The experience of his young companions might have deterred the sailor
from imitating their example; more especially as Bill, according to his
own statement, had never been "aboard" a saddle in his life. But they
did not, and for special reasons. Awkward as the old salt might feel in
a saddle, he felt not less awkward afoot. That is ashore--on terra
firma.
Place him on the deck of a ship, or in the rigging of one, and no man in
all England's navy could have been more secure as to his footing, or
more difficult to dispossess of it; but set Sailor Bill upon shore, and
expect him to go ahead, you would be disappointed; you might as well
expect a fish to make progress on land; and you would witness a species
of locomotion more resembling that of a manatee or a seal than of a
human biped. As the old man-o'-war's-man had now been floundering for a
mile through the soft shore-sand, he was thoroughly convinced that any
mode of progression must be preferable to that; and as soon as the young
Scotchman descended from his seat he climbed into it. He had not much
climbing to do, for the well-trained maherry, when any one wished to
mount him, at once knelt down, making the ascent to his "summits" as
easy as possible.
Just as the sailor had got firmly into the saddle, the moon shone out
with a brilliance that almost rivalled the light of day. In the midst
of that desert landscape, against the ground of snow-white sand, the
figures of both camel and rider were piquantly conspicuous; and although
the one was figuratively a ship, and the other really a sailor, their
juxtaposition offered a contrast of the queerest kind. So ludicrous did
it seem that the three "mids", disregarding all ideas of danger, broke
forth with one accord into a strain of loud and continuous laughter.
They had all seen camels, or pictures of these animals; but never before
either a camel or the picture of one with a sailor upon his back. The
very idea of a dromedary carries along with it the cognate spectacle of
an Arab on its back--a slim, sinewy individual of swarth complexion and
picturesque garb, a bright burnouse streaming around his body, with a
twisted turban on his head. But a tall camel surmounted by a sailor, in
dreadnought jacket and sou'wester, was a picture to make a Solon laugh,
let alone a trio of midshipmen; and it drew from the latter such a
cachinnation as caused the shores of the Saara to echo with sounds of
joy, perhaps never heard there before. Old Bill was not angry. He was
only gratified to see these young gentlemen in such good spirits; and
calling upon them to keep close after him, he gave the halter to his
maherry and started off over the sand.
For some time his companions kept pace with him, doing their best. But
it soon became apparent, even to the sailor himself, that unless
something was done to restrain the impetuosity of the camel, he must
soon be separated from those following afoot.
This something its rider felt himself incapable of accomplishing. It is
true he still held the halter in his hand, but this gave him but slight
control over the camel. It was not a Mameluke bit, not even a snaffle,
and for directing the movements of the animal the old sailor felt
himself as helpless as if standing by the wheel of a seventy-four that
had unshipped her rudder. Just like a ship in such a situation did the
maherry behave. Surging through the ocean of soft sand, now mounting
the spurs that trended down to the beach, now descending headlong into
deep gullies, like troughs between the ocean waves, and gliding
silently, gently forward as a shallop upon a smooth sea. Such was the
course that the sailor was pursuing. Very different, however, were his
reflections to those he would have indulged in on board a man-o'-war;
and if any man ever sneered at that simile which likens a camel to a
ship, it was Sailor Bill upon that occasion.
"Avast there!" cried he, as soon as the maherry had fairly commenced
moving. "Shiver my old timbers! what do yez mean, you brute? Belay
there! belay! 'Ang it, I must pipe all hands, an' take in sail. Where
the deevil are ye steerin' to? Be jabers, yez may laugh, young
gentlemen, but this ain't a fair weather craft, I tell yez. Thunder an'
guns! it be as much as I can do to keep her to her course. Hullo! she's
off afore the wind!"
As the rider of the maherry gave out this declaration, the animal was
seen suddenly to increase its speed, not only in a progressive ratio,
but at once to double quick, as if impelled by some powerful motive.
At the same time it was heard to utter a strange cry, half scream, half
snort, which could not have been caused by any action on the part of its
rider.
It was already over a hundred yards in advance of those following on
foot; but after giving out that startling cry, the distance became
quickly increased, and in a few seconds of time the three astonished
"mids" saw only the shadow of a maherry, with a sailor upon its back,
first dissolving into dim outline until it finally disappeared behind
the sand-dunes that abutted upon the beach.