by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER VI.
A DAY AT CHRISTIANSAND.
"But, madam, your steamer seems to be on the point of starting,"suggested Mr. Lowington, as the Orlando rang her bell, and whistledviolently.
"I cannot help it," replied the lady, apparently taking no notice ofthe steamer. "I came over here on a pleasure excursion, and now I feelas though I had lost my son."
"Lost him, madam! We intend to save him," laughed Mr. Lowington. "Butwe have no claim upon him. If you desire to leave in the steamer, theboatswain shall put the boy on board whether he is willing or not."
"No, no; that would be very, _very_ harsh. Let the steamer go. Thismatter is of vastly more consequence than going to Christiania.James," she added, turning to the man in livery, "you will take theboat, get our baggage from the steamer, and take it to the hotel onshore."
"Yes, mem," replied James, as he very deliberately went over the sideinto the boat.
"This will be a sad day to me, sir," continued Mrs. Blacklock, as sheglanced at her son, who was whistling an air from the last opera, asindifferent as though his mother had been at peace in her owndrawing-room.
"I beg to repeat, madam, that I have not the slightest wish to takeyour son into this institution."
"But Clyde insists upon joining the ship, and what can I do?"
"You can say no, if you please."
"You had better not say it, mother; if you do, I will run away, and goto sea in a merchant ship," added Clyde, shaking his head.
"You hear, sir, what he says," replied Mrs. Blacklock, with a long anddeep sigh.
"That would be the very best thing in the world for a boy troubledwith his complaint," answered Mr. Lowington.
"I have no complaint; I'm not sick," growled Clyde.
"I'm afraid you are, my boy, though you don't know it. The mostdangerous maladies often make great progress even before theirexistence is suspected."
"Nothing ails me," added Clyde.
"This seems to be a very nice ship, and you say the students are allgentlemen," continued the lady, glancing around her at the ship andthe crew. "If Clyde must go to sea--"
"I must, mother," interposed the young gentleman, very decidedly.
"If he must go to sea, he had better go with you, sir."
"If you will walk into the cabin, madam, I will show you ourregulations," said the principal, leading the way down the steps.
Clyde followed, apparently unwilling that a word should be said whichhe could not hear.
"I want to speak with your mother alone," interposed Mr. Lowington.
"I'm going too," persisted Clyde, after Mrs. Blacklock had descendedthe stairs.
"I prefer to see your mother alone," added the principal, firmly.
"You are going to talk about me, and I want to hear what is said,"replied the youth, rudely.
"Peaks, remain here," said the principal to the big boatswain, who hadfollowed them to the companionway.
Mr. Lowington descended the steps, and Peaks slipped in behind him,fully understanding his duty without any explanations. Clyde attemptedto follow, but the entrance was effectually blockaded by the stalwartforward officer.
"Get out of my way; I want to go down there," said Clyde, in no gentletones.
"It can't be done, my hearty," replied Peaks.
"I'm going down, any way."
"I think not, my little gentleman."
"Yes, I am! Get out of my way."
"Ease off, my hearty. Don't get up a squall."
"I want to see my mother," growled Clyde.
"You were not invited to the cabin, and your mother was," answeredPeaks, very mildly.
"I don't care if I wasn't; I'm going down."
"So you said before;" and the boatswain tried to pacify the youngster,and to induce him to be reasonable; but Clyde had always had his ownway, and was ready to fight for it now, even though he had nothing togain by it.
Captain Cumberland was still walking with Miss Celia, explaining toher the nature of the discipline on board, and giving her an accountof the voyage across the Atlantic. A group of the officers hadcollected on the quarter-deck, and, much amused at the scene, wereobserving the conduct of Clyde. As he became more violent, his sistertried to quiet him, and induce him to behave like a gentleman; but hereplied to her in a tone and with words which made the captain'scheeks tinge with indignation.
Finally, when he found that abuse had no effect upon the stoutboatswain, he drew back, and made a desperate plunge at his heavyopponent. Peaks caught him by the shoulders, and lifted him off hisfeet like a baby. Taking him in his arms, with one hand over hismouth, to smother his cries, he bore him to the waist, where his yellscould not be heard by his mother.
