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the largest sum ever paid for a painting hardly created an emotion except at the price paid for it it was impossible to do anything more than glance at these pictures for a week would not be too long a time to enable one to see in detail the great gallery is three hundred and twenty feet long and forty two feet wide and persons not deeply with a love of art find the journey through all these halls rather tiresome the museum of the sovereigns five halls one of which is called the de napoleon l and is exclusively devoted to articles connected with him including his robes swords dressing cases the clothing he wore at st the camp bed and furniture used in his the throne and the cradle of the king of rome his old hats and boots seemed to bring him back to the students so that he was more real than ever in the des are the relics of the kings such as the worn by the early sovereigns s book of hours written in his sword and the young america in france and bible and prayer book of charles the bald the of st louis and the in which he was the jewel boxes of anne of and the palace of the is the city residence of louis napoleon as it was of many of the preceding sovereigns of france it was once a tile yard and its name from this circumstance the entrance is under the arch in the place du a couple of mounted and the imperial standard flying on the clock tower indicated that the emperor was at home and visitors were not admitted but the students had an opportunity afterwards to see napoleon and having seen three palaces in one or rather glanced at them the party were ready for the second breakfast which had been prepared lor them at the a short distance from the palace when you enter a said dr to those around him you will bow politely to the young lady who sits at the counter she is sometimes called the daughter of the and represents the dignity of the establishment it is the universal custom to salute her on entering the students were polite enough to observe this and the lady smiled upon them as sweetly as a new blown rose they seated themselves at the little tables and with capital disposed of the second breakfast palace and cottage or chapter xv rides and walks about paris mr as he was the host of the ship s company on the present occasion was considerate enough to see that four hours walking was quite enough for the students in one day especially when a considerable portion of it was over the floors of the on which is about as as on glare ice his agent had procured over twenty de place and de as the two classes of public in paris are termed the former have stands about the streets and are numbered with red figures the fare for with two places is one and seventy five an hour with four places two the de stands under cover and is numbered with yellow figures the fare is half a more an hour than the other class and the are much better by the course or a drive not exceeding fifteen minutes the fare is a and a half for the best class and two for more than fifteen minutes within the a or four must be given to the driver the professors and students seated themselves in these carriages each of which was drawn by one young america in france and horse paul was honored with a place in the with mrs and grace while mr rode with the principal as the young captain was entering the vehicle th driver handed him a little blue paper on which were printed the of prices for his class of carriages and a blank form which the traveller can fill out if he wishes to complain of his driver to the lieutenant of police the number is printed upon it in very large figures and the is requested to preserve it that he may be able to anything left in the vehicle i wish we had the paris police to take care of the new york laughed paul as he read the paper but even in paris the drivers will cheat added mrs a friend of mine paid about double fare once simply because he was in a hurry the carriages seem to be very well regulated but i suppose it is impossible to prevent some if people will not complain of being cheated they must suffer the consequences added paul as the procession of carriages moved off captain what do you understand by a asked grace mr says the word is derived from the fact that ball was formerly played upon them sur i suppose the term is applied to a wide street though some of the avenues are wider than some of the but the latter as a rule are wider than the former and the de is as wide as either the procession crossed the sees to a palace and cottage or broad avenue called la on the bank of the between the street and the river was a continuous line of as in all parts of the city the stream as different portions of the same may receive half a dozen different names so the seem to liave no arbitrary dividing line in front of the the space is called des before the the du in front of and below some of the are landing places called ports the de per d as it is called is the only horse railroad in paris but the which run upon it change from the track on the la to the common street before entering the more peopled portion of the city | 36 |
as the procession approached the paul who had attentively studied the map of paris had an opportunity to explain the use of a high of the light yellow stone used in the city beneath the arches of which the carriages passed it is a railroad connecting the different lines that from paris passing through the d one of the gates of the city the party entered the de the most beautiful park in paris it contains two thousand five hundred acres laid out with walks drive ways groves flower beds artificial lakes and rock work and a race course central park in new york contains about eight hundred and fifty acres but what there is of it rather the de passing out of this park at its northern end the company proceeded to the de st it is a beautiful little young america in france and marble building in the form of a greek cross and the death of the duke of the oldest son of louis and heir to the throne who was killed on this spot by a fall from his carriage in the horses ran away the duke in attempting to get out was thrown to the ground and his skull he was carried into a house near the spot and died in a few hours surrounded by his family