The Pirate Island: A Story of the South Pacific

by Harry Collingwood

  CHAPTER THREE.

  "HURRAH, MY LADS! WE'RE OUTWARD-BOUND!"

  Bob returned to Brightlingsea just in the nick of time; for on the dayfollowing his arrival home, a letter reached him from Captain Stauntonannouncing that gentleman's presence once more in England, and not onlyso, but that his ship had already discharged her inward cargo, and wasloading again for Australia. He repeated his former offer, and addedthat he thought it would be a good plan for Bob to join at once, as hemight prove of some assistance to the chief mate in receiving and takingaccount of their very miscellaneous cargo. Bob and old Bill consultedtogether, and finally came to the conclusion that there was nothing todelay the departure of the former, as his entire outfit could easily beprocured in London. Bob accordingly replied to Captain Staunton's note,naming the day but one following as that on which he would join; and onthat day he duly put in an appearance.

  Bill, as on the occasion when Bob joined the _Betsy Jane_, accompaniedthe lad to London. The ship was lying in the London Dock; and the firstbusiness of our two friends was to secure quarters for themselves, whichthey did in a comfortable enough boarding-house close to the dock-gates.They dined, and then sallied forth to take a look at the _Galatea_,which they found about half-way down the dock. She was a noble craft ofsixteen hundred tons register, built of iron, with iron masts and yards,wire rigging, and all the most recent appliances for economising workand ensuring the safety of her passengers and crew. She was a beautifulmodel, and looked a regular racer all over. Her crew were comfortablyberthed in a roomy house on deck forward, the fore part of which wasdevoted to the seamen, while the after part was occupied by the inferiorofficers. Captain Staunton and the chief mate had their quarters inlight, spacious, nicely fitted cabins, one on each side of the foot ofthe saloon staircase; while the apprentices were berthed in a smalldeck-house just abaft the main-mast. The saloon was a splendidapartment, very elaborately fitted up in ornamental woods of severalkinds, and with a great deal of carving and gilding about it. Theupholstering of the saloon was of a kind seldom seen afloat except inyachts or the finest Atlantic liners; the stern-windows even beingfitted with delicate lace curtains, draped over silken hangings. Eightberths, four on each side of the ship, afforded accommodation forsixteen passengers. These were located just outside the saloon, and thespace between them formed a passage leading from the foot of thestaircase to the saloon doors.

  Bill and Bob had to find out all these things for themselves, the mate,at the moment of their arrival on board, being the only person presentbelonging to the ship, and he was so busy receiving cargo that he couldscarcely find time to speak to them. On being told who they were, hesimply said to Bob--

  "All right, young 'un; Captain Staunton has told me all about you, andI'm very glad to see you. But I haven't time even to be civil just now,so just take a look round the ship by yourselves, will you? I expectthe skipper aboard before long, and _he'll_ do the honours."

  In about half an hour afterwards Captain Staunton made his appearance,and, hearing that Bill and Bob were down below aft somewhere, at oncejoined them in the saloon. He shook them both most heartily by thehand, and, in a few well-chosen words, expressed the gratification hefelt at renewing his acquaintance with them, and at the prospect ofhaving Bob with him.

  "I have spoken to my owners concerning you," he said to Bob, "and haveobtained their permission to receive you on board as an apprentice. Youwill dress in uniform, and berth with the other apprentices in the afterhouse; your duties will be light, and it will be my pride as well as mypleasure to do everything in my power to make a gentleman as well as athorough seaman of you, and so fit you in due time to occupy such aposition as the one I now hold, if not a still better one." Hesuggested that Bob should sign his indentures on the following day, andthen proposed that they should go at once, in a body, to see about ourhero's uniform and outfit, the whole of which, in spite of allprotestation, he insisted on himself presenting to the lad.

  On the following day Bob signed his indentures as proposed, and joinedthe ship, assisting the chief mate to receive and take account of thecargo. Four days of this work completed the loading of the vessel andthe taking in of her stores; and a week from the day on which Bob firstsaw her, the _Galatea_ hauled out of dock and proceeded in charge of thechief mate down the river as far as Gravesend, where her captain andpassengers joined her.

