The White Squall Part 8

"Dunno, ma.s.sa, I'se tell you," answered Jake with great nonchalance, apparently giving but little thought to the little craft whose broken timbers were now floating away, far astern of us.

"Well, you're a cool hand anyway!" exclaimed Mr Marline the first mate drily, whereat Moggridge and the rest of the crew burst into a general shout of merriment. In this even the captain himself could not help joining, although he still tried to preserve a grave demeanour before Jake, as if annoyed at his coming on board.

Jake, however, was much hurt at being laughed at; and he went on now to justify his conduct with such native dignity that those who had been making fun of him before seemed almost ashamed of their ill-judged ridicule.

"I'se know Ma.s.s' Tom ebber since he was lilly pickaninny, an' I lub him," he said, speaking with a feeling and earnestness which no one would have thought of his possessing, and uttering the words in a thick choked voice. "I took de boat 'cause de boat was dere; but if dere was no boat, I'd hab swam off to de ship, for I'se boun' to go were Ma.s.s'

Tom go, an' if he go in ship I'se go too!"

"But, my poor fellow," put in Captain Miles kindly to him, "your young master does not want a servant to wait on him on board the _Josephine_, and we haven't room for any idlers. I shall have to put you ash.o.r.e at Saint Vincent, from whence you'll be easily able to get a pa.s.sage back home again."

"For de Lor' sake don't do dat, Ma.s.sa Cap'en!" implored Jake, utterly overwhelmed at such an unexpected downfall of his hopes, falling on his knees on the deck and holding up his hands in the most supplicating manner. "Only let dis poah n.i.g.g.e.r go wid you an' Ma.s.s' Tom an' he do any ting you want."

"But, what can you do?" said Captain Miles, who, I could see, was relenting. He really had no idea of carrying out the stern intention which his words implied. "We've got no horses to groom here."

"Ah, you dunno all I can do, Ma.s.sa Cap'en," replied the darkey eagerly, rising again to his feet now, all animation. "'Fore I go wid Ma.s.s'

Eastman, I'se help my fadder in fishin'-boat, an' know how to make sail an' reef an' steer. You jus' try dis chile an' see!"

"Very good, we will try you," said Captain Miles good-humouredly. "But, mind, my darkey friend, you'll have to work for your pa.s.sage!"

"All right, Ma.s.sa Cap'en, me work safe 'nuff. See now, I'se handy boy aboard ship!" So saying, Jake at once scrambled up the rigging and in a minute or two was away up in the foretop, waving his arms about and shouting with laughter in great glee.

"Yah, yah!" he cried. "I'se go higher, if um like."

"No, that will do now," sang out Captain Miles, "you can come down and go and warm yourself, after your wetting, by the galley fire, where you'll find another darkey to keep you company. You must enter his name in the list of the crew, Mr Marline," added the captain, turning to the first mate; "and see, too, about messing him in the fo'c's'le. I daresay we'll make something out of him during the voyage."

During this little interlude, the _Josephine_ had been making away from Grenada with the land breeze, aided by a current setting to the westward at the rate of a couple of knots an hour; so that, by the time it got dark, we had sunk the island to windward, Captain Miles having caused the royals to be hoisted, in order to take every advantage of the light air, for we had to make the best of a north-east course on the starboard tack.

Towards nine o'clock, however, the wind freshened, and as the navigation was rather ticklish, we being not yet in the open sea, the lighter canvas had to be taken in, the vessel proceeding during the remainder of the night under double-reefed topsails, courses, topgallant-sails, and her jib and spanker--for, these could be easily handed in case of any sudden shift of wind, which frequently veers round without warning under the lee of the land.

I, of course, only learnt all this afterwards, picking up my nautical knowledge by degrees from my old friend Moggridge, who took me under his tuition, promising to make a sailor of me ere the voyage was over, for I was told to turn in by Captain Miles at nine o'clock, when the lights were put out in the cabin.

In the morning, when I came on deck again, we were off Saint Vincent; but, as the current and wind were both against us, although our port was well in sight we had to beat up to make the harbour, not dropping our anchor until late in the afternoon.

It was a beautiful spot, for we lay as it were in a circle of mountains, the tall Souffriere with its volcano peak overtopping them all.

Although we arrived late, Captain Miles did not lose any time in shipping his cargo of rum, going on sh.o.r.e immediately in his gig, which was still hanging to the davits astern, not having been taken on board with the other boats before leaving "my island," as I always call Grenada. Soon afterwards, a couple of heavy launches manned by negroes and each stored with several big puncheons came off to us, the rum being at once hoisted in and lowered away into the hold--the operation being achieved in less time nearly than I can describe it, for it was necessary for us to be off again by nightfall to take advantage of the land breeze; or else we might be detained at Saint Vincent another day.

Besides the puncheons of rum another piece of cargo was brought on board. This subsequently caused quite a little commotion as well as giving us all a good deal of entertainment.

Our new freight was a cow.

Captain Miles, you must know, was a bit of a gourmand, liking to have good eating and drinking when he could get them; and, as he was particularly fond of coffee with plenty of milk in it, he always carried a cow with him in his different voyages.

During his last trip from home, however, his old milk purveyor had died; and, as such animals are rather scarce in the West Indies, he was not able to procure one either for love or money at Grenada, and was at a complete nonplus till we got to Saint Vincent.

Here, fortunately, or unfortunately as it happened eventually for the poor cow, the captain heard at the last moment of a fine Alderney which a planter was anxious to dispose of, and had brought down to the town to send off to Barbadoes, hoping to find a market there for her. Captain Miles, therefore, at once closed with the planter, and the last of the launches conveying the rum puncheons to the _Josephine_ brought off in addition this cow.

