A CHANGE OF COMMANDERS.
When Captain Rich and the starboard watch had gone below, the third
mate went aloft and seated himself on the cross-trees, to watch for
the shores of Nantucket. For two hours he remained on his perch,
straining his eyes in every direction, but without discovering the
wished-for land; and finally, becoming weary of his watch, and being
fully satisfied that Captain Rich would never reach his destination
as long as he held that course, he descended to the deck and joined
Tom, who was walking about, with his hands in his pockets. At this
moment, he became aware that some exciting question was being
discussed by the boys in the forecastle, and presently the watch came
aft in a body, with Harry Green at their head.
“See here, fellows,” said Harry; “if you can tell us where we are
going, we’d like to have you do it?”
“Why, we’re bound for Nantucket,” said Tom.
“Well, when will we get there?” asked Harry. “The amount of it is,
fellows, we believe that Rich doesn’t understand his business. He has
made a great mistake. If our calculations are correct, Nantucket is a
long way behind us. What do you think about it, Johnny?”
The third mate had never hinted his suspicions to any of the crew,
for he thought that if their skipper was really out of his reckoning,
some of the “old sailors” would not be long in finding it out.
Besides, he was well enough acquainted with Rich to know that he
would be angry when he learned that his crew doubted his ability as a
navigator; and that, being commander of the vessel, he would insist
that he had a right to do as he pleased. This, Johnny knew, would
bring on a mutiny, Captain Rich would be relieved of the command,
and thus the object of the cruise would be defeated. Rich had his
friends, who would sympathize with him, and, as long as one half of
the crew cherished unkind feelings toward the other half, no one on
board could enjoy himself. The third mate had thought the matter
over, and it had been his desire to keep out of trouble as long as
possible.
“Come, now, Harding,” said Harry; “let’s hear what you have to say
about this matter. Isn’t there something wrong?”
“I think there is,” replied Johnny. “As near as I can judge, we are
at least two hundred miles from land.”
“Two hundred miles!” repeated one of the crew, turning as pale as
a sheet; “and in this small vessel. Let’s turn round and go back,
fellows!”
“And more than that,” continued the third mate, “we are bound, not
for Nantucket, but for Hayti, or some other outlandish port.”
“You don’t say so!” exclaimed several of the crew, in alarm.
“O, now, we don’t want to go to Hayti,” drawled Tom, though, to
save his life, he could not have told in what part of the world that
island was situated.
“Of course I am not positive of it,” said Johnny; “but I am certain
of one thing, and that is, we are leaving Nantucket behind as fast as
we can.”
“Now, fellows,” said Harry, turning to the watch, who were intensely
excited, “that shows that I was right when I said Rich didn’t know
what he was about.”
Every one of the crew had great confidence in Johnny; and there were
some among them who believed that, had the officers been selected
according to their merits, the third mate would have held the
position of captain, while Rich would have been nothing more than a
foremast hand. The “landlubbers,” especially, looked upon Johnny as
one of the best sailors in existence, for he had managed the sloop
during the pursuit; and when they found that he, too, believed that
their ignorant skipper was taking them straight out to sea, they were
greatly frightened. No doubt, like the mariners of old, they imagined
that a multitude of dangers brooded over the great waters, and that
all who ventured out of sight of land were doomed to destruction. But
the uneasiness was not confined to these alone, for even the “old
sailors” were very far from being pleased with their situation. The
simple fact of being out of sight of land, however, had no terrors
for them. So long as there was a clear sky above them, a smooth sea
beneath, plenty of water and provisions on board, and the captain
could tell exactly where they were, it made little difference to
them how far they were from land. They had joined the expedition
on purpose to enjoy themselves, and they could do that at sea as
well as on shore. But, under the existing circumstances, having no
confidence in their captain, they did not feel altogether safe.
“Well,” said Harry Green, at length, “we ought to call up the other
fellows, and talk this matter over with them. I am in favor of
relieving Rich, and giving the command to some one who understands
his business.”
“That’s my idea exactly,” exclaimed Tom. “I never did believe that
Rich was the man for that place. Now, tell me where you want to go,
and I’ll take care of you.”
“You!” exclaimed several of the boys; “who asked you to take care of
us?”
“Why, if Rich is relieved, the command falls on the next highest
officer, don’t it?” demanded Tom.
“Not always,” said Harry. “You will do very well for a mate,
Newcombe; but I, for one, don’t think we should gain any thing
by making you captain. It’s my opinion that Johnny will get that
position.”
“O, now, I won’t stand that!” drawled Tom, who had suddenly made up
his mind that he was just the one to take command of the sloop. “I
like Johnny well enough, but it isn’t right that he should be put
over me. I ought to be master of this ship.”
“I don’t want the position,” said Johnny. “I came here to have some
fun; and as long as I can enjoy myself, and know that I am safe, it
makes no difference to me whether I am a foremast hand or an officer.”
