“THE WHOLE WORLD IS FULL OF CHANGES.”
“Well,” said Uncle Robert one morning some time after this, “if anybody
twenty years ago had prophesied that I should become a schoolmaster in
my declining years, I should have laughed at him. But come, there is no
help for it, and by good luck I’ve got two of the dearest and best
little pupils that ever any teacher could desire.”
Perhaps, though, no boy or girl either was ever taught on so delightful
a system before. For, every morning after breakfast--well rolled in
fear-nothing plaids if it happened to be raining--Uncle Robert, with Tom
and ’Theena, took their way towards the pine-wood and the hermitage. If
Dick and Jack happened to be about when they started, they were sure to
give them a hail.
“Good-bye, Eenie-’Theenie,” Dick would cry.
“Fare thee well, Old Cinder,” Jack would shout.
And Uncle Robert would pretend to growl like an old sea-lion, and shake
his stick at the pair of them as they scampered off, looking nearly all
legs, like the figures on the old Manx pennies.
Young as Tommy was, he had a very complete knowledge of geography, and
even a smattering of navigation; for he had declared his intention of
becoming a sailor, and nothing else. But this knowledge of his was not
such as you learn in books alone; but from books, and maps, and charts,
and the big globe itself. Tommy actually knew and felt he was _in_ the
world, and not inside the cover of a book. And if you asked him where
any country was he pointed in the direction of it at once, taking his
bearings as it were by the sun or stars, and the time of day or night
it happened to be at the time the question was put.
Their school was the hermitage in the woods, and here they laboured away
most earnestly all the forenoon. Then they laid aside their books, and
while uncle and ’Theena went outside to squat on the green-sward,
Tom--we shall not call him Tommy any more--got ready the luncheon. A
very simple repast it was--cheese and cake, and creamy milk.
Then uncle would light his pipe and perhaps tell a story, and after this
they started off in pursuit of pleasure.
Were there not fish in the rivers, and shells by the sea-shore, and
wondrous creatures of fur and feather in the woods and on the hills,
beautiful insects everywhere, and wild-flowers everywhere?
So passed one summer quickly away; and another summer and another winter
after that, and now Tom was thirteen and ’Theena was nine and over. Tom
was a man, at least he thought he was; and now, dearly though he loved
his old home, an almost irresistible longing took possession of him to
go to sea--to sail away and see the world and all that is in it.
For Tom was already a sailor. One might hardly think this possible,
until told that for a year and more hardly a fine day dawned that did
not see Uncle Robert and him, and as often as not little ’Theena also,
afloat in uncle’s little yacht-boat. This saucy wee craft had been a
man-o’-war’s cutter, sold as unfit for further service. But Uncle Robert
had bought her, and had her brought round to the bay of Craigie, and
there turned bottom upwards in old Dem Harrison’s boat-shed. And between
the pair of them, aided by Tom and ’Theena, who did the looking-on, they
soon made the hull seaworthy.
No flimsy work either. Wherever a plank was in the slightest degree
decayed, it was taken out and a light, hard new one put in; the very
best of copper nails being used, and nothing else. Then she was painted
inside and out. This done, she was “whomeld,” as old Dem called it--that
is, turned right side up; and so they proceeded to put a raised deck
upon her, and step a nice raking mast with fore-and-aft mainsail and
topsail and jibs to match. Fine big jibs they were too; honest spreads
of canvas, having no resemblance to either a baby’s blanket or a biscuit
sack. The wee yacht had an excellent rudder also, and a false keel that
could be raised or lowered at pleasure, or to suit circumstances.
You must understand that the _Oceana_, as she was called, after ’Theena,
had the most darling little saloon it is possible to imagine. To be
sure, Uncle Robert looked a bit crowded in it; but when Tom and ’Theena
were there by themselves, with only uncle’s legs dangling down the
companion as he sat steering, the place seemed just made for them. There
was a couch at each side, supported by lockers, and prettily upholstered
in crimson. There was a lamp in gimbals to burn at night, a natty little
locker containing all sorts of dishes and all kinds of dainties, and
brackets in the corners with pockets for flowers, and sconces for
coloured candles; besides a rack for arms and fishing-gear; while the
white paint, the gilding, and the mirrors completed the picture and made
the place double the size it really was.
