"Pipe Down"
"Smart bit of work that of yours, Armitage," exclaimed Mr. Jackson in
a congratulatory tone.
"A fluke--an absolute fluke," confided the Scoutmaster. "I didn't
realize what I'd undertaken. We might have piled ourselves on out
there. From a human point of view it was a slice of sheer good luck
that we hit one of the fairway buoys, otherwise----"
He shrugged his shoulders expressively.
"However," he continued briskly, "we're in. That's the main point.
Fog's lifting, but I don't like the idea of towing the tramp right up
to Poole quay. Too many fishing-boats about."
"You can't leave her at anchor," remarked Mr. Jackson.
"No, but I can beach her on the mud," replied Mr. Armitage. "Tide's
rising. We can send a tug to finish the job. Stand by to cast off,"
he ordered, raising his voice.
With the now strong flood tide the _Rosalie_ towed the tramp through
Brownsea Roads into the sheltered Wych Channel. Here the hawser was
let go, and the _Pent-y-coote_ took the soft mud, while the yacht,
relieved of her heavy burden, turned, and, passing through the Little
Channel, was soon berthed safely alongside Poole quay.
"A successful ending to an exciting voyage, Armitage," observed Mr.
Jackson. "I've enjoyed it immensely. Now comes the parting of the
ways. I'll catch a train back this evening. Don't forget; if at any
future time you and your lads want to renew your acquaintance with
Old Father Thames let me know. We might be able to arrange a joint
camping-trip, my troop and yours. There are vast possibilities of
that nature in scouting, and it seems a pity that we cannot take
advantage of mutual hospitality."
The Oxford Scoutmaster packed his kit-bag, and Mr. Armitage and
Hepburn saw him to the railway station, while the rest of the crew
set to work to "clear up", so that the owner of the _Rosalie_ might
be able to form a good impression of his purchase.
On the way back from the station Mr. Armitage sent a telegram to Mr.
Trelawney, advising him of the _Rosalie's_ safe arrival, but upon
returning on board, the Scoutmaster found a tall, fair-haired man on
deck conversing with the Sea Scouts.
It was the owner. Mr. Trelawney had received warning from Hurst
Signal Station that the _Rosalie_ had passed, bound west, and had
concluded that she would soon be arriving at her home port. Anxious
on account of the fog, he had spent four hours on the quay, and had
only just gone into the High Street to have tea when the yacht
arrived.
"I hear you've been doing what are called in the Scout movement 'Good
Turns'," observed Mr. Trelawney, when the two men had introduced
themselves. "I believe it's an understood thing that Scouts refuse to
accept rewards for doing good turns."
Mr. Armitage assented, wondering what the _Rosalie's_ owner was
driving at. He knew that it was rather a knotty point, for, according
to some authorities in the Scout movement, the lads are forbidden to
accept rewards for services rendered. On the other hand, in the Sea
Scout Manual the possibilities of salvage and deriving monetary
benefit for it are dealt with. So, if the authorities differ, thought
Mr. Armitage, what was one to do? Up to the present the idea of
claiming salvage for assistance given to the disabled tramp had never
entered his mind.
"That's all right, then," exclaimed Mr. Trelawney cheerfully. "It
leaves me with a free hand. Of course, it's my yacht that performed
the salvage operation, and, since you don't accept rewards, I
benefit. Now, let's see the inventory. I'll check the thing at once,
if you don't mind, and then you'll be able to get away."
It took an hour to examine the _Rosalie's_ gear and compare it with
the items on the inventory. This done, Mr. Trelawney paid the
Scoutmaster the sum agreed upon for bringing the yacht round, thanked
him for what he had done, and gently intimated that the business was
at an end, and that there was a fast train at 7.15.
"What a strange sort of fellow," remarked Hepburn, as the Sea Scouts,
with their belongings on a couple of hired trucks, made their way to
the railway station. "Different from Mr. Murgatroyd."
"Sort of pushed us out of it," added Flemming.
"Now-you've-finished-I've-no-further-use-for-you kind of thing."
"He certainly was brusque," said Roche. "I suppose it's
business-like. He settled our account, so that's one thing. Wonder
what he was driving at about the salvage stunt, sir?"
Mr. Armitage declined to commit himself.
"At any rate," he remarked, "we've had a top-hole time, and, I hope,
gained experience. More than that, we've shown that we can be useful.
We haven't attempted the impossible; we've merely tackled a couple of
straightforward jobs and carried them out. I'm proud of you."
On the following morning the Sea Scouts reassembled at their hut.
Their task was not yet completed. They had to make the _Olivette_
secure in her new berth, and this they meant to do before Mr.
Murgatroyd left for town.
It was a beautiful day. Not a cloud obscured the sky. A light breeze
from the sou'-west tempered the heat, while a steadily-rising glass
betokened a spell of fine weather.
Upon arriving at Keyhaven they found their heavy boat awaiting them.
Mr. Murgatroyd was on board the _Olivette_, which was anchored half a
mile down the creek.
"I've telephoned through to Lymington to see if there are any
moorings for sale. I find there is a good pair at a reasonable price,
so if you've no objection we'll take the _Olivette_ round and pick
them up."
"Delighted," agreed Mr. Murgatroyd, and almost at once he and the
Scoutmaster entered into an argument as to who should pay for the
anchor and chains.
