Jack at Sea: All Work and No Play Made Him a Dull Boy

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

  JACK IS WIDE-AWAKE.

  "Land ho!"

  It was Lenny, the black-bearded sailor, who raised the cry at sunriseone morning, and made Edward spring out of his berth and run up, closelyfollowed by Jack, who appeared on deck half-dressed, and with his facelit up by a strange look of animation, but he gazed round over thegolden waters in vain.

  But it was not only a golden sea that met his eyes, for the sky wasgolden too, and the _Silver Star_ from deck to truck, with every yardand rope, appeared to be transmuted into the glittering metal."Morning," cried the captain, coming up to him. "Did you hear thehail?"

  "Hear it? yes," said Jack, "and it's a mistake, unless the land's hiddenby the sun. I can see nothing."

  "No?" said the captain, smiling. "Well, it would take long-trained eyesto make it out on a morning like this, when everything is dazzling. Butlet's try."

  As he spoke the captain took his glass from under his arm, laid it onone of the ratlines of the mizzen shrouds to steady it, and took a longand patient look through.

  "Ah!" he said, raising himself and keeping the glass in position. "Nowtake a peep through my spy-glass. One moment: do you see that littlepatch of cloud like fire, just a little north of the sun?"

  "Is that north? Yes. I think I see the patch you mean."

  "Then fix your glass on the horizon just on the line where the sea meltsinto sky, under the middle one of those three patches. Quick, beforethey change."

  Jack took the glass and looked through.

  "See it?"

  "No," he said.

  "Haven't got the glass straight perhaps," said the captain. "Take ashot with it first as if it were a gun--look along the top and fix itupon the horizon line, and then sweep it right and left till you makethe land."

  "I've got it," cried Jack.

  "The land?"

  "No, the line of the horizon. I wasn't looking through the eye-piece.That's it; now I can see the edge of the sea quite plainly."

  "Then you are clever," said the captain, laughing. "I never did. Well,sweep it about to right and left. See the land?"

  "No," said Jack after a good long try. "Isn't it a mistake?"

  "Let me try again," said the captain, taking the glass. "Yes, there itis plainly enough, just under the little golden cloud to the right; theyare floating northward. Try again."

  Jack took the glass, brought it to bear, and was silent.

  "See it?"

  "No. I can make out that beautiful golden cloud."

  "Well, now look under it."

  "Yes, I've been looking right under it, but there's nothing there but alittle hazy patch."

  "Then you do see it," said the captain.

  "That?"

  "Yes; what did you expect to see?"

  "Why, the island you talked about."

  "Well, I don't say that is it, because I want to make an observationfirst, but I feel pretty sure that it is the place."

  "But that looks so little."

  "It's a little island."

  "Yes, but that looks so very small."

  "So would you seem small if you were thirty or forty miles away," saidthe captain, taking the glass and having another good long look. "Theair is very clear this morning, and the island looms up. But we shallsee better by and by."

  They had been steadily sailing east for some days, and land had beensighted several times since. Jack had stood gazing longingly over thestarboard rail at the tops of the Java volcanoes, which had followed oneanother in succession, some with the clouds hanging round their sidesand their peaks clear, but two with what looked in the distance liketiny threads of smoke rising from their summits, and spreading out intoa top like a mushroom.

  This long island had tempted him strongly, and he had suggested to hisfather that they should make a halt there, but Sir John and the doctorboth shook their heads.

  "No," said the latter, "I vote against it. I believe Java to be a veryinteresting country, but for our purpose it is spoiled."

  "Yes," said Sir John; "we don't want to get to a place full ofplantations and farms; we want an out-of-the-way spot where thenaturalist and traveller have not run riot over the land; where Natureis wild and untamed."

  "And where we can find something new," said the doctor. "That place thecaptain talked about is the very spot."

  "But we may not find it," said Jack.

  "Let's chance it, my boy," said his father; "and even if we do not hitupon that, there are plenty of places far more interesting to us thanJava is likely to be."

