Afloat at Last Part 7

"And is he a Chinaman?" I asked, full of curiosity; "a real, live Chinaman from the East?"

"Be jabers he is, ivery inch av him from his blissid ould pigtail, tied up with a siezin' of ropeyarn, down to his rum wooden brogues an' all, the craythur!" replied Tim, stretching out his big hairy fist to the other, who had advanced on seeing him and stopped just abreast, his saffron-coloured face puckered up into a sort of wrinkled smile of pleasure at meeting an old s.h.i.+pmate like the boatswain, who said in his hearty way: "Hallo, ye ould son av a gun! Who'd a-thought av sayin' ye ag'in in the ould barquey, Ching w.a.n.g? Glad ye're a-comin' with us, an'

hopes ye're all roight!"

"Chin-chin, Ma.s.s' Looney," answered the Chinee, putting his monkey-like paw into Tim's broad palm and shaking hands cordially in English fas.h.i.+on. "Me belly well, muchee sank you. Me fetchee chow-chow number one chop when you wauchee."

"Aye, that's roight, me joker; if ye say that I gits me groob whin I wants it, we'll be A1 friends an' have no squalls atwane us," said my friend the boatswain as the Chinaman pa.s.sed along the deck to the forward deck-house, entering the galley as if he knew the way well, Tim adding as he got out of hearing: "The ig'rant haythin, he nivir can spake me name roight; allers callin' me 'looney,' jist as if I wor a blissid omahdawn loike himsilf!"

Meanwhile, the other men who had come on board, most of whom were fine strapping fellows, as if Captain Gillespie had selected them carefully, scrambled past us to their quarters in the forecastle, the boatswain scanning them keenly with his sharp seaman's eye as they went by, and commenting on their appearance; some being st.u.r.dy and having decent chests of clothes, which they lugged after them, while others looked lean and half starved, carrying their few belongings in bags, which showed that they had little or nothing beyond what they stood up in, and were but ill provided for the long voyage we were about to take.

Tim shook his head at these latter.

"Begorra, thay're as lane as Job's toorkey, an' that wor all skin an'

faythers," he muttered. "Thay'll pick up, though, whin they gits out to say an' has a good bit av salt joonk insoide av 'em, instid av the poor livin' thay've hid av late."

As soon as the men had all disappeared under the forecastle, leaving room for us to pa.s.s along the deck, the boatswain stepped up to the captain to present himself; and I followed his example.

"Hi, Rooney, man," said Captain Gillespie accosting Tim, "I'm glad you haven't deserted us; though I knew it before, for I heard your voice answering my hail."

"No, cap'en, I'll niver desart the ould s.h.i.+p so long's ye're the skipper," replied Tim. "It's goin' on foive years now since we've sailed togither."

"Aye, close on that; and I hope we'll sail together for five years more, man, for I don't wish a better bosun," responded the other pleasantly.

"But, who's that you've got in tow?"

"Misther Gray-ham, sorr," said Tim, shoving me more in front as I took off my cap and bowed.

"Our new apprentice," explained Mr Mackay from the top of the p.o.o.p ladder as he caught sight of me. "He came aboard just before we left the docks."

"Ah, I thought I didn't see him this morning," observed the captain.

And turning to me he said: "I've read a very good letter the owners got about you, youngster, and if you only do your duty and obey orders I'll try to make a sailor out of you, and we'll get on very well together; but, mind you, if you try any tricks with me, you'll find me a scorcher."

"Oh, I think he'll turn out all right," put in Mr Mackay as I blushed and stood before the old fellow not knowing what to say, he looked so stern at me when he spoke. "I've had a chat with him already, and I think he's got the right stuff in him."

"Has he?" returned the captain. "That's got to be proved by and by.

All boys promise well at first, but generally end badly! However, I only want him to understand me at the start, and know that when I say a thing I mean a thing, and stick to it, too. Where are the other 'prentices?"

"I told them they might turn in, as there was nothing else for them to do," replied the first mate, excusing them; "they were hard at it all day getting the cargo in, and helping to warp out of dock."

"H'm," muttered the captain, as if he did not like the idea of anyone having a rest off while he was about; and he compressed his lips while his long nose seemed to grow longer. "H'm!"

"What do you think of doing sir?" inquired Mr Mackay in the middle of this awkward pause, by way of changing the conversation. "The wind looks as if it was going to hold from the east'ard."

"Aye, so I think, too," a.s.sented Captain Gillespie, looking more amiable as his mind was recalled to action. "It's just the wind we want for going down Channel; and the sooner we take advantage of it, the better.

What say you pilot?"

"I'm agreeable," replied the thin man alongside him in the monkey- jacket, who was giving some parting message to the one in the oilskin as he went down the side-ladder to take a pa.s.sage back to Gravesend in the sh.o.r.eboat that had brought his comrade off. "I think we'd better lose no time but tow on at once to the Downs."

"Just what I wish," said Captain Gillespie springing up the p.o.o.p ladder and taking his place by the side of Mr Mackay; and, as the sh.o.r.eboat pushed off with its now solitary pa.s.senger and only one waterman to pull, he shouted out, "Hands, up anchor!"

