work shewould like to be employed in, anyhow."
The next morning I took an affectionate farewell of my brothers andsisters, and very far from an affectionate one of the children of mypoor stepmother. She herself, however, wept bitterly, as I went out ofthe house; my father, and a marine he had got from the barracks,carrying my chest. It was not a very big one, as may be supposed. Wehad got some distance from the house, when who should I see, scamperingafter us, and well out of breath, than the young Master Richard.
"Oh, Jack!" he exclaimed, "where are you going? I wanted to comeyesterday, but could not, because my mother took me to see thePort-Admiral, and all sorts of other naval authorities. I wanted, as Itold you, to go to sea, and she seems to think it's a very good placefor me to go to. She says that as I have been so nearly drowned once, Iam not likely to be drowned again; that it's much less expensive thanbeing in the dragoons, and, in fact, she made up her mind that to sea Iwas to go. Somehow or other she and the naval big-wigs have settled it,and I am to go on board the old _Roarer_, which is to sail, in a shorttime, for the East Indies."
"That's the very ship I have joined," I answered.
"Is it? How jolly! but are you to be a midshipman?"
"No," I answered, "I am only rated as a boy on board."
"Oh! I suppose there is no great difference. I do not know much abouta ship, or the ways of a ship. I am to have a fine new uniform, and adirk, and a chest full of no end of things. Well, we shall know moreabout it by-and-by; but I was forgetting what I came for. I wanted youto come up to the house. My father wants to talk to you, and my sisterswant to see you; to make much of you, I fancy, but that might be a bore.But, I say, let those two soldiers take your chest aboard, and presentyour compliments to the captain, and say you will come by-and-by."
My father and his companion, on hearing this, burst out laughing.
"I have a notion, young master," said my father, "that that would not dofor Jack. Much obliged to you all the same; but you are likely to be inone station, and he in another, so I am afraid the kindness you intendhim will not do him any good. I promised to take him on board the_Roarer_ this morning, and I shall have to go on duty again very soon;so once more I have to thank you, and wish you good morning!"
Master Plumb seemed rather astonished at this answer.
"Rather a proud chap that soldier," he said to me. "I should have takenhim for an officer, if he had not been carrying the box. Who is it?"
"My father," I answered.
"Oh, that's it," he observed. "Well, Jack, I wish you could come, butif you cannot, I must take your excuses; though I am sure the captainwould not be angry, if you sent him a polite message."
"My father knows better than I do," I answered; "and I have not seen thecaptain, so I must go. I am very sorry, for I should like to have comewith you."
Master Richard wrung my hand very warmly, and most unwillingly went backtowards his home. How Sergeant Turbot did laugh when we got on board,and my father told him what had happened. He advised me not to giveMaster Richard's message. My father, having left me under charge of thesergeant, took his departure. He came on board, however, several timesin old Dick's wherry.
"I don't ask you to come home, my boy," he said, "for I have not got theheart to go through that parting business again. Besides, Jack, thehome is not as comfortable as it should be. Perhaps, however, when youcome back, four or five years hence, things will have mended. And youwill not forget your father, Jack, and I'm sure you won't her that'sgone."
These remarks were made the last time I saw my worthy father before theship went out of harbour. I, in time, got accustomed to the ways of aship, or, rather, to the ways of the men. It was rather curious, atfirst, to see a number of big fellows standing round a tub or basin, allwashing themselves in the same water; one toothbrush, if they wereparticular enough to have such a thing, and one comb, serving for thewhole party. Only a few, however, of the cleanest men used the formerarticle. Still, things were somewhat trying to a young chap. When theship appeared to have got a little quiet, suddenly, as I was seated nearSergeant Turbot, I heard a sharp whistle and a ferocious growl, whichmade me jump off the bench. "All hands on deck?" or some such cry, werethe words which followed the whistle.
"Who is that growling out?" I asked of the sergeant.
"That is one of our licensed growlers," was the answer. "It's hisbusiness to growl; he is paid for it. Seamen are fond enough ofgrowling generally, but they get nothing when they do, though they growltill they are hoarse."
