by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER V.
MR. CLYDE BLACKLOCK AND MOTHER.
Belonging to the squadron were fourteen boats, ranging from thetwelve-oar barge down to the four-oar cutter. In the waters ofBrockway harbor, rowing had been the principal exercise of thestudents, though the daily evolutions in seamanship were wellcalculated to develop the muscles and harden the frame. They had beencarefully trained in the art, and, enjoying the amusement which itafforded, they were apt scholars. As the safety of the squadron andthe saving of life at sea might often depend upon the skill with whichthe boats were handled, the principal devoted a great deal ofattention to this branch of nautical education. To give an additionalzest to the exercise, he had occasionally offered prizes at theboat-races which the students were encouraged to pull; and the firstcutter was now in possession of a beautiful silk flag, won by thepower of the crew in rowing.
Every boy in the squadron was a swimmer. In the summer season thisaccomplishment had been taught as an art, an hour being devoted to thelesson every day, if the weather was suitable. Cleats, the adultboatswain of the Josephine, was the "professor" of the art, havingbeen selected for the responsible position on account of hisremarkable skill as a swimmer. The boys were trained in diving,floating, swimming under water, and taught to perform variousevolutions. Not alone in the tranquil bay were they educated to thelife of the fishes, but also in the surf, and among the great waves.They were taught to get into a boat from the water in a heavy sea. Aworn-out old longboat had done duty during the preceding summer as awreck, in order to familiarize the students with the possibilities oftheir future experience. It was so prepared that a portion of itsplanking could be suddenly knocked out, and the boat almost instantlyfilled with water; and the problem was, to meet this emergency in thebest manner. Other boats were at hand in case of a real accident, orif any naturally timid fellow lost his presence of mind. While the"wreck," as the practice boat was called, was moving along over thewaves, pulled by half a dozen boys, Cleats, without warning or noticeof his intention, opened the aperture near her keel. Sometimes she wasloaded with stones, so that she went to the bottom like a rock, thoughthis part of the programme was always carried out on a beach, wherethe receding tide would enable the professor to recover the boat. Thecrew were then to save themselves by swimming ashore, or to anotherboat. Sometimes, also, the "wreck" was loaded with broken spars,pieces of board, and bits of rope; and the problem was for the crewto construct a raft in the water, often in a rough sea. All theseexercises, and many others, were heartily enjoyed by the boys, and aringing cheer always announced the safety of a crew, either on theshore, in a boat, or on the raft.
Many persons, and even those who are tolerable swimmers, have beendrowned simply by the loss of their presence of mind. The dashing ofthe waves, or the great distance of the land or other place of safety,intimidates them, and they are unable to use their powers. But thestudents of the squadron were gradually and carefully accustomed tothe water, so that they could swim a reasonable distance withoutwearing themselves out, could rest their limbs by floating, and weretaught to avail themselves of any expedient to secure their safety. Ifa boat was stove on the rocks in a surf, or was run down by a vessel,the fact of being in the water did not frighten them out of theirwits, for they had been trained to feel quite at home, as in theirnative element. They were actually drilled to confront danger inevery imaginable form. But a gentle and timid boy was not pitchedinto the water, even after he had learned to swim. His constitutionalshrinking was slowly and skilfully overcome, so that even the mostdelicate--though but few such ever found their way into the ranks ofthe squadron--took to the water as a pastime. Of course the degree ofproficiency in the art of swimming, and of the acquired ability tomeet danger in the water, differed very widely in different boys; butall were accustomed to the waves, and, in a measure, to leading thelife of a duck or a fish.
The crews of the several boats piped over the side, and took theirplaces, the rest of the students being distributed in the barges andcutters, till only the adult officers remained in the ship. Each one,as it was loaded, pulled off, and took its station in the order inwhich the boat squadron usually moved. The commodore's barge and theship's first cutter, each twelve oars, led the van, while the otherboats came in four ranks of three each. All the boats carried theAmerican flag at the stern, and each one had its number at the bow.All the Young America's boats had their numbers on a white, theJosephine's on a green, and the Tritonia's on a blue flag.
