There was something tempting about that idea of being measured for a
uniform, though Syd declared to himself he hated it. All the same,
though, he went down the garden to where Barney was digging that
morning, and after a little beating about the bush, asked him a question
he could have answered himself, from familiarity with his father's and
uncle's garb.
"I say, Barney, what's a captain's uniform like?"
"Uniform, my lad?" said the old boatswain, seizing the opportunity to
rest his foot on his spade, and began rubbing the small of his back, or
rather what is so called, for Barney had no small to his back, being
square-shaped like a short log. "Well, it's bloo coat, and white
weskutt and breeches, and gold lace and cocked hat, and two gold swabs
on the shoulders."
"And what's a lieutenant's like?"
"Oh, pooty much the same, lad, only he's on'y got one swab on 'stead o'
two. But what's the good o' your asking?--you've seen 'em often enough
in Southbayton."
"Oh, but I never took any notice. What's a midshipman's like?"
"Bloo, my lad, and a bit o' white on the collar."
"And a cocked hat?"
"Oh yes, a cocked hat--a small one, you know."
"And a sword, Barney?"
"Well, as to a sword, lad," said the old sailor, wiping a brown corner
of his mouth; "it arn't right to call such a tooth-pick of a thing a
sword. Sort of a young sword as you may say, on'y it never grows no
bigger, and him as wears it does. Dirks, they calls 'em, middies'
dirks."
"A uniform and a sword," said Sydney to himself. "A blue uniform with
white on the collar, and a cocked hat and a sword!"
It was very tempting, and the boy went on down by the side of the lake,
beyond which were the great trees, with the ragged nests of the tall
birds which gave the name to the captain's residence, where he had
settled to end his days well in view of the sea.
Here where the water was smooth as glass Sydney stood leaning over,
holding on by a bough, and gazing at his foreshortened image, as in
imagination he dressed himself in the blue uniform, buckled on his dirk,
and put on his cocked hat.
It was very tempting, but disinclination mastered vanity, and he turned
away to go back toward the house.
"I wonder whether Pan means it," he said to himself. "Suppose we went
together to seek our fortunes; he could be my servant, and father and
Uncle Tom would forgive me if I came back rich."
But somehow in a misty way as he walked up to the back of the house,
half thinking that he would sound the boy, it hardly seemed to be the
way to seek a fortune to start off with a servant.
He had nearly reached the yard when a door was thrown open, and the
object of his search rushed out, followed by a shower of words and
shoes, which latter came pattering out into the yard as a shrill voice
cried--
"A nasty, lazy, good-for-nothing young scamp--always playing with that
dog instead of doing your work. Not half clean--not fit to be seen."
Syd drew back, thinking to himself that Pan could not be much happier
than he was himself with the red-faced cook, who ruled over all the
servants, to play tyrant to the boy as well.
"Now what could two lads do if they went right away?" mused Syd. "We
couldn't go abroad without going to sea. I don't think I want to be a
soldier, and we're not big enough if I did. I know--we'd go to London.
People seek their fortunes there."
He seated himself beneath the walnut tree to think it out, but somehow
the idea of running away did not seem bright. It was less than a
hundred miles to London by the coach-road, and if they walked all the
way it did not seem likely that they would have any adventures.
Syd felt in despair, for life seemed as if it must be a terribly dull
place without adventures.
He thought he would not run away for two reasons. One that it would
look cowardly; the other that it did not look tempting.
"There does not seem any chance of meeting with adventures unless you go
to sea," he said to himself. "I wish there was no sea in the world."
A loud voice from the other end of the garden, followed by another, took
his attention.
"Poor old Pan catching it again," mused Syd. "Everybody seems to scold
him."
The dull sound of a blow, a howl, and then a rushing noise explained by
the appearance of Panama Strake, who was dashing helter-skelter across
the garden, as regardless of flower-bed and tree as a young colt that
had broken through a hedge.
"Hi! Pan, where are you going?" cried Syd.
The boy glanced once in his direction, but did not stop running on as
hard as he could go for the front entrance, and directly after the gate
was heard to bang.
"Some one must have hit him," thought Syd. "Poor old Pan, he's always
in trouble. Why, I kicked him last week," he added remorsefully.
"Seen my boy Pan, Master Syd?" said a hoarse voice.
"Yes; he came running by here like a wild bull. Have you been hitting
him?"
"Hitting of him?" growled the ex-boatswain; "on'y just wish I'd had a
rope's-end 'stead o' this here," and he held up the handle of the rake
he had been using. "On'y time to give him one tap and he was gone."
"Enough to make him go. What was the matter, Barney?"
"Heverythink, Master Syd. That there boy's gettin' worse than you."
"Oh! is he?"
"Growlin' and grumblin' at any mortal thing. Won't do his work, and
says he won't go to sea, just the same as you do; and now he's been
sarcing the cook."
