Rodd, full of excitement, was burning to follow too and see what he
looked upon as the officer's discomfiture; but there was that middy, who
seemed to be left in command of the marines, and he felt a peculiar
sensation which completely mastered him, filling him as it did with a
desire to have what he afterwards called a good fall out with that
fellow, who seemed to make him metaphorically set up his feathers all
round his neck and go at him as a strange young cockerel of a different
breed who had suddenly appeared in the poultry-yard where he dwelt.
So Rodd stayed on deck, thrust his hands into his pockets, ignored the
presence of the middy, and with something of a strut marched up to the
two marines in the gangway, whistling softly the while, gave each a
friendly nod, examined their grounded arms and their stiff uniform with
its abundant pipe-clay, and ended by spreading his legs a little,
swinging himself slowly toe and heel, and saying patronisingly--
"Rather hot toggery that, my lads, for weather like this."
"Well, of all the impudence!" cried the young officer hotly; and he took
a step towards where Rodd was standing.
Rodd faced slowly round, looked at the boy superciliously, then said as
coolly as could be--
"Hullo, midshipmite! Not gone below?"
"No, puppy, I have not gone below," and as he spoke the lad pressed the
hilt of his dirk involuntarily and sharply downward.
"Ha, ha!" laughed Rodd. "Why, that looks like wagging your tail like a
moorhen. I say, why didn't you draw that skewer just now? My word, you
did look fierce!"
One of the marines tittered, and the other spread his mouth into a broad
grin, while, convulsed with rage, the young officer turned upon both
furiously, making them draw themselves up as stiff as their muskets.
"How dare you!" cried the middy, turning back to Rodd, and now becoming
fully conscious of the fact that the schooner's crew gathered forward
were gazing at the scene with intense enjoyment.
"What's the matter, reefer?" said Rodd, whose face was scarlet, but
whose words sounded as cool and indifferent as if he were calm in the
extreme.
"Matter, you insolent blackguard!" cried the midshipman. "If I were not
on duty, and too much of a gentleman to soil my hands with a schooner's
loblolly boy, I would give you a sound thrashing with my belt."
"Would you?" said Rodd coolly. "That's the worst of you reefers. You
are nearly all of you like that when you come ashore at Plymouth. It's
your uniform and the wearing of a skewer that makes you all so cocky.
Now, do you know you have said what a fellow just your age once said to
me at Saltash--but he didn't. He had an accident, and then we shook
hands, and I took him home to my uncle's and helped him to bathe his
face. It was such a hot day that his nose bled a good deal. But we
stopped it. Nice fellow he was too, afterwards. So I dare say you'd be
if I had taken you in tow a bit."
"I understand you, sir," panted the middy; "and look here, I shall not
forget this."
"Pooh! Yes you will," said Rodd, with a mocking laugh. "I wish you
were going to stop on board. We have got a spare cot here. Get your
old man to give you leave when your lieutenant has done smelling in all
the lockers below. You come while the two vessels are in company, and
I'll teach you how to use the gloves."
"Oh, if I wasn't on duty!" panted the middy furiously. "I haven't got a
card with me, but give me yours. We may meet again."
"Hope we shall, I'm sure," said Rodd. "I say, reefer, don't be so jolly
disappointed because you won't have the price of half a nigger for
prize-money."
"Pah!" ejaculated the middy furiously; and turning his back upon Rodd he
stepped to the side and looked over into the boat, to run his eye
furiously over her crew, who were all sitting upon the alert, ready for
any order that might be given.
But as he turned away and faced inboard, to his annoyance he found Rodd
close up, smiling carelessly in his face.
"I say, reefer," he said, "you do look hot."
"Sir!" snapped out the middy, trying to look the boy down.
"I say, don't be so waxy because you are disappointed."
"I beg, sir, that you will not address your remarks to me; and please
recollect that you and yours are not out of the wood yet."
"All right; only look here; your lads have had a long row, and you have
got another one back. Let's give the poor fellows a bucket of water,
and I'll pour a bottle of our lime-juice in and some syrup. It makes a
splendid drink. Look there; those two red herrings of yours have begun
licking their dry lips at the very thought of it."
The midshipman seemed to give himself a snatch, but he glanced at the
two marines, and then turned and looked over into the boat, for he was
horribly thirsty himself.
"Dry, my lads?" he said. "Like some water?"
"Thankye, sir!" came in chorus, and Rodd called out at once--
"Joe Cross! Bucket of fresh water--two pannikins! And is the steward
there?"
"Ay, ay, sir!"
"Two bottles of lime-juice and some syrup for the boat's crew and
marines."
