SHORT OF WATER.
"They may play bluff as much as they like; but you had better believe
there will be a sensation in the morning, if not before," said
Howe,--after the fifteen members of the Order of the Faithful had
retired to their rooms,--addressing Raymond, who manifested no little
vexation at the cavalier manner in which he had been treated by his
friend and messmate.
"What will that be?" asked the milder rebel.
"Wait, and you will see," replied Howe, mysteriously. "We didn't go
down into the hold for nothing."
"What did you go down for?"
"You will find out soon."
"Well, I want you to understand that I didn't have anything to do with
your plots and schemes," added Raymond, cautiously.
"You didn't! Who said you didn't? I say, Raymond, you are a good fellow
to kiss the hand that smites you; and I hope you will keep on kissing
it. What did you try to pump Tremere for, after you saw what he was up
to?"
"I wanted to know what he was up to."
"Don't you know? It is a game of bluff. Those fellows pretend to be
indifferent to what we are doing."
"They certainly seem to be very indifferent. Have you any idea what
that white ribbon means?"
"Have I? Certainly I have. Can't you see through the side of the ship,
when there's a port in it? That ribbon is to distinguish the lambs from
the black sheep, like you and me."
"Pooh! What's the use of that?"
"So that the officers can tell them in the dark as well as at noonday.
But Little has given those fellows a name already. He calls them the
White Feathers. We must laugh at them, make game of them, whip them
with their own weapons. Hark!" said Howe, suddenly turning his head
towards the kitchen, near the door of which they stood.
"What's the matter?"
"They are trying the pump," replied Howe, as both of them plainly heard
the sucking, "squilching" noise made by the copper pump, from which the
cook was trying to draw water from the tanks below.
"What of it?" demanded Raymond, who did not see anything remarkable in
the circumstance.
"Never mind; you will find out soon enough," answered the chief
runaway, as he left his companion thoroughly mystified, and not a
little alarmed; for it was evident that some terrible mischief had been
perpetrated.
The pump sucked and groaned under the efforts of the cook, who had been
directed to make a pot of coffee for the use of the watch, and was now
trying to obtain water for that purpose. None would come, and it was
plain to him that the pump was out of order. Taking a bucket and a
lantern, he passed into the steerage, and opened the scuttle. The
runaways observed him with intense interest; for the time had come when
they were to "make themselves felt." The cook went down into the hold,
and was absent about a quarter of an hour. He returned with an empty
bucket in his hand, and hastened on deck with the alarming intelligence
that the water tanks were all empty, which he communicated to the head
steward.
As the tanks had been filled just before the ship left the dock at
Havre, the head steward was not willing to believe the startling
report. He went into the hold himself with the cook. By this time the
runaways thought it prudent to keep out of sight, and all of them
retired to their rooms, and most of them to their berths. The head
steward tried the tanks, and was satisfied with the truth of the
report. When the ship rolled, the faucets on the lee side poured out a
few drops of water. Sounded with a mallet, the tanks gave forth only a
hollow, empty sound. The steward was astonished and mortified at the
discovery, for he was responsible for keeping the ship supplied with
water, as well as with all other necessaries in the culinary
department. He inquired very particularly in regard to the state of the
faucets when the cook had first come below to draw water, and was
assured that they were firmly closed. He lifted up some of the ballast,
and saw that it was wet. He went to the well, where all the leakage of
the ship is collected to be thrown up by the pumps.
The ship was regularly pumped out twice a day, and this duty had been
performed just before the crew were piped to supper. There should have
been but little water in the well; but there was enough to satisfy the
head steward that the contents of the water tanks had flowed into it.
Dipping one of his fingers into the water, he tasted it, and its
freshness was another convincing proof of the fact.
"Has any one but the cooks and stewards been in the hold?" he inquired.
"Not that I know of," replied the cook. "I haven't been out of the
kitchen since supper."
"Over forty of the students have been in the steerage since the ship
sailed."
"The stewards told me that the boys were standing out."
