Chapter 4: Preparations For A Voyage.
Bob went round to the barracks at half past nine.
"Uncle says you have a piece of news to tell me, Carrie."
"My dear Bob," Captain O'Halloran said, "your uncle is a broth of aboy. He would do credit to Galway; and if anyone says anything tothe contrary, I will have him out tomorrow morning."
"What has he been doing?" Bob asked.
"I told you, Carrie, yesterday, he wasn't a bit like what heseemed."
"Well, Bob, you are not going to stay at his place of business anylonger."
"No! Where is he going to send me--to school again? I am not sure Ishould like that, Carrie. I didn't want to leave, but I don't thinkI should like to go back to Caesar, and Euclid, and all thosewretched old books again."
"Well, you are not going, Bob."
"Hurry up, Carrie!" her husband said. "Don't you see that you arekeeping the boy on thorns? Tell him the news, without beating aboutthe bush."
"Well, it is just this, Bob. You are to come out for two years tolive with us, at Gibraltar, and learn Spanish."
Bob threw his cap up to the ceiling, with a shout of delight;executed a wild dance, rushed at his sister and kissed herviolently, and shook hands with her husband.
"That is glorious!" he said, when he had sufficiently recoveredhimself for speech. "I said uncle was a brick, didn't I? But Inever dreamt of such a thing as this."
"He is going to pay, very handsomely, while you are with us, Bob,so it will be really a great help to us. Besides, we will like tohave you with us. But you will have to work hard at Spanish, youknow."
"Oh, I will work hard," Bob said, confidently.
"And be very steady," Captain O'Halloran said, gravely.
"Of course," Bob replied. "But who are you going to hire to teachme that?"
"You are an impudent boy, Bob," his sister said, while CaptainO'Halloran burst out laughing.
"Sure, he has us both there, Carrie. I wonder your uncle did notmake a proviso that we were to get one of the padres to look afterhim."
"As if I would let a Spanish priest look after me!" Bob said.
"I didn't mean a Spanish priest, Bob. I meant one of the armychaplains. We always call them padres.
"That would be worth thinking about, Carrie."
"Oh, I say," Bob exclaimed in alarm, "that would spoil it,altogether!"
"Well, we will see how you go on, Bob. We may not find itnecessary, you know; but you will find you have to mind your P'sand Q's, at Gib. It is a garrison place, you know, and they won'tstand nonsense there. If you played any tricks, they would turn yououtside the lines, or send you up to one of the caverns to livewith the apes."
"Are there apes?" Bob asked, eagerly. "They would be awful fun, Ishould think. I have seen them at Exeter 'Change."
"There are apes, Bob; but if you think you are going to get nearenough to put salt on their tails, you are mistaken."
"But am I going out with you?" Bob asked. "Why, tomorrow isChristmas Day, and you sail two days after, don't you? And Ishouldn't have time even to go up to town, and down to Putney, tosay goodbye to the fellows. I should like to do that, and tell themthat I am going abroad."
"You are not going with us, Bob, and you will have time for allthat. We could not take you in the transport, and uncle willarrange for a passage for you, in some ship going out. Of course,he knows all about vessels trading with Spain."
"Well, we sha'n't have to say goodbye, now," Bob said. "I haven'tsaid much about it, but I have been thinking a lot about how horridit would be, after being so jolly here, to have to say goodbye;knowing that I shouldn't see you again, for years and years. Nowthat is all over."
A few minutes later, Mr. Bale came in. He had assumed his mostbusinesslike expression, but Bob rushed up to him.
"Oh, uncle, I am so obliged to you! It is awfully kind."
"I thought the arrangement would be a suitable one," Mr. Balebegan.
"No, no, uncle," Bob broke in. "You would say that, if you were inPhilpot Lane. Now you know you can say that you thought it would bethe very jolliest thing that was ever heard of."
"I am afraid, niece, that the sentiment of respect for his eldersis not strongly developed in Bob."
