The White Squall Part 10

"Waist ahoy, there!" shouted out Captain Miles, going to the edge of the break of the p.o.o.p and looking down. "What's the row forward?"

"Hanged if I know, sir," answered Davis somewhat surlily, adding more gruffly still to the hands around him, "Here, you lazy lubbers, lay along to your work, or I'll give you something else to grin about!"

"You need not haze the men like that for nothing," said the captain sharply, muttering something under his breath about "setting a beggar on horseback, and he'll ride to the--"

However, his further words were cut short by a loud shout of laughter from the men all together, as if with one accord; and then the commotion in the cook's galley increased, for I could now distinguish the sound of some violent altercation, voices being raised in anger, mingled with the noise of shuffling feet and the crash of crockery-ware.

"By Jingo, they're going it!" exclaimed Moggridge, who stood in the waist immediately below us. "They'll be like the Kilkenny cats, and leave only their tails behind!"

"What's the matter?" again asked Captain Miles. "Anybody fighting, eh?"

"Yes, sir," said the boatswain, "the two n.i.g.g.e.rs. They've been at it in the caboose ever since we began to wash down decks."

"Then it's high time to stop them," cried the captain darting towards the p.o.o.p-ladder with the intention of ending the fray, whatever it was.

But, before he could descend two steps, the half-door of the galley burst open outwards with a crash, when two dark figures, locked in a tight embrace and pommelling one another with immense fury, came rolling out upon the deck. They then scrambled and tumbled into the lee scuppers, where they continued to struggle still, unmindful of the foot deep or more of water, into which they were suddenly plunged, that was swishing to and fro with the motion of the ship.

"You take dat now," I heard Jake's voice say excitedly. "I mash um face well."

"An' you take dat, you hangman tief," cried the other with equal earnestness. "Golly, I gib you gosh!"

Then came the thud of blows, easily distinguishable above the splashing of the refuse water that had acc.u.mulated to leeward from the sluicing of the decks, with the convulsive movements of two pairs of arms and legs mingled together in a confused ma.s.s--one woolly head being occasionally uplifted above the other and immediately as quickly dragged down again.

The crew all the while screamed with laughter, enjoying the combat with the utmost relish, and without attempting to interfere in any way between the angry antagonists.

"Stop the rascals, stop them!" sang out Captain Miles, jumping down into the waist and hurrying to the scene of action. "They'll either kill or drown each other!"

CHAPTER EIGHT.

POOR JACKSON.

As soon as the seamen heard the captain's words, uttered as they were in a tone which they well knew from experience was meant to be obeyed, several of them at once rushed to where the two darkeys were still struggling in the lee scuppers; when Jackson, the tall young sailor whom I had already noticed for his smartness, stepping forward in advance of the others and stooping down at the same time, lifted up the combatants on to their feet, holding one in each hand as easily as if the two big negroes had been only little dolls.

"Be quiet, I tell 'ee," he cried, giving Cuffee, the cook, who was the most obstreperous, a shake as he clutched him by the back of his woolly head in the same way as a terrier holds a rat; "be quiet, I tell 'ee, or I'll pitch you overboard!"

So saying, and emphasising the threat by raising Cuffee at arm's length, to the level of the bulwarks, he dragged the irate pair along to where Captain Miles was standing by the mainmast bitts, there setting them down before him for judgment.

"Now, you quarrelsome black rascals!" exclaimed the captain confronting them, "what the d.i.c.kens do you mean by kicking up all this bobbery? I don't allow any fighting aboard my ship."

"It ain't me, Ma.s.s' Cap'en," said Jake eagerly, "it's dat nasty n.i.g.g.ah dere dat make all de muss 'bout nuffin' at all!"

"Dat one big lie," retorted the other scornfully. "He come 'teal de coffee out ob de coppers, an' w'en I 'peak to him like gen'leman he hit um in the eyeball, him."

"Belieb me, Ma.s.s' Cap'en, I'se no tief," said Jake indignantly, drawing himself up and looking very much as if he were going to pitch into Cuffee again. "I'se only go in de galley to get um coffee for Ma.s.s'

Tom, an' I'se ax dat poor trash dere to gib um cup in de most perliteful way as um please; an' I no sooner done dis dan he catch um crack wid one big ladle on de shin--golly, um hurt now! Den, ob course, I hit um back in brace ob shakes, an' we go down in rough an' tumble togedder."

"My, what big 'tory!" exclaimed the cook in apparent amazement at Jake's mendacity. "Me go forrud to clean de fis' for breakfus, an' w'en um come back in galley, dere I see dat hangman tief takin' de coffee, an'

den--"

"Then you had a scuffle together, I suppose," interposed Captain Miles, interrupting Cuffee's further harangue at this point. "Well, well, as far as I can see you were both in the wrong. Jake, you had no business to enter the cook's galley without his leave, or touch anything there, for remember he's as much captain of the caboose as I am on the p.o.o.p."

"Golly, Ma.s.s' Cap'en, me no go dere afore widout Cuffee ax me," put in Jake as Captain Miles made a pause in his lecture.

"Well, don't you do it again," continued the captain. "And as for you, Cuffee, I'd advise you not to be so handy with your soup-ladle again in striking your brother darkey, before ascertaining what he wants when he comes to your galley, and who sent him. There, my fighting c.o.c.ks, you'd better shake hands now and make friends, as the row's all over!"

This the two at once did, with much grinning and showing of their ivory teeth; and they then went away forwards again together on the most amicable terms, albeit arguing good-humouredly as to which of them had got the best of the fray. Jake believed that he had come off with flying colours, while Cuffee persisted that he was the conqueror, the upshot of the matter being that Jackson, to whom they referred the knotty question, decided that it was "six for one and half a dozen for the other." With this Solomon-like settlement of the difficulty both were quite satisfied and were sworn chums ever after. I, indeed, was the only loser by the little difference between the two, having to go without my coffee until the proper breakfast hour, "eight bells," when, possibly, I enjoyed my meal all the more from not getting anything before.