he was buried at and the king the house in which he died erected this chapel upon its site it contains several of the duke pictures and bass representing his death and a brought from canada by his brother the prince de which the deceased used upon the the rooms now occupied by the were formerly used by the royal family when they visited the chapel and contain two one indicating the instant of the accident and the other the time of the duke s death leaving this mournful place the drove to the nearest gate the drivers stopped to permit the officers of the to examine the carriages in search of goods liable to the city duty following the broad avenue de la arm e the party arrived at the arc de or arc de it is an immense arch the largest in the world commenced in by napoleon to the of the french armies it is one hundred sixty one feet high one hundred forty five wide and one hundred and ten deep the arch itself is nearly a hundred feet high it has upon it bass of various french battles and representations of palace and cottage or national subjects it cost over two million dollars a dark staircase leads to the top where a beautiful view of the city is obtained admission twenty five it was now about five o clock in the afternoon and the ton of paris were on the avenue des at the head of which and on an elevation stands the structure described many dashing with and were to be seen while the students were examining the arc the lieutenant of police in charge of the party announced that the emperor was coming up the avenue the word was given to form a line where they could see his majesty and they were instructed what to do and say the approach of the emperor was indicated by the profound paid to him by the people he was seated in a light drawn by two high spirited horses which he drove himself at his side sat the prince imperial while near them rode a small of in and long boots his majesty was plainly dressed in black clothes and wore nothing to distinguish him except the cross of the of honor his look was hard and stolid but it was full of imperial dignity shouted the students removing their caps as the royal approached his majesty bowed gracefully but did not smile though he seemed to wonder who and what the party were a ride through the de the returned to the hotel and dined as on the preceding day after this important duty had he m w york public library a u and i young america in france and been discharged those of the students who could be trusted were permitted to take a stroll on their own account ben the wag of the and captain haven of the young america happened to be together and agreed to take a walk though many of the boys were what is called good french scholars in school there was hardly one of them who could speak the language it was a notorious fact that the people of paris could not understand their own tongue as our spoke it when they attempted to express themselves the stared and looked blank captain haven and ben strolled through the royal and then into one of the curious by streets gazing about them at the strange little shops so unlike in their petty proportions the fine stores of new york and boston but filled with rare and costly they paused to examine the dim and walls which enclosed the residence of some french noble who traced his ancestors back to the days of hold on a minute ben i wonder whose shop this is said captain haven suddenly stopping it isn t a shop at all replied his companion it has a sign over the door but i can t make it out spell it out loud then added ben laughing as he always did in school when he came to a jaw l e g leg shouted ben any one in or out of france knows what that is i should say palace and cottage or nonsense don t interrupt me l e g hon des that means young america or fm a you are a then for the sign means of the united states i m surprised that the captain of a big ship should not know that these marks over the letters bother me laughed the commander i | 36 |
suppose this is the residence of the american minister continued ben the moment an american sets his foot on that threshold he is on united states territory is he then let s set our feet on it immediately shall we call on the minister why not asked the captain who considered himself equal to the occasion we have no one to introduce us we are strangers i can t say mr minister allow me to introduce my friend captain haven because mr minister might very naturally reply before you introduce your friend captain haven perhaps you will be so good as to get some one to introduce you he would be an fellow to do that let s try at all events persisted the captain if we are going to be the and the and all that sort of thing of the next generation we are not going to be frightened at the prospect of meeting an old gentleman come on ben was never behind any one and they entered the stone and walked up the alley on the rough pavement for as people who live in these grand young america in france and never walk there was no smooth u y a t il four service called an old woman in the of tones exclaimed ben clearing his throat for as he was in the it was a choking operation for a to speak it we that is desirous le responded the woman coming out of the dark hole where she sat and where it may be added she ate and drank and cooked and slept and lived with her husband and two children though the visitors were not informed of the fact and on the rough pavement with her wooden shoes au fond au fond de la a son excellence est je ne pas ce au fond au fond a i whistled ben that s a big dose of french but i caught enough of it to know where to go his is at home and we are to turn to the left at the foot of the court we ll try it the old woman was a french institution her tongue went like a railroad train she was an creature she wore a yellow handkerchief tied around her head and an immense blue apron with one great pocket in the centre of it they would have drowned her as a witch if they had caught her in whispered captain haven up to the age of about thirty french women of the o palace and cottage or lower class are blooming merry and as pretty looking as one would wish to see after they pass that age they dry up like withered apples their faces become yellow and wrinkled their forms and their finger