THE START.
THE captain introduced the boys to the Greek who beamed upon them as
though nothing unpleasant had ever passed between them. The lads met
his smiling advances with a cold silence which the captain noticed with
puzzled concern.
As soon as he could do so without attracting too much notice, Walter
drew the old sailor to one side. "We don't want anything to do with
that man," he declared, and he hurriedly told about the whipping and
repeated what Mr. Driver had said.
Captain Westfield looked troubled. "I wish I'd known that two hours
ago," he said. "He's signed on with us now an' if I try to get rid of
him he can make a lot of trouble for us. We have got to take him along.
If we don't, he's liable to libel the schooner an' cost us no end of
money and delay."
Walter's face showed his anxiety and concern.
"He said he was going to bring a boy along with him to act as cabin
boy," said the old sailor after an uncomfortable pause. "Maybe it will
all work out for the best. He won't be able to abuse the lad on the
schooner, an' I don't see how he can make us any trouble. All he's to
do is to make our orders plain to the men, it ain't as though he was an
officer over them."
"Well, if it can't be helped, we have just got to make the best of it,"
Walter agreed, "I am going to keep a mighty close watch on him all the
time, though. We will talk more about it later on. He keeps glancing at
us as though he knew we were talking about him."
As soon as he got the chance, Walter told his chum what the captain had
said.
"I don't like the idea of that fellow going with us," Charley declared,
"but if it has got to be, we had better start in by treating him
friendly. It won't help matters any to quarrel with him."
That was sound sense and the boys at once began to treat the Greek
pleasantly, in spite of the dislike they felt for him.
There was no doubt but what the fellow understood his position
thoroughly. With his able assistance, the captain, in a short time,
secured a full crew of fifteen men, including four professional divers
who brought their queer looking suits with lead shoes and heavy helmets
along with them. The boys were pleased with the appearance of the men.
They were well-built, husky fellows and looked to be capable sailors.
They were much alike in looks, all being broad-shouldered and swarthy
with clean-cut features and straight noses. One alone seemed to differ
greatly from the rest. He was a tall, powerful, handsome fellow with
unusually small hands and feet. He seemed to be shunned by the others
and left very much to himself. He was evidently a good sailor and when
the captain set his new crew at work to getting the schooner ready for
sea he performed his part with a quickness and intelligence that won
the old sailor's approval.
As soon as the work was well under way, Charley and Walter, taking the
interpreter with them, went back up town to purchase their stores. The
bulk of their purchases were made at Mr. Driver's store, but there were
many articles that he did not carry in stock which they had to buy at
the Greek stores. Manuel directed them as to the kind of food their
crew were accustomed to. The bulk of the stores consisted of ripe black
olives in small kegs; queer looking cheeses, rice, black flour and an
abundance of tea and coffee. The boys bought three whole beeves and
four lambs, directing that all their purchases should be sent down to
the schooner at once.
"Whew," whistled Charley as he paid the last bill, "we have only got
five dollars left of our fifteen hundred."
"Don't you care," Walter replied, confidently. "We will have a couple
of thousand dollars anyway coming to us when we get back, and still
have the 'Beauty' besides."
The boys next visited the hotel and got their valises and belongings
which they carried down to their new floating home.
They found that the Greeks already had the meat cut up and sizzling
merrily in the great iron kettles.
The new crew were a quick and willing lot and before dark the last
article was stored aboard, and, with the diving boat towing along
behind, they dropped the schooner down the river to the mouth and
anchored for the night just outside amongst a great fleet of schooners
lying ready for an early morning start for the sponging ground.
Long after they had eaten their supper and all of the crew but the
anchor watch had retired to the forecastle, the four chums sat on
deck admiring the beauty of the scene around them. A thousand lights
twinkled from the fleet and high in the air ahead of them the great
lantern of the Anclote lighthouse on its little island of barren rock.
Captain Westfield awoke the boys early next morning, "Hurry up on deck
if you want to see the prettiest sight you ever saw," he said. The lads
hustled into their clothing and followed him up the ladder. As they
gained the deck they paused with exclamations of deepest admiration.
It was blowing a stiff breeze and the blue water of the Gulf was
dancing and sparkling with white-crested waves. Around them was the
fleet all under sail, their snowy canvas towering high above their
shapely hulls. Some lay with sails slatting, still clinging to their
anchorage while their brightly attired crews worked over windlasses,
reeling in the dripping cables. Some already under way lay hove-to in
the open Gulf waiting for their fellows; while still others, anchors
tripped and sails drawing, heeling over to the brisk breeze, darted
away, sending the water tossing and foaming from their bows.