"In my opinion, some of them have been in the hold, and started those
faucets."
"You don't think they'd do that--do you?" exclaimed the cook.
"Some of them would sink the ship, if they dared. I think the principal
did not manage this affair just right. He ought to have seized the
young rascals up to the rigging, and kept them there till they were
ready to do duty without grumbling. Now let us see if there is water in
any of the casks."
"No, sir; the boatswain broke 'em out, and cleaned the casks, while we
were in the dock."
The head steward took the mallet, and sounded upon the head of each
cask. They were all empty; and it was clear enough that there was not a
drop of fresh water in the hold, except that which was already mingled
with the foul bilge-water under the ballast. The ship was going to sea,
and both clouds and barometer indicated heavy weather. The steward was
troubled, and immediately hastened to the principal with the alarming
intelligence. He found Mr. Lowington in the main cabin, and announced
the discovery he had made.
"It is a scheme to drive the ship back to port," added the principal,
after he had satisfied himself, by questioning the steward, that the
tanks had really been filled while the ship was in the dock.
"Well, sir, it seems to me that the plan must be successful," added the
steward, with a grim smile.
"Doubtless it will be; but we will not return to Havre. We shall be off
Cherbourg in the morning, and we will make a harbor there. But there
must be some water on board."
"Only what is in the water-jars, sir. Possibly there are ten or fifteen
gallons in all of them."
There was a large water jar in the steerage, and one in each of the two
cabins, which had been filled just before the ship sailed. The steward
was directed to draw them off, and save the water, to be dealt out as
sparingly as the emergency might require. There were several tons of
ice in the store-room, which had been filled at Havre; and there was no
danger of any suffering for the want of the needed element. The
principal went on deck with the steward, and observed that the wind was
freshening, with a decidedly nasty look to windward. It might not be
possible to go into Cherbourg the next morning with safety; and Mr.
Lowington did not like the idea of being driven into port before the
mutiny had been suppressed. The Josephine was half a mile to windward,
under easy sail; and, in the present state of the sea, it was an easy
matter to communicate with her, as it might not be a few hours later.
He therefore explained the situation to Captain Shuffles,--who was
still on deck with Grace and Paul, too nervous and too anxious to
retire,--and directed him to call all hands.
The boatswain piped the call. Peaks and the head steward at the main
hatch, in accordance with their instructions, would permit none who did
not wear the white ribbon of the Order of the Faithful to come on deck.
Hyde and his party proposed to return to their duty. They had had
mutiny enough, and their leader, speaking for the whole, asked
permission to be reported to the principal. The steward bore the
message to him, while the twelve penitents waited at the ladder. The
runaways remained in their rooms; but Raymond made an ineffectual
effort to induce them to be firm.
"Come up!" said Peaks, when the principal appeared at the hatch, and
gave the order.
"We wish to return to our duty, sir," Hyde began; "we are very sorry
for our disobedience, and are willing to take the consequences."
"How many of you are there?" asked Mr. Lowington.
"Twelve in our party, sir."
"Will you conform, in every respect, to the requirements of the present
occasion?"
"We will, sir."
"But they must join the order," interposed Grace, who had accompanied
Paul to the waist. "They are not entitled to the white ribbon, for they
have come in at the eleventh hour."
Mr. Lowington smiled, and directed the penitents to repair to the
quarter-deck.
"I am so glad they have yielded!" said Grace.
"So am I. You can let them take the second degree to-night," laughed
Paul.
"Yes; and that shall be a blue ribbon. The next ones that come shall
have the yellow ribbon, and be the first degree. That's all the
different colors I have," added Grace, as she hastened to her
state-room to procure the material for the decoration of the penitents,
who were standing before the principal, abaft the mizzen-mast.
"Are you really sorry for what you have done, or do you back out
because your plan does not work well?" asked the principal of the
delinquents.
"I am really sorry for it, sir," answered Hyde; and there is not a
doubt that he spoke the simple truth.
"Have you been into the hold this evening?"
