by Charles King
offhawsers. Then the great screw began slowly to churn up the murky waterastern. The captain himself was on the bridge, the man at the wheelstanding by to obey his slightest command.
And so the _Wolverine_ departed, with many a cheer from the shore--ay,and many a blessing.
As she went out they passed a man-o'-war, in which the captain had manyfriends. Early as it was, the commander had the band up, and sweetlyacross the water came the music of that dear old song I myself haveoften heard, when standing out to sea, "Good-bye, sweetheart, good-bye."
By eventide they were standing well down towards the Bay of Biscay,which they would leave on their port quarter. They would merely skirtit, bearing up for Madeira. But a delightful breeze had sprung up; thewhite sails were set, and she was running before it, right saucily, too,bobbing and curtseying to each rippling wavelet very prettily, as muchas to say: "Ah! you dear old sea, we have been together before now. Youwill never lose your temper with me, will you?" It is well, indeed,that sailors do not know what is before them.
The dinner-hour was seven. Mr and Mrs Hall were seated on chairs onthe quarter-deck. Neither was over-well, but Ilda and Reginald werepacing briskly up and down the quarter-deck, chatting pleasantly. Ithink, though, that Ilda had more to say than he. American girls areborn that way.
Wee Matty was making love to Oscar, the splendid and good-naturedNewfoundland. Nobody more happy than bonnie Matty, bonnie and gay, forher happiness, indeed, was a species of merry madness. Only no onecould have heard her childish, gleesome and silvery laugh withoutlaughing with her.
The bell at last! Reginald took Ilda down below, then hurried on deckto help his patients. Matty and Oscar seemed to come tumbling down.
And so the evening passed away, the stars once more glittering likecrystal gems, the great star Sirius shining in ever-changing rays ofcrimson and blue.
It was indeed a goodly night, and Reginald slept to-night. The incubusLove had fled away.
CHAPTER TWELVE.
"I SAY, CAP," SAID MR HALL, "I SHOULD MAROON A FELLOW LIKE THAT!"
While the whole countryside--ay, and the Granite City itself--werethrilled with awe and horror at the brutal murder of poor unoffendingCraig Nicol, the _Wolverine_ was making her way on the wings of adelightful ten-knot breeze to the Isle of Madeira.
Reginald had ascertained that there was nothing very serious the matterwith Mr and Mrs Hall. They were run down, however, very much with thegaieties of Paris and London, to say nothing of New York, and thoughtrightly that a long sea voyage would be the best thing to restore them.
Madeira at last! The beach, with its boulders or round sea-smoothedstones, was a difficult one to land upon. The waves or breakers hurledthese stones forward with a hurtling sound that could be heard miles andmiles away, then as quickly sucked them back again. Nevertheless, theboat was safely beached, and there were men with willing hands and broadshoulder to carry Mr and Mrs Hall and daughter safely on to dry land.
Reginald was sure of foot, and lifting Matty in his arms as she crowedwith delight, he bore her safe on shore. The great Newfoundlanddespised a boat, and hardly was she well off the yacht ere he leapedoverboard with a splash. And he also landed, shaking himself free ofgallons of water, which made rainbows and halos around him. He drenchedhis master pretty severely. But it was a fine joke to Oscar, so,grinning and laughing as only this breed can, he went tearing along thebeach and back again at the rate of fifteen knots an hour. When he didcome back, he licked his master's hand and little Matty's face."Nothing like a good race," he seemed to say, "to set the blood inmotion after a long bath."
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While the party sit in the piazza of a beautiful tree-shaded hotel,sipping iced sherbet, let me say a word about the nature of the_Wolverine's_ voyage.
The yacht did not belong to the Halls. She was lent them for the cruiseround the Horn to the South Pacific, and many a beautiful island theymeant to visit, and see many a strange and wondrous sight. For hithertoall their travelling experiences had been confined to Europe. But yourtrue American wants to see all the world when he can afford it.
It was health the Halls were in search of, combined with pleasure ifpossible; but they meant to collect all the curios they could get, andthey also felt certain--so Mrs Hall said--that they would find theSouth Sea savages very interesting persons indeed.
