Peter Trawl Part 23

Esdale tried to comfort me, and advised me to have one written ready to send should another opportunity occur.

The first land we made soon after this was Madeira. Except the coast of Norway, I had seen no foreign country, and as we pa.s.sed it within a quarter of a mile, it struck me as very beautiful and fertile.

The wind being light we tarred down the rigging, and a few days afterwards, when we were about eight hundred miles from the land, one morning, on coming on deck, I noticed that the shrouds and every freshly-tarred rope looked as red as if they had been just painted. I asked the doctor, who allowed me to speak to him in a familiar way, what had caused this, and he told me that it was the red sand blown off the coast of Africa, and that it was a common occurrence in these lat.i.tudes.

We pa.s.sed in sight of the Cape de Verde islands, one of which, called Fogo, seemed of a prodigious height. The first place we touched at was the island of Brava, into which the captain put to obtain fresh provisions.

"Now is my time," I thought. "If I can go on sh.o.r.e here, I shall be able to get back by the next homeward-bound vessel which calls at the place."

Jim proposed that we should smuggle ourselves on board some sh.o.r.e-boat, but to this I would not agree.

"We will go with the captain's leave," I answered, "and he surely will not refuse it now that he has no excuse for doing so."

I therefore went up to him as soon as he came on deck.

"Captain Hawkins," I said, in as firm a voice as I could command, "again I ask you will you allow Jim Pulley and me to leave your s.h.i.+p and wait on sh.o.r.e until we can get a pa.s.sage home?"

"Peter Trawl, if that's your name, I shall do no such thing," he answered. "If I find you attempting to go on sh.o.r.e I shall put you in irons."

I knew from previous experience that there was no use in expostulating.

When I told the doctor, he could scarcely conceal his indignation.

"I feel inclined to help you, my lad, at every risk," he said, "but we must be cautious. Wait until the evening, and then we will see what can be done."

I thanked him heartily, and promised to follow his advice. Jim was ready for anything.

The doctor said he would go on sh.o.r.e and then send off a boat which would wait under the starboard bow, and that we must manage to slip into her as soon as it was dark.

The captain in the meantime had landed, but returned very shortly with four tall negroes, whom he had engaged to pull the 'mids.h.i.+p oars in the whale-boats. They are, I should say, first-rate oarsmen, and have a gentle disposition, ready to obey, and are happy under all circ.u.mstances. Besides the negroes, two boats loaded with fresh provisions came alongside.

These were soon hoisted on board, when the captain ordered a gun to be fired and Blue Peter to be hoisted, a signal to all those on sh.o.r.e to return immediately.

Dr c.o.c.kle and the third mate, with the cooper, whom the captain thought he could trust, had landed.

Presently the captain ordered another and then another gun to be fired to hasten them, and then to my bitter disappointment he directed Mr Griffiths to loosen sails and heave up the anchor.

According to Esdale's advice I had begun a letter to Mary, but had not had time to finish it. Hoping that I should not be missed by the captain, I ran below to add a few lines and then to close it, under the belief that I should be able to send it off by a sh.o.r.e-boat. I had to get out Esdale's ink-bottle and pen, which he had before lent me; the pen would not write, so I had to search for his penknife, and to try and mend it as well as I could, but having little experience in the art, this took me some time. I at last got the letter closed with a wafer, and directed to the care of Mr Gray, when I sprang with it on deck.

Just then the eye of the captain fell on me.

"Come aft here, youngster," he shouted. "Where have you been away from your duty?"

I had the letter in my hand.

"I wanted to get this ready to send on sh.o.r.e, sir," I answered, holding it up.

"No excuse for leaving your station. Take that!" he cried, as he gave me a blow on the side of the head with his half-clenched fist, which brought me to the deck, and nearly stunned me. When I recovered myself the first person I saw was Dr c.o.c.kle, who, looking at me compa.s.sionately, said, "Come below, Peter, and I'll try to put your head to rights, for you seem to be much hurt. How did it happen?"

"I can't tell you now, sir, for I much want to send this letter off by a sh.o.r.e-boat," I answered.

As I spoke I observed that the crew were hoisting away and sheeting home the sails. I ran to the side and jumped on to the main chains. The only remaining boat was just shoving off. I shouted to the people in her to come and take my letter; but they did not understand me, or did not care to remain alongside, as the s.h.i.+p was rapidly gathering way; another stroke of their oars and they were at a distance from the s.h.i.+p.

