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From Powder Monkey to Admiral: A Story of Naval Adventure, a novel by William H. G. Kingston |
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Chapter 5. Picked Up By A Fishing-Vessel |
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_ CHAPTER FIVE. PICKED UP BY A FISHING-VESSEL After a time, Bill began to feel very hungry, and then he recollected that at dinner he had clapped a biscuit into his pocket. He felt for it. It was soaked through and through, and nearly turned into paste, but it served to stay his appetite, and to keep up his strength. At length he became somewhat drowsy, but he did his best to keep awake. Feeling about, he got hold of a piece of rope, with which he managed to secure himself to the raft. Had he found it before, it would have saved him much exertion. The feeling that there was now less risk of being washed away, made him not so anxious as at first to withstand the strong desire which had attacked him, and yielding to it, his eyes closed, and he dropped off to sleep. How long he had been in that state he could not tell, when he was aroused by the sound of human voices. Opening his eyes, he found that the sun was shining down upon him, and looking round, he saw a small vessel approaching. He soon made her out to be a fishing craft with five people on board. They hailed him, but he was too weak to answer. He managed, however, to wave one of his hands to show that he was alive. The fishing-vessel came on, and hove-to close to him. The sea had considerably gone down. A boat was launched from her deck, and pulled up to the raft, with two men in her. They said something, but Bill could not understand them. One of them, as they got up alongside, sprang on to the raft, and casting off the lashings which held Bill to it, the next instant was safe in the boat with him in his arms. The man having placed him in the stern-sheets, the boat quickly returned to the cutter. Bill was lifted on board, and the boat was then hauled up again on the cutter's deck. His preservers, though rough-looking men, uttered exclamations in kind tones which assured Bill that he had fallen into good hands. One of them then carried him down into the little cabin, and stripping off his wet clothes, placed him between the blankets in a berth on one side. In a few minutes the same man, who appeared to be the captain of the fishing-vessel, returned with a cup of hot coffee and some white bread. Stirring the coffee and blowing to cool it, he made signs to Bill that he must drink some of it. This Bill very gladly did, and he then felt able to eat some of the bread, which seemed very sweet and nice. This greatly restored his strength. He wished, however, that he could answer the questions which the men put to him. He guessed that they were Frenchmen, but not a word of French did he know. At last another man came into the cabin. "You English boy?" asked the man. "Yes," said Bill. "Ship burn; blow up?" was the next question put to Bill, the speaker showing what he meant by suitable action. "Yes," said Bill, "and I am afraid all my shipmates are lost. Though you are French, you won't send me to prison, I hope?" "Have no fear," answered the man, smiling; and turning round to his companions, he explained what Bill had said. They smiled, and Bill heard them say, "Pauvre garcon." "No! no! no! You sleep now, we take care of you," said the interpreter, whose knowledge of English was, however, somewhat limited. Bill felt a strong inclination to follow the advice given him. One of the men, bundling up his wet clothes, carried them to dry at the little galley fire forward. The rest went on deck, and Bill in another minute fell fast asleep. Where the cutter was going Bill could not tell. He had known her to be a fishing-vessel by seeing the nets on deck, and he had guessed that she was French by the way in which the people on board had spoken. They had given evidence also that they intended to treat him kindly. Some hours must have passed away when Bill again awoke, feeling very hungry. It was daylight, and he saw that his clothes were laid at the foot of his berth. Finding that his strength had returned, he got up, and began dressing himself. He had just finished when he saw that there was some one in the opposite berth. "Perhaps the skipper was up all night, and has turned in," thought Bill; but as he looked again, he saw that the head was certainly not that of a man, but the face was turned away from him. His intention was to go on deck, to try and thank the French fishermen, as far as he was able, for saving his life, but before he did so curiosity prompted him to look again into the berth. What was his surprise and joy to recognise the features of his shipmate, Jack Peek! His face was very pale, but he was breathing, which showed that he was alive. At all events, Bill thought that he would not awake him, eager as he was to know how he had been saved. He went up on deck, hoping that the man who had spoken a few words of English might be able to tell him how Jack had been picked up. On reaching the deck he found that the vessel was close in with the land. She was towing a shattered gig, which Bill recognised as one of those belonging to the _Foxhound_. He at once conjectured that Jack had managed somehow or other to get into her. As soon as he appeared, the Frenchmen began talking to him, forgetting that he was unable to understand them. As he made no reply, they recollected themselves, and began laughing at their own stupidity. One of them shouted down the fore-hatchway, and presently the interpreter, as Bill called him, made his appearance. "Glad see you. All right now?" he said, in a tone of interrogation. "All right," said Bill, "but I want you to tell me how you happened to find my shipmate Jack Peek;" and Bill pointed down into the cabin. "He, friend! not broder! no! We find him in boat, but he not say how he got dere. Two oder men, but dey dead, so we heave dem overboard, and take boat in tow," answered the man. Jack himself was probably not likely to be able to give any more information than the Frenchman had done. Suddenly it struck his new friends that Bill might be hungry, and the interpreter said to him, "You want manger," pointing to Bill's mouth. Bill understood him. "Yes, indeed I do; I am ready for anything you can give me," he said. The fire was lighted, while a pot was put to boil on it, and, greatly to Bill's satisfaction, in a few minutes one of the men, who acted as cook, poured the contents into a huge basin which was placed on the deck, and smaller basins and wooden spoons were handed up from below. One man remaining at the helm, the remainder sat down and ladled the soup into the smaller basins. Bill eagerly held out his. The mess, which consisted of fowl and pork and a variety of vegetables, smelt very tempting, and as soon as it was cool enough, Bill devoured it with a good appetite. His friends asked him by signs if he would have any more. "Thank you," he answered, holding out his basin. "A spoonful or two; but we must not forget Jack Peek. When he awakes, he will be glad of some;" and he pointed into the cabin. The Frenchmen understood him, and made signs that they would keep some for his friend, one of them patting him on the back and calling him "Bon garcon." Bill, after remaining some time on deck, again felt sleepy, and his head began to nod. The Frenchmen, seeing this, told him to go below. He gladly followed their advice, and descending into the cabin, lay down, and was once more fast asleep. The next time he awoke he found that the vessel was at anchor. He got up, and looked into Jack's berth. Jack at that moment turned round, and opening his eyes, saw his shipmate. "Why, Bill, is it you!" he exclaimed. "I am main glad to see you; but where are we?