The tactics of the boat squadron were many and various, which hadbeen adopted more to give interest to the exercise than for anyinherent utility. These movements were regulated by signals from thecommodore's barge. Mr. Lowington had decided to make an excursionamong the islands in the Fjord before dinner, and visit the town inthe afternoon. A pilot was put in the commodore's barge, and CaptainCumberland, as acting flag officer, was in command of the squadron.The principal and Professor Badois were passengers in his barge.
The cutters were formed in their usual array, and the two boatsfrom the yachts brought up the rear. The signal officer, who was aquartermaster from the ship, at the order of the captain, elevated thewhite flag crossed with red, with which all the signals were made. Thecoxswains of the several boats could see this flag, while the oarsmencould not, being back to the barge, and not allowed to look behindthem.
"Oars!" said each coxswain, as soon as the signal appeared.
At this command the several crews, who had been laying on their oars,prepared for the stroke. The signal officer dropped the flag to theport side of the barge.
"Give way!" added each coxswain; and the boat squadron moved off.
In order to keep the lines full, the larger quarter boat of the Gracehad been borrowed and manned, and now took the place of the secondcutter, which had been stove, and upon which the three carpenters ofthe squadron were now at work, making the necessary repairs. The fleetmade a splendid appearance, with the flags flying, and with theofficers and crews in their best uniforms. The people on the shore,and on board of the various vessels in the harbor, gathered to see thebrilliant array. The crew of an English steamer cheered lustily, andthe lady passengers waved their handkerchiefs. Suddenly the signal onthe commodore's barge went up again.
"Stand by to toss!" said the several coxswains, as the fleet of boatscame abreast of the steamer, which was the Orlando, bound from Hull toChristiania.
The signal went down to the port side.
"Toss!" continued the coxswains, only loud enough to be heard by thecrews, for they had been taught that the unnecessary screaming oforders makes an officer seem ridiculous, and injures the effect of themanoeuvre.
At the word every oar went up, and was held perpendicularly in the airwith the left hand. A bugle blast from the barge at this momentbrought every student to his feet, with his right hand to his cap.
"One!" said the coxswain of each boat, at a dip of the signal flag.
A rousing cheer, accompanied by a swing of the cap, followed, andwas twice repeated, making up the complement of the three cheers, inreturn for the salutations of the steamer's people. Her crew returnedthe compliment in like manner. At another blast of the bugle, thecrews were seated with their oars still up. Again the signal in thebarge was elevated.
"Stand by!" said the coxswains, which was only a warning to be ready.
The flag dropped to port.
"Let fall!" added the coxswain; and all the oars dropped into thewater together, while the flag was again elevated. "Give way!" and thestroke was resumed.
The passengers of the Orlando clapped their hands vigorously, as theywitnessed the perfection of the movements. The fleet proceeded upthe bay towards the west front of the town, where a considerablecollection of people had assembled to witness the novel parade. Thebarge led the way to the extreme west of the bay, where the signalflag was again exhibited, and then swung first to the port and then tothe starboard. This was the signal for coming into single line, andthe coxswain of each boat gave the orders necessar
y to bring it intorange. It was so managed that each boat came into the new order as itturned to pass in front of the town; so that they proceeded in asingle line before the people, but not more than twenty feet apart.Once more the signal flag appeared, with a double motion upwards.
"Stand by to lay on your oars!" said the coxswains. "Oars!" theycontinued, as the flag swung down to starboard. "Hold water!"
These orders soon brought the boats to a stand. The signal flag movedin a horizontal circle.
"Pull, starboard; back, port. Give way!" continued the coxswains; andthe effect of this evolution was to turn the boats as on a pivot."Oars!" and the crew ceased pulling, with their oars all on a level,and the blades feathered.
