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

at it. He could not have done it without the impulse of an insane passion; but it was dreadful because it would have shut him out from society; because it would have placed the mark of Cain upon him; because the dungeon and the gallows were beyond it,—rather than because it was the sacrifice of a human life, of one created in the image of God.

Shuffles was in a state of terror, as one who has just escaped from an awful gulf that yawned before him. He was not sincerely penitent, as one who feels the enormity of his offence. He was not prepared to {320} acknowledge his sin before God, whose law he had outraged.

When Pelham came on deck, on the day after the exciting event, he greeted Shuffles with his accustomed suavity, and seemed not to bear any malice in his heart against the author of his misfortune. Officers and seamen as well as the principal and the professors, congratulated him upon his escape from the peril which had menaced him; and all commended Shuffles for his prompt and noble efforts in rescuing him. Pelham dissented from none of their conclusions, and was as generous in his praise of the deliverer as the occasion required.

Shuffles was rather astonished to find himself a lion on board, and at being specially thanked by Mr. Lowington for his humane exertions in saving a shipmate. He was so warmly and so generously commended that he almost reached the conclusion himself that he had done a good thing. He was not satisfied with himself. He was in the power of Pelham, who, by a word, could change the current of popular sentiment and arraign him for the gravest of crimes. If the fourth lieutenant spoke, Shuffles realized that he should be shunned and despised, as well as hated and feared, by all on board the ship. It was quite natural, therefore, for him to desire a better understanding with Pelham.

The League had fallen into contempt, at least for the present. Even "our fellows" would not have spirit enough to strike the blow; besides, the terrible gulf from which Shuffles had just escaped was too vivid in his mind to permit him to place himself on {321} the brink of another. So far the reaction was salutary.

"When may I see you, Mr. Pelham?" said Shuffles as they came together in the waist.

"We will visit the top-gallant forecastle again, and see if we can understand how I happened to fall overboard for really I'm not in the habit of doing such things," replied Pelham, with a smile.

They walked forward together, and mounted the ladder to the place indicated.

"Shuffles, I never paid much attention to the snapper of the toggle before, and never supposed it meant anything in particular," continued Pelham, as he placed himself in the position he had occupied before he went over the bow. "Am I in any danger now?"

"No, Pelham, no!" replied Shuffles, earnestly. "You provoked me so by your cool taunts that I pushed you over before I thought what I was about."

"Did you really mean to drown me?"

"Upon my soul, I did not. If you knew how I felt when I saw you strike the water, and realized what I had done, you would forgive me."

"I have done that already, Shuffles."

"I would have given my own life for yours at that instant, Pelham."

"You saved me, after all, Shuffles. When I went over, I either hit the side of the ship, or struck my stomach on the water, for all the breath seemed to be knocked out of me. I hardly knew what I was about in the water till I saw you. At first I supposed you had jumped overboard to finish your job." {322}

"You wronged me; I would have saved you, if I had been sure of perishing myself."

"You did save me, and I am willing to let that act offset the other."

"I'm grateful to you for this, Pelham. You treat me better than I deserve."

"Never mind it now; we will call it square," replied Pelham, lightly. "How about the Chain, Shuffles? We shall be in sight of land by to-morrow."

"We can't do anything now."

"Why not?"

"How can we? After what has happened, I will not reproach you for what you did. You know how you provoked me. You have exposed the whole affair to the officers."

"Not a bit of it."

"No."

"Certainly not. Did you ever know Augustus Pelham to violate his obligations?" demanded Pelham with dignity.

"Never before; but the captain, the second lieutenant and seven others, who would no more join the League than they would steal your pocket-book, went through all the signs with me."

"They all voted too," laughed Pelham.

"I am willing to confess that I played off a mean trick upon you."

"And I have only made myself even with you. I have not betrayed a single secret of the Chain to any one not posted—except the signs. If I had, of course you and I would both have been in the brig before this time." {323}

"I was puzzled to find nothing was said," added Shuffles.

"No one knows anything. The Chain is as perfect as ever. Give me your orders, and I will carry them out."

"The fellows have backed out now."

"Then, of course, we must do the same. I doubt whether we could have carried the thing out."

"No matter whether we could or not; we must drop it for the present. The fellows all suppose they are caught now, and expect every moment to be hauled up to the mast for an investigation."

"They are all safe; at least we can purchase their safety for ten shillings apiece," laughed Pelham.

"Purchase it!" exclaimed Shuffles, mystified by the language of his companion.

"Just so—purchase it," added Pelham; and he proceeded to inform his late rival of the trick he had invented in retaliation for the one Shuffles had put upon him.

"It was tit for tat," said Shuffles.

"I told nothing which would harm either of us, for I am just as deep in the mud as you are in the mire."

"That's true. We must hang together."

"I hope not," replied Pelham, laughing. "We have got into this scrape, and we must get out of it."

"Suppose the captain or the second lieutenant should make the signs to one of our fellows, and he should tell what we were going to do."

"I told all my recruits not to answer any signs now, whoever made them." {324}

"I did the same, when I found the captain knew them."

"Then we are safe; but the silver pitcher must be forthcoming."

