Across India Part 6

The commander had taken the measure of the trio, and knew where to apply for the clothing needed. The surgeon of the party was about the size of Mr.

Sage, the chief steward of the s.h.i.+p; and he was asked to supply a full suit, including undergarments, s.h.i.+rt, socks, collar, and cravat. His lords.h.i.+p was about the size of Mr. Woolridge, who was more than happy to provide for the needs of this gentleman. Professor Giroud was a rather slender person; and from his wardrobe came the suit and other furnis.h.i.+ngs for the t.i.tled Hindu. The clothing of each person was placed on a stool at the door of his room, and he was notified where to obtain it.

"Mr. Sage, you understand by this time that we have sixteen places to be taken at the table," said Captain Ringgold to the chief steward.

"I think I had better set two tables, for sixteen would be rather crowded in the s.p.a.ce we use now," replied Mr. Sage, who was a Napoleon in his calling. "I propose to arrange them as they were at the big dinner you gave at Aden."

"And while you are about it you may arrange for nineteen places at the tables," replied the captain; but he did not explain who were to occupy the three he had added to the number.

The commander went to his private cabin, after he had visited the pilot-house, and made a diagram of the two tables, a.s.signing places to each of the party and the guests, but leaving three of the end places vacant. He showed it to Louis and Mrs. Belgrave, and they made no objection to the new arrangement. It was handed to the chief steward, who put a card with the name of the occupant of each seat on the plate in front of it. The revolving chairs at the tables had to be all changed, and more added to it; and Stevens the carpenter, with his a.s.sistants from the crew, were busy for an hour making the change.

When the commander visited the music-room, he was unable to answer any of the questions of his pa.s.sengers as to the details of the wreck of the Travancore, though he gave the names and quality of the three gentlemen who had been invited to go below. The sleepers in the cabin had been aroused by the erratic movements of the steamer before daylight, especially by the change from rolling to pitching. There was a thundering roar of escaping steam at times, and all of them had "turned out" to ascertain the cause of the commotion. Felix and Morris had been the first to go on deck, and they had informed the others of the nature of the event which had caused the commotion on board.

The regular pa.s.sengers had seen the strangers as they came down to the promenade deck from the cutters. They were naturally filled with curiosity to ascertain who and what the trio were. One was a lord, another a sir, and the third a surgeon; and this was all that was known to any one.

"Have we really a live lord on board, Felix?" asked Mrs. Blossom, as they were waiting for breakfast in the music-room.

"He is not a dead one, sure," replied the Milesian, "though he would soon have been a very dead one if we had not happened along when we did."

"One of them was a colored man," added the good lady.

"Sir Modava Rao!" exclaimed Felix. "He is not more than a shade darker than you are, Aunty; and he is a great man in the country we visit next. But dry up; the captain is going to say something."

The commander gave the names of the three distinguished persons who were then in the cabin. It was very nearly breakfast-time, and the trio had had abundant time to dress themselves in the garments provided for them, and he requested all the party to descend to the cabin, leading the way himself.

They found the rescued party seated on the divans between the doors of the state-rooms, and they all rose to their feet as soon as the commander appeared.

They presented an entirely different appearance from what they did in their drabbled garments; for those who had supplied them with clothing had brought out their best clothes, and the three gentlemen seemed to be in condition to go to church. Lord Tremlyn hastened to the captain with extended hand as he stepped down upon the floor of the cabin.

"I desire to express my grat.i.tude anew to you, and to the gentlemen who have made us capable of coming into your presence in proper condition,"

said his lords.h.i.+p, as the commander took his offered hand, which was wrung with the utmost cordiality.

"So far as I am concerned, my Lord, I have done nothing but my duty; for I am a sailor, and the true son of the ocean is always ready to sacrifice even his life to save a s.h.i.+pwrecked brother of the sea," replied the captain.

"Then you are a true son of the ocean, Captain Ringgold, and I shall remember you as long as I live in my prayers!"

"So shall we all!" exclaimed Sir Modava, taking the hand of the commander.

"I indorse the sentiment," added Dr. Ferrolan.

"In regard to the clothing," said the commander, as he threw back his head, elevated his shoulders, and spread out his arms, so as to exhibit to its full extent the height and breadth of his stalwart form, "I was, unfortunately, unable to contribute to the supply of garments for your party; for mine on any one of you would have been like a s.h.i.+rt on a handspike."

"But a London tailor could hardly have fitted us any better," replied the spokesman of the trio.

"I am happy to see you in such excellent condition so soon after the disaster. With your permission, gentlemen, I desire to introduce you to each of my pa.s.sengers, promising to indicate those whose garments you wear," continued the commander.

"With the greatest pleasure," replied Lord Tremlyn; and the other two bowed their acquiescence.

"This, gentlemen, is Mr. Belgrave, the owner of the Guardian-Mother, the steam-yacht in which he is making a voyage round the world."

"I am extremely pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Belgrave," added Lord Tremlyn, as he took the hand of the young millionaire. "We owe our lives to the fortunate presence of your magnificent steam-yacht in this part of the Arabian Sea. Permit me to present to you Prince Modava, who has been knighted for his distinguished services to the British Crown, and who prefers to be known by his English t.i.tle."

"That's your colored man!" whispered Felix to Mrs. Blossom.