But, taking an animal of this sort away from the sh.o.r.e, and out to a ship lying some distance from the land is one thing, and getting it on board is another! This the captain found presently, when, having completed all his business ash.o.r.e and cleared the last of his cargo, he was rowed out in his gig to regain the vessel. He had intended making sail the moment he stepped on the deck again; but, instead of finding everything stowed and the anchor tripped ready for the _Josephine_ to start on his arrival, he saw that her cable was still out, while the barge containing the cow was yet alongside.

Captain Miles was awfully angry. Everybody could see this; as he ordered the men in the gig to row her astern, and in a very harsh tone of voice, as he scuttled up the side-ladder and turned into the main- deck port; hook on the falls ready for hoisting her up again to the davits.

"Mr Marline!" he cried out to the first mate when he reached the deck, "what is the meaning of this? I expected you'd have been all ready to sail, and here is that launch alongside yet and the cargo not aboard!"

"All the rum's in, sir," replied Mr Marline quietly, for he was a dry old stick and seldom said a word more than necessary.

"But the cow, man, the cow!" retorted the captain. "Why is she not hoisted inboard as well?"

"We couldn't manage her, sir," replied Mr Marline with a sly grin.

"The brute b.u.t.ts everybody that comes near her."

"Why didn't you sling her?" inquired Captain Miles.

"We tried to, but couldn't," said the mate. "She kicks so that she tumbled back twice and nearly went into the sea."

"Oh, you're all a parcel of nincomp.o.o.ps!" exclaimed the captain quite roused at this. "I'll show you how a seaman can manage it!" With that, catching hold of the side lines, he went down the ladder again like winking and into the launch alongside.

Here, the cow, which looked even more enraged than Captain Miles, stood in the centre of the boat, with the negroes who had pulled out the live load from sh.o.r.e, standing up in the bows and on the gunwales, so as to be out of the reach of the infuriated animal, which every now and then made a rush at some black leg or other, making the owner yell out and try to avoid the b.u.t.t.

"Pa.s.s down a whip with a spare bit of canvas," sang out the captain, sitting down in the stern-sheets; and on receiving these articles he set to work to make a sort of broad belt to pa.s.s under the cow's stomach, in the same way as is done with horses about to be shipped on board transports when cavalry regiments are embarking.

When he had made the sling to his satisfaction, satisfying himself that it was strong enough by attaching it to his own person and then making the crew haul him up, his sixteen stone weight being some criterion to go by, he ordered those at the derrick to lower him down again; and then, with a halter all ready, which he threw over the animal's head, he advanced bravely towards the cow to arrange the belt under her body, thinking he could do it easily enough.

Mrs Brindle, however, was too quick for him.

Tossing off the rope bridle like a piece of straw, she lowered her head, and catching the captain in the stomach sent him head over heels backwards into the bottom of the boat, where one of the thwarts only prevented her from pursuing him further, which she would most undoubtedly have done judging by her vicious look.

At that moment, Jake, who had been looking over the side of the ship, seeing what had happened and anxious to be of service, slid down the whip-tackle into the boat. Arrived here his first task was to pick up Captain Miles, after doing which he took hold of the canvas belt the captain had prepared and dropped in his confusion at the unexpected a.s.sault.

"You let dis n.i.g.g.ah try, Ma.s.sa Cap'en," he said. "I'se able to ride any wild hoss, and tinks I can settle de rampagious animile."

"All right, fire away," replied Captain Miles, rather out of breath from his tumble as well as from the punch the cow had given him "right in the wind."

Jake thereupon, shoving the other darkeys away, climbed on to the gunwale of the launch. Then, advancing gingerly until he was right opposite the cow, and seizing a good opportunity, he jumped suddenly on her back. In a moment or so, he cleverly fixed the slings round her; while one of the other negroes, emboldened by his success, threw a noose over her head, which kept her from plunging about any longer, or at all events, from b.u.t.ting at everybody as she had done previously.

"By Jingo, you're a smart fellow!" exclaimed Captain Miles with much gusto. "You're worth all the rest of those stupid lubbers of mine boiled down together! Haul away now, Mr Marline," he added, looking up; "I think we've fixed the cow this time."

He was right; for, as soon as the hands on board manned the derrick and turned the winch handle the poor animal was raised in the air, kicking out spasmodically all the while, and wondering, no doubt, how she lost hold of her footing. When she had been hoisted high enough to clear the bulwarks, the derrick was then swung inboard and the cow lowered safely on the deck.

The empty launch with the negroes was now cast-off, and preparations made for raising the anchor again and making sail.

However, this was not the end of the cow episode by any means; for, as luck would have it, all Captain Miles' hopes of milk with his coffee during the voyage home to England were soon summarily dispelled, the career of the animal which was to have supplied the lacteal fluid having terminated most unexpectedly.

All hands being busy getting the ship under weigh, the animal had been left standing for the time where she had been set down in the waist, the sling being unloosed from her and the end of the halter, which Jake had put over her head when she had been secured, tied to the mainmast bitts--so as to prevent her moving until the long-boat amidships, which was to form her quarters, should be made ready for her reception.

Then, when the canvas of the _Josephine_ was once more spread to the breeze and the vessel was working out from Saint Vincent, Captain Miles told the steward to serve dinner in the cabin, it being now near sunset and long past the usual hour for that meal, which was generally on the table at "eight bells," or four o'clock in the afternoon.

I went into the cabin with the captain and second mate, Mr Marline being left in charge of the p.o.o.p; and, presently, I could see through the sliding-doors leading from the main-deck into the cuddy, which were of course left wide open, as we were still in the tropics, the steward Harry, a freckle-faced mulatto of the colour of pale ginger, bringing in a tureen of soup from the cook's galley forward.