"I am afraid not, uncle; but you see, if elders set an example ofbeing double-faced to their nephews, they must expect to forfeittheir respect."
"And it is a lot better being liked than being respected, isn't it,uncle?"
"Perhaps it is, Bob, but the two things may go together."
"So they do, uncle. Only I keep my respect for Philpot Lane, and itis all liking, here."
They spent two more delightful days at Portsmouth; visited some ofthe ships of war, and the transport in which the 58th was to sail,and went over the dockyard. The next morning, Mr. Bale and Bobreturned by the early coach to London, as the boxes and trunks andthe portable furniture had to be sent off, early, on board.
Mr. Medlin was less surprised, at hearing that Bob was going toleave, than the latter had expected.
"You know, Bob, I was away one day last week. Well, I didn't tellyou at the time where I was, because I was ordered not to; but youruncle said to me, the evening before:
"'I am going to drive down by coach to Windsor, Mr. Medlin, andshall be glad if you will accompany me.'
"I guessed he wanted to talk about things outside the business, andso it was. We had a capital dinner down there, and then we had along talk about you. I told him frankly that, though I was veryglad to have you with me, I really did not see that it was of anyuse your being kept at that work. He said that he thought so, too,and had an idea on which he wanted my opinion. He was thinking ofaccepting your sister's invitation to go down and spend Christmaswith her; and intended to ask her if they would take charge of you,for a couple of years, in order that you might learn Spanish. Ofcourse, I said that it was the very best thing in the world foryou; and would not be any loss of time because, if you could speakSpanish well, you would learn the business much more quickly whenyou went to Cadiz; and need not be so long abroad, then."
"I shall be awfully sorry to go away from you, Mr. Medlin, and fromMrs. Medlin and the others. It has been so jolly with you, and youhave all been so kind."
"Yes, it has been very comfortable all round, Bob, and we shall allbe sorry that you are going; but I did not expect we should haveyou long with us. I felt sure your uncle would see he had made amistake, in taking you into the place so young; and when he findsout he has made a mistake, he says so. Some people won't; but Ihave known him own up he has been wrong, after blowing up one ofthe boys in the cellar for something he hadn't done. Now, there isnot one employer in a hundred who would do that.
"Yes, I felt sure that he would change his mind about you, andeither send you back to school again or make some otherarrangement; so I wasn't a bit surprised when he spoke to me, lastweek. Still, we shall all be sorry, Bob."
Another fortnight, passed without Bob hearing more; except that hewas taken by Mr. Medlin to various shops, and a large outfit wasordered.
"You will bear in mind two things, Mr. Medlin," his employer hadsaid. "In the first place, that my nephew will grow, in the nexttwo years. Therefore order some of his things to fit him, now, andsome to be made larger and in more manly fashion. Give instructionsthat, when these are finished, they are to be put in tin cases andsoldered down, so as to be kept distinct from the others.
"In the second place, you will bear in mind that clothes whichwould be perfectly right and suitable for him, here, will not be atall suitable for him, there. He will be living with an officer, andassociating entirely with military men; and there must therefore bea certain cut and fashion about his things. Of course, I don't wanthim to look like a young fop; but you understand what I want. Therewill be no boys out there, it is therefore better that he shouldlook a little older than he is. Besides, I think that boys--andmen, too--to some extent live up to their clothes.
"I do not think that I have anything else to say, Mr.
Medlin;except that, as he will not be able to replace any clothes he maydestroy out there, and as he is sure to be climbing about anddestroying them, in one way or another, it is necessary that anample supply should be laid in."
Mr. Medlin had scrupulously carried out all these instructions, andBob was almost alarmed at the extent of the wardrobe ordered.
"I know what I am doing, Mr. Robert,"--for they were in the citywhen Bob made his protest--"I am quite sure that my employer willmake no objection to my ordering largely; but he would certainly bemuch displeased, if I did not order what he conceived to besufficient."
