Part 35 (2/2)

Lady Beresford's petty irritation against Dodd melted at once--before so great a thing: she longed to make friends with him; but for once felt timid. It struck her now all of a sudden that she had been misbehaving.

However, she caught Dodd alone on the deck, and said to him softly, ”I want so to end our quarrel.”

”Our quarrel, madam!” said he; ”why, I know of none: oh, about the light eh? Well, you see the master of a s.h.i.+p is obliged to be a tyrant in some things.”

”I make no complaint,” said the lady hastily, and hung her head. ”All I ask you is to forgive one who has behaved like a fool, without even the excuse of being one; and--will you give me your hand, sir?”

”Ay, and with all my heart,” said Dodd warmly, enclosing the soft little hand in his honest grasp.

And with no more ado these two highflyers ended one of those little misunderstandings petty spirits nurse into a feud.

The s.h.i.+p being in port at the Cape, and two hundred hammers tapping at her, Dodd went ash.o.r.e in search of Captain Robarts, and made the _Agra_ over to him in the friendliest way, adding warmly that he had found every reason to be satisfied with the officers and the crew. To his surprise, Captain Robarts received all this ungraciously. ”You ought to have remained on board, sir, and made me over the command on the quarter-deck.” Dodd replied politely that it would have been more formal. ”Suppose I return immediately, and man the side for you: and then you board her, say, in half-an-hour?”

”I shall come when I like,” replied Robarts crustily.

”And when will you like to come?” inquired Dodd, with imperturbable good-humour.

”Now, this moment: and I'll trouble you to come along with me.”

”Certainly, sir.”

They got a boat and went out to the s.h.i.+p: on coming alongside, Dodd thought to meet his wishes by going first and receiving him. But the jealous, cross-grained fellow, shoved roughly before him and led the way up the s.h.i.+p's side. Sharpe and the rest saluted him: he did not return the salute, but said hoa.r.s.ely, ”Turn the hands up to muster.”

When they were all aft, he noticed one or two with their caps on. ”Hats off and be ---- to you!” cried he. ”Do you know where you are? Do you know who you are looking at? If not, I'll show you. I'm here to restore discipline to this s.h.i.+p: so mind how you run athwart my hawse: don't you play with the bull, my men; or you'll find his horns ---- sharp. Pipe down! Now, you, sir, bring me the log-book.”

He ran his eye over it, and closed it contemptuously: ”Pirates, and hurricanes! _I_ never fell in with pirates nor hurricanes: I have heard of a breeze, and a gale, but I never knew a seaman worth his salt say 'hurricane.' Get another log-book, Mr. Sharpe; put down that it begins this day at noon; and enter that Captain Robarts came on deck, found the s.h.i.+p in a miserable condition, took the command, mustered the officers and men, and stopped the s.h.i.+p's company's grog for a week for receiving him with hats on.”

Even Sharpe, that walking Obedience, was taken aback. ”Stop--the s.h.i.+p's company's--grog--for a week, sir?”

”Yes, sir, for a week; and if you fling my orders back in my face instead of clapping on sail to execute them, I'll have you towed ash.o.r.e on a grating. Your name is Sharpe; well my name is Dammedsharpe, and so you'll find.”

In short, the new captain came down on the s.h.i.+p like a blight.

He was especially hard on Dodd: nothing that commander had done was right, nor, had he done the contrary, would that have been right: he was disgracefully behind time; and he ought to have put in to the Isle of France, which would have r.e.t.a.r.ded him: his rope bulwarks were lubberly: his rudder a disgrace to navigation: he, Robarts, was not so green as to believe that any master had really sailed sixteen hundred miles with it, and if he had, more shame for him. Briefly, a marine criticaster.

All this was spoken _at_ Dodd--a thing no male does unless he is an awful sn.o.b--and grieved him, it was so unjust. He withdrew wounded to the little cabin he was ent.i.tled to as a pa.s.senger, and hugged his treasure for comfort. He patted the pocket-book, and said to it, ”Never _you_ mind! The greater Tartar he is, the less likely to sink you or run you on a lee sh.o.r.e.”

With all his love of discipline, Robarts was not so fond of the s.h.i.+p as Dodd.

While his repairs were going on he was generally ash.o.r.e, and by this means missed a visit. Commodore Collier, one of the smartest sailors afloat, espied the Yankee makes.h.i.+ft from the quarter-deck of his vessel, the _Salamanca,_ fifty guns. In ten minutes he was under the _Agra's_ stern inspecting it; then came on board, and was received in form by Sharpe and the other officers. ”Are you the master of this s.h.i.+p, sir?”

he asked.

”No, commodore. I am the first mate: the captain is ash.o.r.e.”

”I am sorry for it. I want to talk about his rudder.”

”Oh, _he_ had nothing to do with that,” replied Sharpe, eagerly: ”that was our dear old captain: he is on board. Young gentleman! ask Captain Dodd to oblige me by coming on deck! Hy! and Mr. Fullalove too.”

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