Sturdy and Strong; Or, How George Andrews Made His Way

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER V.

  AN ADVENTURE.

  In August the annual outing, or, as it was called, the bean-feast, atthe works took place. Usually the men went in vans down into EppingForest; but this year it was determined that a steamer should beengaged to take the whole party with their wives and families down toGravesend. They were to make an early start, and on arriving there allwere to do as they pleased until they assembled to dine in a pavilionat one of the hotels. After this they were to go to the gardens andamuse themselves there until the steamer started in the evening. Theparty embarked at Blackwell at ten o'clock in the morning. George andBill got together up in the bow of the steamer, and were delightedwith their voyage down, their only regret being that Mrs. Andrews haddeclined to accompany them, saying that she would far rather go withthem alone than with so large a party.

  "What shall we do, Bill?" George said, when they landed. "We are notto dine till two, so we have two good hours before us. I vote we hirea boat and go out. It will be ten times as jolly here as up in thatcrowded river by London."

  This was said in reference to various short rows which they had hadin boats belonging to barges which had been sometimes lent them forhalf an hour of an evening by a good-natured bargeman as they hungabout the wharves.

  "I suppose you can row, young chaps?" the waterman, whom they hiredthe boat of, said.

  "Oh, yes, we can row!" George replied with the confidence of youth.

  "Mind the tide is running out strong," the waterman said.

  "All right, we will mind," George answered, scarce heeding his words;and getting out the oars they pushed off.

  For some little time they rowed among the anchored vessels, both beingespecially filled with delight at the yachts moored opposite theclubhouses. These were new craft to them, and the beauty and neatnessof everything struck them with surprise and admiration. Tide had onlyturned a short time before they got into their boat, and while keepingnear the shore they had no difficulty in rowing against it.

  Presently they determined to have a look at a fine East-Indiamanmoored well out in the stream a short distance below Gravesend. Theyceased rowing when they approached her, and sat idly on their oarstalking over the distant voyage on which she was probably about tostart, and the country she might visit, George was telling hiscompanion the ports she would touch if her destination was China, andabsorbed in their conversation they paid no attention to anythingelse, until George gave a sudden exclamation.

  "Good gracious, Bill! Why, the ship is ever so far behind. It is twomiles, I should think, from the town. We must set to work or we shan'tbe back in time for dinner."

  The boys' knowledge of the navigation of the Thames was not sufficientto tell them that to row against tide it is necessary to keep closeinshore, and turning the boat's head they set to work to row back inthe middle of the river. Their knowledge of rowing was but slight, andthe mere operation of their oars took up all their attention. Theyrowed away till their hands burned and the perspiration ran down theirfaces.

  After half an hour of this George looked round, thinking that he oughtto be near to the vessel by this time. He uttered an exclamation ofsurprise and dismay. Neither the ship nor Gravesend were visible.Their puny efforts had availed nothing against the sweeping tide. Theyhad already, without knowing it, swept round the turn in the river,and were now entering Sea Reach.

  "My goodness, Bill! what are we to do? Just look at that buoy; we aregoing past it as fast as a horse could trot. Look what a width theriver is. What on earth are we to do?"

  "I have no idea," Bill replied. "Where shall we go to if we go on likethis?"

  "Right out to sea, I should think," George said. "I do not know howfar it is; but the river seems to get wider and wider in front."

  "Perhaps," Bill suggested, "the tide will turn again and take usback."

  "Not it," George said. "It was against us, you know, all the way down,and could only have turned a little while before we got in the boat.Look at that line of barges sailing down on the right-hand side. Ivote we pull to them and ask the men what we had better do. Anyhow wecould row to the land and get out there and wait till tide turns. Itturned at about eleven, so that it will turn again somewhere aboutfive. The steamer is not to start till eight, so we shall be back inplenty of time to catch it. We shall lose the dinner and the fun inthe gardens, but that can't be helped."

  "That don't make no odds," Bill said cheerfully; "this is a regularventure, this is; but I say, shan't we have to pay a lot for theboat?"

  "Yes," George assented mournfully; "but perhaps the man will let usoff cheap when he sees we couldn't help it. He looked a good-temperedsort of chap. Come, let us set to work. Every minute it is taking usfurther away."

  They set steadily to work. The boat was a large and heavy one, andtheir progress was by no means rapid.

  "How thick it's getting!" George exclaimed suddenly.

  "Aint it just!" Bill assented. "My eye, George, I can't see thebarges!"

