CAPTAIN KENDALL'S DEFENCE.
The squadron remained off Flushing long enough for Mr. Fluxion to visit
the shore, and ascertain the condition of the "Wel tevreeden." The
repairs were going on, but were not completed, and the cost of them
could not yet be determined. The vice-principal, however, obtained such
information in regard to the probable expense, as to enable him to make
a final settlement. Captain Schimmelpennink came off to the Josephine
with him on his return. It was certain that eleven hundred guilders
would cover the whole expense of putting the galiot in perfect repair,
and the balance of this sum was handed to the skipper.
If there ever was a grateful man in the world, that man was the captain
of the "Wel tevreeden." In addition to the energetic speeches he made
through the interpreter, he indulged in some very pretty and significant
gesticulations, which the officers and crew could comprehend. The
students were happy in the good deed they had done--quite as happy as
the the skipper himself. In addition to the sum expended, there was five
hundred and fifty-four guilders in the hands of the treasurer, which was
to be used for some similar object when presented to them.
While Mr. Fluxion was absent at Flushing, Mr. Lowington had gone on
board of the Josephine, and, taking Paul into his state-room, had
exhibited the fictitious note to him, stating the charge made against
him by Mr. Hamblin.
"I need not say, Captain Kendall, that this is a very serious charge,"
added the principal, solemnly.
"I think it is, sir," replied Paul, blushing deeply. "If you think I
wrote that letter, sir, I hope you will do your duty."
"I certainly shall, though it break my heart."
"Whatever you do, sir, it will not alter my regard for you."
"I am already accused of partiality towards you, Captain Kendall," added
Mr. Lowington. "I confess that I never had a pupil for whom I cherished
so high an esteem and so warm a regard."
"Thank you, sir. You are now, as you always have been, very kind to me,"
replied Paul, hardly able to restrain the tears in which his emotions
demanded expression.
"I must say that I deem this charge groundless and absurd; but I cannot
explain it away. The writing in the note resembles yours in some
respects; and the fact that the kind of paper on which the note is
written is found in your possession alone has not been explained. Do you
know anything about this note?"
"Nothing, sir; only that it came in the mail with the rest of the
Josephine's letters."
"When did you get the paper which Mr. Hamblin found in your writing
desk?"
"I bought it in Antwerp on Tuesday afternoon, when we went on shore,"
replied Paul, promptly.
"I shall be obliged to inquire further into this matter. You will have
all hands called."
They left the state-room together, and the first lieutenant ordered the
ship's company to be piped to quarters. Without any definite
explanation, the principal directed all the students to bring their
stock of stationery on deck, and they passed in review before him,
exhibiting the quality of their paper. At the same time Mr. Stoute
searched the steerage for any which might have been concealed. If any
student had purchased paper in Antwerp, it was not of the kind on which
the forged letter had been written.
"Young gentlemen," said Mr. Lowington, mounting his rostrum, "a
practical joke is the stupidest thing in the world, when perpetrated at
the expense of the feelings of others. Some one has put such a joke upon
Mr. Hamblin, the very last person in the world to appreciate this
species of humor. One of your number is charged with the act."
"The old lunatic has laid it to the captain," whispered Terrill, who
thus interpreted the mysterious proceedings of the principal and Paul.
"The particular kind of paper on which the letter to Mr. Hamblin was
written is found only in the possession of that one student," continued
the principal, with an emotion he could not wholly conceal. "I desire,
if any of you have any information in regard to the note, that you will
communicate it at once."
Mr. Lowington paused, and the boys looked blankly at each other. Even to
them, at that moment, a practical joke seemed to be the stupidest thing
in the world. There was a tremendous sensation among them; but no one
volunteered to give the desired information.
"Young gentlemen, although the evidence in my possession is not
sufficient to condemn the student charged with the offence, it is enough
to justify grave suspicions, and I shall be under the painful necessity
of suspending him, and sending him on board of the ship for further
examination."