  It is now time to say a descriptive word or two concerning the variouspersons with whom our friend Bob was for some time to be so intimatelyassociated.

  Captain Staunton, as the head and chief of the little community, isentitled to the first place on the list.

  He was a tall, handsome man, in the very prime of life, being aboutthirty-five or forty years of age. His features were finely moulded,the lines about the firmly closed mouth indicating great decision andfixity of purpose, while the clear steadfast grey eyes beamed forth anassurance of the kindly and genial disposition of their owner. Lightauburn hair, in short-cut but thickly clustering curls, crowned hisshapely head, and a closely cut beard and moustache shaded the lowerpart of his deeply bronzed face. For the rest, his broad massiveshoulders indicated unmistakably the possession of great strength;whilst his waist, slim almost as that of a woman, his lean muscularlower limbs, and his quick springy step, told of great bodily activity.His disposition was exactly what one would, from a study of hisexternals, judge it to be--frank, generous, genial, kindly, andsympathetic to his friends, but a fearless and formidable foe to any whomight be so ill-advised as to constitute themselves his enemies.

  Mr Bowles, the first mate--or "chief officer" as he preferred rather tobe termed, thinking this title sounded more dignified than the other--was a big, burly, loud-voiced individual; a thorough seaman, a strictdisciplinarian, and possessed of a general disposition to "stand nononsense" from _anybody_, but particularly from the seamen, who, as aclass, were regarded by him with an eye of great suspicion. He was,however, scrupulously just and straightforward in his dealings with allmen, and, if a seaman proved himself to be capable and willing, he hadnothing to fear from "Bill Bowles," as this individual was in his moregenial moods wont to style himself; if, however, on the other hand, aman proved lazy, or incapable of executing the duties he had undertakento perform, let him "look out for squalls."

  The second mate was in every way a marked contrast to the "chief." Hewas a tall thin sallow-complexioned man, with straight black hair, thickeyebrows, and thin feeble-looking whiskers, the latter very lank andragged, as he seemed never to trim them. His eyes were believed to beblack, but no one seemed to be at all certain about this, as he wouldnever look any man long enough in the face to allow the question to bedecided. His glances were of a shifting stealthy description, and hisface habitually wore a morose dissatisfied expression, with a dash ofmalice thrown in, which made those who were brought into contact withhim eager to get away from him again as speedily as might be. It needscarcely be said that, with these characteristics, he soon made himselfuniversally unpopular. This was his first voyage under CaptainStaunton. His name was Carter, and it was understood that he wasdistantly related to one of the members of the firm owning the_Galatea_.

  The third mate was a young fellow named Dashwood, formerly anapprentice. He had been out of his time rather more than a year, andthe present was his second voyage with Captain Staunton. He was a smartyoung fellow, anxious to get on in his profession, and very good-natured.

  There were three other apprentices, or "midshipmen" as they calledthemselves--Ralph Neville, John Keene, and little Ned Edwards, thelatter being Bob's junior by a year, while the others were his eldersrespectively by three years and one year. It is not necessary tominutely describe these youths, as they are destined to perform only avery unimportant part in this narrative.

  Then there were the passengers, of whom the ship took out her fullcomplement.

  First among these must be placed Mrs Staunton, the captain's wife;though she could scarcely be called a passenger since
she paid no fare,the owners allowing their captains the privilege of taking their wivesto sea with them. That the captain should have his wife with him wasregarded indeed by the owners as a decided advantage, for, in the firstplace, she could conveniently act the part of chaperone to young andunprotected lady-passengers when there were any; and, in the next, theywere justly of opinion that the captain would take extra care of theship if she held a being so dear to him as his wife.

  Mrs Staunton was considerably younger than her husband, being (if onemay venture to disclose such a secret) about twenty-eight years of age.She was a very beautiful woman, rather above medium height, of a veryamiable and affectionate disposition, and in all respects a worthy mateto her noble-hearted husband. She always went to sea with CaptainStaunton, and made his private cabin a very palace of elegance andcomfort for him. Their little daughter May, now three years old, thesame little creature who had been so happily saved by Bob from a waterygrave on the night of the wreck on the Gunfleet, was also on board.

