THE VOYAGE OF THE SIEVE
When Freddie awoke the next morning, he leaned up on his elbow, rubbing
his eyes, and was surprised to see the floor of the little room in which
he found himself settling slowly down at one side. In a moment the floor
rose again on that side, and the other side settled down. Then the whole
room tilted sideways and back again. It made him dizzy, and he closed
his eyes, wondering what kind of a house he had gotten into. He decided
he would get up and find out about it.
He carefully rose, and tried to walk across the floor to the window. As
he stepped out, the floor seemed to go down under him, and he quickly
grasped the bed; he put out his foot again, and the floor rose up; he
was dizzier than before, and he had a queer sinking feeling in his
stomach. As the floor tilted down sideways again, he made a dash to the
opposite wall, and held on there by the window; but the floor sank
again, and he made another dash, back to bed. He was cold and hot, and
his head ached, and there was a feeling in his stomach as if--oh dear!
He decided he would lie in bed for a few moments until he felt better.
He remained there for two days.
What occurred during those two days he could not remember very well
afterwards. He slept a great deal, and it seemed that some one with a
green patch over his eye came in now and then; but he paid very little
attention. All he wanted was to go to sleep and stay asleep.
On the morning after his third night he sat up wide awake. He was
hungry. He jumped up and dressed in a hurry. As the floor tilted and
sank and rose with him he thought he had never felt so delicious a
sensation. He wondered if there would be bacon and eggs for breakfast.
In a moment he had thrown open the door and he was running up a short
flight of steps. He was weak and tottery, but he paid no attention to
that. He was at the top of the steps, and he drew in a deep breath of
the cool morning air.
He was standing on the deck of a great ship. Over his head clouds and
clouds of beautiful white canvas swelled out to the breeze. The sun was
sparkling merrily on the water, and there was no land to be seen
anywhere. Up forward, the bow of the ship was dipping and rising
regularly. There were three tall masts, and on the first two the sails
were set square to the masts, and on the third lengthwise; every sail
seemed to be up. It was glorious.
He walked forward up the deck. Here and there were men in blue overalls,
cleaning the deck, coiling ropes, and polishing metal; and in a little
house with windows a man was standing beside an upright wheel. Near the
first mast, in a group, were Aunt Amanda, Mr. Toby, the Churchwarden,
and the two old Codgers. Freddie hailed them with a shout.
"All right, young feller," cried Mr. Toby, as Freddie came up, "here we
are! How is this for a corking spree? Beats all the Tolchester
excursions you ever see, that's what I say! Blamed if it don't. I ain't
been out of bed for two days."
"No more has any of us," said Aunt Amanda. "Do you feel well, Freddie?
I declare I'm quite excited. Isn't the air invigorating?"
"Yes'm," said Freddie. "What did you say in your note, Mr. Toby?"
"What note?" said Toby.
"Why, your note to my mother, explaining about me and----"
"By crackey!" cried Toby. "Blamed if I didn't clean forget all about it!
Now ain't that too bad! What on earth are we going to do about it?"
"Well!" said Aunt Amanda. "Now ain't that just like you, Toby
Littleback? I declare if your head wasn't fastened on you'd----"
"Wery reprehensible," said Mr. Punch. "Wery."
"My dear friends," said the Sly Old Codger, "let us not be disquieted on
such a morning as this. Everything is so beautiful. _So_ beautiful! And
without any expense whatever. It is a precious thought. How pleasant it
is to hear the breeze blowing so gently among all the little capstans up
there!"
He took off his high silk hat and looked up among the sails with a rapt
expression on his face, and all the others looked up too, trying to see
the capstans fluttering in the breeze.
"Look!" cried Aunt Amanda. "Why, there's Mr. Hanlon!"
Far, far up, near the top of the second mast, was a white figure,
standing on a rope under the topmost sail, and holding on with one hand
and waving the other down at the passengers. Mr. Toby waved his white
derby, and Mr. Hanlon began to come down. Freddie trembled with alarm,
but Mr. Hanlon was obviously having the time of his life. He skipped
swiftly along his dangerous perch, and sliding down and along the spars
of wood that held the sails, and actually leaping from one to another,
and tripping lightly down ladders of rope, while the whole top swayed
dizzily from side to side, he at length came down on the deck with a
bounce, and bowing to everybody shook Freddie by the hand.
"Here comes the Able Seaman!" cried Toby. "And see what he's got on his
wrist!"