  And now at last they were in sight of the very place, and a wildexcitement began to fill the boy's breast as he went over the doctor'simaginary description, one which the captain declared to be perfectlyaccurate, for so many islands existed formed upon that very plan.

  It did not occur to Jack that a great change had come over him, nor thatpeople on board were noticing him when he hurried down to finishdressing that morning, and back on deck with his powerful binocularglass, to stand gazing away toward the east.

  "This is clearer and better than the captain's glass," he thought tohimself, "and easier to use," as he made out the misty little undefinedpatch, but was disappointed to find how slightly it had changed in thetime he had been below.

  He ate his breakfast hurriedly, and came on deck again with hisexcitement growing, and Sir John and the doctor exchanged glances, butnothing was said, as they leisurely finished their meal and thenfollowed him.

  "When shall we make the land, captain?" said Sir John.

  "Perhaps not till to-morrow morning," was the reply, "under sail: thewind's falling."

  "Why, where is Jack?" said the doctor suddenly. "He came on deck."

  The captain gave him a queer look, and jerked his head backward, as hestood facing the wheel.

  "Forward in the bows?" said the doctor.

  "No: look up."

  Sir John and the doctor looked up in astonishment to find that Jack hadmounted the mainmast shrouds, and was now perched in the little apologyfor a top, with his arms about the foot of the topmast, against which heheld his glass, gazing east.

  Sir John drew a deep breath, and looked at his friend.

  "Don't take the slightest notice," said the latter; "treat it as quite amatter of course. He has taken his spring and is out of his misery. Hewon't want any corks to swim with now, nor for us to hold him up."

  "That's right, gentlemen," said the captain. "His spirit's rising, andthat will carry him along. I wouldn't notice anything."

  "Hi! father!" cried the lad, as he lowered his glass and caught sight ofthem. "I can't make much out even here. I say, Captain Bradleigh, areyou sure this is the island?"

  "Well, I'm sure it's land," replied the captain.

  "But we don't seem to get a bit nearer."

  "Sun's getting higher and makes it fainter. But the wind is falling,and we'll clap on a little more sail."

  As the morning went on sail after sail was added, the men springingaloft and shaking out the squaresails, while long triangular pieces ofcanvas were run up the stays till the yacht was crowded, and she glidedalong with a delightfully easy motion.

  But it was all in vain; the wind sank and sank, till at mid-day thesails hung motionless in the glowing sunshine, while, save for a slowsoft heaving, the glassy transparent sea was absolutely without motion.

  "Oh, this is vexatious!" cried Jack impatiently.

  "Yes, you'll have to whistle for the wind, Jack," said the doctor,stretching himself under the awning and lighting his cigar.

  "Whistle for nonsense!" said the lad irritably. "So tiresome, just tooas we have come in sight of the place."

  "Practice for your patience, my boy," said Sir John merrily. "Oughtn'the to come under the awning out of the scorching sun?" he continued tothe doctor, as Jack went forward to where Captain Bradleigh was givingorders about lowering some of the studding-sails.

  "Won't hurt him so long as he does not exert himself," replied t
hedoctor. "The sun, sir, is the real fount of life. Nature incites allanimals to bask in it, even the fish. There's a shoal swimming yonder.We'll have a try for some presently. Do him good."

  "Then why don't you go and lie in it?" said Sir John, smiling.

  "Because I don't want doing good. Too idle. I'm drinking all this in.I never felt so well in my life."

  "Nor I," said Sir John, watching his son's movements, "but I begin tofeel as if I should like to be doing something active. What's Jackabout?"

  The answer came in the boy's voice, heard distinctly enough in the clearair,--

  "I say, don't take the sails down, Captain Bradleigh," he said; "thewind may come again soon."

  "Not before sundown," replied the captain, "and then we shan't wantstuns'ls."

  "But it might!"

  "Yes, and it might come with a sudden touch of hurricane, my lad. We'regetting where dangers lie pretty quickly, and we old sea-going folkdon't like to be taken unawares."

  "What would it do then if a touch of hurricane did come?"

  "Perhaps take our masts short off by the board before we could leteverything go. Not nice to have half our canvas stripped away. Youhaven't been at sea so long as I have, squire."