Now, as I said, I had been aboard all sorts of ships in ordinary, or inthe dockyard, but never before on board one fitting-out. When,therefore, I stepped on deck after the men, I was perfectly confounded;and the scene of confusion around me--such piping, and swearing, andbawling, and shouting, swaying up yards, getting in guns and stores, andpulling and hauling in all directions. Still, I made the best of it;and, having my eyes about me, kept out of harm's way, and stood ready totry and do anything I was told to do. This went on till the men knockedoff work again, and the hubbub was concentrated on the main and lowerdecks, especially round the galley-fire, where the cooks were busyserving out dinners to the different messes. "It smells fine, at allevents," I thought to myself, and would have made me hungry, if I hadnot been so already. Then a marine struck a bell four times double,which made eight bells, and the officer of the watch roared out, "Pipeto dinner!" Didn't the whistle of the boatswain and his men soundshrilly then! The dishes being arranged on the mess-tables, which wereplaced in rows along the decks, all hands fell to with a will; and I,among the number, ate my first dinner aboard ship. In about an hourthere was another pipe, and the word "Grog!" was bawled out. Each manwent to receive his quantum of rum and water. The sergeant said thatrum was a bad thing for little boys, and drank mine for me. I now thinkthat he was right. I had as yet seen nothing of Master Plumb, and Ibegan to think that he was not coming after all. This did not concernme, I own, very much; for, as he would be at one end of the ship and Iat the other, we should not exchange words very often, and I knew prettywell, from what I had already seen, that he would soon get into the waysof his messmates, and look down upon me, and swear and abuse me, as someof the other young gentlemen were apt to do.
At last all stores were on board, the sails were bent, and, casting offfrom the old hulk, we hauled out into the stream. The _Roarer_certainly looked to greater advantage than she had hitherto done. Thenext day decks were cleared, the men put on clean shirts and trousers,the officers appeared in full fig, and the long-expected captain came upthe side.
"Butter won't melt in his mouth," I heard one of the seamen near meobserve.
"You think so?" remarked Ned Rawlings. "Now do you just get near, andhave a look at his eye, and you will sing a different song. It's notalways the rough-and-ready looking chaps, like you and I, Tom, as arethe best men for work!"
Our captain certainly did look more fit for a ball-room, or a navalofficer in love on the stage, than for the deck of a man-of-war. He wasthe most polished article about his whole ship. His whiskers werecurled; his cheeks were pink; the gold lace on his coat shone withundimmed lustre, not a particle of dust rested on the fine cloth ofwhich it was made, while it fitted with perfection to his well-formedfigure. Kid gloves covered his hands, and a fine cambric handkerchiefappeared from his breast-pocket. He bowed to the flag, and he bowed tothe officers, as he cast a scrutinising glance round the deck. Some ofthe older officers pulled rather long faces when they saw him. In ashort time, he ordered all hands to come aft, and then, in a clear,somewhat soft voice, made a long speech. The sum total of it was, thathe was determined to have a crack ship, and a crack crew, and that hedid not like to use the lash, but that he did not always do what heliked; still, that he always would have done what he wanted done. Themen could not quite make him out, nor could I; but I came to theconclusion, that he was not just the sort of man to whom I should liketo carry such a message as Master Plumb had requested
me to give.
Next day we went out to Spithead. No signs of my friend. I toldSergeant Turbot that I thought Master Richard Plumb would not come afterall.
"Perhaps not," he answered; "Mrs. Brigadier does not like to part fromhim, or maybe they are washing and combing him, and making him fit tocome aboard, which I suppose occupied the time of a certain person whoshould be nameless, and prevented him joining us till yesterday. Maybe,young master has thought better of the matter, and would rather go for aparson, or one of those chaps as goes to foreign courts to bamboozle thepeople."
I, at all events, made up my mind that I should see no more of MasterRichard. However, scarcely had I come to this conclusion,
Off to Sea: The Adventures of Jovial Jack Junker on his Road to Fame Page 5