The boats had been turned half round, and each coxswain aligned hisown by the barge on the right. In this position three cheers weregiven in compliment to the people on the shore, though the Norwegiansseemed to be too dull and heavy to comprehend the nature of themovement. The boats swung again, and continued on their way, in singleline, through the narrow passage between Odderoe and the main land.Under the direction of the native pilot, the barge led the way amongthe islands, affording the students an opportunity to see the shores.When the fleet came into the broad channel, the order was resumed, asat first, and after various manoeuvres, it was dismissed, each boatreturning to the vessel to which it belonged.
The appearance of the fleet, including the two beautiful yachts, andthe evolutions of the boats, had created a decided sensation on boardof the Orlando, which was crowded with passengers, most of themtourists on their way to the interior of Norway. The crews of theseveral vessels piped to dinner as soon as they returned from theexcursion; but the meal was hardly finished before visitors from thesteamer began to arrive, and the boatmen in the harbor made a goodharvest on the occasion. Among those who came to the ship was anelegantly dressed lady, with her son and daughter, attended by aservant man in livery. Mrs. Garberry Blacklock was duly presented tothe principal by one of the gentlemen who had introduced himself. Shewas evidently a very fine lady; for she was "distinguished" in hermanners as well as in her dress. And her son, Clyde Blacklock, was asevidently a very fine young gentleman, though he was only fourteenyears of age. It is doubtful whether Miss Celia Blacklock could beregarded as a very fine young lady, for she appeared to be verypretty, and very modest and retiring, with but a very moderateestimate of her own importance.
For the tenth time Mr. Lowington briefly explained the nature of theinstitution over which he presided; and the fine lady listened withlanguishing _ennui_.
"But it is a very rough life for young gentlemen," suggested Mrs.Blacklock. "I should fancy they would become very, _very_ rude."
"Not necessarily," replied the principal. "We intend that the studentsshall behave like gentlemen, and we think the discipline of the shiphas a tendency to promote good manners."
"They must live like sailors, and sailors are very, _very_ rude."
"Not necessarily, madam. There is nothing in the occupation itselfthat--"
"But I wish to know what the fellows do," interposed Mr. ClydeBlacklock.
"There is nothing in the occupation itself that begets rudeness,"added Mr. Lowington, giving no attention to the young gentleman, whohad so impolitely broken in upon the conversation of his elders. "Isee no reason why a young man cannot be a gentleman in a ship as wellas on shore."
"I dare say you have sailors to do the dirty work."
"No, madam; our students do all the work."
"Do they put their own fingers into the pitch and the tar?" inquiredthe lady, with a curl of the lip which indicated her horror.
"Certainly; but we think pitch and tar are not half so defiling asevil thoughts and bad manners."
"They are very, _very_ disagreeable. The odor of tar and pitch isintolerable."
"We do not find it so, for--"
"I say, I wish to know what the fellows do."
"We are accustomed to the odor of them," continued the principal. "Tosome people the scent of musk, and even otto of roses, is notpleasant; and, for my part, I rather enjoy that of tar and pitch."
"That is very, _very_ singular. But Clyde desires to know what theyoung gentlemen do," added the lady, glancing at her son, behind whomstood the man in livery, as though he were the boy's exclusiveproperty.
"They have a regular routine of study," replied Mr. Lowington,addressing the lady, and declining even to glance at the originalinquirer, for the rudeness of Mr. Clyde in interrupting theconversation seemed to merit a rebuke. "They attend to the studiesusually pursued in the highest class of academies, including themodern languages and navigation, the latter being a speciality in thecourse."
"I don't care what they study," said Clyde. "What do they do in theship?"
"We prepare boys for college, and beyond that pursue a regular collegecourse, so far as our facilities will permit. Our students have theadvantage of travel; for, in the present cruise, we shall visit allthe principal nations of Europe."
"What do they do in the ship?"
"Clyde desires to know what the boys do in the ship," added the lady.
