THE SHIP'S COMPANY OF THE STEAMER MAUD
Louis Belgrave did not take kindly to the suggestion of Uncle Moses
to call the little steamer, which had now come into the possession of
the party, the Don Quixote. He had read Don Quichotte, as the book is
called in French, twice with Professor Seveignien, his instructor at
Von Blonk Park, in that language. He was therefore quite familiar with
the career of the knight of La Mancha, which Cervantes wrote as a sort
of burlesque on knight-errantry.
The young millionaire's alleged fondness for adventure had been the
reason why Uncle Moses had playfully given him the name of "Sir Louis;"
but of the four young Americans afloat on the present cruise, he was no
more inclined to erratic enterprises than the others. The average boy
delights in adventure, at least in the contemplation and narration; and
he was no exception to the rule, though he had always been devoted to
his studies.
But the average boy had not the ingenuity, pluck, and enterprise of
Louis; and perhaps he made his adventures more exciting than another
might have done. The nearest approach to him in the big four appeared
to be Scott, who had fully developed himself in the recapture of the
Salihé, though his intended cruise in the Seahound in the West Indies
stamped the metal of which he was made.
Louis did not like the name of Don Quixote, a crack-brained and absurd
adventurer, whose career Cervantes had written and made as ridiculous
as possible for the purpose of bringing knight-errantry into disrepute;
and he succeeded admirably. In dubbing his ward a knight, Uncle Moses
simply intended to ridicule adventures in general.
"I don't like the name of Don Quixote, which my trustee suggests, and
that is the only name that has been mentioned," said Louis, when the
big four had assembled to talk over the organization of the ship's
company, after he had informed them of the purchase of the little
steamer.
The young millionaire had explained to them the use to which it was
intended to apply her, with some enlargement of the idea to suit his
own fancy, and had reported some of the conversation between the
captain, Uncle Moses, and the magnate of the Fifth Avenue.
"Don Quixote isn't a bad name for a boat," added Scott. "I don't know
much about the fellow who bore it, and I am not competent to give an
opinion as to its fitness."
It then appeared that Louis was the only one of the four who had read
the book; and he gave some description of the Spanish knight-errant,
and related some of his adventures with windmills, wine sacks, and
galley slaves.
"The Don is not the fellow for our craft," added Scott. "But I suppose
you own the steam-yacht, Louis, as you do the Guardian-Mother, and you
ought to name her to suit yourself."
"Morris's father is as much an owner of her as I am, for he pays half
her cost. The name was referred to me; but I think Morris ought to have
as much to say about that as I have," replied Louis.
"I don't care what her name is," said Morris, laughing. "There will
be just as much fun in her under one name as any other. If you have
thought of anything, Louis, I will agree to it."
"What shall her name be, Louis?" demanded Scott.
"I thought of calling her the Maud," answered Louis.
"The only objiction in loife I have to that name is that it was what
they called the shtaymer of John Schoble," added Felix.
"But that was not her name, and it was only stuck on over 'Viking.'"
"Maud is a tip-top name!" exclaimed Scott.
"I like it; and it is your mother's name, Louis, which makes me like it
all the more," said Morris.
"Maud it is, then; and no fellow must say Salihé after this," added
Scott.
As a matter of form the question was put to vote, and Maud was
unanimously adopted as the name of the steamer.
"The next thing is to make out a list of officers and crew," suggested
Louis. "But we can't have a great many officers, for we have not
fellows enough to fill the places. First we want a captain, and we will
vote for him by ballot."
Morris was appointed to collect the votes, and three of them were for
Louis, and one for Scott.
"This is very complimentary, and I thank you," Louis proceeded, after
Scott had declared the result of the ballot. "But I must respectfully
and resolutely decline the honor. I do not think I am fitted for the
position, and therefore I must refuse to accept it. Please to bring in
your votes for captain."
Felix caught a sight of Louis's ballot, and the vote stood two for the
owner of the Guardian-Mother and two for Scott. The Milesian, knowing
very well what his crony desired, and how he had voted both times
before, did a little electioneering in a whisper with Morris, and the
next ballot gave the hero of the battle with the smugglers a majority
of the votes.
Scott returned his thanks; but he had voted every time for Louis, and
thought he ought to have the position.
"We don't want any compliments about this business, fellows," replied
Louis. "If I wanted to be simply complimentary, I should vote for
Morris, and he is better qualified for the position than I am; but I
believe Scott has had more experience than any other fellow in the
crowd, for he navigated the Seahound from New York to Florida, and
through the Bahama Islands. I think we have done the right thing, and
Captain Scott it is."
"So say we all of us," repeated Felix and Morris.
"The next place is that of pilot, who shall be at the same time the
mate," continued Louis. "Flix will collect the votes."
