Ronald Morton, or the Fire Ships Part 23

Away the ship plunged through the seas more furiously than ever, bending down till it seemed as if her yard-arms literally touched the foaming tops of the seas as they came rolling and hissing by. Every officer was at his post: the captain, with his lips compressed and teeth clenched, stood watching, now the bending masts, now the compa.s.s, now the dark threatening land. The frigate drew nearer and nearer to it; still she flew ahead. A quartermaster and two of the best seaman in the ship were at the helm; Jack Lawrence stood near them; they were doing as well as he could desire.

"Keep your luff, lads," he said once in a quiet tone; "steady--that will do."

Not another word was spoken by him, or by any one on deck; all eyes were riveted on the land. The ship seemed to be making no progress, for there it still lay on the lee-bow. Some thought they could hear the roaring of the surges, as with the whole force of a south-westerly gale they were hurled against the cliffs. Still the canvas held the fierce wind, and the well-set-up rigging supported the masts.

"Morton, the land is drawing abeam," exclaimed Claymore suddenly; "the ship will be saved. I did not think so at one time, though."

He was right: gradually it seemed to rise up more broad on the lee-beam; but as the ship surged onward amid wildly-leaping waves, the water, lashed into ma.s.ses of foam, was seen over the lee-quarter leaping over the cliff from which she had so narrowly escaped. Still there were other points and headlands farther to the north, from which she was not altogether clear. For another two hours or more the same press of canvas was kept on her. Few breathed freely till the order was being given to take another reef in the topsails; the order was accomplished without a casualty, and the watch below were allowed to turn in.

Some days after this the "Thetis" fell in with a line-of-battle ship homeward bound: she took Mr Calder and his companions on board.

"We shall meet again, I hope," said Lord Claymore, as Morton was about to go down the side.

"I should be sorry if I did not think so," answered Morton, as the young men grasped each other's hands.

Westward steered the "Thetis," and eastward the huge old "Thunderer;"

the latter reached England, and the officers and men of the "Thisbe"

once more rejoined her, to the satisfaction of most of their friends, who had given them up for lost.

The "Thisbe" finished her commission with considerable credit to her captain, officers, and crew, who had likewise not a small amount of prize-money to boast of. Ronald Morton on his being paid off joined a sloop-of-war in the West Indies; here he especially distinguished himself, and, to the great delight of his father, obtained his promotion. He returned home, and was immediately appointed second lieutenant of his old ship, the "Thisbe," now commanded by Captain Calder, and bound out to the East Indies.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

RONALD SECOND LIEUTENANT OF THE "THISBE"--A BALL AT CALCUTTA--RONALD'S GALLANTRY--A CHALLENGE--HIS REPLY.

Ronald Morton had gone through the usual vicissitudes of a midshipman's career, during the full swing of a hot and somewhat b.l.o.o.d.y war. He had run a good many chances of being knocked on the head, but he had done a good many things also to be proud of, though he was not overmuch so, and he had gained a fair amount of credit.

Once more he was on board his old ship, the "Thisbe." When he first joined he was a ship's boy; he was now her second lieutenant. The first was Rawson--he was a totally changed man. He had performed a very gallant action under the eye of the admiral, had been highly spoken of in the "Gazette," had in consequence at once received his promotion, and had been an active, enterprising officer ever since. He seldom or never grumbled now, or talked of his bad luck; indeed he seemed to think that the world was a very good sort of place for some men to live in, and that the British navy was not a bad profession after all for a fellow to belong to. He and Ronald Morton had not met for some years. They were glad to find themselves once again shipmates.

The "Thisbe" was commanded by one they both loved and respected--honest, gallant, fighting Tom Calder. Tom had won his upward way by courage and zeal, rarely surpa.s.sed. The Lords of the Admiralty could not refuse him his promotion, had they wished it. The whole navy would have cried out at the injustice. Happily, honest Tom had no one to whisper evil against him. He had not an enemy in the world--so, to be sure, it is sometimes said of a goose, but then the goose is his own enemy. Tom, on the contrary, had proved true to himself, and that, in fact, lay at the bottom of his success.

Of the old "Thisbes," as they were pleased to call themselves, d.i.c.ky Glover was the only officer. He was, however, still a mate. He was senior mate, though he could not help now and then just thinking that it would not be so very unfortunate--only a merciful dispensation of Providence--should they go into action, seeing that somebody must be killed, should a shot happen to knock over the third lieutenant, and give him a chance of promotion--not but what d.i.c.ky had a very kind feeling for the said third lieutenant. He was always ready to do him any service, to lend him his books or money; the latter the lieutenant was most fond of borrowing: still d.i.c.ky and he were very good friends; d.i.c.ky had plenty of money, and Peter Sims, the third lieutenant, had none. How he had got his promotion was surprising to those who knew him, till it was whispered about that he had a very near relative in a high position, who had no difficulty in obtaining it for him. Sims was, however, generally liked; he was very inoffensive, he never talked about himself or his friends, seemed to wish to be let alone, and to let others alone. He was always ready to do a good-natured action, to take a brother officer's watch, or to give up his own leave to accommodate another.

