The Ocean Cat's Paw Part 34

We are not at war with the French."

"Captain Chubb thinks we may meet with the privateer," said Rodd merrily.

"Don't you make rude remarks, Rodney!" cried Uncle Paul angrily. "Well, there, captain, I suppose you will have your own way, but it seems to me great waste of time."

"Oh no, sir," said the skipper good-humouredly. "I suppose you mean to run in and up some of those rivers we shall pa.s.s by and by?"

"Most certainly," cried the doctor.

"Well, and what then, sir? You are going right out of civilisation there, and among black tribes and warlike people who are ready for anything, from attacking another tribe and bringing the prisoners down the river to sell for slaves, up to taking a fancy to any smart craft they can master, and then stripping her and burning her to the water's edge."

"And what becomes of the crews?" cried Rodd sharply.

"Well, Mr Rodd, that's rather a hard question to answer. If ever you go to Liverpool or Bristol and you get asking questions amongst the merchants there, you will find they have got some queer tales to tell.

Sorry you don't like my plans, Dr Robson, but even if we never get into trouble we shall be none the worse for being prepared."

"Oh, I am not going to complain, Captain Chubb. Drill away as much as you like. You say the men like it, and it satisfies you. Then my boy Rodd, here, nothing will please him better than letting him have a canister of gunpowder to play with and pop off that gun. So I am in a minority, and I will give in. There, you'd better take Rodd and drill him too."

"I'll take you at your word, sir," said Captain Chubb, laughing, and making Rodd start with eagerness. "Fall in, my lads. Pikes."

The drilling went on till it was beginning to grow dusk, and then pikes were laid aside and orders given for the gun crew to take their places, Rodd closing up quickly in antic.i.p.ation of something coming off.

"Rather warm weather, Mr Rodd, sir," whispered Joe Cross, as, aided by another of the crew, he proceeded to cast loose the lashings and strip the tarpaulin off the long gun. "If it warn't for the showers this 'ere pocket pistol might very well do without her greatcoat. I say, sir, didn't I hear your uncle tell the old man that you were to have a canister of powder just to fire her off once or twice?"

"Yes, Joe, but I think it was only to tease me."

"You ask the skipper to let you have one. It's all very well to go on ramming and sponging and making believe to load, but it is like having your grog served out in an empty gla.s.s. And if the old man grunts and shakes his head and grumbles about waste of ammunition, you just ask him if he'd mind you bringing one of your canisters of powder as you and your uncle's got for your double guns. He might let you then, if your old man don't mind. We could divide it into about four goes as wouldn't make much noise, and there'd be some sense in it. There would be something to ram down; and the lads would like it."

"But the captain wouldn't let you fire away any cannon b.a.l.l.s, Joe."

"Well, no, sir, I suppose not, unless we got the cook up with a pudding-bag to hold it over the muzzle and catch them again."

"Wouldn't a straw hat be better, Joe?" said Rodd dryly.

"Well, now you talk of it, sir," replied the man, grinning, "I never thought of that. Perhaps it would if one of us held it lightly in his hand and eased off a good deal when we fired. If you didn't do that of course the ball might go right through."

"Well, I'll ask the captain, Joe."

"Yes, sir; do, sir. As I said afore, it would please the lads, and do good too, for it would clean the gun's teeth, sweep away all the scales and rust."

"Scales and rust!" cried Rodd. "Why, it isn't an iron gun; it's bra.s.s."

"Why, so it is, Master Rodd, sir. Why, only fancy me not thinking of that! But here he comes. Try it on, sir."

"Shall I, Joe?"

"Yes, do, sir; as I said, it would please the lads. They're just like a lot of school-boys when they gets a chance of a change."

"And Joe Cross doesn't care a bit," said Rodd.

The man gave the speaker a comical look as he replied--

"Well, sir, you see, I was a boy once, and I was born with a lot of human natur' in me, and I never got rid of it, and I am afraid I never shall. There, go on, sir," whispered Joe. "Pitch it into him at once."

Rodd moved towards the skipper as he came up, and as the latter looked at him inquiringly he began--

"You heard what my uncle said, captain?"

"What about, my lad?"

"Letting me have some powder to play with."

"Ay, ay! But you don't want that?"

"Oh, I don't know. I wish you would have a canister and let the men load the gun properly."

"Eh?"

"It would be like practice."

"Well, that's true. But it would be only waste of powder; and I'm not going to waste any of the cannon b.a.l.l.s."

"No, I don't want you to do that."

"Besides, I don't want to use either of the powder-bags, and they're made for a regular charge."

"Beg pardon, sir," cried Cross. "Might make small charges up with a snuff of powder wrapped up in paper; and then I could p.r.i.c.k and prime."

"Um-m-m!" the captain growled, and frowned, while the gun crew stood with parted lips, looking as eager as so many boys on the Fifth of November. Then the captain grunted.

"There, Mr Rodd," he said, "it will be a bit of practice for the lads, and it won't please you, of course. You don't want to see the gun really fired?"

"Oh, I have seen salutes fired, at Plymouth."

"Ah, so you have, of course, my lad. But those are bangs, and this would be a bit of a whiff."

"That doesn't matter," said Rodd. "It will be real, and not pretending to fire."

"Very well," said the captain, smiling grimly. "Maybe you'd like to fire?"

"Yes, I should," cried Rodd. "No; let Joe Cross and the other men do that. I'll stand aside."

There was a little more discussion, quite in opposition to ordinary drill, while the skipper went below and then returned with a pound gunpowder canister painted red.

"I say, look here, Chubb," cried the doctor. "Shall I have to move?"

"Oh no, sir; we shan't shoot you," replied the skipper grimly. "You'll be safe enough, unless the long gun bursts. But she's too new and strong for that. Here you are, Cross. Make that into four charges."

The speaker was in the act of pa.s.sing the canister to the man, when the look-out man from forward suddenly shouted--