[Illustration: THE SECOND DEGREE Page 129.]
YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD
By
OLIVER OPTIC
NORTHERN LANDS.
BOSTON
LEE & SHEPARD.
_YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD--SECOND SERIES._
NORTHERN LANDS;
OR,
YOUNG AMERICA IN RUSSIA AND PRUSSIA.
A STORY OF TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE.
BY
WILLIAM T. ADAMS
(_OLIVER OPTIC_),
AUTHOR OF "OUTWARD BOUND," "SHAMROCK AND THISTLE," "RED CROSS,"
"DIKES AND DITCHES," "PALACE AND COTTAGE," "DOWN THE RHINE,"
"UP THE BALTIC," ETC.
BOSTON:
LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS.
NEW YORK:
LEE, SHEPARD AND DILLINGHAM. 1872.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872,
BY WILLIAM T. ADAMS,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
Electrotyped at the Boston Stereotype Foundry, 19 Spring Lane.
TO
MY EXCELLENT FRIEND
THE
HON. DAVIS DIVINE,
OF SAN JOSÉ, CALIFORNIA,
WHOSE ACQUAINTANCE I HAD THE PLEASURE OF MAKING
IN ST. PETERSBURG, AND WITH WHOM I TRAVELLED
THROUGH RUSSIA, AUSTRIA, TURKEY, ITALY,
SPAIN, AND PORTUGAL,
This Volume
IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.
YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD.
BY OLIVER OPTIC.
A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands. First and Second
Series; six volumes in each Series. 16mo. Illustrated.
_First Series._
I. _OUTWARD BOUND_; OR, YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT.
II. _SHAMROCK AND THISTLE_; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN IRELAND
AND SCOTLAND.
III. _RED CROSS_; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN ENGLAND AND WALES.
IV. _DIKES AND DITCHES_; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND
AND BELGIUM.
V. _PALACE AND COTTAGE_; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN FRANCE
AND SWITZERLAND.
VI. _DOWN THE RHINE_; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN GERMANY.
_Second Series._
I. _UP THE BALTIC_; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN NORWAY, SWEDEN,
AND DENMARK.
II. _NORTHERN LANDS_; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN RUSSIA AND PRUSSIA.
III. _CROSS AND CRESCENT_; OR, YOUNG AMERICA IN TURKEY AND GREECE.
In preparation.
IV. _SUNNY SHORES_; OR, YOUNG AMERICAN IN ITALY AND AUSTRIA.
In preparation.
V. _VINE AND OLIVE_; OR, YOUNG AMERICAN IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL.
In preparation.
VI. _ISLES OF THE SEA_; OR, YOUNG AMERICA HOMEWARD BOUND.
In preparation.
PREFACE.
NORTHERN LANDS, the second volume of the second series of "YOUNG
AMERICA ABROAD," describes the varied experience of the juvenile
tourists of the Academy Squadron in the Baltic, and during their
journeys in Russia and Prussia, and their voyages between the different
ports in these countries. Compared with most other countries of Europe,
but little has been written about Russia, and the greater portion of
this volume related to that interesting nation. The author writes
from his own notes and recollection, so far as scenery, manners and
customs are concerned, but he has made diligent study and use of all
the material within his reach, including much that was gathered abroad.
Perhaps the young people will vote that this is the dryest book the
author has ever presented to them, because it contains the most useful
information; but he hopes they will not neglect the historical part,
which is sometimes stranger than any fiction.
But the volume is not without its story, which may be regarded as
a reflection, on a small scale, of the political experience of the
American citizen. Doubtless our young friends will sympathize with
Scott the Joker in his devotion to fair play; and well will it be
for our country when this spirit shall pervade the caucus and the
voting places, and those who are selfishly striving for office are as
effectually rebuked and ignored as they were in the Academy Squadron.
The next volume of the series, from the nature of the circumstances,
rather than from any fixed intention on the part of the writer, will
contain much more of stirring incident than the present.