Mr. Lemuel Mizzen came rolling down the deck, and as he approached he
took off his cap with his left hand and made a bow. On his right wrist
was a blue and red parrot, who cocked his head sideways at the
strangers, and then looked up inquiringly at the Able Seaman.
"Good morning, all!" said Mr. Mizzen. "Glad to see the passengers come
to life again! Nothing like the open sea, lady and gentlemen!"
"Are you sure it's perfectly safe?" said Aunt Amanda.
"Perfectly safe, ma'am. A tight little bark is The Sieve, provided the
dippers hold out. Most of the men is below now, baling out the water
with their dippers, and the ship ain't leaking more than ordinary--yet.
Of course you never can tell what may happen, but there's plenty of
dippers, unless we should founder in a storm, or split up on the rocks,
or----"
"Mercy on us!" cried Aunt Amanda. "I wish we hadn't come. If I only had
some sewing with me."
"Would you mend socks, ma'am?"
"Oh, that would be lovely! And I could look after the men's shirts, too,
and count the laundry when it comes home, and--I'm sure we are going to
have a delightful voyage! I feel better already. I don't believe there's
any danger after all. It's all nonsense about the ship's leaking."
"Who's your f-f-f-friends, L-l-lem?" shrieked a voice from Mr. Mizzen's
wrist.
Everyone started, and looked in amazement at the parrot, whose head was
perked sideways up at Mr. Mizzen's face.
"L-l-lem!" shrieked the parrot, stuttering terribly. "Who's your
f-f-f-friends?"
"Never you mind," said Lemuel, "you'll find out soon enough. Breakfast's
ready. Anybody want breakfast?"
Before anyone had a chance to reply, the parrot opened his mouth wide
and gave a loud laugh, and cried out:
"Th-th-three ch-cheers! Th-th-there's ch-ch-chops, s-s-steak, b-b-bacon
and eggs! I'll have l-l-l-liver and onions! Ha! ha! ha! Th-th-three
ch-cheers for l-l-l-liver and onions!"
"Be quiet, Marmaduke," said the Able Seaman. "I'll lock you up again, if
you ain't careful."
"K-k-k-ker-_choo_!" said Marmaduke, giving a loud sneeze; and rubbed his
beak with his foot and fluttered his feathers. "L-l-l-lock me up in the
a-a-after hold, till I g-g-g-get all over this d-d-d-dreadful cold!
Th-th-three ch-cheers for hay f-f-f-fever! K-k-k-ker-_choo_!"
"I'll lock you up in the after hold, if you don't quit being so fresh
and bold; I'll learn you manners before I'm through, and if ever I hear
one little--"
"Ker-_choo_!" said Marmaduke, finishing Mr. Mizzen's sentence for him
very neatly.
Everyone laughed, except the Able Seaman.
"All right," said he, "just wait till I've had my chow, I'll attend to
you proper; now off with you--now!" And he tossed Master Marmaduke off
his wrist up into the air. The parrot lit on a spar overhead, just under
a sail, and peered down at the company without the least appearance of
embarrassment.
"If there's b-b-b-bacon and eggs," he cried, "I'll take l-l-l-liver!
Th-th-three ch-ch-cheers for l-l-l-liver!"
[Illustration: "L-l-lem!" shrieked the parrot. "Who's your
f-f-f-friends?"]
Freddie burst into a merry laugh, and all his friends joined; all except
Mr. Punch, who looked puzzled.
"'Ow could 'e 'ave liver," said he, "hif there was only bycon an'
heggs?"
At this everyone laughed louder than before, and Mr. Punch was
completely perplexed.
"I'll explain that to you some day," said Toby. "Didn't you never hear a
joke?"
"Ho, yes," said Mr. Punch. "Hi 'eard a wery good joke once; a wery good
one indeed. Hi'll relate it to you. When I was a lad--"
"There's the breakfast bell," said Mr. Mizzen. "Sorry to interrupt, but
we mustn't let it get cold. We'll hold the election afterwards."
No one waited to hear Mr. Punch's joke. The Able Seaman led the way, and
all the others followed him down the deck, towards a kind of three-sided
box which opened on a stairway below.
In a moment or two they found themselves in the dining-saloon, and in
another moment they were seated about a round table, set for breakfast.
The passengers insisted on the Able Seaman's sitting down with them, and
he consented to do so.
