Part 7 (2/2)
Quickly the news spread amongst the craft in the tier, and many and various were the suggestions shouted to the bewildered couple from the different decks. At last, just as the captain had ordered the waterman to return to the sh.o.r.e, he was startled by a loud cry from the mate.
”Look there!” he shouted.
The captain looked. Fifty or sixty yards away, a small shamefaced-looking schooner, so it appeared to his excited imagination, was slowly approaching them. A minute later a shout went up from the other craft as she took in sail and bore slowly down upon them. Then a small boat put off to the buoy, and the Mary Ann was slowly warped into the place she had left ten hours before.
But while all this was going on, she was boarded by her captain and mate. They were met by Captain Bing, supported by his mate, who had hastily pushed off from the Smiling Jane to the a.s.sistance of his chief.
In the two leading features before mentioned he was not unlike the mate of the Mary Ann, and much stress was laid upon this fact by the unfortunate Bing in his explanation. So much so, in fact, that both the mates got restless; the skipper, who was a plain man, and given to calling a spade a spade, using the word ”pimply” with what seemed to them unnecessary iteration.
It is possible that the interview might have lasted for hours had not Bing suddenly changed his tactics and begun to throw out dark hints about standing a dinner ash.o.r.e, and settling it over a friendly gla.s.s.
The face of the Mary Ann's captain began to clear, and, as Bing proceeded from generalities to details, a soft smile played over his expressive features. It was reflected in the faces of the mates, who by these means showed clearly that they understood the table was to be laid for four.
At this happy turn of affairs Bing himself smiled, and a little while later a s.h.i.+p's boat containing four boon companions put off from the Mary Ann and made for the sh.o.r.e. Of what afterwards ensued there is no distinct record, beyond what may be gleaned from the fact that the quartette turned up at midnight arm-in-arm, and affectionately refused to be separated-even to enter the s.h.i.+p's boat, which was waiting for them. The sailors were at first rather nonplussed, but by dint of much coaxing and argument broke up the party, and rowing them to their respective vessels, put them carefully to bed.
CONTRABAND OF WAR
A small but strong lamp was burning in the fo'c'sle of the schooner Greyhound, by the light of which a middle-aged seaman of sedate appearance sat crocheting an antimaca.s.sar. Two other men were snoring with deep content in their bunks, while a small, bright-eyed boy sat up in his, reading adventurous fiction.
”Here comes old Dan,” said the man with the anti-maca.s.sar warningly, as a pair of sea boots appeared at the top of the companion-ladder; ”better not let him see you with that paper, Billee.”
The boy thrust it beneath his blankets, and, lying down, closed his eyes as the new-comer stepped on to the floor.
”All asleep?” inquired the latter.
The other man nodded, and Dan, without any further parley, crossed over to the sleepers and shook them roughly.
”Eh! wha's matter?” inquired the sleepers plaintively.
”Git up,” said Dan impressively, ”I want to speak to you. Something important.”
With sundry growls the men complied, and, thrusting their legs out of their bunks, rolled on to the locker, and sat crossly waiting for information.
”I want to do a pore chap a good turn,” said Dan, watching them narrowly out of his little black eyes, ”an' I want you to help me; an' the boy too. It's never too young to do good to your fellow-creatures, Billy.”
”I know it ain't,” said Billy, taking this as permission to join the group; ”I helped a drunken man home once when I was only ten years old, an' when I was only-”
The speaker stopped, not because he had come to the end of his remarks, but because one of the seamen had pa.s.sed his arm around his neck and was choking him.
”Go on,” said the man calmly; ”I've got him. Spit it out, Dan, and none of your sermonising.”
”Well, it's like this, Joe,” said the old man; ”here's a pore chap, a young sojer from the depot here, an' he's cut an' run. He's been in hiding in a cottage up the road two days, and he wants to git to London, and git honest work and employment, not shooting, an' stabbing, an'
bayoneting-”
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