UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS
After that memorable night ascent, Jack never hesitated to go aloft
on all occasions.
For a while, however, he could not overcome the difficulties of
climbing out over the 'futtock' rigging of the lower tops, and was
too proud to again creep through the 'lubber's hole,' yet with advice
from Readyman those obstacles were surmounted.
'Wait until the ship rolls away from you,' the quarter-master said,
'and then you'll find that she almost lifts you into the topmast
rigging.'
Finding the boy an apt pupil, Readyman put him through a course of
'eye,' 'long,' 'short,' and 'cringle' splicing of ropes, and the
correct formation of numerous knots and hitches.
Indeed, the old sailor proved of invaluable service to the lad, and
taught him many other duties which no one else seemed to have the
time or the inclination to impart, and before the passengers went
ashore Jack was well up in the rudiments of his profession. In
return for such kindness the boy was enabled to render his friend
much pleasurable assistance, and in a manner little suspected by the
quarter-master.
Readyman could neither read nor write, but being of a most thoughtful
turn of mind, he gladly seized the offer of his young friend to read
some portions of the Bible whenever occasion offered.
'I'd like it well, Master Jack,' he said; 'some ships I've sailed in
always held Sunday services, and all the men used to attend. Of
course, they have meetings in the saloon, but I couldn't go there.'
'There are others held in the 'tween deck,' Jack returned. 'I have
always gone down there on Sunday mornings.'
'Ay, ay, my son, but where you may go I dared not be seen. You know
how strictly we are bidden to keep away from the passengers, and
orders must be obeyed.'
'Well, Readyman,' Jack said, 'we must make up a little meeting of our
own. I promised my father to read some of the Bible every day, and
although at first there was some annoyance from Sorter, I have done
so without fear.'
'Well done, sonny,' the quarter-master exclaimed. 'Stick to that all
the time. It's the best book you can read, and no harm can come of
doing so. But, harkee, lad! Don't have anything to say or to do
with that rascal Sorter. He is no good. Do not let on that I told
you anything, but we in the "fo'c's'le" hear a good deal of what is
happening, and some of the hands are almost certain, although nothing
positive can be ascertained, that he has had a finger in the
robberies from the second cabin. I see him prowling about the
fore-peak a good deal, and the young men there don't think much of
him.'
Jack expressed much surprise at what he had been told, but he
immediately fetched his Bible, and although debarred from entering
the men's quarters, he and Readyman stowed themselves away
comfortably on the topgallant forecastle-head, and the old sailor
listened to the passages read to him. Indeed, it was not long before
other men, attracted to the spot by sheer curiosity, sat down to
listen, and remained in respectful attention to the close of the
watch. Many similar readings were given, and no one interfered.
The 'Silver Crown' was daily drawing southward into more salubrious
weather, and in due course she sighted the coast of South America in
the neighbourhood of Pernambuco.
Then she tacked, and stood off toward the Cape of Good Hope. Shortly
after breakfast next morning a hand aloft sang out 'Sail, O!' and
within an hour the stranger became clearly visible. She proved to be
the 'Merrie England,' owned by the same firm, and she had left the
Thames with emigrants for Queensland some days before the 'Silver
Crown' left Stonewell.
She was hailed with ringing cheers, and, in hope of speedily
outsailing her, everyone offered their services in bracing the yards,
setting up the canvas, and other duties.
An intensely exciting struggle for supremacy ensued. Up to that time
the 'Merrie England' had been considered the fastest vessel in the
company's service, and although Captain Thorne had long desired to
try conclusions with her, he had never been successful.
Now, however, his opportunity had come, and he was determined to test
the sailing qualities of both ships in fair seaman-like manner.
The challenged captain, fully aware of his opponent's intentions, did
everything possible to avoid defeat, and hoisting his colours in
token of acceptance, he immediately endeavoured to secure the weather
berth.
But Captain Thorne held it, while seizing the main tack, and to the
strains of
'Haul the bowline, the packet ship's a-rolling;
Haul the bowline, the bowline ... Haul!'
