Chapter XXVI
"'Twas his the vast and trackless deep to rove. Alternate change of climates has he known, And felt the fierce extremes of either zone, Where polar skies congeal th' eternal snow, Or equinoctial suns for ever glow; Smote by the freezing or the scorching blast, A ship-boy on the high and giddy mast." FALCONER.
The father of the present Lord Aveleyn had three sons, and, inconformity with the usages commented upon in the preceding chapter, thetwo youngest were condemned to the army and navy; the second, who hadpriority of choice, being dismissed to gather laurels in a red coat,while the third was recommended to do the same, if he could, in a suitof blue. Fairly embarked in their several professions, a sum of fiftypounds per annum was placed in the hands of their respective agents, andno more was thought about a pair of "detrimentals."
Lord Aveleyn's father, who had married late in life, was summoned awaywhen the eldest brother of the present Lord Aveleyn, the heir, was yet aminor, about two years after he had embarked in the ship to which EdwardForster belonged. Now it was the will of Providence that, about sixmonths after the old nobleman's decease, the young lord and his secondbrother, who had obtained a short furlough, should most unadvisedlyembark in a small sailing boat on the lake close to the mansion, andthat, owing to some mismanagement of the sail, the boat upset, and theywere both drowned.
As soon as the melancholy intelligence was made known to the trustees, aletter was despatched to Captain L----, who commanded the ship in whichyoung Aveleyn was serving his time, acquainting him with thecatastrophe, and requesting the immediate discharge of the youngmidshipman. The captain repaired on board; when he arrived on thequarter-deck, he desired the first lieutenant to send down for youngAveleyn.
"He is at the mast-head, sir," replied the first lieutenant, "forneglect of duty."
"Really, Mr W----," replied the captain, who had witnessed the boy's_ascent_ at least a hundred times before with perfect indifference, andhad often sent him up himself, "you appear to be very sharp upon thatpoor lad; you make no allowance for youth--boys will be boys."
"He's the most troublesome young monkey in the ship, sir," replied thefirst lieutenant, surprised at this unusual interference.
"He has always appeared to me to be a well-disposed, intelligent lad, MrW----; and I wish you to understand that I do not approve of this systemof eternal mast-heading. However, he will not trouble you any more, ashis discharge is to be immediately made out. He is now," continued thecaptain, pausing to give more effect to his communication, "Lord Aveleyn."
"Whew! now the murder's out," mentally exclaimed the first lieutenant.
"Call him down immediately, Mr W----, if you please--and recollect that Idisapprove of the system."
"Certainly, sir; but really, Captain L----, I don't know what I shall doif you restrict my power of punishing the young gentlemen; they are soextremely unruly. There's Mr Malcolm," continued the first lieutenant,pointing to a youngster who was walking on the other side of the deck,with his hands in his pockets, "it was but yesterday that he chopped offat least four inches from the tail of your dog 'Ponto' at the beef-block,and pretends it was an accident."
"What! my setter's tail?"
"Yes, sir, he did, I can assure you."
"Mr Malcolm," cried the captain, in great wrath, "how came you to cutoff my dog's tail?"
Before I went to sea I had always considered a London cock-sparrow to bethe truest emblem of consummate impudence; but I have since discoveredthat he is quite modest compared to a midshipman.
"Me, sir?" replied the youngster, demurely. "I didn't cut off his tail,sir; he _cut it off himself!_"
"What, sir?" roared the captain.
"If you please, sir, I was chopping a piece of beef, and the dog, whowas standing by, turned short round, and put his tail under thechopper."
"Put his tail under the chopper, you little scamp!" replied Captain L----,in a fury. "Now just put your head above the maintop-gallant cross-trees,and stay there until you are called down. Mr W----, you'll keep him up tillsunset."
"Ay, ay, sir," replied the first lieutenant, with a satisfactory smileat the description of punishment inflicted.
When I was a midshipman, it was extremely difficult to avoid themast-head. Out of six years served in that capacity, I once made acalculation that two of them were passed away perched upon thecross-trees, looking down with calm philosophy upon the microcosm below.Yet, although I _never_ deserved it, I derived much future advantagefrom my repeated punishments. The mast-head, for want of something_worse_ to do, became my study; and during the time spent there, I in amanner finished my education. Volumes after volumes were perused towhile away the tedious hours; and I conscientiously believe it is tothis mode of punishment adopted by my rigid superiors that the world isindebted for all the pretty books which I am writing.
