Part 33 (2/2)
”I shall certainly prize that for many reasons,” answered Murray, ”and thanks to you for cheering me up. Our energies have been taxed pretty severely for the last few days, and I feel more out of spirits than usual. What account do you bring me of poor Archy?”
”The doctor is more hopeful about him than at first. Young Highlander as he is, he thinks that there is every prospect of his getting round again in time by careful nursing, and I dare say your friends at Saint David's will be happy to take charge of him when we get to Jamaica. He will afford an object of interest to Miss O'Regan, and draw her off from the thoughts of her own loss.”
”I trust that such may be the case,” said Murray. ”But, my dear Jack, I have been oppressed with all sorts of evil forebodings about her. I cannot help dreading that she has been attacked by fever, or that she has met with some accident, or that--”
”Nonsense, Alick, that's not like you,” interrupted Jack. ”You say that your energies have been severely taxed: that alone is the cause of your forebodings of evil. After we have been at sea a day or two you will laugh at them. Good-bye, I must be off.”
Jack pulled on for the corvette, and delivered the welcome order to prepare for sea. The surgeon gave him a bad account of the commander.
His mind was wandering, and he was every day becoming weaker. He was continually talking of his beloved beeves and his pigs, his orchard and his cabbage-garden, and sometimes he fancied that he was bestriding his trusty cob, setting off to market, and he would shout out to his old housekeeper, Martha, to have his dinner ready at his return.
”Poor fellow, he would have been wiser had he continued cultivating his little farm in Bedfords.h.i.+re, instead of tempting again the treacherous deep,” thought Jack. ”However, probably Alick will get the vacancy, so it's all right.”
A short time afterwards a light breeze came off the land. The sails were let fall, and, the frigate leading the way, the small squadron shaped a course for Jamaica.
The _Supplejack_ proved herself to be a fast craft, being well able to keep up with the frigate and corvette, so Murray considered that he could report favourably of her to the admiral.
When within about a day's sail of Jamaica the corvette, which had separated during the night from her consort, was again seen approaching, with her flag halfmast high. The flags of the other two s.h.i.+ps were lowered in compliment, and inquiries by signal were made as to when the melancholy event had occurred. The reply was, on the previous evening, and that the commander's last request had been that he might be buried on sh.o.r.e.
The next day the squadron came to an anchor in Port Royal harbour.
Eager as Captain Hemming knew that Murray would be to proceed to Kingston, his first duty was to attend to the funeral of the late commander of the corvette, which could not be delayed.
The boats of the squadron being manned, followed the _Tudor's_ barge, which contained the coffin. On landing it was borne by a party of seamen to the burying ground of Port Royal, where the garrison chaplain performed the service, and the marines having fired a volley over the grave, the party returned on board.
The ceremony being over, the flags were hoisted up, and it must be confessed that very little more was thought of or said about poor Commander Babbicome and his eccentricities. Captain Hemming and Murray then proceeded up to Kingston, where they were received with warm congratulations and highly complimented by the admiral.
”I have already sent your despatch home,” he said, turning to Alick, ”and I have secured your promotion, I hope. In the meantime I intend to give you an acting order to take command of the corvette, and I shall be glad, Captain Hemming, to appoint any officer you can recommend to the _Supplejack_.” The captain at once named Lieutenant Rogers. ”I should have been glad to have suggested my first lieutenant, Mr Cherry, but I am unwilling to spare him, and I believe that he would rather continue as at present on board the frigate.”
On hearing that his young cousin was wounded, the admiral at once desired Murray to have him brought up to the Pen, if the doctor thought he could be moved, ”and you, I suspect, will not object to a day or two's leave to enjoy a trip into the country,” he added; ”I shall be happy to see you on your return.”
Alick thanked the admiral, who advised him to set out forthwith, while he invited Captain Hemming to dinner. The boats were sent back, with directions that the wounded mids.h.i.+pman should be brought to the Pen the next day; and Murray, taking the admiral's advice, set off for Saint David's, hoping to arrive there before nightfall.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
JACK ROGERS IN COMMAND OF THE SUPPLEJACK--ALICK'S LETTER TO JACK--THE CAYMANS--SHOAL OF TURTLE--DOLPHINS--CHASES A SLAVER--HAVANNAH--SCENES ON Sh.o.r.e--SLAVERS IN HARBOUR--POLITE INVITATION FROM A SLAVE-DEALER--JACK ACCEPTS IT--THE VENUS SLIPS OUT OF HARBOUR.
Sometime after the events related in the last chapter, Jack Rogers walked the deck of the _Supplejack_ as her commander, he having superseded Murray, who had been promoted, as every one acknowledged--a just reward for his gallantry at Carthagena.
Higson had been made a lieutenant, and appointed to the _Tudor_, while Terence Adair had rejoined the _Plantagenet_. The commander who had been appointed to the corvette in the place of poor Captain Babbicome had fallen sick, and as there was every probability of his having to return to England, Jack had hopes that the admiral would appoint Murray to the command.
”If I hadn't the _Supplejack_ I should have been delighted to serve under him,” said Jack to Adair, who had come on board to see him.
”I have no idea of a fellow being jealous of another's good fortune, for no one deserved his more than Alick Murray. I only wish that I may get the chance of doing something in the _Supplejack_; I won't throw it away if I can help it.”
”You will have more opportunity than I shall have aboard the frigate,”
answered Terence; ”and I only wish that I could be with you or Murray, if he gets the command of the _Tudor_.”
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