CHAPTER II.
THE EMBARKATION.
The _Flying Scud_ was to sail in ten days; and this was ample time fortheir preparations, for Mrs. Renshaw wisely decided that it was betterto buy all that was requisite for starting their new life, in NewZealand.
"We have none of us the least idea what will be required," she said. "Itwill be far better to pay somewhat higher prices for what we really dowant out there than to cumber ourselves with all sorts of things thatmay be useless to us. We have already a considerable amount of baggage.There are our clothes, linen, and books, your father's twodouble-barrelled guns, which, by the way, I do not think he has everused since we have been married. The only thing we had better get, asfar as I see, will be four rifles, which no doubt we can buy cheapsecond-hand, and four revolvers.
"I do not for a moment suppose we shall ever want to use them, but as wemay be often left in the house alone I think it would be pleasant toknow that we are not altogether defenceless. We had better lay in a goodstock of ammunition for all these weapons. Besides the clothes we havewe had better get serge dresses and suits for the voyage, and a fewstrong servicable gowns and suits for rough work out there. Beyond thisI do not think that we need spend a penny. We can certainly geteverything we shall want for our new life at Wellington, which is alarge place."
On the morning of the day on which they were to embark the Grimstonescame up from Reading. All the heavy luggage had been sent on board shipon the previous day, and at twelve o'clock two cabs drove up to the sideof the _Flying Scud_ in St. Catherine's Docks. The one contained Mr. andMrs. Renshaw, Marion, and a vast quantity of small packets inside.Wilfrid was on the box with the driver, and the roof was piled high withluggage. The other cab contained the two Grimstones and the rest of theluggage. The Renshaws were already acquainted with the ship in whichthey were to sail, having paid her a visit four days previously to seetheir cabins. The parents had a comfortable cabin to themselves. Marionwas berthed in a cabin with two other ladies, who, she learned, weresisters, the elder about her own age, and Wilfrid found he would havebut one fellow-passenger. The Grimstones were in the steerage forward.
The vessel was in a state of bustle, and what to the travellers seemedconfusion. Numbers of other passengers were arriving, and the deck waslittered with, their luggage until it could be sorted and sent down totheir cabins; late cargo was being swung on board and lowered into thehold. On the deck aft were gathered the cabin passengers, with relativesand friends who had come to see them off. An hour later the bell rang asa signal for all visitors to go ashore. There were sad partings bothfore and aft as the bell clanged out its impatient signal.
"I am very glad, mother, that we have no friends to say good-bye to ushere, and that we got that all over at Reading."
"So am I, Wil. I think it much better myself that these partings shouldbe got through before people leave home. It is natural of course thatrelatives and friends should like to see the last of each other, but Ithink it is a cruel kindness, and am glad, as you say, that we had nodear friends in London. Those at home have already shown theirthoughtfulness and friendship." For indeed during the last few dayshampers of presents of all kinds had arrived in a steady flow atEastbourne Terrace. There had been great feeling of commiseration amongall their acquaintances at the misfortune that had befallen theRenshaws; and the manner in which they had at once surrenderedeverything for the benefit of the shareholders of the bank, and thecalmness with which they had borne their reverses, had excitedadmiration, and scarce a friend or acquaintance but sent substantialtokens of their good-will or sympathy.
As soon as it was publicly known that the Renshaws were about to sailfor New Zealand, the boys and masters of the grammar-school between themsubscribed and sent a handsome double-barrelled gun, a fishing-rod, andall appurtenances, to Wilfrid. Mr. Renshaw received two guns, severalfishing-rods, two crates of crockery, and several cases of portablefurniture of various kinds, besides many small articles. Mrs. Renshawwas presented with a stove of the best construction and a crate full ofutensils of every kind, while Marion had work-boxes and desks sufficientto stock a school, two sets of garden tools, and innumerable nick-nackslikely to be more or less useful to her in her new life. Besides thesethere were several boxes of books of standard literature.
"Every one is very kind," Mrs. Renshaw said as the crates and hampersarrived; "but if it goes on like this we shall have to charter a ship toourselves, and how we are to move about there when we get out with allthese things I have not the least idea."
