Part 3 (1/2)

He had his absent-minded expression; he looked as if his mind was a hundred miles off, almost out of reach. But at Dido's question he sighed, pulling his mind back into place, and handed her a mug of hot coffee with mola.s.ses in it.

'When the captain has decided which men to take and who shall be left in charge of the s.h.i.+p.'

Soon after breakfast the captain sent for Dido.

'Mr Holystone informs me that you have made fair progress in your Deportment, and that your Politeness is greatly improved, Miss Twite.'

'Old Holy is a regular brick, ain't he? He never gets miffed or skiffly, even when I gives him a bit o' lip.' Dido then recalled herself and added, 'Ay, ay, sir.'

'Let me see your obeisance.'

'Eh?'

'Curtsey, child!'

Dido looked round for a copy of the King's Regulations, but the first lieutenant had borrowed it. Without this handicap, she managed quite a creditable curtsey.

The captain, however, remained dissatisfied.

'You certainly cannot appear before the queen in that rig-out. We had best go on sh.o.r.e directly and set about finding a sempstress. Send Holystone to me, and tell him to have Mr Windward summoned.'

Dido ran out joyfully.

'You're to go to the cap, and we're all to start for land so's I can get some gals' togs in Tenby,' she called to the steward, grabbing her bag of needments, and she bounded up on deck.

Mr Windward was supervising the stowage of provisions in the pinnace, and the embarkation of the sh.o.r.e-going party. To Dido, leaning on the rail and watching, it came as a most disagreeable shock to discover that Silver Taffy was to be one of the sh.o.r.e crew; the others were a big cheerful lad called Able-Seaman Noah Gusset, a sailor known as Plum because of the colour of his nose, Mr Mids.h.i.+pman Multiple, who was freckled, blue-eyed, quick-witted, and, if of a somewhat teasing disposition, on the whole friendly to Dido, and the first lieutenant. The second lieutenant, Mr Bowsprit, was to remain in charge of the Thrush.

'Oh, croopus,' Dido muttered, when she saw Silver Taffy climb into the pinnace. 'If he's along, there'll be nothing but trouble!'

a.s.sembling all her resolution, she ran down the companionway and tapped on the captain's door.

'Come in!' he called impatiently.

Dido slipped in and carefully closed the door behind her.

'Sir,' she said rapidly in a low tone, 'please don't have Silver Taffy along in the lot that's going ash.o.r.e! There's bound to be no end of shenanigans if you do it'll bring a whole peck o' trouble acos he can't abide Mr Holystone's cat or me and if we're all a-going to be travelling in a boat up the river, it'll be hokus-mokus all the blessed time, don't you see?'

In her urgency she grasped hold of the captain's blue superfine broadcloth lapels, tarnis.h.i.+ng the gold-lace. Captain Hughes stepped back sharply, regarding her with amazed disapprobation.

'Miss Twite!! Pray, who do you think you are? Remember that I am the captain!'

'Lud love you, sir, that's just what I does remember! Jeeminy, you're the one as has got us into this mux, and you're the only one as can get us out. Do tell Silver Taffy as he ain't wanted arter all!'

'I shall do no such thing,' said Captain Hughes. 'David Llewellyn is a strong, useful seaman one of the strongest men on board which is one of the reasons why I chose him. He will be a capital member of the party should we chance to encounter wild beasts or hostile savages. Furthermore he is familiar with this country another advantage. He has an old aunt residing in Bewdley and he particularly requested permission to form one of the party so that he might visit her. But I do not know why I should be required to explain my reasons to you, Miss Twite, after all! How dare you enter my cabin uninvited, and speak to me with this -this unheard-of effrontery? Return on deck at once, if you please!'

'Oh, blimey!' said Dido despairingly.

Entering Mr Holystone's galley, she found him putting up a hamper of the captain's favourite delicacies, and a set of plate, gla.s.s, knife, fork, spoon and linen napkin.

'You'll never guess what, Mr Holy,' said Dido in deep dejection. 'That there peris.h.i.+ng Silver Taffy is a-coming ash.o.r.e with us. I tried to persuade Cap'n Hughes agin it, but he's so sot in his judgements there's no talking to him.'

Mr Holystone did not appear too discomposed. He replied calmly enough, 'Indeed? It was very forward of you, child, to argue with the captain.'

'Yes, that's what he said,' Dido replied glumly, kicking at a basket of damp seaweed in which Mr Holystone was packing hardboiled gulls' eggs.

'But how'll you keep an eye on Dora, with Silver Taffy along?'