The author, who has so long been before the public as a writer of
juvenile books, and who has so often "launched a volume," has felt
that his welcome must be nearly worn out, and that he had no right
to expect the continued favor of his army of young friends. He was
therefore very agreeably surprised at the kind reception given to "UP
THE BALTIC," the sale of which was fully equal to the most fortunate of
its predecessors in the first series. The author is very grateful for
this new exhibition of kindness on the part of his young friends, and
he hopes that the present volume will not only interest, but instruct
and benefit them.
HARRISON SQUARE, BOSTON,
December 18, 1871.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER PAGE
I. AT THE PICNIC IN THE ISLAND. 11
II. AN EXCITED MEETING OF OFFICERS AND SEAMEN. 29
III. FINLAND AND THE AGITATORS. 49
IV. TWO HOURS IN ÅBO, AND THE BANGWHANGERS. 68
V. AN EXCITING ELECTION. 86
VI. A CALL AT HELSINGFORS. 105
VII. WYBORG AND THE SECOND DEGREE. 122
VIII. THE LECTURE ON RUSSIA. 141
IX. SIGHTS IN ST. PETERSBURG. 171
X. BILLY BOBSTAY AND FRIENDS. 191
XI. PALACES AND GARDENS. 209
XII. THE JOURNEY TO MOSCOW. 226
XIII. IN THE KREMLIN OF MOSCOW. 244
XIV. DOWN THE VOLGA. 261
XV. THE MOVEMENTS OF THE RUNAWAYS. 279
XVI. SOMETHING ABOUT PRUSSIA AND GERMANY. 295
XVII. FROM KÖNIGSBERG TO DANZIG. 309
XVIII. THE STRANDED STEAMER IN THE BALTIC. 323
XIX. BERLIN, POTSDAM, AND DRESDEN. 336
XX. GREAT CHANGES IN THE SQUADRON. 353
NORTHERN LANDS;
OR,
YOUNG AMERICA IN RUSSIA AND PRUSSIA.
CHAPTER I.
AT THE PICNIC ON THE ISLAND.
"I don't believe in it!" exclaimed De Forrest, the third lieutenant of
the Young America.
"I can't say I like the idea very much," replied Beckwith, the first
master. "Tom Cantwell is a great scholar, without a particle of
doubt, but he is no more of a seaman than that English fellow, Clyde
Blacklock, and ought not to be captain."
"But under the rule of the ship, it can't be helped," added De Forrest.
"Then the rule ought to be changed. There are not half a dozen fellows
in the squadron who believe that Cantwell ought to be captain."
"He hasn't been three months in the squadron. He served his first
month in the steerage, and then jumped up to fourth master. Next month
he will be the captain of the ship. He doesn't know enough to set a
topsail, and couldn't get the ship under way to save his life."
"I shouldn't care so much about his seamanship, if he were only a
decent fellow," continued Beckwith.
"I don't want a fellow over me who don't know anything. I can't respect
him."
"Well, what are you going to do about it? We can't help ourselves."
"I don't know that we can," replied De Forrest. "Cantwell is a great
scholar, and seems to know everything without studying it; but he is
mean, conceited, overbearing, and tyrannical. I don't believe the
principal likes the idea of his being captain."
"But he can get along better as captain than he could as first
lieutenant; for he has only to say, 'Get under way,' 'Come to anchor,'
'Take in the main-topsail,' and the executive officer gives all the
orders in detail."
"That's true. Yet the captain is expected to know all these things, and
to see that they are properly done. But, after all, we are not sure
that Cantwell will be captain," suggested De Forrest.
"He has had a perfect mark in every lesson during the month; and I know
that Captain Lincoln slipped up on his geometry two or three times."
"But the captain has beaten him in his seamanship, I know."
"There's the difficulty. We have been in port, or lying at anchor among
these islands, nearly all the time, and there has been no chance to
make anything in seamanship. We have hardly had an exercise in which
marks were given out since we made the coast of Norway."
"Perhaps we shall, yet."