joints knotted and and taking them all together they are very women give them the and they seem to be ready for a flight in the air after seeing a few of them one is not greatly surprised to read that the women were worse than the men in the which have paris the ancient saw that the young gentlemen did not yet know where to go and she wildly towards the back of the court yard la la jar cried she pointing with her fingers la si do i sang ben striking the notes of the scale at the end of the court yard stood quite a handsome house on which was the same sign they had seen at the door rang the bell and a neat looking man servant dressed in black with a white neck tie and gloves opened the door le said ben the man who was polite polished good looking and attentive the very reverse of the old woman desired them to have the kindness to walk in to take the trouble to sit down and to be good enough to give him their cards with which he disappeared within an inner room the apartment in which the visitors sat was neatly but not furnished young america in france and on the wall hung an of washington which reminded them of home and called forth some patriotic remarks from ben who declared the original was ever so much more of a man than the kings and of europe the minister made his appearance and gave the young gentlemen a cordial welcome the shoulder and bands of captain haven did not escape his attention and in a short time the story of the of the had been told including the capture of the his had heard of the academy before and was pleased to learn of the arrival of the students in paris can i do anything to make your stay in the city more agreeable asked the minister you seem however to be in good hands if you are attended by a lieutenant of police and the de yes sir we are well cared for but some of us would like to go to court if you can manage it for us to court exclaimed the minister well i have a great many but perhaps i can arrange it captain haven was amazed at the audacity of his companion but he did not object to putting his feet within the court of they took their leave and strayed next into the des habits de said captain haven reading a sign in the window of a fashionable tailor court clothes added ben the sign i never thought of that i wonder if we mustn t get a monkey dress to go to court in palace and cottage or on added captain reading another sign in the window english spoken here we will go in and see about the court dresses they went in and captain haven stated his business ye ne pas interposed the his shoulders and shaking his head demanded ben un why don t you speak it then laughed | 36 |
do you keep court clothes asked the captain the shrugged his shoulders and looked around him as if to find some hole by which he could escape the at last he declared that the man who spoke english was out des habits de added ben replied the man suddenly brightening up as he discharged this of after the manner of when they get at an idea which it has them to obtain do we need them asked ben in french o yes you must have them replied the rogue though he knew that the uniform of the ship would satisfy the demands of court etiquette it will be best for to order each a court suit i will show you one made up for the de the suit was duly before them it consisted of a fine blue cloth coat with swallow tail skirts a standing black velvet collar beautifully embroidered young america in france and with gold the sleeves and skirts were also ornamented in the same manner the rest of the suit consisted of white satin knee breeches silk stockings low shoes with a sword and cocked hat shouldn t i be a swell out in that laughed ben as he examined the finery with much interest i don t think my will warrant me in ordering such gear it wouldn t pay if it would replied the republican captain of the ship at this point took it into his head to speak nothing but english he informed the that he should not order a court dress that night and politely bade him good evening the man was but haven could not and would not speak french the followed them to the door but the young americans made good their retreat it is not very surprising that boys like them with inquiring minds should desire to see in its own quarters and was rather disappointed when he found that a court dress was imperative he decided to trouble the minister again and what was worse to face the old woman his informed him that a uniform only was necessary for an american the young were disposed to give three cheers for the american eagle the young having settled this important question though was not much better off than before for not being an officer he did not wear a uniform took a stroll through the and paid a visit to a on the broad in front palace and cottage or of it was a great number of little tables at which ladies and gentlemen were seated drinking coffee wine and the men smoking within little groups of two or more were engaged in the same way while a score of tables were in full operation as well as some other games the air was dense and of tobacco smoke but all the people seemed to be enjoying themselves there was no boisterous noise and no evidences of the young called for au which was poured from the pots with long wooden handles to each was placed a little silver on which were four of white sugar at an adjoining table saw a gentleman roll up two of them he did not use in his coffee in a paper and put it in his pocket the frenchman takes what he pays for whether he it on the spot or not and it is not an unusual thing for him to carry off the bread he does not eat in his pocket the price of the or small cup of coffee was forty and according to the custom they each gave the waiter two which he dropped into a glass urn on the counter for the are equally divided among all the servants returning to the hotel they found captain and the in the reading room and captain haven related their adventures that the commander of the should make one of the party when they went to court will you go with me grace asked paul laughing i should be delighted i she replied with enthusiasm young america in france and it is impossible interposed mr shaking his head none of my family are eligible to the honor since we have not been presented at the court of our