"Good luck to you. You'll give us some more tunes when you come back.
Off with you now. Success! success!"
Phil lashing on the horses, away we went, laughing heartily at our
adventure. We soon arrived at the castle, where we found the guests
rapidly assembling. I won't describe the ceremony. My brother and
Kathleen O'Brien were indissolubly united. No sooner was it over than
every one rushed forward to kiss the blushing bride, and then we all
heartily congratulated each other at the happy event. My mother took
charge of her new daughter-in-law, who cried a little, but, soon
recovering, looked as bright and blooming as any of her fair
bridesmaids.
Plum-cake and wine were then handed round, just to stay our appetites
till dinner was announced,--a substantial repast, to which all did good
justice. Then the ball commenced, the bride leading off the dance. It
was kept up, with an interval for a hot supper, until three or four in
the morning. It was lucky for me that Nora O'Flaherty, for some reason
or other, was not present, or I believe that in spite of my uncle's
advice I should have forgotten my poverty and confessed my love. But
there's luck in odd numbers, and there were so many charming girls
present that my heart was pretty evenly divided among them. The whole
of the guests were put up in the house,--and pretty close stowing it
was, but no one complained,--and, after a breakfast as substantial as
the supper, we set off to return home. We purposely went back by the
way we came, and greatly astonished the old pike-keeper by not only
paying him his toll, but treble the value of the whisky he had bestowed
on us, as well as two or three additional songs. He had by this time
discovered who we were, and was profuse in his apologies for the way in
which he had behaved. We assured him that he had but done his duty, and
as we had chosen to pass for stage-players we could not complain of him
for believing us. For a few days things went on much as usual. At last
my uncle received a letter from Captain Macnamara, saying that he had
not been appointed to a ship himself, but had applied to Lord Robert
Altamont, who had just commissioned the _Jason_ at Plymouth, and who had
agreed to receive me on board on his recommendation. "Your nephew will
meet some of his old shipmates, who, I have no doubt, will be glad to
have him among them," he added.
At first I was highly delighted at this news, but when the time came for
parting I wished that I had been able to remain longer at home. It
appeared to me very unlikely that I should ever see my father again, and
the state of our pecuniary affairs was evidently telling on my mother,
though my brave uncle was doing his utmost to keep things together. It
was settled, of course, that Larry was to accompany me.
"I should like to go with you," said my uncle; "but you're old enough to
take care of yourself, and affairs at home require my presence. Two men
will, however, attend you, to look after the horses and bring them
back."
I will not describe our leave-takings a second time, or my journey to
Cork. I found there was a vessel just about to sail for Plymouth, and I
therefore secured berths on board her for myself and Larry. Nothing
particular occurred during the passage. We dropped anchor in the
Catwater at Plymouth five days after leaving Cork. I at once repaired
on board the _Jason_, lying in Hamoaze.
Who should I find walking the deck as first lieutenant but old
Rough-and-Ready. He put out his hand and shook mine cordially.
"Glad to have you aboard, my lad," he said. "You see, their Lordships,
knowing my value as a first lieutenant, have taken good care not to
promote me, lest my peculiar qualities should be lost to the service."
"I should have been glad to have served under you, had you been in
command of a corvette, sir," I said; "and I'm very happy to be with you
again."
"You'll find two or three old shipmates on board, for Lord Robert, being
a friend of Captain Macnamara, applied to him to recommend such officers
as he thought well of. He has immense interest, and I hope that we
shall all get our promotion when he's done with us, though he'll take
very good care it will not be till then."
I begged Mr Saunders to let me go ashore again to procure an outfit, as
I had not got one at Cork.
"Have you brought another family chest with you?" he asked.
"No, sir; I'll get one of the proper dimensions this time, knowing the
size you approve of," I answered.
On going into the berth, I found, to my infinite satisfaction, my old
friends Nettleship and Tom Pim.
"Glad to see you, Paddy," they exclaimed in the same voice, each
grasping a hand.
"We heard rumours that you were appointed to the _Jason_, but could not
ascertain the fact for certain," said Nettleship. "Well, here you see
me, after all the actions I have taken part in, still an old mate. Lord
Robert assures me that he will look after my interests; but he has said
the same to everybody else, and will probably tell you so likewise."
Tom Pim accompanied me on shore, and assisted me by his advice in
getting the outfit I required, and I took care to choose the smallest
chest I could find, that there might be no risk of its being cut down.