At last the good-byes were all finished, the visitors had left the ship,the hawsers were thrown off, and the vessel began to move slowly towardsthe dock gates. As soon as she had issued through these she was seizedby a tug, and proceeded in tow down the crowded river. There was a lastwaving of handkerchiefs and hats to the group of people standing at theentrance to the docks, and then the passengers began to look round andexamine each other and the ship. Sailors were hard at work--the lastbales and boxes were being lowered into the hold, ropes were beingcoiled up, and tidiness restored to the deck. Parties of seamen werealoft loosening some of the sails, for the wind was favourable, and thecaptain had ordered some of the canvas to be set to assist the tug.
"Now, Marion," Mrs. Renshaw said, "we had better go below and tidy upthings a bit. Wil, you may as well come down and help me get the trunksstowed away under the berths, and put some hooks in for the brush-bagsand other things we have brought; the hooks and gimlet are in myhand-bag."
Wilfrid assisted to set his mother's cabin in order, and then went tohis own. It was a good-sized cabin, and when the ship was fullaccommodated four passengers; but the two upper bunks had now been takendown, and there was, Wilfrid thought, ample room for two. On his ownbunk were piled his two portmanteaus, a gun-case, a bundle offishing-rods, and other odds and ends, and a somewhat similar collectionof luggage was on that opposite. Wilfred read the name on the labels."Atherton," he said; "I wonder what he is like. I do hope he will be anice fellow."
Scarcely had the thought passed through his mind when a figure appearedat the cabin door. It was that of a tall stout man, with immensely broadshoulders. His age Wilfrid guessed to be about thirty-five. He had apleasant face, and there was a humorous twinkle in his eye as the ladlooked round in astonishment at the figure completely blocking up thedoorway.
"So you are Renshaw?" the big man said. "I congratulate myself and youthat your dimensions are not of the largest. My name is Atherton, as Idaresay you have seen on my luggage. Suppose we shake hands, Renshaw? Itis just as well to make friends at once, as we have got to put up witheach other for the next five or six months. Of course you are a littleappalled at my size," he went on, as he shook hands with the lad. "Mostpeople are at first, but nobody is so much appalled as I am myself.Still it has its amusing side, you know. I don't often get into anomnibus, because I do not think it is fair; but if I am driven to do so,and there happen to be five people on each side, the expression of alarmon those ten faces when I appear at the door is a picture, because it ismanifestly impossible that they can make room for me on either side."
"What do you do, sir?" Wilfrid asked laughing.
"I ask one of them to change sides. That leaves two places vacant, andas I make a point of paying for two, we get on comfortably enough. It isfortunate there are only two of us in this cabin. If I have the bad luckto travel in a full ship I always wait until the others are in bedbefore I turn in, and get up in the morning before they are astir; but Ithink you and I can manage pretty comfortably."
"Then you have travelled a good deal, sir?" Wilfrid said.
"I am always travelling," the other replied. "I am like the fidgettyPhil of the story-book, who could never keep still. Most men of my sizeare content to take life quietly, but that is not so with me. For thelast twelve or thirteen years I have been always on the move, and Iought to be worn down to a thread paper; but unfortunately, as you see,that is not the effect of travel in my case. I suppose you are going outto settle
?"
"Yes, sir. I have my father, mother, and sister on board."
"Lucky fellow!" Mr. Atherton said; "I have no relations worth speakingof."
"Are you going to settle at last, sir?" Wilfrid asked.
"No, I am going out to botanize. I have a mania for botany, and NewZealand, you know, is in that respect one of the most remarkable regionsin the world, and it has not yet been explored with anything approachingaccuracy. It is a grand field for discovery, and there are specialpoints of interest connected with it, as it forms a sort of connectinglink between the floras of Australia, Asia, and South America, and has aflora of its own entirely distinct from any of these. Now let me adviseyou as to the stowing away of your traps. There is a good deal of knackin these things. Have you got your portmanteaus packed so that onecontains all the things you are likely to require for say the firstmonth of your voyage, and the other as a reserve to be drawn onoccasionally? because, if not, I should advise you to take all thethings out and to arrange them in that way. It will take you a littletime, perhaps, but will save an immense amount of trouble throughout thevoyage."
