Part 12 (1/2)
”Faith,” he exclaimed, ”that's a foine burd, an' a purty burd too; an', begorrah, he spakes the purtiest name I ivver heerd tell on in me loife.”
He looked at Jenny as he said this; when, she too coloured up.
I couldn't tell you all that occurred that happy day, for the moments flew by like winking; and bye-and-bye we had to set sail again for our s.h.i.+p, laden with all sorts of good things to help out our diet on board, especially an enormous pot of jam, which mother said would last us for tea till we were able to come ash.o.r.e again for another supply.
Father came with us down to Hardway, offering to put us on board in his wherry; and, though it was a longer voyage thence back to the s.h.i.+p than from Point, the tide being fortunately in our favour, we reached the _Saint Vincent_ in good time, going up the accommodation ladder on the port side, which, as you know, is devoted to the use of the lower deck portion of the crew, just as Eight Bells struck.
”Ha, my lads,” cried the 'Jaunty,' who stood by the entry-port, ”you've just saved your bacon!”
The other fellows were just coming down from skylarking; and, going below with the lot, we found time before turning in--Mick having declared that he was ”hungry enuf to ate an illiphant”--to sample the stock of grub mother had so thoughtfully provided us with.
The sight of the big jam-pot, however, presently attracted a crowd of sympathisers around us, whose affability and kindly attentions, nay, even respectful demeanour, was something wonderful.
Mick and I never knew till then what dear friends we had aboard; any boy with whom we might have exchanged a chance word appearing as delighted to see us again as if we had risen from the dead.
Amongst these, Larrikins was prominent.
”Lor', Tom Bowling,” he whispered to me, as he sidled up near, ”yer knows I tuk a fancy to yer when I see'd yer first.”
”So you did, my joker,” said I, of course seeing through his 'little game,' as well as that of 'Ginger,' the other first-cla.s.s boy who had been told off to attend to us novices, and had, it may be remembered, acted as 'Ugly's' second. ”You cut me down when I was in my hammock the first night I was aboard. That was a strong proof of your friends.h.i.+p towards me, eh, Larrikins?”
”Ah, Tom, that were only a little joke, don-cher-no,” he replied, with a grin and a wink of the most expressive character, ”Lor', yer don't bear no mallerce, I knows!”
What could I say?
He was not half a bad fellow either; and so, having experienced many a little kindness from him as a new hand, in spite of his strong propensity for practical-joking at my expense, which I do not believe he could have possibly resisted under any circ.u.mstances, I pa.s.sed the word to Mick to make him free of the jam-pot.
So, too, with the rest of those that hung round us, sailors and sailor- boys generally being generous alike by nature and inclination; and the end of it was, that the supply which mother thought would have lasted Mick and me till we saw her again, vanished the same night!
CHAPTER NINE.
I BECOME A ”FIRST-CLa.s.s BOY.”
Our life aboard after this pa.s.sed very evenly, though not uneventfully; for there was hardly a day that something did not occur as interesting as it was novel to our previous experience.
Talk of a sailor's life being dull! Why, it's full of incident, full of interest, full of adventure; and even on board a harbour s.h.i.+p, like the _Saint Vincent_, I tell you, there is sport to be had afloat as well as ash.o.r.e!
We had a rat-hunt once, some three or four weeks after I joined the s.h.i.+p.
The captain's dog, a fine c.o.c.k-eared fox-terrier named 'Gyp,' with the most wonderful eyes, and a nose that worked with excitement as quickly as his short-cropped tail, which was docked to half an inch and was ever on the wag, got into the habit of coming forward on the forecastle whenever he was let out of his master's cabin, in the most unaccountable manner.
Now 'Gyp,' you must know, was a rather particular dog in his way, keeping to his own station when below; while, should he be taken up on the quarter-deck by the captain, or accompany any of the other officers there, he would never, as a rule, advance farther towards the fore part of the s.h.i.+p than the main-hatchway.
All of a sudden, however, master 'Gyp' takes it into his head to make free of the forecastle, and a.s.sociate with such of the lower deck men who might chance to be there.
This, of course, was derogatory to his dignity as a captain's dog; but, although remonstrated with by his master's valet, who had charge of him when the captain did not take him ash.o.r.e--aye, and even whipped for thus straying forwards--'Gyp' would persist in his unseemly predilection for low life, utterly regardless of his proper rank as an officer, with a collar and badge. This article was of gold lace, and became him well, contrasting favourably with his black-and-tan head and soft white coat, which latter was guiltless of spot or blemish.
The fact was, I had better acknowledge it at once so as to preserve the poor animal's character, which was, and is, so far as I know up to the present, as spotless as his coat, never having had a slur cast upon it, save in this one respect, that 'Gyp,' as the master-at-arms said, in his funny way, ”smelt a mice.”
Not only that, 'Gyp' smelt rats; and, what is more, he managed to nab one very cleverly as the rodent was leisurely hopping up the hatchway in the most free and easy manner from below, with a piece of cheese in its mouth which the beggar had appropriated from the steward's pantry, or from the mess of some Johnny below!