Boarded by a Cruiser.
Ralph was borne up into the men's quarters and placed in one of the
most comfortable bunks.
Pretty soon down came Neb with a steaming dish of stewed chicken, and a
good supply of broth. This, with a ship's biscuit and a cup of coffee,
were fed slowly to the lad by one of the sailors, until he was strong
enough to help himself.
"That's cabin grub, lad," remarked the sailor. "Second mate ordered it
himself."
Ralph, with the horror of those three days of darkness, and pitching,
and churning seas still upon him, thanked his stars that he seemed to
have one friend on board.
Meanwhile, on deck all hands were watching the approach of a large
steamship that was bearing down upon the Curlew to windward. The
schooner was sailing with the wind abeam.
Presently the captain, who was examining the stranger through a glass,
ordered the helmsman to "ease away a bit."
The Curlew fell off more before the wind, when it was seen that the
steamer slightly changed her course so as to meet the altered movements
of the schooner.
Gary and Rucker now put their heads together, then the first mate,
summoning the boatswain, disappeared below.
"Hold her up a little, Mr. Duff," said the captain to the second
officer, who was once more at his post. "She is a man of war, I think,
and though I have no love for their prying ways, we must not seem to
want to avoid her, now that she evidently intends to speak us."
So the schooner's head was put to windward, and the two vessels rapidly
drew near each other.
It could soon be seen that the stranger was an armored cruiser, of
great power and speed.
"Run up the Stars and Stripes," said Gary. "Let him see what we are.
Perhaps he'll be satisfied and pass on."
This was done, but evoked no response from the cruiser, now less than a
mile away. Suddenly the warship swung gracefully around, showing along
her dull gray side a row of guns, while over bow and stern loomed two
immense cannon of a caliber sufficient to sink the Curlew at a single
discharge.
Several little flags followed one another up to the cruiser's mastheads.
"Get out the code, Mr. Duff," ordered the captain. "He's signaling.
What in the mischief can he want?"
Duff plunged into the cabin, reappearing a moment later with the signal
book. Opening this, he compared the flags as seen through the glass
with similar ones in the book, and their meanings.
"Well?" said the captain impatiently.
"He orders us to heave to under his quarter. Says he is going to send
a boat aboard.
"The deuce he is! Well, I suppose we might as well do as he says.
Strikes me as a pretty high handed proceeding though, in time of peace.
Look! There go his colors at last. British, by thunder!"
As the cross of St. George unfolded to the breeze, Captain Gary,
looking somewhat anxious, bade Duff obey the cruiser's order; then
hastened below in the wake of his first mate and boatswain.
By the time the Curlew had rounded to, a boat was leaving the warship's
side as she lay broadside, hardly a quarter of a mile off. Though the
sea was still rough, six pair of oars brought the boat spinning over
the waves.
Two officers were in the stern sheets, one of whom--a young third
lieutenant--was soon on the deck of the schooner.
At this juncture Captain Gary reappeared, followed by Rucker. Long Tom
had already gone forward.
"What schooner is this?" demanded the officer, after the first
salutations had passed.
"I should like to know first what right you have to ask that question,"
replied Gary in his most suave manner. "These are times of peace, when
every one is privileged to attend to his own affairs, I believe."
"Yes, when his affairs are not injurious to others. There is surely no
harm in asking a vessel's name."
"Is it customary to stop them on the high seas, and send a boat aboard
to find out?"
"Well, yes--under certain circumstances." The lieutenant smiled.
"Especially so when we are under orders to that effect. To be plain,
sir, we suspect you of being engaged in an unlawful enterprise."
As may be supposed, Duff was paying the closest attention, for he and
most others on board had shipped, not knowing the object of the voyage,
but tempted by the high wages.
"You do, eh." It was Gary's turn to smile now. "You men o' war's men
often make mistakes as well as other people. This is the Curlew, four
days out of Savannah, in ballast, and bound for Bermuda."
"You are clear out of your course, if that is the case."
"The storm did that for us. We had a three days' siege of it."
"Well, let me see your papers and take a look through the hold. It can
do no harm."
"None in the least," replied the captain.
He then ordered the main hatch opened as he escorted the officer down
to the cabin in order to inspect the ship's papers.
Rucker followed. Duff, impelled by curiosity, watched the opening of
the hatch, which had remained closely sealed ever since he had been
aboard.
An apparently empty hold was all that rewarded his eye, except for the
usual stores and provisions necessary for a long voyage.