own sovereign then i will not go exclaimed paul glancing at the fair young girl you americans with your institutions are highly favored and i advise you to go by all means captain added mr i don t care a fig for it i would rather stay here than to those crowned heads then lend me your uniform whispered i will with the greatest pleasure it will just fit me mr believed in crowned heads and perhaps did not exactly approve of paul s tendencies but the young gentleman was fully determined not to go to court unless grace could go with him after breakfast the next morning the business of sight seeing was resumed but not with as much zest as on the first day the employed a de but a procession of carriages was so to manage that mr preferred to go on foot when the distance was not great a short walk brought them to the church of st near which napoleon i came into notice by firing upon the mob which had risen against the the building which is large and far from elegant old paintings and palace and cottage or following the st honor the reached the place a handsome square in which is a column erected by napoleon i to his in germany the various incidents of which are represented by a line of bass three feet wide and containing two thousand figures the column is one hundred and thirty three feet high and the outer shell is of bronze cast from twelve hundred pieces of cannon taken from the and the it is surmounted by a statue of napoleon in his cocked hat and great coat cast from | 36 |
cannon and placed there by louis on the of the fence the students saw many wreaths of placed there by the old soldiers of napoleon passing through the de la the party glanced at the grand h and the magnificent opera house then in process of and next visited the which stands on part of the old of the where louis xvi and were hurried without ceremony into tl ir graves the remains of the king and queen were and removed to st the burial place of the kings of france and this chapel was erected as an memorial of their unhappy fate the next object of interest was the a large and magnificent church built in imitation of a greek temple it was commenced in but suspended during the revolution napoleon in the midst of his splendid that it should be altered into a temple of glory but in its object was again changed though it was not com young america in france and till it is surrounded with columns and on the is an immense bass relief of the last judgment the central figure of which is the with christ the interior is very decorated the stands at the head of the royal a broad street leading to the place de la from which its classic front may be seen passing through the square and over the bridge called the de la the company reached the du corps it is a handsome old building built by the whose name it once bore various bodies have held their here from to the present time from this structure the party proceeded to the h des an immense establishment for old soldiers the of the front building is over six hundred feet long the are on the left in which provisions for six thousand men can be cooked every day though the occupants of the institution are less than half that number both ofl and are at the but the rank of the former is carefully respected for they eat and sleep by themselves while those above the rank of captain dine in their own rooms the chambers each contain fifty single beds the principal articles of food are soup beef and with a a pint and three quarters of wine a day the students gazed with interest at the number and size of the soup and at the quantities of meat and vegetables they contained they regarded with wonder the old soldiers who had followed palace and cottage or the great french captain in his mighty they all wear a long blue frock coat and cocked hat and when on guard around the building they carry a in the chapel hundreds of them were telling their beads and saying their prayers this apartment over two hundred feet long is decorated with flags taken in battle on sundays the old soldiers attend a military mass at noon after which there is a grand parade in the square which contains a great number of captured cannon that are fired on national occasions the main building is surmounted by an immense dome the summit of which is three hundred and twenty four feet high the entrance to the church of the or st louis is at the south end of the building all the treasures of art have been upon the interior construction the floor in the middle of the church has a circular opening surrounded by a marble in the middle of which in the below is the of napoleon i two marble wind down to the vault on each side of which are monuments to the emperor s faithful friends and over the entrance is an extract from napoleon s will i desire that my remains may repose on the banks of the in the midst of the french people whom i have loved so much the urn of the emperor is of polished red in one block weighing thirteen tons and was brought from lake in is also buried in this church the boys were not a little moved by the solemn young america in france and grandeur of the place which seemed to render real all they had read of the great captain a hasty glance at the s palace and the vast military school which fronts the de completed their observations in that vicinity and they returned to the hotel ready for dinner and cottage or chapter xvi v the of the after the choice of officers on board of the a consultation was held to determine what course should be pursued it was dark when the election was finished and the vessel was still headed towards the broad atlantic west by compass during the the rough shores of the channel islands had been seen in the distance and before the darkness settled down the were out of sight of land now fellows we must decide what to do and where to go said after supper had been disposed of i thought it was decided already that we were to go up the green way who had been an for the office of fourth lieutenant as indeed seven of those who now found themselves common had been that was the idea before we started but i am satisfied that will send a l t of out after us added by the suggestion of they can t catch us now said we have been out twenty hours with a fresh breeze and young america in france and jl not many of those french make more knots an hour than we do we can easily keep out of the way of the if we stick her right out to sea continued i don t believe in that protested the it will be nothing but hard work and no fun that s so in who as one of the foremost of the knights was bitterly out of joint because he had failed to receive the of a majority of his | 36 |
