CHAPTER III
Facing a Difficulty
"Here you are, my lad," said the sergeant, when he brought the news ofthe impending change to Owen. "A good friend we have both got, that Ican tell you, for ever since the fight, when I stuck up for you and beatthat ruffian, this Mr. Benjamin has never forgotten us. What's he donefor me?"
He put the question to the youthful corporal, who stood at attentionbefore him, as if he expected the lad to be able to answer. Then hestruck the calf of his leg a sounding thwack with his cane and gave theinformation which he had asked for.
"Of course you wouldn't know," he said, "because I was told not to say.But I can speak now, and you had best listen. It's this. Mr. Benjaminhas no children of his own, as you know, and ever since he heard thetale of your being found, he has looked after your education as if youwere his son. 'Let him rough it,' is what he said to me. 'Let him fighthis own battles and find his own place. He's well able to do that.' Andthat, lad, is why I have never interfered. That is why you fought youngJackson with never a word from me, and took your licking handsomely.Yes, yes, I know," he went on, as Owen was about to interrupt, "he was abully, and I knew that well. You had to knuckle under, and did so for atime."
"Till I was bigger and stronger, sergeant. Then----"
"You gave him the drubbing he had been asking for so long. That's whatcomes of not interfering. Things levelled themselves. You were beaten atfirst, and the fellow never allowed you to forget your hiding. If you'dbeen a meek kind of lad, he'd have crowed it over you for ever. Butyou've a little pride, my boy, and you waited till you were able to takehim in hand again. That wasn't long either, though he's two stoneheavier than you are, and taller by half a head. But you've hadtraining, and that's the secret, if only you happen to have pluck aswell. But I am getting away from my yarn."
"You were about to tell me what Mr. Halbut has done for you and for me,sir," said Owen.
"Ah, yes, I was. Well, he took a fancy to me and to you, and he put mein charge of you, as it were. 'I could take him in hand at once, andhave him sent to a good school,' he said to me when first we talked itover, 'but I won't. The lad shall rise from a rougher school. Teach himmanners, sergeant. Let him see that a lad with respect for his elderswill get on, and, above all, turn him out a man. When the time comes Iwill take him in hand myself, and I have a place for him already decidedon.' That's what he's done. Every quarter I have received a handsome sumfrom him for my work, and, my lad, let him see that I have earned it.He knows that you can hold your own with others here, and that thereisn't another lad in the regiment who can handle the gloves as you can,or who can use a weapon with the science that you have learned. Let himsee that there's more. They call you the gentleman corporal here. LetMr. Halbut see that they have reason for that."
"I will, sergeant," answered Owen earnestly. "As you say, I have learneda lot since I came to the regiment, and thanks to your teaching I shallhave no fear, but a great deal of confidence, should it ever come to mylot to take part in a hand-to-hand contest. And that I hope to have thefortune to do before very long, or else what's the good of being asoldier?"
"You're likely to meet with that in other walks of life," was theanswer. "Soldiering isn't everything, and you'll learn that Mr. Halbutthinks so too."
"At any rate I have learned the use of my fists and other weapons," wenton Owen, "and thanks to the opportunities which have been given me Ibelieve my manners are a little different from those of the otherfellows. I don't say that boastfully, sergeant. It is a fact, Ibelieve."
"And you've to thank Mr. Tasker for that," was the sergeant's comment."He took up the work willingly, and he's done well. He himself says heis more than pleased."
Mr. Tasker was a gentleman who lived in a small house in the town, andwho had once been the principal of a school for the sons of gentlemen.He had, owing to ill-health, to give up his school, and had eagerlyundertaken to educate Owen Jones whenever his duties would allow him toattend at his house. And so, at the direction of Mr. Halbut, Owen hadspent a couple of hours with Mr. Tasker every day, and it was thanks tothe teaching of this quiet and courtly gentleman that the young corporalof the 64th had a polish about him which was lacking in his comrades.
"It will all help you to take the place Mr. Halbut has selected foryou," said the sergeant. "You know he's one of the powerful directors ofthe East India Company--John Company as it's often called. As such he isable to find a place for any protege, and he is sending you out to Indiaby the next boat to take a commission in the native horse or infantry.There, lad, that's the news, and you can get further particulars fromhim yourself. You'll be formally discharged from the regiment to-morrow,and will go to London at the end of the week. After that I fancy you'llhave a day or more to prepare for the passage out."
