*CHAPTER XIII.*
*ON BOARD THE "UNA."*
It was broad daylight when the boys waked again, cold and cramped fromtheir uncomfortable position, and they found the men beginning to stirabout on the vessels at the wharf, washing the decks and overhaulingrigging.
It was some time before Ralph and Ben could find courage to ventureforth from their hiding-place.
"But it is no use to wait. We must go. Unless we can get away beforethe steamboat comes, we will have to skulk off and try another plan.Come on; I'll ask."
Dire necessity gave Ralph courage; and motioning Ben to follow, he wenton the wharf and hailed the first man he saw: "Are you the captain ofthat ship?"
"It ain't a ship, sonny, and I ain't the cap'n by a long chalk. Why?"
"I wanted to know when you expect to sail."
"Sail! we are just in; cargo all in the hold," said the sailorgood-naturedly, relighting his pipe, and looking curiously at the twoboys. "What d'ye want to know for? Don't want to ship, do you?"
"Not exactly; we want to go as passengers on a sea-voyage."
"Where do you want to go?"
"Oh, nowhere in particular."
"I never sailed to that port," said the sailor, laughing as well as hecould and still hold on to his pipe with his teeth.
"Is there any vessel going to sail from here to-day?" asked Ben.
"Well, now, there isn't a very big fleet here. If any of 'em was goingto start soon, you'd be likely to see some stirring about. There's alittle smack over the other side, just goin' out; but that ain't yourstyle, I reckon."
The boys looked in the direction indicated by the sailor's tar-stainedthumb, and saw the sails going up.
"Let's go over there, Ben," said Ralph, pulling his companion's arm.
They were soon at the vessel's side, and as the crew only numbered two,and only one of these was a full-grown man, it was not difficult to knowwho was the captain.
Ralph, cap in hand, asked politely, "Captain, can you take twopassengers?"
"Two what?" roared the captain as he gave a final pull, and fastened thesheets around a belaying-pin.
"Passengers," answered Ralph meekly, feeling very much like retreatingbefore the roar.
"Do you take this for a Cunarder?"
Ralph and Ben laughed, and said, "No; we see it is nothing but afishing-smack."
"Nothing but--humph, you little land-lubbers, don't you know this craftwill beat anything else afloat?"
"Will it?" asked Ralph, eying the craft narrowly. "It looks as if itmight. Will you take us?"
"Humph! you want to go fishing, do you? Your clothes look like thatbusiness. Got any overalls anywhere about you?"
"No, but we have thick old things in our valises."
"If you'll take us, captain, we will pay you just what you ask. We'llgive you ten pounds," said Ben recklessly, with his hand in his pocketgrasping the little red pocket-book that contained just that sum, sentby his father to defray his part of the camp expenses.
The captain whistled, and said, "Money's plenty! I ain't quite such ahighway robber as to take ten pounds. What do you want to go for?"
"Oh, for fun, and for our health! The doctors have ordered a sea-voyagefor us, we've been studying so hard."
"There now, Ben! What did you say last night about lying?" interruptedRalph.
"No, captain, we want to go on a voyage, and we've got the money to payfor the trip. Won't you take us?"
"Well, now, I don't know about that. You are running away from home,you two chaps; I know you be."
"No, honest!" said Ben. "We are hundreds of miles away from home now,and our fathers don't expect us back for over a month yet. It'svacation now, and we want to go somewhere: that's what father sent methe money for."
"I don't know whether you are tellin' the truth or lyin', boys."
"That's the truth," said Ben, "every word of it."
"You ain't used to quarters like mine. Look down in that cabin!"
The boys looked down, and felt that he was right; but Ralph answeredbravely,--
"Oh, pooh, we don't mind! we can stand anything you can."
"You can now--eh? Ha, ha, ha!---Marcus, they can stand anything Ican--ha, ha, ha!"
It was very aggravating to hear the two men laughing at their expense,but the boys joined in the laugh, and insisted that they could.
"How about fare? Like pretty good food, I reckon; don't you now?"
"Oh, we don't care what it is, if we only get enough. We expect to roughit."
"Oh, you do! Well, now, you ain't never sea-sick nor nothin'; are you?"
"Oh, sea-sick! No; I've been on the lake many a time when it was roughenough," said Ben loftily.
"Oh, the lake! yes, I see.--Then of course they won't be sea-sick in achop sea here, Marcus; will they?"
Marcus only answered with a provoking chuckle.
"I declare I've a good mind to take you, just to take the conceit out ofyou."
"We don't care what you do it for, if you only say we can go," said Benlaughing.
"Have you got pork and potatoes aboard, enough to keep two more,Marcus?"
"Ye-es," drawled Marcus; "they won't draw very heavy on the food."
"No; that's so, poor wretches!--I tell you, boys, it won't be fun goingin a fishing-smack. Rough seas like enough, and rough quarters, andrough fare."
"We know that--we expect that; we'll promise not to grumble," saidRalph.
"And we'll pay you well, captain," added Ben.
"Well, now, wait till we see how much trouble you make before you talkabout the pay. I don't believe I ought to take you; but I'd like tohave you get enough of it for once."
"Then we may come! Wait till we get our luggage."
"Luggage!" cried the captain in alarm; "how much have you got?"
"Oh, only two valises;" and away darted the boys toward the sail-loft,and a minute later leaped on to the dingy little vessel; and with somemisgivings, but a feeling of relief, they sat down forward of the cabin,and watched the men push off.
"My native land, farewell,--farewell," hummed Ben as they moved awayfrom the wharf.
"Oh, hush, Ben!" said Ralph dolefully.
The men were too busy, as they tacked about to get before the wind, tonotice their passengers, and they talked together about the boys and thecommotion there would be when their absence was discovered.