Paul was not half so much disturbed by this announcement as he had been
by the trying scene with Mr. Hamblin, a few days before. It is the
guilt, and not the loss of honor, the disgrace, which is hard to bear
when one is charged with misconduct or crime. He stood with folded arms,
submissive to the authority of the principal, and satisfied that the
truth would prevail in the end.
"Who is he?" asked one of the students in a suppressed tone, when the
silence became painful.
"Captain Kendall," replied the principal; and this name produced a
tremendous thrill in the hearts of the ship's company.
"No, sir! No, sir!" shouted some of the students.
"Silence, young gentlemen! I know how you feel," interposed Mr.
Lowington. "Although it would seem to me impossible that Captain Kendall
should have written this letter, Mr. Hamblin distinctly charges him with
the act, and I am sorry to add that there is some evidence to prove the
charge."
Mr. Lowington was more grieved than any other person on board, and it is
more than probable that, in his great anxiety to avoid partiality, he
ran into the opposite extreme, and exposed himself to the peril of
doing injustice to his young friend.
"Captain Kendall, you will consider yourself under arrest, and report on
board of the ship," added the principal, turning to Paul.
The young commander bowed submissively, and the boys wondered how he was
able to take the matter so coolly.
"It's a shame!" exclaimed Terrill, in a low tone, to Pelham.
"Mr. Terrill," continued Mr. Lowington, "the command of the Josephine
devolves upon you until further orders, and you will go to sea as soon
as Mr. Fluxion returns."
The first lieutenant started when his name was called, and suspected
that he was to be taken to task for the remark he had just made. It was
fortunate for him, perhaps, that the principal did not hear his
energetic words, or the command might have been given to the second
lieutenant, for Terrill's impulsive nature would have led him into some
intemperate speech, so deeply did he feel for the captain.
"I hope my command will be of very short duration, sir," said he, as the
principal stepped down from the hatch.
"I hope so, Mr. Terrill," answered Mr. Lowington. "Captain Kendall, you
will repair to the ship in the barge."
"I will be ready in a moment, sir," replied Paul, as he went below to
obtain a few needed articles.
"Captain Kendall, I am downright sorry for this," said Terrill,
following him into his state-room.
"Don't be at all disturbed about it," answered Paul, cheerfully. "I am
glad Mr. Lowington has taken this course. I expect to be able to prove
that I could not have written the letter, and I shall be restored as
soon as we reach Rotterdam. It is a good deal better to be proved
innocent than to be suspected of being guilty. Here is the key of the
safe," he added, as he took it from his pocket and handed it to his
successor.
"It's lucky for old Hamblin he isn't on board of the Josephine," said
Terrill, with an ominous shake of the head. "I think the fellows would
throw him overboard before the vessel gets to Rotterdam if he were."
"That isn't the right spirit, Terrill; and as a particular favor to me,
I ask that you will not say a word about Mr. Hamblin. I have my own
opinion in regard to him; and I suppose every fellow has; but the least
said is the soonest mended. I hope you will not let the officers and
crew indulge in any demonstrations of disapproval."
"Not let them! I can't help it. I believe if old Hamblin was on board, I
would join with the rest of the fellows in making a spread eagle of him
on the fore shrouds," answered the commander _pro tem_.
"Don't think of such a thing. Two wrongs won't make a right," said Paul,
anxiously. "You and I have been first-rate friends, Terrill, and for my
sake do not encourage or tolerate any demonstrations."
"I will do the best I can, but I feel just like making the biggest row I
was ever in since I was born."
"Keep cool; you are going to sea right off, and you will have enough to
do to look out for the vessel."
"I shall do as you tell me, if I can; but only because you wish it. I
think the fellows ought to give a few hearty groans, so as to be sure no
one mistakes their sentiments."
"Don't do it, Terrill," said Paul, as he led the way to the deck, with
his bundle in his hand.