Just then Uncle Paul's head appeared above the cabin hatch, and he
stepped on deck, coming forward to where the two lads were, Rodd smiling
and good-humoured, the middy wearing the aspect of the celebrated dog
which had been pelted with big marrow-bones, upon each of which reposed
a thick juicy bit of beef.
"Lieutenant Branscombe says will you step down and join us for a few
minutes, Mr Lindon."
"Does he want me, sir?"
"Only to partake of a little refreshment this thirsty night."
"That's right," cried. Rodd. "You go on down with uncle. I'll see
that your lads have plenty."
"Er--er--no grog, please," said the middy hastily.
"Not a drop, honour bright," said Rodd, laughing. "You shan't be
mastheaded for that;" and he clapped the young officer merrily on the
back.
The stay would have been longer, but the darkness was coming on fast;
still it had been long enough for all to become the best of friends, and
when the two officers came on deck it was to find the two crews engaged
in a hearty game of repartee, the schooner's men casting jokes down into
the boat, and the man-of-war's men hurling them back.
"Yes, a very smart crew, Captain Chubb," said the lieutenant, "but if it
hadn't been for the doctor's papers here, we should have been obliged to
lighten you of about half-a-dozen, for you know you have no business to
have such men as this whilst his Majesty runs short."
Just then the two lads were talking together hard.
"Oh, don't you take any notice of that, Harding. Cocky, you called it.
You should drop that; it's too schoolboy-like. You know a fellow may be
only a midshipman, still the ship's roll does call him a man, and when a
fellow's an officer in command of a lot of sailors, he's obliged to put
it on a bit, else he'd never be able to keep them in their places."
"Yes, I see," said Rodd.
"That's right; and before I go I just want to say it was very thoughtful
of you to promise that the lads shouldn't have any drink. I got into
several rows when I was young and green, and went ashore with boats'
crews. They used to try on all sorts of dodges to get away to the
public-house. I say, get that uncle of yours to stop about here fishing
for a bit. I want to get you aboard the _Di_ and spend an evening with
us at the mess. Do. I shall get to like you."
"All right; I will try," said Rodd. "It wouldn't be the first time I've
been aboard a man-of-war."
"Eh? Where?"
"Plymouth harbour."
"Oh yes, I forgot. That's where you live when you are at home. Why
don't you join altogether? You are just cut out for a middy."
"Couldn't leave uncle. Going to be a naturalist."
"A what?"
"Scientific gentleman."
"But serve the King!"
"What, and be sent down here hunting after the blackbirding
blackguards?"
"Pshaw! That's not really what we are here for; only if we see a
suspicious-looking craft we board her."
"Then what are you here for?"
"King's business. Mum. Mustn't say."
"Now, Mr Lindon! Good-evening, Captain Chubb; and good-evening,
doctor. Glad to have met you, sir, and I hope you won't put me down in
your black books as _homo durissimus_, or some other scientific name.
Give way, my lads. Mr Lindon! Do you want to be left behind?"
"All right, sir," cried the middy, springing into the boat and coming
down into the arms of a couple of the men. "Good-night, Harding! We
shall expect you on board the _Di_."
Down dropped the oars on either side, and then splash, splash, in
regular movement the blades tossed up the beautiful pale lambent water,
while here and there they broke up the reflection of the stars that were
gradually appearing in the soft violet sky, while the boat glided on
farther and farther from the schooner, making its way towards the lights
of the sloop, from which all of a sudden there was a sharp flash,
followed at a perceptible interval by the report of a musket.
This was answered a few seconds later by a flash and smart crack from
the sloop's cutter, whose course Rodd leaned over the side to watch till
it was invisible, when he turned from the side, to find Joe Cross
waiting and evidently watching him.
"Rather close shave, sir," he said. "I began to feel as if some of us
was going to have our 'oliday come to an end. Wouldn't have been so
bad, though, for there are some very jolly fellows there, and it aren't
half a dusty life aboard a man-of-war when you have got over the first
few days, and being what they calls homesick. Aren't no fear of their
coming back for us, is there?"
"Not the least, Joe. You are all safe enough."
"We are a-going to give the doctor, sir, such a cheer when he comes on
deck again--three times three, and one in for you. My word, sir, the
lads did laugh to see you take the starch out of that there young
reefer! It was fine!"
"Oh, never mind about that, Joe. But I say, you have been aboard a
man-of-war. What would a sloop like that be doing down here?"
"Why, you know, sir; looking after the blackbird catchers--the slavers."
"Oh no; they are not on this station for that."
"Must be, sir."
"No, Joe."
"Well, but, sir, you heard what the lufftenant said to our old man.