  Unobserved by them a fog had been steadily creeping up the river. Theywere just at its edge when they made the discovery. Another twominutes and it rolled thickly over them, and they could not see tenyards away. They looked at each other in silent bewilderment.

  "What's to be done, George?" Bill said at length in awe-struck tones.

  "I don't know, Bill; I haven't an idea. It's no use rowing, that Isee, for we don't know which way the boat's head is pointing."

  "Well, it can't be helped," Bill said philosophically. "I am going tohave a pipe. Oh, I say, aint my hands blistered!"

  "All right, you can have your pipe, Bill, but keep your oar in yourhand to be ready to row."

  "What for?" Bill demanded. "I thought you said it warn't no userowing!"

  "No more it is, Bill; but we must look out for those big buoys. If thetide were to sweep us against one of them we should capsize to acertainty. That must have been a big steamer," he went on, as the boatrolled suddenly. "It's lucky we were pretty well over towards the sideof the river, before the fog came on. Listen--there's another. I canhear the beat of her engines. I have an idea, Bill!" he exclaimedsuddenly. "We know the steamers were passing to the left of us whenthe fog came on. If we listen to their whistles and the sound of theirpaddles, and then row to the right, we shall get to the bank at last."

  "Yes, that's a good idea," Bill agreed, laying down the pipe he hadjust lighted. "There's a whistle over there."

  "Yes, and another the other way," George said, puzzled. "Why, how canthat be! Oh, I suppose one is coming up the river and one down, butit's awfully confusing."

  It was so, but by dint of listening intently the boys gained some ideaof the proper direction; but they could only row a few strokes at atime, being obliged to stop continually to listen for fresh guidance.

  Fortunately for them the fog lay low on the water, and the upper sparsof the steamers were above it, and men placed there were able todirect those on deck as to their course. Had it not been for this thesteamers must all have anchored. As it was they proceeded slowly andcautiously on their way, whistling freely to warn any small craft,that might be hidden in the fog, of their coming.

  Half an hour's rowing and the boys gave a simultaneous exclamation.The boat had quietly grounded on the edge of a mud flat. They couldnot see the bank, and had no idea how far distant it was. Bill at onceoffered to get overboard and reconnoiter, but George would not hear ofit.

  "You might not be able to find your way back, Bill, or you might sinkin the mud and not be able to get out again. No, we won't separate;and, look here, we must keep the boat afloat just at the edge of themud. If we were to get left here we should not float again till tidecomes up to us, and that wouldn't be till about two hours before hightide, and it won't be high, you know, until twelve o'clock at night."

  "I wish this fog would clear off!" Bill said, looking round at thewall of white vapor which surrounded them. "It regular confuses achap. I say, I expect they are just sitting down to dinner at present.I feel awfully hungry
."

  "It's no use thinking about that, Bill. We shall be a good deal morehungry before we are done; but I am so glad we have found the land andstopped going out to sea that I don't mind being hungry."

  "But I say, George, if this fog keeps on how are we to find our wayback to Gravesend?"

  "The only way will be, Bill, to keep quite close to the edge of themud--just as close as the boat will swim. That way, you know, we mustcome to Gravesend at last."

  "So we must. I didn't think of that. You have got a good head, George,you have. I should never have thought about the way to find the bankif it hadn't been for you, and might have gone on floating andfloating till we was starved."

  "This fog can't last forever, Bill."

  "No, but I have known them last a week in London."

  "Yes, but not in August, Bill."

  "No, not in August," Bill assented; "but you see these here fogs maylast just as long down here in August as they do in London inNovember."

  "I don't think so, Bill. Anyhow it doesn't matter to us; we have gotthe land for a guide, and I hope we shall be back in Gravesend beforeit's quite dark."

  "But if we don't, George?"

  "Well, if we don't we must run her ashore before it gets too dark, andwait till it is morning. We shall be all right if we keep quite cooland use our senses. If we had something to eat I shouldn't mind a bit,except that mother will be getting anxious about us. It's a regularadventure, and we shall have something to talk about for a long time.Look out, Bill, we must push her further off--she's getting aground!"

  For an hour they sat and chatted.

  "Hullo! what's that?" Bill exclaimed at last. "That's the rattle of achain. I expect it's a barge anchoring somewhere near. Listen; I canhear voices. I vote we hollo."

  George lifted up his voice in a lusty shout. The shout was repeatednot very far off, and was followed by the shout of "Who are you?"

  "We have drifted down from Gravesend and lost our way," Georgeshouted back. "We will come on board if you will let us."

  "All right!" the voice replied; "I will go on shouting and you row tomy voice."