Towards mid-day, we had sunk the land entirely to the westwards, the ship being then on the wide-spreading ocean, with not a thing in sight but water--"water everywhere!"

In front, in rear, to right, to left, all around was one expanse of blue, like a rolling valley, as far as the eye could reach, while the sky above was cloudless and the wind blowing steadily, a little to the southward of east, right on our starboard beam as we steered north- eastwards.

We were not altogether alone, however, for the ubiquitous flying-fish were springing up every now and then from the azure deep, taking short flights from one wave crest to another, or else entangling themselves in the rigging of the ship, and then falling a gasping prey on the deck for Cuffee bye and bye to operate upon in his galley, whence they would emerge again fried into a savoury dish for the cabin table at dinner- time.

Bonitoes and albacore also played round our bows, and the many-hued dolphin could be seen disporting himself astern in our wake; while, at one time, a large grampus swam for some considerable period abreast of the vessel, as if showing how easily he could keep pace with us and outstrip us too when he pleased, for, later on in the afternoon, he darted away and was soon lost to sight. I had now got over all the effects of sea-sickness, a hearty breakfast having restored my equilibrium, thus enabling me to enjoy all that was going on around.

The captain especially claimed my attention when he "took the sun" at noon, an operation which I watched with the most absorbed interest; and I found out afterwards the use of the s.e.xtant, and the way in which the difference between the ship's mean time and that of the chronometer below in the cabin--which showed what the hour was at Greenwich--enabled Captain Miles to tell almost to a mile on the chart what was our position with regard to our longitude, our lat.i.tude being "worked out"

in a different fashion.

Then, there was the heaving of the log at stated intervals to ascertain the speed of the ship through the water, and the constant tr.i.m.m.i.n.g of the sails; for more canvas was piled on as the breeze fell light during the afternoon, as we wanted everything spread that could draw in order to catch the slightest breath of wind there was.

Oh, yes, there was plenty to see for a novice like me! The _Josephine_ was fresh out of port, and there were lots of things that had to be done to make her ship-shape for the long voyage before her; and, besides, had there been nothing else for the hands to do beyond taking their trick at the wheel and attending to the braces--the ordinary routine of their duty with a fair wind such as we had--the captain and first mate would have felt bound to find them something to keep their minds from mischief. Sailors are never allowed a minute to be idle on a vessel at sea save on Sundays, and then they find work for themselves, as a rule, in the way of mending their clothes and putting their chests in order.

I noticed this device on Captain Miles's part to provide employment for the men when he came on deck after luncheon; when, seeing some of the seamen lounging about in the waist, he immediately set them to pump out the bilge. This, however, did not occupy them very long, the ship being pretty dry; for, after a thick dirty stream of ill-smelling water, mixed with a portion of mola.s.ses, leakage from the casks of sugar below, had poured into the scuppers for a few minutes, the pumps sucked, thus showing that the hold was clear down to the well bottom.

A second washing-down decks followed, to efface the traces of the nasty bilge-water; and then, Captain Miles looked about for another task to keep the hands busy.

"How is she going?" he asked Mr Marline, who had just seen to the heaving of the log, the man a.s.sisting him having not quite yet reeled in the line.

"Six knots, sir," answered the chief mate.

"By Jingo! that'll never do with this breeze," said the captain. "We must get the starboard stunsails on her."

"All right, sir," responded Mr Marline; and thereupon a couple of men went aloft to reeve the studding-sail halliards through the jewel blocks at the end of the yard-arms, while others stood below preparing the tackle and getting the booms ready, with tacks rove for hoisting, sail after sail being speedily packed on in addition to the canvas we were already carrying.

The log was then hove again, and a couple more knots of way somewhat pleased the captain; but, a moment afterwards, seeing that the hands were out of work once more, he thought of a fresh task for them.

"Mr Marline," he sang out presently, as he paced up and down the p.o.o.p, eyeing the spars aloft and then casting his eyes forward.

"Aye, aye, sir," was the prompt answer from the chief mate, who was standing by the taffrail behind the man at the wheel, looking aloft to see how the sails drew and then glancing round the ship occasionally, in a similar sailor-like way to the captain.

"What say you to getting the anchors aboard and unshackling the cables, eh? I don't think we shall want to use them again now before we get into soundings, and she seems a little down by the head."

"All right, sir," said the mate. "I'll go forwards and see to the job at once. Here, you idlers," he added as he descended the p.o.o.p-ladder, "spring up there on the fo'c's'le and see about getting the anchors inboard!"

This operation, I may explain, is generally undertaken soon after a ship leaves harbour and clears the channel when outwards bound across seas; for, not only do the anchors interfere with the vessel's sailing trim from their dead weight hanging over the bows, even when properly catted and fished, but they are a great deal in the way. In addition to this, the ship is liable to take in water through the hawse-holes, which can be plugged up, of course, when the cable chains are unshackled, although not before. As we had been, however, up to this time navigating the narrow pa.s.sages between the cl.u.s.tering islands of the Caribbean Sea and the dangerous reefs in their vicinity, where we might have had occasion possibly to anchor at any moment should the wind fail us and the cross currents near the land peril the safety of the ship, the anchors had been left still ready for instant service; but, now that we were in the open sea, we would have no necessity for having recourse to their aid until we fetched our home port, so they might just as well be stowed away till then.

"May I go, too, and see what they are doing, Captain Miles?" I asked as Mr Marline and the crew scampered forwards.