Outward Bound Or, Young America Afloat: A Story of Travel and Adventure, Optic [best non fiction books of all time txt] 📗

out," he throws his breast across the yard with his feet on the horse. The man at the "weather earing," or eye for the reef pendent, has to sit astride the yard, and pull the sail towards him.

The foot-rope sometimes slips through the eyes in the stirrups when only one hand goes out upon it, which does, or may, place him in a dangerous position. During the preceding day, when the barometer indicated a change of weather, Mr. Lowington had sent the old boatswain aloft to "mouse the horses," in anticipation of the manoeuvre which the boys were now compelled to perform at midnight, in a gale of wind. Mousing the horses was merely fastening the foot-ropes to the eyes of the stirrups, so that they could {227} not slip through, and thus throw the entire slack of the horse under one boy, by which he sank down so low that his neck was even with the spar.

At the foot of each mast there is a contrivance for securing ropes, called the fife-rail. It is full of belaying pins, to which are secured the sheets, halyards, buntlines, clewlines, lifts, braces, reef tackle, and other ropes leading down from aloft. Looking at the mast, it seems to be surrounded by a perfect wilderness of ropes, without order or arrangement, whose uses no ordinary mortal could comprehend. There were other ropes leading down from aloft, which were fastened at the sheer-poles and under the rail. Now, it is necessary that every sailor should be able to put his hand on the right rope in the darkest night; and when the order to haul out the buntlines was given in the gloom and the gale, those to whom this duty was assigned could have closed their eyes and found the right lines.

"Aloft, topman!" continued the first lieutenant, when the topsails were in readiness for reefing.

At this order thirty of the young tars ran up the shrouds, over the cat-harpings, and up the rigging, till they reached the fore, main, and mizzen topsail yards. Twelve of them were stationed on the main, ten on the fore, and eight on the mizzen topsail yard. The first, second, and third midshipmen were aloft to superintend the work, and when the studding-sail booms had been triced up, they gave the order to lay out, and take two reefs.

When the hands were at their stations on the yard, the first lieutenant ordered the quartermaster to "luff {228} up;" that is, to put the helm down so as to throw the ship up into the wind and spill the sail, or get the wind out of it, that the young tars might handle it with the more ease.

The boys had been frequently trained in the manoeuvre which they were now executing under trying circumstances, and all of them knew their duty. If any one trembled as the mast swayed over when the ship rolled, he was afraid to mention the fact, or to exhibit any signs of alarm. Perhaps most of them would have been willing to acknowledge that it was rather "ticklish" business to lay out on a topsail yard at midnight in a gale of wind; and if their anxious mothers could have seen the boys at that moment, some of them might have fainted, and all wished them in a safer place.

The boom tricing-lines were manned again, and the studding-sail booms restored to their places.

"Lay down from aloft!" shouted Haven, when the midshipman in charge aloft had reported the work done; and he was obliged to roar at the top of his lungs through the speaking trumpet, in order to be heard above the piping of the gale and the dashing of the sea. "Man the topsail halyards! stand by the braces."

"All ready, sir," reported the fourth lieutenant, after the others.

"Hoist away the topsails!"

The hands on deck walked away with the halyards, until the topsails were hauled up to a taut leech.

The same operation was repeated on the fore and main course; the yards were trimmed; the bowlines {229} attached and hauled out, and then the ship was under double-reefed topsails and courses.

"Boatswain, pipe down!" said the executive officer when the work was done.

But the crew did not care to pipe down, just then. This was the first time they had ever seen a gale at sea, and there was something grand and sublime in the heaving ocean, and the wild winds that danced madly over the white-crested waves. It was now after midnight, eight bells having struck before the courses were reefed, and the first part of the starboard watch were to have the deck. Mr. Lowington insisted that all others should go below and turn in, assuring them that they would see enough of the gale in the morning, or as soon as their quarter watches were called.

The principal and Mr. Fluxion were earnest in their commendation of the behavior of the Young America. She was not only a stiff and weatherly ship, but she behaved most admirably, keeping well up to the wind, and minding her helm. The four boys at the wheel handled it with perfect ease.

The ship did not labor in the gale as she had before the sails were reefed; and though she jumped, plunged, and rolled, making a terrific roar as she went along, everything was ship-shape about her, and the boys soon became accustomed to the exciting scene. She was making but little headway, but she still kept within three points of her general course. Mr. Lowington remained on deck the rest of the night, anxiously watching the ship and her crew in the trying experience of the hour. {230}

Augustus Pelham, the discontented lieutenant, went below when his quarter watch was relieved. The little incident, before all hands were called, between himself and the captain, had disturbed him more than he would have been willing to acknowledge. He thought it was harsh of the captain to say anything to him, though he had broken one of the rules of the ship; and he regarded the gentle reproof he had received as a very great indignity.

He went to his state room. The ship was rolling fearfully, and he could not stand up without holding on at the front of his berth. Goodwin, the third lieutenant who was his room-mate, had already turned in; but it was impossible for him to sleep. Pelham took a match from his pocket and lighted the lamp, which swung on gimbals in the room.

"What are you doing, Pelham?" demanded Goodwin "It is against the rule to light a lamp after ten o'clock."

"I know it; but I'm not going to blunder round here, and have my brains knocked out in the dark," growled Pelham.