At the end of the fortnight, Mr. Bale informed Bob that he hadarranged for his passage to Gibraltar in the brig Antelope.
"She is bound to Valencia for fruit. She is a fast sailer, and iswell armed. There will be no other passengers on board but, as I amacquainted with the captain--who has several times brought overcargoes for me, from Cadiz and Oporto--he has agreed to take you. Iwould rather you had gone in a ship sailing with a convoy but, asthere was a very strong one went, at the time the transportssailed, there may not be another for some time. These small vesselsdo not wait for convoys, but trust to their speed.
"You can now discontinue your work here, as you will probably wishto go down to Putney, to say goodbye to your friends there. Thebrig will sail next Monday; but you will go down on Saturday, bycoach, to Southampton, where she now is. I shall request Mr. Medlinto see you on board. He tells me that your outfit is completed; andyour trunks, with the exception of what will be required upon thevoyage, will be sent off by the carrier waggon, on Wednesday.
"On Thursday afternoon you will leave Mr. Medlin's, and stay heretill you start."
The week passed quickly. Bob enjoyed his day at Putney where, aftersaying goodbye to his old schoolfellows, he called upon AdmiralLangton, who was very glad to hear of the change in his prospects.
"It will do you good," he said, "to go out into the world, and seea little of life. It was a dull thing, for a lad of your age andspirits, to be cooped up in a counting house in the city; but nowthat you are going to Gibraltar, and afterwards to Cadiz andOporto, and will not return to settle down to business until youare one-and-twenty or so, I think that the prospect before you is avery pleasant one; and I am glad that your uncle has provedaltogether different to your anticipations of him.
"Well, you are sure to see my son at Gibraltar, sometimes. I shallwrite to him, and tell him that you are there; and as your friendSankey is on board the Brilliant, it will be pleasant for both ofyou.
"Only don't lead him into scrapes, Bob. Midshipmen are up tomischief enough, on their own account."
"Everyone always seems to think I am getting into scrapes, admiral.I don't think I get into more than other fellows."
"I rather think you do, Bob. Mr. Tulloch certainly intimated, tome, that you had a remarkable talent that way, if in no other.Besides, your face tells its own story. Pickle is marked upon it,as plainly as if it were printed.
"Now you must have supper with us, at seven o'clock, and catch theeight o'clock stage. You can stay until then, I hope?"
"Yes, sir. I told Mr. Medlin that I might not come back until thelast stage."
At parting, the admiral placed a case in Bob's hands.
"There, my lad, are a brace of pistols. You won't have any use forthem for some years to come, I hope; but if you stay out in Spainand Portugal, they may prove useful. Those fellows are very handywith their knives; and it is always well to be armed if you goabout, at night, among them. I should advise you to practiseshooting, whenever you get an opportunity. A pistol is an excellentweapon, if you really know how to use it; but is of no use at all,if you don't.
"Another thing is, you may get involved in affairs of honour. Iconsider duelling to be a foolish practice, but it is no use oneperson standing up against a crowd. It is the fashion, in our days,to fight duels and, therefore, it is almost a necessity for agentleman to be able to shoot straight; besides, although you mightbe able to avoid fighting a duel with any of your countrymen, thereis no possibility of getting out of it, if you become involved in aquarrel with a foreigner. In that case, an Englishman who showedthe white feather would be a disgrace to his country.
"Another advantage of being a good shot--I mean a really goodshot--is that, if you get forced into an affair, and are desirousof giving a lesson, but no more, to an opponent, you have it inyour power to wing him; whereas, if you are only a tolerably goodshot, you can't pick your spot, and may--to your lastingregret--kill him.
"But all this is in the future, Bob. I have fought several duels,myself, with those very pistols, and I am happy to say I have neverkilled my man; and shall be glad to believe, Bob, that they willalways be used in the same spirit."