When they went on deck, Mr. Fluxion had just returned in the first
cutter; and great was his astonishment, and that of the boat's crew,
when informed of the exciting event which had just transpired. The
interview with the Dutch skipper changed the current of thought on board
for the moment; but as soon as he departed, nothing was talked of but
the arrest of the captain.
Paul stepped into the barge with the principal, who was very sad and
silent. As soon as they were on board of the Young America, and the
barge hoisted up, orders were given to fill away again.
"What does that mean?" asked Perth, when the barge was hoisted up, as he
ran up to Wilton.
"What?"
"Why, there is Captain Kendall on the quarter-deck of the ship, and the
Josephine is getting under way without him."
"There's been a row somewhere; Kendall is one of the flunkies, but he's
a good fellow for all that," added Wilton, who could not help giving
Paul this tribute.
"I'll tell you what it is," said Howe,--who was one of the barge's crew,
and had heard all the proceedings on board of the Josephine,--as he
joined them, "Kendall has been suspended, broken, turned out of office
for writing that letter to old Hamblin."
"Is that so?" demanded Perth.
"That's so; but all the fellows in the Josephine say he didn't do it."
"It would be a new idea for Kendall to do anything wrong--even to sneeze
in prayer time."
The order to man the braces interrupted the conversation; but the news
went through the ship even before she had begun to gather headway. The
matter was thoroughly discussed, and it was perfectly understood that
Mr. Hamblin had preferred the charge upon which Paul had been broken or
suspended. The commander of the Josephine was almost as popular in the
ship as he was in the consort; and the indignation against the professor
of Greek was hardly less violent in the one than in the other.
"Captain Kendall, you will occupy the spare state-room in the after
cabin, next to Flag-officer Gordon's," said Mr. Lowington to Paul, as
they met after the ship was underway.
"Thank you, sir," replied the young commander, who had seated himself
near the companion-way.
"As soon as supper is disposed of, I propose to examine into the charge.
You shall have a fair trial."
"I have no doubt of that."
Mr. Lowington walked away, and Paul, who was much embarrassed by the
continued expressions of sympathy extended to him by the officers of the
ship, retired to his state-room to consider his line of defence.
Mr. Hamblin, satisfied before, was delighted now. Justice seemed to be
extending her tardy hand in his favor. The rebel against his mighty
will had been suspended, and was actually under arrest. Of course the
principal had acknowledged the validity of the evidence he had
presented. The motive for such an annoying practical joke was patent to
all in the squadron, while the quality of the paper and the resemblance
of the writing were enough to convict the offender.
The professor was enjoying his triumph, not vindictively, he persuaded
himself, but in the sense that his own personal action and motives were
on the eve of being justified. As the ship moved majestically down the
river, he walked up and down, athwart ships, in a better mood to enjoy
the scene which presented itself than ever before since he joined the
squadron. He walked from rail to rail because Paul was seated on the
quarter-deck, and he did not care to meet him. When the young commander
went below, he walked fore and aft.
The deck was crowded with students waiting for the supper bell to ring;
and many an ugly and dissatisfied look was bestowed upon him; but the
learned gentleman, in his triumph, was too well pleased with himself to
notice them. Mr. Hamblin involuntarily extended his walk, from time to
time, until it was continued to the forecastle, where the crew were
collected in large numbers. Hardly had he passed the foremast on his
first round, than he was saluted by a universal groan, so deep and
hearty that he stopped short and looked at the crowd. They were silent
then.
"Young gentlemen," said the _savant_, sternly, "if that was intended as
an expression of--"
The remark of censure was brought to an abrupt termination by a very
annoying incident. Mr. Hamblin had halted directly under the weather
fore yard-arm, braced up so as to take the wind on the beam. Before he
had reached this point of his remark, a new fellow by the name of
Little, remarkable for his agility, dropped from the yard directly upon
the top of the learned gentleman's hat, in fact, sitting down upon his
"tile" as fairly and squarely as though the deed had been done on
purpose, bringing with him the slack of the weather clew-garnet.
