The Ocean Cat's Paw: The Story of a Strange Cruise

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

  A STRANGE VISITOR.

  Upon hearing Joe Cross's announcement Rodd eagerly turned, to find hisuncle just coming on deck to take his evening walk after a busy day withhis specimens that he had dragged and trawled from the calm sea.

  The captain had just given orders to the mate to summon all hands ondeck, and one of the first proceedings was to call the men to attention,the next to send them to the small-arms chest, from which each returnedwith cutlass buckled on and carrying a boarding pike, which were placedin a rack round the mainmast.

  Rodd took his position just opposite as the men fell into line; UnclePaul seated himself as far off as he could get, in a deck-chair, wherehe sat and frowned; and then Captain Chubb diligently put his menthrough all the evolutions of cutlass drill over and over again, till hewas satisfied, when he bade them fall out for a few minutes to ridthemselves of their cutlasses.

  In the interval Rodd went up to where his uncle was seated.

  "I say, uncle," he said, "how the men have improved!" Uncle Paulgrunted, and just then Captain Chubb strolled up.

  "Well, sir," he said, "we shall soon have a crew now as smart as aman-of-war's."

  "So I see," grumbled Uncle Paul; "and when you have got them perfectwhat are you going to do with them?"

  "Ah, that remains to be seen, sir. There's nothing like beingprepared."

  "Better let the men rest after all they have done to-day. What withtheir deck cleaning and the work they have done for me, they don't wantsetting to play at soldiers."

  "Playing at soldiers, eh, sir? I call it playing at sailors. No use tolock the stable-door after the steed's stolen. My lads may never becalled upon to fight, but if by bad luck we are, I should like them tobe able to use their fighting tools like men."

  "Oh, it isn't likely," said Uncle Paul, "in a peaceful voyage likeours."

  "Most unlikely things are those that happen first," growled the captain.

  "But you worry the men with too much work, and I want them to be freshand ready for me to-morrow morning. I don't want the poor fellows to bediscontented."

  "Discontented, sir!" cried the skipper hotly. "I should like to seethem look discontented! But not they! They like it. Puts them in mindof their old fighting days. Now you shall see them go through theirdrill with the boarding pikes, and see how smart I have made them. Isay they like it, sir; and I know."

  "Then I suppose," said Uncle Paul, "you will set them to work lumberingabout that great gun, pretending to load and fire it. Why, who in theworld do you expect we are going to encounter out here on the high seas?We are not at war with the French."

  "Captain Chubb thinks we may meet with the privateer," said Roddmerrily.

  "Don't you make rude remarks, Rodney!" cried Uncle Paul angrily. "Well,there, captain, I suppose you will have your own way, but it seems to megreat waste of time."

  "Oh no, sir," said the skipper good-humouredly. "I suppose you mean torun in and up some of those rivers we shall pass by and by?"

  "Most certainly," cried the doctor.

  "Well, and what then, sir? You are going right out of civilisationthere, and among black tribes and warlike people who are ready foranything, from attacking another tribe and bringing the prisoners downthe river to sell for slaves, up to taking a fancy to any smart craftthey can master, and then stripping her and burning her to the water'sedge."

  "And what becomes of the crews?" cried Rodd sharply.

  "Well, Mr Rodd, that's rather a hard question to answer. If ever yougo to Liverpool or Bristol and you get asking questions amongst themerchants there, you will find they have got some queer tales to tell.Sorry you don't like my plans, Dr Robson, but even if we never get intotrouble we shall be none the worse for being prepared."

  "Oh, I am not going to complain, Captain Chubb. Drill away as much asyou like. You say the men like it, and it satisfies you. Then my boyRodd, here, nothing will please him better than letting him have acanister of gunpowder to play with and pop off that gun. So I am in aminority, and I will give in. There, you'd better take Rodd and drillhim too."

  "I'll take you at your word, sir," said Captain Chubb, laughing, andmaking Rodd start with eagerness. "Fall in, my lads. Pikes."