Before the mast there were several hands who had served in the "Thisbe,"

when commanded by Captain Courtney. Two had attached themselves especially to Ronald--one was Job Truefitt, and the other Bobby Doull.

No men could have been more faithful or attached than they were to him-- Job regarded him as his son, and const.i.tuted himself his guardian, while Bobby looked up to him as to a superior being whom it was an honour to follow and obey.

The frigate was bound out to the land so famed for tigers, and curry, palanquins, paG.o.das, and prize-money--the East Indies; she had a quick run down Channel, when a northerly breeze carried her almost to the tropics.

Rio was visited; the frigate touched at the Cape, and finally anch.o.r.ed at the mouth of the Hooghly, near the flag-ship of the admiral on the station.

The usual compliments pa.s.sed, the sails were furled, and sh.o.r.e-boats, manned by strange-looking natives, with stranger-looking fruits and vegetables, chattering unknown tongues intended to be English, came alongside. The admiral himself was up at Calcutta, and everybody on board the "Thisbe" was anxious to pay a visit to the city of palaces.

Sims offered to stop, but Rawson bluntly told him that he could not trust the ship to his charge; so he, pocketing the compliment, accompanied the captain and Morton, with two or three more of the gun-room officers, and Glover and several of the midshipmen, up to the city. They luckily took their full-dress uniforms with them; and having lionised the city in palanquins all the day, they found themselves in the evening at a magnificent ball, given by one of the princ.i.p.al officers of the Company's Civil Service.

The officers of the "Thisbe" stopped near the entrance to admire the brilliant spectacle. Superb chandeliers hung from the ceiling or projected from the walls, amid gay coloured banners, and wreaths of exquisite flowers; while below them moved the fairest of Eve's daughters to be found in the capital of the East, amid numerous military officers in various handsome uniforms; and rajahs, and nabobs, and princes, and chiefs of every description, habited in the richest and most picturesque of oriental costumes, with turbans and daggers and sword-hilts sparkling with gold and silver, and gems of fabulous value.

The gallant captain of the frigate, and most of the officers who accompanied him, were more accustomed to the quarterdeck, and the battle and the breeze, than to ball-rooms or palaces, and they stood for some time totally entranced, and scarcely able to express their surprise to each other at the gay scene.

Morton had in his boyhood learned most of the dances then in vogue, and a quick eye and perfect self-possession enabled him to appear to advantage when at rare intervals he entered a ball-room. Still, feeling himself a stranger among a crowd, he very naturally preferred remaining in a quiet spot, that he might at his leisure watch what was going forward. Captain Calder felt very much as he did, for he was even still less accustomed to ball-rooms, though his true gentlemanly feelings and innate sense of propriety prevented him from committing any solecism in good manners. Sims and d.i.c.ky Glover stood together.

"This is very slow work, sir, I think," observed d.i.c.ky to his superior, with whom, bye-the-bye, he felt himself in a ballroom on the most perfect equality. "I vote we shove forward, and look out for partners.

There are lots of pretty girls, and I flatter myself that if they were asked they would prefer us blue-jackets to the red-coats."

"As to that I am not quite certain," answered the lieutenant. "You see these soldier officers out here, at all events, are generally matrimonially inclined, while such would be a very inconvenient inclination for us to indulge in; and so not from superior merit but from the force of circ.u.mstances the soldiers are likely to carry the day."

"That argument of yours is irresistible, but still I don't see that it should make us give up our chance of a dance," answered Glover, pushing a little more forward.

Like riflemen they advanced, skirmishing, one supporting the other.

d.i.c.ky, however, was the most adventurous; without him, probably, Sims would have remained in the background. Sims had some modesty. Glover had the allowance with which, for wise ends, midshipmen are usually gifted.

"There's a pretty girl! she hasn't footed it for a long time; there's nothing like trying it. I'll go and ask her," exclaimed d.i.c.ky, as if suddenly seized with an irresistible impulse; and before Sims could make any remark he had crossed the intervening s.p.a.ce to where the lady at whom he had pointed was sitting, and was bowing and sc.r.a.ping, and smiling with the greatest self-confidence.