"If we do, Cantwell won't be captain, but he may be a lieutenant; and
that is almost as bad."
"We won't cry till we are hurt, then," said De Forrest; "though I
think something ought to be done to keep us out of such a scrape in
the future. I have a plan in my head, which, I think, would work first
rate, and be a fair thing for all."
"What is it?" asked Beckwith.
"I'll tell you. As the matter now stands, a fellow may jump from the
steerage into the captain's cabin without any experience at all in
commanding, especially, as during the last month, when we are running
about on shore, and we don't do much in seamanship."
"But you know that this struggle for rank puts the fellows on their
good behavior; and the principal would lose his sheet anchor if the
present system were abandoned."
"I don't propose to abandon it entirely. I would like to have the first
five officers made elective."
"You would have the captain and the four lieutenants chosen by ballot?"
asked Beckwith, interested in the plan.
"Precisely so."
"But the fellows in the steerage could have it all their own way under
such a plan. They could make Clyde Blacklock, Sandford, or any such
fellow captain."
"No, you haven't heard me out. The captain and the four lieutenants
shall be chosen from the cabin officers only."
"I rather like that."
"Any fellow will see that it is a fair thing."
"And who would be candidates for masters, pursers, and lieutenants?"
asked Beckwith.
"They must obtain their rank by their merit. By my plan, ten of the
fifteen cabin officers of the ship must get their positions by their
scholarship, conduct, and seamanship, just as they do now; but the
captain or lieutenant must first have served as master, purser, or
midshipman. Then a fellow can't be captain till he has served at least
one month as a cabin officer."
"The plan pleases me; but of course we can't tell how it would work
without a trial."
"It would work first rate. As the matter now stands, no officer has any
inducement to please anybody but the principal and the instructors,
who give him his marks. By my plan he would have to keep on the right
side of his inferiors in rank, or they would throw him over at the next
election."
"And there would be lots of electioneering for office," laughed
Beckwith.
"Well, that would give us a little excitement. Besides, we are all
to be American citizens, and we ought to learn how these things are
done. Under this plan Cantwell wouldn't behave as he does now in the
cabin. He is nothing but a lump of selfishness. He wouldn't take all
the breast of the chicken, or drown his coffee with the last gill of
milk on board. I have been thinking of this thing for a week, and have
talked it over with some of the fellows. All that I have spoken with
like it first rate."
"I do."
"I am going to get up a petition to the principal, asking him to make
this change in the system, and I want to get every fellow's name upon
it."
"I will sign, for one," replied Beckwith. "But you haven't said a word
about the commodore, De Forrest."
"That's only a kind of ornamental office, and I don't care much about
it any way; but I think that only the captains should be eligible to
the position."
Precisely as men do such things on a larger scale, De Forrest,
satisfied that he had added one adherent to the "cause" he was
advocating, passed on to "buzz" another officer on the same subject.
The students connected with the squadron were enjoying a picnic on one
of the uninhabited Aland Islands. It was a lovely spot, for the island
was nearly covered by a beautiful grove of pines, and one slope of it
had a green carpet of verdure. The sixteen boats of the squadron and
of the yachts were moored at the shore, and there was not a ripple on
the sea to disturb them. The ship's band had played all the pieces they
knew; and a great variety of games had been tried, with but indifferent
success. The boys declared that it could be no picnic at all without
the ladies. Possibly the attendance of Mrs. Kendall and Mrs. Shuffles
suggested this idea to them; and, though these ladies were young,
lively, and agreeable, the meagreness of the female representation on
the occasion seemed to be only an aggravation. Doubtless all of them
had attended picnics and other social gatherings, where the gentler
sex is the charm of the occasion, and they could not help feeling
the loneliness of the situation. Besides, the locality itself was
suggestive of utter isolation from the rest of the world.