Three of them were for Morris; for Louis had unconsciously done a
little electioneering when he spoke of the successful candidate, who
had modestly voted for the usual leader of the party.
"Morris is elected first officer and pilot by your votes," said Louis.
"I don't see but what we have got to the end of the rope, for we can't
all be officers, and Flix and I will be seamen or deck-hands."
"That don't seem to be just right," protested Captain Scott. "The idea
of Louis being a deck-hand is simply absurd."
"But it is just the position I like best," the subject of the remark
insisted.
"Faix, Oi'm in good company as the oder deck-hand," added Felix, with
a merry laugh. "Sorra one bit of ambition have Oi to be an officer.
They're the fellers that will do the worruck while we gintlemanly
deck-hands will luk on and see 'em do it."
"What about the engineer?" asked Captain Scott.
"Of course Felipe Garcias will be the engineer," replied Louis.
"But he is wanted as an oiler on board the ship," suggested the captain.
"Captain Ringgold can easily ship another here."
"But I thought we were to use the Maud only when we were in port to run
about the harbors," said Morris.
"I think we shall do something more than that," replied Louis
significantly. "At any rate, we shall want our own engineer; and I will
see that he is better paid than as an oiler, a 'greaser' as they are
sometimes called. Felipe is a good fellow, and I take an interest in
him."
"Bekase he can shpake Shpanish!" mildly taunted Felix. "Faix I could
shpake it mesel' if me modther had only larned it me whin I was a
babby, loike Philip's modther did him. But, boy the powers of mud, I
belayve you fellers mane to make an indepindint cruise in the Orient,
and go Columbusing all over the ocean boy the way ye's talk!"
"I hinted to Captain Ringgold that there was no need of hoisting the
Maud on the deck of the ship, for we could go in her from one port to
another. I suppose Captain Scott understands navigation."
"I think I know something about it; for that is the one thing I have
studied more than anything else, not only in school, but ever since,"
replied the new captain. "Professor Giroud is instructing me in the
theory of it now, and I take the sun every day, and work up the
observation. I know how to handle a sextant, and I can work out a lunar
on a pinch."
"Perhaps we shall get cast away on a desolate island in the Indian
Ocean, and have a chance to do some Robinson Crusoeing," suggested
Morris.
"That is treason to Captain Scott," added Louis.
"I believe I can do my Bowditching well enough not to bring that upon
my ship's company," said the captain.
This meeting was held in the cabin of the Maud, as they had all
begun to call her. The next thing they did was to take down the sign
upon which the former name of the yacht appeared in front of the
pilot-house, and another to the same effect on the stern. While they
were thus engaged, Captain Chickworth, who had been collecting his
money and talking with the captain in his cabin, came on board.
"You don't like the name," said he when he discovered what they were
doing.
"We have changed it already," answered Louis.
"Which I was going to do myself," added the late owner. "The old one
was not a Christian name, and I was going to call 'er the 'Transit.' I
'ad the two signs halmost ready to put on. Which there is a carver near
the Ragged Stairs gate which 'e 'as the letters hall ready to put on
the board."
"Has he the four letters M-A-U-D on hand?"
Chickworth was sure he had. Louis was delighted, and immediately
offered to land the late owner at the Stairs, and have him go with
him to the carver's. Felipe was in the engine-room, for he had just
returned from landing the consul. Captain Ringgold was informed that
they were going to put Chickworth on shore, and the Maud departed to
obtain her new name.
The carver had the letters of the right size, all gilded and ready
to put on the signs. He was obliging enough to do the work while
Louis waited, and in a short time he returned to the steamer with
the signs under his arm. They were put in their places at once, and
the ship's company bestowed a great deal of admiration upon them.
The Maud got under way, and in a few minutes she was approaching the
Guardian-Mother. The regularly elected pilot was at the wheel, and the
others were on the forecastle.
Captain Scott called for three cheers when he discovered the cabin
party seated under the awning. This called the company to the side;
for they suspected that the big four were up to some mischief, the
commander having informed them of the purchase of the little steamer,
and that her future ship's company had been engaged in organizing to
handle her.
The gentlemen returned the cheers without knowing what they meant, and
the ladies waved their handkerchiefs very vigorously. As the steamer
came a little nearer, Uncle Moses was the first to notice the new name
which had been put up over the windows of the pilot-house. He spelled
out the word and pointed to the name.
"My name!" exclaimed Mrs. Belgrave. "Well, I am more delighted to see
it there than I was when I saw it on that steamer which lies near us."
"It is a capital name for the craft, and it means something now--that
your son is always thinking of you, madam."
"What is the next conspiracy of the big four?" asked the commander as
the crew of the Maud came on board.
"We want to go over to Tangier this afternoon," replied Louis, as soon
as the new name had been discussed and approved.
The application was duly considered, and, no objection being made,
permission for the excursion was granted.