  The drilling went on till it was beginning to grow dusk, and then pikeswere laid aside and orders given for the gun crew to take their places,Rodd closing up quickly in anticipation of something coming off.

  "Rather warm weather, Mr Rodd, sir," whispered Joe Cross, as, aided byanother of the crew, he proceeded to cast loose the lashings and stripthe tarpaulin off the long gun. "If it warn't for the showers this 'erepocket pistol might very well do without her greatcoat. I say, sir,didn't I hear your uncle tell the old man that you were to have acanister of powder just to fire her off once or twice?"

  "Yes, Joe, but I think it was only to tease me."

  "You ask the skipper to let you have one. It's all very well to go onramming and sponging and making believe to load, but it is like havingyour grog served out in an empty glass. And if the old man grunts andshakes his head and grumbles about waste of ammunition, you just ask himif he'd mind you bringing one of your canisters of powder as you andyour uncle's got for your double guns. He might let you then, if yourold man don't mind. We could divide it into about four goes as wouldn'tmake much noise, and there'd be some sense in it. There would besomething to ram down; and the lads would like it."

  "But the captain wouldn't let you fire away any cannon balls, Joe."

  "Well, no, sir, I suppose not, unless we got the cook up with apudding-bag to hold it over the muzzle and catch them again."

  "Wouldn't a straw hat be better, Joe?" said Rodd dryly.

  "Well, now you talk of it, sir," replied the man, grinning, "I neverthought of that. Perhaps it would if one of us held it lightly in hishand and eased off a good deal when we fired. If you didn't do that ofcourse the ball might go right through."

  "Well, I'll ask the captain, Joe."

  "Yes, sir; do, sir. As I said afore, it would please the lads, and dogood too, for it would clean the gun's teeth, sweep away all the scalesand rust."

  "Scales and rust!" cried Rodd. "Why, it isn't an iron gun; it's brass."

  "Why, so it is, Master Rodd, sir. Why, only fancy me not thinking ofthat! But here he comes. Try it on, sir."

  "Shall I, Joe?"

  "Yes, do, sir; as I said, it would please the lads. They're just like alot of school-boys when they gets a chance of a change."

  "And Joe Cross doesn't care a bit," said Rodd.

  The man gave the speaker a comical look as he replied--

  "Well, sir, you see, I was a boy once, and I was born with a lot ofhuman natur' in me, and I never got rid of it, and I am afraid I nevershall. There, go on, sir," whispered Joe. "Pitch it into him at once."

  Rodd moved towards the skipper as he came up, and as the latter lookedat him inquiringly he began--

  "You heard what my uncle said, captain?"

  "What about, my lad?"

  "Letting me have some powder to play with."

  "Ay, ay! But you don't want that?"

  "Oh, I don't know. I wish you would have a canister and let the menload the gun properly."

  "Eh?"

  "It would be like practice."

  "Well, that's true. But it would be only waste of powder; and I'm notgoing to waste any of the cannon balls."

  "No, I don't want you to do that."

  "Besides, I don't want to use either of the powder-bags, and they'remade for a regular charge."

  "Beg pardon, sir," cried Cross. "Might make small charges up with asnuff of powder wrapped up in paper; and then I could prick and prime."

  "Um-m-m!" the captain growled, and frowned, while the gun crew stoodwith parted lips, looking as eager as so many boys on the Fifth ofNovember. Then the captain grunted.

  "There, Mr Rodd," he said, "it will be a bit of practice for the lads,and it won't please you, of course. You don
't want to see the gunreally fired?"

  "Oh, I have seen salutes fired, at Plymouth."

  "Ah, so you have, of course, my lad. But those are bangs, and thiswould be a bit of a whiff."

  "That doesn't matter," said Rodd. "It will be real, and not pretendingto fire."

  "Very well," said the captain, smiling grimly. "Maybe you'd like tofire?"