All around them was a multitude of islands, but not a habitation of
any kind could be seen; not a human being, not a quadruped, not even
a bird enlivened the scene. The water was as calm as the repose of a
mountain lake, with not a single white sail to relieve the gaze of the
beholder. The squadron was anchored behind an island, where it could
not be seen. And the boys knew that they were north of the sixtieth
parallel of latitude,--nearer to the north pole than any of them had
ever been before; and the consciousness of this fact seemed to add to
the lonesomeness of the place. The days were very long and the nights
very short, and it was quite impossible to feel at home in such a
region.
They were not the first to feel in this locality that the great, busy
world was far to the south of them, and to be impressed by the silence
and quiet of the place under such circumstances. A distinguished lady,
in narrating her voyage among these islands, says, "We never lost sight
of the shore, and sometimes were so near it that it seemed as though
we could leap to it from the boat. Yet I have never seen anything so
desolate as the voyage during this first day. On the open sea we should
not complain; but here, so near the land, and not a boat upon the
water, not a living creature on the shore, not a garden, not a human
being, not a dog, not even a fishing net, to show that man had been
there,--there was something awful in it."
And yet there is no lack of the beautiful in nature to charm the eye,
for the islands present an endless variety of forms, with green slopes,
with rocky steeps, and with forest-crowned heights. But one may be
lonely even in Paradise; and silence is sometimes more oppressive than
the roar of the tempest, or the din of the crowded city.
The students had resorted to all the games in the catalogue of
dignified sports available to young men; but the most exhilarating
under ordinary circumstances were dull and heavy on the present
occasion. In the middle of the afternoon they had abandoned in
despair all attempts to have "a good time;" and now they were seated
on the rocks, or stretched at full length upon the grass, engaged in
discussion and conversation. Possibly De Forrest was forced by the
quiet of the scene to agitate reform in the affairs of the squadron,
which, to some extent, occupied his thoughts during the stay of the
vessels among the islands. With the zeal of youth and inexperience, he
believed that he had originated a new idea, that he had discovered
a fatal flaw in the working of the system on which the squadron
was organized. But his "original idea" had long before engaged the
attention of the principal. Years before he had foreseen that the
very difficulty which now appeared might arise. It is true that he
had provided no remedy, except the general rule that an incompetent
officer might be removed when his unfitness was apparent; but he had
very carefully considered the question and the consequences which it
involved.
The third lieutenant of the Young America was not the only student who
had observed and noted the remarkable scholarship of Cantwell. In the
midst of such a lively competition for the honors of the squadron,
which were not meaningless laurels,--for a state-room in the cabin
was a substantial luxury, independent of the desire to command rather
than obey,--the students did not fail to notice the character of the
recitations, and many kept a record of the value of them; so that
the standing of Cantwell was well understood in the cabin and in the
steerage. The obnoxious student was a thorough bookworm; but he was
cold, stiff, selfish, and haughty. He never did anything or said
anything that rendered him liable to discipline; but there was not
a boy in the squadron who had so few friends, if he had any at all.
His father was a very wealthy man, who supplied him liberally with
money. It was said that he had been expelled from an academy where
he was fitting for college on account of a difficulty into which his
unpopularity had driven him. His fellow-students hated him so cordially
that they were unable to conceal their real feelings. He was attacked
in such an ingenious way that he seemed to be the aggressor instead
of the person assailed, and the whole blame of the riot was cast upon
him. When Prince Bismarck decided that German unification required a
war with France; he was skilful enough to make the latter take the
initiative, and France was foolish enough to accept the issue. In like
manner Cantwell, while really the objective force in the quarrel with
his fellow-students, was weak enough to assume the subjective attitude;
and, as France was almost annihilated for her folly, which deprived
her of the sympathy and support of any other respectable power, he was
ignominiously expelled for his conduct. Like scores of others under the
ban of expulsion on shore, he drifted into the Academy Squadron. He
was not a thorough seaman, as Captain Lincoln and most of the officers
were, neither was he so utterly ignorant and entirely incompetent as
De Forrest and others declared him to be. But he was not qualified for
either of the high positions which the officers feared he would obtain.