"Be quiet, little one," said Peaks, as he seated himself on themain-hatch, and twined his long legs around those of the prisoner, sothat he was held as fast as though he had been in the folds of ananaconda. "Hold still, now, and I'll spin you a sea-yarn. Once on atime there was a little boy that wanted to go to sea--"
"Let me go, or I'll kill you!" sputtered Clyde; but the boatswaincovered his mouth again, and silenced him.
"Kill me! That would be wicked. But I'm not a mosquito, to be crackedin the fingers of such a dear little boy as you are. But you snappedoff my yarn; and if you don't hold still, I can't spin it ship-shape."
Clyde had well nigh exhausted his breath in his fruitless struggle,and before his sister went far enough forward to see him, he wastolerably calm, because he had no more strength to resist. Then theboatswain told his story of a boy that wanted to go to sea, but foundthat he could not have his own way on board the ship.
In the cabin, Mrs. Blacklock told a pitiful story of the wilfulness ofher son; that she was obliged to do just as he said, and if he wantedanything, however absurd it might be, she was obliged to give it tohim, or he made the house too "hot" for her. Her husband had died whenthe children were small, and the whole care of them had devolved onher. Clyde had made her miserable for several years. She had senthim to several celebrated schools; but he had got into troubleimmediately, and she had been compelled to take him away, to preventhim from killing himself and her, as she expressed it. Her husband hadleft her a handsome property, but she was afraid her son would spendit all, or compel her to do so, before he became of age.
Mr. Lowington repeated only what most of her friends had told herbefore--that her weak indulgence would be the ruin of the boy; that heneeded a strong arm. He was willing to take him into the Academy ship,but he must obey all the rules and follow all the regulations. Theperplexed mother realized the truth of all he said.
"You will take him as an officer--won't you, sir?" she asked, whenshe had in a measure reconciled herself to the discipline proposed.
"Certainly not, madam," replied the principal. "If he ever becomes anofficer, he must work himself up to that position, as the otherstudents do."
"But you could let him have one of the rooms in the cabin. I amwilling to pay extra for his tuition."
"No, madam; he must go with the other students, and do precisely asthey do."
"Where will his servant lodge?"
"His servant?"
"Yes, James. He will want a servant, for I don't know that he everdressed himself alone."
"He can have no servant, except those of the ship."
"That's very, _very_ hard."
"Perhaps it is, but if the boy can't dress himself alone, he must liein his berth till he acquires the art by hard thinking. I wish you tounderstand the matter thoroughly before you leave him, madam."
Mrs. Blacklock struggled with the hard terms; but even to her the caseseemed like a desperate one, and she was willing at last to try theexperiment, though she intended to follow the ship wherever she went,to save him from suicide when his situation became absolutelyhopeless. The terms arranged, she followed Mr. Lowington on deck,where Clyde was discovered in the loving embrace of the big boatswain,who released him as soon as he saw the lady.
"Now, Clyde, my dear, we have arr
anged it all," said Mrs. Blacklock;and it ought to be added that such a result would have been utterlyimpossible if the subject of the negotiations had been present.
"I don't care if you have," replied Clyde, bestowing a fiery glanceupon the boatswain, who was smiling as blandly as though earth had nonaughty boys.
"Why, what's the matter, Clyde!" demanded the anxious mother.
"I've had enough of this ship," howled the little gentleman, as heglanced again at the stout forward officer.
The complacent face of Peaks maddened him, and Clyde felt that,perhaps for the first time in his life, he had lost a battle. He couldnot bear the sight of the boatswain's placid features, unruffled byanything like anger or malice. He felt that he had not even provokedhis powerful adversary. He howled in his anger, and then he cried inhis desperation. Suddenly he seized a wooden belaying-pin from therail, and shied it at the boatswain's head. Peaks caught it in hishand, as though he had been playing toss-ball with his victim; but thenext instant his anaconda fold encircled the youth again. Mrs.Blacklock screamed with terror.
"There is no harm done, madam," interposed the principal. "We don'tallow boys to throw things here."
"You are very, _very_ harsh with the poor boy."
"And the poor boy is very, very harsh with us. He throws belaying-pinsat our heads."
"He did not mean any harm."
"Perhaps not; but that's an unpleasant way of manifesting his regard."
"I've had enough of this ship! I won't go in her!" howled Clyde,struggling to escape from the grasp of the officer.
"Do you hear that, sir? Poor boy!"
"He will soon learn better than to behave in this violent manner. Wecan cure him in ten minutes after you have left the ship."
