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In the King's Name: The Cruise of the "Kestrel", a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 15. Another Cruise Ashore |
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_ CHAPTER FIFTEEN. ANOTHER CRUISE ASHORE Lieutenant Lipscombe made up his mind half a dozen times over that he would run into port and send in a despatch detailing Hilary Leigh's desertion; and each time that he so made up his mind, and had the cutter's head laid in the required direction, his eye became so painful that the cook had to supply hot water from the galley, and the worthy officer went below to bathe the injured optic. Each time as the inflammation was relieved the lieutenant unmade his mind, and decided to wait a little longer, going on deck again to superintend the repairs Joe Smith, the carpenter, familiarly known as "Chips," was proceeding with in the damaged deck. There was a great deal to do and the carpenter was doing that great deal well, but at his own pace, for "Chips" was not a rapid man. If he had a hole to make with gimlet or augur he did not dash at it and perhaps bore the hole a quarter or half an inch out of place, but took his measurements slowly and methodically, and no matter who or what was waiting he went steadily on. There was enough in the composition of "Chips" to make anyone believe that he had descended from a family in the far-off antiquity who were bears; for he was heavy and bearlike in all his actions, especially in going up or coming down a ladder, and his caution was proverbial amongst the crew. So deliberately were the proceedings now going on that Lieutenant Lipscombe grew hot every time he went on deck, and the hotter the commander became the cooler grew "Chips." The lieutenant stormed and bade him make haste. "You are disgracefully slow, sir," he exclaimed. "Chips" immediately found that his saw or chisel wanted sharpening, and left off to touch up the teeth of the one with a file, and the edge of the other on a stone well lubricated with oil. The lieutenant grew more angry, and the carpenter looked at him in the calmest possible way, till in despair, seeing that he was doing no good, but only hindering progress, Lieutenant Lipscombe went aft to his cabin and bathed his eye. "Lookye here," said Billy Waters the day after Hilary's disappearance, "I hope, my lads, I'm as straightforrard a chap as a man can be, and as free from mut'nous idees; but what I want to know is this: why don't we go ashore and have another sarch for our young orsifer?" "That's just what I says," exclaimed Tom Tully. "No, you don't, Thomas," cried the gunner sharply. "You did nothing but grumble and growl all the blessed time we was ashore, and say as our young orsifer had cut on some games or another. I put it to you, lads; now didn't he?" "That's a true word," said one of the men, and several others agreed. "Yes," growled Tom Tully; "but that was when I weer hot and wanted to stow some wittles below, and my feet was as sore as if they'd been holystoned or scraped with a rusty nail. I'm ready enough now." "Then I think we ought to go. I don't like the idee o' forsakin' of him." "Pass the word there for the gunner," cried the corporal of marines. "Captain wants him in his cabin." Billy Waters pulled himself together, straightened his pigtail, and hauling up his slack, as he called it--to wit, giving the waistband of his trousers a rub up with one arm in front and a hitch up with one arm behind, he went off aft, and came back at the end of a quarter of an hour to announce that a fresh search was to be made for Mr Leigh, and that they were to go ashore as soon as it was dusk. "What's the good o' going then?" said the boatswain. "Why not go now?" "That's just what I was a-thinking," said Billy Waters; "but I s'pose the skipper knows best." Preparations were made and arms served round. The boat was to go under command of the gunner, and each man was supplied with a ration of biscuits, to be supplemented by a tot of grog before starting, which was to be just at dark, and the men, being all eager to find their young officer, who was a great favourite, lounged about waiting the order, a most welcome one on account of the grog; but just as the grog was being mixed in its proper proportions the gunner was sent for to the cabin, where the lieutenant was still bathing his eye. "Has that grog been served out, Waters?" "No, your honour; it's just a-going to be done." "Go and stop it." "Stop it, your honour? The men's grog?" "Go and stop it, I say," cried the lieutenant irascibly. "I shall not send the expedition to-night." Billy Waters went back and gave the order in the hearing of the assembled crew, from whom a loud murmur arose--truth to tell more on account of the extra tot of grog than the disappointment about searching for Hilary; but the latter feeling dominated a few minutes later, and the men lay about grumbling in no very pleasant way. "I say it's a shame, that's what I says it is," growled Tom Tully, "and it ought to be reported. For half a button I'd desart, and go and look for him myself--that's about what I'd do." Just then Chips, who had knocked off work for the night, struck in slowly, laughing heartily the while: "Why don't you say as you won't go, my lads? He's sure to send you then." "That's a good 'un," said Tom Tully. "Ah! to be sure," said the boatswain. "I'm a officer, and can't do it; but if I was you, seeing as we ought to fetch young Mr Leigh back aboard, I should just give three rattling good cheers." "What good would that do?" said Billy Waters dubiously. "Why, then the skipper would send for one of us to know what's the matter. 