dozen ways in which we may make a slip of the whole thing we must take a pilot to go into suppose or one of the should tell him just what we are up to and the vessel should be seized by the officers of the port said the anxious captain in a whisper the pilot must not see any of them we can easily manage that perhaps we can added and he seemed to be already the prophetic words which had read to him from his bible that the way of the is hard all the fellows will want to go on shore they are reckless and may drink or get into a row don t let them go on shore suggested we can t help it i ll bet we can added the bully emphatically a single officer and four shall go on shore and bring off a supply of provisions in one of the boats not another fellow shall leave the vessel approved of this plan if it could be carried out but he dreaded the of his reckless palace and cottage or crew the watch was changed and and little came below to hear what further arrangements had been made both of them approved the plan of permitting no one but an officer and a boat s crew to go on shore in and the cabin for once was a in opinion now where s the money to come from asked the captain i have the iron box in captain s state room but i can t find the key and i should as soon think of breaking open the of the bank of england as that safe we will open it by and by added little confidently but i have plenty of rocks without that opened his eyes and his ears little went to one of the between the cabin and the and pulling out a drawer took from under it the bag of gold which had excited so much interest on board of the ship returning to the cabin he dropped it heavily upon the table at which and the captain were seated there s the exclaimed he triumphantly did that come from asked amazed at the sight for he had not heard its history i ll tell you where it came from replied little and i suppose my friend would like to about it when i was pitched into the water with that on the he gave me this bag for he was too much used up to hold on to it any longer i dropped it into the boat the man was lost it wasn t any body s fault but his own for if he had dropped his gold he would have been hauled into young america in france and the the first time we tried to save him i took it on board the ship and hid it under s berth for that the best place i could find and then you told that i had it exclaimed rising indignantly and approaching the table where the party were seated keep cool friend added the little rascal quietly it was not prudent for me to say that i had it myself before the search was made i it into the fire engine and that night it away under the top gallant why did you say i had it demanded who could not yet the of little never mind that my dear fellow what s the use of your head about it now i intended you should come with us on this and here you are laughed the villain little was not disposed to be very definite in his explanations but at last the truth dawned upon that the charge made against him was part of the plot to drag him into the conspiracy more than ever he regretted that he had attempted to fight the devil with his own weapons simple truth alone is the best sword to overcome the powers of evil if he had avoided the counsels of the wretch before him altogether the would have been defeated and their plan would have failed nothing was but it was too late to his steps how much is there asked who was not interested in s affair four hundred pounds replied little exclaimed we are in luck palace and cottage or i hand it over to you captain added little it is to be used for the benefit of the crowd the captain took the bag and carried h into his state room i am afraid the cook and the two will give us some trouble said when the captain returned never mind them added little we must buy them up i go for giving them five sovereigns apiece to keep them quiet will that keep them still asked i will talk with them and i think we can make it all right continued little as he rose and went forward to find the men and the captain left the cabin soon after and was alone he was still thinking of the conspiracy he feared that little would be able to buy up the cook and and thus defeat his purpose to the at the right time he rose from the table and looked into the captain s the had done their duty precisely as though the vessel were still in hands of her lawful owners and the cabin and the rooms were all lighted the bag of gold lay behind the safe under the berth no special pains had been taken to conceal it perhaps thinking that as the were equal owners of the gold they would not attempt to steal it had come on board after this treasure and was anxious not only to secure it now but to prevent the little villain from the three men on board he dropped it into the pocket of his jacket and returned to the cabin but the bag was | 36 |
an elephant young america in france and in its way under the circumstances which could not easily be disposed of for when the captain missed it ould at once be charged with it the success of the seemed to depend upon this gold for supplies must be purchased and no other money was available by placing this treasure out of the reach of the he might break up the trip and compel them to return if this consideration were not strong enough he had the additional one that the gold belonged to the of the german who had perished in the waves near the burning steamer his strongest motive was to defeat the plan of the there seemed to be no secure in the cabin for the bag and he was tempted to throw it overboard so that by no possibility could his reckless companions find it but this would be the of the deceased owner it was folly to hide it in the cabin and he turned his attention to the hold he was not familiar with the interior of the but he soon found a trap door in the cabin floor which opened into the run he raised the door and jumped down