That was, not to judge by appearances and form hasty conclusions as to
the character of my messmates; as, up to the moment of his coming thus
to my aid, I had always considered Mr Stormcock an ill-tempered and
soured man--whereas I now saw he was at bottom a good-natured fellow and
one ready enough to help another when opportunity offered!
It was a lesson which, like the one he had just taught me in navigation,
I never forgot.
Towards sunset that afternoon, when we were entering the Bay of Biscay,
the lookout man on the foretopsail yard hailed the deck.
"Sail in sight, sir!" he sang out loudly. "She's on our port bow, sir."
"All right," answered the officer of the watch, Mr Jellaby, who was up
on the poop and I below on the quarter-deck at the time; and then,
turning to the yeoman of signals, he cried, "Signalman, a vessel's in
sight on our port bow, go and look at her and see what she is."
"Ay, ay, sir," replied the seaman, putting his telescope to his eye;
when, scanning in the direction pointed out to him, he soon made out the
ship. "She appears like a strange man-of-war, sir."
"Very well," said Mr Jellaby. "Watch her till you can make her out
perfectly."
In another minute or two, the signalman made the result of his second
scrutiny known.
"She's a French man-of-war and is making for Brest, I think, sir."
"Ah!" exclaimed "Joe," having a look at her, too, with his binocular.
"Hoist the ensign!"
This was done; but, the stranger made no sign, until, gradually
approaching each other all the while, she was about three miles off,
when she displayed the gallant tricolour flag of France.
"Signalman," sang out Mr Jellaby on seeing this, "Dip the colours!"
Our ensign was thereupon raised and lowered from the peak three times in
succession, according to the usual nautical etiquette observed on such
occasions, the other ship returning the compliment in like fashion; and
we were just passing each other, she crossing our bows and sailing away
right before the wind on our starboard beam, when, all of a sudden, she
brought up, backing her maintopsail and firing a gun at the same time to
attract our attention.
"By Jove, she wants to speak us; something must be up!" said the
commander who had come on deck in the meanwhile. "Go below, Vernon, and
tell the cap'en at once."