'Ship's crew mutinous, sir; says they wouldn't have gone ashore if they'd been ordered.'" "Well?" said Billy Waters, "I don't see that that would have been no good neither." "Why, don't you see? Soon as you says that he claps on his sword, takes his pistols, and orders you all into the boat; and says he, 'If you dare to come back without Mr Leigh I'll string one of you up to the yardarm.'" "That's it," chorussed several of the men. "Yes," said Billy Waters; "but suppose we do come back without him, and he do string us up--how then?" "Ah! but he won't," said the boatswain. "Men's too scarce." "Well, I wouldn't have gone ashore in the boat," said one man. "Nor I", "Nor I," chorussed half-a-dozen; and then they stopped, for the lieutenant had approached unseen, caught the words, and in a fit of fury he shouted to the boatswain: "Here, my sword--from the cabin!" he cried. "No; stop. Pipe away the boat's crew. You, Waters, head that expedition!" And then, as if moved to repeat the boatswain's words, he continued, "And don't you men dare to come back without Mr Leigh." The men had got their own way; but though they waited patiently for the rest of the lieutenant's order respecting the extra tot of grog, that order did not come, and they had to set off without it. They were in capital spirits, and bent well to their oars, sending the boat surging through the water, and chattering and laughing like so many boys as soon as they were out of hearing. No wonder, for there is something exceedingly monotonous in being cooped up day after day on board ship, especially if it be a very small one; and there is no wonder at Jack's being fond of a run ashore. The evening was coming on very dark, and a thick bank of clouds was rising in the west, gradually blotting out the stars one by one, almost before they had had time to get well alight. "Pull steady, my lads," said the gunner. "Save a little bit of breath for landing." "All right, matey," said one of the men; and they rowed steadily, each stroke of an oar seeming to splash up so much pale liquid fire, while the boat's stem sent it flashing and sparkling away in an ever-diverging train. "Now then, lads, steady," said Billy Waters, who seemed to have suddenly awakened to the fact that he ought to be more dignified, as became the officer in command. "We don't want to go for to let everybody ashore know we're coming." There was silence then, only broken by the splash of the water from the oars, and a dismal creaking noise of wood upon wood. "Shove a bit o' grease agen that there thole-pin o' yours, Tom Tully. Your oar'll rouse all the smugglers along the coast." "Ar'n't no grease," growled Tom. "Then why didn't you get a bit out of a lantern afore you come aboard?" "'Cause nobody didn't tell me," growled Tom, who ceased rowing and splashed the space between the thole-pins with a few drops of water, when the noise ceased. "Steady, my lads, steady!" said Billy Waters, giving a pull at the rudder, so as to run the boat more west towards where the cliff rose high and black against the darkening sky. "Yer see--" began Tom Tully, and then he stopped. "Not werry far," said the man pulling behind him. "Well, what do you see, old Tommy?" said Billy Waters. "Give it woice." "Yer see," began Tom Tully, "I'm a chap as allus gets bullied as soon as he opens his mouth." "Soon as what chap opens his mouth?" said the gunner. "Why, ar'n't I a-telling of you?--me," growled Tom Tully. "Well, what's the matter now?" said the gunner. "Well, I was a-wondering what we was going for ashore." "Now, just hark at this here chap!" said the gunner indignantly. "That's what I says," growled Tom Tully; "directly I opens my mouth I gets a bullying. I allus gets told I'm a-grumbling." "Well, come now," said the gunner, "speak out will you? What's the matter?" "Oh, I don't want to speak out unless you like," said Tom. "Yes, come, out with it, and don't let's have no mutinous, onderhanded ways," cried the gunner importantly. "Well, what I want to know is, what we're a-going for ashore?" "Now just hark at him," cried the gunner, "grumbling again. Why, ar'n't we going to look after our young orsifer?" "Then why didn't we come in the daytime, and not wait until it was getting so pitch dark as you can't see your hand afore your eyes?" Billy Waters scratched his head. "Well, it is getting dark, old Tommy, sartinly," he said apologetically. "Dark as Davy Jones's locker," growled Tom. "I wants to find Muster Leigh as much as anybody, but you can't look if you can't see." "That's a true word anyhow," said one of the men. "It's my belief as our skipper's pretty nigh mad," continued Tom, giving a vicious jerk at his oar, "or else he wouldn't be sending us ashore at this time o' night." "Well, it is late, Tommy," said the gunner; "but we must make the best on it." "Yah! There ar'n't no best on it. All we can do is to get ashore, sit down on the sand, and shout out, 'Muster Leigh, ahoy!'" "There, it ar'n't no use to growl again, Tom Tully," said Billy Waters, reassuming his dignified position of commanding officer. "Give way, my lads." The men took long, steady strokes, and soon after the boat glided right in over the calm phosphorescent waves, four men leaped out as her bows touched the sand, and as the next wave lifted her, they ran her right up; the others leaped out and lent a hand, and the next minute the boat was high and dry. "Now then, my lads," cried the gunner, "what I propose is that we try and find our landmarks, and as soon as we have hit the place where Master Leigh left us we'll all hail as loud as we can, and then wait for an answer." Tom Tully growled out something in reply, it was impossible to say what, and leaving one man to act as boatkeeper, they all set off together along the shore. _ |
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