by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER II.
THE YOUNG AMERICA.
With Mr. Lowington, the Academy Ship, which was the name he usuallyapplied to the idea he had matured, and thus far carried into effect,was not a speculation; he did not intend to see how much money could bemade by the scheme. It was an experiment in the education of rich men'ssons, for only rich men could pay for scholarships in such an expensiveinstitution.
The Brockway Academy was to be continued, under the management of aboard of trustees. An accomplished teacher had been selected by Mr.Lowington, and the school, under its present administration, was in ahighly prosperous condition. Only ten of its pupils had been transferredto the Academy Ship, for it required no little nerve on the part ofparents to send their sons to school on the broad ocean, to battle withthe elements, to endure the storms of the Atlantic, and to undergo thehardships which tender mothers supposed to be inseparably connected witha life on shipboard.
For six months Mr. Lowington had studied upon his plan, and it washardly matured when the new ship came to anchor in Brockway harbor.During this period he had visited the principal cities of the NorthernStates, those of the southern section being closed against hisoperations by the war of the rebellion then raging at the height of itsfury. He had interested his friends in his bold enterprise, and boyswith, whom the experiment was to be inaugurated were gathered from allparts of the country.
The securing of the requisite number of pupils was the first success,and what he had regarded as the most difficult part of the enterprise.More than half of them had been obtained before it was deemed prudent tolay the keel of the ship. The details of the plan had been carefullyconsidered during the winter, and when the ship was moored at Brockway,the organization of the school, its rules and regulations had all beenwritten out. The boys began to arrive about the first of March, and bythe first of April all of them, eighty-seven in number, were on board.
Mr. Lowington was naturally very anxious for the success of hisexperiment, and for months he had labored with unceasing diligence inperfecting his plan, and carrying it into operation. In this occupationhe had found the activity he needed; and he may not be blamed forbelieving, all the time, that he was laboring for his country and hisrace.
If it has been inferred from what has been said of Mr. Lowington, of hisdomestic afflictions, and of his views on the subject of discipline,that he was an austere, cold, and unsympathizing man, a wrong impressionhas been conveyed. The boys of the Brockway Academy, when they came toknow him, loved him as much as they respected him. He was not the manneedlessly to abridge the harmless enjoyment of youth, or to repress itsinnocent hilarity. He watched the sports of the students with interestand pleasure, and encouraged them by all the means in his power. He wasfond of humor, enjoyed a harmless joke, and had a keen appreciation ofjuvenile wit. He was a good companion for the boys, and when theyunderstood him, he was always welcome to the play-ground.
The new ship had been duly christened Young America at the launching, byMiss Josey Martyn--a name which was rapturously applauded by the boys.She was one hundred and eighteen feet in length, and of about fourhundred tons burden. She had been built as strong as wood, iron, andcopper could make her. For a ship, she was small, which permitted her tobe light sparred, so that her juvenile crew could handle her with themore ease. She had a flush deck; that is, it was unbroken from stem tostern. There was no cabin, poop, camboose, or other house on deck, andthe eye had a clean range over the whole length of her. There was askylight between the fore and the main mast, and another between themain and mizzen masts, to afford light and air to the apartments below.There were three openings in the deck by which entrance could beobtained to the interior of the ship: the fore hatch, the main hatch,and the companion-way, the two former being used by the crew, and thelatter by the officers.
The between-decks, which is the space included between the upper and thelower deck, was fitted up for the accommodation of the officers andcrew. Descending by the companion-way--which in the Young Americaextended athwartships--on the right, at the foot of the stairs, was theofficers' cabin, occupying the part of the ship nearest to the stern.This apartment was twenty-eight feet long, by fifteen in breadth at thewidest part, with four state rooms on each side. The mizzen mast passedup through the middle of it. This cabin was richly but plainly fittedup, and was furnished well enough for a drawing-room on shore. It wasfor the use of the juvenile officers of the ship, fifteen in number, whowere to hold their positions as rewards of merit. The captain had a roomto himself, while each of the other apartments was to accommodate twoofficers.
On the left of the companion-way, descending the stairs, was the "oldfolks' cabin," as it was called by the students. It was in the localitycorresponding to that occupied by the ward room of a man-of-war. Thoughthe after cabin is the place of honor on board a ship, Mr. Lowington hadselected the ward room for himself and the teachers, in preference tothe after cabin, because it was next to the steerage, which was occupiedby the larger portion of the pupils, and because the form of the shipdid not contract the dimensions of the state rooms. This cabin wastwenty-two feet long and fifteen feet wide, with no waste room, as inthe after cabin, caused by the rounding in of the ship's counter. On thesides were five state rooms, besides a pantry for the steward, and adispensary for the surgeon.
