Middy and Ensign Part 32

"I beg your pardon, sir," said Bob, saluting. "It was a great crocodile, and the splash of the men's oars frightened it."

"Oh, indeed," said the captain dryly; and he took out a despatch and began to read.

d.i.c.k, who was c.o.xswain of the gig, screwed up his mahogany visage, and Bob pretended to look terribly alarmed, and so the boat was rowed over the sparkling waters to the bamboo landing-stage, when the captain got out, and Bob was left in charge of the boat.

Bob jumped up as soon as the captain had entered the residency, and began to fidget about.

"I wish I knew how long the skipper would be, d.i.c.k," he said. "I want to go ash.o.r.e. No, I don't," he said, correcting himself. "I got in a row once for that. But look here, d.i.c.k, suppose you go and find Mr Long."

"All right, sir," said d.i.c.k, with alacrity. "I'll go."

"Oh no, you don't," cried Bob, recollecting himself again; "that fly won't take the same c.o.c.k salmon twice, Master d.i.c.k."

"I don't understand you, sir," growled d.i.c.k, rubbing his ear.

"Oh no, I suppose not," said Bob. "You didn't go ash.o.r.e for me once with a message, and then get up to the canteen and forgot to come back again, did you?"

"Lor', now you mention it, sir, so I did," said d.i.c.k. "It was that day as I met Sergeant Lund, and he says, 'Why, d.i.c.k, old man,' he says, 'you look as dry and thirsty,' he says, 'as a fish. Come and have some lime juice and water,' and I did, and talking together about the 'Startler'

and her guns, and earth-works, made me quite forget how the time went by. But lor', Mr Roberts, sir, what a memory you have to be sure."

"Yes," said Bob, sticking his cap on one side, and c.o.c.king his eye knowingly at the old salt; "a fellow just needs to have a good memory.

I say, d.i.c.k, that lime juice and water was precious strong that day, wasn't it?"

"No, sir, not a bit," said the old sailor, stolidly. "But now I come to recollect, the sun did make me awful giddy."

"All right, d.i.c.k," said the mids.h.i.+pman; "run the boat a little more under the shade of those trees, and we'll keep you out of the sun to-day."

Old d.i.c.k growled, and picked up the boat-hook to draw the gig further along, to where there was a dense cool shade. Then as he laid the boat-hook down, and retook his place, he began to chuckle.

"You're a sharp 'un, Mr Roberts, that you are," he said, laughing.

"Well, I'll own it; that was a bit of a slip that day. Send one o' the tothers ash.o.r.e then, with your message."

"No, I'll be blessed if I do," said Bob. "I'll never give way an inch again about a boat's crew; I haven't forgotten that little game at Aden, where I sent one chap ash.o.r.e to get me some cold water to drink, and he didn't come back; and another volunteered to go and fetch him, and I let him go, and he didn't come back; and then I had to send another, and another--eight of 'em, every one vowing he'd bring the rest back; and at last I sat alone in that boat without a crew, and the first lieutenant came, and a nice wigging I had. No, Master d.i.c.k, I've been at sea too long now to be tricked by those games, and I mean to have the strictest discipline whenever I'm in command."

The men in the forepart of the boat overheard all this, and began to look very gloomy.

"Couldn't you let one on us go and get a bucket o' water, sir? it's precious hot," said the man who pulled bow oar, and he touched his forelock.

"No, Mr Joe Cripps, I couldn't," said Bob, sharply; "but I tell you what you all may do; put your heads over the side, and drink as much of this clear river-water as you like. We're not at sea, man."

"More we aren't, sir," said the man, glancing round at his companions, who laughed.

"Look here," said Bob, "d.i.c.k will keep an eye on the sh.o.r.e, and I'll tell the sentry there to pa.s.s the word. You may all smoke if you like, only look smart, and put away your pipes if the captain's coming."

"Thanky, sir," chorussed the men, and pipes were quickly produced by all save d.i.c.k, who helped himself to a fresh quid.

"I say, sentry," cried Bob, "pa.s.s the word on there--I want to see Mr Long."

"Yes, sir," was the reply, and the white-coated sentry walked to the end of his beat, and made a sign to the next sentry, who came to the end of his beat, heard what was wanted, and pa.s.sed the message on, so that at the end of a few minutes Ensign Long came slowly down to the landing-place, with an umbrella held up to keep off the sun, and found the boat's crew smoking, and Bob Roberts, with his cap tilted over his eyes, sitting in the bottom of the gig, with his legs over the side, so exactly arranged that the water rippled round the soles of his shoes, and pleasantly cooled his feet.

"Did you wish to speak to me, Mr Roberts?" said Long, stiffly.

"Hallo, Tom, old man! Here, jump in! I've got some news for you."

Ensign Long looked very stand-offish; but the eager face of Bob, the only one about his own age of whom he could make a companion, was too much for him; and as Bob got up and made a place for him, Mr Ensign Long unbent a little, and really, as well as metaphorically, undid a b.u.t.ton or two, and got into the captain's gig.

"I say, look here, Tom, old man, what's the use of us two always falling out, when we could be so jolly together?" said Bob.

"I don't quite understand you," said Tom Long, stiffly. "I am not of a quarrelsome disposition, as any of my brother officers will tell you."

"Then it must be me then who is such a quarrelsome beast, and there's my hand, and we won't fall out any more."

Ensign Long undid a few more b.u.t.tons, for it was very hot, and condescended to shake hands.

"I'm sure it's not my wish to be bad friends," said Ensign Long. "I think the members of the two services ought to be like brothers."

"So do I," said Bob. "I say, sentry, keep a sharp look-out for the captain, and I'll stand a gla.s.s for you at the canteen next time I come ash.o.r.e."

"Yes, sir," said the sentry. "But p'raps, sir, I mayn't see you next time you come ash.o.r.e."

"There's an artful one for you, Tom," cried Bob, getting his hot wet hand into his pocket with no little difficulty, and throwing the man a fourpenny piece. "Now, look here, Tom," he continued, as the man cleverly caught the tiny piece and thrust it in his pocket, Ensign Long carefully closing his ear and looking in the other direction the while, "you and I might have no end of games if we could only keep friends."

"Well, let's keep friends, then," said Tom Long.

"Agreed," said Bob, "and the first one of us who turns disagreeable, the other is to punch his head."

"No, I can't agree to that," said Tom, thoughtfully, "because we could not settle who was in the wrong."

"Then we'd punch one another's heads," said Bob; "but never mind about that. Look here."

Ensign Long undid a few more b.u.t.tons, of which he had a great many down the front of his mess waistcoat, just like a row of gold-coated pills, and then he proceeded to _look there_, that is to say mentally, at what his companion had to say.

"Do you know that young Malay chap, who came on board yesterday with his father, the Bang-the-gong, or Tumongong, or whatever he calls himself?"

"Yes, I saw him; he came afterwards to the fort, and was shown round."

"Didn't you speak to him?"

"Not I. Don't care much for these n.i.g.g.e.rs."

"Oh! but he's no end of a good chap," said Bob. "He can't help being brown. I took him down to the gun-room, and we smoked and talked; he can speak English like fun."

"Indeed!"

"Yes, indeed; and I tell you what it is, he's worth knowing. He's quite a prince, and as jolly as can be. He says there's out-and-out shooting in the jungle, and if we'll go ash.o.r.e and have a turn with him, he'll take us where we can have a regular good day."

"What does the young savage shoot with," said Long, disdainfully, "a bow and arrow?"