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Paddy Finn, a fiction by William H. G. Kingston |
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Chapter 4. My First Day On Board |
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_ CHAPTER FOUR. MY FIRST DAY ON BOARD I sat up with Larry for the greater part of the night, after the surgeon had left him. He groaned sometimes as if in pain, and talked at one time of the scrimmage with the O'Sullivans, and at another of his fiddle, which he feared had been broken. I accordingly, to pacify him, went down and got it, and managed to produce some few notes, which had the desired effect. The major after some time came in to relieve me, for we could not trust any of the people at the inn, who would to a certainty have been dosing our patient with whisky, under the belief that they were doing him a kindness, but at the risk of producing a fever. In the morning Mr O'Shea came in. "I thought you said that the boy would be all to rights by this time," I observed. "Shure that was somewhat hyperbolical," he answered, with a wink. "You can't expect a man with a broken neck, and a gash as big as my thumb at the back of it, to come round in a few hours." We couldn't complain, for certainly the worthy surgeon had been the means of saving Larry's life; but the incident detained us three whole days, before he was fit to mount his pony and accompany us to Cork. Before leaving my uncle called on Doctor Murphy, who, to his great amusement, he found had no intention of calling him out, but merely expected to receive a fee for pronouncing a living man a dead one. Though my uncle might have declined to pay the amount demanded, he handed it to the doctor, and wished him good morning. I afterwards heard that Doctor Murphy had challenged Mr O'Shea. That gentleman, however, refused to go out on the plea that should he be wounded, and become a patient of his brother practitioner, he should certainly go the way of the rest of those under his medical care. For many a long day Doctor Murphy and Mr O'Shea carried on a fierce warfare, till their patients agreed to fight it out and settle the matter, when the doctor's party being defeated, no inconsiderable number of broken heads being the result, he left the town to exercise his skill in some other locality, where, as Mr O'Shea remarked, there was a superabundant population. We were too late on arriving at Cork to go on board the frigate that evening, and thus Larry got the advantage of another night's rest, and I had time to brush up my uniform, and, as I conceived, to make myself as smart as any officer in His Majesty's service. The next morning my uncle hired a boat to proceed down the fair river of Cork to the harbour where the frigate lay. As we approached her my heart thrilled with pleasure as I thought of the honour I was about to enjoy of becoming one of her officers. "There's the _Liffy_, yer honour," said the boatman, pointing her out as she lay some distance from the shore. Her masts had already been replaced, and her yards were across, though the sails were not as yet bent; this, however, I did not observe. "I hope I have not detained her, uncle," I said; "I should be sorry to have done that." The major seldom indulged in a laugh, but he did so on this occasion till the tears rolled down his cheeks. "Midshipmen are not of so much account as you suppose, Terence," he said, still laughing. "If you were to go on shore and not return on board in time, you would soon discover that the ship would not wait for you a single moment after the captain had resolved to put to sea." As we approached, the sentry hailed to know who we were. In my eagerness I replied, "Major McMahon and the new midshipman, Mr Terence O'Finnahan," whereat a laugh came forth from one of the ports at which, as it appeared, some of my future messmates were standing. "You'd have better have held your tongue," said my uncle. "And now, Terence, remember to salute the flag as you see me do," he added, as he was about to mount the side of the ship. He went up, I followed, and next came Larry. On reaching the deck he took off his hat, and I doffed mine with all the grace I could muster, Larry at the same time making a profound bow and a scrape of his foot. The master's mate who received us, when my uncle inquired for Captain Macnamara, pointed to the after-part of the deck, where my future commander, with several other well-dressed officers, was standing. My uncle at once moved towards him, and I and Larry followed in the same direction. The captain, a fine-looking man, seeing him approach came forward, and they exchanged cordial greetings. "I have come expressly to introduce my nephew Terence to you, Macnamara," said