Wilfrid had packed his trunks with things as they came to hand, but hesaw the advantage of following his fellow-passenger's advice, andaccordingly opened his portmanteaus and piled the whole of theircontents upon his berth. He then repacked them, Mr. Atherton sittingdown on his berth and giving his advice as to the trunk in which eacharticle should be placed.
The work of rearrangement occupied half-an-hour, and Wilfrid oftencongratulated himself during the voyage upon the time so spent. When allwas complete and the cabin arranged tidily, Wilfrid looked in at thenext cabin. This was occupied by two young men of the name of Allen.They were friends of an acquaintance of Mr. Renshaw, who, hearing thatthey were journeying by the same ship to New Zealand, had brought themdown to Eastbourne Terrace and introduced them to Mr. Renshaw and hisfamily. The two were occupied in arranging their things in the cabin.
"Well, Renshaw," James, the elder of them, said when he entered, "I amafraid I cannot congratulate you on your fellow-passenger. We saw him gointo your cabin. He is a tremendous man. He would be magnificent if hewere not so stout. Why, you will scarce find room to move!"
"He is a capital fellow," Wilfrid said. "I think we shall get onsplendidly together. He is full of fun, and makes all sorts of jokesabout his own size. He has travelled a tremendous lot, and is up toeverything. He is nothing like so old as you would think, if you havenot seen his face. I do not think he is above thirty-five or so. Well,as I see you have just finished, I will go up and see how we are gettingon."
When Wilfrid reached the deck he found the vessel was off Erith, and wasgreeted by his sister.
"You silly boy, you have been missing the sight of all the shipping, andof Greenwich Hospital. The idea of stopping below all this time. Ishould have come to call you up if I had known which was your room."
"Cabin, you goose!" Wilfrid said; "the idea of talking of rooms on boarda ship. I would have come up if I had thought of it; but I was so busyputting things to right and making the acquaintance of the gentleman inthe cabin with me that I forgot altogether we were moving down theriver."
"Which is he, Wilfrid?"
Wilfrid laughed and nodded in the direction of Mr. Atherton, who wasstanding with his back towards them a short distance away.
Marion's eyes opened wide.
"Oh, Wil, what a big man! He must quite fill up the cabin."
"He seems an awfully good fellow, Marion."
"I daresay he may be, Wil; but he will certainly take up more than hisshare of the cabin."
"It is awkward, isn't it, young lady?" Mr. Atherton said, suddenlyturning round on his heel, to Marion's horror, while Wilfrid flushedscarlet, for he had not the least idea that his words could be heard. "Ihave capital hearing, you see," Mr. Atherton went on with a laugh, "anda very useful sense it is sometimes, and has stood me in good serviceupon many occasions, though I own that it effectually prevents mycherishing any illusion as to my personal appearance. This is yoursister, of course, Renshaw; in fact, anyone could see that at a glance.There is nothing like making acquaintances early on the voyage; thefirst day is in that respect the most important of all."
"Why is that?" Marion asked.
"Because as a rule the order in which people sit down to table on thefirst day of the voyage is that in which they sit the whole time. Now,if one happens to sit one's self down by people who turn outdisagreeable it is a very great nuisance, and therefore it is veryimportant to find out a little about one's fellow-passengers the firstday, so as to take a seat next to someone whom you are not likely toquarrel with before you have been a week at sea."
"Then they do not arrange places for you, Mr. Atherton?"
"Oh no; the captain perhaps settles as to who are to sit up by him. Ifthere is anyone of special importance, a governor or vice-governor orany other big-wig, he and his wife, if he has got one, will probably sitnext to the captain on one side, if not, he will choose someone who hasbeen specially introduced to him or who has sailed with him before, andthe steward, before the party sit down, puts their names on theirplates; everyone else shifts for themselves. Renshaw, I shall be glad ifyou will introduce me to your father and mother, and if we get on well Iwill go down below and arrange that we get places together. I have beenchatting with the first officer, who is a very pleasant fellow; I havesailed with him before. The rule is he sits at the end of the tablefacing the captain, and my experience is that when the first officerhappens to be a good fellow, which is not always the case, his end ofthe table is the most pleasant place. There is generally more fun andlaughing at that end than there is at the other; for all the people whofancy that they are of importance make a point of getting seats as nearas they can to the captain, and important people are not, as a rule,anything like as pleasant as the rest of us."