"Yes, sir," replied Hyde, promptly.
"For what purpose?"
"We only went because the others did; but we did not stay there long."
"Have you meddled with the water tanks?"
"No, sir."
"Has any one?"
"I do not know, sir. Down in the steerage, we were divided into three
parties, because we did not agree very well;" and Hyde explained the
views of each party, and the localities which they had occupied during
their visit to the hold.
Mr. Lowington readily comprehended the object of the runaways, when
they induced the other two parties to visit the hold. In fact, he saw
the whole truth just as it was; that the Howe party had made the
mischief from the beginning, and that the others were the victims of
their cunning schemes. He believed that his plan was working well,
since it was eliminating the comparatively innocent from the guilty.
"You may return to your duty, on this condition--that you have no
communication with either the Howe or the Raymond party," added Mr.
Lowington. "You will not inform them in regard to anything which has
transpired, or may transpire, on deck. Do you accept the conditions?"
"I do, certainly, sir," replied Hyde.
Others gave the required pledge, astonished to be restored to their
duty on such mild terms. They took their stations with the crew. But
Grace Arbuckle soon appeared with the blue ribbons, and Hyde was
conducted to her by the commodore.
"I confer upon you the second degree of the Order of the Faithful, and
decorate you with the blue ribbon. When you have proved yourself
faithful to your duty, and worthy of promotion, you will be advanced to
the third degree, the emblem of which is the white ribbon," said Grace,
as she pinned the decoration upon his breast.
"Thank you," replied Hyde, rather bewildered by the ceremony.
The rest of the penitents were brought up, and, in like manner,
initiated into the Order of the Faithful. Of course they wanted to know
more about it, and the new organization was explained to them.
"I'm glad you backed out, Hyde," said Tremere. "When are the rest
coming?"
"I don't know that they are coming at all. I got enough of it."
"What do those fellows want to do?"
"Get their rights."
"Well, they'll get them when they return to their duty, and not before,
unless it is the right to be punished for their disobedience," added
Tremere.
"I still think it was not fair to give up the trip to the Rhine, after
the promise that we should go, though it was a great mistake of mine to
refuse to do duty," added Hyde.
"Who says the trip is given up?"
"All the fellows;" and Hyde rehearsed the arguments which had been used
to sustain the proposition.
"As you are now a member of the Order of the Faithful, you may know its
secrets," laughed Tremere. "Mr. Lowington made an explanation to those
who did not take the law into their own hands;" and he proceeded to
give the substance of this statement.
Hyde was all the more disgusted with the course he and his friends had
adopted, and was fully resolved to do his duty in future, whatever his
personal opinions might be. The mildest of the mutineers were thus
disposed of, and a dozen pair of hands added to the force of the ship.
While this conversation was in progress, the Young America had been
headed towards the Josephine. Peaks had fired one of the guns on the
forecastle, which was the signal, in the night, for the consort to
heave to. Hyde's party had been restored to their several stations,
while the volunteer officers still filled the places of those who did
not answer the boatswain's call. The Josephine promptly obeyed the
signal, and the ship ran up to her, as near as it was prudent to go,
backed her main-topsail, lying to on her quarter. The first cutter was
manned and lowered, vacancies in her crew being filled with the
stoutest hands available. A dozen breakers, or kegs, used for boat
service, were put on board, and with Peaks to assist in the stowage,
the cutter shoved off, and pulled for the schooner.
The officer in charge of the boat explained to Mr. Fluxion what had
occurred on board of the ship, and the twelve breakers, with six more
belonging to the consort, were filled and stowed in the boat, which
returned without delay to the Young America. The cutter was hoisted up,
and again the squadron stood on its course. The new supply of water was
immediately secured under lock and key, in one of the store-rooms. The
quantity was still very meagre, being hardly enough for two days'
consumption on full allowance. The watch below was again dismissed. It
included one half of the penitents, who were beset by Raymond's party
with questions and abuse; but they were true to their pledge, and the
rebels were none the wiser.
