then come, letting go atthe same time one of his oars, which fell overboard. He now clung tothe chain, and the current swept the boat away from under his feet.
"Hold on! hold on, for your life!" I shouted out; but, instead of sodoing, he let go, expecting to regain his boat. He tried to swim, buthe was evidently a bad swimmer. I looked round. No boat was near. Isaw there was every chance of his being drowned. I was a capitalswimmer; so, hoping to save the lad, I plunged in, and followed him.Just as I was taking the leap, I caught sight of old Dick, coming acrossthe harbour. I shouted at the very top of my voice, pointing to theplace where the boy was floating away. This gave me some hopes that weshould be picked up. I soon saw that I had miscalculated the distance,for the boy seemed a very, very long way off. I had very little hopesof helping him, and thought it very likely I should get drowned myself,when I saw a hawser, somewhat slack, stretched across the course downwhich the boy was drifting. "If he has got any sense, he will catchhold of it," I thought. How thankful I felt when I saw him grasp it!As I got near, he cried out--
"Help! help! I can hold on no longer!"
"Hold on, whatever you do?" I cried out. "Oh dear! oh dear!" heshouted again, "what will become of the boat? what will become of theboat?"
He was evidently getting somewhat stupid and confused. I redoubled myefforts, and grasping the hawser with one hand, caught hold of hisjacket with the other, just as he was relaxing his grasp.
"Now, stupid!" I cried out, "just catch hold of this rope again, andhold on! You don't want to get drowned, do you?"
"No, I don't; but you had no business to call me stupid," he exclaimed,in an indignant tone.
"If you go and get drowned when there's no need of it, you are stupid,"I answered; "but if you will hold on tight, till Dick comes and takes usoff, I will say something for you."
My arguments had some effect, for hold on tight he did, I helping him bythe collar of his jacket. I had enough to do, however, to keep him andmyself afloat, as well as to hold on at the same time. It seemed to methat old Dick was a long time coming. At last I shouted out.
"Ay, ay!" answered his well-known voice, and at last I saw the bow ofhis boat coming round from under the stern of a vessel above us.
No one was on the decks of any of the vessels round us, which was thereason, I suppose, that we were allowed to hang on there so long byourselves.
"Well, what mischief have you been after?" asked old Dick, as he hauledthe other boy and me afterwards out of the water. "Well, you do looklike two drownded rats?"
"He has been after no mischief at all!" exclaimed the other boy, who, inspite of his recent alarm, had not lost his spirits.
"He jumped into the water to save my life, and he has saved it; and I amsure my papa and mamma will not think it was any mischief, but will beready to thank him very heartily, as I do."
"And who are you, young gentleman?" asked old Dick. "What business hadyou to be tumbling into the water?"
He had begun to pull up the harbour, I should say, placing us in thestern sheets while he was asking these questions.
"Who am I? you want to know who I am?" said the young gentleman, who wasemployed in squeezing the wet out of his clothes; "I am Richard AlfredChesterton Plumb," answered the boy, standing up and assuming an air ofdignity; "and I did not tumble into the water, but my boat got away fromme, and I tried to get after it; and that reminds me that she isfloating down the harbour; and so, old gentleman, I will just troubleyou to go in chace of her and try to bring her back."
"Ho! ho! ho!" exclaimed old Dick; "some young bantams do crow loud.Howsomdever, there is spirit in the lad, no doubt about that!"
"Well, old man," again asked the young gentleman, "are you going aftermy boat?"
Old Dick did not deign an answer; but, looking away down the harbour,espied the boat, and, pulling round, made chase after her. We were soonup to her, and Master Richard, as he called himself, wanted to be putaboard again.
"I can row about till I am dry," he observed. "What's the odds?"
However, as there was only one oar remaining, this was an impossibility.
"You will only go and get yourself drownded again," said the old man,"and catch your death of cold sitting in your wet things into thebargain. So you just come up to my missus, and she will give you a hotcup of tea and dry your duds, and then Jack here and I will see you safehome to your friends."