I waved and shouted to them to come back, but they did not heed me, and just then I heard the captain calling to me in an angry tone to attend to my duty. I was obliged to obey, expecting another cuff harder than the last; but when he saw me begin to pull and haul with the rest he said no more. Perhaps he observed the blood streaming from my head.

The sails were now sheeted home, the yards trimmed, and the _Intrepid_ stood away from the land.

Another opportunity of making my escape was lost.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

WE CROSS THE LINE AND ATTEMPT TO ROUND CAPE HORN.

Jim was always saying, "Cheer up, Peter, cheer up!" but it was a very hard matter to be cheery when I thought of the cruel way in which I had been treated, and the sorrow my sister must be feeling at my supposed loss. I tried, as advised, to keep up my spirits, and did my best to obey the orders I received.

Jim observed that it was all the same to him. His friends would not grieve much over his loss, and, as far as he was concerned, he would as soon be chasing whales in the Pacific as working a wherry in Portsmouth Harbour.

As we approached the line I found that the men were making preparations for going through the ceremony which was performed on board most vessels in those days. One of the boat-steerers, Sam Ringold, who stood six feet four in his shoes, and was proportionably broad, was chosen to act the part of Neptune, and the cooper's mate, who was as wide as he was high, that of his wife. The armourer took the part of the barber, and the carpenter's mate, who was lank and tall, the doctor.

Three of the ordinary seamen, the smallest fellows on board, were their attendants. All the chests were searched for the required dresses, and some curtains belonging to the cabin found their way forward to form a petticoat for Mrs Neptune. Some gold paper and pasteboard were manufactured into crowns, and some fishes' tails were ingeniously formed for the attendants. I discovered the preparations going forward, but was charged not to let Horner, or Esdale, or Jim know anything about them. I was more favoured than the rest of my messmates by the men, who seemed to have taken a liking to me; whether it was because they had heard how I had a.s.sisted to save the _Good Intent_, or thought that I was ill-treated by the captain, I do not know, but so it was. No one ever abused me, or gave me the taste of a rope's-end.

We had been sailing on with light winds when one morning, after the decks had been washed down and the other duties of the s.h.i.+p performed, having run on for a short distance, we lay almost becalmed with the sea as smooth as a mill-pond. The captain and his mates were seen to be taking an observation, and soon afterwards it became known that we were just crossing the line.

"I've often heard about it, but I can't say I see any line," said Jim.

"Nor can I!" cried Horner, who was looking out eagerly.

Presently a gruff voice was heard, hailing from forward.

"What s.h.i.+p is that, shutting out the light from my palace window?"

"The _Intrepid_" answered Captain Hawkins, who with the mates and doctor were standing aft.

"Then go ahead, will you, or I'll indict you for a nuisance," cried the voice, the remark producing a general laugh.

"I can't think of standing on until I have had the pleasure of a visit from Daddy Neptune," said the captain.

"Ay, ay! Glad to hear that. Then I'll come aboard in a jiffy with my royal missus and some of our precious young family; and maybe, captain, you'll have something to give them, for they're very fond of any hot potions which may come in their way."

"Be smart about it, then, Daddy, for I see a breeze springing up, and I may have to run you out of sight before you and your precious family have had time to take a sip apiece," cried the captain, who seemed to be in far better humour than usual.

All this time Jim and Horner were standing with me abaft the main hatchway, with their eyes staring and their mouths agape, wondering what was going to happen.

Presently, over the bows, appeared the strangest group I had ever set eyes on.

First there came Daddy Neptune with a glittering crown, a beard of oak.u.m reaching to his middle, a girdle of rope yarn round his waist, a cloak covered with strange devices, and a huge trident in his hand.

His wife wore a crown like that of her husband, with ringlets of the same material as his beard, a huge sash of some gaily-coloured stuff, and a cloak formed out of a blanket. The barber had in his hand a pot containing lather, a big bowl tucked under one arm, with a razor a yard long and a shaving brush of huge size under the other; while the children or attendant imps--for it was hard to say what they were-- waddled about in green clothing, looking like sea monsters, behind them.

"Well, I have heard of strange things, but these chaps are stranger than ever I saw," cried Jim. "Where do they come from?"