Dry Fish and Wet Part 40

But all that was easy enough. The worst thing was, it came so expensive--50 is a lot of money," and he sighed.

"50?" said Nickelsen, looking up sharply. "What do you mean?"

Thor Smith rapped his gla.s.s, and said with mock solemnity:

"Our efforts in the cause of freedom having met with the success they deserve, we naturally look to you, as the intended victim, for reimburs.e.m.e.nt of all costs incurred in effecting your deliverance.

And we hope after this you'll have the sense to know when you're well off, and not go running your head into a noose again, old man. Three cheers for Old Nick--hurrah!"

It was a festive evening, culminating in a song written specially for the occasion:

"Our dear Old Nick is a queer old stick, And a bachelor gay was he, Till the widow's charms occasioned alarms, In the rest of the Company.

This will never do, said we, We must settle affairs with she, So we played for Old Nick, and we won the trick, And a bachelor still is he-- Give it with three times three-- A bachelor gay, and we hope he may Continue so to be!"

XVII

THE _EVA MARIA_

"Close on seven-and-thirty years now since I came aboard as skipper of the _Eva Maria_, and you can understand, Nils Petter, it's a bit queer like for me to be handing her over now to anyone else," said old Bernt Jorgensen solemnly. His brother, Nils Petter, listened respectfully.

"Never a thing gone wrong. I've always been able to reckon out exactly what the four trips to Scotland and Holland each summer brought in; but then, as you know, Nils Petter, I didn't go dangling about on sh.o.r.e with the other skippers, throwing money away on whisky and such-like trash."

"No, you've always been a steady one," said Nils Petter quietly.

"Ay, steady it is, and steady it's got to be, and keep a proper account of everything. In winter, when I was at home with the mother, I'd always go through all expenses I'd had the summer past; that way I could keep an eye on every little thing."

"Ay, you've been careful enough about little things, that's true. I remember that tar bucket we threw overboard once. We never heard the last of it all that winter."

"It's just that very thing, Nils Petter, that I've got to thank for having a bit laid by, or anyhow, the _Eva Maria's_ free of debt, and that's all I ask." Old Bernt was not anxious to go into details as to the nice little sum he had laid up with Van Hegel in Amsterdam, not to speak of the little private banking account that had been growing so steadily for years.

"Not but that I've need enough to earn a little more," he went on; "but I've made up my mind now to give up the sea, though it's hard to leave the old _Eva Maria_ that's served me so well."

Bernt Jorgensen had been very doubtful about handing over the vessel to Nils Petter's command. Nils was a good seaman enough, but with one serious failing: he invariably ran riot when he got ash.o.r.e, and there was no holding him.

Still, Nils Petter was his only brother, and perhaps when he found himself skipper he would come to feel the responsibility of his position, and improve accordingly. Anyhow, one could but try it.

Nils Petter stood watching his brother attentively, as the latter solemnly concluded: "Well, you're skipper of the _Eva Maria_ from now on, Nils Petter, and I hope and trust you'll bear in mind the duty you owe to G.o.d and your owners."

Nils Petter grasped his brother's hand and shook it so heartily that Bernt could feel it for days--it was at any rate a reminder that Nils Petter had serious intentions of reforming.

But Nils Petter was the happy man! First of all, he had to go ash.o.r.e and tell the good news to his old friend, Trina Th.o.r.esen, who, it may be noted, had been one of his former sweethearts. She had married Th.o.r.esen as the only means of avoiding a scandal, and murmured resignedly as she did so: "Ah, well, it can't be helped. Nils Petter can't marry us all, poor fellow!"

Nils Petter's large, round face was one comprehensive smile, and his huge fists all but crushed the life out of Schoolmaster Pedersen, who was impudent enough to offer his hand in congratulation. "Skipper!"

said Nils Petter. "Captain, you mean--he--he!" and he laughed till the houses echoed half-way up the street, and Mrs. Pedersen looked out of the window to see what all the noise was about.

Nils Petter was undoubtedly the most popular character in the town; he was intimate with every one, regardless of s.e.x or social standing.

"A cheery, good-natured soul," was the general estimate of Nils Petter--somewhat too cheery, perhaps, at times; but never so much so that he abused his gigantic strength, of which wonderful stories were told. At any rate it took a great deal to move him to anger.

He was in constant difficulties about money, for as often as he had any to spare, he would give it away or lend it. Now and again, when especially hard up, he would apply to his "rich brother" as he called him, and never failed to receive a.s.sistance, together with a long sermon on the evils of extravagance, which he listened to most penitently, but the meaning of which he had never to this day been able to realise himself.