  There were three other lady-passengers, all unmarried, on board on thepresent occasion. The elder of the three, a Miss Butler, was a lady "ofa certain age," with a quiet subdued manner, and nothing remarkableabout her, either in character or appearance.

  The two others were cousins, both of them being young and very pretty.The younger of the twain, Blanche Lascelles, was making the voyage onthe recommendation of her physician, her health having been somewhatdelicate of late. "There are no very alarming symptoms at present, mydear madam," was the doctor's assurance to Blanche's mother; "and a goodlong sea-voyage, say out to Australia and back, will be more beneficialthan a whole pharmacopoeia of drugs." In accordance with which opinionBlanche's passage had been taken out and home on board the _Galatea_;and her fair self especially confided to the care and protection ofCaptain and Mrs Staunton. This young lady was eighteen years of age,fair-haired, blue-eyed, _petite_, very merry and light-hearted, andaltogether exceedingly attractive and lovable.

  Her cousin, Violet Dudley, aged twenty-two, was a tall and statelybrunette, with a wealth of dark sheeny chestnut hair, almost black inthe shade, magnificent dark eyes, which flashed scornfully or meltedinto tenderness according to the mood of that imperious beauty, theirowner, and a figure the ideal perfection and grace of which are rarelyto be met with out of the sculptor's marble. The rich healthy colour ofher cheeks and full ripe lips, and the brilliant sparkle of her gloriouseyes showed that it was not for health's sake she had undertaken thevoyage. She was on board the _Galatea_ in order that her cousin Blanchemight have the benefit of her companionship, and also because afavourable occasion now presented itself for her to visit some friendsin Sydney, whither the _Galatea_ was bound.

  The rest of the passengers, thirteen in number, were gentlemen. Ofthese it will be necessary to describe three only, namely, Mr ForesterDale, Mr Fortescue, and Mr Brook. Messrs. Dale and Fortescue werepartners, being contractors in a rather large way; and Mr Brook wastheir general manager and right-hand man. The trio were now going outto Australia on business connected with a large job about to beundertaken in that colony, for which they were anxious to secure thecontract.

  Mr Dale, or Mr Forester Dale as he preferred to be styled, was asomewhat querulous individual, with an unhappy knack of looking at thedark side of everything. Add to this the fact that he entertained avery exalted idea of his own (imaginary) excellences, and believedhimself to be almost, if not quite, infallible, and it will be seen thathe was not likely to prove a very desirable travelling companion.

  Rex Fortescue, on the other hand, was so thoroughly good-tempered thatit had grown to be a tradition among the employes of the firm that itwas impossible to "put him out." He was never known to lose his temper,even under the most exasperating circumstances; he took the worries oflife easily, and would seriously inconvenience himself to help others.He was as energetic and industrious as he was good-natured; work was hisrecreation, and it was notorious that to his energy it was chiefly duethat the firm of which he was a member had attained its eminence. Hissenior partner characteristically took all the credit to himself, andhad gradually brought himself to believe that in establishing thebusiness he had seriously impaired his own health; but everybody elsewho knew anything about them knew also that the junior partner was thelife and soul of the business. Rex was not what would be termed ahandsome man by any means, but his frank pleasant good-tempered faceproved far more permanently attractive than mere physical beauty withoutthese embellishments could ever hope to be.

  Mr Brook differed from both his employers--where indeed will you meetwith two men exactly alike? Of the two, however, he most nearlyapproximated to the senior partner, inasmuch as that, like thatgentleman, he entertained a very high opinion of his own abilities,stood greatly upon his dignity, and was childishly jealous of anypreference shown for others before himself. Unlike Mr Dale, however,he was a man of limited education; he had read much, but his reading hadbeen almost wholly superficial; he possessed, upon an infinite varietyof subjects, that little knowledge which is a dangerous thing. Therewas consequently no topic of conversation upon which he had notsomething oracular to say; he was wont to maintain his own opinion witha very considerable amount of heat, and so obstinate was he that it wasquite impossible to convince him that he was ever in the wrong. He wasessentially a vulgar man; but, as might naturally be supposed from whathas already been said, he regarded himself as a polished gentleman, andin his efforts to act up to his ideal of this character he often usedwords of whose meaning he had but a very imperfect idea, and always inthe wrong place. His chief redeeming points were that he was thoroughlymaster of his business, honest as the day, and did not object to "roughit" when occasion required.