The forward room on the starboard side was occupied by Mr. Lowingtonalone; the next on the same side by the chaplain and doctor; and each ofthe three on the port side by two of the teachers. This cabin waselegantly finished and furnished, and the professors were delighted withits cheerful and pleasant aspect.
From the main cabin, as that of the "faculty" was called, were twodoors, opening into the steerage, fifty-two feet in length by fifteenfeet in width of clear space between the berths, which diminished tonine feet abreast of the foremast. This apartment was eight feet high,and was lighted in part by a large skylight midway between the fore andmain mast, and partly by bull's eyes in the side of the ship. There wereseventy-two berths, placed in twelve rooms, opening from passage-ways,which extended athwartships from the main steerage, and were lighted bythe bull's eyes. There were no doors to these dormitories, each of whichcontained six berths, in two tiers of three each. It was intended thatthe six boys occupying one of these rooms should form a mess. Betweenthe gangways, or passages, were mess tables, which could be swung upagainst the partition when not in use.
The steerage was neatly and tastefully fitted up, and furnished, thoughnot so elegantly as the cabins. It was to be the school room, as well asthe parlor and dining room of the boys, and it would compare favorablywith such apartments in well-ordered academies on shore. There wasplenty of shelves, pouches, and lockers, under the lower berths, andbeneath the bull's eyes at the head of the main gangways, for clothingand books, and each boy had a place for every article which regulationsallowed him to possess.
Forward of the foremast there were two large state rooms; that on thestarboard side having four berths, for the boatswain, carpenter,sailmaker, and head steward; and the one on the port side with six, forthe two cooks and the four under stewards, all of whom were men skilfuland experienced in their several departments. Forward of these was thekitchen, from which opened the lamp room, a triangular closet in the bowof the ship. Mr. Lowington had taken the idea of locating the cookingapartment in the extreme forward part of the vessel from the Victoriaand Albert, the steam yacht of the Queen of England.
The hold beneath the berth deck contained the water tanks, bread room,chain lockers, and a multitude of store rooms for provisions, clothing,and supplies of every description needed on board during a long voyage.
The Young America was to be officered and manned by the students. Theywere to work the ship, to make and take in sail, to reef, steer, andwash down decks, as well as study and recite their lessons. They were togo aloft, stand watch, man the capstan, pull the boats; in short, to doeverything required of seamen on board a ship. Mr. Lowington was to lurethem into the belief, while they were hauling
tacks and sheets, halyardsand braces, that they were not at work, but at play. The labor requiredof them was an essential element in the plan, by which the boys were toobtain, the necessary physical exercise, and the discipline they so muchneeded.
By the first of April the last of the students had reported to theprincipal on board, and the professors, as the boys insisted uponcalling them, had taken possession of their state rooms. Though some ofthe pupils had been on board nearly a month, the organization of theship had not been commenced; but classes had been formed in some of thestudies, by the teachers, and the pupils recited every day. Theboatswain had instructed the boys in rowing, and some temporaryregulations had been adopted for the eating and sleeping departments.But not a boy had been allowed to go aloft, and nothing more thanordinary school discipline had been attempted.
The boys, as boys always are, were impatient at this delay. They wantedto be bounding over the ocean--to be on their way to some foreign port.They were anxious to work, to climb the rigging, and stand at the wheel.As yet they knew very little of the purposes of the principal, and hadbut a faint perception of the life they were to lead in the AcademyShip. It was understood that the officers were to be selected for theirmerit, and that the ship, some time or other, was to cross the ocean;but beyond this, all was darkness and uncertainty.
"To-morrow will be the first day of April," said George Wilton, as hewalked the deck of the Young America with Richard Carnes, a dignifiedyoung gentleman of seventeen. "Mr. Lowington said we should go to workon that day."
"If he said so, then of course we shall go to work," replied Carnes.
"I'm tired of waiting," added Wilton. "I think this is a stupid kind oflife. We are not even tied to a bell rope here."
"You will get discipline enough as soon as the crew are organized."
"I suppose we shall. Do you think we shall go to sea to-morrow?"
"Go to sea to-morrow!" exclaimed Carnes.
"Shuffles said so."
"How can we go to sea to-morrow? The crew don't know the mainmast from ahandspike. They couldn't do anything with the ship now; they don't knowthe ropes."
"You do, Carnes."
"Well, I know something about a ship," replied the dignified younggentleman, who had made one voyage up the Mediterranean with his uncle.