"They learn good manners, for the first thing, madam. There arefifteen officers in this vessel, and nine in each of the others. Theyare all students, who take their rank according to their merit. Thebest scholar in each is the captain, and so on."
"Does the captain manage the ship?" asked Clyde.
"Certainly."
"I should like to be the captain," exclaimed the young gentleman.
"Do you think you could manage the ship?" asked his mother, with asmile which expressed the pride she felt in the towering ambition ofher son.
"I could, if any fellow could."
"Clyde is very fond of the sea; indeed, he worries me sadly by hisadventurous spirit," said his mother.
"I think it would do him good to go to sea," added the principal,rather dryly.
"The students made a beautiful appearance in their boats to-day,"continued Mrs. Blacklock. "It was really very, _very_ wonderful."
"They handle the boats very well indeed, but their skill was onlyacquired by long and careful training. As we have a considerablenumber of visitors on board, madam, we will show you a littleseamanship. Captain Cumberland," he added, turning to the youngcommander, who had been making himself agreeable to Miss CeliaBlacklock.
The captain asked the young lady to excuse him, and stepping up to theprincipal, bowed gracefully, and raised his cap.
"He's a regular swell," said Clyde to his man.
"He's a young gentleman as is highly polished, which these navalofficers is generally," replied Jeems.
Mr. Lowington directed the captain to call all hands, and go throughthe evolutions of loosing and furling, for the gratification of theguests of the ship. Captain Cumberland bowed and raised his cap againas he retired, and the principal hoped that Clyde would take a lessonin good manners from him.
"Will you walk to the quarter-deck, Miss Blacklock," said the captain,touching his cap to the young lady, to whom he had been formallyintroduced by the principal. "We are going to loose and furl, and youcan see better there than here."
"With pleasure," replied Miss Celia. "But what did you say you weregoing to do?"
"Loose and furl the sails," replied the captain, as he conducted thefair miss to the quarter-deck, where they were followed by Mr.Lowington and the rest of the party.
"Mr. Judson," said the commander.
"Here, sir," replied the first lieutenant.
"Call all hands to loose and furl."
"All hands, sir," responded Judson, touching his cap to his superior,as all on board were required to do.
"They are all swells," said Clyde to his man.
"All hands, loose sails!" shouted the boatswain, as he blew the properblast on his whistle.
In a few moments every officer and seaman was at his station for themanoeuvre indicated by the call. The students, aware that they weresimply to "show off," were fully determined to astonish the won
deringcrowd on the decks.
"Stand by to lay aloft, the ready-men!" shouted the first lieutenant,as he received the order from the captain.
It was repeated by the second lieutenant on the forecastle, the thirdin the waist, and the fourth on the quarter-deck.
"All ready, sir!" reported the several officers.
"Lay aloft!"
At the command those whose duty it was to prepare the sails andrigging for the manoeuvre sprang up the rigging, and in threeminutes the midshipman aloft reported that all was ready.
"Lay aloft, sail-loosers!" continued the first lieutenant.
The seamen, who were arranged in proper order on deck, the royalyard men first, then those who belonged on the top-gallant yards, thetopsail, and the lower yards, placed in succession, so that each couldreach his station without passing others, leaped into the rigging, andwent up like so many cats.
"Man the boom tricing-lines!"
These are ropes by which the studding-sail booms, which lie on theyards, are hauled up out of the way.
"Trice up!"
The studding-sail booms were drawn up.
"Lay out! Loose sails!"
The hands jumped upon the foot-ropes, and worked themselves out totheir places on the yards, where they loosed the sails, overhauled therigging, and made everything ready for the final evolution. Themidshipman in the tops reported to the officers on deck when thepreparations were completed, and the lieutenants on deck, in theirturn, reported to the first lieutenant.
"Let fall!" said the executive officer; and all, as one, the sailsdropped from the yards.