  It was but a hundred yards, and then a voice close at hand saidsharply:

  "Row bow hard or you will be across the chain."

  Bill rowed hard, and George, looking round, saw that they were closeto the bows of a barge. Half a dozen more strokes and they werealongside. Bill seized a hand-rope and sprang onto the barge, and theboat was soon towing astern.

  "Well, young men, however did you manage to get here?" one of thebargemen asked. "It's lucky for you you weren't taken out to sea withthe tide."

  George related the history of their voyage and how they had managed toreach the shore.

  "Well, you are good-plucked uns anyhow," the man said; "aint they,Jack? Most chaps your age would just have sat in the boat and howled,and a good many longshoremen too. You have done the best thing youcould under the circumstances."

  "Where are we?" George asked.

  "You are on board the _Sarah and Jane_ topsail barge, that's where youare, about three parts down Sea Reach. We know our way pretty welleven in a fog, but we agreed it was no use trying to find the Swashwaywith it as thick as this, so we brought up."

  "Where is the Swashway?" George asked.

  "The Swashway is a channel where the barges go when they are makingfor Sheerness. It's well buoyed out and easy enough to follow with thehelp of Sheerness lights on a dark night; but these fogs are worsethan anything. It aint no use groping about for the buoy when youcan't see ten yards ahead, and you might find yourself high and dry onthe mud and have to wait till next tide. Mayhap this fog will clearoff before evening, and we shall be able to work in; and now I expectyou two young uns would like some grub. Come below."

  The two boys joyfully followed into the little cabin, and were soonsatisfying their hunger on bread and cold meat. The bargee drew a jugof water from the breaker and placed it before them.

  "The fire has gone out," he said, "or I would give yer a cup oftea--that's our tipple; we don't keep spirits on board the _Sarah andJane_. I like a drop on shore, but it aint stuff to have on a barge,where you wants your senses handy at all times. And now what are youthinking of doing?" he asked when the boys had finished.

  "What we had made up our minds to do was to lie where we were at theedge of the mud till tide turned, and then to keep as close to theshore as we could until we got back to Gravesend. The steamer we cameby does not go back till late, and we thought we should be back bythat time."

  "No, you wouldn't," the man said. "Out in the middle of the stream youwould be back in two hours easy, but not close inshore. The tidedon't help you much there, and half your time you are in eddies andback-currents. No, you wouldn't be back in Gravesend by eight noway."

  "Then what would you advise us to do?"

  "Well, just at present I won't give no advice at all. We will see howthings are going after a bit. Now let's take a look round."

  So saying he climbed the ladder to the deck, followed by the boys. Thewhite fog still shut the boat in like a curtain.

  "What do you think of it, Jack?"

  "Don't know," the other replied. "Thought just now there was a puff ofair coming down the river. I wish it would, or we shan't makeSheerness to-night, much less Rochester. Yes, that's a puff sureenough. You are in luck, young uns. Like enough in half an hour therewill be a brisk wind blowing, driving all this fog out to sea beforeit."

  Another and another puff came, and tiny ripples swept across theoil-like face of the water.

  "It's a-coming, sure enough," the bargeman said. "I'd bet a pot ofbeer as the fog will have lifted in a quarter of an hour."

  Stronger and stronger came the puffs of wind.

  The fog seemed as if stirred by an invisible hand. It was no longer adull, uniform whitish-gray; dark shadows seemed to flit across it, andsometimes the view of the water extended here and there.

  "There's the shore!" Bill exclaimed suddenly, but ere George couldturn round to look it was gone again.

  "I shall have the anchor up directly, lads. Now I tell you what willbe the best thing for you if the wind holds, as I expect it will. Weshall be at Sheerness in little over an hour--that will make it fouro'clock," he added, consulting his watch, "and the young flood will becoming up soon afterwards, and I shall go up with the first of it toRochester. We shall get there maybe somewhere about seven o'clock. Nowthe best thing I can do for you is to tow that ere boat up toRochester with me, and you can get a train there that will take you upto town in goodish time."

  "You are very kind," George said; "but what are we to do about theboat?"

  "I shall be going back to-morrow night, or more likely next morning,and I will take her along and hand her over to her rightful owner atGravesend."

  "James Kitson."

  "Yes, I know him."

  "But how about paying for it?" George said. "I am afraid he willexpect a great deal of money, for it has been away all the time, andwe have only got six shillings between us."