De Forrest opened his theory to another officer of the squadron. He had
already spoken to half a dozen of them, and created as many advocates
of his plan, each of whom, interested in the scheme, went to work upon
as many more of the unconverted. In another half hour there were a
dozen who were entirely satisfied that the Academy Squadron would be
utterly ruined if Cantwell was elevated to the rank of captain. This
dozen were in turn soon at work upon another dozen, and the converts
increased as a continued proportional. This process, so often repeated,
soon stirred up a lively agitation among the crowd of students on the
island. The principal, the instructors, and the party from the yachts,
with Captain Lincoln and two other officers, were seated on a rock
apart from the others, engaged in conversation. They did not observe
anything unusual among the students, who seemed to be remarkably quiet,
considering that they were at liberty to follow their own inclinations.
The agitators had an excellent opportunity to carry on their operations
without attracting the attention of the principal and his assistants.
The subject under discussion concerned the young officers even more
than the seamen, and De Forrest's plan seemed to be so fair and so
practical that most of them gave in their adherence without much
hesitation. The crew, who were farther removed from the glittering
prizes, which were to be limited to the inferior officers of the
cabin, were not so readily converted.
"I don't see it," said Scott, the joker, when Beckwith approached him
on the subject. "You want to make a little one-horse aristocracy in the
cabin, and shut out us fellows in the steerage from any chance at the
big things."
"Not at all," replied the first master.
"Yes, you do. Take my own case, if you please. I'm a genius of the
first water. I got a pile of merit marks for getting tight on finkel,
and making an excursion to Stockholm. During all this time, of course
I was marked high on all studies. I used to talk Greek when I was a
baby, and nobody could understand me. And of course I am marked high
in that branch now. In Latin I always could decline faster than any
other fellow. French and German I learned of my nurse, who was brought
up in an Irish Canadian family, and married a Dutchman. None of these
things ever give me any trouble, you see, and I am marked high. In
seamanship I got a hundred and fifty for topping up the spanker boom in
a seaman-like manner. Now, I expect to be captain on the first of next
month, and you cabin nobs are getting up a conspiracy to deprive me of
my rights. I won't stand it, Mr. Beckwith. I am an American citizen
in embryo. My fathers and mothers all fought, bled, and died for the
dearest rights of man. My grandfather was killed in battle six months
before he was married; and I should be a degenerate son of a glorious
sire if I permitted you to pull wool over my optical members in this
horrible manner."
"Be serious, will you, for a moment?" interposed the earnest officer.
"I am serious. You ask me to sign a petition to change the solid
principles on which the eternal order of events is founded; and I
respectfully decline to do so, Mr. Beckwith. In other words, not for
Joseph."
"But you don't understand the matter, Scott."
"You cast an imputation upon my perceptive faculties."
"Nothing of the sort. You talk so fast that you won't hear what I have
to say."
"You say that the captain of this noble ship must either be selected or
be chosen from the cabin officers. Am I right?"
"You are."
"I am not the captain of the ship this month; neither have I the honor
to be one of the cabin officers; _ergo_ I cannot be elected captain for
the month of June next ensuing."
"You are certainly right; but--"
"Then I understand the matter perfectly; and this movement is a
conspiracy to prevent me from being captain next month. I deserve to be
captain, and I respectfully submit that this is my inalienable right,
inherent in the contract under which I was sent to school. I object, I
protest, I denounce the vile scheme as a compact with infamy. By the
way, Beckwith, I didn't think you would treat me in this unhandsome
manner. We were always good friends, and I never did anything to injure
you. And I was always willing to help you spend your money when I
hadn't too much of my own to dispose of."
"Come, Scott, be reasonable."
"That's the very thing I ask of you--be reasonable, and don't try to
cut my out of my chance of being Captain next month."
"Of course you haven't any more chance of being captain than you have
of being Czar of Russia next month."
"Don't you think I should make a good czar?"
"No doubt of it," laughed Beckwith.
"Are you quite sure the Russians won't get up a revolution after they
have seen me?"