Bob's last two evenings before sailing were more pleasant than hehad expected. Mr. Bale seemed to forget that he was still inPhilpot Lane, and chatted with him freely and confidentially.
"I hope that I am doing the best for you, Bob. I know this is anexperiment, and I can only trust that it will turn out well. Ibelieve you have plenty of sound sense, somewhere in your head; andthat this association with a number of young military men will nothave any bad effect upon you; but that, after four or five yearsabroad, you will not be less, but rather more inclined to settledown to business. I regard you as my son, and have indeed norelations whom I care for in any way, except you and your sister. Itrust that, when you come back, you will apply yourself tobusiness; without becoming, as I have done, a slave to it.
"I might, if I chose, make you altogether independent of it; but Iam sure that would not be for your good. There is nothing moreunfortunate for a young man, belonging to the middle classes, thanto have no fixed occupation. The heir to large estates is in adifferent position. He has all sorts of responsibilities. He hasthe pursuits of a country gentleman, and the duties of a largelandowner. But the young man of our class, who does not take tobusiness, is almost certain to go in for reckless dissipation, orgambling. I have seen numbers of young men, sons of old friends ofmy own, who have been absolutely ruined by being left the fortunestheir fathers had made, simply because they had nothing with whichto occupy their minds.
"It is for this reason, Bob, that I chiefly wish you to succeed mein my business. It is a very good one. I doubt whether any othermerchant imports such large quantities of wines as I do. During thenext few years I shall endeavour to give up, as far as I can, whatI may call private business, and deal entirely with the trade. Ihave been doing so for some time, but it is very difficult to giveup customers who have dealt with me, and my father before me.However, I shall curtail the business in that direction, as much asI can; and you will then find it much more easily managed. Smallorders require just as much trouble in their execution as largeones; and a wholesale business is, in all respects, moresatisfactory than one in which private customers are supplied, aswell as the trade.
"I am entering into arrangements, now, with several travellers, forthe purpose of extending my dealings with the trade in theprovinces; so that when it comes into your hands you will find itmore compact, and at the same time more extensive, than it is now.
"I am glad that I have had you here, for the past four months. Ihave had my eye upon you, more closely than you suppose; and I ampleased to see that you have worked well and willingly--far more sothan I expected from you. This has much encouraged me in the hopethat you will, in time, settle down to business here; and not becontented to lead a purposeless and idle life. The happiest man, inmy opinion, is he who has something to do--and yet, not too much;who can, by being free from anxieties regarding it, view hisbusiness as an occupation, and a pleasure; and who is its master,and not its slave.
"I am thinking of giving Mr. Medlin a small interest in thebusiness. I mean to make a real effort to break a little loose fromit, and I have seen enough of him to know that he will make a veryvaluable junior. He is a little eccentric, perhaps--a sort ofexaggeration of myself--but I shall signify to him that, when hecomes into the f
irm, I consider that it will be to its advantage thathe should import a little of what we may call his 'extra-official'manner into it.
"In our business, as I am well aware--although I do not possess it,myself--a certain cheerfulness of disposition, and a generallypleasing manner, are of advantage. Buyers are apt to give largerorders than they otherwise would do, under the influence ofpleasant and genial relations; and Mr. Medlin can, if he chooses,make up for my deficiencies in that way.
"But I am taking the step rather in your interest than in my own.It will relieve you of a considerable portion of the burden of thebusiness, and will enable you to relax somewhat, when you aredisposed, if you have a partner in whom you can place thoroughconfidence.
"I do not wish you to mention this matter to him. I would ratheropen it to him, myself. We will go on another fishing expeditiontogether, and I think we can approach it, then, on a more pleasantfooting than we could here. He has modelled himself so thoroughlyupon me that the matter could only be approached in so intensely abusinesslike way, here, that I feel sure we should not arrive atanything like such a satisfactory arrangement as we might do,elsewhere."