"What! whip him?" exclaimed the mother, with horror.
"No, madam; we never strike a student under any circumstances, unlessit be in self-defence; but if a boy won't go when ordered, we carryhim. We always have force enough to do this without injury to theperson."
"But see the poor boy struggle!"
"It will do him no harm."
"He says now that he will not go in the ship."
"If I were his parent, it would be as I said, not as he said, after hehad ceased to be reasonable. I would consult the wishes and opinionsof a boy of mine, as long as he behaved properly--no longer. You haveonly to leave him, and I assure you he shall be treated as kindly ashe will permit us to treat him. I do not wish to influence you, but Iam confident that ruin lies in that boy's path, unless he isreformed."
Mrs. Blacklock actually wept. She loved the boy with a blind affectionin spite of the disrespect and even abuse that he heaped upon her. Itwas a terrible struggle to her, but she finally decided to leave himon board of the ship, perhaps satisfied that nothing else could eversave him from himself, and her from the misery his reckless conductconstantly occasioned her.
"You wished to go to sea, Clyde, and I have decided to leave you inthis ship," said the poor mother, trembling with emotion.
"But I tell you I won't stay in this ship," roared Clyde, as Peaks, ata signal from the principal, released his prisoner.
"I can do nothing with you, my dear boy. You won't obey me, and I mustleave you to those who can control you. I am going on shore now, but Ishall see you again at Christiania."
"I won't stay!" howled Clyde.
"Good by, Clyde," said Mrs. Blacklock, desperately, as she folded herson in her arms, and kissed him on both cheeks.
"I tell you I won't stay!" cried the angry youth, breaking away fromhis mother's embrace.
"Make it short, madam," suggested Mr. Lowington.
"Do try to be good, Clyde, and then you can come home very, _very_soon," added Mrs. Blacklock, as the principal conducted her to theaccommodation ladder, where the first cutter had been manned to puther on shore.
"I tell you again, I won't stay! If you leave me, I'll jumpoverboard."
"O!" groaned the weak mother.
"If you do, young man, we will pick you up with the greatestpleasure," said Mr. Lowington, as he hurried the lady to the side.
"O, if he should!" gasped she.
"There is not a particle of danger, madam; Mr. Peaks will takeexcellent care of him," replied her comforter.
The boatswain, at a nod from Mr. Lowington, again embraced Clyde, butdid not injure him, nor permit him to injure himself. The lady washanded into the boat, and Captain Cumberland politely performed thisservice for Miss Blacklock. Of course the poor mother was in an agonyof doubt and anxiety, but the students in the cutter seemed to be socheerful, contented and gentlemanly, that she hoped for the best.
Clyde was appalled at the situation, and one of the stern realitiesof life seemed suddenly to dawn upon him. As soon as his motherdisappeared over the side, he ceased to struggle, for he gainednothing by it, and the students appeared to be amused by hissufferings. Peaks released him, and the victim of wholesome disciplinelooked about him with a wondering stare; but there was no mother tocajole or intimidate, and he was thrown entirely upon his ownresources for the means of resistance, if he purposed to resist. Heappeared to be stupefied by the situation, and Mr. Lowington, takingadvantage of his bewilderment, invited him into the main cabin, wherehe kindly but firmly "laid down the law" to him. Clyde was by no meansconquered, but was rather considering how he should escape from thistrying position. At the close of the interview, the principal handedthe patient over to one of the stewards, and requested him to see thenew comer clothed in the uniform of the ship. Peaks was directed tokeep an eye on the victim while the crew were on shore.
All hands were soon seated in the boats, and in half an hour allthe students in the squadron were turned loose in the streets ofChristiansand. Though the instructors were of the party, they were notrequired to exercise any particular supervision over their pupils.There was hardly anything to be seen, and as a large number of thestudents had never crossed the Atlantic before, they wanted to know ifthey had come so far to see such a town. Most of the houses were ofwood, but they were neat and well kept. As the capital of the provinceof Christiansand, the town was the residence of the Stift Amtmand, orgovernor, and of the bishop of the diocese. It was founded in 1641,and having an excellent harbor, it is a place of considerablecommercial importance, having a population of about ten thousand.
