I had been three years at school, and was now almost a man in
appearance. Henri had gone to the island of Saint Lucia in the West
Indies, where his family resided. I was sorry to lose him, as there was
no boy in the school I liked so much. He had made me promise to come
and see him should I ever be able to do so. This seemed not impossible,
as I had not lost my affection for the sea, and Mr Dear had promised to
send me in one of his ships, should I wish to follow it as a profession.
I had, indeed, thought of no other.
He had made all the inquiries he could to discover my friends, but
hitherto unsuccessfully.
I had spent my holidays at his house, when he and his wife treated me as
kindly as if I had been their son.
The midsummer holidays were approaching. We had a large cricket-field
just opposite the house, where one evening we were playing. I had
become as good a cricketer as any of the big boys, though I never cared
very much for that or any other game which seemed to lead to no result.
I liked it, as it gave exercise to the body, just as I like chess
because it requires mental exertion. My side was in, and I had just
given up my bat, having been caught out, when, as I was going to throw
myself down on the grass, I saw a sailor-like looking man enter the
field. He looked about for some time. I went towards him and inquired
what he wanted.
"Can you tell me, sir, if young Charley Laurel is at this school, and
whereabouts I can find him?" he said, addressing me as a stranger.
The moment he spoke my heart leaped into my mouth, for I recognised my
faithful friend and protector, Dick Driver. I could scarcely resist
throwing my arms round his neck, as I should have done when a little
boy, but the fancy seized me to try whether he would find out who I was
when I spoke.
"Charley Laurel, the young monkey. You don't suppose a big fellow like
me would take the trouble to be looking after such a little jackanapes;
but if you care for him, I shall be happy to try and find him out for
you."
"Care for him? I should think I do: he has never been out of my head
all these years I have been away from home. I brought him up, I may
say, since he was no higher than my knee, and I love him as if he had
been my own son."
I had led Dick, as he was speaking, to a shady spot under some tall
trees on one side of the field, away from the rest of the fellows.
"I am sure you do, Dick; and Charley would be an ungrateful fellow if he
did not love you from the bottom of his heart," I answered.
Dick looked hard at me as I spoke, then grasping my hands, which I held
out, he exclaimed:
"Why, as I live, you are Charley yourself! My dear, dear boy, what has
come over my eyes, that I should not have known you? and yet, to be sure
you are grown into a fine big fellow."
I assured Dick that I had known him at once, and begged his pardon for
the trick I had played him.
We sat down on the grass, and, as may be supposed, had a long yarn
together.
Dick, as I knew, had sailed again in the _Phoebe_ another voyage to the
Pacific, and had only just returned.
"To my mind, Charley, it's high time that you should go to sea, if you
are going at all, or you will never get rid of your land ways--not that
I have any fear of you now. The _Phoebe_ is going into dock to receive
a thorough repair, and I have promised Captain Renton to rejoin him as
soon as she is ready for sea; and I feel sure, if you apply to the
owners, they will appoint you. I set my heart on having you with me,
and, to tell you the truth, I should not be happy without you. So just
you ask them, and they will not say `nay.'"
I told Dick there was nothing I so much wished, and promised at once to
write and ask Mr Dear. Dick was greatly pleased.
"The matter is settled then, Charley, and I hope, before many months are
over, we shall be in blue water together again, and I shall be teaching
you many of the things which I am afraid all your schooling must have
made you forget." As it was a half-holiday, I was able to spend several
hours with Dick. We were at length discovered. The boys gathered round
us, inquiring who Dick was; and on hearing that he was an old sailor,
begged him to spin them some of his yarns. Dick indulged them to their
hearts' content, and, among other things, narrated some of the early
events of my life. At last he was obliged to take his departure, that
he might catch the evening coach for London.
When the school broke up, I returned to Mr Dear's. He at once
questioned me as to my inclinations about a profession; and when I told
him that I wished to go to sea, he replied, to my great joy, that he
would make arrangements for my sailing in the _Phoebe_.
I spent several weeks at his house, before she was ready for sea,
employing my time, at his suggestion, in studying navigation.
On going up to town one day, I found Captain Renton at the office. He
cordially welcomed me, and assured Mr Dear that he would do his best to
make a sailor of me, and to fit me for my duties as an officer.
The _Phoebe_ was, I found, bound out to Sydney, New South Wales. As she
was by this time nearly ready for sea, Mr Dear thought it best that I
should go on board at once and commence my duties. I found that Dick
had already joined.
"I hope, Charley, you have not forgotten what you knew before you went
to school," he observed. "I have been mortally afraid that the
book-learning would drive your seamanship out of your head."
"I hope not," I answered; "I feel myself perfectly at home already, but
I shall be able to judge better when I get to sea."
When Captain Renton left the ship that evening, I thought he looked very
pale; and the next day the first mate, Mr Gibbs, received a message to
say that he was too ill to come on board. Several days passed. We then
heard that he was unable to proceed on the voyage, and had given up the
command to a Captain Slack, who made his appearance the next morning.
"I don't like his name," observed Dick to me, "but he may be a very good
man for all that: still, to my eye, he is very different to Captain
Renton, but we shall find out all about him by-and-by."
At length the _Phoebe_ went out of dock down to Gravesend. Some of her
passengers had already come on board, the rest here joined us.
We soon found when we got into blue water that Captain Slack was, as
Dick feared, a very different sort of person from Captain Renton. We
had no services on a Sunday, no prayers in the cabin; and, though he had
appeared quiet enough in harbour, he now swore at the men and abused the
officers if anything went wrong. Had Mr Dear known the sort of man he
was, I feel sure that he would not have given him the command of the
ship. The passengers seemed very indifferent to his conduct, as long as
he did not abuse them, and that he took very good care not to do.
"Charley, I hope you have not forgotten to say your prayers," said Dick
to me, one day. "The more ungodly people are around us, the more need
there seems to me that we should pray to be led aright, and kept from
joining in their wickedness. You have got your Bible with you, I hope."