  "You will want that to get up to town. Never mind about the boat. Iwill put that square for you. I will tell Kitson as how you have beenshipwrecked, and he will think himself precious lucky in getting theboat without being damaged. If I take the trouble to tow it up toRochester and back, he needn't grumble about getting no fare."

  "I would rather pay something," George said; "though, you see, wecan't afford to pay much."

  "Well, then, you send him a post-office order for five bob. I willtell him you are going to send him that, and he will thank his starshe has got so well out of it. If you had drifted out to sea, as heexpects you have by this time, and the boat didn't get smashed by asteamer, you would likely enough have been taken off by one of them;but the captain wouldn't have troubled himself about that old tub. Ilooks upon Kitson as being in luck this job, so don't you worry abouthim. There, the mist's driving off fast. We will up with the kedge."

  The boys lent a hand at the windlass, and the anchor was soon han
gingfrom the bow. Then the brail of the mainsail was loosed, and the greatsail shaken out. The foresail was hoisted, and in a few minutes the_Sarah and Jane_ was running before a brisk wind down Sea Reach.

  The fog had rolled off now, and it was clear astern, though a thickbank still hung over the river ahead, but this was rapidly meltingaway; and the bargeman, who told them his name was Will Atkins,pointed out a large building low down on the water ahead.

  "That's Sheerness Fort," he said. "You can lend Jack a hand to get upthe topsail. The wind is rising every minute, and we shall soon bebowling along hand over hand."

  Both ahead and astern of them were a line of barges, which had, likethe _Sarah and Jane_, anchored when the fog was thickest, and were,like her, making their way to Sheerness. The wind was blowing brisklynow, and the barge made her way through the water at a rate whichsurprised the boys.

  "I had no idea that barges sailed so fast," George said.

  "There are not many craft can beat them," Atkins replied. "With abreeze so strong that they can only just carry their topsails, theywill hold their own with pretty nigh anything afloat. There are mightyfew yachts can keep alongside us when we are doing our best."

  As Atkins had predicted, in little over an hour they brought up justinside the mouth of the Medway, and dropped the anchor to wait tillthe tide turned to help them up to Rochester. At six o'clock they wereagain under way. The wind had fortunately veered round somewhat to thenorth of west, and they were able for the most part to lay theircourse, so that soon after seven they were abreast of the dockyard,and a few minutes later dropped anchor off Rochester.

  "Jump into the boat, boys," the good-natured bargeman said; "I willput you ashore at once. There is the station close to the end of thebridge."

  With many very hearty thanks for his kindness the lads jumped ashoreand hurried up to the station. They found that there would be a trainin half an hour, and by nine o'clock they arrived in town.

  Before they had landed the bargeman had scrawled on a piece of paper,"Your boat was picked up by the _Sarah and Jane_. Will bring her backon return trip. No damage done. William Atkins." This he had handed tothe boys, and they now got an envelope and directed it to "JamesKitson, Waterman, Gravesend," and posted it, and then set out to walkhome.

  "It's not been the sort of day we expected," George said; "but it'sbeen good fun, hasn't it?"

  "Grand!" Bill agreed. "But I didn't think so when we were in themiddle of that fog listening to them whistles and trying to find outthe way. I didn't say much, George, but I felt downright funky."

  "I didn't like it either, Bill. There was such a horribly lonelyfeeling, lost in the fog there; but it was all right as soon as wetouched the mouth, and got an idea where we were. I was worrying mostabout mother getting anxious if we did not get back to-night, and alittle about what we should have to pay for the boat. It was luckythat bargeman took the matter in his hands for us. I expect we shouldhave had to pay over a pound. He was an awfully good fellow, wasn'the?"

  "I should just think he was," Bill said. "He was a good un, and nomistake. It aint cost us so very much either, considering."

  "That it hasn't, Bill. Two and threepence apiece railway fare, that'sfour and sixpence, and five bob we are to send down for the boat, nineshillings and sixpence. Well, we should have paid two shillings forthe boat anyhow, and I expect we should have spent another shillingapiece in things at the gardens, perhaps more; that would make fourshillings anyhow, so we have only spent about five shillings more thanwe calculated. And haven't we got a lot to talk about! It's been aregular adventure."

  "It has," Bill said doubtfully; "but I don't think I want many more ofthem kind of adventures. It's all right now, you know, but it wasn'tjolly at the time. I always thought as adventures was jolly; but thatdidn't seem to me to have no jolliness about it, not when we was outthere. It's all very well to hear tell of shipwrecks and fights withsavages, but I expect there aint no larks about it at the time. Isuppose you will send that five bob off to-morrow, and get it off yourmind?"

