I am getting to Portsmouth about as fast in this letter as I did in that
train. The Right Honorable the Mayor of Portsmouth had had a steamer
placed at his disposal by the Admiralty, and he had invited the Lord
Mayor of London and other guests to go in her. This was the ship I was
to sail in, and she was to leave her pier at 9 A.M. sharp. I arrived at
that pier at ten minutes to eleven exactly. There was one chance left,
however. The ship had stopped for something and was floating at ease
about a mile away.
A rusty, decayed, little two-oared skiff, the size of a bathtub, came
floating by, with a fisherman and his wife and child in it. I entreated
the man to come in and take me to the ship. Presently he consented and
started toward me. I stood impatient and all ready to jump the moment he
should get within thirty yards of me; he halted at the distance of
thirty-five and said it would be a long pull; did I think I could pay
him two shillings for it, seeing it was a holiday? All this palaver and
I in such a state of mind! I jumped aboard and told him to rush, which
he did; at least he threw his whole heart into his little, useless oars,
and we moved off at the rate of a mile a week. This was solid misery.
When we had gone a hundred and nine feet and were gaining on the tenth a
long, trim, graceful man-of-war’s boat came flying by, bound for the
flagship. Without expecting even the courtesy of a response, I hailed
and asked the coxswain to take me to the mayor’s vessel. He said,
“Certainly, sir!--ease her, boys!” I could not have been more astonished
at anything in the world. I quickly gave my man his two shillings, and
he started to pull me to the boat. Then there was a movement of
discontent among the sailors, and they seemed about to move on. I
thought--well, you are not such generous fellows, after all, as I took
you to be, or so polite, either; but just then the coxswain hailed and
said:
“The boys don’t mind the pull, and they’re perfectly willing to take
you, but they say they ain’t willing to take the fisherman’s job away
from him.”
Now that was genuine manliness and right conduct. I shall always
remember that honorable act. I told them the fisherman was already paid,
and I was in their boat the next moment. Then ensued the real fun of the
day, as far as I was personally concerned. The boys glanced over their
shoulders to measure the distance, and then at the order to “Give way!”
they bent to it and the boat sped through the water like an arrow. We
passed all kinds of craft and steadily shortened the distance that lay
between us and the ship. Presently the coxswain said:
“No use! Her wheels have begun to turn over. Lively now, lively!”
Then we flew. We watched the ship’s movement with a sharp interest and
calculated our chances.
“Can you steer?” said the coxswain.
“Can a duck swim?” said I.
“Good--we’ll make her yet!”
I took the helm and he the stroke oar, and that one oar did appear to
add a deal to that boat’s speed. The ship was turning around to go out
to sea, and she did seem to turn unnecessarily fast, too; but just as
she was pointed right and both her wheels began to go ahead our boat’s
bow touched her companionway and I was aboard. It was a handsome race,
and very exciting. If I could have had that dainty boat and those eight
white-shirted, blue-trousered sailors for the day I would not have gone
in any ship, but would have gone about in vast naval style and
experienced the feelings of an admiral.