A lad of about eighteen entered, to wait on the table. He had a shock of
bright red hair, and a kind of frightened look in his eyes, as if he
were afraid he would do everything wrong, and would always be in hot
water about it. He stood behind the Able Seaman's chair, and began to
make a queer contortion of the face, in an effort to speak.
"Th-th-th-there's--" he began.
"Skipper first," interrupted Mr. Mizzen, nodding towards Freddie.
The Cabin-boy (for that was what he was) went to Freddie's chair, and
began to speak again, with the same contortion of the face.
"Th-th-th-there's ch-ch-chops, s-s-s-steak, b-b-b-bacon and eggs," he
said.
"Yes, sir," said Freddie.
The Cabin-boy stared in bewilderment, and began again.
"Th-th-th-there's ch-ch-chops, s-s-s-steak, b-b-b-bacon and eggs," said
he.
"Yes, sir," said Freddie, much embarrassed.
"I don't blame you, skipper," said the Able Seaman. "I would too, if I
hadn't eaten for two days. Next!"
The Cabin-boy stood behind Aunt Amanda's chair, and began:
"Th-th-th-there's ch-ch-chops, s-s-s-steak, b-b-b-bacon
and--Ker-_choo_!" He gave a hearty sneeze, and pulled out his
pocket-handkerchief; so he had to begin all over again:
"Th-th-th-there's ch-ch-chops, s-s-s-s-s--"
"Chops, thank you," said Aunt Amanda.
The Cabin-boy took his stand behind Toby's chair, and began:
"There's--there's--th-th-th-th--Ker-_choo_! Th-th-there's
ch-ch-ch-chops, s-s-s-s-s--"
"Chops and steak," said Toby.
The Cabin-boy stood behind each of the other chairs in turn, and
repeated each time his entire list. Everybody gave a different order,
and the boy became so bewildered at last that he wiped his forehead with
his pocket-handkerchief, brushed a tear from his eye, and when he had
taken the last order dashed out of the door with a kind of sob.
As soon as he was gone, sounds came through the door by which he had
left, as if a dreadful row was going on in the next room.
"Frightful temper, that cook," said the Able Seaman, "but the boy
certainly does get on his nerves."
In a short time the Cabin-boy came in with four plates at once, and as
he reached Freddie's chair the ship gave a deep lurch downward, and the
four plates shot out of his arms across the room, showering the floor
with chops, steak, bacon and eggs.
The boy gave a wild cry and burst into tears, and fled through the door.
From the next room came the sound of a row more violent than before.
"Never mind," said Mr. Mizzen, "he'll be back."
He came back presently, his eyes very red, and stumbling in and out
managed to put down before each one a plate. Every plate contained
chops, steak, bacon and eggs.
"Now," said Mr. Mizzen, when the breakfast was over, "we'll go up and
hold the election."
When they came on deck, they were astonished to see a considerable
number of men in blue overalls, who were sitting on the deck in a group.
As the passengers approached, they stood up respectfully, and one of
them said something privately to Mr. Mizzen.
"They've held the election already," said the Able Seaman, turning to
the passengers. "There's three dozen of 'em, and they've elected the
captains and mates for the voyage; thirteen captains and twenty-three
mates. They went right ahead without waiting for me, so I'm the only
Able Seaman left on the ship."
"What!" said Aunt Amanda. "Do you mean to tell me--?"
"It's all right, madam," said Mr. Mizzen in an undertone. "You see,
they're all free and equal, and everything goes by voting. They won't
have it any other way. It's lucky they didn't all want to be captains.
It's all right, anyway, because there's none of 'em knows anything about
navigation, and I'm the only one on board that _does_ know; so it comes
to the same thing as if they had elected _me_ captain. But of course
_they_ don't think of that. Not a word. I'll send 'em about their
business now, as soon as they've put on their uniforms."
"Well!" said Aunt Amanda, gasping. "I never in my life--!"
The thirteen captains and the twenty-three mates disappeared from the
deck in a hurry, and in a very few minutes reappeared. Each one of them
wore, in place of his blue overalls, a smart blue suit with brass
buttons and gold braid, and a jaunty blue cap with gold braid around it;
the mates having only nine instead of ten rows of braid around their
sleeves.
The Able Seaman led them aside, and after a few words with them returned
to his passengers.
"Everything's settled," said he. "Some of them are going below with
their dippers, and the rest of them are to look after handling the ship.
The navigation is left to me. We'll get along fine now, provided the
leaks don't get any worse."