The young lady looked rather astonished, and not over well pleased, but this did not in any way abash Mr Glover. While he with praiseworthy perseverance was still sc.r.a.ping away, requesting the hand of the lady for a cotillion, a minuette, or a country-dance, a gentleman came up and spoke to her. Glover looked at her earnestly, and spoke a few words; she put out her hand, he took it, and wrung it till she almost cried out.

"Cousin Susan!" he exclaimed. "Well, I didn't think it was you, and yet I ought to have known you among a thousand. But you know you were but a little girl when we last met, and now you are grown up and married.

Well--but I'm so very glad!--how jolly! I didn't expect to enjoy this ball; but now I shall like it very much."

Thus Glover rattled on, and to the surprise of Morton and Sims, and his other shipmates, who had not overheard the conversation, was seen standing up to dance with an air of conscious superiority and perfect self-satisfaction. Sims was rather jealous. Morton was highly amused.

Glover flew up and down the room, enjoying the dance to the full. What cared he for the heat. What mattered to him that he trod on the toes of innumerable rajahs and nabobs, who would gladly have stuck their jewel-hilted daggers into him, or given him an embrace with a tiger's claw; an instrument worthy of Asiatic invention. His cousin, however, had soon introduced Glover to a more active partner, and so engrossed was he at first that he quite forgot to come back to his friends.

While Morton was watching the dancers an officer with a young lady stood up near him to join them. His eye was attracted to her countenance, and he was struck by its excessively pleasing expression. He looked and looked again: he thought her exquisitely beautiful, and while he looked he could not help half fancying that he had seen that countenance before. Still where it had been he could not discover; he had seen so few ladies during his sea-life that he was convinced he should, before long, remember. Yet what puzzled him was, that he felt so very familiar with the countenance. Eyes have a remarkable sympathy for each other; after a time the lady knew that she was observed--not with idle, careless admiration, but especially noticed. She looked up for a moment and observed a countenance of manly beauty and intelligence not easily forgotten. There were none in that vast a.s.semblage to be compared to it, she thought, and yet she tried not to allow herself to dwell on the thought; her partner carried her off in the rapid dance.

Morton stood watching her with greater interest than he would have allowed even to himself.

"Yes, I must have seen her--but where? In my dreams--in my fancy," he muttered to himself as his eyes continued following the fair young girl.

"Nonsense! I am allowing my imagination to run away with me. And yet I do know that countenance, I am certain of it."

Perhaps the young lady saw his eyes following hers. She seemed at all events to be paying but very little attention to the observations of her partner.

Morton at length noticed him; he was a young man, and had the air of a person thoroughly well satisfied with himself; but as Ronald watched him more narrowly he was convinced that he had taken more wine than his head could bear; his flushed countenance and unsteady movements after a time showed this. His partner probably had made the same discovery; and though in those days his condition would not have excited the disgust it would at the present in the mind of a well-educated girl, she was evidently anxious to obtain a seat, and to release herself from his society. Still he held her hand with a look of maudlin admiration, and insisted on forcing her once more down the dance. It was evident that she would have to struggle to escape from him, and rather than attract observation she allowed herself to be dragged once more towards the bottom of the room.

Such was the interpretation Morton put on what he witnessed, and he felt strongly inclined to rush forward to a.s.sist her. The couple had got close to him, by which time the gentleman had become still more excited and unsteady--his foot slipped--the fair girl looked up imploringly at Morton's countenance, so he thought--her partner fell to the ground, and would have dragged her with him, when Ronald sprang forward and saved her from the threatened catastrophe.

"Thank you--thank you!--oh take me to my friend!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with nervousness.

Ronald led her through the crowd; her partner picked himself up, and uttering an exclamation would have followed them, had not some acquaintance near at hand held him back, and ultimately persuaded him quietly to retire to another room; leave the ball altogether, he would not.

"To be cut out by a sea-monster, a porpoise, a mere nautilus--that will never do!" he hiccupped out. "No, no--I must have my revenge on the fellow. I'll insult him; drill a hole in him; my honour requires it.

Couldn't show my face again until I have killed my man."

The young man did not give vent to these expressions until his more sensible acquaintance had retired; but two or three much of his own character remained, who partly from a love of mischief, utterly regardless of the consequences, persuaded him that he had received so gross an insult that it could be atoned for only by mortal combat.

"We'll settle matters for you," said Lieutenant Bolton, a chum of Maguire's. "Go back when you feel a little better; tread on his toe, or dig your elbow into his ribs, and tell him quietly you intended to do so. It will wonderfully facilitate our arrangements."

Meantime Morton--totally unconscious of the annoyance preparing for him, and with the fair stranger whom he had rescued resting on his arm, was looking for a vacant seat in which to place her.