Just imagine if you can how delicious it was to go sailing away over the
summer seas in a fairy-like yacht such as the _Oceana_--the blue above
and the blue below, white-winged gulls tacking and half-tacking in the
air around. Perhaps a shoal of porpoises in the offing, and great
jelly-fishes floating everywhere in the water like animated parasols.
They were entirely independent of the land when once fairly afloat; for
the _Oceana_ was well provisioned, and had over and above all her other
stores a tiny library of the most readable books of adventure and
poetry.
No, it was little wonder that Tom became a sailor under so pleasant a
captain as Uncle Robert, and on board so fairy-like a yacht.
But neither on shore was Tom’s nautical studies neglected; for in a room
of uncle’s cottage was situated a huge toy ship, which he had built and
rigged himself, and which he and his pupils often dismantled and rigged
up again. Full rigged she was, with every spar, bolt, and stay in its
proper place--a very model of perfection.
But the most curious thing I have to relate is that ’Theena learned
every branch of the seafarer’s craft quite as readily as, and even more
quickly than, Tom himself. Born and brought up at sea, she appeared to
take to everything intuitively.
Taking it all in all, both Uncle Robert and his pupils enjoyed
themselves very much, indeed, both on shore and afloat; but whether most
on shore or most afloat, it would have been difficult to say.
“My dear children,” said uncle one day at the hermitage, just as they
had finished luncheon and were preparing for a long ramble--“my dear
children, I shall miss you very much when you go away. I expect I’ll
begin to get old very quickly after that.”
“Dear unky,” said Tom, “you are never going to grow old. Don’t you
believe it.”
“And we are never going to grow any older either, unky,” said ’Theena.
Uncle Robert laughed.
“Well,” he said, “I should have no objections to make a bargain of that
sort with old Father Time if we could fall in with him. But, my dears,
changes will come, you know. The whole world is full of changes, and
the whole universe too for that matter. And you, Tom, will be going away
to sea, and ’Theena will have to go to school. I might make a sailor of
her, but, bother me if I could teach her the piano and dancing and the
like of that, unless it were a hornpipe such as the sailors dance on a
Saturday night. Yes, my dears, changes must and will come.”
Black Tom came up at this moment and began rubbing his great head
against the boy’s arm as he lay on the grass. Black Tom was a cat, and a
very wonderful specimen he was; elephantic in size as far as the term
could be applied to any grimalkin, with an enormous broad and
honest-looking face of his own. He was probably not more than two years
of age at this time; but Tom--the boy Tom--had saved his life when he
was little more than full-grown. It was quite a little adventure for the
young Hermit Hunter of the Wilds. As far as could be known, the cat had
attempted the abduction of a young or puppy-fox, but the mother coming
home in time a furious battle had ensued. The hermit came up at the very
moment the fox had scored victory, and was proceeding to break the cat
up, as some day the dogs might break her up. But a well-directed arrow
from Tom’s cross-bow sent her yelping to her den, and then the boy
picked up the half-dead cat and carried him to the hermitage. He
recovered after a few weeks of careful nursing; and since then, wherever
the boy went the cat followed, all through the woods and over the hills,
and even out to sea in the _Oceana_ yacht. Boy and cat were inseparable,
and throughout the length and breadth of the parish they were known to
everybody as “the two Toms.” When at peace, Tom the cat was very
contented-looking, though no great beauty, his shoulder and head having
been terribly scarred in that encounter with the fox; but he could be
very fierce when he pleased. He tolerated Connie the collie dog, and
even slept in his arms; but if any strange dog came into the hut Tom
mounted his back and rode him out, whacking him all the way.
* * * * *
Changes must and will come. Yes, and changes came to all about
Craigielea before very long. First and foremost Dick went away to
Oxford. He had a cousin there who would look after him while at college,
and, as Uncle Robert phrased it, put him up to the ropes.
Then an American farmer called at Craigielea and stayed for a week,
telling very wonderful stories indeed about life and adventures in the
sunny south of the United States, to all of which Jack listened with
open-mouthed earnestness. And when this farmer went away he left poor
Mrs. Talisker in tears, for her dear boy Jack went away with him.