The professor was prostrated to the deck by the weight of the little
seaman,--for Little's name precisely described his stature,--while the
unfortunate boy was thrown forward flat upon his face.
"O, I'm killed, I'm killed!" cried Little, rising with much real or
apparent difficulty, and pressing one hand upon his hip.
"You rascal, you!" roared Mr. Hamblin from the inside of his hat, as a
dozen boys sprang forward to pick him up.
The professor was not a fashionable man, and did not wear a hat which
would simply rest upon the top of his head, or which would pinch the
depository of his ancient lore, and the weight of the student had
pressed it far down over his eyes. With some labor he extricated his
learned pate from its imprisonment, and glanced with dismay at the
hat--a new one which he had bought in Antwerp to replace the one he had
lost overboard in the hurricane.
"You scoundrel!" repeated the _savant_, when he had removed the
mutilated tile.
"He didn't mean to do it, sir," said Perth, pointing to the bloody face
of Little; "he's almost killed himself."
"Are you hurt, Little?" demanded Mr. Lowington, rushing forward when he
discovered what had happened.
"Yes, sir; almost killed," groaned the poor boy, making the wryest face
a boy ever made, and twisting himself into a contortion of body which
none but an India-rubber youth like himself could have accomplished.
"Pass the word for Dr. Winstock," added the principal, anxiously. "Are
you much injured, Mr. Hamblin?"
"I believe there is a conspiracy to take my life," growled the
professor, without replying to the direct question.
"Are you hurt, sir?"
"Not so much in body as in my feelings," answered Mr. Hamblin, holding
out his damaged hat. "It was done on purpose, sir."
Dr. Winstock now appeared on the forecastle, and as Little seemed to be
the greater sufferer, he attended to his case first. He examined the
face of the boy, for by the most assiduous rubbing with his right hand
while his left was devoted to the hip, he had contrived to besmear his
face all over with the blood which flowed freely from his nose. The
surgeon could find no wound on the face, and it was plain that there was
nothing more terrible about the head than the nosebleed.
"Where are you hurt, Little?" asked the doctor.
"In the hip; it's broke!" replied the sufferer with an explosive groan.
Dr. Winstock laid the patient down upon the deck, and proceeded to
examine him with the greatest care. He declared that no bones were
broken.
"He appears to be suffering great pain," said the principal, anxiously.
"He has probably wrenched a muscle in his fall, and that is almost as
painful as a broken bone. He has received no serious injury," replied
the doctor, as he lifted the patient from the deck.
"I am glad it is no worse. How did it happen, Little?"
"I was coming in from the weather yard-arm, sir. I should have gone down
the leech of the foresail if you had not told me not to, sir. O!" gasped
Little, distorting his face, and doubling up his lithe little body.
"Never mind it now," added the principal, kindly.
"I feel a little better, sir. Mr. Hamblin began to say something to the
fellows on deck, and I stopped to listen. O!"--and Little doubled up
again. "I caught hold of the clew-garnet, sir--O! I was leaning down to
hear what Mr. Hamblin said, and bore my whole weight on the clew-garnet.
It wasn't belayed, sir,--O!--and it let me down."
Mr. Lowington desired to know what hands were stationed at the fore
clew-garnets; but when they appeared, they were very confident they had
belayed these ropes as usual. Little was advised to go below and turn
in; but he preferred to remain on deck. As soon as the principal and the
doctor had gone aft, the young reprobate turned to his companions, put
his thumb to his bloody nose, and wiggled his fingers. Indeed, a
remarkable cure seemed suddenly to have been wrought in his particular
case; for he walked as nimbly as ever, until some of the officers came
forward, when, unfortunately, he had a sudden relapse, from which he did
not recover--when the "powers that be" were around--for several days.
After supper Paul was sent for, and repaired to the main cabin, where he
found the principal, the surgeon, Mr. Hamblin, and several of the
professors. Mr. Lowington stated the charge preferred against Captain
Kendall, mentioning the evidence in support of it. He then inquired of
the professor if he had anything to add to what he had already said on
the subject.