Many young emigrants dragged the great clew of the mainsail nearly
down to the chestrees, and the boatswain cried 'Belay all!' the fore
and the main bowlines were also rove and hauled out, the jibs were
set up, and the 'Silver Crown' stood up splendidly in the fresh
breeze.
Of course, all the passengers were by that time on deck, cheers were
given and returned, and the beautiful clipper still drew closer to
her equally fast-looking rival.
She was now almost on her best sailing point, and could always be
trusted to pass anything less able to hold its wind. With colours
flying from masthead and gaff-end, and jets of glittering spray
sometimes leaping high over the forecastle-head, she drew up on the
weather quarter of her rival. For a few anxious moments she seemed
to hang stationary in that position, till an increasing wind laid her
still deeper on the port-bilge. Then gathering fresh impetus for the
final struggle she forged ahead, took the wind completely out of her
opponent's canvas, and sweeping forward passed her in magnificent
style.
A tremendous outburst of cheering greeted the performance. When well
clear Captain Thorne sheered to leeward, and allowed his competitor
to pass ahead, but directly she was clear he again 'luffed' into the
wind, and completed a circle round his fairly beaten rival.
'Throw us a line and we'll give you a tow!'
'We'll tell them at Brisbane you're coming!'
'Why don't your cook get up more steam?'
These were a few of the taunts flung at the defeated vessel, while
the sporting instincts of the Irish emigrants found vent in one
deafening 'cock-ee-doo-dle-doo-oo-oo-oo.'
There was no reply to that vociferous challenge. The 'Silver Crown'
had proved herself the fastest vessel in the service, and as night
closed down the 'Merrie England' disappeared. Careening gracefully
to the increasing breeze, the clipper held her close-hauled course.
Every inch of canvas, excepting the studding-sails, was set, and the
staysails, or those between the masts and shaped like the jibs,
pulled strongly at their sheets.
The temperature had now fallen to a healthy and bracing level. When
a safe distance from the South American coast was reached the ship
again tacked, and stood toward the south-west.
One afternoon Readyman accosted his young pupil.
'You are coming on well with the knotting and splicing, Master Jack,'
he said. 'I now think that you should learn to "box" the compass.'
'That refers to the steering, doesn't it?' Jack inquired.
'Yes, lad, and the sooner you know the card the sooner you may be
permitted to steer. Not that the captain would allow that just at
present, but if he asked you questions, you could answer correctly,
and that would mean a deal.'
The rough drawing of a compass card was produced, and the lesson
began.
'I made it myself,' the quarter-master said. 'We'll work round from
north to east first. Now, listen to me. North, north-by-east,
north-north-east, north-east-by-north, north-east,
north-east-by-east, east-north-east, east-by-north, east. When those
points are well learned the rest is easy. All you need do is to
alter north into south, and east into west. It is quite simple when
you put your whole mind into the lesson for a few minutes. You see
that the circle is divided into four quarters, and that each of them
is sub-divided into eight points, the whole thus numbering thirty-two
points.'
'Thanks, Readyman,' Jack replied. 'You are very kind to me.'
'Kind, lad?' the other exclaimed. 'Why, I haven't been half so kind
as your father was to me. Did you ever hear how he saved my life,
when no one could have believed it possible?'
'No,' Jack returned. 'Tell me the story, please.'
'It happened years ago, long before you were born,' the
quarter-master said. 'I was bo's'n of the barque "Isabella," and
your dad was her first mate. We were on the China coast. While
between Shanghai and Hong Kong we were struck by a terrible typhoon;
we managed to get the topgallant-masts on deck, and reefed everything
fore and aft.
'That did not seem much good, for within an hour all the spars above
the lower masts went over the side like matchwood.
'The sea ran awful high, and the barque was knocked about like a toy.
Away she flew before the wind, steering wild on account of the sea,
but remaining fairly dry, as she was in ballast trim.