I have a notion that old Dick was afraid the young master might forgetall about the service which had been rendered him, and having an eye tothe main chance, he was resolved that I should receive a reward--hehimself hoping probably to obtain some remuneration also for histrouble. On our way back young Master Richard, who was in no waydisconcerted, espied the missing oar, which had been caught in an eddy,and drifted in towards the shore. We got hold of it, and he now seemedperfectly happy. We both looked very foolish, I thought, as drippingwet we followed old Dick up to his house. The old woman had our clothesvery soon off us, and tumbled us both into their bed. The younggentleman whispered to me that it was not very nice, but I was in no wayparticular.
"It will not do to be ungrateful. I would bear anything, rather thanshow I did not like it," he added, still whispering.
He at last got rather impatient, and singing out, asked Dick if he wouldgo and buy him a new suit at Selby's, the tailor's in High Street.
The old man laughed.
"I've got no credit there, young gentleman," he answered. "Maybe, too,your friends would not be quite pleased. Your clothes will be dryenough in time; and, there now, the water's boiling, and you shall havea bowl of tea hot enough to take the skin off your mouths."
The steaming liquid was soon brought to us, and after drinking it,Master Richard said he felt as warm and comfortable as he had ever donein his life. He was only anxious to be off. At length, however, thewarmth and closeness of the room sent us both off into a sound sleep.We were awoke by old Dick's voice.
"Well, lads," he said, "are you ready to put on your clothes, and comealong to young master's friends? I have seen your father, Jack. Heknows all about them, and says it is all right. He tells me, Jack," hewhispered, "they're no end of grand people, so I hope you have steppedinto the right boat this time."
I could not exactly understand the meaning of my old friend's remarks,but I saw that he was well pleased. Old Mrs. Lee pressed some more teaand bread and butter on us, and had a sausage frying in the pan. I wasnot sorry to get it; but, after taking a few mouthfuls, the younggentleman said he was very grateful, but that he had had enough, andthat he expected to find dinner when he got home.
"I could not have eaten another mouthful, even if the old woman hadthreatened to throw me into the frying-pan," he observed, as we left thehouse, "but I did not like to hurt her feelings."
I had eaten up the remainder of the sausage, so I benefited by MasterRichard's delicacy of stomach.
CHAPTER TWO.
MY FIRST START.
We crossed the water to Gosport, and took our way along the road whichled past the small row in which we lived. I inquired on my way of oldDick, if he knew who the young gentleman's father was.
"They say he's a nabob," answered old Dick, "but what a nabob is, I'msure I don't know, except that he's a yellow-faced gentleman, with lotsof money, and always complaining of his liver."
Having received this lucid explanation to my question, I rejoined myyoung companion. I thought I might learn more about the matter fromhim.
"They say your father is a nabob; is he?" I asked.
"A nabob? No," he answered. "He is a great deal more importantperson--he is a brigadier; at least he was in India, and mamma alwaysspeaks of him as the Brigadier, and people always talk of her as Mrs.Brigadier."
"Then I suppose you are the young Brigadier?" I said, very naturally.
"No, indeed, I am not," he answered. "But there is the house. And, Isay, I am very much obliged to you, remember, for what you have done forme. I see you are up to joking; bu
t let me advise you not to come anyof your jokes over my father, or mamma either. Indeed, you had betterrather try it with him than with her. You would think twice before youever made the attempt again."
Passing through an iron gateway, we proceeded up to the house, which wassome little way from the road. It was low, with a broad verandah roundit, and I found was known as Chuttawunga Bungalow. I saw the name onthe side-post of the gateway. A tall, dark-skinned man, dressed inwhite, a broad-rimmed cap on his head, came to the door. He seemedrather doubtful as to admitting old Dick and me.
"Here, Chetta, let us in at once!" exclaimed the young gentleman in
Off to Sea: The Adventures of Jovial Jack Junker on his Road to Fame Page 2