The _Una_ was bound outside for mackerel, and her deck was covered withempty barrels for their reception.
She was, as the captain had boasted, a swift sailer, and once before thewind she fairly flew through the waves, throwing the spray over her deckin a shower; and, excited by the novelty of their situation, Ralph andBen quite enjoyed the sail.
They had followed the captain's advice, and changed their clothes,putting on the heaviest and warmest garments they owned.
Marcus, they found, was man-of-all-work on board, and Captain Dare was ahost in himself--more at home on the sea than on the land, and needinglittle help during the summer months in the management of the littlecraft, of which he was sole owner.
The breakfast consisted of fried pork, fried potatoes, and biscuits; andit tasted good to the boys with their keen appetites.
After a while Ralph and Ben both began to feel like keeping quiet; andthe captain, who was watching them as he smoked and tended the sails,saw that Ralph was growing pale.
"There it comes!" he thought. "Now won't they wish themselves high anddry on the shore?--How do you like it, boys?"
"Splendid!" cried Ben, who was wiping the spray from his face.
Ralph said nothing, but smiled a ghastly smile.
"What's your names, boys? I haven't heard yet."
"I'm Ben Carver; my folks live in--Why, what's the matter, Ralph? youlook like a ghost!"
"He feels like one too, I'll be bound!" exclaimed Marcus, who wasscraping the breakfast refuse over the side of the vessel.
"A
re you sick, Ralph?" asked Ben, putting his hand on him.
"A little, but it will soon be gone," said Ralph, trying to bracehimself against the terrible feeling that had seized upon him.
"P'raps it will, and p'raps it won't," said Marcus with a laugh.
"Get rid o' them potatoes and things, and then you'll feel better," saidthe captain kindly.--"Marcus, mix him some hot ginger."
Ben was feeling very well still, or he forgot himself in waiting uponhis friend, making him as comfortable as possible in the bow of theboat, where the breeze would blow over him, and where he was out of theway.
It was so cool that Ben brought their blankets and tucked them aroundRalph, who was shivering.
"Cheer up, comrade! we are miles away from Saint Bernard and hischerubs; and after you get over this bad turn we'll have a jolly time,and no thanks to them!"
Ralph nodded, and rewarded him with a dismal smile.
Ben had hardly got his friend snugly tucked away in the blankets, whenhe glanced back shoreward and saw the steamboat making straight towardthem apparently.
"Ralph Drayton, there's the steamboat covered with our boys! Let's getout of this as quick as we can. They'll see us!"
Ralph forgot his misery, and throwing off his blankets, he lookedquickly in the direction indicated by Ben.
Sure enough! The boat was coming with its crowd of merry boys, and theband playing gaily.
Without a word the two boys crept along the side of the cabin away fromthe steamboat, and disappeared in the depths below.
The captain saw them, and being keen at noting signs, he guessed at oncethat his passengers were runaways from the party on the boat. "But itbeats me what they wanted to run away from a good time for! I ain't gotto the core of that apple yet," he soliloquized with a puzzled look.
Ralph and Ben remained in close confinement until long after the boathad passed the smack, not daring to look out themselves, nor to askeither of the men on deck, fearing that they in turn might ask questionsthat would be disagreeable to answer. At length Ralph gasped, "O Ben,just look out; I can't stay in this horrid place any longer!"
Ben went up the steps and peeped around the end of the cabin.
"Good! they are away off where they can't see us. Come on; I'll help youup."
"I'd like to know what you two fellows ran down below for just then?"said the captain.
The boys pretended not to hear the remark; and just then Marcus shouted,"There's a school!"
The boys turned in alarm, thinking only of their own affairs and theonly school that interested them; but the captain, turning the vessel'sbow, quickly answered, "Good! Bring the lines and bait."
The lines were soon ready, the bait thrown overboard, and the vesselbrought-to before the wind.
As they drew near the "school," and could see the countless multitudesfairly leaping, Ben forgot his disgust over the ill-smelling bait, andeagerly watched the fishermen as they dexterously tended the lines andlanded their flapping prey on the deck.
Ralph was too sick to give any more than a passing glance at the work;but Ben cried, "That's the fun!--Give me some hooks, Marcus, and let mehelp."
"Help yourself! there's plenty there. One will be all you can managethough," said Marcus, snapping a fish from one of the hooks with a jerk.
"Come on, Ralph! perhaps you'll feel better to stir about. Shan't I getyou a line? I tell you it looks lively out here! The water is allalive with fish, just jumping and turning somersaults--regularacrobats!"
A groan from under the blankets was the only reply, and Ben proceeded touse his hook and line as he saw the others do.
It was rare sport, and in his excitement he forgot that he had felt atall sea-sick.
As soon, however, as the "school" had passed, and the last fish had beenpulled in, Ben felt some of the disgust returning. There lay theslippery fish scattered over the deck, flapping still, and refusing todie. Beautiful fish they were, banded and mottled with green and blueand purple; but Ben turned away from them with a shudder, which waschanged into a groan as the two men began to dress them for packing.
"Want to help, boys?" asked the captain, with a wink at Marcus.
"Not much, captain."
"Ralph, this is going to be horrid," he whispered, as he threw himselfdown by his friend, and put his head under the blanket with him.
"Going to be? Isn't it already? I hope it won't get any worse,"groaned Ralph. "How long do you suppose the voyage will last?"
"Oh, I don't know; how long do you?"
"And where are we going?"
"Sure enough, we didn't ask."
"Well, wherever it is, we are in for it now, and have got to make thebest of it."
A prolonged groan was the only answer.
Academy Boys in Camp Page 13