"I was pretty sure we should get out into blue water by to-morrow."
"Nonsense!"
"Shuffles said so."
"He is mistaken."
"What are we going to do?"
"I don't know? I'm content to wait till orders come."
"I don't want to wait any longer," added Wilton.
"What are you talking about, fellows?" asked Shuffles, joining them, asthey walked forward.
"Didn't you say we were going to sea to-morrow, Shuffles?" asked Wilton.
"Of course we are."
"Who says so?" demanded Carnes.
"All the fellows say so."
"It can't be true."
"Why not? We are not going to stay here forever."
"In my opinion, we shall stay here some weeks, if not some months,"added Carnes.
"What for?"
"To pursue our studies, in the first place, and to learn our duty asseamen, in the second."
"I don't believe I shall stay here a great while longer," said Shuffles,with evident disgust. "There's no fun lying here."
"You can't help yourself," added Wilton.
"Perhaps I can't, but I can try," said Shuffles, as he glanced towardsthe shore.
"All hands ahoy!" shouted Peaks, the boatswain, as his shrill whistlerang through the ship.
The boys had been taught the meaning of this call, and they gathered inthe waist, eager to know what was to be required of them.
Mr. Lowington stood on the raised hatch over the main scuttle, where allthe students could see him. It was evident that he had some announcementto make, especially as the following day had been assigned fororganizing the ship's company. The boys were silent, and their facesbetrayed the curiosity which they felt.
"Young gentleman," the principal began, "this ship will go intocommission to-morrow."
"Don't know what you mean, sir," said Paul Kendall as Mr. Lowingtonpaused to observe the effect of his announcement.
"I did not suppose that many of you would understand the expression. Inthe navy, a ship is said to go into commission when the captain takeshis place on board, and the crew are organized for duty. When thistakes place, the ensign is hoisted. To-morrow, at twelve o'clock, weshall display the colors at the peak. With us, going into commissionwill only mean the organization of our school. From that time, we shallobserve the discipline of a man-of-war, so far as the ship and crew areconcerned."
"Shall we go to sea then?" asked Wilton.
"I think not," replied Mr. Lowington, laughing. "We shall not leave theharbor till every officer and seaman knows his duty. You shall haveenough to do to-morrow, young gentlemen."
"When shall we be able to go to sea?"
"I don't know. There are many ropes in the ship, and you have a greatdeal to learn before I shall be willing to trust you with the anchor atthe cat-head."
"What is the cat-head, sir?" asked Kendall
"Do you wish to go to sea without knowing what the cat-head is?" repliedthe principal. "You shall know in due time. To-morrow we shall selectthe officers, fifteen in number, who are to occupy the after cabin."
This announcement created a decided sensation among the eighty-sevenboys gathered in the waist, for the subject had been full of interest tothem. The after cabin had thus far been a sealed book; the door waslocked, and they had not even seen the inside of the apartment. Theywere curious to visit this cabin, and to know who were to occupy it.
"After the organization of the school, it is my intention to give theseoffices to those who obtain the highest number of merit marks, whichwill be given for good conduct, good lessons, and progress inseamanship. The best boy, who is at the same time the best scholar andthe best seaman, shall be captain. We have no marks now by which to makethe selection, and I intend to have you elect him the first time,reserving to myself the right to veto your choice if it is obviously animproper one."
As Mr. Lowington uttered this last remark, he glanced, perhapsunconsciously, at Shuffles, who stood directly in front of him.
"Young gentlemen, the ballot will take place to-morrow morning, at nineo'clock. I have given you this notice, that you may be able to considerthe matter and, if you choose, to make nominations for the severaloffices," continued the principal.
"What are the offices, sir?"
"The first and most important one, of course, is the captain. The othersare four lieutenants, four masters, two pursers, and four midshipmen."
"What are they to do?" asked Kendall.
"I will not explain their duties now; it would require too much time. Imentioned them in the order of their importance. Now, young gentlemen,you should select your candidates for these offices by merit, not byfavor. I am aware that a few of you have been to sea, but probably noneof you are competent to handle a ship; and your choice should be basedmainly on good character and good conduct. I hope I shall be able toapprove the choice you may make. You are dismissed now."
"Three cheers for the principal!" shouted one of the boys.
"Silence, young gentleman! Let me say now, that no expressions ofapprobation or disapprobation are to be allowed."
The boys separated into groups, and immediately gave their attention tothe important subject suggested to them by Mr. Lowington. It must beacknowledged that violent symptoms of "log-rolling" began to beexhibited. There were fifty, if not eighty-seven young men who wished tobe captain, and sit at the head of the table in the after cabin. Some ofthem went down into the steerage, and in five minutes there was aconfused jabbering in every part of the ship.