  "Yes, I should," cried Rodd. "No; let Joe Cross and the other men dothat. I'll stand aside."

  There was a little more discussion, quite in opposition to ordinarydrill, while the skipper went below and then returned with a poundgunpowder canister painted red.

  "I say, look here, Chubb," cried the doctor. "Shall I have to move?"

  "Oh no, sir; we shan't shoot you," replied the skipper grimly. "You'llbe safe enough, unless the long gun bursts. But she's too new andstrong for that. Here you are, Cross. Make that into four charges."

  The speaker was in the act of passing the canister to the man, when thelook-out man from forward suddenly shouted--

  "Sail ho!"

  "Where away?" cried the captain. "About five points off the starboardbow, sir. Leastwise, sir, it aren't a sail. It's a big boat, bottomupwards and just awash."

  "Stop a minute," cried Rodd. "I'll fetch our glass."

  "Bring mine too, my lad," cried the captain, and Rodd raised his hand intoken of his having heard the order, as he dashed to the cabin hatch, toreturn directly after and find that his uncle was forward along with theskipper scanning the object about a quarter of a mile away.

  "Catch hold, uncle," cried Rodd, and he held out the telescope with onehand, and the captain's big mahogany tubed spy-glass, decorated withcoloured flags, with the other.

  "No, focus it and use it yourself, boy. I'll have a look afterwards."

  Rodd raised the glass at once to his eye, but by this time the skipperhad caught the object, and began to growl remarks.

  "Capsized long-boat," he muttered. "No, it's a fish--sick whale, Ithink. But I don't know. It's moving pretty well through the water.What do you make of it, my lad?"

  "It's very big and long," cried Rodd excitedly, "and it may be part of awhale's back just showing above the water. I don't know, though. Inever saw a whale swimming before. Here, I know! I think it's five orsix porpoises swimming one after the other and close together."

  "Nay!" growled the captain. "It's something--"

  "It's gone!" shouted Rodd. "Oh, uncle, I wish you'd seen it. It seemedto sink down out of sight all at once."

  "'Cause it didn't like to be looked at, sir," whispered Joe Cross. "Butlook out, sir," he cried eagerly. "There it is again, a little fartheroff."

  "Have a look, doctor," said the skipper, passing the glass to UnclePaul.

  "Is it a whale?" asked the doctor.

  "Nay, that's no whale, sir," replied the captain. "A whale don't gounder water like that when she sounds. Down goes her head, and shethrows her flukes up in the air."

  "Then what is it?" cried Uncle Paul, with the glass now glued to hiseye. "It's something very big. Yes, I can see plainly now--blackish-grey, and shiny as if slimy. It seems to undulate, for oneminute the back seems to be only a few feet long, then three or fourparts are above the surface at once, as if the creature were twenty orthirty feet long."

  "Yes, sir; I can see that with the naked eye.--Nay, nay, sir; you keepthe glass. It's more in your way than mine. Seems to me as if we havehit a curiosity for you, only it's rather too big to tackle."

  "I think it's a great snake," cried Rodd excitedly. "I mean, a verylarge eel, swimming on the top, and he keeps throwing his head about asif he were feeding in the middle of a shoal of fish."

  "Yes, it is something like that, Rodd," said the doctor; "but no congereel could be as large as that, and really I don't know."

  "Sea-sarpint, sir," whispered Joe Cross to Rodd, and looking longinglyat the glass the while.

  "Nonsense!" cried Rodd. "Here, you have a look, Joe," and he passed theglass to the sailor. "Now then," he said, "what do you make of it?"

  "I say sea-sarpint, sir." The captain growled more deeply than ever.

  "Sea-sarpint!" he said, in a tone of disgust. "There, hold your tongue,my lad. You're a naturalist, doctor; you haven't got no sea-sarpints inyour books, have you?"

  "No," replied the doctor, handing the glass to one of the men, as hecaught his longing eye. "But this must be a very curious fish, and itis evidently feeding. I wish it were coming this way, so that we couldhave a better view."