"If they only knew what a jolly good fellow you were, they would be
likely to do so."
"That's sensible; and I may go into the czar business, after all. And I
may be captain next month, if you nobs don't cut me out of my rights."
"But it is no worse for you than for any other fellow in the steerage.
I may be where you are next month; then it will hit me as hard as it
does you."
"Ah! then you are sawing off your own nose--are you?"
"For the general good, I am."
"Noble, self-sacrificing creature! Receive the homage of a humble
admirer."
"You, or any other fellow in the steerage, may become a master, purser,
or midshipman, by your merit, and then you may be captain, or a
lieutenant, the next month."
"But I shall have to wait a whole month before I can reach the summit
of my lofty ambition. That's too long to wait."
"I ask you to go with us for the public good."
"_Pro bono publico!_ There you touch me where I am weak. For the
public good I would sacrifice this poor body to gout and dyspepsia. I
would eat grand dinners, as the aldermen do, at the public expense; I
would accept any fat office in which I had nothing to do but draw my
salary; I would be governor or president, and receive the homage of the
people, for the public good. There's my weak point."
"You know Cantwell?"
"Do I know him! Do I not know him? Am I unacquainted with the blooming
youth who thinks he must wind up the universe every morning, or
something will break before night? Ought not the deck to be carpeted
when he walks upon it? Ought we not to have a guard of marines to
present arms to him when he appears in the waist? Haven't I worn out
three caps in saluting him?"
"You understand him, then?"
"Mr. Cantwell is a great man; Mr. Cantwell is a profound scholar;
Mr. Cantwell knows what's what. Why, he is so much above us common,
humdrum sort of fellows, that we ought to get down on our knees when he
condescends to show himself."
"Exactly so, Scott. And, unless we can get this change in the tenure of
office--"
"Hold on! Will you oblige me by translating that high-flown expression?"
"Of course you know what the expression means," replied Beckwith,
impatiently.
"Perhaps I do; but I want to know what _you_ mean by it."
"I mean a change in the manner in which the offices are obtained and
held."
"You mean right, as you always do."
"Well, unless we get this change at once, Cantwell will be the next
captain."
"He can't well be captain, and he can't well be otherwise."
"That's so."
"And you intend to put a stopper on him?"
"He isn't fit to be captain, and he can't well be, as you say. In one
word, are you with us? Yes or no."
"Yes or no. I must have time to think about it. When you attack a
fellow's inalienable rights, and all that sort of thing, I'm rather
inclined to go in for the bottom dog. The captaincy for next month lies
between Cantwell and me. For the public good, I am willing to waive my
own right, but I am not quite so clear that I ought to waive the right
of Mr. Cantwell, who is, by all odds, the greatest man in the ship."
"You will do the right thing, Scott; I know you will," said Beckwith,
moving off.
"Of course I will. I can't possibly do otherwise."
Beckwith walked away, for he saw Cantwell approaching him. By this time
the fourth master was conscious that something which concerned him
was in progress among his shipmates, for, as he came near the little
groups which were discussing the proposed change in the "tenure of
office," he observed that they either separated or suddenly changed the
conversation. His approach, wherever he went, invariably produced a
sensation. All hands watched him, and avoided him with even more care
than usual. Possibly his self-conceit prevented him from knowing that
he was very unpopular among his companions; but they did not avoid him
generally, as at the present time. He had no suspicion of the nature of
the agitation among the students; but his observation of their conduct
led him to the conclusion that they intended to play off some practical
joke or trick upon him. He was on his guard from that moment; but he
was fully resolved to be the victim rather than the assailant on this
occasion.
Scott stood just where Beckwith had left him. Instead of walking away,
as the others had done, when Cantwell approached, he looked at him, and
his expression was remarkably good-natured, and rather inviting for an
interview. He was almost the first one he met who did not avoid him.
The fourth master walked towards the joker, who, though not required
by the regulations to do so when off duty, promptly raised his cap,
and manifested a rather extravagant deference towards his superior.