Wilfrid walked across the deck with Mr. Atherton to the point where hisfather and mother were sitting. "Mother, this is Mr. Atherton, who is inmy cabin." Mr. Atherton shook hands with Mr. and Mrs. Renshaw.
"I asked your son to introduce me at once, Mrs. Renshaw, because, as Ihave been telling him, a good deal of the comfort of the voyage dependsupon making a snug little party to sit together at meals. There isnothing I dread more than being put down between two acidulated women,who make a point of showing by their manner every time one sits downthat they consider one is taking up a great deal more than one's shareof the seat."
Mrs. Renshaw smiled. "I should think people were not often as rude asthat."
"I can assure you that it is the rule rather than the exception, Mrs.Renshaw. I am not a particularly sensitive man, I think; but I make apoint of avoiding crowded railway-carriages, being unable to withstandthe expression of blank dismay that comes over the faces of people whenI present myself at the door. I have thought sometimes of hiring alittle boy of about four years old to go about with me, as the two of uswould then only take up a fair share of space. I have been looking tothe cabin arrangements, and find that each seat holds three. Your sonand daughter are neither of them bulky, so if they won't mind sitting alittle close they will be conferring a genuine kindness upon me."
"We shall not mind at all," Wilfrid and Marion exclaimed together, forthere was something so pleasant about Mr. Atherton's manner they feltthat he would be a delightful companion.
"Very well, then; we will regard that as settled. Then we five willoccupy the seats on one side of the chief officer."
"We will get the two Allens opposite," Wilfrid put in.
"I will look about for three others to make up what I may call ourparty. Who do you fancy, Mrs. Renshaw? Now look round and fix onsomebody, and I will undertake the duty of engineering the business."
"There are two girls, sisters, in my cabin," Marion said. "I think theyseem nice. They are going out alone to join their father and mother inNew Zealand."
"In that case, Mrs. Renshaw, I had better leave the matter in yourhands."
"That will be ve
ry simple, Mr. Atherton, as I have already spoken tothem," and she at once got up and moved across to two girls of aboutthirteen and seventeen respectively, who were standing together watchingthe passing ships, and entered into conversation with them. When sheproposed that, as they were in the same cabin with Marion, they shouldsit near each other at table, they gladly agreed, saying, however, thatthey had been placed under the special care of the captain, and as hehad said that he would keep them under his eye, they were afraid hemight want them to sit near him.
"I will speak to the captain myself," Mrs. Renshaw said. "I daresay hewill be rather glad to have the responsibility taken off his hands,especially if I propose, which I will if you like, to take you under mygeneral charge."
"Oh, we should like that very much," the elder of the two girls said."It seems so very strange to us being here among so many people withoutany lady with us. We should be so much obliged to you if you would takeus under your wing."
"I can quite understand your feelings, my dears, and will speak to thecaptain directly. I see that he is disengaged. If we were under sailthere would not be much chance of getting a word with him; but as thetug has us in charge, I see that he has time to chat to the passengers."
A few minutes later the captain left the gentleman with whom he wasspeaking and came along the deck. The Renshaws had made his acquaintancewhen they first came down to see their cabins.
"How are you, Mrs. Renshaw?" he said as he came up to her. "We have fineweather for our start, have we not? It is a great thing starting fair,as it enables people to settle down and make themselves at home."
"I have been chatting with the Miss Mitfords, captain; they are in thecabin with my daughter. They tell me that they are under your specialcharge."
"Yes, they are among the number of my responsibilities," the captainsaid smiling.
"They naturally feel rather lonely on board from having no lady withthem, and have expressed their willingness to put themselves under mycharge if you will sanction it. It will be pleasant both for them and mydaughter, and they can sit down with us at meals, and make a partytogether to work or read on deck."
"I shall be extremely glad, Mrs. Renshaw, if you will accept theresponsibility. A captain's hands are full enough without having to lookafter women. There are four or five single ladies on board, on all ofwhom I have promised to keep a watchful eye, and I shall be delighted tobe relieved of the responsibility of two of them."