The news came as a great surprise to Owen, for he had never evenimagined that he would rise to the commissioned ranks, and the statementthat he was now to prepare to sail for India, there to join a regimentas an ensign, filled him with huge excitement and delight. The prospectof going to India at all was sufficiently pleasant, for the older he gotthe more had he cogitated over the mystery of his birth, and the moresure had he become that his recollection of early events was correct,and that he had actually been born abroad, in India most likely, and hadbeen sent home for some reason.
"And promptly abducted and left on the road," he had often said tohimself. "Some one must have had a huge interest in getting rid of me,and he did it effectually. However, if Mr. Halbut has been unsuccessfulin tracing the mystery so far, I may have better fortune and succeed inthe end."
"Now, lad, we'll get to work, if you please," said the sergeant, with apretence to be light-hearted, though the gallant fellow felt no greatjoy at the prospect of separation from Owen.
"He's been like a son to me," he often said to his friends. "He's astrue as possible, and as game to learn as one could wish. And see whatI've made of him! A pluckier youngster does not exist, and no one cancall him conceited."
And now he was to part with Owen. The sergeant was an unmarried man, ararity in the service in those days, as in these, for he was now fortyyears of age, and he knew well that he would miss the young fellow.However, he was a sensible man, far better educated than the majority ofhis rank, and he saw that the new move would be advantageous to Owen.
"We've a deal to do, Owen," he said. "There are the clothes to be gotready, for instance. Your uniform will be made in India, but you are tohave some sort of undress to wear on the ship. I have instructions totake you to the best tailor in the town."
Two days later our hero said good-bye to all his old comrades andwalked out of the barrack square, feeling sad at heart at the parting.There was a big lump in his throat as he passed through the gate andlooked back to the sentry, and for a few moments he longed to return,and would have almost sacrificed his prospects in India for the oldlife. Then he threw off the feeling, and as the sergeant tucked his caneunder his arm and commenced to whistle Owen fell in beside him, his headin air, and joined in the tune bravely, though it was as much as histrembling lips could do.
"A good heart is nothing to be ashamed of, lad," said the sergeantheartily, some minutes later, as they walked into the town. "You're allthe better for remembering old friends, and parting with them in sorrow.The day will come, never fear, when you'll look back to these times withthe old 64th as the jolliest and happiest days in your life, perhaps,and you'll think of the times we've had, of the parades, when we'vefallen in together, and of the boxing bouts at the back of the barracks.But here we are. From Mr. Benjamin Halbut, sir."
The tailor showed unusual interest when he heard the name, and at oncecommenced to take Owen's measurements. Then he wrote down a list ofclothing, including boots, hats, and under-things, which he considerednecessary, till Owen was ashamed to think that his kind friend wouldhave to pay for them. However, Mr. Halbut had given directions, andthere was an end of the matter. A week later, when Owen mounted thestagecoach and took his place for L
ondon, he appeared as an altogetherdifferent individual. He was dressed in the undress uniform of anensign, and very smart and gentlemanly he looked, too. Nor had those whohad looked to his upbringing any need to be ashamed of him. Old Mrs.Towers had wept that very morning when he went to take farewell of her.
"I always thought that you were a gentleman, Owen Jones," she said, asshe mopped her eyes with her apron, "and here you are, as fine a youngfellow as ever I saw. Well, well, to be sure, but the strangest thingshappen."
Having given vent to this ambiguous statement she hugged Owen veryheartily, and then plumped down in her chair, with her apron thrown overher face to hide her tears.
Five hours after leaving Winchester the coach rattled over the cobblesof the London streets, and for the very first time in his life Owen sawthe great city, with its thronging population, its huge buildings, itsendless rows of houses and streets, and its vast army of coaches andflies. What would his amazement have been could he have seen the Londonof to-day, extending its arms like a gigantic octopus in everydirection, absorbing the country around; its teeming millions, each benton his or her own business or pleasure, going to and fro through thevast widened streets, or being carried there in swift mechanicallypropelled vehicles! What if he could have imagined that the horse wouldone of these days become almost a rarity in the streets of MightyLondon!
