THE STARBOARD AND PORT WATCHES OF THE MAUD
An independent cruise in the Maud was to the big four the most
delightful affair in the world, not that they considered themselves
restricted and restrained on board of the Guardian-Mother, for they had
all the liberty they desired. Louis was devoted to his studies, though
he desired to obtain all the practical information he could as he went
from port to port in foreign countries. The other three were very much
inclined to follow his lead, whether it was to work or play, to study
or recreate.
The pleasure of navigating the Maud on their own responsibility was
a novelty which they enjoyed in the highest degree, though it was
likely to lose some of its charm in time. They had had a taste of
this pleasure in the excursion to Tangier, and the exciting features
connected with it had given it an additional zest.
Captain Ringgold regarded himself as an educator, though a learned and
skilful professor was employed for the teaching in detail. As has been
suggested several times before, he had theories on this subject of
which he desired to make a practical application. He wanted to develop
the boys, and make good and useful men of them. In keeping them well
employed he kept the old maxim in mind that the gentleman in black,
with horns, hoofs, and a caudal appendage, "finds some work for idle
hands to do."
It was not hard labor, but occupation, upon which he depended to
improve the bodies and the minds of his charge. Though he insisted that
the boys should be modest and respectful, he did not accept the idea
which prevails in England, France, and some other countries of Europe,
that young people should practically be zeroes till they were of age.
He believed that they should be developed as rapidly as their nature
and temperament would permit. They could only obtain this freedom of
mind by learning to depend upon themselves.
The several adventures in which some or all of the young men had been
engaged, especially Louis Belgrave, who had really become a man all
at once, as it were, when his troubles with his rascally step-father
began, had contributed to the kind of development the commander had in
mind. The trip to Tangier had assured him that the boys were competent
to handle the Maud skilfully and with a fair measure of science.
Captain Ringgold was absolutely proud of his success in reforming the
life and manners of Scott Fencelowe, and he had talked with Uncle
Moses and Dr. Hawkes a great deal about the improvement which had been
made in his character. He had really lived much of his time on board
of a yacht, and had made an accomplished boatman of himself. When he
boasted of the races he had won with the Seahound and other boats, the
commander was incredulous; but he had no difficulty in believing all
the stories he had told at the present time.
On the cruise of the Maud to Tangier he had proved that he had pluck
and skill; for he had sailed the little steamer exceedingly well, and
shown that he possessed ingenuity of a high order, or the Pacha would
certainly have captured the party, and thrown the two alleged culprits
into a prison.
The Guardian-Mother was not ready to sail from Gibraltar. She had to
take in coal in the early morning, and attend to certain custom-house
formalities. Ali-Noury Pacha, judging from what he had casually dropped
in his stormy interview with the commander, had evidently expected to
be received as a "distinguished Moor" on board of the Guardian-Mother,
and even seemed to think he had made an impression upon the
susceptibilities of Mr. Woolridge's lovely daughter.
His eyes had certainly been opened by the plain speech of the captain,
and he could not conceal the disappointment he felt. He did not seem to
be aware that the Guardian-Mother had three times run away from him and
his steamer; or to be able to deduce the simple truth from the hurried
departure of the ship on these occasions. He was filled with wrath and
the desire for revenge. The commander had "spoken out" to him only
when it had become absolutely necessary to do so.
He was capable of making a great deal of trouble, and he appeared
to have influence enough to do almost anything he pleased. Captain
Ringgold believed it would save him and the people on board the ship
a great deal of annoyance if the two alleged culprits were out of the
way, and he promptly decided to put them in a safe place. He had spoken
to Uncle Moses and Mrs. Belgrave and with Mr. and Mrs. Woolridge about
the matter, and none of them raised any objection. All of them had so
much confidence in the wisdom and discretion of the commander that they
were ready to follow his advice in almost everything.
The bunkers had all been filled up with coal, water and an abundant
supply of provisions had been put on board of the Maud, and the captain
and the officers had thoroughly inspected the craft in her hull, as
Mr. Shafter and Mr. Sentrick had the machinery. She was said to be in
perfect order in every respect. She was built of the best quality of
steel. In the little pilot-house, at the request of Captain Scott, a
broad table had been put in which folded up over the divan.
He had been supplied with an extra compass, though there were two
on board, a sextant, a parallel ruler, dividers, and all the small
implements he required in working out the course after he had obtained
the latitude and longitude. He had studied navigation at the high
school where he lived, near the water, and had practised it in his
yacht with a borrowed sextant. He was now completely equipped, and the
pilot-house had become a sort of paradise to him.
Louis and Morris spent the evening with their parents in the cabin;
Scott and Felix were busy on board of the Maud. None of them thought of
sleeping, though some of them would be on duty all night after they got
under way. They were too much excited at the prospect before them to
sleep.