“Then you pass the command to me, don’t you, Harding?” asked Tom,
eagerly.
“No he don’t!” shouted several of the boys. “We have something to say
about that!”
“We don’t want to raise any fuss now,” said Harry; “but the majority
always rules, and Newcombe would give in if he wasn’t such a
bull-headed rascal.”
“O, now, look here!” whined the first mate. “I want you to stop
calling me a bull-headed rascal. I won’t give in an inch. I ought to
be captain of this vessel. I have friends in the starboard watch who
will stand by me.”
“Let’s call the other watch up, and hear what they have to say about
it,” said Johnny.
“I am in for that,” said another, who was one of Rich’s friends. “I
call it a mean trick to run a man down behind his back. You ought to
give him a chance to defend himself.”
Some of the boys, accordingly, went into the cabin to arouse their
slumbering companions, and presently the watch came on deck, rubbing
their eyes and yawning, and acting altogether as if they were very
sleepy.
“What’s the matter?” asked captain Rich, appearing at the head of the
companion way with his boots in his hand. “Any thing wrong?”
Harry Green, who acted as spokesman for the malcontents, stated
the cause of the trouble, and ended by informing Rich that it was
the opinion of the majority of the boys in the port watch that the
safety of the sloop, and all on board, demanded that there should be
a change of commanders. The boys in the starboard watch were greatly
excited and alarmed by the intelligence that they had already passed
Nantucket, and were steering toward the West Indies; and some of
them declared that Rich ought to have known better than to accept so
responsible a situation, when he knew that he was not able to fill
it. This was instantly resisted by Rich’s friends, who affirmed,
that if their favorite could not be trusted, there was not a boy on
board who could be depended upon.
“It’s easy enough to find fault, fellows,” said Rich; “but if you
know so much more than I do, why don’t you take this business off my
hands?”
“That’s just what we are going to do,” replied Harry, bluntly. “We
intend to appoint another captain. Boys, I propose that Johnny
Harding be--”
“Hold on,” interrupted Johnny. “I move that Rich be allowed to retain
his office, on condition that he puts the Swallow about, and takes us
back to Nantucket.”
“We’re going there now,” said the captain, decidedly. “And I won’t
put the sloop about. As long as I am master of the Swallow, I shall
do as I please; and, whenever you get tired of me, you can appoint
another captain very easily. But I tell you beforehand, that you
won’t make any thing by it. You ought to try and keep on good terms
with every one on board.”
While this conversation was going on, Miller and two or three of his
friends had been busy with the crew, urging them to make Tom captain;
and, when Rich ceased speaking, one of them proposed the name of the
first mate, which was received with such long cries of--“Hurrah for
Newcombe! he’s the man!” that it made Johnny’s friends look rather
blank. But when Harry Green requested all the boys who voted for Tom
to walk over to the port side of the sloop, it was found that there
were but six of them.
“Now,” exclaimed Harry, “all who are in favor of Johnny Harding being
captain of this vessel, step over to the starboard side.”
Nine boys obeyed the order, and Tom was beaten.
“O, now, I won’t stand it!” drawled Tom, who was so vexed and
disappointed that it was all he could do to choke back his tears. “I
am the highest officer in our society, and the first mate of this
vessel, and you ought to make me captain. If you don’t give me that
position, I’ll refuse to do duty.”
“It’s too late now!” replied one of the boys. “Harding is elected.”
“Then you may appoint another first mate,” said Tom, who was
determined to “rule or ruin;” “and you needn’t ask me to perform any
work, for I won’t do it.”
“You might as well appoint a second mate also, while you are about
it,” said Miller, who thought it best to follow Tom’s example. “Rich
and Newcombe are my friends, and I don’t care about serving under any
one else. If you can’t trust them, you can’t trust any boy on board.”
“Do as you please, fellows,” said Harry. “We don’t want you to have
any hard feelings about what we have done; but, if you don’t want any
thing more to do with us, we can get along without you.”
“Can you?” exclaimed Tom, suddenly. “We’ll see whether you can or
not. I’ve got an idea, and I’ll show you--”
Here Tom was interrupted by a significant look from Miller. He was
about to say, “I’ll show you a trick you never thought of,” but
he understood the look Miller gave him, and he left the sentence
unfinished.
“What will you show us, Newcombe?” asked one of the crew.
“O, nothing,” was the answer. “I didn’t mean any thing.”
But a good many of the boys doubted this. Some of them were well
enough acquainted with Tom to be well aware that the simple fact of
his having an “idea,” was a sufficient reason why they should keep a
close watch on all his movements; and this they resolved to do.
“Look out for Newcombe, now,” whispered Harry Green. “He’s got an
idea, and, when he gets that way, he’s dangerous.”