In the course of the week, Captain Lockett of the Antelope hadcalled at the office, and Bob had been introduced to him by Mr.Bale. He was a hearty and energetic looking man, of somefive-and-thirty years of age.
"I shall want you to go to Cadiz for me, next trip, CaptainLockett," Mr. Bale said. "I am having an unusually large cargoprepared for me--enough, I fancy, to fill up your brig."
"All the better, sir," the sailor said. "There is nothing likehaving only one shipper--it saves time and trouble; but I shouldadvise you to insure it for its full value, for the channel swarmswith French privateers, at present; and the fellows are buildingthem bigger, and mounting heavier guns than they used to do.
"I am mounting a long eighteen as a swivel gun, this voyage, inaddition to those I carried before. But even with that, there aresome of these French craft might prove very awkward customers, ifthey fell in with us. You see, their craft are crowded with men,and generally carry at least twice as many hands as ours. It isjust the same with their fishing boats. It takes about threeFrenchmen to do the work of an Englishman."
"Well, don't get caught, this time, Captain Lockett. I don't wantmy nephew to learn to speak French, instead of Spanish, for thereis very little trade to be done in that quarter, at present; andwhat there is is all carried on by what I may call 'irregular'channels."
"I fancy there is a great deal of French wine comes into thiscountry still, sir, in spite of the two nations being at war. Itsuits both governments to wink at the trade. We want French wine,and they want English money."
"That's so, Captain Lockett; but at any rate, we can't send Englishbuyers out there, and must take what they choose to send."
On Saturday morning Bob said goodbye to his uncle, with an amountof feeling and regret he would have considered impossible, fourmonths previously. Mr. Medlin accompanied him to Southampton, andthe journey was a very lively one.
"Goodbye, Bob," the clerk said, as they shook hands on the deck ofthe Antelope. "You will be a man, when I see you again--that is, ifyou don't come home, for a bit, before going to the people at Cadizand Oporto. You will be coming into the firm, then; and will be Mr.Robert, always."
"Not if we go out fishing expeditions together," Bob said, andlaughed.
"Ah! Well, perhaps that will be an exception.
"Well, goodbye; a pleasant voyage to you, and don't get into morescrapes than you can help."
"Oh, I am growing out of that, Mr. Medlin!"
"Not you, Bob. They may be different sorts of scrapes, in thefuture; but scrapes there will be, or I am a Dutchman."
"Well, youngster, are you a good sailor?" the captain asked; as theAntelope, with all sail set, ran down Southampton water.
"I hope I am, captain, but I don't know, yet. I have gone outsailing in boats at Plymouth several times, in rough weather, andhave never felt a bit ill; but I don't know how it will be, in aship like this."
"If you can sail in rough water in a boat, without feeling ill, youought to be all right here, lad. She is an easy craft, as well as afast one; and makes good weather of it, in anything short of agale.
"There is eight bells striking--that means eight o'clock, andbreakfast. You had better lay in as good a store as you can. Weshall be outside the Needles, if the wind holds, by dinnertime; andyou may not feel so ready for it, then."
The second mate breakfasted in the cabin with the captain and Bob,the first mate remaining on deck. The second mate was a young manof three or four and twenty, a cousin of the captain. He was afrank, pleasant-faced young sailor, and Bob felt that he shouldlike him.
"How many days do you expect to be in getting to Gibraltar,captain?"
"About ten, if we have luck; twenty if we haven't. There is neverany saying."
"How many men do you carry?"
"Twenty-eight seamen, the cook, the steward, two mates, and myself;and there are three boys. Thirty-six all told."
"I see you have eight guns, besides the pivot gun."
"Yes. We have plenty of hands for working them, if we only have tofight one side at once; but we shouldn't be very strong handed, ifwe had to work both broadsides. There are four sixteen pounders,four twelves, and the pivot; so that gives three men to a gun,besides officers and idlers. Three men is enough for the twelves,but it makes rather slow work with the sixteens. However, we mayhope that we sha'n't have to work both broadsides at once.
