All Aboard: A Story for Girls

by Frank V. Webster

  CHAPTER VII.

  KITE-FLYING AND GIBRALTAR.

  When they awoke, next morning, the engines were at work again, andtheir heavy thud, thud, was mingled with the swash of water, as theBengali boys washed down decks, while a rattling of spars and creakingof cordage showed that sails were being set, or lowered.

  Hope, always wide awake at once, sprang from her little white couch tofind that it was difficult to keep her footing on the sliding plane ofher stateroom floor, but slipping into gown and ulster as quickly aspossible, and bracing herself with extended hands through the narrowpassageway to the deck, she was soon outside, gasping a little in thefresh wind that met her full in the face and caught her breath away.For the ship was now headed for the Straits, and steaming almost in theteeth of the brisk northeaster.

  There was not a hint of land, as far as the eye could see, and thewaters, of a deep, cold blue, were white-capped to the horizon's edge.She felt dizzy, and most uncertain on her feet, but not six feetdistant was a heap of low camp-chairs, huddled together out of the wayof the still dripping deck planks. If she could reach one and get toleeward of that capstan--but what should she hold on to meanwhile?

  And, even as she asked herself the question, the goodly steamer,happening to dip her lowest courtesy to a rude in-coming wave of giantproportions, shipped its combing crest, that poured through thelatticed guard-rail and swirled across the deck, with a force, thatsent poor Hope a drenched, doubled-up little heap of helplessness,pounding right into the midst of the chair-stack.

  Before she had time to cry out, however, she was caught up, and herfather's voice, hoarse and frightened, asked quickly,

  "Are you hurt, love?--Are you hurt?"

  As she looked up into his anxious face, pale beneath the sun-bronze,Hope fully realized how deeply her father loved her, and answered in amuch subdued voice,

  "No, papa--not much. I think I've barked my knees and bumped my head,but I guess that's all--except the wetting!" shivering a little.

  "Yes, you mustn't take cold. I'll help you right back, and send Marthato you. You'd better crawl into your little nest again as soon asyou're thoroughly dry, and don't venture outside again until I come andget you, my storm-bird."

  "Father," she said, as he was about leaving her at the cabin door, "doyou _never_ sleep? I left you up at midnight, and I find you up atdawn."

  "Sleep? Oh, yes, sometimes. That's the last thing a captain thinksof, though. If I should sleep too much it might mean an eternal sleepfor my passengers and crew. Now hurry into bed and get warm, chicken.I'll see that you have some hot chocolate at once."

  It was nearly two hours later, and Hope had quite slept off the effectsof her wetting, when the two girls ventured forth again, but now themotion was still and even, and the old ship steady as a house floor,for they were under the lee of Cape Trafalgar, making swift time forTarifa and the Straits.

  As the girls sat lazily, after their morning's outlook, in the pleasantsaloon, amid a group of ladies and children, listening to the cheerfulchatter going on about them, and laughing at the antics of the littletots playing about in charge of their gaily-turbaned Indian ayahs, ornurses, Dwight came in, all excitement, and cried,

  "Come, girls, we're going to have an exhibition. Loo Wing has made anelegant kite--regular Chinese one, you know--and we're going to fly itfrom the after-deck. Hurry up!"

  They hastily followed his rush around the guards, and after themtrailed all the children old enough to run alone, and many of themothers, for anything new is welcome at sea. On the after-deck theyfound the captain, Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Malcolm, and other passengers,assisting the cook's boy, Loo Wing, inputting the last touches to asingular erection of red, yellow, and purple, made of crinkled paper,which looked like a hybrid creature, half bird, half dragon.

  Loo Wing had it in hand, and Mr. Lawrence was adjusting its immenselylong tail, while the captain was paying out twine from a stick.

  "Oh, uncle!" called Dwight in an agonized voice, "you know I was tostart it. Loo Wing promised I should."

  "Well, well, who said you weren't? We're only making ready. But becareful and not let it get tangled in the rigging," was quicklyreturned.