Cantwell was a tall, slender young man of seventeen. Like many other
great students, he was somewhat near-sighted, and wore eye-glasses. He
was an exceedingly well-formed person, and was scrupulously nice in
regard to his dress. He had captured one of the new uniforms served out
when he was promoted to his present rank, and it was a much better fit
than the officers usually obtained.
"Do you happen to know the drift of all these private conferences which
I observe, Scott?" asked Cantwell, raising his head so that he could
see through the eye-glass, which had slipped down upon his nose.
"Yes, sir, I happen to know; and, as the matter concerns me more nearly
than any other fellow in the squadron, I don't object to telling you;
and I hope you will give me your sympathy and support," replied Scott,
putting on a most lugubrious face.
"Indeed! I don't know that I quite comprehend you. I notice that all
the students carefully avoid me this afternoon. If I approach any
two or more of them engaged In conversation, they stop talking, or
separate, and look very mysterious. I had come to the conclusion that I
was to be the subject of some practical joke."
"O, no. It is no joke, I assure you. It is a conspiracy, find I am to
be the first victim. Beckwith, the first master, was even impudent
enough to invite me to take a part in the amputation of my own nose!
Did you ever hear anything so absurd?"
"Perhaps I should be better able to judge if I were informed in regard
to the nature of the conspiracy," suggested Cantwell, as he readjusted
his eye-glasses.
"I shall be happy to inform you. They intend to apply to the principal
to have the tenure of office in the ship changed," replied Scott, in a
very impressive manner, as though he were revealing a startling fact.
"The tenure of office!" repeated Cantwell, with a puzzled look.
"Yes. Beckwith was kind enough to explain to me what it meant. I dare
say you know, without any explanation, Mr. Cantwell."
"Of course I know the meaning of the phrase, but I don't understand its
application to the affairs of the squadron."
"Then you will excuse me for telling you." And Scott explained in
full the nature of the proposed changes. "This is a plan, you will
perceive, to cut me off."
"Indeed!"
"I have been a good boy, and learned my lessons this month; and, under
the present regulation, I should be the captain of the ship next month.
I think that is clear enough."
Cantwell arranged his glasses again, and looked earnestly into the face
of the joker; but he was as serious as though he had been at a funeral.
"I was not aware that you stood so high on the record," added the
fourth master, more puzzled than before.
"Of course you are aware that you stand very high yourself," said Scott.
"I know that I have not had a single imperfect lesson, or been marked
down on any exercise."
"Just so. Then the highest office lies between you and me," replied
Scott, rubbing his chin. "The conspiracy is against us. If you should
get in ahead of me, I never have any hard feelings. I am willing to
abide by the regulations, and take whatever place belongs to me, even
if it should be that of captain or first lieutenant. I never complain
of my lot when there is fair play."
"And so the students are trying to have the highest officers chosen by
ballot," mused Cantwell.
"That's so; and it's a plot against you and me--a conspiracy against
our rights; and we must oppose it with all our might."
"It seems to me a very strange movement, just before the first of the
month."
"You are right; and we must go to work. The conspirators have had it
all their own way so far. We can make it lively for them.--Well,
Laybold, what is it?" said Scott, as the student addressed approached
them.
"I am sent to notify you both of a meeting of all the students of
the squadron, at that flat rock on the top of the island," said the
messenger. "The fellows are going to appoint a committee to wait on
the principal, and ask for a change in the manner of giving out the
offices."
"We shall be there to vindicate our rights, and protest against this
conspiracy. How do you stand, Laybold?"
"I don't care much about it, any way," replied the messenger, glancing
at Cantwell.
"Then go against the change. This thing is got up to keep me from being
captain next month."
"You!" shouted Laybold. "You won't even be captain of a top! You won't
come within fifty of the cabin."
"So you say. But the highest office lies between Cantwell and me."
"That may be; but it's a long way from your side of the house," replied
Laybold, as the party moved towards the highest part of the island.
Cantwell was vexed and troubled, and he could not decide what course to
pursue.