'During that afternoon we fell in with a deep-laden French vessel
also scudding, and showing signals of distress, but nothing could be
done to send assistance.
'We thought ourselves badly off, but were quite comfortable when
compared with those poor Frenchies. Every sea swept their decks, and
those not already washed away had taken to the after rigging. We
could see a hand at the helm, but as the old "Isabella" ran three
knots to their one we soon lost sight of the ship. And she was never
heard of again.
'I hope you'll never see such a thing, Master Jack. When one of
those "busters" come along it's only by the merest chance that anyone
pulls through it with his life, or, at anyrate, with unbroken limbs.
'Well, lad, we were so beaten with wind, and knocked about by the
sea, that it wasn't long before the carpenter sounded the "well," and
holding up three fingers, for no one could hear a word shouted in
their ear, he signalled three feet of water down below.
'Your father began to work his arms, as much as to say, "All hands to
the pumps!" and we got them working fairly well.
'All of a sudden, lad, she broached to, and afore you could sing out
"Belay!" a tremendous wave swept the deck, and the wind dropped. It
was almost calm. From another point it burst out worse than ever,
and the cross sea thus raised was something awful. None of us had
seen anything like it, and as for the old barque she could make
nothing of such a smother.
'One fearful big wave gripped her by the bow, and another seized the
stern. When they let go she had been twisted like paper, and on her
beam-ends fell into the trough of the sea.
'We left the pumps and lashed ourselves to the mizen rigging. The
rudder had been carried away.
'The skipper looked pretty sad--maybe he was thinking of his family
at home. Anyhow, sonny, he waved his arms, as if to say, "It's all
over with us, men!" At that moment a terrible sea broke in over the
port beam, swept the deck fore and aft, and stove in the main hatch.
'In the thick spume and rain no one could see much, while the salt
clinging in our eyes blinded most of the men.
'It was coming on dark. The barque was lifted to the top of a great
billow, and then fell nearly straight down to the bottom of the
hollow, where it was almost calm.
'Then, with rush of water and scream of wind, she rose to the summit
of another wave, and was instantly hurled on to a reef, over which
the sea boiled a thousand times worse than out in the open. Of what
next happened I have but dim recollection.
'The wreck was swept off the reef, and all hands seemed to go down
together. I began to choke, but suddenly felt the wind again in my
face, and I thought someone near was singing out, but who it could be
there was no telling in the utter blackness of that night.
'I fancied the typhoon was not quite so strong as it had been, and
feeling a rope still fast round my waist I naturally thought I was
secured to the mizen rigging. But instead of the shrouds my hand
struck timber. That seemed to wake me up a bit, and I then
discovered that your dad was alongside, and that both of us were
lashed up to the mizen mast head, but how such a change of position
was made I could not imagine. Of the remainder of the hands there
was no trace. Anyhow, lad, you may think I'm yarning, yet it's true
all the same, _your father was asleep alongside of me_, for all the
world as though nothing particular had happened, or that both of us
might be drowned at any moment.
'Good man! he was exhausted after saving someone for company, and
lucky was it for me that he did so. As I afterwards found out, he
cut both our lashings when the wreck fell off the reef, and finding
that the mast remained upright, with a portion of the hull attached,
so that it stood a few feet out of water, he grabbed me, and lashing
himself to the support went to sleep.
'Next morning the typhoon had passed away, but the sea remained cross
and high.
'Through it all that good old stick swam bravely, and after a while
your father woke up, looking ten years older than he had done two
days before.
'Some hours later a partly dismantled vessel, that had managed to
steer clear of the 'heft' of the blow, picked us up, and we were
finally set ashore at Hong Kong. That's the yarn, sonny.'
'Thanks, Readyman,' Jack replied. 'It was a fearful experience, but
I never heard my father tell the story.'
'That was just his way, lad,' the quarter-master returned. 'If I had
saved him, you'd never hear the end on't, but about himself there'd
never be one word.'