  "No, indeed!" cried the boy, trembling with excitement, as he receivedfrom the smiling oriental the gaudy thing, and started for the taffraileager to see it off on its aerial journey.

  But he was in too great a hurry, and despite warning cries from CaptainHosmer, Loo Wing, and the Bengali boy, who was supposed to be polishingthe brass rod of the taffrail, he sent the kite up just in season for acontrary puff of wind to catch its extended wings, and blow it squarelyinto the topmost shrouds and ratlines of the mizzen-mast, where,entangled in the network of ropes, it fluttered helplessly.

  Poor Dwight was almost beyond speaking in his despair, when the littleBengali, with a swift, beseeching look at his captain, sprang forwardand ran up the rope-ladder with the lithe, quick motion of a monkey.

  "Oh, don't let him!" cried Faith, but her father only laughed.

  "He's used to it, don't worry!" he said, and thus assured, they watchedthe brown lad's dizzy climb until the kite was reached. Here, hangingon by his toes, apparently, to the cross-bar, he bent over and loosenedthe erratic flyer. Then, holding it far out, he looked down forfurther orders.

  "Shall he let her go, Master Dwight?" said the captain. "It's yourkite to command. Here's the twine, and hang tight, if he does, for'twill give you a strong pull."

  "Yes, let her fly!" cried Dwight, excitedly, bracing himself and gazingupwards.

  The little Indian waited for a favorable instant, then with a prolonged"Hi-yi!" that drew the attention of all on board, gave it a light tossto leeward, which sent it off like a bird, indeed. Luckily, it had notbeen torn by its temporary delay, and now, caught aft by the wind, itsailed up and away with a force that fairly dragged Dwight across thedeck until, laughing heartily, the captain eased him by a grasp on thetwine, until he could "get another cinch," as the lad explained, andpay it out more rapidly.

  It really made a beautiful appearance against the blue sky, with itsgay colors and extended wings, and Loo Wing clapped his hands indelight, while the passengers cheered lustily. They watched it till itwas a mere speck in the canopy, and Dwight greatly amused the littleones by sending up "letters," or bits of white paper, on the twine.But after an hour or two of this fun, the captain sang out,

  "Better tie your bird to the taffrail and take a look for'ards prettysoon. 'Twill pay for the trouble."

  They acted upon his advice, making a rush for the forward deck, and sawthat it was well worth a longer journey than from end to end of a greatsteamer.

  They were nearing the Straits; already Tarifa's white fortress wassmiling in friendly fashion across the narrowing waters, while, on theother hand, the hazy spurs of Atlas outlined the African coast. And asthey gazed delightedly, with much laughter over the roughening waves,which made it necessary for them to wedge themselves into convenientnooks in order to stand upright, they saw great Gibraltar looming upsomber, massive, and gray-blue, with the frown of a giant defying theuniverse.

  No wonder the ancients thought these opposite heights, so impregnable,so sentinel-like, were gates set by the gods to define earth's outerboundaries, beyond which the most daring mariner must never sail.

  As our friends watched the broad slope of Calpe, lying in the fullsunshine of a brilliant noon, its ledges bristling with bastions andcannon, above the little town which seems to nestle beneath incontented safety, Faith turned to her sister with kindling eyes.

  "Now, aren't you proud of our mother, England? Where in all the worldis there such another fortress commanding the entrance to two oceans,and looking down upon two continents, I'd like to know?"

  Hope looked up in amazement.

  "Well, Faith, I never heard you soar into such eloquence, before. Youhave subjugated me! What shall I do? Sing 'God save the Queen,' orshout 'For England and St. George'? I'm at your service. But then,"she ad
ded mischievously, "I don't think it was such a wonderful thingfor its garrison to hold out over three years, as our history tells usthey did, for what could all the warships France and Spain might bring,ever accomplish against that solid rock?"

  "Ah! but it was a gallant resistance, just the same!" cried Mr.Lawrence, as he joined them. "There has, perhaps, never been such afierce and prolonged bombardment as that, and Europe looked on withwonder, as every resource of two great nations was brought to bearagainst that garrison of seven thousand men, who could not be starved,nor conquered. It looked black for them, sometimes, but Britishendurance and red-hot shot won the day, and the carnage on board thoseill-fated vessels during the last of the fierce engagement was beyondanything recorded in history. They simply _had_ to give it up!"