"Put the light out; you will get into trouble," remonstrated his room-mate.

"I won't do it."

"What are you going to do?"

"Go to sleep, Goodwin, and don't bother me."

"What's the matter, Pelham? What ails you? I never knew you to think of breaking one of the rules before."

"I should like to break them all, as Moses did the ten commandments. I have been insulted." {231}

"Who insulted you?"

"The captain."

"Gordon?" asked Goodwin, in astonishment

"Yes."

"I never knew him to do such a thing as that. I think you didn't understand him; or he must have been excited by the gale."

"It was before it came on to blow very hard," replied Pelham, seating himself on a stool, and bracing his feet against the front of the berth to prevent being thrown down.

"What did he do?"

"He snubbed me, told me I knew the rule, and was as overbearing as though I had been his servant, instead of an officer of the ship."

"But what did you do? He wouldn't have done anything of the kind if you hadn't given him some provocation."

"I told the quartermaster, when the wind was heading off the ship, to alter the course."

"Didn't you tell the captain beforehand?"

"Not I."

"Then I don't blame him for snubbing you. What's the use of being captain if the officers don't obey you?"

"If he had anything to say to me, he might have been a little more gentle about it."

Pelham neglected to say that he was not particularly gentle himself.

"Put that light out, Pelham, for my sake, if not for your own," said Goodwin, when he found that his companion was too much out of sorts to be reasonable.

"Neither for yours nor my own will I put it out," {232} replied Pelham, as he took a cigar from its hiding-place, under the lower berth.

"What are you going to do, Pelham?" demanded Goodwin, filled with astonishment, as he observed the conduct of his fellow-officer.

"I'm going to have a smoke."

"But you know that smoking is positively prohibited either on ship or shore."

"I haven't had a smoke since vacation," replied Pelham, as he lighted the cigar.

"See here, Pelham; I won't stand this!" exclaimed the third lieutenant, rising up in his bed, in which act he was nearly pitched out of his berth by a heavy roll of the ship. "The companion-way is closed."

"That's the very reason why I'm going to smoke," replied the malcontent, coolly.

"But I shall be stifled here."

"Can't help it."

"I can," retorted Goodwin, as he leaped out on the floor.

"What are you going to do?"

"I am going to inform Mr. Lowington what you are doing."

"Are you such a fellow as that?" asked Pelham, indignantly.

"I am, if you are such a fellow as to attempt to stifle me with cigar smoke in my own room. It would make me as sick as a horse in five minutes."

"Seasick, you mean," sneered Pelham. "I'm going to have my smoke, if there is a row about it."

Goodwin put on his pea-jacket, and left the room.

CHAPTER XV.

{233}

AFTER THE GALE.

Return to Table of Contents

One of the most singular traits observable in the character of some boys is the willingness, and even the desire, under certain circumstances, to get into trouble. A young gentleman, feeling that he has been slighted, or his merit overlooked, permits himself to fall into a mental condition in which he feels no responsibility for his conduct; in which he recklessly breaks through all regulations, places himself in an attitude of opposition to constituted authority, and seems to court the heaviest penalty which can be inflicted upon him for disobedience, impudence, and rebellion.

The fourth lieutenant of the Young America had worked himself up to this disagreeable pitch. He was not only disposed to assume an attitude of opposition to the principal, who had made the obnoxious regulation which was the immediate cause of his rebellious condition, but to all who supported his authority, or willingly submitted to it.

Smoking was a high crime on board the Young America—not in the relation of the practice to the ship, but to the student. It was condemned, not simply because it would be offensive in the cabins and {234} steerage, and on deck, but because it was a bad habit for a boy to acquire. The adult forward officers, the cooks and the stewards, were allowed to smoke on the forecastle at certain prescribed hours; but it was a punishable offence for a student to smoke at any time or in any place, whether on board or on shore.

Goodwin was indignant at the conduct of his room-mate, for the third lieutenant was not only opposed to smoking on principle, but the fumes of tobacco were intensely offensive to him; and there was no doubt that, in the confined space of the state room, insufficiently ventilated, while all the openings in the deck were closed during the gale, the smoke would make him "as sick as a horse." He was a noble-minded, manly youth, and had all a boy's detestation for tattling and tale-bearing. He did not like to go on deck and inform the principal of the conduct of Pelham, but he could not submit to the indignity cast upon him. He went out into the cabin, and threw himself upon the cushioned divan, under the stern ports of the ship.

This would have been a very satisfactory place to sleep under ordinary circumstances; but Goodwin had hardly secured a comfortable position, before the heavy rolling and pitching of the vessel tumbled him off, and he measured his length on the cabin floor—a very undignified situation for a third lieutenant. He picked himself up in the darkness, and tried it again, but with no better success than before. He had fully intended to go on deck and inform the principal of the misconduct of Pelham, which had driven him from his room; but he shrank from the task. {235}

What Goodwin was attempting to do on the divan many of the officers were striving to do in their berths, though with better success than attended his efforts. It was not an easy matter to stay in the berths; and this done, the situation was far from comfortable. Avoiding the rude fall on the one side, the occupant was rolled over against the partition on the other side. Sleep, in anything more than "cat naps," was utterly impracticable, for as soon as the tired officer began to lose himself in slumber, he was