"We carry a letter of marque so that, in case of our having theluck to fall in with a French trader, we can bring her in. But thatis not our business. We are peaceful traders, and don't want toshow our teeth, unless we are interfered with."
To Bob's great satisfaction, he found that he was able to eat hisdinner with unimpaired appetite; although the Antelope was clear ofthe island, and was bowing deeply to a lively sea. The firstmate--a powerful looking man of forty, who had lost one eye, andwhose face was deeply seamed by an explosion of powder in anengagement with a French privateer--came down to the meal, whilethe second mate took the duty on deck. Bob found some difficulty inkeeping his dish before him, for the Antelope was lying well over,with a northerly wind abeam.
"She is travelling well, Probert," the captain said. "We have gother in capital trim, this time. Last time we were too light, andcould not stand up to our sails.
"If this wind holds, we shall make a fast run of it. We will keepher well inshore, until we get down to the Scillys; and thenstretch across the bay. The nearer we keep to the coast, the lessfear there is of our running against one of those Frenchprivateers."
The wind held steady, and Bob enjoyed the voyage immensely, as thebrig sailed along the coast. After passing Portland Bill they lostsight of land until, after eight hours' run, a bold headlandappeared on the weather beam.
"That is the Start," the captain said. "When I get abeam of it weshall take our bearings, and then shape our course across the bay.If this wind does but hold, we shall make quick work of it."
Presently the tiller was put up and, as the brig's head paid off,the yards were braced square; and she ran rapidly along towards thesouthwest, with the wind nearly dead aft. The next morning when Bobwent on deck he found that the wind had dropped, and the brig wasscarcely moving through the water.
"This is a change, Mr. Probert," he said to the first mate, who wasin charge of the deck.
"Yes, and not a pleasant one," the officer replied. "I don't likethe look of the sky, either. I have just sent down to the captain,to ask him to step on deck."
Bob looked round. The sky was no longer bright and clear. There wasa dull, heavy look overhead; and a smoky haze seemed to hang overthe horizon, all round. Bob thought it looked dull, but wonderedwhy the mate should send for the captain.
The latter came up on deck, in a minute or two.
"I don't much like the look of the sky, sir," the mate said. "Thewind has died suddenly out, this last half hour; and th
e swell hasgot more kick in it than it had. I fancy the wind is going round tothe southwest; and that, when it does come, it will come hard."
"I think you are right, Mr. Probert. I glanced at the glass, as Icame up, and it has fallen half an inch since I was up on deck inthe middle watch. I think you had better begin to take in sail, atonce. Call the watch up from below. It is not coming yet; but wemay as well strip her, at once."
The mate gave the order to the boatswain, whose shrill whistlesounded out, followed by the shout of "All hands to take in sail!"
The watch below tumbled up.
"Take the royals and topgallant sails off her, Mr. Probert. Doublereef the topsails, and get in the courses."
Bob watched the men as they worked aloft, and marvelled at theseeming carelessness with which they hung on, where the slip of afoot or hand would mean sudden death; and wondered whether he couldever attain such steadiness of head. Three quarters of an hour'shard work and the mast was stripped, save for the reduced topsails.
"Get in two of the jibs, and brail up the spanker."
This was short work. When it was done the second mate, who had beenworking forward, looked to the captain for further orders. Thelatter had again gone below, but was now standing on the poop,talking earnestly with the first mate.
"Yes, I think you are right," Bob heard the captain say. "The glassis still falling and, very likely, it will be some time before wewant these light spars again. There is nothing like being snug."
"Aloft again, lads!" the mate sung out, "and send down the yardsand topgallant masts."
"Now she is ready for anything," the captain said, when the menagain descended to the deck.