  The characteristics of this trio came prominently into view when they,with the rest of the passengers, boarded the ship at Gravesend andproceeded to take possession of their cabins.

  The bulk of the passengers' luggage had been shipped in dock, and passeddown into the after-hold upon the top of the cargo, in order that itmight be out of the way but easily come-at-able if required during thevoyage; each one, however, as he or she came up the ship's side andstepped in on deck, bore in his or her hand one or more bundles ofwraps, deck-chairs, and other _impedimenta_.

  The first to make his appearance was Mr Forester Dale; he was notashamed to take precedence even of the ladies. He walked straight aft,glancing neither to the right nor to the left, ascended the half-dozensteps leading up to the top of the monkey-poop, and at once dived downthe saloon-companion. Arrived at the bottom of the staircase he stoodthere, blocking up the way, and began to call discontentedly for thesteward to show him his cabin, which that official hastened to do.

  Mr Fortescue was among the last to leave the boat which had brought thepassengers alongside, and he was closely followed on board by Mr Brook.On reaching the deck they both paused to glance round them and aloft atthe towering symmetrical masts and spars, with their mazy network ofrigging.

  "Jolly craft this, isn't she, Brook?" remarked Rex Fortescue genially;"plenty of room, and clean as a new pin, although they're only just outof dock. I think we shall be comfortable here."

  "Oh, yes," assented Brook, "we shall be comfortable enough, I don'tmisdoubt; and as to `roomy,' iron ships always is, that's what theybuilds 'em of iron for."

  They then proceeded below, and, like the rest, sought their cabins inorder to stow away their luggage.

  Rex Fortescue shared a cabin with his senior partner, each cabincontaining two sleeping berths. As he entered the one which from thenumber on its door he knew to be his, he found Mr Forester Dalestruggling viciously with a drawer which, in his impatience to open, hehad twisted out of position and hopelessly jammed.

  "Oh, I say!" exclaimed Rex as he opened the door and noticed how loftyand roomy and how beautifully fitted up was the place, "what jollycabins!"

  "Jolly!" retorted Dale, "I don't see anything jolly about them. I thinkthey're _beastly_ holes; there's not room to s
wing a cat in 'em."

  "Well, you don't want to swing a cat in them, do you?" inquired Rexgravely, firing off the venerable joke at his senior half unconsciously."I think they are first-rate cabins, considering that they're on boardship; you can't expect to have such rooms here as you have at `TheBlackthorns.' Space is limited afloat, you know."

  "Eight you are, Mr Fortescue," shouted Brook through the bulkhead, hiscabin adjoining that of the partners, and conversation, unless pitchedin a low tone, being quite audible from one to the other; "I call thesecabins _splendid_; moreover than that, look how light and atmosphericthey are; why, you wouldn't find lighter or more luxuriant cabins in the_Great Eastern_ herself."

  "I wish, Brook, you'd shut up and mind your own business," snarled MrDale as in his irritation he wrenched off a drawer-knob; "you're a gooddeal too ready with your opinions, and I'll thank you to keep 'em toyourself until you're asked for 'em for the future."

  Here Rex Fortescue interposed, pouring by his tact and good-humour oilupon the troubled waters, and bringing harmony out of discord once more;so that, by the time everything had been packed away in its proper placeand the dinner-bell had rung out its welcome peal, peace reignedundisturbed in the handsome saloon of the _Galatea_.

