variousobjects in sight.
"If you will tell me exactly what you want to know, I will answer yourquestions; at least, I will tell you all I know," I added.
"Don't do that: it would take too long," he replied, yawning again.
"Thank you."
"I wouldn't listen to all a fool knew before breakfast; and it wouldtake you two years to tell all you know, sweet cousin."
"Not so long as that. We made the land about six this morning, in afog----"
"You made the land! Well, you didn't have a very bad job of it, for itis nothing but house sand. Of course I know we are somewhere on thecoast of Florida, for when we left the Bermudas we were bound to St.Augustine. We have got there, you say; and I thank you for telling me.After breakfast, when I have a cigar, I will, with your leave, read thehistory of the place."
"You have my permission; and I will furnish the book from which you mayread it."
"Thanks. Now, could you, Alick, without straining yourself too much,tell me something about what we may see by looking about us in justthis place--never mind the other parts of the State," continued Owen,looking around him.
"I will tell you all I know about it," I replied.
"I wish everybody would tell only that."
"The opening you see on the other side of the bay, and through which wecame in from sea, is between Anastasia Island on the south, and themain land on the north. The water to the north and south of us, insidethe land, is Matanzas River. The works you see to the north is FortMarion. The sea-wall extends from that to the point, south of us, amile: it is built of coquina, a kind of rock quarried on AnastasiaIsland, formed of sand and shells----"
"Spare me, cousin!"
"From the point to the south of us, you see an opening in the land:that is the mouth of the San Sebastian River. The city of St. Augustineis built on the tongue of land between the two rivers. The buildingsnear the point are the United States Barracks. The structure extendingout into the river from the sea-wall is a wharf or pier, built for theconvenience of vessels landing freight or passengers."
"But what does a vessel do that has both freight and passengers?" askedOwen, gravely. "I dare say she has to go to Jacksonville, where theyhave more than one wharf."
"I stand corrected: a vessel landing passengers _and_ freight," Iadded. "But I can't say, of my own knowledge, that the same vessellands both here, for I never saw the place before in my life."
"It is well to be sure," said Owen, as the breakfast-bell rang.
Before we left Jacksonville in December, I had taken an additionalperson on board, who did duty in the cabin as a waiter. Though Peeks,the steward, never complained, I saw that he had too much to do. Thedistance from the cook's galley to the companion-way of the after cabinmade it hard work to serve the table in the latter. The distance to theforward cabin, where the ship's company messed, was hardly less. Ifound that the officers and crew sometimes had to wait for their meals,and that the discipline of the vessel was thus broken in upon. Thesteward and the waiter had about all they could do to take care of thefive passengers in the after cabin, who were very uncertain in theirhours in the morning.
I had decided to have another waiter for the forward cabin, and thusallow Peeks to do the proper work of a chief steward in looking out forthe whole of his department. We had been in port so much during thewinter that I found I could well afford the additional expense, for mypayments had been less than the estimate. Though we were to cruise onthe St. Johns River and other streams during the month, there would bea great deal of boat-work for the deck-hands and firemen, for thelatter did not complain if called to other duty than that of thefire-room, and by this time were good sailors.
I went to my breakfast, which had been waiting an hour for me on thegalley, for I never left the deck till the anchor was overboard. Therewas no one to bring my meal, and the mate's watch had taken theirswhile I was talking to Owen. It was half an hour before the steward orthe waiter could attend to my wants; and the dignity of the commanderof the Sylvania did not permit him to carry his own breakfast from thegalley, while there were passengers on board. I hoped I should be ableto find another waiter at St. Augustine, though I supposed they wouldall be in demand at the hotels. At last I heard the voices of thepassengers on deck. I did not ring the call-bell on the table until Iwas sure they had finished their morning meal, for all on board made ita point to give up everything for them.
"I haven't had my breakfast yet," I said, as Peeks came down into thecabin. "I have been waiting here half an hour for it."