'I can leave her here on board, which will be great advantage. Mr Bowsprit will look after her, I am sure.'

'Ay, that's so,' said Dido, sighing. 'But it's spoiled my pleasure, I can tell you.'

'Fiddle-de-dee! Now, take this pail on deck, if you will be so kind, and hand it to Able-Seaman Gusset.'

Once aboard the pinnace, Dido found her spirits lifting. It was such a fine day, after all! The eight oars raised in salute, the captain descended the ladder, then, when he was seated, all the rowers cleft the sea together and shot the boat forward. The hot sun blazed overhead, the sea underneath was brilliantly blue and clear. In it, however, huge dark shapes roved about, sometimes looming uncomfortably close to the pinnace. One of them rose out of the water and snapped at the oars, revealing a ferocious triple row of teeth, 'Tiburone, he is,' Able-Seaman Gusset told Dido he had a slow, country voice, and a pleasant, blue-eyed open face. 'Best not trail your hand in the water, Missie. You might bring it up less a few fingers!'

'I don't reckon as a few fingers'd be much use to him,' said Dido with a shudder; and after that she took good care to keep her hands well inside the boat.

The land, which from a distance had looked like a frieze cut from blue and silver silk, acquired clearness and detail as they moved closer. Dido saw that the black-and-white timbered houses of Tenby each had an upstairs gallery, over hanging the street, gla.s.sed in with big windows, doubtless for protection from Atlantic gales.

On the quayside lay piles of fish, stacks of crates and barrels and mounds of gaily-coloured nets. The houses of this small port were grouped on either side of the river, which flowed deep and swift between two headlands. About a quarter of a mile up-river, an island, built over with houses, divided the Severn, and bridges spanned each arm of water.

'It looks a right nice little place,' Dido said to Noah Gusset, 'but it's mighty quiet, ennit? There bain't many folk about. You'd think they'd be keen to see chaps from a British man-o'-war?'

'Maybe 'tis work-hours,' suggested Noah.

The streets of Tenby did seem peculiarly empty. Dido looked with interest to see if the cobbles were made of silver but they were merely the usual sort, smeared over with fish offal. And the houses looked remarkably like those of Southwark or Battersea. Dido could not avoid a slight feeling of disappointment as she climbed up the steps and on to the quay. She had hoped for something more foreign and surprising.

Captain Hughes was the one who seemed surprised and not agreeably. Apparently he had expected Mr Brandywinde to be there to meet them; but there was no sign of the British Agent on the harbourside.

'Plague take the fellow,' Dido heard the captain mutter. 'I only hope he is not touched in his wits. He seemed half d.i.c.key in his cups. It is a fine thing to set out on such a difficult and delicate mission with no better counsel than the word of such a dibble-dabble fellow.'

'You think he's a rabshackle, Cap'n?' said Dido. 'So do I.'

Captain Hughes cast her an impatient glance.

'Mind your own business, child! Speak when you are spoken to, not before!'

Thus snubbed, Dido applied herself to studying the streets of Tenby. A tall skinny fellow now approached them, who, briefly bowing, without any particular look of civility or good-will, announced himself as Sandai Bando and said that he had been directed to lead them to the inn.

'Where is Mr Brandywinde?' demanded Captain Hughes.

Sandai Bando shrugged, shook his head, and spread out his hands; then, turning his back, he led them off along the harbourside at a rapid pace. He was bronzed, hook-nosed, had on a suit of black worsted, much the worse for wear, yellow stockings, black slippers and very short trousers. His black hair was tied back in a queue.

The distance to the White Hart Inn, where they were to leave their bags, was not great; quitting the harbour they turned up a steep hill and soon saw the inn-sign ahead of them. On this street there were a few people about: the men, in general, rather short, dark, stern-looking, clad like Sandai Bando in suits of black worsted, the women equally small of stature, wearing black stuff dresses, white ap.r.o.ns and steeple-crowned hats over white caps. These people glanced at the party of foreigners with what seemed like distrust and ill-will; they did not smile at the strangers, or make any attempt to engage them in talk.

'What a set of dismal churlish b.u.mpkins,' Dido muttered to Mr Holystone. 'They stare at us as if we was rattlesnakes. Not very civil, are they?'

Several of the people they pa.s.sed stared at Dido, in particular, with apparent astonishment. 'What's so odd about me?' she wondered. 'Is it because I've got on boys' togs? Ain't gals allowed on the streets here?'

Certainly no girls were to be seen, and very few boys.