"For saying the boots and shoes were not clean."
"How do you know, Master Syd?"
"I saw her throwing them at him. You'd no business to hit him with that
rake shaft."
"What! No business to hit him? Why, he's my own boy, arn't he? All
right then, Master Syd; there's an old wagon rope in the shed, I'll lay
up a bit o' that--hard; and on'y just wait till he comes back, that's
all. Won't be a sailor, won't he! I'll let him see. If he won't be
able to write AB at the end of his name 'fore he's one-and-twenty my
name arn't Barnaby Strake."
The old boatswain went off growling; and in the lowest of low spirits,
Syd went indoors, to make his way to the library, shut himself in, and
begin taking down the books from the dusty shelves, seeking for one
which dealt with adventures.
There was no lack of them, but somehow or another all seemed to have the
smack of the salt sea. Now and then he came upon some land adventures,
but it was always preceded by a voyage to the place; and at last he
threw a book down peevishly.
"Any one would think the world was all sea," he grumbled; "that's the
worst of being born on an island."
He started from his seat, for the handle of the door rattled, and his
father and uncle entered the library.
"Oh, you're here, sir!" cried Captain Belton. "That's right. Your
uncle and I have been talking about you."
"Laying down your lines, Syd, so as to turn you out a smart craft."
"Yes," said Captain Belton, merrily. "We've settled about your hull,
Syd; and to-morrow morning we're going to take you up to town, and if
all turns out right--"
"Oh, that's all right," said Sir Thomas. "Dashleigh would do anything
for me."
"If his complement is not made up."
"And if it is. Hang it, Harry; you can always squeeze another boy into
a seventy-gun ship."
"Well, I suppose it will be all right," said the captain; "and if it is
we'll get you rigged."
"Yes, and if you'll be a good lad, and try and learn your profession,
I'll make you a present of your outfit, Syd. The best that can be had,"
said Sir Thomas.
"And I'd give you a gold watch," said the captain, "only you'd lose it,
or get it stolen or broken before you had been to sea a month. There,
my boy, no objections. It's all settled for you, and we want to see you
a post-captain before we go into the locker."
"Yes, and bring in a few good Spanish prizes, sir. It'll be all right,
brother Harry. He thinks he don't like the sea, but he does. Now then,
you dog, why don't you come and shake hands?"
"Because I don't want to go, uncle."
"What, you dog! Yah! Get out. I don't believe it."
"Go and shake hands with your uncle, Syd," said the captain, sternly.
The boy walked across to where the admiral was seated on the arm of one
of the great easy-chairs, and held out his hand.
"Here, what's this?" cried the bluff, choleric old sailor. "Not a boy's
hand, is it. Feels like the tail of a codfish. Shake hands like a man,
you dog. Ah, that's better. There, cheer up; you'll soon get used to
the sea and love it. You won't be happy ashore after your first
voyage."
"Want any money, Syd?" said the captain.
"No, thankye, father," said the boy, gloomily.
"What!" roared the admiral, laboriously thrusting his hand into his
breeches pocket and dragging it out again. "Don't believe it. A boy
who don't want money is a monster, not fit to be trusted with it. Here
you are, boy. Five guineas. Don't fool it away, but buy anything with
it you like."--A strange contradiction, by the way, though the old
admiral did not notice it.--"Put it in your pocket, and--Pst! Syd," he
whispered, "whenever you want any more, write to me. Don't bother the
dad. Our secret, eh, you dog?"
"What's that?" cried the captain.
"Mind your own business, sir," cried the admiral, with mock rage.
"Private instructions to our young officer. There, be off, Syd, before
he begins to pump."
The boy gladly escaped from the library, to dash up into his own room,
and fling the money into a corner with a demonstration of rage, before
sitting down, resting his chin upon his doubled fists, and staring
straight before him.
"It's all over," he said at last. "I wanted to be a gentleman, and do
what was right; but--Yes, it's all over now."
Just at the same time Captain Belton was speaking to his brother in the
library.
"I'm sorry the boy took it like that, Tom," he said. "I don't like his
sulky manner."
"Bah! only a boy," cried the admiral. "Chuffy because he can't have his
own way. Wait till he gets his cocked hat and his dirk."
The old man chuckled and wiped his eyes.
"I haven't forgotten the sensation yet, Harry. You remember too?"
"Oh yes, I remember," said the captain, thoughtfully.
"Of course you do. I say, what a pair of young gamecocks we were. Why,
I can remember now flourishing the tooth-pick about, with its blade half
blue steel and a lion's head on the hilt. Never you mind about Syd; the
uniform will set him right."
"I hope so."
"Hope so. Don't I tell you it will! I like the boy; plenty of
downright British courage in him. Isn't afraid of either of us. Egad,
I like him, Harry; and he'll turn out a big man."