In the evening Nettleship joined us, and we accompanied him to pay his
respects to his mother and sister. I was more than ever struck by the
sedate manner of the young lady, after having been so lately accustomed
to those of Irish girls. Though Miss Nettleship was very pretty, I
didn't lose my heart to her. Tom Pim, however, seemed to admire her
greatly, though it was impossible to judge of how her feelings were
affected towards him. We spent a very pleasant evening, and I took
greatly to Mrs Nettleship, who seemed to me to be a very kind and
sensible old lady. We had to return on board at night, to be ready for
duty the next morning, for the frigate was now being rapidly fitted out
Old Rough-and-Ready was in his true element, with a marline-spike hung
round his neck, directing everywhere, and working away with his own
hands. He made us do the same.
"We don't want dainty young gentlemen on board," he said, "but fellows
who are not afraid of the tar-bucket."
Though not pleasant, this was useful, and I learned a good many things
which I had before not known perfectly. The ship was completely fitted
for sea before Lord Robert Altamont made his appearance on board. We
all turned out in full fig to receive him as he came up the side. He
had sent down a pattern of the dress he wished his crew to wear, and the
men as they joined had to put it on. It consisted of a blue jacket, a
red waistcoat, white or blue trousers, slippers of white leather, and a
hat with the ship's name in gold letters under a crown and anchor. All
the men wore pigtails, to the arrangement of which they devoted a
considerable portion of Sunday morning. They might then be seen in
groups, combing and brushing each other's hair, which hung down very
long behind, and then tying up the tails with a bit of blue cotton tape.
The captain was a young man, tall and slight, with a very effeminate
air, and as unlike his first lieutenant as he well could be. Still his
countenance was not bad, and he smiled in a pleasant way as he returned
our salutes.
"Very well done, Mr Saunders," he said, looking aloft, and then
glancing round the deck. "You have got the ship into good order, and I
hope to find the crew in the same satisfactory state. If not, we must
take measures to make them so. Though it's peace time, we must maintain
the discipline of the service."
After a few more remarks he retired to his cabin, where he had ordered
dinner to be prepared. He now sent to invite the first and second
lieutenants, the lieutenant of marines, the doctor, and three of the
young gentlemen, to dine with him. Such an invitation was like a royal
command. Nettleship and I, with Dick Larcom, who had just joined the
frigate, and who was a _protege_ of the captain, were the favoured ones.
The repast was sumptuous in my eyes, and unlike anything I had seen
before. Lord Robert was all courtesy and kindness. He inquired of each
of us what service we had seen, and particulars about our family
history.
"My father was a lieutenant, killed in action, and my mother lives in a
cottage near Plymouth," answered Nettleship.
"And I came in at the hawse-holes, and worked my way up. I have been in
ten general actions, and five-and-twenty engagements with single ships,
or cutting-out expeditions in boats," said Mr Saunders. "Here I am a
first lieutenant; and a first lieutenant I suppose I shall remain until
I'm too old to keep at sea, when perhaps I shall be rewarded with my
master's and commander's commission."
"Long before that period arrives, I hope," said Lord Robert, smiling
blandly. "I trust before many years are over to see you posted to a
ship like this."
I answered his lordship's questions with all due modesty, and he seemed
well pleased at hearing about my family. His lordship happened to look
at Dicky Larcom, who, supposing that he had to give an account of
himself, said--
"I haven't done anything yet, Lord Robert, because I have only been two
days in the navy; but I intend to do as much as Admiral Benbow, Lord
Rodney, or Sir Samuel Hood, if I have the chance."
"No doubt about it, youngster," said his lordship, laughing. "While I
think of it, I wish two of you young gentlemen to breakfast with me
every morning. I wish you all to learn manners, in which I find
occasionally a great deficiency among the junior officers of the
service. I'll say nothing about their seniors. You'll let it be known
in the berth, Finnahan. You can all come in rotation."
"Thank you, my lord," I answered, for I found that he always liked to be
thus addressed.
The announcement did not afford as much pleasure as I had expected. The
oldsters voted it a great bore, though Dicky Larcom and the other
youngsters looked upon the invitation as an especial honour, and
anticipated the good breakfasts they were to enjoy several times a week.
Where we were to be sent to was now the question, for as yet that
important information had not transpired. The bumboat-woman, the great
authority as far as midshipmen were concerned, could not enlighten us,
though some of the more knowing expressed an opinion that we should be
attached to the Channel squadron, which, in other words, meant that Lord
Robert intended to remain in harbour as much as possible, to save
himself from the perils and discomforts he might be exposed to at sea.