but it was so dark he could not see anything and he returned to the cabin for a lantern which was kept there for the use of the officers lighting it he went into the hold again closing the trap after him the hold seemed to be as deficient in hiding places for the treasure as the cabin there were water beef barrels and boxes of ship stores but none of them seemed to be proof against the keen scrutiny of the after much careful con o and cottage or he decided to pour the contents of the bag into one of the water choosing a full rather than an empty one because if it was moved the would not rattle and thus reveal their presence with a stone from the he removed the by on each side of it the bag string he poured the gold into the water driving in the he returned to the cabin which was fortunately still empty he was pretty strongly assured that no one would find the money where he had deposited it for the contents of the water might even be drawn off without revealing the secret he put the bag into the stove where it was soon consumed having accomplished his purpose turned in not to sleep but to consider still further how he might redeem the from the hands of the in his days he had been skilful enough in against lawful authority and he was now ready in the interests of order and discipline to put forth all his abilities but it was hardly time to operate yet for the were still confident of a good time and loyal in their way to their leaders and the enterprise little found the cook and the in the they had no objection to receiving a present of five pounds apiece but they were not forward to commit themselves to their new masters evidently they had discussed the subject among themselves and while they were not disposed to with the students they did not mean to compromise themselves with the principal the wind was lighter during the night but at day young america in france and light the vessel was off sound with on the weather beam a pilot boat was seen in the distance and the fact was announced to who immediately turned out he had not yet discovered the loss of the gold but as he would have to pay the pilot and purchase the provisions his attention was directed to it as soon as he left his berth he put his hand behind the safe he felt a cold chill when he discovered that the treasure was not there he searched carefully in the vicinity of the safe and then everything in the room of course he did not find it and he was both alarmed and vexed little s story had been told through both watches during the night and every soul on board knew that funds were abundant in the cabin he called little and stated the case to him it s gone that s all i know about it said he winding up his explanation that isn t all knows about it suggested little where did you put the bag behind the safe why didn t you leave it on the table in the cabin sneered little i had no better place to put it pleaded the captain do you think has taken it of course he has he would have been a fool if he hadn t answered little candidly judging his victim by himself call him if he has he shall give it up or we will throw him overboard added angrily shouted little going to the s berth palace and or as i have nothing to do with the vessel it does not make much difference to me replied who had heard part of the conversation between little and the captain turn out will you we want to see jou was willing since if there was to be a row he preferred to be on his have you seen that bag of gold asked little as was putting on his coat i have where is it that you may not know answered calmly but decidedly o come don t be i you brought me on board of the after that bag of gold i have it now and am satisfied do you mean to say you intend to keep it i haven t it about me but i think it is where you will not get hold of it tell us where it is won t you that s a good fellow i shall not tell you do you mean to keep it demanded savagely i | 36 |
have nothing more to say we will make you say something threatened i am prepared to defend myself answered who feeling that in this instance he was to fight in a good cause if at all was firm and decided but without or looked at him and evidently did not like young america in france and the firm but quiet expression of his face he went on deck and ordered the vessel to come about and stand close hauled to the southward what s that for demanded it s no use to go into without money replied as he proceeded to detail the events which had just occurred in the cabin the situation was deemed sufficiently grave to justify the calling of all hands for counsel if not for fight was the of the enterprise and deep and savage was the indignation the expressed some of them were in favor of throwing him overboard if he did not give up the money others insisted that he should be turned adrift in one of the boats all this is very fine but where is the money added it is somewhere on board replied had not been on deck since dark last night and he could not have thrown it overboard of course he wouldn t throw it overboard added little if it is in the vessel i know i can find it but if we can t there is plenty of money in the safe in the captain s state room we ll put on the rack said shaking his head as an indication of the big things he intended to do i ll make him tell what he has done with the money don t say a word to him yet interposed he will be an ugly customer i guess not replied i can handle him alone if i can t i ll eat him s palace and cottage or isn t a baby i can tell you said little i move you we search for the money if we don t find it there will be time enough to have a row by this time it was sunrise probably those on board of the pilot boat which was headed for the were by their singular in coming about so suddenly but as declared it was useless to go into without the funds to purchase fresh provisions and it was better to have the anticipated row at sea than in an english port all hands except those required on deck immediately commenced a vigorous search for the missing treasure upon which the depended for the good time coming every berth and was examined and even the most impossible hiding places were the hold was not neglected and every article there was turned over the water were rolled forward and back