my uncle. "You were good enough, in a letter I received from you a few days ago, to say that you would receive him as a midshipman on board your ship. He's a broth of a boy, and will be an ornament to the service, I hope." "Can't say that he is much of an ornament at present," I heard one of the officers remark to another. "Looks more like a mummer or stage-player than a midshipman." Looking up, I observed a smile on their countenances, as they eyed me from head to foot. "Wishing to present the boy in a respectable way to you on the quarter-deck of His Majesty's ship, we had a uniform made for him at Ballinahone, which is, I fancy, such as your officers are accustomed to wear on grand occasions," said the major, taking me by the arm as if to exhibit me to more advantage. "I thought rather that it was the fashionable dress worn by young gentlemen in the west of Ireland at wakes or weddings," remarked the captain; "but I confess, my dear McMahon, that I do not recognise it as a naval uniform, except in the matter of the buttons, which I see are according to the right pattern. The young gentleman will have to dress differently, except when he has a fancy to go to a masquerade on shore." The major stepped back with a look of astonishment; then surveying the uniform of the officers standing around, and taking another look at my costume, he exclaimed, laughing, "Faith, I see there is a difference, but as no regulations or patterns were procurable at Ballinahone, we did the best we could." "Of that I have no doubt about, McMahon; you always did your best, and very well done it was," said the captain; "but I would advise you to take your nephew on shore, and get him rigged out in a more proper costume as soon as possible." I was completely taken aback on hearing this, and finding that instead of making a favourable impression on the captain, my costume had produced a very contrary effect. In a short time, however, somewhat regaining my confidence and remembering Larry, I turned to my uncle and begged that, according to his promise, he would introduce him. "To be shure I will," he answered, and then addressing the captain, he said, "My nephew has a foster-brother, the boy standing there, who has made up his mind to go to sea. Will you receive him on board your ship? I own, however, that he will require a good deal of licking into shape before he becomes a sailor." "He appears to be a stout lad, and I have no doubt but that in course of time we shall succeed in making him one," answered the captain. "Do you wish to go to sea, boy?" Larry, who didn't quite understand, I suspect, what licking into shape meant, answered notwithstanding, "Shure, yer honour, wherever Maisther Terence goes, I'm desirous of following, and as he's to become a midshipman, I'd wish to go wherever I can be with him." "That cannot be so exactly," answered the captain, laughing; "but if you become one of the crew, you'll not be far from him, and I hope I may see you some day following your leader on board an enemy's ship, and hauling down her flag." "Hurrah! shure that's what I'll be after doing, and anything else your honour plaises," exclaimed Larry at the top of his voice, flourishing his hat at the same time above his head. "I'll be after showing yer honour how the boys in Tipperary fight." That matter being settled much to my satisfaction, Larry was taken off to have his name entered on the ship's books, for in those days a fish having been once caught in the net, it was not thought advisable to let him go again. In the meantime, my uncle having gone into the captain's cabin to take luncheon, I was led by a person whom, though I thought he was an officer, I supposed, from his appearance, to be one of very subordinate rank, to be introduced to my new messmates, in the midshipmen's berth. "And so you think we wear silks and satins on board ship, I see, young gentleman, do you?" he said with a comical grin, eyeing my new coat and waistcoat. "You'll have to send these back to your grandmother, or the old woman who made them for you." "Arrah, sir, d'ye intend to insult me?" I asked. "Were they not put together by Pat Cassidy, the family tailor, under the direction of my uncle, Major McMahon, and he shure knows what a young gentleman should wear on board ship." "No, my lad, I only intended to laugh at you; but do you know who I am?" "No, but I'll have you to understand that an O'Finnahan of Castle Ballinahone, County Tipperary, Ireland, is not to be insulted with impunity," I answered, trying to look as dignified as I could. "Then I'll give you to understand, young sir, that I'm the first lieutenant of this ship, and that lieutenants don't insult midshipmen, even if they think fit to send them to