"Good gracious!" exclaimed the motherly lady. "A live prince!"

"It affords me very great pleasure to become acquainted with you, Mr.

Belgrave," with a smile so sweet and expressive that it ravished the hearts of the ladies. "I am under a burden of obligation to you which I shall never be able to repay; and I hope I shall be able to render you some slight service in a.s.sisting you to see India, for I learn that you are bound to Bombay."

"I thank you, Sir Modava; and we shall gratefully accept any favors you may extend to us."

"Let me add, my Lord, that Mr. Belgrave pulled the stroke oar in the boat which picked you up after you had sent our first cutter to the relief of Sir Modava," interposed the commander.

"Then I shall have an additional reason to remember with grat.i.tude the young gentleman," added Lord Tremlyn.

"Mrs. Belgrave, gentlemen, the mother of our owner," the captain proceeded, as he took the lady by the arm.

"I congratulate you, madam, on being the mother of such a n.o.ble son; for not many young men with the fortune he has at his command would pull an oar in such a gale, such a storm, even to save his fellow-beings from peris.h.i.+ng in the angry waves," said his lords.h.i.+p, as he took the hand of the lady.

"Blessed be the mother of such a boy!"

The members of the Woolridge family were next presented to the trio; and the distinguished strangers had something pleasant to say to each of them.

The "live lord" was only twenty-eight years old, and Sir Modava but thirty, while Dr. Ferrolan was forty-six; and all of them seemed to be greatly impressed, and even startled, when Miss Blanche dawned upon them; for she was as beautiful to them as she was to everybody else, and they seemed to be unwilling to allow her to make room for the others to be introduced.

Every person in the cabin seemed to enter into the spirit of the occasion; and the wearers of the borrowed clothing, as the owners of the garments were indicated, brought forth many humorous remarks from both sides, which it would be pleasant to report if s.p.a.ce permitted. The ceremony was finished in due time, though it was rather a long time.

"We are not accustomed to the companions.h.i.+p of t.i.tled personages," said the commander at its conclusion. "But we are eminently a social party, and we desire our guests to make themselves as much at home on board of the Guardian-Mother as if they owned her, and were running her for their own pleasure."

"Thank you, Captain Ringgold. t.i.tles are not men, and we know that you are all republicans. If we do not make ourselves worthy of the generous welcome you have extended to us, we shall not ask any consideration on account of the t.i.tles that have fallen upon us through the nature of our const.i.tutional government. I believe that we all stand on the same level before our Maker; and whatever social distinctions prevail in our country, they do not exempt any Briton from being a gentleman and an honest man,"

replied Lord Tremlyn. And his remarks were warmly applauded by both English and Americans; and the gentleman bowed his thanks for this appreciation of his sentiments.

At a nod from the captain the bell was rung for breakfast. Taking the "live lord" by the arm, he conducted him to the seat next him on his right. Louis conducted Sir Modava to the place on the commander's left, and placed his mother next to him. It was found impracticable to heed the names that had been placed on the plates, for it would have taken too much time. Louis took Miss Blanche to the place next to his mother, and seated himself at her right.

Dr. Hawkes took possession of Dr. Ferrolan, and placed himself and Uncle Moses on each side of him. The professor took charge of Mrs. Blossom. The captain invited those who remained standing to take such seats as they chose; and when all were placed at the table, he reverently said a brief grace. Everybody was unusually social; but as the commander had announced that the particulars of the wreck of the Travancore would be detailed in due time by Dr. Ferrolan, the subject was ignored, and the voyage of the Guardian-Mother was the general subject of conversation. The chief steward had "spread himself" on the breakfast, and the meal was far more elaborate than usual; and the wrecked trio proved that they had excellent appet.i.tes.

CHAPTER VII

DR. FERROLAN'S EXPLANATION OF THE WRECK

With the rising of the sun the gale had broken, and by the time the party in the cabin left the table, the north-east monsoon was soothing the ocean with its gentle blast. The angry sea was rapidly becoming good-natured again, though the waves were still high enough to give the s.h.i.+p an uneasy motion. But all the party, and no less the trio added to their number, had their sea-legs on, and no reasonable motion disturbed any of them.

The two engineers from the wreck of the Travancore had been as carefully looked after as the strangers in the main cabin. They had been supplied with clothing, and they had breakfasted in the mess-room on the best the larder afforded. The third person brought in by the second cutter was the Hindu cook of the wrecked steamer; but he spoke English very well, and had been otherwise Europeanized. He had been turned over to Baldy Bickling, the second cook of the s.h.i.+p, who had clothed and fed him, and seemed to be unable to do enough for him.

The three gentlemen in the cabin were as sociable as could be desired; and though it was Sunday morning, the scene at the tables had been very animated.

When the meal was finished, the guests at their own request were shown over the s.h.i.+p; and they were not at all reserved in the expression of their admiration at the elegance with which she had been fitted up, and not less at the convenience of all the arrangements.

Lord Tremlyn was particularly interested in the educational feature of the Guardian-Mother, as Captain Ringgold explained his pet scheme in the library, or study, abaft the state-cabin, as it was called on the plan of the vessel prepared by the gentleman for whom she had been built. The guests looked at the t.i.tles of the books, considerable additions to which had been made at Cairo, Alexandria, and elsewhere.