  Joe Cross lowered the boy's glass and looked questioningly at Rodd,giving at the same time a wag of his head in the direction of thenearest man.

  "Yes, let him have a look," said Rodd hoarsely, and as the glass waspassed the boy caught the sailor by the sleeve, and whispered, makingJoe start and gaze at him inquiringly, before stooping down and givinghis thigh a slap with his right hand.

  "Ay, ay, sir!" he whispered. "Ask the skipper."

  "Ask the _captain_ what?" said the skipper sharply.

  "I have been thinking, Captain Chubb," panted Rodd. "Have the long gunloaded with a ball, and let the men try and hit that thing. 'Tisn'tabove a quarter of a mile away."

  "Eh? Have a shot at it, my lad?" said the captain, staring, and thenshading his eyes to watch the object that was gliding along, making thewater ripple strangely, while all around it was in violent ebullition,betokening that a large shoal of fish was feeding there. "Well, I don'tknow. What do you say, doctor?" continued the speaker. "I don't saythat the lads could hit it, but they might."

  "Certainly," said the doctor eagerly. "Try."

  There was no occasion to give orders for a ball to be fetched up. JoeCross and Rodd had darted off together, plunged down the hatchway, andwere back again in an incredibly short space of time, the sailorcarrying the ball, while Rodd had snatched up three or four big sheetsof paper from off one of the laboratory lockers, and then as rapidly aspossible a good charge of powder was emptied into one of the sheets, thegun's crew fell into place and rammed the charge home in the mostbusiness-like manner, the ball followed, Joe Cross thrust the prickerdown into the touch-hole and primed, while another of the men ran with apiece of slow match to the cook's galley, where the water was beingboiled for tea.

  Everything was done skilfully and with speed, while all on deck were ina state of profound excitement and dread lest the great creature shoulddisappear from sight and rob the spectators of their looked-for sport.

  "Oh, do be quick!" cried Rodd.

  "Yah-h-h!" came in a groan, for as the words left the boy's lips therewas a violent ebullition where the great serpent or whatever it was hadbeen playing, the beautiful ripple of the shoal of fish died out, and inthe fast-fading light of the evening the sea all around lay gleaming andgrey, as it gently heaved, with no other movement now.

  "Oh, what a pity we were so long," said Rodd dismally. "I believe weshould have hit it. I am disappointed!"

  "Well, so am I, if you come to that, Rodd, my boy," said the doctor,"though I don't think the men could have made a successful shot. Yousee, it requires a great deal of practice to hit an object like thatwith a big gun."

  "Whatever it was," growled the captain, "it was feeding on that shoal offish, and when it made that dash it scared the lot away. There it isagain! You, Joe Cross, take a good long careful sight. Don't hurry.Slow and sure. My word, you ought to hit that, my lad! It's a big 'unand no mistake. Silence there! Every man in his place. Slew themuzzle round a little more. Ready, Cross?"

  "No, sir; want to lower a little;" and as he spoke the sailor thrust inone of the wedges a trifle. "That's about got it, sir."

  "Looks as if he'd come to stay, doctor," said the captain excitedly, ashe bent down to glance along over the gun's two sights, for the shoal offish had risen once more, turning the beautiful smooth sea into adiaper-like pattern, while the strange object seemed as far as theycould make out to be making a snatching dart here and another there,seeming to be l
ike some whale-like creature with a long neck.

  "Now she's steady, sir," whispered Joe Cross huskily, after taking thecaptain's place for another sight. "It's as near as I can get, sir. Ifyou'll give me the word."

  As he spoke the sailor drew back slightly, the captain cried "Fire!" andwith a heavy, sharp crack a puff of white smoke darted from the muzzleand began to expand forward like a grey balloon, obscuring everythingfrom the sight of the lookers-on for about a minute, before it roseclear, and then the darkening sea was all grey once more.