"The fellows will all be glad enough to get out of this scrape by paying ten shillings."

"Very well; then every one of them must sign an order on Mr. Lowington for ten shillings, payable to Dr. Winstock," added Pelham.

"They will do it. Are you sure nothing has leaked out?"

"Very sure; there would have been a tremendous commotion before this time, if our real object had been even suspected."

"No doubt of that."

"After all, Shuffles, do you really think we intended to take the ship?"

"I did; I know that."

"I don't believe I did," said the fourth lieutenant. "Nothing seemed exactly real to me, until I went overboard."

"It was more real to me then than ever before," replied Shuffles. "What shall we do with the Chain now?"

"Nothing; we may want to use it again, some time. Let every fellow keep still. When the principal gets his silver pitcher, which the doctor will procure as soon as he can go up to Cork, he will think the members of the Chain are the best fellows on board."

"I think you have sold the whole of us, Pelham," {325} continued Shuffles, with a sheepish smile. "Here's the end of the Chain——"

"Yes, and we may be thankful that it isn't the end of a rope instead of a chain," laughed Pelham. "The penalty of mutiny is death."

"I have had no fear of that; it would have been regarded only as a lark. But it is really amusing to think where we have come out," added Shuffles. "We formed the 'Chain' because Lowington was tyrannical; most of the fellows joined it because he took their money from them."

"Precisely so."

"And we are going to end it by giving Lowington a silver pitcher, in token of our respect and esteem!"

"In other words, Shuffles, we have played this game, and whipped out each other, without any help from the principal. It was mean business—I really think so; and while we were trying to overreach each other, the game slipped through our fingers. I am really grateful when I think what an awful scrape we have avoided."

"Perhaps you are right," replied Shuffles, thoughtfully; "but there was fun in the scheme."

"There might have been, if we had succeeded; but it would have been anything but fun if we had failed. Some of us would have found quarters in the brig, and we should not have been allowed to go on shore when we reached Queenstown."

"A fellow won't want to go on shore without any money," growled Shuffles, who was not wholly cured of his discontent.

"Since I went overboard I have been thinking a {326} great deal of this matter. I have come to the conclusion that Mr. Lowington is not the worst man in the world."

"He is harsh and tyrannical."

"I don't think he ought to have taken our money from us; but I judge him from all his acts, not by one alone."

Pelham seemed to have turned over a new leaf, and to be sincerely sorry for his attitude of rebellion. Shuffles was not to be convinced; he was to be overwhelmed in another manner.

The rivals separated, with their differences removed and with full confidence in each other. Pelham wrote thirty-one orders on the principal for ten shillings each, in favor of the surgeon, during his off-time on that day, which were to be signed and handed to Paul Kendall. As opportunity occurred, the "situation" was explained to the members of the League; and though many of them growled at the idea of giving a present to Mr. Lowington for taking their money from them, not one of them refused to sign the orders; none of them dared to refuse.

In due time Dr. Winstock had possession of all these little drafts, amounting in the aggregate to fifteen pounds, ten shillings, which would purchase quite a respectable piece of plate. Paul Kendall was the happiest student on board, for the presentation heralded the era of good feeling. The League was virtually dead for the present, if not forever. The inherent evil of the organization, with the bickerings and bad passions of its members, had killed it—the turtle had swallowed his own head. {327}

The weather continued fine; the routine of ship's duty and the studies went on without interruption. On the twenty-fourth day out, at three bells in the afternoon watch, a tremendous excitement was created on board.

"Land on the port bow!" shouted one of the crew, who had been stationed on the fore yard-arm as a lookout.

All on deck sprang into the rigging, to get a sight of the welcome shore. It looked like a fog bank in the distance; there was really nothing to be seen, but the fact that the ship was in sight of land was enough to create an excitement among the boys.

At three bells, in the first dog watch, the land was distinctly visible. It was the Island of Dursey, and was now seen on the beam, while other land appeared in sight ahead. It was Sunday, and all hands were at liberty to enjoy this first view of the new continent. The boys thought the land looked just like that they had last seen on the shore of the western continent, and perhaps some of them were disappointed because everything looked so natural.

The officers and crew were impatient to make their destined port; but the wind subsided as the sun went down on that quiet Sabbath day on the ocean. The ship hardly made twenty miles before daylight in the morning.

At eight o'clock, on Monday, when Paul Kendall had the deck, the Young America was off Fastnet Rock, and not more than half a mile from it. It is about ten miles from Cape Clear, and is a solitary rock rising out of the sea, on which a lighthouse is {328} located. The water around it was covered with small boats engaged in fishing. The port watch were all on deck, and the scene was full of interest to them. The people whom they saw belonged to another continent than that in which they lived. All was new and strange to them, and all were interested in observing the distant shore, and the objects near the ship.

At one bell in the afternoon watch, when the Young America was off Gally Head, all hands were piped to muster. Mr. Lowington, on taking the rostrum, said that he had received a petition signed by a majority of the officers and crew.

"A petition to go ashore, I suppose," said Shuffles to Pelham.

"I think not," laughed the fourth lieutenant, who appeared to know what was coming.

"Young gentlemen," continued the