  As they now slowly steamed up the beautiful bay it was almost likesailing over a mill-pond, after the past roughness, for it lay stillbeneath the vertical sun, and was thronged with shipping of everydescription and nationality. Presently there came a reverberation thatseemed to ricochet from rock and wave, and a little girl cried blankly,

  "Oh dear! Are they firing at us?"

  But an officer called out,

  "No, it's a Russian corvette, saluting. See its dragon flag of blackand yellow? Now--watch!"

  He pointed shorewards just as a puff of white smoke issued from aninnocent-looking clump of trees on the rocky hillside, which precededthe sound of an answering boom from the iron lips of the fortress.This was repeated many times, the hoarse cannon barks alternatingbetween gun-ship and shore, in an awe-inspiring exchange of courtesies.As the girls grew used to the thunderous sounds they delighted tospeculate from which bastion, or ledge, or flowering bush, would comethat little puff of smoke, to be followed by the lightning and thunderof man's invention, scarcely less terrible than those of nature's cloudcontests.

  "I'm glad to have seen it," said Faith somewhat tremulously, when thesalvo was over. "It gives one some idea of what it might be if thatfortress were really firing for business. Just think how dreadful!"

  "But do tell me," cried her sister, "how can trees and shrubs grow soluxuriantly on that rocky soil, and what keeps the houses from blowingoff some of those steep cliffs? Do you know, I never supposed therewere any houses, before. I thought, from the pictures, that the rockwent straight up out of the water, with the fort stuck on top, like athimble on a big chocolate caramel. But here's a regular town."

  Mr. Lawrence laughed.

  "It's odd, the ideas we get of places till we see them! To be sure,the rock is nearly perpendicular to the north and east, but here, asyou see, it makes a long slope to the water's edge, and the cliff isbroken into many elevations. Of course, you'll go ashore and take acloser look at it all?"

  "Yes, father's going with us. We'll be here quite a while to take oncoal, and he wants us to see the galleries, and the signal-station."

  "And I want to see the tailless monkeys," added Dwight, as he joinedthem. "We'll have a procession to brag of, for nearly everybody'sgoing ashore. Mr. Malcolm's to lead the van with the children, hesays, and Mrs. Campbell is to close up the rear of his section, whilemother follows with ours. They've been laughing about it over there.Ah, there's Bess beckoning! Be sure and join us, girls."

  "Yes, when father comes. Goody! here he is. We're all ready, papa."

  "So am I, but you'll have to wait till I've attended to my papers--butit won't take long. Just follow on."

  The passengers were soon streaming shorewards over the long pier, andsniffing with delight the fresh odor of flowers that filled the air,which, to Hope, was a continual wonder, for she could not yet acceptthe fact of lovely English gardens on this gray old rock.

  A walk through the paved streets, with their home-like dwellings,stores, churches, and official buildings only increased this wonder,and her stock of adjectives was soon exhausted. Mr. Malcolm,naturally, led them first to the market, where business called him, andhere the girls were specially interested in the flowers, some of thebooths being fancifully arranged with a bewildering display.

  The people they met seemed of every complexion and country, from groupsof tourists in the latest fashion to a couple of long-robed Parsees,with their funny little caps perched above their black polls. Bessindicated another passer-by, and said in a low tone, "What an old maidof a man!" and certainly, with his straight gown, and a high comb stuckup in his back hair which was coiled into a tight knot, thedark-skinned fellow did strongly suggest a typical spinster.

  Even Hope looked pleased, and Faith's eyes glittered as a small companyof British soldiery, from the barracks, in red coats and white helmets,and with fresh young faces, came clattering down the street, andreturned the greetings of the gentlemen, and smiles of the ladies, withtheir military salute, and a second glance in the direction of theirpretty young countrywomen.