“Fellows,” said the new captain, “I don’t like this business. We came
out on this cruise to enjoy ourselves, and what has just happened has
caused unkind feelings, and will spoil all our sport.”
To the astonishment of all, Rich, who had been seated on the combings
of a hatch, whistling to himself, as if he had no interest in what
was going on, suddenly sprang to his feet, exclaiming:
“I take back what I said a few moments ago. I am willing that the
majority should rule, and, if you want Harding for captain, I have
no fault to find. I’ll take my place as a foremast hand; and you,
Newcombe and Miller, I want you to do your work just as you did while
I was captain.”
The boys listened to this speech in utter amazement. It was not
Rich’s disposition to forget a real or an imagined injury, and they
could not understand it. They were, however, very much relieved to
learn that he was willing to do his duty in any capacity, and there
was such apparent sincerity in what he said, that they could not but
believe that he was in earnest.
“Well,” drawled Tom, after thinking the matter over, “I’ll obey
orders.”
“So will I,” said Miller.
“That’s sensible,” said Harry. “Now we will get along smoothly, as we
did before.”
The new captain, believing that every one on board was satisfied
with the change, now took charge of the vessel; and, after a short
consultation with some of his friends, he surprised Rich by offering
him the position of third mate. He did this, not because he believed
the late captain to be more worthy of it than any other boy on board,
but because he wanted to show him that he appreciated the manner in
which Rich had accepted the verdict of his companions.
“I’ll take it,” said the latter, “on the condition that if, at any
time, you get tired of me, you will tell me so. I want some fun
before I go back to the academy to be put into the guard-house, and I
don’t care who is captain.”
This made Johnny hope that, if Rich had ever cherished any ill-will
toward any of the crew, he had forgotten it.
But the truth of the matter was, the old captain and his friends
were not as well satisfied as they pretended to be. Rich’s pride had
been sorely wounded, and he could not bear the thought of taking a
subordinate position after once serving as captain. He believed that
he was as competent to fill the position as any boy on board, and
he determined to make an effort to regain it. Tom was angry because
he could not forget that the votes of a majority of the crew had
defeated his aspirations for the captaincy; and he hoped that he
might find an opportunity to revenge himself on them. Miller, and
a few of the foremast hands, were displeased because the claims of
their favorites had been disregarded, and they, too, set themselves
at work to study up some plan to “get even” with those who had voted
to relieve Rich of the command, and make Johnny captain. But the
discontented ones were all “deep.” They knew that if they refused
to do duty, they would be so closely watched that they could have
no opportunity of talking the matter over among themselves; so they
concluded that it was best to appear to give way to the majority.
This would allay suspicion, and Johnny’s friends, believing that
they were satisfied with the change, would take no notice of their
movements. This was the way Rich and his friends looked at the
matter, and subsequent events proved that they had not been mistaken.
As soon as Captain Harding took command of the Swallow, he put
her about, and give out a course which, he imagined, would take
them much nearer to Nantucket than the one Rich had given. Every
thing appeared to be going on smoothly, the boys all seemed to be
enjoying themselves; and when any of them laughed at the idea of
finding Nantucket by sailing exactly south from Buzzard’s Bay, Rich
always made some good-natured reply, that was very far from being an
index of his feelings. The port watch went on at six o’clock in the
evening, (the routine on the Swallow was six hours on duty and six
hours off,) and when all the starboard watch had gone below, Rich and
Tom met in the waist to talk over their plans.
“This is a good joke on me, isn’t it?” asked Rich. “They gave me the
captaincy without my asking them for it, and now they kick me out,
giving the office to Harding, who knows no more about navigation than
I do, and making me third mate. I wonder if they suppose that I am
going to stand any such work as that? Not if I know it.”
“I’ve got an idea!” said Tom.
“Out with, it then! I’m listening with all my ears.”
“It is this,” continued the first mate: “I propose that when we get
into port, we think up some plan to get Harding and all his friends
to leave the boat, and then we’ll take her and go to sea on our own
hook.”
“Newcombe, you’re a brick!” exclaimed Rich. “That’s a capital idea.
I told them they wouldn’t make any thing by putting Harding in my
place, and I think they will find that I told the truth. I hope that
we shall reach port soon, for I am anxious to pay these fellows off
in their own coin. But, Newcombe, I’ll make a prediction. In less
than two days you’ll see trouble on this vessel. I was right, and
Johnny is wrong. He is holding her straight out to sea. Before long
the provision and water will all be gone, and then we’ll be in a nice
fix. They’ll see then who knows the most about navigation.”
The two conspirators spent an hour in discussing the details of their
plan; but there was one point they could not decide, and that was,
how to manage to induce Johnny and his friends to leave the vessel,
in case they succeeded in reaching some port. However, they finally
concluded that, in this, they would be governed by circumstances--Tom
assuring Rich that when the time for action arrived, he could “make
things work all right.” They then separated to explain their plan of
operations to their friends.