Arthur Brown, The Young Captain
Page 21
CHAPTER XX.
A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE.
SCARCELY had Uncle Isaac been committed to the earth, when the nephewhe had so longed to see arrived in the Casco, sick with the fever andague. As the owners wished to send the vessel with despatch to oneof the French West India islands, they, at Isaac’s request, put EzraAldrich in her as master. He was a native of the place, and relative ofIsaac, but never much liked by his schoolmates, being an overbearingfellow.
In his youth he went two voyages with Captain Rhines, and afterwards inEnglish ships from Liverpool to Halifax.
“I don’t see,” said Captain Rhines, “what Isaac wants to put him in herfor.”
The first mate was an acquaintance and shipmate of Aldrich, by the nameof Percival, and, as Captain Rhines told his wife, as great a rascalas the captain. There was some difficulty in getting a crew, but,through the influence of Captain Rhines, who prevailed on Petersonand Danforth Eaton to ship, a crew was mustered. Being all young menfrom the neighborhood, who knew their duty and were able and willingto do it, they were at first rather amused than otherwise with theconsequential airs and bluster of their new captain, in such strongcontrast to the manners of Captain Rhines and Captain Murch.
Aldrich seemed very much inclined to quarrel with Peterson, but havinga wholesome dread of the strength of the black, restrained himself. Bycontinual abuse, he at length irritated the good-natured negro to sucha degree, that he said to him, “Lookee ‘ere, Massa Aldrich; ‘memberwhen you little picaninny, runnin’ ‘bout barefoot; shirt flap he stickout behind; your farder haul staves on a hand-sled, your mudder digclams; spose you gib me any more your jabber-juice, fling you ober derail.”
A week passed, when the captain, offended with Danforth Eaton, caughtup the end of a rope to flog him. Eaton took up another.
“What use do you intend to make of that rope, Eaton?” asked thecaptain.
“Just the same use that you make of yours.”
The captain was a school-mate of Eaton, and knew very well theresult of a collision with him. But as they approached the land, thedeportment of the captain entirely changed. While the vessel was beingdischarged, he bought soft bread, fresh meat, vegetables, and evenfruit, for the men. Seamen are little disposed to remember injuries,and all old scores were now rubbed out.
The cook having gone to the hospital sick, Peterson had taken his place.
One evening, just as the men were about to turn in, the captain sentPeterson ashore with some letters. In the morning, when the crewturned out, he was among the missing. There was a good fire in thefireplace,—stoves were not in use then,—the tea-kettle on, coffeepounded in the mortar, some raw potatoes and onions peeled andsliced, slices of raw pork in the frying-pan, salt beef chopped in akid,—everything prepared to make lob-scouse.
“Was he not a drinking man?” inquired the captain.
“He was once,” said Hurd, “but left it off years ago.”
“Halloo! What’s this?” said George Hoyt.
A handkerchief lay on the fender. They brought it aboard on the pointof a boat-hook.
“It’s Peterson’s,” said Elwell; “there’s his name on it.”
“It’s just as I thought,” said the captain. “He drank last night; thatwaked up the old appetite, and as soon as he turned out this morning hewent for more, and fell off the gangway plank.”
A grappling was procured ashore, and the crew, under the direction ofthe captain, who was deeply moved, grappled for the body the greaterpart of the day, without success. In the meanwhile, the mate was makinginquiries on shore.
“The tide runs strong here,” said the captain; “it has swept him tosea.”
“Poor Jim has gone, boys,” said Eaton, as, weary and dispirited, theysat down to supper.
“Anybody wouldn’t have thought,” said Savage, “he’d a broke through,after being a steady man so long. The captain feels bad, but he’s doneall a man could do.”
“Jim Peterson,” said Eaton, brushing away a tear with the back of hishand, “was a black fellow, raal coal black, too,—a Guinea nigger, ifyou please; but if he’d been washed overboard, I’d a risked my life tosave him quicker than for any shipmate I ever had; and I’m not all theone would have done it.”
“That’s so, Dan. I’m sure I never thought anything about his color.”
“But I don’t believe anything about his getting drunk (though I’ve nodoubt the captain thinks so); for I’ve seen him tried and tempted hardto weather, by old shipmates, time and time again. He went ashore toget something to put in the stew; a sober man might make a misdeal in ahurry. No power on earth will ever make me believe Jim was drunk.”
“Then why didn’t he sing out?”
“He might strike his head on something, and stun him. There’s a goodmany will feel bad when we carry the news home, besides his own folks.”
“That’s so,” said Savage; “there’s nothing in the world that theRhineses wouldn’t do for Peterson, and always would; and it was just sowith the Griffins. I’ve heard that Peterson saved the captain’s lifeonce. I remember one time a parcel of us boys got some withes, tiedthem together, and got a turn round Peterson’s waist when he was sodrunk he couldn’t chase us, and began to pull him round. First thing Iknew, I got a clip side of my head that sent me a rod; when I pickedmyself up, I saw the boys, some on the ground, some runnin’, and LionBen right among ‘em. I put her for home, and never stopped till I gotunder mother’s bed; but the rim of my ear was cut through, and my headwas swelled for a week. I tell you, I looked sharp for Lion Ben afterthat, whenever I wanted to have any fun with Peterson.”
When the vessel arrived home, Captain Murch took charge, and Aldrichwent back to Liverpool.
Percival, the mate, got to drinking, and became a miserable fellow;went to Boston, and sailed before the mast, sometimes second mate, andafter his brief elevation, again before the mast; till, becoming sonotorious a drunkard that no captain would have him, he was employed asa lumper about the wharves in Boston.
The next volume of this series, “THE YOUNG DELIVERERS,” will explainthe mystery attending the disappearance of Peterson, and present thecharacters of Walter and Ned in an entirely new light.