Tom Larkyns, my old chum, who acted so wickedly in concert with me, when
we blew up the schoolmaster and ran away to sea!
His uncle, he told me, had a foreign agency here; and the old gentleman
having written home to his mother offering Tom a situation, he had at
once been sent out at his own wish, preferring such a life greatly to
that of going to the university and afterwards having to take holy
orders, that being the only opening held out to him in England.
Tom also related that the Doctor had become a bankrupt, and the school
broken up; but I was unable to hear anything further about the scene of
my past misdeeds and experiences of "pandying" and "way of his own" of
my former master, for while we were yet chatting together, Captain Giles
came up, saying he was going off to the _Jackmal_ at once, and would
like Jorrocks and myself to come on board with him, as he intended
sailing that afternoon.
So, wishing Tom good-bye, before many hours were over I was again
floating on the deep.
From Valparaiso, we sailed to Sydney; then, taking a cargo of all sorts
of "notions," as the Yankees say, we went on to Singapore; going thence
to Bombay, in ballast. From India we proceeded back again to Australia,
going to Melbourne this time; finally coming home to England, round the
Cape of Good Hope--a good two years after I joined my new ship; for it
was in October that I landed in Liverpool, while I had started away from
Cardiff in the _Esmeralda_ two years and five months previously exactly.
I was, however, all the better for my absence; for I had saved up over a
hundred and fifty pounds, and I had grown a big strapping chap, with
whiskers and beard in a small way, of which I was very proud.
Need it be asked where I first bent my steps on leaving my ship at
Liverpool?
Why, to Plymouth, of course!
I got there early in the morning; and, being acquainted with Sam
Pengelly's every-day practice, I knew exactly where to come across him,
that is, unless he should happen to be ill; for every morning--except
Sunday, when he always went to church, unless he chanced to be on board
his little foretopsail schooner, which was not likely at this time of
the year--he was invariably to be found on the Hoe, seated on one of the
benches in front of Esplanade Terrace, looking over at the vessels out
in the Sound, below and beyond.
Here I sought him; and here I found him, sure enough!
He did not see me coming; so, going behind the seat on which he was
sitting, I clapped him suddenly on the back, exclaiming at the same
time, in slight paraphrase of his old address to me that memorable
December day when I first heard his friendly voice--
"Hallo, old cockbird! How are you?"
Gracious me, you should only have seen him jump!