Bob, who had been so intently watching the men that he had notlooked round at the sky, since they first went aloft, now had timeto do so; and was startled with the change that had come over thesea, and sky. There was not a breath of wind. There was a dull,oily look on the water, as it heaved in long, regular waves,unbroken by the slightest ripple. Black clouds had banked up fromthe southwest, and extended in a heavy arch across the sky, butlittle ahead of the brig. From its edge ragged, fragments seemed tobreak off suddenly, and fly out ahead.
"It is going to blow, and no mistake," the captain said. "It islucky that we have had plenty of time to get her into fightingtrim.
"You had better get hold of something, lad, and clutch it tight. Itwill begin with a heavy squall and, like enough, lay her prettywell over on her beam ends, when it strikes her."
Higher and higher the threatening arch rose, till its edge stoodover the mainmast. Then the captain cried:
"Here it comes, lads. Hold on, every one!"
Looking ahead, Bob saw a white line. It approached with wonderfulrapidity, and with a confused, rushing sound. Then in a moment hefelt himself clinging, as if for life, to the stanchion of which hehad taken hold. The wind almost wrenched him from his feet while,at the same moment, a perfect deluge of water came down upon him.
He felt the brig going further and further over, till the deckbeneath his feet seemed almost perpendicular. The captain and firstmate had both grasped the spokes of the wheel, and were aiding thehelmsman in jamming it down. Bob had no longer a hold for his feet,and was hanging by his arms. Looking down, the sea seemed almostbeneath him but, with a desperate effort, he got hold of the railwith one hand, and then hauled himself up under it, clinging tightto the main shrouds. Then he saw the second mate loose the jibhalliards, while one of the sailors threw off the fore-staysailsheet, and the spanker slowly brought the brig's head up into thewind.
As it did so she righted, gradually, and Bob regained his place ondeck; which was still, however, lying over at a very considerableangle. The captain raised his hand, and pointed to the maintopsail; and the second mate at once made his way aft with some ofthe men and, laying out on the weather rigging, made his way aloft.The danger seemed, to Bob, so frightful that he dared not look up.He could hear, through the pauses of the blast, the mate shout tothe men above him and, in a few minutes, they again descended tothe deck.
Even Bob could feel how much the brig was relieved, when thepressure of the topsail was taken off. The lower planks of the deckrose from the water and, although this still rushed in and outthrough the scupper holes, and rose at times to the level of thebulwark rail, he felt that the worst was over.
One of the men was called to assist at the helm, and the captainand mate came forward to the poop rail.
"That was touch and go, youngster!" the former shouted to Bob.
"It was," Bob said. "More go than touch, I should say; for Ithought she had gone, altogether."
"You had better go below, and change your things. Tell the stewardto bring me my oilskins, out of my cabin. You had better keepbelow, until this rain has stopped."
Bob thought the advice was good; so he went down and got into dryclothes, and then lay down on the cabin sofa, to leeward--he couldnot have kept his place, on the other side. The rain was stillfalling so heavily, on deck, that it sounded like a waggon passingoverhead; and mingled with this noise was the howl of the wind, andthe swashing of the water against the ship's side. Gradually themotion of the vessel became more violent, and she quivered from bowto stern, as the waves struck her.
Although it was early in the afternoon, it became almost as dark asnight in the cabin. The steward had brought him a glass of hotgrog, as soon as he had changed his clothes and, in spite of thedin, he presently fell off to sleep. When he woke the rain hadceased; but the uproar caused by the howling of the wind, thecreaking of the spars, and the dashing of the waves was as loud asbefore.
He soon made his way up on deck, and found that a tremendous seawas running. The fore-topsail had been got off the ship, theweather sheets of the jib and fore-staysail hauled across, and thevessel was making comparatively little way through the water. Shewas, in fact--although Bob did not know it--lying to, under thesesails and the spanker.
It all looked so terrible, to him, that he kept his place but a fewminutes; and was then glad to return to the sofa, below. In a shorttime, the captain came down.
"How are you getting on, lad? All in the dark, eh?