The boys visited the cathedral, which is a fine building of graystone, and being the first which most of them had seen, it had aconsiderable interest to them. They observed the people, and theirmanners and customs, so far as they could, with more interest than thebuildings, which differed in no important respect from those in theUnited States. Passing across the water front of the town, they cameto the Torrisdal River, over which there is an excellent bridge. Theycrossed the stream, and walked to an antiquated church. Some of thehouses on the way were very neat, pretty structures, not unlike theone-story dwellings seen all over New England.
"Here's a Runic stone," said Dr. Winstock, as the captain and severalof the officers followed him into the burying-ground connected withthe ancient church.
"What is a Runic stone?" asked Lincoln, the third lieutenant.
"A stone with Runic characters upon it."
"I haven't the least idea what the word means, though Poe sings, inthe 'Bells,'----
'Keeping time, time, time, In a sort of Runic rhyme!'
Runic is derived from a word which means secret; and a Runic stoneis any memorial, table, or column, on which Runic characters areinscribed, as a tombstone, a boundary mark. There are sixteen ofthese characters, forming an alphabet, which were used by the ancientScandinavians, and were thought by them to possess magical properties,and willow wands inscribed with them were used by the pagans of thenorth in their magic rites. Sticks were used as almanacs, to keep theaccount of the days and months, and also constituted the day-books andledgers of the ancients. In Germany, in modern times, the baker, forexample, and the purchaser of bread, each had a stick, and the numberof loaves delivered was notched upon b
oth. Scarcely less primitive wasthe custom of some of our American farmers, who kept their accounts onthe barn door; and I have heard a story of one who, when required toproduce his books in court at a lawsuit, carried in the barn door, andheld it up before the judge and jury. In Denmark and Sweden you willsee more Runic writings, especially in the museum at Copenhagen."
"They seem to bury people here, in about the same manner as with us,"said Captain Cumberland.
"There is not half so much difference between things here and those athome as I expected to find," added Judson.
"The houses are almost the same, and so are the people," continuedNorwood.
"People coming to Europe are often disappointed because they findalmost everything so near like what they have been accustomed to,"replied the doctor. "You will find Norway and Sweden more like NewEngland than any other countries on the continent. But I think youwill find differences enough to excite your interest and attentionbefore you return."
The students walked back to Christiansand, and having exhausted thetown, went on board the vessels of the squadron, ready and evenanxious to continue the voyage. The pilots were on deck, Paul Kendalland lady had returned to the Grace, and the principal only waited thearrival of the steamer Moss, from Frederiksvaern, to give the order toget under way. The boats were all hoisted up except the first cutter,which was to bring off the unfortunate crew of the professor's barge,as soon as they arrived.
At eight o'clock the steamer came in, and the first cutter, with theprincipal on board, hastened to her landing-place, to meet Sanford andhis companions. To his great astonishment and regret, they were not onboard of the Moss. The captain, who spoke English very well, knewnothing about the absentees, and was quite confident they were not onboard of the Foldin, the boat which had picked them up. Captain Hoellhad said nothing to him about the accident, but then the Foldin hadarrived only that morning, instead of the night before, when she wasdue, and their interview had been very hurried. "Did any person in theMoss know anything about the unfortunates?" the captain was kindenough to inquire; and a passenger was found who heard some one saythat a party of young men had been landed by the Foldin at Lillesand.But the Moss had left Lillesand at six o'clock, and her captain hadnot seen or heard of the persons described. Mr. Lowington was veryanxious about the fate of the second cutter's crew, and feared thatsome of them had been injured by the collision, so that they wereunable to take the steamer back to Christiansand. He returned to thecutter and pulled off to the Tritonia, and directed Mr. Tompion, thesecond vice-principal, in charge of her, to run into Lillesand, andascertain what had become of the absentees. Without waiting for thesignal, the Tritonia got under way, and under full sail, with a freshbreeze, stood out of the harbor. The other vessels followed her soonafter, the principal intending to lay off and on till the Tritoniareported.
The ship had been searched from keel to truck for Ole Amundsen on theday before. Of course he was not found, and the conclusion was that hehad dropped into the water and swam ashore, though it was difficult tounderstand how he had accomplished the feat without detection.Inquiries in regard to him were made on shore, but if any one knewhim, application was not made to the right persons.
