Outward Bound Part 28

"I don't know what you are going to do yet," added Wilton.

"It's a big job; but I mean to put it through, even if I am sure of failure."

"What's the use of doing that? Do you want to get the fellows into a sc.r.a.pe for nothing?"

"There will be no failure, Wilton; you may depend upon that. There will be a row on board within a day or two, and, if I mistake not, nearly all the fellows will be so mad that they will want to join us."

"What row?"

"Do you know the reason why I wouldn't shake props this evening?"

"I'm sure I don't."

"Lowington has found out what is going on in the rooms."

"He hasn't, though!"

"Yes, he has."

"How do you know?"

"What odds does it make how I know?" answered Shuffles, impatiently, for Wilton was much too inquisitive to suit his purposes. "I talked with the chaplain half an hour to-night. When he went to my berth after the wine, I rather think he heard the rattle of the props. At any rate the whole thing will be broken up to-morrow or next day."

"I don't see how that will make a row. Not more than a dozen fellows have played any; and they won't think of making a row about that."

"You see!" added Shuffles, confidently.

"Ugh!" exclaimed Wilton, as a cloud of spray dashed over the bow, and drenched the lookout; but they wore their pea-jackets, and such an occurrence was to be expected at sea.

"Stand by to take in studding sails!" shouted Paul Kendall, who was the officer of the deck; and the order was repeated by his subordinates in the waist and on the forecastle.

"We must go," said Wilton; and they descended from their position.

The wind had continued to freshen, until the ship labored somewhat under her heavy press of canvas. It was the policy of the princ.i.p.al to go as easily and comfortably as possible, and he had directed Mr. Fluxion, if the wind continued to increase, to have the sail reduced, though neither the safety of the ship nor of the spars absolutely required such a step.

The quarter watch on deck was sufficient to perform this labor.

"Lay aloft, foretopmen!" said the second lieutenant; and those of the watch who had their stations in the fore rigging sprang up the shrouds.

"Stand by the halyard of the top-gallant studding sails! Man the tacks and sheets!"

"All ready, sir," reported the second midshipman, who was in the foretop, superintending the operation.

"Lower on the halyards! Ease off the tacks, and haul on the sheet!"

The two top-gallant studding-sails were thus brought into the top, where they were made up. The fore-topmast and the lower studding sails were taken in by a similar routine, and the Young America then moved along less furiously through the water.

"Now about the chain," said Wilton, when the lookouts had returned to their stations.

"Let me see; where did I leave off?" replied Shuffles.

"You said there was to be a row; which I don't believe."

"I may be mistaken about that; if I am, the job will be all the more difficult. Lowington has got us out to sea now, and, in my opinion, he means to shake us up. He is a tyrant at heart, and he will carry it with a high hand. I hate the man!" added Shuffles, with savage earnestness.

"You may, but the fellows don't generally."

"They will as soon as he begins to put the twisters on them. You won't hear him say, 'If you please, young gentlemen,' now that we are in blue water. You know how savage he was with me."

"Well, but you were disobedient. You told him, up and down, you wouldn't do what he ordered you to do."

"No matter for that. You had a chance to see the spirit of the man. He was a perfect demon. He put me in irons!" exclaimed Shuffles, still groaning under this indignity. "I have been insulted and outraged, and I will teach him that Bob Shuffles is not to be treated in that manner! I will be revenged upon him, if it costs me my life."

"The fellows won't go into any such desperate game as that," replied Wilton, cautiously.

"But there will be fun in the thing," added the malcontent, softening his tone. "We shall have the ship all to ourselves. We needn't trouble ourselves anything about Latin and Greek, and trigonometry and algebra.

We shall go in for a good time generally."

"It is all moonshine; it can't be done. What's the use of talking about such a thing?" said Wilton.

"It can be done, and it shall be," replied Shuffles, stamping his foot on the deck.

"How?"

"I am not quite ready to tell you yet."

"Very well; I don't want to know anything more about it," answered the timid conspirator, who was almost disgusted at the foolhardiness of the plan.

"I can get along without you," added Shuffles, with a.s.sumed indifference.

"I would rather have you do so."

"All right; but you will want to come in when we have got along a little farther."

"Perhaps I shall; if I do, I suppose the door will be open to me."

"It may be open; but perhaps you can't walk into the cabin then."

"Why not?"

"Do you suppose the fellows who do the burden of the work are going to be shut out of the cabin? If you join at the eleventh hour, you will have to be what you are now--a foremast hand."

"What can I be if I join now?"

"Second or third officer."

"Who will be first."

"I can't mention his name yet. He belongs in the cabin now."

"You don't mean so!" said Wilton, astonished to learn that his bold companion expected to find friends among the present officers of the ship.