So the matter was arranged, and going down into the cabin a few minutesbefore the bell rang for dinner, the party succeeded in getting theplaces they desired. Mr. Atherton was next to the chief officer. Wilfridsat next to him, Marion between her brother and Mrs. Renshaw, and Mr.Renshaw next. The two Allens faced Mr. Atherton and Wilfrid; the MissMitfords came next, facing Marion and her mother. A Captain Pearson andhis wife were next to the Mitfords, while a civil engineer, Mr.Halbrook, occupied the vacant seat next to Mr. Renshaw. Once seated, theRenshaws speedily congratulated themselves on the arrangements that theyhad made as they saw the hesitating way in which the rest of thepassengers took their places, and the looks of inquiry and doubt theycast at those who seated themselves next to them. For a time the mealwas a silent one, friends talking together in low voices, but nothinglike a general conversation being attempted. At the first officers' endof the table, however, the sound of conversation and laughter began atonce.
"Have you room, Miss Renshaw? or do you already begin to regret yourbargain?"
"I have plenty of room, thank you," Marion replied. "I hope that youhave enough?"
"Plenty," Mr. Atherton answered. "I have just been telling your brotherthat if he finds I am squeezing him he must run his elbow into my ribs.Let me see, Mr. Ryan; it must be three years since we sat together."
"Just about that," the mate replied with a strong Irish accent. "Youwent with us from Japan to Singapore, did you not?"
"That was it, and a rough bout we had of it in that cyclone in the ChinaSeas. You remember that I saved the ship then?"
"How was that, Mr. Atherton?" Wilfrid asked.
The first officer laughed. "Mr. Atherton always took a deal more creditto himself than we gave him. When the cyclone struck the ship andknocked her right down on her beam-ends, he happened to be sitting up towindward, and he always declared that if it hadn't been for his weightthe ship would never have righted itself."
There was a general laugh at the mate's explanation.
"I always plant myself to windward in a gale," Mr. Atherton saidgravely. "Shifting ballast is a most useful thing, although they haveabolished it in yacht-racing. I was once in a canoe, down by Borneo,when a heavy squall struck us. I was sitting in the bottom of the boatwhen we saw it coming, and had just time to get up and sit on theweather gunwale when it struck us. If it had not been for me nothingcould have saved the boat from capsizing. As it was it stood up as stiffas a rock, though, I own, I nearly drowned them all when the blow wasover, for it stopped as suddenly as it began, and the boat as nearly aspossible capsized with my weight. Indeed it would have done soaltogether if it hadn't heeled over so sharply that I was chuckedbackwards into the sea. Fortunately the helmsman made a grab at me as Iwent past, and I managed to scramble on board again. Not that I shouldhave sunk for I can float like a cork; but there are a good many sharkscruising about in those waters, and it is safer inside a boat than it isout. You see, Miss Renshaw, there are advantages in being stout. Ishould not wonder if your brother got just my size one day. My figurewas very much like his once."
"Oh, I hope not!" Marion exclaimed. "That would be dreadful! No; I don'tmean that," she went on hurriedly as Mr. Atherton's face assumed anexpression of shocked surprise. "I mean that, although of course theremay be many advantages in being stout, there are advantages in beingthin too."
"I admit that," Mr. Atherton agreed; "but look at the disadvantages. Astout man escapes being sent trotted about on messages. Nobody wouldthink of asking him to climb a ladder. He is not expected to dance. Thethin man is squeezed into any odd corner; and is not treated with halfthe consideration that is given to a fat man. He worries about trifles,and has none of the quiet contentment that characterizes stout people.A stout man's food always agrees with him, or else he would not bestout; while the thin man suffers indigestion, dyspepsia, and perhapsjaundice. You see, my dear young lady, that almost all the advantagesare on our side. Of course you will say I could not climb a ladder, butthen I do not want to climb a ladder. I could not make the ascent ofMatterhorn; but it is much more pleasant to sit at the bottom and seefools do it. I could not very well ride a horse unless it were adray-horse; but then I have no partiality for horse exercise. AltogetherI think I have every reason to be content. I can travel wherever I like,see whatever I want to see, and enjoy most of the good things of life."
"And hould your own in a scrimmage," Mr. Ryan put in laughing. "I cananswer for that."
"If I am pushed to it," Mr. Atherton said modestly, "of course I try todo my best."