But he had little time for thoughts. He descended from the coach at theHalf Moon, in the Borough, and took a fly to Chelsea, where Mr. Halbutlived. A week later he was aboard one of the East Indiamen, bound forIndia, with the coast of England fast fading from sight.
"Here are letters which you will present when you arrive at Calcutta,"Mr. Halbut had said to him as he was about to depart. "You will go tosee the Governor, and you will be gazetted to one of the nativeregiments. On the way out you will apply yourself to such matters as Mr.Parkins, who sails with you, shall decide, and I need hardly urge you towork hard. Your progress in the future must depend on yourself. I willhelp no one who will not help himself."
Owen made up his mind to do credit to his friend, and once he hadsettled down on the ship, and had overcome his first attack ofsea-sickness, he began the close study of Hindustani.
"You will find it invaluable," said Mr. Parkins, a gentleman of middleage, a servant of the great John Company, who was returning to Indiafrom leave. "When I first went to India I found myself constantlyhampered by my ignorance, and, in fact, did not rise as quickly as Imight have done. We shall take three months to reach Calcutta, and bythen you should have made fine progress."
To Owen's amazement, and to the delight of Mr. Parkins, he made evenmore rapid advancement than could have been expected. The language cameto him not so much as an entirely strange tongue, but as one which hehad partially known before, and which he had forgotten.
"Which proves Mr. Halbut's assertion that you have been in India, andwere born there," said Mr. Parkins. "No one else could pick upHindustani so rapidly. We have been at our studies for barely threeweeks, and here you are able to converse a little. Now I will give you apiece of advice. There are numbers of natives amongst this crew, and ifI were you I would spend some time amongst them every day, chatting withthem. Perhaps you will find one who is a little more intelligent thanhis fellows, and from him you may be able to learn some dialect which isnot very different from the language you are studying, but which may beof very great advantage to you."
Owen took the advice seriously, and thereafter went every morningforward to the quarters of the crew. Nor was it long before he came uponone of the men who was of very different character from his comrades. Hecould speak English tolerably, and soon told his story.
"I am not like these other lascars, who are men of low caste," he said,with every sign of disdain. "I come from Bhurtpore, and am a Mahratta bybirth. There I lived with my father till ten years ago, when I fled formy life. It is a little tale, which is of no great interest, sahib, buthere it is. It happened that there was a girl, the daughter of aneighbouring farmer, to whom I was to be married, and should have beenbut for my half-brother. He acted like a cur. He stole her from me, andthen killed her with his cruelty. In a fit of rage one day I slew him,and fled from the punishment which would have followed. That is why I amhere now. Some day, perhaps, I shall return to my home."
"And in the meanwhile I want you to talk to me every day, Mulha,"answered Owen. "One of these days I may find it useful, and if you havethe time to spare I shall be glad. I will pay you a rupee a week for theservice."
"I gladly accept, sahib," was the answer.
Thereafter Owen spent many hours forward in the early morning, while inthe later part of the day he and Mr. Parkins tramped the narrow deck, orlay under the awnings, talking in Hindustani, till our hero was reallyvery proficient.
"You are remembering my rules well," said his instructor, when they hadbeen at sea for six weeks. "After the first week I said that wheneveryou spoke to me out of the saloon it must be in Hindustani. If youforgot, you were fined a trifle, which went to the box set aside for thehelp of the sailors' orphans. There is nothing like a penalty to makeone sharp of memory, and the result is that you have got on even morerapidly. When you land you will be able to take up your duties at once.That will be an eye-opener to the authorities, who generally allow sixmonths for learning the language."
Altogether Owen enjoyed his trip out immensely. He was a steady youngfellow, and he had set out with keen determination to get on. His workmade the hours run away, while to the numerous other young fellowsgoing out time hung on their hands, till they became quarrelsome anddiscontented. And it so happened that amongst these youths, some of whomwere to take up commissions like his own, while others were going out asclerks to the East India Company, was a young man, some twenty years ofage, who seemed to have taken a great dislike to our hero. He hadquickly asserted his position as the leader of all the young men aboard,and when he found that Owen took little notice of him, and was so busythat he had little time to spare for his company, he commenced upon anirritating course intended to humiliate our hero. Every time Owen passedhim and his comrades he would make some loud remark, and finally came toopenly scoffing. Owen stood it for a long while till his patience wasexhausted, then he turned upon the bully.