The noise of the gun and of the lowering of the cutter had been heard
by the runaways, and the appearance of the eighteen breakers, as they
were passed down into the hold, was the assurance of another failure to
them.
"We are dished," said Monroe, as the forward officer passed down the
kegs.
"Perhaps we are, and perhaps we are not," replied Howe. "The end hasn't
come yet."
"I suppose there is room enough in the run for the contents of all
those breakers," added Little.
"Hyde and the rest of those babies have returned to their duty,"
continued Monroe, who was always the first to despond.
"No matter for that; we will keep on this tack till something happens,"
persisted Howe. "By this time we are pretty sure of being left behind
when the fellows go to Germany; and for my part, as Fluxion is going
away, I think that is the best thing that can happen to us. We shall
find a chance to strike out on our own hook."
But the arrival of the water breakers carried consternation to the
runaways, whatever they said and did. They were tired of the battle,
though, if any of them had a thought of repentance, they subdued it.
Raymond's party were angry at the defection of Hyde and his associates,
and the future looked dark and hopeless, so far as remedial agencies
were concerned, but their pride still prompted them to hold out.
Wearied with anxiety and hope deferred, they turned in as the night
advanced.
At eight bells, all hands were called again. The wind was blowing half
a gale, and the starboard watch had taken in the light sails. It was
deemed advisable still further to shorten sail, and a reef was put in
the topsails. The starboard watch then turned in, the port having the
deck till four in the morning. The wind came in heavy gusts from the
south-west, and shortly after midnight it began to veer to the west,
which brought up a dense fog. At four bells in the mid watch, the wind
came square from the west in heavy squalls. The ship went about, and
stood to the southward, the principal intending to go into Cherbourg if
the weather would permit.
At eight bells, when the morning watch was called, another reef was put
in the topsails. At daylight the fog was too dense to think of making a
port, and the ship tacked again. There was a heavy sea running, but
everything went along very well. Captain Shuffles remained on deck all
night, but no emergency occurred which required the exercise of more
than ordinary skill and energy. The wind was blowing a gale, though not
a very severe one. All the students on board had been in worse weather,
and it produced no excitement whatever.
At seven bells in the morning, the port watch was called to breakfast,
according to the regular routine of the ship. The meal consisted of
coffee, beefsteak, fried potatoes, and the rolls which had been baked
the preceding afternoon. Peaks and the head steward were in the
steerage, and when some of the runaways appeared, and attempted to seat
themselves at the mess tables, they were forbidden to do so. Only those
decorated with white or blue ribbons were allowed to breakfast. At
eight bells the port watch went on deck, and the starboard, relieved
from duty, came down to their morning meal, when the tables had been
reset. A fresh supply of hot steaks and potatoes was brought from the
kitchen, for the breakfast of each watch was cooked separately, and
they fared precisely as the other watch had. The rebels were still
excluded from the mess tables, and violent was the grumbling thereat.
When the regular breakfast was finished, the tables were again cleared,
and the mutineers began to think they were to be starved into
subjection; but they were mistaken, in part, at least, for the tables
were again set. This time there were no hot beefsteaks, no fresh rolls,
no fried potatoes, no coffee--nothing but cold corned beef and hard
tack. None of the cooks or stewards said anything, no one made any
remarks of any kind. There was the breakfast--salt junk and hard
tack--regular sailor's fare. The head steward mildly indicated that
breakfast was ready for those who had not already been served. The two
parties of rebels seated themselves, and turned up their noses at the
fare.
"Steward, bring me a mug of coffee," shouted Howe to the nearest
waiter.
"It takes water to make coffee," replied the man, solemnly, and as he
had doubtless been instructed to answer.
"What if it does? Bring me some coffee," repeated Howe, angrily.
"No coffee for this crowd," interposed the head steward, as solemnly.
"But I'm going to have my coffee," added Wilton, whose temper was not
the sweetest in the world, as he rose from his stool, and rushed
towards the kitchen door.