"Have you seen Mr. Atherton in a scrimmage?" Tom Allen asked the mate.
"I have; and a sharp one it was while it lasted."
"There is no occasion to say anything about it, Ryan," Mr. Atherton saidhastily.
"But no reason in life why I should not," the mate replied. "What do yousay, ladies and gentleman?"
There was a chorus of "Go on please, do let us hear about it," and hecontinued:
"I don't give Mr. Atherton the credit of saving our ship in the squall,but it would have gone badly with us if he hadn't taken part in the rowwe had. You see, we had a mixed crew on board, for the most partChinamen and a few Lascars; for we were three years in the China Seas,and English sailors cannot well stand the heat out there, and besidesdon't like remaining in ships stopping there trading. So when, after wearrived at Shanghai, we got orders to stop and trade out there, most ofthem took their discharge, and we filled up with natives. Coming downfrom Japan that voyage there was a row. I forget what their pretext wasnow, but I have no doubt it was an
arranged thing, and that theyintended to take the ship and run her ashore on some of the islands,take what they fancied out of her, and make off in boats, or perhapstake her into one of those nests of pirates that abound among theislands.
"They felt so certain of overpowering us, for there were only the threeofficers, the boatswain, and two cabin passengers, that instead ofrising by night, when they would no doubt have succeeded, they brokeinto mutiny at dinner-time--came aft in a body, clamouring that theirfood was unfit to eat. Then suddenly drawing weapons from beneath theirclothes they rushed up the gangways on to the poop; and as none of uswere armed, and had no idea of what was going to take place, they wouldhave cut us down almost without resistance had it not been for ourfriend here. He was standing just at the top of the poop ladder whenthey came up, headed by their seraing. Mr. Atherton knocked thescoundrel down with a blow of his fist, and then, catching him by theankles, whirled him round his head like a club and knocked the fellowsdown like ninepins as they swarmed up the gangway, armed with knives andcreases.
"The captain, who was down below, had slammed and fastened the dooropening on to the waist on seeing the fellows coming aft, and handed upto us through the skylight some loaded muskets, and managed, by standingon the table and taking our hands, to get up himself. Then we openedfire upon them, and in a very few minutes drove them down. We shot sixof them. The seraing of course was killed, four of the others had theirskulls fairly broken in by the blows that they had received, and fivewere knocked senseless. We chucked them down the hatchway to the others,had up four or five of the men to work the ship, and kept the restfastened below until we got to Singapore and handed them over to theauthorities. They all got long terms of penal servitude. Anyhow, Mr.Atherton saved our lives and the ship, so I think you will agree with methat he can hold his own in a scrimmage."
"It was very hot work," Mr. Atherton said with a laugh, "and I did notget cool again for two or three days afterwards. The idea of using a manas a club was not my own. Belzoni put down a riot among his Arablabourers, when he was excavating ruins somewhere out in Syria, I thinkit was, by knocking the ringleader down and using him as a club. I hadbeen reading the book not long before, and it flashed across my mind asthe seraing went down that he might be utilized. Fists are all verywell, but when you have got fellows to deal with armed with knives andother cutting instruments it is better to keep them at a distance if youcan."
"That was splendid!" Wilfrid exclaimed. "How I should like to have seenit!"
"It was good for the eyes," the mate said; "and bate Donnybrookentirely. Such a yelling and shouting as the yellow reptiles made younever heard."
By this time the meal was finished, and the passengers repaired on deckto find that the ship was just passing Sheerness.
"Who would have thought," Wilfrid said to his sister as he looked at Mr.Atherton, who had taken his seat in a great Indian reclining chair hehad brought for his own use, and was placidly smoking a cigar, "thatthat easy, placid, pleasant-looking man could be capable of such a thingas that! Shouldn't I like to have been there!"
"So should I," Marion agreed; "though it must have been terrible to lookat. He doesn't look as if anything would put him out. I expect Samson wassomething like him, only not so stout. He seems to have been verygood-tempered except when people wanted to capture him; and was alwaysready to forgive that horrid woman who tried to betray him to hisenemies. Well, everything is very nice--much nicer than I expected--andI feel sure that we shall enjoy the voyage very much."