Dear boy Jack did not himself take on much about the matter, however.
Indeed, though he did manage to screw a tear or two out when saying
good-bye to his mother and Alicia, there certainly were no tears in his
eyes as he parted with Tom.
“Ta, ta, Old Cinder!” he said, shaking his brother’s hand. “Take care of
yourself, my Cinder; and if ever you are out our way drop round and see
us, and I’ll let you ride a buck-jumper that will toss you half-way to
the moon. Ta, ta! Be good.”
The old farm was a deal quieter after Dick and Jack had gone. There was
far less whooping, or barking of dogs, or cracking of whips. Uncle
Robert said the place was not the same at all.
Then came another change. For Captain Herbert walked into the house one
forenoon as quietly and coolly as if he had not been from home for over
a week. This caused the greatest change of all, for Tom had to get ready
for sea at once. His uncle took him straight away to Glasgow to get his
outfit; and when the boy was rigged out in his pilot suit, with gilt
buttons and cap with badge and band, very natty and neat he looked.
’Theena was very proud of him now; but at the same time she was very
sad, for those brass buttons and that blue pilot-jacket meant separation
for many and many a long day.
When Tom awoke one morning and looked out of his window he could see a
beautiful black painted barque lying at anchor in the bay, with tall
tapering spars shining white in the sunlight, as if they had been formed
of satin-wood. Then Tom knew that his time had come.
He was not very elated about it at first. It was so sudden; and I do
trust the reader will not think him any the less brave when I confess
that he sat down beside the window and indulged in the luxury of a good
cry. For remember that the boy was not very old yet. No; and I have
known many much older boys than he shed tears at the prospect of leaving
home.
He was to sail on the very next morning; and that day he and ’Theena
went to take one last look at the hermitage and the old castle, and the
woods and wilds generally. And Tom the cat followed them and kept close
by his master all the way.
“Poor fellow!” said the boy, stooping down to caress his favourite; “he
seems to know we are to be parted.”
“Purr-rrn!” said Tom the cat. That was all he could say, but there was
more in it than either the boy or ’Theena understood just then.
“Mind,” said Tom to ’Theena, as they stood together at the window of the
old castle overlooking the woods and the sea, “I am going to come back
rich and bring your brother with me.”
“I don’t care so much for my brother as for you,” said ’Theena candidly.
“You know you are my brother now.”
“Yes,” answered Tom abstractedly.
Then hand in hand they went down the hill and through the woods and
forest, and so back home again.
Tom’s mother came to see him to bed this last sad night, and sat long
with him in the moonlight giving him good advice--the best of which was
that he was to read the little Bible she gave him every night, and never
to forget to pray.
The bustle of starting saved everybody next day from making much display
of grief, and everybody was thankful accordingly. Only poor little
’Theena was half frantic, and could hardly tear herself away from the
only brother she had ever known or loved--that is, as far as she could
remember.
But the parting was all over at last; and when the sun sank slowly
behind the waves that night the _Caledonia_ was far away on the western
waters, ploughing her way southward, with the coast of Ireland a long
distance on the weather-bow.
Tom was to be apprentice, and, as he was the only one on board, he
messed in the saloon along with Captain Herbert and the first and second
mate.
The boy had knocked about too long in his uncle’s little yacht to feel
the effects of the ship’s motion in the shape of sea-sickness, so he sat
down to supper that evening in very good spirits and with a healthy
appetite.
They were just about to commence that meal, when in at the saloon door,
with tail erect and something like a smile on his broad face, walked Tom
the black cat.
“Purr-rrn!” he said well-pleasedly as he jumped on his master’s knee and
rubbed his head against the boy’s chest.
Tom was too much surprised to speak, but the captain and mates laughed
heartily.
“A stowaway!” said the former.
“Yes,” said Tom. “I have no idea how he got on board.”
“Well, never mind. I’ll wager a shilling he will bring us good luck.”
Black Tom was henceforth installed as ship’s cat; and the men were all
most kind to him, for every sailor of them knew that though black cats
will bring good luck to a ship, nevertheless if ill treated or lost
overboard, the luck is sure to turn.