"You spoke of me, I think," he said suddenly, swinging round andapproaching the group, whom he had been about to pass on his way to thelower deck. "Repeat what you said."
"Certainly, with the greatest pleasure. I said that it was bad form foran ensign to spend his time with the deck-hands and the lascars, andthat it was only to be expected from one who I happen to know was acorporal some few weeks ago, and who, in his earlier days, came from apoorhouse. That's what I said, and I know I'm right, for Dandy herehappens to come from the neighbourhood of Winchester."
"And recognised you at once," burst in that worthy from the background.
"Which is all the more flattering to me," answered Owen calmly, thoughit was as much as he could do to curb his anger. "I freely admit thetruth of what has been said. I have come from a poorhouse, and I was acorporal. But as to the bad form, well, I hardly fancy one would go toMr. Hargreaves for a decision on that matter."
He looked the bully squarely in the face, while the latter flushed red.Perhaps there was very good reason. It may have been that his ownantecedents were not of the best. He became flurried, and began tobluster.
"You wouldn't!" he exclaimed. "Why? If you're impertinent I shall havesomething more to say."
"You will have more to say in any case," blurted out Owen, now lettinghimself go. "For days you have openly scoffed at me, Mr. Hargreaves, andnow you have to stop promptly. You talk of impertinence after what youhave said! I reply that I am proud of what I have been in the past, andthat if the truth were known it is possible that you who crow so loud,and are so ready to sit upon one who is new to the position of officer,would not have such a fine tale to tell."
Whether the shot went home it would be impossible to state, butsomething stung the b
ully to the quick. He started forward, and steppingto within a foot of Owen stared into his face and challenged him torepeat the statement. Owen complied by instantly knocking him down witha blow between the eyes. Then he calmly divested himself of his coat andneckerchief, while the bully and a few of his companions stood abouthim in a threatening attitude.
"Steady on there! We'll have the matter settled squarely, gentlemen.From what I have seen--and I have had my eyes and ears open--Mr. Joneshere has been very studious, while you others have been hanging aboutdoing nothing. Mr. Hargreaves has considered himself a much finerindividual than our young friend Mr. Jones, and he has not been overpleasant. Oh yes, it is useless to deny that. I have seen it. We haveall seen, and we have wondered how long our studious friend would put upwith such treatment. Now he has brought the thing to a head he shallhave fair play. Remember, we are Englishmen, and fair play iseverything."
The group swung round to find that a passenger of some forty years ofage, a gentleman known to be of some importance, and therefore to beduly respected, had suddenly come amongst them. The threatening looks ofa few of Hargreaves' partisans at once vanished.
"Fair play, you understand," said the newcomer. "I will not interfere,but I am sure there are some here who will take Mr. Jones's part."
He was right there, for not all aboard the ship were of Hargreaves' wayof thinking. There were some of the young men going out to the army oras clerks who secretly or openly admired Owen because of the efforts hewas making; and now that they had heard him so candidly acknowledge hisformer position, and the fact that he had come from a poorhouse, theyadmired him the more, and came forward to support him at once.
"I'll hold your coat, Jones," said one of them, a young man of nineteen."By Jove! it was pluckily done. I have often thought it was a shame totreat you so badly, and I think you have shown pluck. Give me yourthings and I'll look after you."
"Then I am ready," said Owen promptly. "Thank you, Simpson, I shall beglad if you will act as second. Now, Mr. Hargreaves, I am ready to giveyou satisfaction for the blow I have dealt you."
"And I shall take it to the full," was the surly answer. "If we had beenin India I would have called you out with a pistol, I can tell you; buthere we shall have to fight it out with fists."
"Either would please me," answered Owen calmly, knowing well that hispractice already with pistols under the tuition of the sergeant wouldact in his favour. Still, he had a horror of bloodshed, and farpreferred to have matters as they were. But in those days an insult oran injury meant inevitably a duel.
"Then we will go to the lower deck," said Simpson, leading the way.
The group made their way down the companions to the lower deck, wherethey found that a number of sailors had already collected. A couple ofmidshipmen, of the East India service, were also there, and in onecorner Owen caught sight of his Mahratta friend.