So have I myself found them, especially when their spears were whiskingover my boat and they were dancing in warlike frenzy on the beach. Insuch cases, however, a shot or two from a good revolver has awonderfully persuasive and calmative effect on even Somali Indians.
We British have called Scotland and England an isle of beauty, but Iquestion very much if it can cope with Madeira. Here not only have wesplendid mountains, clad in all the beauty of tropical and sub-tropicalshrubs and trees, tremendous cliffs and gorges, raging torrents andcataracts, with many a bosky dell, lovely even as those birchen gladesin Scotia, but in this heavenly isle there is the sunshine thatoverspreads all and sparkles on the sea. And that sea, too!--who coulddescribe the splendour of its blue on a calm day, patched here and theretowards the shore with browns, seagreens, and opals? No wonder thatafter making several visits and picnics in shore and high among themountains, borne there by sturdy Portuguese in hammocks, Mrs Hallshould declare that she felt better already.
It was with some reluctance that Mr Hall ordered the anchor to be gotup at last, and all sail made for the Canaries. Near sunset was it whenthey sailed slowly away, a sunset of indescribable beauty. A great greymisty bank of cloud was hanging many degrees above the mountains, butbeneath it was more clear and streaked with long trailing cloudlets ofcrimson, light yellow, and purple, the rifts between being of thedeepest sea-green. But over the hills hung a shadow or mist of smokyblue.
Then descended the sun, sinking in the waters far to the west, a ball ofcrimson fire with a pathway of blood 'twixt the horizon and the yacht.
Then night fell, with but a brief twilight. There was going to be achange, however. The mate, a sturdy, red-faced, weather-beaten, butcomely fellow, sought the captain's cabin and reported a rapidly-fallingglass, and the gradual obliteration of the stars, that erst had shone sosweetly.
How swiftly comes a squall at times in these seas! A huge bank ofblackest darkness was seen rapidly advancing towards the ship, andbefore sail could be taken in or steam got up she was in the grasp ofthat merciless demon squall.
For a minute or two she fled before it and the terrible waves, quiveringthe while from stem to stern like a dying deer.
Then high above the roaring of the wind, and booming and hissing of thewaves, great guns were heard. It seemed so, at least, but it was butthe bursting of the bellying sails, and platoon-firing next, as the rentribbons of canvas crackled and rattled in the gale.
To lie to was impossible now. With the little sail they had left theymust fly on and on. Men staggered about trying to batten down, but fora time in vain.
Then came a huge pooping wave, that all but swept the decks. It smashedthe bulwarks, it carried away a boat, and, alas! one poor fellow found awatery grave. He must have been killed before being swept overboard.Anyhow, he was seen no more. Everything movable was carried forwardwith tremendous force. Even the winch was unshipped, and stood partlyon end.
The man at the wheel and the men battening down were carried away on thecurrent, but though several were badly bruised, they were otherwiseunhurt. Sturdy Captain Dickson had rushed to the wheel, else would the_Wolverine_ have broached to and sunk in a few minutes.
The water had poured down the companions like cataracts, and it drownedout the half-lit fires. Mr Hall and party had shut themselves up intheir state-rooms, but everything in the saloon was floating in watertwo feet deep.
However, this storm passed away almost as quickly as it had come, andonce more the seas calmed down, and sky and waters became brightly,ineffably blue. The ship was baled out, an
d, as the wind had now gonedown, fires were got up, and the _Wolverine_ steamed away for theCanaries and the marvellous Peak of Teneriffe.
But poor Bill Stevens's death had cast a general gloom throughout theship. He was a great favourite fore and aft, always merry, alwayslaughing or singing, and a right good sailor as well.
So next morning, when red and rosy the sun rose over the sea, orderswere sent forward for the men to "lay aft" at nine o'clock for prayers.Then it was "wash and scrub decks, polish the wood, and shine thebrasswork."
Right rapidly did the sun dry the decks, so that when Mrs Hall, who hadreceived a bad shock, was helped on deck by Reginald, everything 'twixtfo'c'sle and wheel looked clean and nice. The winch had not been badlydamaged, and was soon set to rights.
I should not forget to mention that the only one not really alarmedduring the terrible black Squall was that busy, merry wee body Matty.When she saw the cataract of waters coming surging in, she