"We have got everything fixed all right now, Flix," said Scott, as
they seated themselves in the cabin. "It was a big thing for Captain
Ringgold to employ another engineer, for now we shall have no more
bother with the machinery."
"Faix, we have two Dons in the engine-room, and both of them talk
Spanish. I hope they will be able to make the Maud walk Spanish."
"Don John," as the captain of the little steamer had already called
Donald, "seems to be a very good fellow, for I have had quite a talk
with him in English. He speaks Arabic too."
"Then we shall have a little gum Arabic to put in the mixture, and that
will make us stick together all the more closely," added Felix.
"Very good; but we were pretty well glued together before he came.
Flix, let us overhaul"--
"I had an old pair of overalls I brought with me for dirty work; but I
haven't had a bit of it to do, and gave them to Don John," interposed
Felix.
"Let us overhaul matters a little, and see how we stand, for we shall
all be busy after we get under way," said Captain Scott, finishing his
sentence. "We have captains enough."
"Yes, for, like a bull in a china shop, one is quite enough. We have
the best captain out, and the commander of the Guardian-Mother couldn't
do the duty any better."
"Thank you, Flix. We have two engineers, and they will take care of
their department without any help from the rest of us. We have one
mate, who is also the pilot, though he will do no more steering than
the rest of us, outside of the engine-room. That gives us two watch
officers, for as we have no second mate, the captain will have to keep
his own watch."
"Why don't you make Louis the second mate? He has no office, if he is
the biggest fellow in the crowd," suggested Felix.
"Louis does not want any office, and would not take any; he told me so
himself."
"He's a very modest bit of a duck."
"Now we must divide ourselves into watches," continued the captain,
though he did not particularly enjoy the interruptions of Felix, who
was often struggling to bring forth a joke on such occasions as the
present. "You know there are two watches on board ship, Flix?"
"One on the starboard and the other on the port side," added Felix with
a gape.
"Nonsense! You know very well that the name has nothing to do with the
sides of the ship!" exclaimed Captain Scott impatiently. "Now talk
sense, and we will soon settle this business; then you can flop over
on the divan and go to sleep. Do you know which is the captain's watch,
Flix?"
"To be sure I do; it's the one he commands."
"More nonsense, though we are now engaged in serious business! Port or
starboard?" demanded Scott.
"Port, because the red light always belongs on the port side."
"Wrong! The mate always has the port watch. Now do you know which is
which?"
"Faix, you didn't tell me which was the captain's watch," replied Felix
with a blank look. "I'll figure it out, and I may be able to tell you
by the time we are ready to sail."
"You are not a fool, Flix!"
"Wait till I argue the matter with myself. The mate has the port watch,
and the captain has the other," replied Felix, scratching his head as
if to stimulate his ideas. "Begorra! it just shoots through my mind,
like an electric light in a dark street when it is touched off! The
captain's watch must be the starboard."
"Right; but I wonder your long head hasn't exploded in working out the
problem. When there is a second mate"--
"That's metaphysics, for we have no second mate," protested Felix.
"For that reason the captain has to keep his own watch, which the
second mate would keep for him if there were one," continued the
captain. "Just as soon as the ship gets into deep water the crew are
divided into watches."
"Do you think the water is deep enough in here to divide the crew into
watches?" asked Felix, still struggling to be funny.
"It is two hundred fathoms deep in the middle of the bay, and it will
do. Each officer chooses a man in turn."
"It won't take long in this case, as the crew consists of only two."
"The captain makes the first choice, and I choose you, Flix."
"You do me very great honor, Captain Scott, and I was not before aware
that I stood so high in your affections, and I thank you from the top
to the bottom of my heart," replied the Milesian, taking off his cap
and bowing low to his companion.
"No affections about it! I only want to make the best division of the
hands," answered Captain Scott. "Louis is older than Morris and will
be in his watch; and the mate may need his advice and assistance, for
he knows something about sailing a steamer. Now, according to custom,
the captain takes the ship out, and the mate brings her home. That
indicates that you and I have the first watch on deck; and Felipe will
have it in the engine-room. It is ten o'clock now, and you have time
for a two hours' snooze before we get under way."
Felix had tried to keep awake by struggling to be funny, and he was
ready to take the advice of the captain, who had no inclination to take
a nap. Scott went on deck, where two seamen from the ship were keeping
the anchor watch. Presently Captain Ringgold came down the gangway
followed by a young seaman from the crew of the ship.
"One thing had almost been forgotten, Captain Scott," said the
commander. "You must eat on board of the Maud, and you have no cook and
steward. You need good food, well prepared."
"I did not forget it, sir, for I was thinking of it this evening,"
replied Scott.
"I have detailed Pitts from the crew for this duty; he has served as
both cook and steward. Show him the galley."
The commander returned to the Guardian-Mother.