  "No, of course not," said Jack impatiently. "But I say, why don't youget up steam?"

  "Because we want to keep our coal for an emergency, or when we want toget on."

  "Well, we want to get on now."

  The captain smiled.

  "Go and ask your father what he thinks."

  "Yes; come with me."

  The captain humoured him, and they walked aft to where the awning castits grateful shade.

  "Here, father, hadn't we better have the steam up and get on?"

  "I hardly think so, Jack. What do you say, captain; will the calmlast?"

  "Only till sundown, sir; then I think we shall have a nice soft breezeagain."

  "Then I say no, Jack," said Sir John. "We're quite hot enough, and itdoes not seem fair to the men to send them down making roaring fireswhen there is so little need."

  "You'd be getting brown on both sides at once, Jack," said the doctor."Look yonder; fish rising. What do you say to having a try?"

  "Yes," said Jack eagerly, "let's get up the lines. Hi, Mr Bartlett,come on."

  The mate had taken the captain's place, and was superintending thelowering of the studding-sails.

  "Yes, all right, Bartlett," cried the captain, "I'll see to that;" andgiving the lad a friendly nod, he went forward, the mate coming aft.

  "Look! Fish!" cried Jack. "What had we better do, Mr Bartlett?"

  "Yes; send out some light lines floating in the current," said thedoctor.

  "No, I don't think we should do much that way. More likely to getsomething from close in under the bows with the grains," replied themate thoughtfully. "But what I should do would be to lower a boat andgently scull her toward one of those shoals; we might do somethingthen."

  "That's the way," cried Jack. "Here, hi! Lenny, we want you."

  The big black-bearded fellow looked inquiringly at the captain, whonodded, and the man came aft, while Jack and the doctor went below, theformer in a hurry, the latter with a good deal of deliberation. Themate and the man then proceeded to lower the light gig and cast off thefalls, leaving her hanging by the painter.

  "Strong tackle and bright artificial baits, Jack, my lad. The water'swonderfully clear."

  These were selected from the ample store, and carried up to the boat,into which a basket, a bucket, and a big stone bottle covered with afelt jacket, and full of fresh water, were lowered.

  "Won't you come, father?" said Jack suddenly.

  "Well--er--no," said Sir John; "there is hardly room for another in thatboat."

  "Then we'll have a larger," cried Jack in a decisive tone, speaking ashis father had never heard him speak before.

  "No, no," cried Sir John; "don't alter your plans. But look out there."

  He pointed away from the side of the yacht, and Jack shaded his eyes,for the sun flashed from the surface.

  "Fish of some kind," said the lad eagerly. "Look, Mr Bartlett; whatare they--eels?"

  "Snakes--sea-snakes," said the mate quietly; and they stood gazing at alittle cluster of eight or ten beautiful mottled creatures lying closeto the surface, almost motionless, except that one now and then changedthe S-like figure into which it lay by bending and waving its longsinuous body into some other graceful curve, progressing by a slightwavy motion of its tail.

  "Proof positive, Jack, that there are sea-snakes," said Sir John.

  "We shall have to look out," said the doctor, laughing. "Perhaps theseare the babies, and papa and mamma not far off."

  "Hallo! what have you got there?" said the captain, coming up. "Snakes,eh? Plenty of them to be found."

  "And big ones?" asked Jack eagerly.

  "I don't say that, my lad," replied the captain. "There's a pretty goodbig one there though."

  "What, that?" cried Jack. "Three or four feet long."

  "Nearer eight when he is out of the water."

  "Would they take a bait?"

  "Doubtful. But I would not try. Those things can bite, and, as I said,I've known cases out in the Indian Ocean where men have died from theirbites. They're best dealt with from a distance. Why don't you shootone for a curiosity? You could keep it in spirits."

  "Ah, why not?" said the doctor; and he ran below, to return directlywith a double gun and some cartridges, a couple of which he inserted atthe breech.

  Sir John looked at his friend inquiringly.

