Crown and Anchor Part 17

I could see, too, that this rule was observed to the very letter, for the first lieutenant was already on the forecastle, eyegla.s.s in eye, of course, as usual; while Mr Bitpin was on the quarter-deck, just below the break of the p.o.o.p; and "Joe" Jellaby on the main deck, close to the hatchway, so as to be within easy hail.

Mr Cheffinch, the gunnery lieutenant, and Charley Gilham, in their turn, were on the lower deck, looking after things there, with all the mates and mids.h.i.+pmen and cadets, each at his allotted post and everyone equipped with sword or dirk buckled on ready for instant action.

Mr Triggs, the gunner, likewise had taken the keys of the magazine from their proper resting-place when not wanted for use, just without the door of the captain's cabin, where a sentry always stood guard over them; and was now prepared with all his staff of "powder-monkeys" to send up whatever ammunition might be required at a moment's notice.

The carpenter, too, stood by the pumps, and Dr Nettleby, with Mr Macgilpin and Mr Leech, the two a.s.sistant-surgeons, had all the contents of their surgical cases--most murderous-looking instruments they were, too--spread out on the wardroom and gunroom tables, as well as plenty of lint and bandages for dressing; while Corporal Macan, with a working party of marines, were told off to act as stretcher bearers, and supply hospital aid to the imaginary wounded.

The remainder of the "jollies" were drawn up in martial array on the after part of the p.o.o.p, under the command of Captain Targetts and Lieutenants Wagstaff and Shunter of the same serviceable corps; all of the men spick and span in their full regimentals and appearing as smart as if on the parade ground at Forton; although, but a few minutes previously, most of the poor fellows had been was.h.i.+ng plates and mess traps, and performing other menial duties below.

Young as I was, I could not help observing all this, and noting, as the commander had pointed out to me, how, thanks to a rigid discipline and the inexorable regularity, almost like that of a machine, with which the routine of duty is conducted on board a man-of-war, every officer and man, from the captain down to the smallest "powder-monkey," was in his proper place and at his station before the rat-tat-tat of the drum had ceased reverberating fore and aft; albeit, most of the hands had only recently joined the s.h.i.+p, while some, indeed, had never before been to sea.

Of course, there was a good deal of scurrying to and fro and apparent confusion whilst the men were getting to their stations, the hasty trampling of feet along the decks and the scrambling up of hatchways, some s.n.a.t.c.hing their rifles from the arm racks and belting on their cutla.s.ses as they hurried by, slinging their cartridge pouches over their shoulders at the run; and, meanwhile, Commander Nesbitt, with my insignificant self by his side, remained at the end of the p.o.o.p-rail, taking in everything that went on with his quick-glancing, watchful eye, waiting quietly till all the preparations were complete.

"Bosun's mate!" he sang out when all were ready. "Pipe the hands to secure the guns for sea!"

This was a sad come down from all the grand things which some new to the game expected; but, as we all learnt within a very short time of our novitiate, life at sea is a series of surprises, and, if the ruling maxim be "To hear is to obey," carried out with Draconian severity to the extreme letter of the law, the beauty of it lies in the fact that you never know what you _are_ going to hear until you actually hear it.

The captain, is, it must be remembered, a sort of Delphic oracle of the marine genus, who invariably keeps his mystic intentions locked within the secret recesses of his own breast and only gives them utterance, when the occasion arrives for him to speak, through the lips of his chief augur, the commander.

None of "the profane vulgar," in the shape of the s.h.i.+p's company, know what will be the next move on the board until he gives the inspired word; although, if unguessed until finally uttered, it is generally short, sharp and to the point!

That word being now given, needless to add, it was immediately acted upon.

The breechings of the guns on each deck were bowsed up and the side tackle falls hove taut and frapped, with preventer tackles rigged and secured round the brackets at the after part of the carriages and hooked to the ring-bolts in the s.h.i.+p's side; all the guns' crews a.s.sisting in this task, and the marines and idlers tailing on to the falls and hauling away at the sound of the boatswain's pipe and only stopping pulling at the order being given "Avast heaving!"