We waited day after day, while the captain, it was understood, was
transacting important business on shore, though it was shrewdly
suspected that he was amusing himself as he thought fit. At length he
received a peremptory order to proceed to sea. When he came on board,
he complained to old Rough-and-Ready of the hardships to which he was
subjected.
"Don't you think, Mr Saunders, that it's a shame that men of rank like
myself should be at the beck and call of such old fogies as my Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty?" he exclaimed. "I have had positively
to give up Lady Seacombe's ball on the 15th. Putting my own feelings
aside, there will be several sweet girls who will be bitterly
disappointed."
"I don't know anything about balls, except round shot and musket-balls,"
answered the first lieutenant. "For my part, if I'm asked the use of a
ship-of-war, I should say that it is to be afloat, looking after the
interests of the country. I don't know, however, since the Government
have thought fit to shake hands with the French and Spaniards, and to
knock under to the Yankees, what we have got to do; only I do know that
we shall never get the ship into a proper state of discipline till we're
at sea, and can exercise the men at their guns, reefing and shortening
sail."
"Oh, yes, to be sure! that's a very proper matter for you to think
about, Mr Saunders," said the captain; "but for my part, I esteem that
sort of thing as a great bore. However, understand that I want you to
do whatever you consider right and proper."
"Thank you, my lord. If you leave the matter to me, I'll do my best to
make the ship's company the smartest in the service," answered the first
lieutenant.
"Well, I'm much obliged to you, and will support you to the best of my
ability," said the captain.
I overheard this conversation; indeed, his lordship was not at all
particular as to what he said, or as to who was present when he
expressed his opinions.
That afternoon, the wind being fair, we went out of harbour, and by dark
were well to the south-west of the Eddystone. As Lord Robert said he
preferred having plenty of sea-room, we at once steered out into the
Atlantic.
"We may thus, you see, Mr Saunders, be able to get a fair breeze from
whatever quarter the wind blows, which is far better than having to
batter away against a head-wind, and make ourselves uncomfortable. I
wrote some lines on the subject:--
"We're rovers where'er rolls the fetterless sea,
For the boundless blue ocean was made for the free.
"They are fine, are they not? Shall I go on with them?"
"They may be, my lord, but I'm no judge of pottery," answered Mr
Saunders; "indeed, I never read a line in my life, except some old
sea-songs. And as to being free, we should soon get the ship into a
pretty state of disorder if the men were to get that notion into their
heads; they may not be slaves, but they must do what they're ordered,
and pretty smartly too, or look out for squalls, I've a notion. That's
what we must do at present.--All hands, shorten sail!" he shouted. "Be
smart about it, lads."
Lord Robert put his paper into his pocket, and threw himself into an
attitude of command, while he glanced up at the straining canvas, and
Mr Saunders shouted the necessary orders, which he did not receive from
the captain.
The hands flew aloft. My station was in the main-top, to which I
quickly ran up. Royals and topgallant sails were speedily taken in, two
reefs in the topsails, the yards were squared, and we ran off before the
fast-rising gale. We pitched and rolled pretty considerably as it was;
it would have been much worse if we had been close-hauled. As the gale
was from the northward, we ran south all the night.
In the morning it was my turn, with Dicky Larcom, to breakfast with the
captain, which, according to his lordship's orders, the young gentlemen
in the berth had taken their turns to do with considerable, regularity.
We had to dress in our best, and at the appointed hour we made our
appearance at the cabin door.
The captain treated us with his usual urbanity. We took our seats, and
had got through some slices of ham and toast, when Lord Robert told us
to help ourselves to coffee. As the ship was rolling and pitching, I,
knowing what might happen if I filled my cup, poured out only a small
quantity. Poor Dicky, not aware of the necessity of taking the same
precaution, filled his to the brim; when, just as he was about to lift
it to his lips, out flew the contents over the fine blue damask
table-cloth. On this Lord Robert jumped up, his countenance exhibiting
anything but an amiable expression, and, seizing poor Dicky by the
collar, he gave him a kick which sent him flying to the cabin door, with
an expression which sounded very unlike a blessing, exclaiming--
"Who is to wash breakfast-cloths for such a young powder-monkey as you?
Remember that in future you only breakfast with me once a month." Then
turning to me, he said in a gentle tone, "You see, Finnahan, I must
maintain discipline."
I of course said nothing, but bolted the remainder of my breakfast as
fast as I could, thinking it prudent to take my leave, lest his lordship
should, with or without reason, find fault with anything I might do, and
treat me in the same way.