That's what they were after, sir, and a bit disappointed too, until you
and the doctor made them so friendly. They thought they'd got hold of
this fine craft, nice little prize, for she'd sell well just as she
stands after being condemned. Handy little bit of pocket-money for them
in these days when the war is over. Rather a puzzler to them at first.
The second luff--that's what he was--had never tackled a natural history
craft before, and he wouldn't believe it. That's what they are here
for, sir, trying to put a stop to the slave trade. We come upon one in
the _Naaera_ once--the nearer and dearer we used to call her, sir. Just
about such a sloop as that is. It wasn't our business, but we boarded
her, the slave ship, I mean, in a calm, and the blackguards aboard of
her showed fight and beat our boat off in trying to get away with their
sweeps. They were making for one of these swampy rivers out eastward,
rowing as hard as they could, and bringing up a lot of the poor niggers
from below to help pull at the sweeps. Sweeps, indeed! Nice sweeps
they were! And if they once got into the river we should have lost
them."
"Well?" said Rodd. "And they beat you back?"
"That they did, sir. Took us quite by surprise. We never thought they
would have the cheek to resist; and we lay off, rubbing our sore ears
and growling and spitting like angry cats, not knowing what to do,
feeling that we should get worse off if we pursued, and ashamed to go
back to face our old man; and just as we were feeling at our worst we
knew that our skipper had been watching us all the time with his glass,
and there was our launch coming full swing, chock-full of men showing
their teeth. That set us all up again, and we were like new men. Round
went our boat's head, and we were off in full pursuit of the slaver, the
lads pulling so hard that we got alongside before the launch could
overtake us, swarmed over her low gunwale, and went at the slaver's crew
tooth and nail, so savage that every man of us showed them the cutlass
practice in fine style, driving them back step by step till if we had
had strength enough we should have driven them overboard or down below;
but they were too strong for us. Put half-a-pound weight in a scale,
sir, if there's a pound in t'other it is too much for it, and so it was
here, sir. We boarded her from the starn, and had driven them right up
into the bows, but being a bit india-rubbery, when they could get no
farther they bounced back on us and we were being driven step by step
along the deck, farther and farther aft, till they gathered theirselves
together with a rush, yelling like demons, and the next thing would have
been that such of us as could stand would have been driven over into our
boat again. But there was a regular hearty British cheer when we least
expected it, for we had forgotten all about our other boat, and there
were the launchers swarming over her bows and taking them in the rear.
That made our lads take heart again. We cheered back, and charged, and
there were the slavers, blacks, half-breeds and Portuguese, took, as you
might say, between the jaws of a big rat-trap, every one of whose teeth
was a British sailor; and to save being chopped in two, down they all
tumbled into the slaver's hold, trapped themselves like the poor
wretches the hold was packed with. My word, Mr Rodd, sir, there are
some things as a fellow never can forget, and that was one of them. It
was just awful, sir!"
"What, did you kill them all?" cried Rodd, horror-stricken.
"Nay, sir, not one. We might have killed some of them if they had kept
on showing fight; and I don't say, mind you, as some of them hadn't got
some very awkward cuts, for when a British tar's fighting in a good
cause, and been knocked about till his monkey's well up, his habit is to
hit hard; but there, as soon as we had driven that lot below they
chucked their knives and axes and pikes away and began to howl for
mercy. What I meant was so awful was that place down below--that there
hold with the slaver's crew trampling about and trying to hide
themselves amongst the chained-up cargo. Awful aren't the word for it,
sir! The lads couldn't stand it: let alone the sick and dying, there
were some there that must have been dead for days, and that in a close
hold in a sea like this! But I believe it was much hotter. Even the
slaver's crew themselves begged to be let out--and there, I won't say
any more about it. It was quite time even then that our old country
began to put a stop to the slave trade, and I am sorry to say they
aren't done it yet. That's what made us chaps to-night so free-and-easy
with that there boat's crew. You see, you can't help liking fellows who
are trying to put a stop to things like that."
"No, Joe, of course not. But that's not what they are down here for."
"Who says so, sir?"
"Why, that midshipman, Mr Lindon, told me so."
"Well, he ought to know, sir. What did he say they were here for,
then?"
"He didn't say, only that it was private and he couldn't speak."
"Well, I don't know, then, only a man-of-war wouldn't be down here for
nothing; that's pretty sure. Maybe we shall run into company with them
again some day, and then I dare say we shall know. They gave us lads a
fright, but I aren't sorry we met them, sir, for it was a bit of a
change. Yes, Mr Rodd, sir, they are down here on some business
pertickler secret and sealed orders; but you wait a bit, sir, and I dare
say one of these days you'll find out."