"If Bermuda is really our port, we've got grub enough, and to spare,"
thought he as he returned to the quarter-deck.
Meanwhile the lieutenant, after a thorough inspection of the hold,
returned to the open air. He still seemed unsatisfied, and cast
curious glances here and there over the vessel's trim proportions.
Finally he gave it up.
"Your papers seem to be all right," he said, "and you certainly have no
cargo, though you are provisioned for a voyage round the world, I
should say."
"Barrels of meal," said the captain. "My owner had a lot on hand, and
thought it might fetch a better price in the Bermudas than at home. We
can trade it for potatoes."
"Well, I wish you success," added the officer, pausing at the ladder,
and touching his cap to Gary and the mates. "Pardon whatever
inconvenience we may have occasioned."
He went down the side, the boat pulled back to the cruiser, and the
latter steamed away westward.
The Curlew, holding east, soon helped to place her dangerous neighbor
hull down, when Captain Gary gave the order for all hands to be
summoned aft. The crew came tumbling back into the waist, a swarthy,
brawny, reckless looking set of men. Two of them brought Ralph up and
set him down on a coil of rope.
The warm meal, the sight of human faces, the sounds of life and light,
had already renewed his strength and spirits. He was no longer so ill,
and the bright sunlight and the heaving waves sent a sort of thrill
through him. The sea was not all terrible after all.
"Now, men," began the captain, when all had assumed a decorous silence,
"what do you think that war ship supposed we were?"
There was no reply to this, though the men looked at each other, then
turned to their commander, as if expecting an answer. The captain
broke into a harsh laugh.
"Why," he continued, "they thought this ship was the famous slaver, the
Wanderer. I guess you've all heard of the Wanderer."
Yes, they had. Duff noticed that Rucker and Long Tom were the only two
who seemed to be indifferent to this announcement.
One or two of the sailors winked at each other as if the news that was
to come would not be very much of a surprise, after all.
"We are so far advanced on our way," continued the captain, "that I
have concluded to let you know who and what we are and where we are
bound. In case we are liable to another overhauling you can better
assist in throwing the intermeddlers off the true scent.
"We fooled them this time, but that was because the boarding officer
was a green one. If an old hand at the business comes aboard it may be
necessary to chuck him over the side and run for it. Therefore it is
right you should know things, in order the more intelligently to obey
orders.
"This schooner is the Wanderer, men. You have shipped on the Wanderer,
bound for the coast of Guinea after negroes for the Cuba market. How
does that suit you?
"If there are any grumblers, speak up. You've got high wages, light
work, good grub, and a chance--if you stand by the ship--to share in
the profits at the end of the voyage. Now, what d'ye say?"
There was some muttering and laying of heads together on the part of
the crew, then one old salt pulled off his cap, ducked his head, and
after carefully transferring a quid of tobacco from his mouth to his
pocket, said:
"If so be the rest don't care, I don't. If so be some on us had knowed
afore we shipped what kind of cargo we was after, we might have thought
twice afore we signed. Niggers is niggers. Some say they is humans,
some say they ain't. But this here shippin' 'em like two legged cattle
be mighty resky nowadays. Less'n we make a heap."
"Oh, you shut up!" interrupted the captain, laughing. "All the
scruples any of you have is concerning the money there is in the
cruise. Am I right?"
"Well, a man's obleeged to look out for number one, cap'n," responded
the fellow, falling back and restoring his quid to his left jaw.
Ralph seemed about to speak, but as Gary's cold, hard eye fell on the
lad, prudence bade him hold his peace. Besides he did not more than
half comprehend the nature of the captain's explanation.
The face of the second mate was a picture of disgust and irresolution.
He said nothing, however, until the captain went below. Then he
followed.
"Captain Gary," said he, when the two were alone in the cabin, "you
should have had my right hand sooner than have got me off on such a
cruise had I known its object before I signed with you."
"I know you," replied Gary somewhat scornfully. "You have just about
conscience enough not to violate your word when the sacrifice would be
too great. Of course you don't approve. I never asked for your
approval; wouldn't give a cent for it if I had it. But you signed--for
high wages--to go wherever I choose to sail. Is not that so?"
"In one sense, yes. But a slaver now is little better than a pirate.
You should have been more open."
"And you less greedy for money. I say you are in for it. There is no
chance to secure another mate, and I intend to see that you do your
duty."