I was generally exalted either for _thinking_ or _not thinking;_ and asI am not aware of any medium between the active and passive state of ourminds (except dreaming, which is still more unpardonable), the readermay suppose that there is no exaggeration in my previous calculation ofone-third of my midshipman existence having been passed away upon "thehigh and giddy mast."
"Mr M----," would the first lieutenant cry out, "why did you stay solong on shore with the jolly-boat?"
"I went to the post-office for the officers' letters, sir."
"And pray, sir, who ordered you?"
"No one, sir; but I _thought_--"
"You _thought_, sir! How dare _you think_?--go up to the mast-head,sir."
So much for _thinking_.
"Mr M----," would he say at another time, when I came on board, "did youcall at the admiral's office?"
"No, sir; I had no orders. I didn't _think_--"
"Then why _didn't you think_, sir? Up to the mast-head, and stay theretill I call you down."
So much for _not thinking_. Like the fable of the wolf and the lamb, itwas all the same; bleat as I pleased, my defence was useless, and Icould not avert my barbarous doom.
To proceed: Captain L---- went over the side; the last pipe had beengiven, and the boatswain had returned his call into his jacket-pocketand walked forward, when the first lieutenant, in pursuance of hisorders, looked up aloft, intending to have hailed the new lord, and haverequested the pleasure of his company on deck; but the youngster,feeling a slight degree of appetite, after enjoying the fresh air forseven hours without any breakfast, had just ventured down the topmastrigging, that he might obtain possession of a bottle of tea and somebiscuit, which one of his messmates had carried up for him, and stowedaway in the bunt of the maintopsail. Young Aveleyn, who thought thatthe departure of the captain would occupy the attention of the firstlieutenant, had just descended to, and was placing his foot on thetopsail yard, when Mr W---- looked up, and witnessed this act ofdisobedience. As this was a fresh offence committed, he thought himselfwarranted in not complying with the captain's mandate, and the boy wasordered up again, to remain till sunset. "I would have called him down,"muttered Mr W----, whose temper had been soured from long disappointment;"but since he's a lord, he shall have a good spell of it before he quitsthe service; and then we shall not have his recommendation to others in hisown rank to come into it and interfere with our promotion."
Now, it happened that Mr W----, who had an eye like a hawk, when he casthis eyes aloft, observed that the bunt of the maintopsail was notexactly so well stowed as it ought to be on board of a man-of-war; whichis not to be wondered at, when it is recollected that the midshipmen hadbeen very busy enlarging it to make a pantry. He therefore turned thehands up, "mend sails," and took his station amidship on the booms, tosee that this, the most delinquent sail, was properly furled.--"Triceup--lay out--All ready forward?"--"All ready, sir."--"All readyabaft?"--"All ready, sir."--"Let fall."--Down came the sails from theyards, and down also came the bottle of tea and biscuit upon the face ofthe first lieutenant, who was looking up; the former knocking out threeof his front teeth, besides splitting ope
n both his lips and chin.
Young Aveleyn, who witnessed the catastrophe, was delighted; the othermidshipmen on deck crowded round their superior, to offer theircondolements, winking and making faces at each other in by-play, untilthe first lieutenant descended to his cabin, when they no longerrestrained their mirth.
About an hour afterwards, Mr W---- reappeared, with his face bound up,and summoned all the young gentlemen on deck, insisting upon beinginformed who it was who had stowed away the bottle in the bunt of thesail; but midshipmen have most treacherous memories, and not one ofthem knew anything about it. As a last resource, young Aveleyn wascalled down from the mast-head.
"Now, sir," said Mr W----, "either inform me directly who it was whostowed away the bottle aloft, or I pledge you my word you shall bedischarged from his Majesty's service to-morrow morning. Don't pretendto say that you don't know--for you must."
"I do know," replied the youngster, boldly; "but I never will tell."
"Then either you or I shall leave the service. Man the first cutter;"and when the boat was manned, the first lieutenant sent some papers onshore, which he had been desired to do by the captain.