"Avast, my lad!" said Peaks, taking the rebel by the collar with no
gentle force. "It takes water to make coffee."
Wilton was afraid of the boatswain, for there was a tradition on board
that he had, on one occasion, laid hands upon a refractory boy, and he
was evidently in the steerage for a purpose. He skulked back to his
place at the table.
"Can't I have some coffee?" demanded Raymond, of the head steward, when
that official came near his seat.
"You cannot."
"Why not?"
"Because it takes water to make coffee."
"What of that?"
"Owing to circumstances, the supply of water on board is rather short,"
answered the head steward, as solemnly as before.
"That's nothing to do with me. I didn't start the water tanks."
"I obey orders, and don't argue with any one; but there's an old saying
that a man is known by the company he keeps, and I suppose a boy is,
too."
The steward passed on, and refused to answer any more questions.
"If we can't have coffee, give us some water," said Lindsley.
"Water is water," replied the steward.
The rebels were hungry, and they ate, though very sparingly, of the
unpalatable food which was set before them. Like most other boys
belonging to "the first families," they did not relish corned beef at
any time; and that before them, though of excellent quality, was very
salt, having been a long time in the brine. They partook of the beef
and the hard bread simply because there was nothing else with which to
satisfy their hunger. Some of them wanted to "make a row" about the
fare; but Peaks was a very formidable obstacle in the way of any such
demonstration. They ate what they could, rather than what they wanted,
and retreated to their mess-rooms.
"Well, what do you think now?" said Lindsley, as he threw himself into
his berth.
Raymond only shook his head and grated his teeth.
"I think we are sold, and the sooner we back down, the better," added
Lindsley.
"I won't back down!" snapped Raymond, savagely.
"How long do you think you can eat salt horse, without any water to
wash it down?"
"I can stand it till I die!"
"I don't think it is worth while to stand it quite so long as that."
"I do! What right has the principal to deny us even a drop of water?"
"What right have we to stand out, and refuse to do our duty? Howe's
fellows started the water tanks, and--"
"We didn't do it!" interrupted Raymond, savagely. "I won't stand it."
Rushing out into the steerage, he went to the water jar, in one corner.
It was empty, though there was a breaker of water on deck for the use
of the Faithful, who were thirsty. He was mad, and ready for desperate
steps. He hastened to the mess-room of Howe, and entered just as that
worthy was taking a draught from the bottle he had filled at the tanks
the evening before.
"What's that?" demanded he.
"Water," replied Howe, good-naturedly.
"Give us a drink--will you? I'm almost choked," asked Raymond, glad to
see that there was still an alternative.
"No, I thank you," answered Howe, putting the stopper back into the
bottle. "We don't do the heavy jobs, and then provide for those who are
too cowardly to help us."
"We are in the same boat with you; and it isn't fair to let our fellows
suffer while you have water."
"You wouldn't go in with us. We have only a bottle apiece," pleaded
Howe.
Raymond appealed to others in the room, but all of them were of one
mind. The salt beef had created a tremendous thirst among those who had
eaten it, and all who had water made large draughts upon the supply.
The bottles had contained pickles, olives, ketchup, and other similar
articles, so that the water was not very palatable. In the course of
the forenoon, Raymond and his party stealthily attempted to obtain
possession of these bottles, but the runaways were too vigilant for
them; and before dinner the thirsty ones were exceedingly
uncomfortable, to say the least. They tried to conceal their condition
from the Faithful as much as possible, but they were all very nervous
and disquieted.
At one o'clock, after the regular dinner of roast beef and rice pudding
had been served to the Faithful, the tables were again prepared for the
rebels; but the bill of fare was corned beef and hard bread--not a drop
of water. Peaks and the head steward paced the unsteady floor, as they
had done at breakfast time. Raymond, whose tongue and lips were parched
with thirst, became desperate again, and attempted to force his way
into the kitchen. He was seized by the boatswain, and the more he
struggled, the more he was shaken up. He refused to behave himself, and
Peaks thrust him into the brig.