When pa.s.sing round with the commander presently to see if all the guns had been properly made fast, so that there should be no chance of their "taking charge" in a heavy seaway and running themselves out without leave or licence when we least expected it, I overheard "Joe" Jellaby talking to Charley Gilham, who had now come up from the lower deck and was standing by the main hatchway.

"I say, Charley," observed Mr Jellaby, "have you seen our 'sky pilot'

yet?"

"No, 'Joe,'" replied the other. "He didn't come into the wardroom till after dinner, and I had to go on deck for the first watch, and so didn't see him."

"Well, he's the greenest chaplain I ever saw on board s.h.i.+p before," went on "Joe," with a chuckle of merriment. "He's been dodging in and out of his cabin since One Bell sounded, with all his pulpit rig on, as if he didn't know what exactly to do with himself and was afraid to ask anyone."

"Perhaps he thought the bell rang for church," suggested Mr Gilham.

"One of the fellows told me the parson has never been to sea before; so, my boy, of course, he doesn't know he's got to wait till the cap'en gives the order for service to be held. Those sh.o.r.e Johnnies have got a lot to be knocked into them! He doesn't know Farmer as we do, or he'd fight shy of taking a liberty with him!"

"Fancy, though, his skylarking round, in all his war paint," said "Joe,"

breaking into his jovial laugh, which always made me join in for sympathy. "I shouldn't wonder if he belonged to what they call the church militant; and on hearing the drummer beat to quarters, he naturally thought he ought to be prepared with his spiritual weapons as we were buckling on our arms, eh? By Jove, there he is now coming out of the wardroom right up to us! I say, Charley, stand by me, like a good chap."

But, Mr Gilham, thought in this instance that "discretion was the better part of valour," for he gave poor "Joe" the slip by incontinently bolting up the hatchway, leaving his comrade to encounter alone the chaplain, who the next moment, in full canonicals, surplice and hood and ca.s.sock and all, confronted him.

He was a slim, sandy-coloured gentleman, I noticed, with hair of the tint of tow. He had also white eyelashes, and spoke in a thin, hesitating voice, with a timid manner, as if very nervous and uncertain of his footing.

"A-hem," he began, with a slight affected cough of introduction. "I be--believe I'm addressing Mr --?"

"Jellaby is my name, sir," said the lieutenant, filling up the hiatus in his speech and bowing politely. "Joe Jellaby, at your service. Is there anything I can do for you, Mr --?"

"Smythe, sir, is my name," replied the other. "I am the ah--chaplain."

"So I see, sir," said Joe, drily, glancing at his canonicals. "Glad to have the pleasure of making your acquaintance, Mr Smith."

"'Smythe,' that is 'Smith' with a final 'e,' if you please," corrected the reverend gentleman in a plaintive tone. "My name is not 'Smith,'

Mr Jellyboy."

"Nor is mine Jellyboy, Mr Smythe," retorted "Joe," laughing outright at the comical situation. "We've both made a mistake, Mr Smythe; and I apologise for mine. But, is there anything I can do for you, sir?"

"Well," hesitated the other, "I want, you know, to hold a service, you know--ah, and--"

"You'll have to ask the captain after divisions, sir," put in "Joe"

anxious to close the interview, for the drums had begun to beat the Retreat for the men to return their arms. "Excuse me, though, please, Mr Smythe, I've got to go on deck now."

With that he vanished up the hatchway after Mr Gilham; and, thereupon the unhappy Mr Smythe found himself, with his "final e," in the midst of a seething ma.s.s of men racing along the deck to put their rifles and cutla.s.ses back in the racks, being finally compelled to beat a retreat himself to the wardroom, while the boatswain and his mates were piping and shouting all over the s.h.i.+p for the hands to clean themselves and dress for "Divisions."