  Some of the party, who were not good climbers, had been accommodatedwith donkeys at the hotel, before starting for the galleries, but manywalked, and it was a long and somewhat straggling procession.

  The galleries mentioned are long passageways, cut through the solidrock, and pierced with portholes at regular intervals, so that thegun-muzzles, which peer through them, can command town, bay, andneutral ground. Faith, whose reverence for this old citadel grew everyminute, felt that the clatter of the donkey's heels, the gay callingback and forth, and the cries of the children ought, in these dimtunnels, to be hushed into awed silence. But no one else seemed soimpressed, though the men made measurements and discussed the labor andexpense of such enginery, as if it were a great achievement.

  As they emerged she found herself close by Lady Moreham, also walking,who remarked carelessly,

  "You look solemn, Miss Hosmer."

  "Do I? I think all this strength and power are wonderful, don't you,my lady?"

  "Yes, and awful! It oppresses me. When England lays her hand onanything it is a heavy hand. The victim must yield, or die."

  "And yet, surely our people are comfortable and wisely ruled? We are ahappy nation."

  "Perhaps--of course. I was speaking of her in the abstract, merely.But is it not true that the marked characteristic of all Englishmen istyranny? Don't they rule wherever they go? Aren't they always andeverywhere the dominant class--the oppressors? Watch the Britishtourist in any far country. Does he ever conform to its customs in theleast? No, he forces them to come to his ways. You will see this inevery port we enter, every hotel we visit. English ideas governeverything."

  "But why shouldn't they?" asked Faith, feeling as if rather beyond herdepth, but bound to be loyal to her country. "If they have conqueredthese people, haven't they the right to make laws for them?"

  "Oh, laws! Yes. But not to strip them of all originality, allindependent thought and manner. They need not change their tastes,their habits, their traditions--but there! what does a girl like youknow, or care, about all this, to be sure? Your wings have never feltthe cold shears of British superiority, nor your heart been wounded bythe sneers and scorn of her aristocracy."

  She smiled bitterly, and Faith was puzzled to know what she could meanwhen she, herself, was a distinguished member of the class she seemedto take issue with.

  They were separated then, and Faith borne on by the younger ones, butas she looked out over the bay, with its forest of shipping, and downat the terraced streets just below, she thought it a strange thing thatso favored a woman should rail at her own country and kinsmen. Itoppressed her loyal little heart, for she had begun to like the titledlady, and hated to find so grave a flaw in her nature.

  The signal house, perched like an eagle's nest on its rocky spur,proved intensely interesting, though it was difficult to remember whatall the instruments were for, while the signal flags and their manycombinations were a complete mystery. Perhaps they enjoyed all themore the visit to the tailless monkeys, that Dwight insisted uponlater, where they did not expect to be learned, but only to look andlaugh to their young hearts' content.

&nb
sp; Dwight was anxious to own one, but his uncle resisted his entreaties,declaring that monkeys--with, or without tails--would be a drug in themarket long before they returned to New York.

  It was late afternoon when they steamed out of the New Mole, and asthey looked back upon the precipitous eastern face of Gibraltar, andwatched the signal station, which now seemed sitting on a mereknife-edge of rock, and the roads winding up like paths for birds tolight on, it did not seem as if they could have found them so roomywhen on the spot. In dreamy mood Faith watched the surf, ceaselesslybeating itself against that massive wall, only to fall back bruised andbroken. It saddened her, and she was not surprised, after the firstshock of it, to see that Lady Moreham, standing near by, was gazingalso, with tear-filled eyes.

  As Faith discovered her emotion, the lady, believing herselfunobserved, turned with a gesture that was eloquent of despair, andFaith heard her murmuring, "It is like my life--oh! pitiless, pitiless."

  Half frightened, the girl slipped behind an intervening barrier, andstole away.

  "Poor lady!" she thought, almost in tears herself. "I would not haveher know I heard for anything. What can make her so unhappy? Sheseems to have no friends, no country. I do not believe it is pride,either, nor any feeling of rank and exclusiveness that keeps her soshut in, else why should she be so pleasant to me? It is some greatmisery, I'm sure. God help, and pity her!"