Boy Tar

by Mayne Reid

  CHAPTER NINETEEN.

  HURRAH! WE ARE OFF!

  As soon as I had screened myself behind the butt, I squatted down; and,in five minutes after, was so fast asleep; that it would have taken allthe bells of Canterbury to have waked me. I had got but little sleep onthe preceding night, and not a great deal the night before that; forJohn and I had been early up for the market. The fatigue, moreover,experienced in my cross-country journey, and the excitement oftwenty-four hours' suspense--now somewhat allayed--had quite done me up,and I slept as sound as a top, only that my nap lasted as long as thatof a thousand tops.

  There had been noises enough to have awaked me much sooner, as Iafterwards ascertained. There had been the rattling of pulleys andbanging of boxes close to my ears, but I heard nothing of all this.

  When I awoke, I knew by my sensations that I had been a long whileasleep. It must be far into the night, thought I. I supposed it wasnight-time, by the complete darkness that enveloped me; for on firstsqueezing myself behind the butt, I noticed that light came in by theaperture through which I had passed. Now there was none. It was night,therefore, and dark as pitch--that, of course, behind a huge hogsheaddown in the hold of a ship.

  "What time of night? I suppose they have all gone to bed, and are nowsnug in their hammocks? It must be near morning? Can I hear any onestirring?"

  I listened. I had no need to listen intently. I soon heard noises.They were evidently caused by heavy objects striking and bumping, justas if the sailors were still busy lading the vessel. I could hear theirvoices, too, though not very distinctly. Now and then certainejaculations reached me, and I could make out the words "Heave!"

  "Avast heavin'!" and once the "Yo-heave-ho!" chanted by a chorus of thecrew.

  "Why, they are actually at work loading the vessel _in the night-time_!"

  This, however, did not greatly surprise me. Perhaps they wished to takeadvantage of a tide or a fair wind, and were hurrying to complete thestowage of the ship.

  I continued to listen, expecting to hear a cessation of the noises; buthour after hour passed, and still the clinking and clanking kept on.

  "How very industrious!" thought I. "They must be pressed for time, anddetermined to start soon. True, the placard `_For Peru--to-morrow_!'did not keep faith to-day, but no doubt it will do so to-morrow, at avery early hour. So much the better for me; I shall the sooner get outof my uncomfortable situation. It's rather a hard bed I've had, and Iam growing hungry again."

  With this last reflection, I was very willing to make a fresh onset uponthe cheese and crackers, and I accordingly did so. I had found a freshappetite during my sleep, and I ate heartily, though it was the _middleof the night_!

  The noise of the lading still continued. "Oh! they are going to keep atit all night. Hard work it is, poor fellows; but no doubt they willreceive double wages for it."

  All at once the sounds ceased, and there was profound silence in theship--at least I could hear no one stirring about.

  "At last they have knocked off," thought I; "they are now gone to bed;but surely it must be near daybreak, though day has not yet broken, elseI should see some light through the aperture. Well! I shall try to goto sleep again myself."

  I laid me down as before, and endeavoured to compose myself to sleep.In about an hour's time I had well-nigh succeeded in doing so, when thethumping of the boxes re-commenced, and roused me up afresh.

  "What? they are at it again! Surely they cannot have been to sleep?--anhour--it was not worth their while to lie down for an hour."

  I listened to assure myself that they had really set about work again.There could be no doubt of it. I could hear the clinking and clanking,and the creaking of the pulley-blocks just as before, only not quite soloud.

  "Well," thought I, "it is a strange crew, working thus all night long.Ha! on second thoughts, perhaps it is a fresh set who are at it--anotherwatch that has relieved the former one?"

  This was probable enough, and the conjecture satisfied me. But I couldno more compose myself to sleep, and lay listening.

  Still they worked on, and I could hear the noises through the longestnight I ever remember. Several hours they had kept at it, and thenthere was a pause of about an hour, and then I heard the workprogressing as before, and as yet there were no signs of morning--not aray of light came near me!

  I began to fancy I was dreaming, and that those spells of work thatseemed to last for hours were only of minutes' duration. And yet, ifthey were only minutes, I must have been gifted with a strange appetite,for no less than three times had I fallen ferociously upon myprovisions, until my stock was well-nigh exhausted.

  At length the noises ceased altogether, and for several hours I did nothear them. During this interval there was almost complete silence aboveand around me, in the midst of which I again fell asleep.

  When I awoke, my ears were once more greeted with sounds, but these werequite of another character from those I had before been listening to.They were to me sounds of joy, for I at once recognised the well-known"crik-crik-crik" of a windlass, and the rattling of a great chain. Downwhere I was, in the hold, I did not hear these noises very distinctly,but enough so to know what was going on above. _They were weighing theanchor; the ship was about to sail_!

  I could scarce restrain myself from giving a cheer; but I managed tokeep silence, fearing that my voice might be heard. It was not yettime. If heard, I should be dragged forth, and sent packing withoutceremony. I therefore lay as still as a mouse, and listened to thegreat chain harshly rasping through the iron ring of the hawse-hole.Harsh as it may have sounded in other ears, it was music to mine at thatmoment.

  The clicking and rasping both ceased after a while, and then anothersound reached me. This resembled the rushing of a mighty wind, but Iknew it was not that. I knew it was the "sough" of the sea against thesides of the vessel. It produced a delightful impression upon my mind,for it told me that _the big ship was in motion_!

  "Hurrah! we are off!"