--how did I come here? I thought that I was in the captain's gig with Tom Nokes and Dick Harbour. What has become of them? They were terribly hurt, poor fellows! though they managed to crawl on board the gig." Bill told him what he had learned from the Frenchman. "They seem kind sort of fellows, and we have fallen into good hands," he added; "but what they're going to do with us is more than I can tell." Just then the captain of the fishing-vessel came below, and seeing that Jack was awake, he called out to one of the men to bring a basin of the soup which had been kept for him. While he was swallowing it, a man brought him his clothes, which had been sent forward to dry. The captain then made signs to him to dress, as he intended taking them both on shore with him. Bill helped Jack, who was somewhat weak, to get on his clothes. They then went on deck. The vessel lay in a small harbour, protected by a reef of rocks from the sea. Near the shore were a number of cottages, and on one side of the harbour a line of cliffs running away to the eastward. Several other small vessels and open boats lay at anchor around. The captain, with the interpreter, whose name they found was Pierre, got into the boat, the latter telling the lads to come with them. They did as they were directed, sitting down in the stern-sheets, while the captain and Pierre took the oars and pulled towards the shore. It was now evening, and almost dark. They saw the lights shining in the windows of several of the cottages. Pierre was a young man about nineteen or twenty, and, they fancied, must be the captain's son. They were right, they found, in their conjectures. Pierre made them understand, in his broken language, that he had some short time before been a prisoner in England, where he had been treated very kindly; but before he had time to learn much English, he had been exchanged. This had made him anxious to show kindness to the young English lads. "Come along," said Pierre, as they reached the shore. "I show you my house, my mere, and my soeur. They take care of you; but mind! you not go out till dey tell you, or de gendarmes take you to prison perhaps. Do not speak now till we get into de house." Bill and Jack followed their guide while the old man rowed back to the vessel. Pierre led them to a cottage a little distance from the shore, which appeared to be somewhat larger than those they had passed. He opened the door, telling them to come in with him, when he immediately again closed it. A middle-aged woman and a young girl, in high white caps with flaps over the shoulders, were seated spinning. They started up on seeing the two young strangers, and began inquiring of Pierre who they were. His explanation soon satisfied them, and jumping up, Madame Turgot and Jeannette took their hands, and began pouring out in voluble language their welcomes. "You say 'Merci! merci!'" said Pierre, "which means 'Thank you! thank you!'" "Merci! merci!" said Jack and Bill. It was the first word of French they learned, and, as Jack observed, came in very convenient. What the mother and her daughter said they could not make out, but they understood well enough that the French women intended to be kind. "You hungry?" asked Pierre. "Very," answered Jack. Pierre said something to his mother and sister, who at once set about spreading a cloth and placing eatables on the table--bread and cheese, and pickled fish, and some salad. "Merci! merci!" said Jack and Bill, as their hostess made signs to them to fall to. Pierre joined them, and in a short time Captain Turgot himself came in. He was as hospitably inclined as his wife and daughter, and kept pressing the food upon the boys. "Merci! merci!" was their answer. At last Jeannette began to laugh, as if she thought it a good joke. Jack and Bill tried hard to understand what was said. Pierre observed them listening, and did his best to explain. From him they learned that they must remain quiet in the house, or they might be carried away as prisoners of war. He and his father wished to save them from this, and intended, if they had the opportunity, enabling them to get back to England. "But how will you manage that?" asked Bill. Pierre looked very knowing, and gave them to understand that smuggling vessels occasionally came into the harbour, and that they might easily get on board one of them, and reach the English coast. "But we do not wish to get rid of you," said Pierre. "If you like to remain with us, you shall learn French, and become French boys; and you can then go out and help us fish, and gain your livelihood." Pierre did not say this in as many words, but Jack and Bill agreed that such was his meaning. "He's very kind," observed Bill; "but for my part, I should not wish to become a French boy; though I would not mind remaining for a while with the French dame and her daughter, for they're both very kind, and we shall have a happy time of it." This was said a day or two after their arrival. Captain Turgot had fitted them up a couple of bunks in a small room in which Pierre slept, and they were both far more comfortable than they had ever been in their lives. Captain Turgot's cottage was far superior to that of Jack's father; and as for Bill, he had never before slept in so soft a bed. They had to remain in the house, however, all day; but Captain Turgot or Pierre took them out in the evening, when they could not be observed, to stretch their legs and get a little fresh air. They tried to make themselves useful by helping Madame Turgot, and they rapidly picked up from her and her daughter a good amount of French, so that in a short time they were able to converse, though in a curious fashion, it must be owned. They soon got over their bashfulness, and asked the name of everything they saw, which Jeannette was always ready to tell them. Their attempts at talking French afforded her vast amusement. Though kindly treated, they at length got tired of being shut up in the house, and were very well pleased when one day Captain Turgot brought them each a suit of clothes, and told them that he was going away to fish, and would take them with him. Next morning they went on board the cutter, and sail being soon afterwards made, she stood out of the harbour. _ |
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