"I am very sorry, but it happens so sometimes, even when I do my best,"replied Peeks, evidently much disturbed by the situation. "It is all Ican do, with the waiter, to get what the passengers want when they allcome to the table at once. We have to cook everything after they orderit, or it would not be fit to eat."
"I don't blame you, and I have no fault to find," I added, soothingly."I shall give you another waiter as soon as one can be found."
"I think we need another. If the meals could be served at fixed hours,we could get along very well; but the passengers take their breakfastanywhere from eight to eleven."
"I understand it perfectly; but they have a right to do just as theyplease, and I shall not interfere with their habits," I replied; andthe steward went for my breakfast.
It was fifteen minutes before he returned, for Gopher insisted on usingme as well as those that sat at the cabin-table when I was late to mymeals, and cooked me a fresh dish of ham and eggs. I was blessed with agood appetite, and still liked country fare best, though Gopher madehotel dishes, with French names, for the after cabin. When I went ondeck, I found Owen smoking his cigar in the pilot-house. He was readingone of a pile of Florida guide-books I had procured in Jacksonville,which I had placed by the binnacle for his use.
"I have been waiting for you, Captain Alick," said he.
"And I have been waiting for my breakfast. I shall get another waiter,so that no one will have to wait," I answered.
"Well, I was in no hurry, my dear fellow: if I had been, I should havesent for you. This is the first day of March. Have you the accounts?"
I had them all ready, and went to my desk in my room, just abaft thepilot-house, for them. I gave them to him, but he hardly condescendedto look at anything except the total. Throwing away his cigar, he wentinto my room, where he wrote all his letters, and seated himself at hisdesk. I followed him, in order to give him a receipt.
"Don't leave, Robsy," said Owen to Washburn, as the mate began to moveout of the room.
Washburn resumed his toilet, for he had just donned the new uniform,with which all hands had provided themselves at St. George. Owen handedme a draft, which I saw was for just three hundred dollars more thanthe amount of the bill I had rendered. I was astonished that he shouldmake such a mistake.
"This is not correct," I began, as soon as I had looked at the amountof the draft.
"Quite correct; but I see you have got to make a quarrel with me; and Iwant Robsy to stand by me in this fight," replied Owen.
"Of course I won't take three hundred dollars more than is my due," Iprotested.
"Cut it short!" exclaimed my cousin. "I told Colonel Shepard I nevercould g
et out of it in the world, and he was putting a load on me Icould never carry. Where is that bloody contract? Will you do me thefavor to burn it?"
"Certainly not," I replied. "I intend to keep my copy, and to abide byits provisions."
"Provisions means grub, don't it?"
"Sometimes it does; but it don't now," I replied, tossing the draft onthe desk, at which he was still seated. "I will take only what is dueme."
"But I have had a row with Colonel Shepard," protested Owen. "He saidhe should insist on paying his share of the expenses of this cruisebefore we left Jacksonville; but I kept him quiet till yesterday. Inthe first place, as we have put you to extra expense, Alick, weinsisted on adding one hundred dollars a month to the amount I was topay."
I objected, and explained that I had been obliged to pay only theexpense of a waiter, as he paid all the coal and provision bills, buthe persisted, and finally appealed to Washburn, who decided in hisfavor. As I agreed to the decision of the umpire beforehand, I had tosubmit.
"I made it up with the Colonel by letting him pay half of the bills,though he would pay four-fifths of them at first," chuckled Owen, asthough he had won a victory over his fellow-passenger.
I had paid every one of the ship's company his wages when they weredue; I had painted the steamer at St. George, while the passengers weretravelling on shore; I had taken in a large supply of engine stores;and still had about eleven hundred dollars on hand. I felt that I wasgetting rich very fast, though a season of idleness might scatter allmy wealth.
By this time our passengers had seen all there was to be seen from thehurricane-deck of the steamer. Though the sun had come out, it wasrather a cool day to our party, who had spent a portion of the winterin the tropics. Owen informed me that his friends desired to go onshore. I had hardly sent them off in both boats, before a well-dressedgentleman came on deck, and desired to see the captain.