  "No. Atkins said we had better not send it for another three or fourdays. The man will have got his boat back all right then, and the fivebob would come upon him unexpectedly. He was going to tell Kitson thathe had arranged with us that was what we were to pay, as we couldn'tafford more; but he will never expect to get it, so when it comes hewill be only too glad to receive it."

  They were met at the door of the house by Bob Grimstone, who was justcoming out.

  "Why, what have you boys been up to?" he said angrily. "I have beenwondering all day what has become of you, and the missis has donenothing but worry and fidget. It's regular spoilt the day. What haveyou been up to? I haven't seen you since we got ashore at Gravesend,and I have just come round to ask your mother if she has heard ofyou."

  "I am very sorry, Bob, but it wasn't our fault, at least it was notaltogether our fault. We went for a row, and the tide took us down,and then the fog came on and we got lost."

  "I expected better of you," Grimstone said angrily. "Foggy, indeed!I've been anxious and worried all day. I did think as you warn't likeother boys, but could be trusted, and then you go and play such aprank as this. Well, go in; your mother is in a nice taking aboutyou."

  "My dear mother," George said as he ran in, "I am so sorry you havebeen uneasy about us, awfully sorry; but really it hasn't been ourfault altogether."

  "Never mind that now, George," Mrs. Andrews said, throwing her armsround his neck. "Fortunately I did not know anything about it till Mr.Grimstone came in a few minutes ago. I had been expecting you in forsome little time, but I supposed the steamer was late, and I was notat all uneasy till Mr. Grimstone came in and said that he had notseen either of you since the steamer got to Gravesend, and that youhad not come back with the rest. Is Bill with you?"

  "Yes, mother; he is at the door talking to Bob."

  "Ask Mr. Grimstone to come in again," Mrs. Andrews said. "He has beenmost kind, and he had promised to go down to Gravesend by the firsttrain in the morning if you did not come home to-night, and to makeinquiries about you there. He tried to cheer me up by saying that asyou were together nothing could very well happen to you and thatprobably you had only got into some boyish scrape--perhaps, hesuggested, only gone out into the country and had helped yourselves tosome apples, and had so got locked up."

  Bob, however, would not come in again, but went off saying he wouldhear all about it in the morning, but would go off to tell his wife atonce that they had returned safely, for "that she was in such a worryas never was."

  Hearing that the boys had had nothing to eat since two o'clock, Mrs.Andrews at once laid the table for supper; and when they had finishedit listened to George's account of their adventure.

  "You had a very narrow escape, boys," she said when they had finished."You might have been swept out to sea, or run down by a steamer in thefog. I hope to-night that you will neither of you forget to thank Godfor his protection through the danger you have run; and I do hope, mydear boys, that you will be more careful in future."

  The next evening, after work was over, George went in to BobGrimstone's and told them all that had happened. When the story wastold, Bob agreed that after all it was not altogether their fault, andthat, indeed, they had, in some respects, justified his opinion ofthem. Mrs. Grimstone, however, was not so easily pacified. They hadcome back, she said; but it was more than likely that they wouldn'thave come back at all, but might have been drifting out far at sea,perhaps cutting each other's throats and eating each other alive,which was, as the good woman said, what she had heard happened whenboats were lost at sea.

  Two days later they sent off the money to the waterman, and receivedin reply a letter from him saying that the boat had been broughtsafely back by the _Sarah and Jane_ and that he was glad to get thefive shillings.

  "Bill Atkins told me as you said you would send it; but knowing whatboys is, I say fair as I didn't expect to see the color of your money.It aint everyone as would have paid up when th
ey got safe away, and Iconsider as you have behaved handsome."

  They had heard from Atkins of the wharf off which the _Sarah and Jane_might generally be found moored, between her cruises, and after one ortwo ineffectual attempts they one day found the barge there when theyrowed up to the spot. She had but just returned from a trip toRochester and Bill Atkins was still on board. He was very glad to seethe boys, but they had great difficulty in persuading him to accept apound of tobacco which their mother had sent off to him with hercompliments as a token of gratitude for his kindness to them.

  "Well, young chaps, I didn't look for nothing of the sort, but seeingas your mother has got it for me it wouldn't be manners to say no.Well, look here, any time as you are disposed for a sail down toRochester and back you're free of the _Sarah and Jane_, and heartilyglad shall I be to have you with me."

  The boys thanked him for the offer, but said as they were still atwork there was but small chance of their being able to accept it, butthat they should be glad to come and have a chat with him sometimeswhen he was in the Pool.