Well, now we shall see how he got on as officer in command of the _Eva Maria, vice_ that careful old model of a skipper, Bernt Jorgensen. The vessel was fixed for Dundee, with a cargo of battens from Drammen, and Bernt had himself seen to everything in the matter of stores and provisions, etc., according to the old regime. Nils Petter certainly found the supplies of meat and drink on board a trifle scanty--drink, especially so. Six bottles of fruit syrup--h'm.

Nils Petter thought he might at least make a cautious suggestion.

"Say, Brother Bernt, you're sure you haven't forgotten anything.

Fresh meat, for instance, and a bottle or so of spirits?"

"Never has been spirits on board the _Eva Maria_," answered Bernt shortly. And Nils Petter was obliged to sail with fruit syrup instead.

Just outside Horten, however, they were becalmed, and the _Eva Maria_ anch.o.r.ed up accordingly.

"D'you know this place at all, Ola?" said Nils Petter to his old friend Ola Simonsen, the boatswain, as they got the anchor down.

"Surely, Captain--know it? Why, I was here with the old _Desideria_ serving my time."

"Right you are, then. We'll get out the boat and go on sh.o.r.e first for a look round."

It was late that night when they returned, Nils Petter at the oars, and Ola sleeping the sleep of the just in the bottom of the boat.

Nils Petter was singing and laughing so he could be heard half a mile off. After considerable effort he managed to hoist the boatswain over the vessel's side, the whole crew laughing uproariously, including Nils Petter himself, who was quite pleased with the whole adventure, and cared not a jot for discipline and his dignity as skipper.

Ola Simonsen having been safely deposited on board, Nils Petter handed up a number of items in addition. One large joint of beef, six pork sausages, one ham, one case of tinned provisions, and one marked significantly, "Gla.s.s: with care."

Towards morning a light, northerly breeze sprang up, and they weighed anchor again. Nils Petter, instead of pacing the after-part with his hands behind his back, as became the dignity of a captain, came forward and took up his post beside the windla.s.s, sent the rest of the crew briskly about their business, and fell to singing with the full force of his lungs, till the agent on the quay went in for his gla.s.ses to see what was happening.

Nils Petter was the very opposite of his brother, who would make a whole voyage without saying a word to his crew except to give the necessary orders. Nils Petter, on the other hand, chatted with the men and lent a hand with the work like any ordinary seaman.

Altogether, the relations between captain and crew were such as would have been thoroughly pleasant and cordial ash.o.r.e.

There were beefsteaks for dinner as long as the beef lasted out, and Nils Petter shared in brotherly fashion with the rest--there was no distinction of rank on board in that respect; it was an ideal socialistic Utopia!

The case marked "Gla.s.s: with care" was opened, and each helped himself at will, till only the straw packing remained. It was a cheery, comfortable life on board, as all agreed, not least Nils Petter, who laughed and sang the whole day long. No one had ever dreamed of such a state of things on board the _Eva Maria_, least of all Bernt Jorgensen, who was fortunately in ignorance of the idyllic conditions now prevailing in his beloved ship.

The only occasion throughout the voyage when any real dissension arose between Nils Petter and his crew was when opening one of the tins brought on board at Horten. The contents defied identification despite the most careful scrutiny. The label certainly said "Russian Caviare," but Nils Petter and the rest were none the wiser for that.

A general council was accordingly held, with as much solemnity as if the lives of all were in peril on the sea.

"I've a sort of idea the man in the shop said eat it raw," ventured Nils Petter.

Ola Simonsen was reckless enough to try.

"Ugh--pugh--urrrgh!" he spluttered. "Of all the...."

"Itsch--hitch--huh!" said Th.o.r.esen, the mate. "Better trying cooking it, I think." (This Th.o.r.esen, by the way, was the husband of Trina Th.o.r.esen, before mentioned, and a good friend of Nils Petter, who, in moments of exaltation would call him brother-in-law, which Th.o.r.esen never seemed to mind in the least.)

While the tin of caviare was under discussion, all on board, from the ship's boy to the captain, were a.s.sembled in the forecastle, intent on the matter in hand. So much so, indeed, that the _Eva Maria_, then left to her own devices, sailed slap into a schooner laden with coal, that was rude enough to get in her way.

Fortunately, no great damage was done beyond carrying away the schooner's jib-boom, and matters were settled amicably with the schooner's captain, whom Nils Petter presented with an odd spar he happened to have on deck and the six bottles of fruit syrup, which he was only too pleased to get rid of. And the _Eva Maria_ continued her course in the same cheerful spirit as heretofore.

Nils Petter's first exploit on arriving at Dundee was to send the harbour-master headlong into the dock, whence he was with difficulty dragged out. He got off with a fine of 20, which was entered in the ship's accounts as "unforeseen expenses."