  "There you are," said the doctor, handing the gun to Jack. "I'd restthe barrels on the rails as we're rolling a little. Then take a goodaim as we're rising, not as we're going down, and fire as if you wantedthe shot to go under its head."

  Jack hesitated, and shrank a little, but mastering his feeling oftrepidation, he took the gun, and rested the barrels on the rail.

  "Why am I to fire under if I want to hit the snake?" he said.

  "Because you will be in motion, and if you do not, your charge of shotwill be carried above the reptile for one thing; another is to allow forthe refraction, which makes the snake seem higher in the water than itis."

  "But that one has its back right out."

  "Yes: quick! a quick aim, and then draw the trigger."

  Jack had never fired a gun in his life, and he shrank from doing so now,but every one was watching him; and as the barrels still lay on therail, he glanced along between them as he had along the captain'stelescope that morning, and pulled the trigger, but no explosionfollowed.

  "Quick!" cried the doctor. "Do you call that quick?"

  "It won't go off," said Jack, with a touch of irritation in his voice.

  "Of course it won't," cried the doctor. "Why, you had not cocked it."

  Jack had had no experience of guns, but he knew what ought to be done,and quickly drawing back the hammers, he took aim just beneath thelargest of the snakes, and fired.

  He had not placed the stock close to his shoulder, so he received asharp blow, and the report sounded deafening, the smoke was blinding,and it was some moments before he was able to see what luck had attendedhis shot.

  Better than he expected. The large snake was writhing and twining aboutin the water, and splashing it with blows from its tail, but the othershad disappeared, and the mate had dropped down into the boat, and takenup the long-handled gaff-hook.

  "Mind what you're about, Bartlett," cried the captain. "Don't lift itinto the boat while it's so lively."

  "I'll take care," was the reply, and after giving the gig a thrust whichsent it near enough, the mate watched his opportunity, and lowering thehook made a snatch with it, catching the snake somewhere about themiddle.

  The touch seemed to fill the reptile full of animation, and quick asthought it twined itself in a knot about the hook, bit at it, and beganlashing at the strong ash pole with its tail.

  "Don't be rash, Bart
lett," cried the captain. "We mustn't have anyaccidents. There, keep the end down in the water while Mr Meadows heregives it the other barrel."

  "Fire at it again?" said Jack, who was full of excitement.

  "Yes; give it him and finish him off," cried the doctor.

  Jack raised the piece again, and it was none too soon, for the serpentwas beginning to make its way along the pole toward the mate's hands,while it held on by tightening the folds of the lower part of its body.

  The lad took aim at the knot twined round the hook, and then shivered ashe saw the head of the dangerous beast gliding, or more correctly thrustalong the ash handle, and changing the direction of the muzzle of thepiece a little to the left, he once more fired, when the snake's headfell with a splash into the sea, the tight knot about the hook relaxed,the tail fell limply, and writhing with a feeble motion, the two endshanging down together, prevented from falling by one twist round thegaff.

  "Bravo! well done, Jack!" cried the doctor. "I say, my lad, if youbegin by shooting like that you'll turn out a good shot. Now, Bartlett,let's have the beast on board and see what it's like."

  The mate placed the gaff across the bows of the gig and thrust an oarover the stern, sculling the boat alongside, with the snake trailing inthe water. Then taking hold of the gaff handle, climbed on board, andthe prize was drawn on the deck, to lie writhing feebly and quite beyondthe power of doing mischief, but it was scarcely disfigured, the smallshot having done their work without much injuring the skin.

  "Well, this is something to begin with," said Sir John, examining thebeautifully mottled creature, as it lay in the sun, the dark, almostblack ground of the skin showing up the ochre yellow markings, while incertain lights the black glistened with iridescent hues.

  "A good eight feet long," said the captain; "but you'd better becareful. Cut his head off: he won't revive and show fight then."

  "What, and spoil that beautiful skin!" cried the doctor. "No!"