the masthead. It will be your business to obey, and to ask no questions." As I knew no more, at the time, of the rank and position of a first lieutenant on board ship than I did of the man in the moon, this announcement did not make much impression on my mind. I only thought that he was some old fellow who was fond of boasting, and had a fancy to try and make me believe that he was a personage of importance, or perhaps to frighten me. I soon discovered, however, that though he generally wore a shabby uniform, he was not a man to be trifled with. I may as well here say that his name was Saunders, that he was a thorough tar, who had come in at the hawse-hole, and had worked his way up to his present position. Old "Rough and Ready" I found he was called. His hands were continually in the tar-bucket, and he was never so happy as when, with a marline-spike hung round his neck by a rope-yarn, he was engaged in gammoning the bowsprit, or setting up the rigging. But that I found out afterwards. "Now come along, youngster, for I don't wish to be hard on you; I'm only laughing at the ridiculous figure you cut," he said, giving way to a burst of rough merriment. By the time it was over we reached the door of the berth, where the midshipmen were assembled for dinner. "Young gentlemen," said Mr Saunders with perfect gravity, opening the door, "I have to tell you that this is Mr Terence O'Finnahan, of Castle Ballinahone, County Tipperary, Ireland, who is to become your messmate as soon as he is docked of his fine feathers; and you'll be pleased to receive him as such." Saying this he took his departure, and two of my new messmates seized me by the fists, which they gripped with a force intended perhaps to show the ardour of their regard, but which was excessively painful to my feelings. I restrained them, however, and stood looking round at the numerous strange faces turned towards me. "Make room for Mr Terence O'Finnahan, of Castle Ballinahone, County Tipperary, Ireland," cried an old master's mate from the further end of the table; "but let all understand that it's the last time such a designation is to be applied to him. It's much too long a name for any practical purpose, and from henceforth he's to be known on board this ship as Paddy Finn, the Irish midshipman; and so, Paddy Finn, old boy, I'll drink your health. Gentlemen, fill your glasses; here's to the health of Paddy Finn." Every one in the berth filled up their mugs and cups with rum and water, in which they pledged me with mock gravity. Having in the meantime taken my seat, I rose and begged to return my thanks to them for the honour they had done me, assuring them that I should be happy to be known by the new name they had given me, or by any other which might sound as sweet. "Only, gentlemen, there's one point I must bargain for," I added; "let me be called Paddy, whatever other designation you may in your judgment think fit to bestow on me, for let me tell you that I consider it an honour to be an Irishman, and I am as proud of my native land as you can be of yours." "Bravo, Paddy!" cried several. "You're a trump," observed the president. "The chief has got pluck in him," said the Scotch assistant surgeon, who sat opposite to the president, a man whose grizzled hair showed that he had been long in the service. "Where did you get those clothes from?" asked a young gentleman, whom I afterwards found to be the purser's clerk. "He picked them up at a theatrical property shop as he passed through Cork," remarked another. "Haul in the slack of your impudence," cried the president, whose favour I had won. "If his friends had never seen a naval uniform, how should they know how to rig him out?" "I'm mightily obliged to you, sir," I said, for I was by this time getting heartily ashamed of my gay feathers; "and as the ship won't be sailing yet, I hope to get fitted out properly before I return on board." "All right, youngster," said the president. "Now, I will have the pleasure of helping you to a slice of mutton. Hand the greens and potatoes up to Paddy Finn." The plate was passed round to me, and I was allowed, without being further bantered, to discuss the viands placed under my nose, which I did with a good appetite. I was not silent, however, but introducing my journey to Cork, amused my messmates with an account of the various incidents which had occurred. When, at length, one of the midshipmen who had being doing duty on deck appeared at the door to say that Major McMahon was about to return on shore, and wanted his nephew, my new friends shook me warmly by the hand, and the president again proposed three hearty cheers for their new messmate, Paddy Finn. _ |
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