The boys drew a long breath of pure delight at the beautiful picture.
"It's grand," Charley cried.
"Aye, lad," agreed the captain with satisfaction. "There's no place
like the sea for beautiful scenes. But thar ain't a ship in the whole
fleet as pretty as our own. Just watch her now."
The old sailor gave a few short orders which the interpreter repeated
to the crew. A dozen of them sprang to the windlass, while others stood
by the halyards, ready to hoist the big jibs the second the anchor
broke ground. The "Beauty's" huge main and foresails were already
hoisted and her cable hove short.
The men at the windlass shouted some words.
"Anchor broke," translated Manuel.
"Up helm," commanded the captain, "give her the jibs."
The great sails mounted their stays, the "Beauty's" head played off,
and, careening over 'till her lee rail touched the water, she surged
through the waters like a thing alive.
The chums watched the foam sweep past in transports of delight.
"My, but she's fast," Walter cried.
"Aye, lad," the captain agreed, joyfully. "I ain't never seen a faster,
except maybe Black Sam's schooner. We'll have to shorten sail in an
hour if we don't want to run away from the rest of the fleet."
The boys watched with delight as the Beauty overhauled and passed
schooner after schooner.
As she surged past a large black-hulled vessel with three diving boats
in tow, a man on the stranger's deck waved his cap and shouted,
"Good luck to you. Better keep with the fleet."
"That's Mr. Williams," Charley exclaimed. "I am glad that we are going
to be near somebody we know."
"Yes, it is Mr. Williams," affirmed Manuel, who was standing near. "But
here is my little boy to say that your breakfast is ready."
"What is your name?" Walter enquired of the little fellow as they all
followed him below. "I could never remember that," he said, when the
lad replied with a very long Greek name. "I guess we will have to call
you Ben for short."
The band of chums were very hungry and they seated themselves around
the table before the steaming cups of coffee and waited impatiently
for the food to be brought on, but the little Greek lad took a position
behind their chairs and waited.
"Hurry up, Ben, and bring the breakfast," the captain ordered.
"Breakfast there," the lad replied.
The old sailor repeated his order but Ben replied as before.
"I reckon he don't understand," the captain remarked, "Go up and tell
your father, owner, or whoever he is, to come down."
The lad was back in a minute with the smiling Greek.
"We want our breakfast," the captain explained, "the boy don't seem to
understand."
"He understands all right, but, I see the cook does not comprehend. It
is the custom to have coffee only in the morning on sponging ships."
"Nothing but coffee for breakfast?" roared the old sailor.
"We eat but one meal a day and that at night," the Greek explained. "If
the rest of the crew ate the divers would want to eat also, and that
would be fatal for them. The stomach must be empty when they descend to
the bottom in deep water, otherwise they die."
"Well, they can't see us eat an' I want my three square meals a day,"
said the hungry sailor. "Right saving plan for us though if they only
eat once a day."
"They eat the whole three meals in one," the Greek said with a smile.
"I will speak to the cook at once and he will soon have something ready
for you."
In a very short time they were served with a substantial meal to which
they all did full justice. As soon as it was finished, they returned to
the deck where they learned that the "Beauty" was already so far in the
lead of the fleet that sail had to be shortened.
With Manuel's aid the boys picked out their crews for the diving boat.
They found that many of the Greeks were familiar with gasoline engines
and they selected one of the youngest and most intelligent-looking for
an engineer. The four divers were, of course, allotted to their boat,
but besides them they had to have two men to work the air pump and two
others to tend to the life-lines, which made a crew of nine, besides
the young officers, and would leave only Captain Westfield, Chris and
the cook and five men on board the schooner.
The divers at once began preparations for their future dangerous work.
They examined pump and air hose very carefully, for a slight leak in
either one would mean death by suffocation beneath the surface. They
brought out their diving suits and went over them inch by inch for
possible rents or tears. Many of the suits were old and covered with
a multitude of rubber patches. The boys were amazed that their owners
would dare descend in such worn suits, but Manuel assured them that
the patches were so cunningly put on that not only would they exclude
water, but they would outlast the suit itself.