"For whom shall you vote, Wilton?" asked Shuffles in a group of half adozen which had gathered around one of the mess tables.
"I don't know? whom do
you go for?" replied Wilton.
"I rather think I shall go for Bob Shuffles. In my opinion, he is thebest fellow on board," replied the owner of that name.
"That's modest," laughed Wilton.
"Do you know of any fellow that would make a better captain than Ishould?"
"You don't know the first thing about a ship."
"What odds does that make? I can learn as fast as anybody else."
"Do you expect every fellow to vote for himself?" asked Howe, another ofthe group.
"Of course I don't; I expect them to vote for me," answered Shuffles,with great good-nature.
"You are rather cheeky, Shuffles."
"What's the use of mincing the matter? Here we are, half a dozen of thebest fellows in the ship. We can't all be captain; but one of us can bejust as well as not."
"That's so," added Howe, approvingly. "But who shall that one be?"
"I am the one, without a doubt," said Shuffles.
"I don't see it," interposed Monroe, shaking his head; and he was theyoung gentleman who had assisted the aspirant for the captaincy to robMr. Lowington's favorite peach tree.
"What have you got to say about it, Ike Monroe? Do you expect us to gofor you?"
"I didn't say so."
"That's what you meant."
"I've just as much right to the place as you have, Bob Shuffles."
"Do you think you could make the fellows stand round as I can? But holdon; fellows, don't let us fight about it. We are just the best sixfellows on board, and if we have a mind to do so, we can have this thingall our own way," continued Shuffles.
"I don't see how," said Philip Sanborn.
"Don't you know how the politicians manage these things?"
"I don't."
"I'll tell you, then."
"But the principal said we must go according to merit, and elect thefellows who were the best fitted for the offices," interposed Howe.
"Exactly so; that's just what we are going to do. I'm going to becaptain; can you tell me of any better fellow for the place?" demandedShuffles, who, putting aside the jesting manner in which he hadcommenced the discussion, now assumed an earnest and impudent tone.
"Didn't you hear what Lowington said when he wound up his speech?" askedWilton.
"What?"
"About vetoing our choice if it was not a proper one."
"What of it?" asked Shuffles, innocently.
"Don't you think he would veto you?"
"Me! Not he! Lowington knows that I'm smart; I was too smart for himonce, and he knows it. He won't veto me. We have been the best offriends lately."
"I don't believe he'll have a chance to veto you," said Wilton.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't believe you will be elected."
"I know I shall, if we manage it right. Let us look at it," continuedShuffles, as he took a pencil from his pocket. "Got a piece of paper?"
Monroe gave him a piece of paper, and the wire-puller began to make hiscalculations.
"Eighty-seven votes," said he, writing the number on the paper."Necessary to a choice, forty-four. Here are six votes to start with."
"For whom?" asked Monroe.
"For me, for captain, first, and for each of the others for whateverplace he wants; say for Wilton for first lieutenant; Howe for second,Sanborn for third, Monroe for fourth, and Adler for first master. Whatdo you say to that, fellows?"
As with the political "slate," there was some difference of opinion inregard to the minor officers, even after Shuffles' claim to thecaptaincy had been conceded But this disposition of the spoils wasfinally agreed to.
"Now we want thirty-eight more votes," Shuffles proceeded.
"Just so; and you might as well attempt to jump over the main royal yardas to get them," added Adler, who, having been assigned to the officelowest in rank, was least satisfied with the "slate."
"Hold on; we haven't done yet. There are nine more offices. Now we willpick out some good fellow that will work for us, for each of theseplaces; then we will promise him six votes if he will go our ticket, anddo what he can for us."
"That will give us only fifteen votes," said Adler.
"I think that will be doing very well to start with. Then you fivefellows can electioneer for me, and I'll do the same for you."
"I think we have made one mistake," added Sanborn. "Most of the fellowswill go for Carnes for captain. He is an old salt, and has moreinfluence than any other student in the ship. We ought to offer him someplace."
"Make him purser, if you like," said Shuffles, contemptuously.
"That won't go down. Make him first lieutenant."
"And shove me out?" demanded Wilton, indignantly. "I don't see it!"
"Nor I," added Shuffles. "I won't vote for Carnes, any how. He's a snoband a flunky."
It was useless to resist the fiat of the chief wire-puller; the ticketremained as it had been originally prepared; and the young gentlemenproceeded to distribute the rest of the offices.