"You've lent us the _Olivette_," protested Mr. Armitage, "and it's
only right that we should buy the moorings."
"Not at all," demurred Mr. Murgatroyd. "I believe in doing things
properly. What's the use of my handing over the _Olivette_ to you
unless I provide moorings for her? They cost money, I believe."
"And we've made more than enough to pay for them," said the
Scoutmaster. "The troop was saving up to buy a small yacht. The
necessity no longer arises, thanks to you, and----"
"Then say no more about it," interrupted Mr. Murgatroyd, with more
decision than he had yet exhibited before the Sea Scouts. "I pay--you
understand?"
The run round to Lymington was quickly accomplished. The heavy
moorings were placed in the boat and towed back. Before the end of
the day they were successfully laid, and the _Olivette_, securely
tethered by the massive galvanized iron bridle, could now be got
under way without the laborious preliminaries of heaving up both
anchor and kedge.
"Now," said Mr. Murgatroyd, "I'm off back to town to-morrow morning.
I don't know when I shall be able to run down here again. While you
were away I had a letter from which I glean that I may have to go
abroad for the rest of the summer--perhaps till the end of the year."
The Sea Scouts heard the announcement in silence. They were genuinely
fond of the somewhat boyish and erratic Mr. Murgatroyd. From a
personal point of view they wondered how his sudden change of plans
would affect them. Would Mr. Murgatroyd sell the _Olivette_, since he
was unable to use her?
But Murgatroyd did not give them much time to ponder over the
disconcerting possibility.
"I therefore propose to make the Milford Sea Scouts a present of the
_Olivette_," he added.
For a few moments the lads could scarcely realize their good fortune.
Then they burst into a spontaneous round of cheering.
"Of course," continued Mr. Murgatroyd, "she'll cost something to keep
up. That will be your affair, but I don't think it will be a
difficult task for budding seamen such as you. There's one thing I
might add. I happen to be a member of the firm of Murgatroyd &
Murchesen, petroleum merchants. Incidentally it is a development of
the Rumanian oil-fields that necessitates my hurried departure. But
what is more to the point, I can guarantee the delivery of fifty
gallons of fuel a month as a slight contribution to the upkeep of the
_Olivette_. Directly I return to London I will have the ship's papers
made over to you, lads, and I hope you'll have a thundering good
time."
And that is how the _Olivette_ became the property of the Milford Sea
Scouts. What they did with her and how they did it is another story.
It was a month of surprises. Hepburn remarked that it never rains but
it pours. Roche added that he'd heard that all good things come or go
in threes.
One was the gift of the _Olivette_.
The second was a "twelve-foot" carvel-built dinghy, second-hand, but
in splendid condition. It arrived at the nearest station on a railway
truck, without any clue to the sender, except that it came from
Oxford. The next day came a note from Mr. Jackson, asking the Sea
Scouts to accept the boat as a little memento of a pleasant voyage.
The third was even a greater surprise. It was a cheque for a hundred
pounds, bearing the signature "A. Trelawney". With it was a covering
letter.
"DEAR MR. ARMITAGE, (it said),
"I was under the mistaken impression that your lads were trying to
'pull my leg' over the salvage of the S.S. _Pent-y-coote_. Inquiries
proved that their account was not only strictly true, but modest in
its details. I have been in communication with the owners of the
salved vessel, and find that they are a small firm recently formed.
They suggested a sum of two hundred pounds for services rendered by
the _Rosalie_, and to save expense of litigation I accepted their
offer. Since you stated that Scouts are not allowed to receive
rewards for 'good turns', I trust that I have got over the technical
difficulty by asking your Sea Scout Troop to accept the enclosed
cheque for their Troop Funds. There are more ways than one of killing
a cat.
"Yours faithfully,
"ANDREW TRELAWNEY."
And so we leave the crew of the _Olivette_ in full possession of the
staunch little craft--equipped and provided with funds sufficient for
her maintenance. Worthy Sons of the Sea they are, and we wish them
good luck and _bon voyage_.
[Transcriber's Notes:
This book contains a number of misprints.
The following misprints have been corrected:
[the hitherto hilarous] ->
[the hitherto hilarious]
[and its up to us] ->
[and it's up to us]
[it will be a suprise] ->
[it will be a surprise]
[the numerous sank-banks] ->
[the numerous sand-banks]
Percy Westerman writes about a steamship, called [Pent-y-coote]
or [Pen-y-coote]. Both spellings have been used. The former
three times, the latter two times. The former spelling is also
used once in the sequel to this book, called "Sea Scouts Abroad".
Although making this [Pent-y-coote] the most likely spelling,
this misprint has not been corrected.
Two illustrations have a difference in subtitle between the
list of illustrations and underneath the actual illustration.
The subtitles are:
[THE SKIFF TAKES THE ROPE ASHORE] (image list) and
[THE SKIFF TAKES A ROPE ASHORE] below the actual illustration
[STAND CLEAR OF THE HAWSER AS] in the image list, and
[STAND CLEAR OF THE HAWSERS AS] below the actual illustration
In chapter XII the _Rosalie_ is [passing close to Aldborough].
This must be another place, because they just passed Lowestoft
and are heading south. But Aldborough lies to the north and also
about 10 kilometers inland. Probably the similar sounding
[Aldeburgh] was meant (but is not corrected in this book).
A few cases of punctuation errors were corrected, but are
not mentioned here.
]