The Lost Middy Part 26

"But we ought to be sure."

"Sure, sir? Why, we are sure, and they'll have to take it."

"Take _it_? Take what?"

"Physic, sir. Never you mind about it any more; you leave it to me.

It's physic as they've got to take when the time comes; and all I've got to say is as I hopes they'll like it."

"Well, never mind that now, Tom. What about my boat?"

"Oh, I'll see about her at once. I'll stop and take care of her while you go up to the houses on the cliff yonder, and you says as you have had an accident with your boat and you wants Joney to come with a couple o' mates to help. They'll come fast enough."

"Very well. Let's have a look first, though."

They stepped to the edge of the pier and looked down into the disabled boat, while the water being still and as clear as crystal, they could see through the broken thwart and the splintered jagged hole through the bottom.

Aleck drew a deep breath like a sigh, and Tom nodded his head sagely:

"Stone as big a killick, Master Aleck; that's what did that. Precious big 'un too. Now, then, you be off and get they chaps here while I chews it over a bit about how I'm to manage; but I tell yer this--it's going to be dark afore I gets that done. What d'yer say about walking over to the Den to tell the captain what's happened?"

"I say no, Tom. I'm going to stay here and help you. You won't mind sailing over with me in the dark?"

"Not me, sir, and you needn't wherrit about what to do wi' me. I shall spread a sail over the boat when we've got her moored back in the creek, and creep under and sleep like a top. You'll give me a mug o' milk and a bit o' bacon in the morning afore I start back?"

"Of course, of course, Tom. There, I'll run off at once."

"Hold hard a moment, Master Aleck. Mebbe you'll see them two beauties."

"I shouldn't wonder, Tom."

"Looking as innercent as a pair o' babbies, sir," said Tom, with a knowing wink. "Then what you've got to do, sir, is look innercent too.

You arn't going to suspeck them for a minute, cause they wouldn't do such a thing. We're a-going to wait till the right time comes."

"And we're quite sure, Tom?"

"That's it, Master Aleck; and then--physic."

Aleck laughed, in spite of the trouble he was in, for Tom's face was a study of mysterious humour and conspiracy of the most solemn nature.

The next minute the lad was going an easy dog-trot along the pier towards the town.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

"Hole in her bottom?" said the friendly fisherman who had presented the brill, in answer to Aleck's application, "and want her brought ash.o.r.e?

Sewerly, my lad, sewerly."

His application to the big fisherman who had taken his part over the fight met with a precisely similar reply, when the lad found the men collected with a number of their fellows outside one of the public-houses, where something mysterious in the way of a discussion was going on, and Aleck noted that their conversation ceased as soon as he appeared, several of the men nudging each other and indulging in sundry nods and winks.

But the lad was too full of his boat trouble to dwell upon the business that seemed to have attracted the men together, and he led the way down to the harbour with his two fishermen acquaintances, finding that all the rest of the party followed them.

Had he wanted fifty helpers instead of three he could have had willing aid at once. As it was, his friends selected four more to help put off their boats, and the rest trudged slowly down the pier to form an audience and look on, while under Tom Bodger's direction the damaged boat was lashed by its thwarts to the fresh corners, and then set free and thrust off the step.

The rest was easy. In a very short time she was rowed ash.o.r.e, cast loose again, and half a dozen men waded in knee-deep to run her up a few feet at a time, the water escaping through the broken-out hole, till at last she was high and--not dry, but free from water.

Then the mast was unstepped and with the other fittings laid aside, while Tom Bodger had procured a basket of tools and the wood necessary for the repairs, and the little crowd of fishermen formed themselves into a smoking party, sitting upon upturned boats, fish boxes and buckets, to discuss the damage and compare it with that sustained by other boats as far back as they could remember. For Tom required no further help then, save such as was given by Aleck, preferring to work his own way, the idea being to make a temporary patchwork sufficient for safety in getting the boat home.

To this end he measured and cut off, almost as skilfully as a s.h.i.+p's carpenter--consequent upon old experience at home with boats and at sea with the mechanic of a man-o'-war--a piece of board to form a fresh thwart, which was soon nailed tightly on the remains of the old.

Then the hole in the bottom was covered with this boarding, laid crosswise, the necessary fitting taking a great deal of time, so that the afternoon was spent before help was needed, and plenty of willing hands a.s.sisted in turning the boat right over, keel uppermost, ready for the laying on of plenty of well-tarred oak.u.m to cover the fresh inside lining, Tom having a kettle of pitch over a wood fire, and paying his work and the caulking liberally as he went on, whistling and chatting away to Aleck the while, only pausing now and then to have a big sniff and to inhale much of the smoke cloud his friends were making.

"I should like to stop and have a pipe mysen, Master Aleck," said Tom, once.

"Well, have one; only don't be long, Tom."

"Nay, sir; I'll have it as we sails over, bime by. I won't stop now.

It's a long job, and it'll be quite dark afore I've done."

He fetched the pitch kettle from the little fire a fisherman had been feeding with chips of wreck-wood and adze cuttings from a lugger on the stacks.

"Now then," he said, after carefully stuffing the damaged hole with oak.u.m, "this ought to keep the inside dry, on'y the worst on it is that the pitch won't stick well to where the wood's wet."

"But you're not going to pour all that in?"

"I just am," said Tom, with a chuckle. "I arn't going to spyle a s.h.i.+p for the sake of a ha'porth o' tar. There we are," he continued, spreading the melted pitch all over the patch with a thin piece of wood till, as it cooled, it formed a fairly level surface ready for the pieces of planking intended to form the outside skin.

Tom was a very slow worker, but very sure, and a couple more hours glided by and the sun had long set with the boat still not finished. So slow had the repairing been that at last Aleck expressed his dissatisfaction; but Tom only grinned.

"I know what water is, sir, and how it'll get through holes. I don't want for us to go to the bottom, no more'n I want us both to be allus baling. Didn't I say as it would take me till dark?"

"You did, Tom, but you needn't drive in quite so many nails. This is only temporary work."

"Tempry or not tempry, I want it to last till we gets home."

"Of course," said Aleck, and to calm his impatience he turned to look at the group of fishermen, who sat and stood about, smoking away, and for the first time the lad noticed that the men had ceased to watch Tom Bodger but had their eyes fixed intently upon the sloop-of-war and the cutter, which lay at anchor a couple of miles from the harbour, and were now showing their riding lights.

"'Bout done, arn't yer, Tommy?" said the man who was mending the fire.

"Nay, keep the pitch hot, messmet," said Tom. "I'll just pay her over inside as soon as we've got her turned right again."

"Then that's going to be now, arn't it, matey?" said the big fisherman.

"Yes," said Tom, to Aleck's great satisfaction. "Lend a hand, some on yer."

The words seemed to galvanise the group into action, twice as many men offering to help as were needed, and in another few minutes, to the owner's delight, the boat was turned over, with the iron-plated keel settling down in the fine s.h.i.+ngle and the rough inner workmans.h.i.+p showing in the dim twilight.

"Now," cried Tom, "just that drop o' pitch. Power it in, messmet.

That's your sort. It'll soon cool. Now, then, I'll just stick a bit or two of board acrorst there, Master Aleck, to protect that pitch; and then we'll say done."