  Meanwhile, the passengers having all embarked, the ship at onceproceeded down the river in tow, and when the occupants of the saloonrose from the dinner-table and went on deck to enjoy the beauty of theevening they found themselves off Sheerness, in the midst of a fleet ofships and steamers of all builds and all nationalities, some outward-bound like themselves, and others entering the river, either understeam, in tow, or under canvas, as the case might be. Here came amagnificent steamship, towering high out of the water, at the close ofher voyage from India, with sallow-complexioned passengers scatteredabout her decks fore and aft, muffled up in thick overcoats, and pacingbriskly to and fro to stimulate the circulation of the thin blood intheir veins, and looking the picture of chilly misery, though theevening was almost oppressively warm. There, on the other side, movedsluggishly along under her old, patched, and coal-grimed canvas acollier brig, with bluff bows, long bowsprit, and short stumpy masts andyards, the counterpart of the _Betsy Jane_ of glorious memory. Abreastof her, and sailing two feet to the collier's one, was a river-barge,loaded down to her gunwale with long gaily painted spreet and tannedcanvas which gleamed a rich ruddy brown in the rays of the setting sun.Here, again, came a swift excursion steamer, her decks crowded withjovial pleasure-seekers, and a good brass band on the bridge playing "ALife on the Ocean Wave," whilst behind her again appeared a clumsy butpicturesque-looking "billy-boy" or galliot from the Humber--the _SaucySue_ of Goole--with a big brown dog on board, who, excited by theunwonted animation of the scene, rushed madly fore and aft the deck,rearing up on his hind-legs incessantly to look over the bulwarks andbark at all and sundry. Then came a large full-rigged ship in tow, herhull painted a dead-black down to the gleaming copper, the upper edge ofwhich showed just above the water-line, with the high flaring bow, shortcounter, and lofty tapering spars, which needed not the "stars andstripes" fluttering far aloft to proclaim her an American. And behindher, again, came a great five-masted ironclad, gliding with slow andstately motion up the river on her way to Chatham.

  "Oh, what a monster of a ship!" exclaimed little Blanche Lascelles asthe ironclad approached near enough to the _Galatea_ to enable those onboard to realise her vast proportions.

  "Yes," said Brook, who was standing close by, evidently anxious for anopportunity to ingratiate himself with the ladies. "Yes, that's the_Black Prince_; I know her well. Fine ship, ain't she?"

  "I think you are mistaken, sir, as to the name of that ironclad,"remarked Captain Staunton, who was on the poop within ear-shot. "The_Black Prince_ has only _three_ masts, and she has a raking stem, not aram."

  "Oh, no; I'm not mistaken," said the individual addressed. "Wait 'tilwe see her name; you'll find I'm right."

  Another minute or so and the great ship swept close past them, her whiteensign drooping from the peak and her pennant streaming out from hermain-royal mast-head like a fiery gleam in the sunset glow, the look-outmen on her forecastle and the officers on her bridge dwarfed to pigmiesby comparison with the huge structure which bore them. As soon as shewas fairly past the word _Agincourt_ flashed from her stern in goldenletters so large that they could be easily read without the aid of atelescope.

  Captain Staunton glanced, with an amused twinkle in his eye, at hisover-confident passenger, as much as to say, "What do you think ofthat?"

  Brook looked just a trifle confused for a moment; then his brow cleared,and he replied to the captain's look by remarking in his usual easyconfident tone--

  "Oh, ah, yes; it's all right. She's been altered, and had her namechanged; I remember reading about it somewhere."

  "Good heavens!" exclaimed the skipper _sotto voce_ to the chief mate whowas standing next him; "why, before the voyage is over the man will betelling us that the _Galatea_ is her own longboat lengthened and raisedupon."

  At 7:30 p.m. the hands were mustered, when the chief and second officersproceeded to pick the watches. Bob, to his great satisfaction, foundhimself included in the chief officer's watch, with Ralph Neville for acompanion. They were told off, with two able and two ordinary seamen,for duty on the mizzen-mast; the two lads being also required to keepthe time and strike the bell, in spells of two hours each.

  By seven bells in the first watch (11:30 p.m.) the _Galatea_ was off theNorth Foreland, with a nice little breeze blowing from E.N.E.

  All hands were then called, the canvas was loosed and set, the tow-ropecast off by the tug and hauled inboard, and the voyage, which was toprove of so eventful a character to those entering upon it, may be saidto have fairly commenced. The ship was soon under every stitch of sailthat would draw, gliding down through the Downs at the rate of aboutseven knots, and the passengers, most of whom had remained on deck towitness the operation of making sail, then retired to their severalberths, where, the night being fine and the water smooth, it isreasonable to suppose they enjoyed a good night's rest.