"Well, boys," said my father, "unpacked? That's right, but you might as
well have undone them." We each dashed at a package, whipped out our
knives, cut the string, and rapidly unrolled the contents, till Bigley
held a pistol, and I a cutlass, of the regular navy pattern both.
My father took the sword from my hand, drew its short broad blade, and
made it whiz through the air as he gave a cut, guarding directly, and
then giving point.
"Hah!" he said, as we watched him breathlessly, "I used to have two
hundred and fifty stout Jack-tars under me, boys, every one of whom
handled a cutlass like that."
"Two hundred and fifty," I said; "just as many as there are cartridges
in those boxes."
"How did you know that they were cartridges?" he said smiling.
"Well, we guessed that they were, father," I replied colouring. "It
seemed as if there must be cartridges for the pistols."
"Right, my boy," he replied.
"And of course cartridges are not wanted for cutlasses," I continued.
"No," he said laughing; "you load your cutlasses with muscles."
"But they want belts," I ventured to observe.
"To be sure," said my father. "There they are in that box. You shall
unpack them when we've undone these. Let me look at that pistol,
Uggleston."
Bigley handed him the pistol, and my father drew the ramrod, thrust it
down the barrel, and gave it two or three taps to make sure that it was
not loaded. Then replacing the ramrod he cocked it, held it at arm's
length, and drew the trigger.
There was a little scintillation as the flint struck the cover of the
pan, and he cocked and drew the trigger again, we two watching him with
intense interest, and longing to try the pistol ourselves, but not
liking to ask permission.
"There, work away!" he said, "save the string, and lay the brown paper
in heaps; it may come in useful."
We set to work, while my father took a hammer and some large nails from
a drawer, and, standing on a stool, drove the nails in a row along a
board at one side of the office, and as we unpacked he took the weapons
from us and hung them up, a cutlass between two pistols, arranging the
nails so that the arms looked ornamental, while at the same time they
were quite ready to hand in case they should be wanted.
It took us some little time, but at last the task was done, and the
cartridge chests stowed away in a cupboard, but not till each one had
been carefully wrenched open, the copper nails taken out, and the lids
replaced loose on the top.
"There, Master Bigley," said my father dryly. "That's what I call being
ready for action." Bigley nodded.
"If those boxes were put away unopened, the chances are a hundred to one
that on the occasion of their being wanted the chisel and hammer would
not be in their places. Now, then, we'll undo that other box."
I could not help seeing, or thinking I saw, a peculiar meaning in my
father's way of saying all this, but Bigley did not understand it I
felt, and we set to at once over the other chest, dragging it into the
middle of the room and prising off the lid, for this one was only
nailed.
It was not so heavy either, but as we had made up our minds that it
contained the uniforms, we were not surprised.
The lid was more tightly nailed down than seemed to be necessary; but we
had it off at last, and then drew out a dozen parcels, which, on being
opened, proved to be white buckskin belts for the waist, with a frog or
pouch to hold and support the cutlasses, and a cross belt of a broader
kind, to which was attached a cartouche-box, ready to hold the
ball-cartridge when required.
Another row of nails was driven in for the belts, which were hung in
pairs, and then we drew out a couple more boxes of cartridges, and that
was all.
"Why, what's the matter, Sep?" said my father, smiling at my
disappointed countenance.
"I was wondering where the uniforms were," I said.
"Uniforms, boy?" said my father. "When my two hundred and fifty lads
attacked the Spanish frigate and took her, they wore no uniforms. Every
man stripped to his shirt and trousers, put a handkerchief round his
waist, threw away his hat, rolled up his sleeves, and tucked up his
trousers. They fought the Spaniard bare-armed, bare-headed,
bare-footed; and if we have to fight, we can do the same, and drive off
our enemies too."
"The French, father?" I said, feeling quite abashed.
"Ay, my boy, or anyone else. These uniforms look very attractive, but
there's a great deal of vanity in them, and we are too busy to give way
to that."
"Yes, father," I said meekly, and as I said it I thought about something
else.
"There, you lads can go now. Thank you for helping to arrange my little
armoury."
We should both have liked to examine those arms a little more. We
should even have liked to try one of the pistols, and shoot at a mark,
but this was a regular dismissal, and we went out, going quietly down to
the stream, all stained now with the dirty water from the mine, and for
some time we preserved silence.
"What are you thinking about, Sep?" said Bigley at last.
"I was thinking how nicely those belts would go with a uniform," I said.
"Were you? How funny!" said Bigley. "That's just what I was thinking."
"What, about a uniform?"
"Yes."
"Blue?"
"No, scarlet."
I went down to the shore with Bigley, and we had a good ramble, after
which he fetched the glass, and we climbed up to the place on the rocks
where his father used to station himself to look out--for fish, Bigley
said; but my father often said they were very rum fish--and there we
swept the horizon to see if we could make out the lugger, but she was
not in sight, and after a time we grew tired of this and lay down in the
warm sunshine upon the cliff, where Bigley dropped off to sleep.
I did not feel sleepy, though, but full of thought. Above all, I could
not help thinking over my father's behaviour that day. It was evident
that he feared attack by making such preparations, and no doubt I should
soon see him drilling the work-people he had gathered around him, and I
dwelt a good deal, being tolerably observant, upon the fact of his
letting Bigley see all his preparations. I was asking myself why he had
done this, and what reason he had for it, when Bigley woke up and said
that it was time to go and get something to eat.
I did not answer and say it was, but a silent monitor gave me a hint
that he was quite correct, and so we went to the cottage, and Mother
Bonnet gave us quite a feast of bread and butter and fried fish, which
form no bad refreshment for two hungry boys.