"Hurrah!"
It rang through the ship; and we on the poop soon saw the reason for the
triumphant cry and shared the common feeling of joy.
The main-sail had jibed and then bellied out again in the same way as
the topsail above it had done; and when the man fell, a kind Providence
watching over him caused it to catch him in its folds, and then gently
drop him into the long-boat above the deck-house below, right in the
midst of the captain's pigs there stowed--thus breaking his fall, so
that he absolutely escaped unhurt, with the exception of a slight
shaking and of course a biggish fright at falling.
"Who is the man?" sang out Captain Gillespie as soon as some of the
hands had clambered up on top of the deck-house and released their
comrade from the companionship of the pigs, who were grunting and
squealing at his unexpected descent in their midst. "Who is that man?"
"Joe Fergusson," cried out one of the men. "It's Joe Fergusson, sir."
Captain Gillespie was bothered, thinking he could not hear aright.
"Joe Fergusson?" he called back. "I don't know any man of that name, or
anything like it, who signed articles with me, and is entered on the
ship's books. Pass the word forrud for the bosun--where is he?"
"Here, sorr," cried out Tim Rooney, who of course was close at hand,
having bounded to the scene of action the moment he heard the man's wild
weird shriek as he fell, arriving just in time to see his wonderful
escape. "Here I am, sorr."
"Who is the man that fell?"
"Our new hand, sorr."
"New hand?" repeated Captain Gillespie after him, as perplexed as ever.
"What new hand?"
"Joe Fergusson, sorr. Himsilf and no ither, sure, sorr."
"What the dickens do ye mean, man?" said the captain, angry at the
mystification. "I don't know of any Joe Fergusson or any new hands save
those I brought on board myself at Gravesend; and there was no one of
that name amongst 'em, I'm certain."
"Aye, aye, thrue for ye, cap'en," answered Tim, and although, of course,
I couldn't see him, I'm sure he must have winked when he spoke, there
was a tone of such rich jocularity in his voice; "but, sure, sor this is
the chap as brought himsilf aboard. He's the stowaway, sorr; Joe
Fergusson, by the same token!"