  "Get a length of stout fishing-line, Lenny," said the captain quietly;and the man trotted forward, his companions of the crew making way forhim to pass, and then closing round again to examine the capture, whichkept on raising its head a little and letting it fall back on the deck,after which a wave ran along the body right to the tail, which, insteadof being round and tapering off, showed the creature's adaptability foran aqueous life by being flattened so that the end was something likethe blade of a sword.

  "We had better start a spirit tub at once," said the doctor; and he bentdown over the head. "What sharp eyes!" he continued. "Malignantlooking little beast."

  "That's right," said the captain, as Lenny came up with the stout line."Now make a noose in it. No, no, not at the end: a couple of fathomsin. That's the way. Take hold, one of you others. Now together drawthe loop over the thing's head."

  "What are you going to do?" cried Jack excitedly.

  "Take care that he doesn't do any mischief, my lad," cried the captain;and standing about a dozen feet apart, the two sailors carefully drewthe noose along the deck, till the bottom touched the snake's head, butit would not pass under.

  "Bring your gaff, Bartlett," cried the captain, "and raise the head alittle."

  Hardly had he uttered the words, when the snake lifted it of itself afew inches from the white deck, and its whole body was in motion.

  "Look out," cried Jack; and several of the men started back, but thesailors who held the line stood fast, and drew the noose over thereptile's head, and with a quick snatch tightened the strong cord aboutits neck.

  The effect seemed magical, and the shot to have done nothing more thanstun the creature for a time. It was now apparently as strong as ever,twining itself into knots and then writhing free again, to beat thewhite deck with its tail.

  But this did not last many minutes, and as the men kept the line tightacross the deck the reptile gradually stretched itself out, till it hungperfectly limp and almost motionless by the neck. Then a small cask wasbrought on deck, a stone jar of prepared spirit poured in, and the snakedrawn over the mouth and allowed to sink in. Then the head of the caskwas held ready and the tightened fishing-line cut short off. There wasa hollow splash, and the cask was covered and secured.

  "That's specimen the first," said the doctor, with a smile ofsatisfaction. "We shall have to fill that pickle-tub up before we goback, Jack. There, go and put away the gun and let's have our fish."

  "I'll take the gun, Mr Jack, sir," said Edward, who had been watchingall the proceedings with the greatest interest. "I must clean it beforeit's put away."

  Jack handed him the piece, and the man whispered quickly--

  "Mr Jack, sir; do please tell me to come."

  "What, with us? Impossible," said Jack hastily. "You heard my fathersay that there was not room for another."

  "Yes, sir, of course, not room for another like him, but I'm nobody. Idon't want any room; I can sit down in the bottom, or kneel down. And Ishould be so useful, sir. I could cut up bait, or put on hooks, or take'em off, or anything."

  "What, do you understand fishing?"

  "Me, sir? yes: I used to go up our river when I was a boy. I've caughtroach and chub many a time, not that they were very big. Do take me,sir."

  Jack hesitated.

  "Say you will, sir," cried the man eagerly. "I can clean the gun afterwe come back."

  "I don't like to refuse you, Ned," said Jack.

  "That's right, sir: keep on don't liking, and say I may come. You don'tknow how useful I'll be."

  "Very well: come then."

  "Hurray!" whispered the man, "who'd be without a good master? I'll beback directly, sir."

  He ran below with the gun, laid it in his berth ready for cleaning, andwas up again just as the mate and Doctor Instow approached the side.

  "Hallo, sir, you coming?" cried the latter.

  "Yes, sir."

  "But we don't want you."

  Edward's face became puckered with disappointment, and his eyes werefull of misery, as he turned them piteously upon his young master.

  "Yes, I want him," said Jack, in response to the appealing look, and theman's hopes rose.

  "What for?" said the doctor, and Edward's aspirations went down to zero.

  "I don't know," said Jack coolly; "to unhook the fish. I'm not going tosoil my hands."

  "Oh, very well," said the doctor; "I don't mind, but we had better catchthe fish before you take them off the hook. Now then, in with you."

  Lenny and the mate stepped down into the boat, Jack and the doctorfollowed, and then, looking flushed and excited as a boy, Edward jumpedin, giving, his young master a grateful look as soon as the doctor wasnot looking.