Mr. Clyde Blacklock had not yet jumped overboard, and during the busyscene of getting under way, he stood with his mouth agape, watchingthe proceedings with wondering interest. He was not quite sure, afterhis anger had subsided, that he had made a bad bargain. There wassomething rather pleasant in the motion of the ship, and the zeal andprecision with which the students worked, showed that they enjoyedtheir occupation. No one noticed Clyde, or even seemed to be awareof his presence. Before, when he behaved in an extravagant andunreasonable manner, the boys only laughed at him. They did not beghim to be pacified, as his mother and James always did; on thecontrary they seemed to enjoy his chagrin.
As soon as the ship was under way, the new student was informed thathe belonged to the port watch, second part, and the silver star, whichdesignated his watch, was affixed to his left arm. He was told that hewould be called with the others to take his turn on deck during thenight.
"What am I to do?" he asked, rather blankly.
"Just the same as the others do?" replied De Forrest, the fourthlieutenant, who had the deck with the second part of the port watch."I have your station bill."
"What's that?"
"It is a card on which all your duties are explained. Here it is,"added De Forrest, producing the station bill. "You are No. 71; all theeven numbers belong to the starboard watch, and all the odd numbers tothe port."
These cards were all printed; for among the various amusementsprovided for the students, a couple of octavo Novelty presses, witha sufficient supply of type and other printing material had beenfurnished. All the blanks for use in the ship were printed on board,and the Oceanic Enterprise, a weekly Journal, had been regularlyissued during the voyage across the Atlantic, though a gale of wind,which disturbed the equilibrium of the press and the printers, haddelayed its publication a couple of days on one occasion.
Clyde read the station bill which was handed to him by the officer,but it would have been just as intelligible to him if it had been inRunic character.
"'Reefing, main-topsail, and main-topsail halyards,'" said Clyde,reading from the card. "What does all that mean?"
"You mind only what you have to do yourself, and not trouble your headabout orders that have nothing to do with your work; for the orderscome as thick as snow flakes at Christmas. When all hands are calledto reef topsails, you are one of them, of course. When any thing issaid about topsails, or topsail-halyards, you are the man."
"Good; I understand that, and I shall make a sailor, I know," addedClyde.
"I hope you will. The order will come to 'settle away the topsailhalyards.' Be ready to help then."
"But I don't know the topsail halyards from a pint of soup."
"Here they are," added the lieutenant, conducting his pupil to therail, and pointing out the main-topsail halyards. "Then, when theofficer says, 'Aloft, top-men,' you will run up the main rigging here,and the midshipman in the top will tell you what to do. At the word,you will lay out on the yard, and do as the others do. At the words,'Lay down from aloft,' you will come on deck, and hoist up themain-topsail. Nearly all your duty is connected with the main-topsail.In tacking, you will go to the clew-garnets."
"What are they?"
"These ropes, by which the corners of the mainsail are hauled up,"answered De Forrest, pointing out the clew-garnets. "You will alsolet go the main tack. In getting under way, you will help loose themain-topsail. In anchoring, you are at the main clew-lines, and themain brace. Here they are. In loosing and furling you are on themain-topsail. In boat service, you are attached to the third cutter.You sleep in berth No. 71, your ship's number, and eat with mess No.6."
De Forrest, as instructed by the principal, carefully explained theduties of the new comer, indicating every rope as he mentioned it, anddescribing its use. He was prudent in his manner, and tried to givethe proud youth no offence by making him feel the superiority of anofficer. The lieutenant then conducted him to his mess room, andpointed out his berth.
The wind was still from the southward, and quite fresh; and though thesquadron went under short sail, it was off Lillesand in a couple ofhours. The Tritonia, which was a fast vessel, did not detain herconsorts more than a couple of hours. Mr. Tompion boarded the ship,and reported that the crew of the second cutter had landed atLillesand, and fearing that they should miss the ship if they returnedto Christiansand, had taken carioles, and left early in the morningfor Christiania. There were ten of the party, and one of them was aNorwegian, though he was dressed like the others. Mr. Lowington couldnot imagine who the Norwegian was that wore the Academy's uniform, forit did not occur to him that Ole could have joined them. He was gladto hear that all of them were well, and able to travel; and had nodoubt they would arrive in safety at Christiania. He was aware thatthe crew of the second cutter were rather wild boys; but a
s there wereno large towns in the interior, he had no fear that they would be ledastray among the simple Norwegians.
The fleet filled away again, and at eight bells the following morningwas off Frederiksvaern.