"Steward, light the lamp, and bring me a tumbler of hot grog. Keepthe water boiling; the other officers will be down, directly.
"Well, what do you think of it, young gentleman?"
"I don't like it, at all," Bob said. "I thought I should like tosee a storm, but I never want to see one, again."
"I am not surprised at that," the captain said, with a laugh. "Itis all very well to read about storms, but it is a very differentthing to be caught in one."
"Is there any danger, sir?"
"There is always more or less danger, in a storm, lad; but I hope,and think, the worst is over. We are in for a heavy gale but, nowthat the brig has got through the first burst, there is not muchfear of her weathering it. She is a capital sea boat, well foundand in good trim; and we were fortunate enough in having sufficientwarning to get her snug, before the first burst came.
"That is always the most dangerous point. When a ship has way onher, she can stand almost any gale; but when she is caught by aheavy squall, when she is lying becalmed, you have to look out.However, she got through that without losing anything; and she islying to, now, under the smallest possible canvas and, if all goeswell, there is no reason, whatever, for anxiety."
"What do you mean by 'if all goes well,' captain?"
"I mean as long as one of her masts isn't carried away, or anythingof that sort. I daresay you think it rough, now, but it is nothingto what it will be by tomorrow morning. I should advise you to turnin, at once. You could see nothing, if you went up; and would runthe risk of being washed overboard, or of getting a limb broken."
Bob's recollections of his position, as the ship heeled over whenthe storm struck her, were still far too vivid for him to have anydesire for a repetition of it; and he accordingly took thecaptain's advice, and turned in at once.
When he got up in the morning and, with some di
fficulty, made hisway on deck he found that, as the captain predicted, the sea wasfar heavier than the night before. Great ridges of water bore downupon the ship, each seeming as if it would overwhelm her; and forthe first few minutes Bob expected to see the brig go, headforemost, and sink under his feet. It was not till he reflectedthat she had lived through it for hours that he began to view thescene with composure. Although the waves were much higher than whenhe had left the deck on the previous afternoon, the scene wasreally less terrifying.
The sky was covered with masses of gray cloud, ragged and torn,hurrying along with great velocity, apparently but a short distanceabove the masthead. When the vessel rose on a wave, it seemed tohim that the clouds, in places, almost touched the water, andmingled with the masses of spray caught up by the waves. The scud,borne along by the wind, struck his face with a force that causedit to smart and, for a time, he was unable to face the gale evenfor a minute.
The decks were streaming with water. The boats had disappeared fromthe davits, and a clean sweep seemed to have been made ofeverything movable. Forward was a big gap in the bulwark and, asthe brig met the great waves, masses of green water poured inthrough this, and swept along the deck waist deep. The brig wasunder the same sail as before, except that she now showed aclosely-reefed fore-topsail.
When he became a little accustomed to the sea, and to the motion,he watched his time; and then made a rush across from the companionto the weather bulwark, and got a firm hold of one of the shrouds.The captain and the second mate were on the poop, near the wheel.The former made his way to him.
"Good morning, Master Repton! Managed to get some sleep?"
"Yes, I have slept all night, captain. I say, isn't thistremendous? I did not think anything could be like this. It issplendid, you know, but it takes one's breath away.
"I don't think it is blowing quite so hard, is it?"
"Every bit as hard, but it is more regular, and you are accustomedto it."
"But I see you have got up some more sail."
"Yes, that's to steady her. You see, when she gets into the troughbetween these great waves, the lower sails are almost becalmed; andwe are obliged to show something above them, to keep a little wayon her. We are still lying to, you see, and meet the waves head on.If her head was to fall off a few points, and one of these wavestook her on the beam, she would go down like a stone.
"Yes, the brig is doing very handsomely. She has a fine run, morelike a schooner than a brig; and she meets the waves easily, andrises to them as lightly as a feather. She is a beauty!
"If you are going to stay here, lad, you had better lash yourself;for it is not safe, standing as you are."