the empty ones shaken and the dug up in every foot of its surface they did not find the bag and their wrath rose to fever heat under the disappointment the search was abandoned and the iron safe in the captain s state room was rolled out into the cabin and bars were vainly applied to the lid it could not be opened not a shilling could be raised as soon as the had finished the search in the hold was relieved of all anxiety the water which contained the gold had not yielded up its secret while the excited were trying their skill upon the safe went forward to the where the cook and the two had assembled to discuss the strange movements of young america in france and their new masters he sat down by the side of the cook before the stove on which the filled with beef the only provision except on board were boiling what is to be the end of this thing asked the cook the young are trying to break open the safe the tell me it is about time to put a stop to it replied they have no money to buy anything to eat or even to pay for a pilot into port that s the reason they came about but i m not willing to risk my neck much longer in the hands of such fellows continued the cook will you stand by me if i attempt to take the vessel back to asked earnestly what do you mean by standing by you inquired the cook will you obey my orders instead of s i will replied the man inspired with confidence by the manly and earnest of will you he continued appealing to the two they followed the lead of the cook who was their in all matters of doubt and promptly consented to do as he did they were disgusted with the disorder and confusion which prevailed on board the season of heavy was approaching and they were fearful that the vessel would be lost in the hands of her reckless crew though had never served in the they knew him as one of the most energetic and decided of the crew of the ship and his gallant behavior in the from the burning steamer won their respect and regard palace and cottage or where s shouted some one in the waist while he was still engaged in explaining his purpose here i am replied he stepping from the as the crew led on by rushed out of the cabin and moved forward planting himself against the rail with the three men near him waited the issue did you take that bag of money demanded the bully of the who had worked himself up to the highest pitch of excitement i did replied quietly what have you done with it roared savagely i shall not tell you yes you will no i will not if you don t i ll you within inch of your life roared the bully i am prepared to defend myself then do so cried as he rushed furiously upon the latter | 36 |
had not forgotten how to use his fists and now in a good cause he handled them even more than ever he had in a bad one it was a sharp battle and in a moment the faces of both the were covered with blood in another moment was down and supported by and a few others sprang forward to assist their fallen champion but the cook and the two leaped into the breach and regardless of the fact that the were mere boys struck h x m h w o h x pi the public l i and j n ho the public young america in france and such heavy blows that half a dozen of the including and soon lay stunned upon the deck it was rough usage but it was successful bring me a said panting with his exertions as he held the struggling bully beneath him one of the gave him a rope and assisted him to bind his fallen foe who was then cast into the the door locked and the key put in s pocket cook take the shouted keep her east if any one you knock him down ay ay replied the cook it won t be safe for any of the young to with me the were completely overpowered and down by the sudden of the men and most of them had retreated to the to avoid the pins with which the had armed themselves wiped the blood from his face he had fought the battle and decided the fate of the palace and cottage or chapter xvii the at court when the students returned to the h du a great square envelope was delivered to captain haven it was nearly six inches square and its size seemed to indicate its importance it was from the american minister presenting his compliments to the commander of the young america and expressing his pleasure that he should be able on the following wednesday evening to present six of the officers of the academy to the emperor and cards for the court ball were enclosed in the same envelope the captain showed the note to ben who had been forward in obtaining invitation and both were as much astonished as delighted at their success the matter was submitted to mr who promptly consented that the boys should accept the invitation the note says officers but i am not an officer said ben you are a petty officer and that will answer just as well laughed mr captain has applied to me for permission to loan you his uniform and you may go as his representative since young america in france and he does not desire to go himself who else are to go the invitation is extended to six of us replied the captain since you have managed the affair yourself captain haven you shall select your own companions and the highest in rank were chosen so as to avoid anything like the next morning the party resumed the business of sight seeing with a visit to st an ancient church opposite the east end of the where the members of the royal family were formerly the bell of this church partly built before the twelfth century gave the signal for the horrible of st and within it admiral was shot crossing the which is the longest bridge in paris the reached the he de la and proceeded to the du justice they passed through its gloomy halls and were more interested in the lawyers wearing silk gowns bands and caps than in the building itself they paused a moment in one of the court rooms without seeing anything very different from similar places at home adjoining it is the an ancient prison in which was confined in a low and damp and from which madame and other victims were taken to the louis napoleon was also imprisoned within its walls for a short time after the failure of the rebellion at in the room now used as palace and cottage or a chapel the held the famous banquet on the night before their execution on the side of the du justice is said to be tlie most beautiful