ALICE AT DAISY COTTAGE--A BOAT'S CREW CAPSIZED--PICK UP DICKY SHARPE--
OUR FRIENDSHIP COMMENCED.
I may as well say that my uncle got a fair round sum for the salvage of
the good ship the _Poictiers_, and a very welcome addition to his year's
pay. Our passengers went on shore at Portsmouth, and as soon as we
arrived there, I thought I was to see no more of them, when, having
accompanied them to the door of the George Hotel, I was about to bid
them farewell.
"What! we are not going to part yet," said Mr Marlow. "Come in, young
gentleman--come in."
There was the usual bustle consequent on the arrival of a party at an
inn. It soon subsided. Rooms were selected, and we found ourselves
seated in a parlour, which looked doubly comfortable after the deck of
the dismasted ship and the small cabin of the cutter.
"You will come and dine with us to-day, Mr D'Arcy; and I must beg you
to convey an invitation to your uncle," said Mr Marlow.
As midshipmen are not always their own masters, I had to explain that I
would, if I could; though I did not think my uncle would refuse me
leave. I was not disappointed; and at six o'clock I found myself seated
at Mr Marlow's dinner-table, and opposite my Commander. I thought the
little lady, Miss Alice, still looked very much fatigued.
"She is scarcely yet fit to perform the journey to London," observed her
father. "Still I am anxious to be there, and must also visit Liverpool
in the course of a few days."
"If you will allow her to remain with Mrs O'Flaherty, I can answer for
my wife being most happy to receive her," said my uncle.
To my great joy, though I was afraid of showing if, Mr Marlow at once
acceded to the proposal.
"I will, then, bring Mrs O'Flaherty over to fetch her," added my uncle.
"You will, I suspect, agree very well, Miss Alice."
"Indeed, my dear sir, you are laying me under a tenfold obligation,"
said Mr Marlow. "All our connections are, I believe, in the North, and
in dreary London there is no one with whom I could leave the dear
child."
I don't remember the rest of our conversation. I know that I discussed
a very good dinner; and that same evening we got under weigh and ran
over to Ryde, and my uncle went up to Daisy Cottage. The next morning
my aunt accompanied him on board, and we returned to Portsmouth. She
received little Alice, as I knew she would, most kindly, and before many
hours had passed they became great friends; and, to make a long story
short, Miss Marlow became an inmate for several weeks of Daisy Cottage.
We were lying one day soon after this in Portsmouth Harbour, off Haslar
Creek, ready to start for the westward. It was Sunday. My uncle had
gone over to Ryde, and I was in hopes of getting across in the afternoon
to visit my aunt and her guest. I had turned out in full fig; and while
all the people were below dressing for muster, I walked the deck as
officer of the watch, with my spy-glass under my arm, looking out for
the signal from the flag-ship to make it eight-bells. I felt very
important, but I have reasons to doubt whether I looked proportionably
consequential. All the ships in the harbour and at Spithead ran up
their bunting at the same moment; and I had just belayed our signal
halliards when I saw a boat, crowded with seamen and marines, putting
off from a frigate lying right ahead of us. The tide was running strong
out of the harbour. A young midshipman was at the helm, and he did not
seem to have made due allowance for the strength of the current. The
consequence was that the boat drifted down some way below the intended
place of landing, and while he was putting her head up the harbour to
regain his lost ground, her keel struck the mast of a barge which had
sunk the day before, and which scarcely showed above the water. In an
instant over she went, and the people in her were spilt out into the
eddying, rushing tide-way. Some struck out for the shore, a few clung
on the boat, and others came drifting down helplessly with the current.
So suddenly had the accident occurred, that I had not a moment to
consider what was best to be done, nor to call any one from below.
Fortunately we had a punt alongside. Casting off the painter, I jumped
into her, and shoved off to where three men were struggling, close ahead
of the cutter. I caught hold of one who was just sinking, and hauled
him over the bows, while the other two got in without my help. I looked
round to see what had become of the rest of the people. Two marines
were clinging to the keel of the boat, and she was on the point of
striking our stern, by which she would have been carried under our
bottom, when I sculled alongside and got the two jollies on board. By
the glance I had had at her just before, I observed that another person
had been with them, while, as I was getting in the three first men, a
cry for help had reached my ears.
"Oh! sir, there's Mr --- gone, poor fellow!" exclaimed one of the
marines saved. "There he is, though!"
Directly under the water, where he pointed, I saw a head of hair or a
bunch of seaweed, I could not tell which; but, on the chance of its
being the former, I sculled up to it. The sun shone forth brightly, and
I caught a glimpse of a human face convulsed with agony beneath the
tide. Twice it eluded me; but stretching out my arm, and almost going
overboard and capsizing our already over-crowded boat, I got firm hold
of a person by the hair, who, I saw, had a midshipman's patch on the
collar of his jacket. I had some difficulty in getting the seemingly
lifeless body of my brother officer into the boat.
Seeing that there was no one else to be saved--for several boats had
shoved off from the shore and vessels at anchor near at hand to pick up
the rest of the people--I paddled my nearly sinking boat alongside the
cutter. Hearing my hail as I jumped into the punt, the crew had rushed
on deck, and were standing ready to hand on board the half-drowned
midshipman and the men I had been the means of saving. The latter were
none the worse for their ducking, except that their clothes were
wettish.
"You'll want a clean shirt, mate," said one of our people to a Patlander
from the frigate.
"Arrah! now didn't I put a dry one in my pocket this blessed morning; so
it will be all handy for me," he exclaimed, diving into the recesses of
his dripping peacoat.
The midshipman, who was still insensible, was, by Hanks' advice, carried
down into the gun-room. We were unwilling to run the risk of the delay
which must have occurred had he been conveyed on board his own ship.
"Bring a glass of hot grog; and let it be pretty stiff, steward!" said
Hanks, as we were engaged in stripping our patient and putting him into
my berth between the blankets.
We then set to work to rub his body with a coarse worsted sock, the
first suitable thing which came to hand. Having got some of the salt
water he had swallowed out of his mouth, Hanks poured a little warm grog
into it instead. This, with the rubbing, had the effect of speedily
restoring animation. In a few minutes he opened his eyes, and tried to
sit up and look about him.
"Hillo! where am I? I say, are the poor fellows all picked up?" he
asked, in a weak tone.