A quarter-of-an-hour later, both watches were mustered, all decently dressed, like "Sally in our Alley," in their Sunday best, according to their respective stations; the first and second divisions on the upper deck and forecastle, under the first lieutenant and Mr Jellaby; the third and fourth divisions on the main deck, with Mr Gilham and Mr Bitpin at the head of the men; and the fifth and sixth on the lower deck, in charge of "Gunnery Jack," in lieu of one of the regular lieutenants, and the second mate, the fat Plumper, bursting out of his b.u.t.tons as usual, who was at the head of the after-guard, among whom I recognised the ex-gravedigger, "Downy."

This worthy, I noticed, looked quite smart and seaman-like in the dungaree suit he had purchased from Mrs Poll Nash, the b.u.mboat woman, which his messmates had taught him to rig up in proper man-o'-war fas.h.i.+on, the good-hearted chaps also supplying whatever other necessaries were required for his wardrobe, such as the black silk handkerchief, tied in a loose knot round his neck, and the knife and lanyard without which no bluejacket's toilet is complete.

The men were drawn up in line, two deep, in open order, ready for inspection, and the captain and commander were just about descending from the p.o.o.p to go round the ranks; when, up came the Reverend Mr Smythe on the quarter-deck in his complete clerical regalia, only now with his college cap on, which, when I had seen him before by the main hatchway, he had carried in his hand.

He now raised this in salute to the captain and then immediately replaced it, seeing that none of us were uncovered, all of us having our caps on of course, being in uniform.

Captain Farmer only gave the regulation touch to the peak of his in return for the chaplain's courtesy.

"Well, sir," said Captain Farmer in his direct way, as Mr Smythe struggled to speak, feeling that the eyes of all hands were upon him, blus.h.i.+ng a rosy red up to the roots of his sandy hair, "what is it?"

"Am I--ah--to begin now, sir," he stammered; "or, wa--wa--wait till the bell rings again, sir?"

"Bell rings!" repeated the captain, abruptly. "For what, sir?"

"For service, sir."

"Service?" said Captain Farmer, in a questioning tone still. "I've given no orders about any service to-day. There's no time for it now.

We're going to weigh anchor in another minute or two."

"Weigh the anchor, sir!" exclaimed Mr Smythe, in a voice of holy indignation, losing all his hesitancy and awkwardness of speech. "Why, it is Sunday!"

"The better the day, the better the deed," rejoined the captain, rather sternly, I thought. "If you overhaul your Bible you'll find it was only the Pharisees who objected to any necessary work being done on the Sabbath, and I myself see nothing wrong in our sailing on this day if we have a fair wind, Sunday though it be; besides which, I am obeying the orders of my queen and country."

"But, sir," cried Mr Smythe, flus.h.i.+ng up again, though now more from the heat of argument than from the feeling of bashfulness which at first oppressed him, "it is my duty to celebrate divine service, and my bishop--"

"Mr Smythe, I'm bishop here; and, as commanding officer, my word is law," interrupted Captain Farmer. "The next time you may desire to hold service on board this s.h.i.+p, please be good enough to ask my permission first; for, remember, my rule is paramount here over matters spiritual as well as things temporal. No doubt you have erred through ignorance in trying to set your authority against mine, and I'll not dwell further on the matter. I am sorry there'll be no time to-day for you to hold any regular service, for I am now going to inspect the men at divisions; but, after that, you may have a short prayer, if you like, before we make sail."

The Reverend Mr Smythe, I was glad to notice, took this rebuke in dignified silence, standing aside on the quarter-deck while the captain and commander descended the p.o.o.p-ladder and went their rounds.

He waited until they had pa.s.sed forwards before he went down the after-hatchway to the main deck; where, on the completion of the inspection, all hands were mustered and he read the form of prayer enjoined by the rubric for those about to travel by sea, which was listened to more attentively perhaps than it is in any church ash.o.r.e.

Sailors, however, watch as well as pray; so, no sooner had the chaplain finished than his congregation dispersed instantly to their stations, the commander singing out from the p.o.o.p, the moment he had reached that coign of vantage, the long-delayed but welcome order, for which we had all been waiting in expectancy since the morning.