When the boat returned, the clerk was sent for, and desired by Mr W----to make out Mr Aveleyn's discharge, as the officers and midshipmenthought (for Mr W---- had kept his secret), for his disobedient conduct.The poor boy, who thought all his prospects blighted, was sent on shore,the tears running down his cheeks, as much from the applause and kindfarewells of his shipmates, as from the idea of the degradation which heunderwent. Now, the real culprit was young Malcolm, who, to oblige thecaptain, had taken his station at the foretop-gallant mast-head, becausethe dog "Ponto" thought proper to cut off his own tail. The firstlieutenant, in his own woe, forgot that of others; and it was not untilpast nine o'clock at night that Malcolm, who thought that he had stayedup quite long enough, ventured below, when he was informed of what hadtaken place.
The youngster immediately penned a letter to the captain, acknowledgingthat he was the offender, and requesting that Mr Aveleyn might not bedischarged from the service; he also ventured to add a postscript,begging that the same lenity might be extended towards himself; whichletter was sent on shore by the captain's gig, when it left the ship thenext morning, and was received by Captain L---- at the very same timethat young Aveleyn, who had not been sent on shore till late in theevening, called upon the captain to request a reprieve from his hardsentence.
The boy sent up his name and was immediately admitted.
"I presume you know why you are discharged from the service?" saidCaptain L----, smiling benignantly.
"Yes, sir," replied the boy, holding his head down submissively,"because of that accident--I'm very sorry, sir."
"Of course you must, and ought to be. Such heavy blows are not common,and hard to bear. I presume you go immediately to Buckhurst?"
"I suppose I must, sir; but I hope, Captain L----, that you'll look overit."
"I shall have very great pleasure in so doing," replied Captain L----; "Ihear that it is--"
"Thanky, sir, thanky," replied the youngster, interrupting the captain."Then may I go on board again and tell the first lieutenant?"
"Tell the first lieutenant what?" cried Captain L----, perceiving somemistake. "Why, has not Mr W----told you?"
"Yes, sir, he told me it was your orders that I should be dismissed hisMajesty's service."
"Discharged--not dismissed. And I presume he told you why: because yourtwo elder brothers are dead, and you are now Lord Aveleyn."
"No, sir!" cried the youngster with astonishment; "because his threefront teeth are knocked out with a bottle of _scaldchops,_ and I wouldnot peach who stowed it away in the bunt of the sail."
"This is excessively strange!" replied Captain L----. "Do me the favourto sit down, my lord; the letters from the ship will probably explainthe affair."
There was, however, no explanation, except from young Malcolm. Thecaptain read his letter, and put it into the hands of Lord Aveleyn, whoentered into a detail of the whole.
Captain L---- produced the letter from the trustees, and, desiring hislordship to command him as to any funds he might require, requested thepleasure of his company to dinner. The boy, whose head wheeled with thesudden change in his prospects, was glad to retire, having firstobtained permission to return on board with young Malcolm's pardon,which had been most graciously acceded to. To the astonishment ofeverybody on board, young Aveleyn came alongside in the captain's owngig, when the scene in the midshipmen's berth and the discomfiture ofthe first lieutenant may be imagined.
"You don't belong to the service, Frank," said the old master's mate;"and, as peer of the realm, coming on board to visit the ship, you areentitled to a salute. Send up and say you expect one, and then W----must have the guard up, and pay you proper respect. I'll be hanged if Idon't take the message, if you consent to it."
But Lord Aveleyn had come on board to pay a debt of gratitude, not toinflict mortification. He soon quitted the ship, promising never toforget Malcolm; and, unlike the promises of most great men, it wasfulfilled, and Malcolm rose to be a captain from his own merit, backedby the exertions of his youthful patron.
For the next week the three mast-heads were so loaded with midshipmen,that the boatswain proposed a preventer backstay, that the top-mastsmight not go over the side; but shortly after, Captain L----, who wasnot pleased at the falsehood which Mr W---- had circulated, and who hadmany other reasons for parting with him, succeeded in having himappointed to another ship; after which the midshipmen walked up and downthe quarter-deck with their hands in their pockets, as before.