Freddie wandered off by himself, to inspect the ship. He could walk very
well now, in spite of the roll of the ship, and he went everywhere. He
found himself finally on the after deck, leaning over the rail and
watching the wake of the ship boiling away so white and beautiful
behind. He was more and more delighted with this strange adventure. It
was too bad that Mr. Toby had forgotten to write the note to his mother,
but it couldn't be helped now, and they would sometime find a place
somewhere or other where they could post a letter. It was so entrancing
to be actually at sea on a ship, with the deck rising and falling, and
the wake boiling away behind, and land nowhere in sight, that it would
seem a pity ever to arrive at the Spanish Main; but the thought of
adventures there--! However, he was in no hurry to have the voyage over.
Aunt Amanda was sitting somewhere with a pile of sailors' socks in her
lap, perfectly contented. Mr. Hanlon was swinging his feet away up
yonder from the topmost yard of the second mast. The Churchwarden, Mr.
Punch, Toby, and the Sly Old Fox were engaged in an earnest discussion
in chairs beside the deck-house. The Old Codger with the Wooden Leg was
speaking confidentially in the ear of the twenty-first mate, in an
effort to borrow a pipeful of tobacco.
Suddenly Freddie heard behind him the loud harsh laughter of Marmaduke
the parrot. Turning round, he saw the parrot perched on the ship's rail,
and before him was the Cabin-boy, shaking his finger in the parrot's
face, and storming away at him angrily. Freddie immediately went over to
them.
"I w-w-w-won't s-s-s-s-stand it no l-l-l-l-longer!" the Cabin-boy was
bawling, his face nearly as red as his hair. "I w-w-w-won't! W-w-w-what
do you m-m-m-mean by m-m-m-mocking me all the t-t-t-ime?"
"Who? M-m-m-m-m-me?" said the parrot.
"Y-y-y-yaas, y-y-y-you!" cried the Cabin-boy. "Just because I
s-s-s-s-s-stutter, do you--do you--do you have to--have
to--s-s-s-s-stut-stutter too?"
"M-m-m-m-me? You're entirely m-m-m-m-mistaken. You're the one that
s-s-s-stut-s-s-s-stutters."
"Ain't you always s-s-saying--saying--ch-ch-chops, s-s-s-steak,
b-b-b-b-bacon and eggs? Ain't you? You've got to k-k-k-k-quit--r-r-right
_now_, d'you _hear_? I w-w-w-won't s-s-s-stand it no l-l-l-l-longer, and
you b-b-b-better b-b-b-believe it!"
"Highty-tighty! Sixty, ninety! Uncle Sam! Pop pop! Th-th-there's
ch-ch-chops, s-s-s-steak, b-b-b-bacon and eggs! Th-th-three ch-ch-cheers
for l-l-l-liver and onions!"
The poor Cabin-boy burst out crying.
"All ri-i-i-ight," he sobbed, stamping his foot. "All ri-i-i-ight. I
c-c-can't help it--if--I do s-s-stutter. But there ain't no
p-p-p-p-parrot going to m-m-m-m-mock me, M-m-m-m-mizzen nor no
M-m-m-m-mizzen. I'll wring--your--bla-a-a-asted--neck first, you
ornery--l-l-l-little--varmint, you s-s-s-see if I--see if
I--d-d-d-don't!"
"Marmaduke's my name!" shrieked the parrot. "Please to note the same!
Pop, pop, pop! I'll have l-l-l-liver and onions, l-l-l-l-liver and
onions, l-l-l-l-liver and onions, pop, pop, pop!"
The Cabin-boy, shaking with sobs, raised his hand threateningly.
"D-d-d-d-don't you d-d-d-dare t-t-t-to--Ker-_choo_!" He sneezed, and out
came his handkerchief.
"Ker-_choo_!" sneezed the parrot, and rubbed his beak with his foot.
This was the last straw. The Cabin-boy reached for Marmaduke's neck, and
would surely have choked him then and there, if Freddie had not caught
his arm and pulled him away.
The Cabin-boy allowed himself to be led off, and Freddie drew him along
towards the companion-way.
"Come along down to my room," said Freddie.
"All r-r-right," said the Cabin-boy, wiping his eyes and sniffling.
"I'll c-c-c-come, b-b-b-but there's going to be trouble--trouble--on
this sh-sh-sh-ship along o' that p-p-p-parrot before this--before this
v-v-v-voyage--is over, you m-m-m-mark m-m-m-m-my w-w-w-w-words!"