"Aye, aye, sorr," responded the boatswain, who, expecting the order, had already gone forwards to rouse out the men before they had stowed themselves into their bunks, quickly followed by Mr Saunders the second mate, who also antic.i.p.ated what was coming; and the next moment I could hear Tim's shrill whistle and his hoa.r.s.e call, which seemed an echo of the captain's, albeit in even a louder key, "A-all hands up anchor!"

Mr Mackay now hailed the tug, which had been standing by still with her steam up, awaiting our summons, and she steered up alongside shortly; so, while our portion of the crew manned the windla.s.s, hauling in the cable with a chorus and the clink-clanking noise of the chain as the pauls gripped, another set of hands busied themselves in getting in the towing-hawser from the Arrow, and fastening it a second time around our bollards forward.

"Hove short, sir!" soon sang out the second mate from his station on the knightheads, when the anchor was up and down under our forefoot. "It'll show in a minute!"

"All right," answered Captain Gillespie from aft, "bring it home!"

More clink-clanking ensued from the windla.s.s; and, then, as the vessel's head slewed round with the tide, showing that she was released from the ground, Mr Saunders shouted, "Anchor's now in sight, sir!"

"Heave ahead!" the captain roared in answer to the master of the tug; and, a second or two later, we were under weigh and proceeding once more down the river, Captain Gillespie calling to the second mate that he might "cat and fish" the anchor if he liked, as he did not intend to bring up again, but to make sail as soon as the tug cast off in the morning. Adding, as Mr Saunders turned away to give the order for manning the catfalls: "And you'd better see to your side-lights at once, for fear of accidents."

Mindful of my previous experiences on the forecastle, I now kept away from this part of the vessel, especially now that it was crowded with the additional hands that had come on board; and after remaining for some little time near the deck-house, I went up on the p.o.o.p after the new pilot, who as soon as we were moving took up a similar position on the weather side as his predecessor had done, proceeding likewise to con the s.h.i.+p in the same manner.

The evening was rapidly drawing in; and the big red and green lanterns, which I noticed were placed presently in the fore-chains on the port and starboard sides respectively, began to shoot out their party-coloured gleams across the surface of the water, stretching out to meet the bright twinkling lights ash.o.r.e on either hand, which multiplied fourfold as the darkness grew.

Adams was not at the wheel now, one of the fresh hands having taken his place. But I did not mind this man being a stranger, nor did I feel so lonesome and anxious for someone to speak to as was the case earlier in the day; for Captain Gillespie having taken command of the s.h.i.+p, Mr Mackay the first mate was a free man, and he came and talked to me, explaining things very kindly as we pursued our way onward, the tide still with us and adding considerably to the rate we were being towed by the little Arrow, which had red and green side-lights like ours and a bright clear white one at the masthead as well, to show to other craft that she was a steamer under weigh, so that they might avoid fouling in the fairway.

An hour or so after starting from Gravesend, we pa.s.sed a bright red beacon, which Mr Mackay told me was the light marking the Mucking Flat; and, later on yet, glided by the one on Chapman Head, getting abreast of the light at the head of Southend Pier on our left at ten o'clock, or "four bells" in the first watch--soon after which, the revolving light of the Nore lights.h.i.+p was sighted, like a single-eyed Cyclops, staring at us in the distance one moment and eclipsed the next.

The moon now rose, putting all these artificial lights to shame as it flooded the stream with its silver sheen; but I got so sleepy with the night air after all my excitement through the day, besides being thoroughly exhausted from standing so long on my legs, that, as Mr Mackay was pointing out something in connection with Sheerness and the Isle of Sheppey, and a light house on top of a church--I'm sure I can't recollect what it was all about--I made a stumble forward and nearly fell on my face on the deck, dead beat.

"Poor little chap, you're tired out," said the first mate sympathisingly, putting his arm round me and holding me up; "and when a fellow's tired out, the best thing he can do is to turn in!"

"Eh, sir," said I sleepily. "Turn where?"

"Turn in, my boy," he replied laughing. "Go to roost, I mean. To bed-- if you understand that better."

"But where shall I go, sir?" I asked, catching his meaning at last.

"Come along and I'll soon show you," he answered, taking me down the p.o.o.p ladder to the after-deckhouse, and hailing the steward to show a light: "There!"

It was a little narrow box of a cabin with four bunks in it, two on one side running athwart the deck and two fore and aft. The ends of these crossed each other, and they looked exactly like shelves in a cupboard; while, to add to the effect and trench on the already limited s.p.a.ce of this apartment, the floor was blocked up by two other sea-chests besides my own, and a lot of loose clothes and other things strewn about.

The two bottom bunks were already occupied, Jerrold and Sam Weeks snoring away respectively in them; and one of the two upper ones was filled with what looked like a collection of odds and ends and crockery ware.--This was the situation.

What was I to do?

I looked at Mr Mackay appealingly.

"Well, Graham," he said in answer to my look, "you must make the best of a bad job. These two fellows have turned in first, so, as you're the last comer you've only got Dobson's choice in the matter of bunks--that top one there, which seems a little less crowded than the other, or nothing."

"I'm so weary," I replied, "I can sleep anywhere. I don't mind."

"Then, in you go," cried he, giving me a hoist up, while he covered me over with a blanket which he pulled off young Weeks, that worthy having with his customary smartness appropriated mine as well as his own. "Are you all right now?"

"Yes--th-ank you," I answered, closing my eyes; "g-ood night, sir."

"Good night, my boy."