Mr. Hamblin had something to add, but it was in the nature of an
argument against the accused, rather than a statement of fact. He
reviewed his life on board the Josephine since the troubles had
commenced, enlarging upon the zeal with which he had discharged his
duties. He gave his view of the difficulty between himself and the
captain, as he had given it before; but he adduced no new proofs of the
charges he preferred.
"The only question before us at the present time, Mr. Hamblin, is in
regard to the authorship of the letter purporting to come from Monsieur
Rogier," interposed Mr. Lowington. "Have you any new evidence to bring
forward?"
"No, sir; I think the charge has been fully proved," replied Mr.
Hamblin.
"Captain Kendall, if you have any defence to make, I am ready to hear
it," added the principal, turning to Paul.
"I did not write the letter, and I had no knowledge whatever of it until
Mr. Hamblin received it. Perhaps the writing resembles mine, but not
very much. Will you let me take the letter, sir?"
The note was handed to him, and he pointed out several letters which
were different from any in the exercises by which the similarity had
been shown.
"Of course he would disguise the handwriting," interposed Mr. Hamblin.
"The writing alone would not prove anything," added Mr. Lowington.
"So far as the kind of paper is concerned," continued Paul, picking up
the half quire which the professor had taken from his state-room, "I
bought it in Antwerp for a particular purpose." He did not think it
necessary to state that it was for his letters to Miss Grace Arbuckle.
"Are you quite sure you bought it in Antwerp?" demanded the professor.
"I shall prove that I did," replied Paul, indignantly. "I wish to say I
had a hint that the officers and crew were very much dissatisfied with
Mr. Hamblin, and--"
"With me!" exclaimed the _savant_, as though it were quite impossible
for the students to be dissatisfied with him.
"Allow Captain Kendall to make his statement, if you please," said the
principal.
"But, Mr. Lowington, his statement is incorrect. I have been on the best
of terms with the majority of my pupils. Only a few of the worst of
them have manifested any ill-will towards me."
"Go on, Captain Kendall," said the principal.
"I am prepared to prove all I say. If I had known that this
investigation was to take place to-day, I should have asked for the
attendance of several witnesses. I used all my influence to prevent any
one from playing practical jokes upon Mr. Hamblin. I desire to have the
first lieutenant of the Josephine, and Duncan, examined."
"What have they to do with it?" asked the professor, impatiently.
"After doing what I could to prevent others from annoying Mr. Hamblin by
practical jokes, it is not likely that I should indulge in them myself."
"That is a good point; and to-morrow the witnesses shall be called,"
said Mr. Lowington.
"I will now ask Dr. Winstock to make his statement," added Paul, turning
to the surgeon.
"The letter is postmarked 'Anvers,'" said the doctor, picking up the
letter from the table. "It is utterly impossible that Captain Kendall
had anything to do with this document."
"Why so, sir?" demanded Mr. Hamblin, nervously.
"This letter passed through the Antwerp post-office. If Captain Kendall
had mailed it there, I should have seen him do it. He was not out of my
sight a single moment from the time we left the Josephine till we
returned to her. This paper," added the doctor, taking up the half
quire, "was purchased in Antwerp. I went into the shop with Captain
Kendall, and looked at the quality of it before it was done up."
"Are you satisfied, Mr. Hamblin?" asked the principal.
"No, sir, I am not," replied the professor, decidedly. "I am by no means
certain that the paper on which this letter was written was obtained in
Antwerp. It does not follow because Dr. Winstock did not see Mr. Kendall
mail this letter, that it was not mailed by him. I did not see him mail
it; Mr. Lowington did not see him mail it. He could have sent it to the
post-office by a dozen of his confederates."
"Since Captain Kendall desires that the first lieutenant and Duncan
should be heard, we will continue the examination till to-morrow," added
the principal, rising from his chair.
The hearing was adjourned, and Paul returned to his room.