"I'll bet yer a pound of bacca on the little 'un," growled one of thesailors, as he leaned against a bulkhead. "He'll fight as he works, andblest if he ain't a glutton for work. See 'im a learnin' the lingo fromthis darkie here, when he might be takin' it easy on deck."
"Done with yer," was the answer. "It'll be a toss up. This is a-goin'ter be a fight."
Evidently others were of the same opinion, for the news had alreadyspread through the ship, and while those in authority purposely kept outof the way, others, whose official duties could not interfere, foundtheir way to the lower deck to watch the encounter. For Hargreaves hadgiven umbrage all round. His high-handedness, his want of respect formen older than himself, and his treatment of Owen Jones, had won himmany enemies. They came, therefore, hoping to see him worsted, butfearing the reverse.
"I'll give you a chance to take back what you have said and apologisefor the blow," said Hargreaves, as, divested of his coat andneckerchief, and with sleeves rolled to the elbow, he entered the circleformed between the supporting bulkheads.
Owen hardly deigned to reply. After his long practice with the sergeanthe felt the greatest confidence in himself, and was not afraid of thesuperior weight or height of his antagonist. But there was more reasonthan that why he should fight. He was never a quarrelsome fellow, andthis trouble had been forced upon him. If he were to back out now thetale of his having been a pauper would hang to him all his life, andHargreaves and his friends would have occasion for many a sneer. No, itwas essentially a time for blows. As his opponent spoke Owen walkedcalmly into the centre of the square and rolled his sleeves to anicety. Then he put up his fists in a manner which showed that it wasnot for the first time, and faced his antagonist.
"It is your quarrel," he said quietly, "and I am the one who hassuffered. We will fight, if you please."
"Bravo, bravo, young 'un!" shouted one of the sailors in the background.
"Then look to yourself," cried Hargreaves, as he swung his fists. "I'llshow you whether a youngster from the poorhouse can do as he likesaboard ship."
He came at our hero warily, for there was something about the latter'sattitude which spoke of good training in the art of self-defence. Then,as Owen did nothing more than keep him at a distance, he mistook hiscaution for fear and temerity. He rushed in with big swinging blows,only to retire with stars flashing before his eyes, and a severely cutlip. After that he lost his temper, and for a time Owen had his handsvery full. Twice he was caught by a rush and knocked to the ground. Buthe was on his feet in a moment, facing Hargreaves. When four rounds hadbeen fought the latter was almost exhausted, while his younger and moreactive antagonist was comparatively fresh.
"You have him now," said Simpson, as Owen sat at his corner waiting forthe call of time. "Go in and win this time. Give him a good beating, andyou will never need to fear trouble from any one again."
Our hero followed the instructions to the letter. Hitherto he hadallowed his opponent to prance round him, and had only struck when hewas sure of being able to reach his antagonist. But now he closed withhim, and for a minute beat him round and round the circle, getting inbeneath his guard and finally sending him with a crash amidst theaudience.
"Time!" shouted Simpson. "Dandy, is your man beaten? Does he give in?"
There was a sulky nod from the other side, and then a roar of cheeringwhich could be heard on the upper deck. Owen rose from his seat, wipedhis face with a towel, and went across to his enemy.
"We have had a fair fight and I have won," he said in friendly tones."You did not understand me before, and perhaps I did not like you. Letthis settle our differences, and be friends."
There was another shout at that, while Hargreaves lifted his head andsmiled. At heart he was a very good fellow, and he was man enough to ownthat he was beaten.
"I behaved badly, Jones," he said, "and you have beaten me handsomelyfor my treatment of you. I apologise for what I have done, and I willgladly be friends."
They shook hands, and then went off to their cabins to clean themselvesand remove all traces of the combat. And that evening Owen once moretook up his Hindustani, as if nothing out of the way had occurred. Buthe had made his place in the ship and amongst his comrades, and the taleof his prowess and of his pluck was bound to reach India and there actin his favour. More than that, an inkling of his history, of themystery hanging about his birth, of his friend, the powerful director ofthe Company, leaked out, and the discussion which followed raised himvastly in the estimation of all on board. They found it a fine thing tofollow his example, and that week quite a number set themselves to makethe most of their opportunities and to learn the language. However, theyhad very little time before them, for within a few days the even tenorof the voyage was rudely upset, and the passengers and crew foundthemselves face to face with a difficulty and danger which none hadforeseen.