The precision of the movement called forth a demonstration of applausefrom the visitors. Mr. Clyde Blacklock stood with his mouth open,looking up at the students on the yards, but occasionally glancing atthe "swellish" first lieutenant, who seemed to be the master-spirit ofthe occasion, because he spoke in a loud voice, while the captain, whoreally controlled the evolutions, could hardly be heard, except by theexecutive officer, to whom alone his order was given.
"Lay in! Lay down from aloft!" said the first lieutenant; and in amoment more all hands were on deck again.
"Do you ever man the yards, sir?" asked a gentleman of the principal.
"Occasionally, sir--not often. You are aware that it requires somepreparation, for we are obliged to extend life-lines over the yards,"replied Mr. Lowington. "We are not in condition to do it now. If weshould happen to be visited by the king at Copenhagen or Stockholm,and had previous notice, we should certainly do it."
The crew were then required to go through the manoeuvre of furlingsails, which was performed with the same precision as the firstevolution, and to the great satisfaction of the guests, who were theninvited to visit the cabins and steerage of the ship.
"Mother, I like this thing," said Mr. Clyde Blacklock.
"It's all very, _very_ fine, Clyde," replied the tender mother.
"And the ship's going up the Baltic, and then up the Mediterranean."
"Yes, Clyde."
"And I want to go in her."
"You, Clyde!"
"Yes, that's what I say."
"And be a sailor?"
"I always told you I wanted to be a sailor. Didn't that head master,or whatever he is, say it would do me good to go to sea?"
"Perhaps he did, but I can't go with you, my dear."
"I don't want you to go with me. I'm not a baby!" protested theindignant youth.
"But you are my only son, dear."
"If you had forty only sons, it would be all the same to me. I say Iwant to go in this ship, and be a sailor."
Mrs. Blacklock was appalled, and was sorely disturbed by theannouncement of her son. The young gentleman insisted that he shouldbe entered at once as a member of the ship's company. He suggested tohis anxious mother that she could travel by land while he went by sea,and that she could see him every time the ship went into port. Thelady appeared to see no alternative, but evidently felt compelled toyield to her son's demand. It was plain enough, even to a casualobserver, that Clyde was the head of the family. Mrs. Blacklockpromised to speak to the principal, but she hoped he would not beable to take her son. Before she had an opportunity to make theapplication, the Orlando's bell rang for her passengers to return. Thesound seemed to be a relief to the lady; but Mr. Clyde put his footdown just there, and upset all her hopes.
"Come, Clyde; the Orlando is ready to go," said she.
"Let her go," replied the hopeful son.
"But we must go on board."
"You may go. I'm off to sea in this ship."
"Not now, my dear," pleaded Mrs. Blacklock.
"Now's the time. If you don't speak to that head master yourself, Ishall do so."
"Not now, my dearest boy. This ship is going to Christiania, and wewill speak to the gentleman on the subject when she arrives. Come,Clyde; the boat is waiting for us, and all the other passengers havegone."
"You can't fool me, mother. I'm going to sea now. I like this ship,and I rather like those swells of officers."
Clyde positively refused to leave the ship, though his mother, almostin tears, begged him to accompany her.
"My son won't go with me," said she, as Mr. Lowington came towards herto ascertain the cause of their delay.
"If you desire, madam, the boatswain will put him into the boat foryou," replied the principal.
"Put me into the boat!" exclaimed the indignant youth. "I should beglad to see him do it!"
"Should you? Peaks!"
"On deck, sir," replied the big boatswain, touching his cap to theprincipal.
"Pray, don't, sir--don't!" begged the lady. "Clyde wants to go to seain your ship."
"O, does he, indeed!" exclaimed the principal. "We have a vacantplace, and he can be accommodated."
The fond mother's heart sank at this announcement. Mr. Lowington,though his experience with students of this description had been farfrom satisfactory, felt that his duty to humanity required him to takethis boy, who was evidently on the high road to ruin through the weakindulgence of his mother.