specimen of architecture on a small scale in france the interior is magnificent in all its parts proportions and it was erected in the century to receive the thorns of our lord s crown and the wood of the true cross which the king st louis purchased of emperor of at a cost of two million in the time of the revolution it was used as a club house then as a store and finally as a for law records louis restored it on each side of the are recesses for the king and queen on the south side is a square hole extending through the wall to a chamber within where louis xl used to hear the mass without the peril of being opposite the chapel is an immense or for soldiers of which there are forty in paris following the by the side of this building the party came to the cathedral of dame the church in paris it was begun in the twelfth century and about three hundred years were employed in its it is nearly four hundred feet long and the interior from the floor to the crown of the is one hundred and four feet high it is of architecture highly ornamented outside the finest effect of which is seen at the rear of the structure in one of the towers is the bell weighing sixteen tons in the church was transformed into the temple of reason by the mob young america in e and and in it was celebrated the feast of the goddess who on this occasion was by madame and who seated on the high altar returned the devotion of her with a kiss the high altar to the the centre of the interior behind it is that | 36 |
of the virgin while around three sides of the building are nearly thirty each in a lofty arch and each having its own altar and to its own saint as the students walked around the space they saw a in one and a marriage in another of these most of those who enter the church dip their finger in the of holy water or it from an held by an attendant and cross themselves as they face the high altar it is contrary to custom and deemed an offence for a lady and gentleman to walk arm in arm in a church in catholic countries leaving the edifice by the front door the walked around to the rear to observe the architecture and see the heads on the side on the on a small building was pointed out to them as the they were warned that the spectacle within would be disagreeable and but with boy like curiosity they crowded into it the is a house where the dead bodies of those taken from the river or other places are exposed to the public gaze in order to be recognized by friends the interior of the edifice is divided into two nearly equal portions by a glass behind which the are exhibited they are placed on black marble somewhat inclined towards the spectator with no covering but a piece of leather over palace and or the upon them streams of cold water to delay the process of near them on the walls are hung the clothing in which they were found to assist in the recognition when the students entered the bodies of three men were lying on the two of them much and in such a condition that their nearest friends could hardly have identified them the sight was repulsive and sickening and they retreated as hastily as they had entered the house nearly three hundred are thus exposed every year of which one sixth are w omen and about the same proportion of new born children crossing a bridge the party visited the h de which is the official residence of the of the the chief magistrate of the city it is a magnificent structure and cost three millions of dollars it is a palace and several of the kings and other noted persons were married within its walls among them louis napoleon and the it contains vast state apartments ball and banquet halls as well as business rooms wherein over four hundred clerks are employed in paris there are sixteen with more than seven thousand beds and eleven for the support of aged and insane people one of the largest and most ancient of these is the hotel said to have been founded in the time of on the following day the went out to on the walk to the railroad station they met a funeral conducted on a grand scale with mourning young america in france and the business of the in paris is a in the hands of a company the administration des the charges which are regulated by the city government vary from four dollars up to fifteen hundred about two thirds of the are without charge to the friends who have not the means to bury their dead and the company receives about one dollar from the city for the service it nearly six hundred persons two hundred carriages and and keeps on hand six thousand its annual are four hundred thousand dollars the and carriages are also owned by companies and some of the for each might be adopted in the cities of the united states take no more passengers than can be seated a person wishing to ride in one of these carriages may go to the station and receive a number which him to a seat in the order of his coming the fare is usually six inside and three outside are issued without extra charge to those who pay full fare which them to a ride in any of the cross lines the ride to was through a beautiful country in palaces and cottages the of the summer residence of prince napoleon was pointed out to them the town of is seven miles from paris and its only attraction is the magnificent palace so in its magnitude so luxurious and splendid in its stately apartments its wilderness of fountains its extensive gardens as to exceed in grandeur any ideal which a republican from palace and cottage or the new world can form of glories a volume would not suffice to describe it for besides being a royal residence it is a palace of art and there seems to be no end to the galleries of pictures and and of state halls filled with the of the palace of was erected by louis xiv though his immediate had built a upon the spot the land for sixty miles around was purchased in order to afford plenty of space for tlie improvements and the face of the country was entirely changed by hills filling up valleys and the digging out of immense artificial which were supplied with water brought from a great distance over two hundred millions of dollars were spent upon its construction louis xv enlarged it by the addition of a theatre and another wing standing in the d the continuous piles of buildings look more like a city than a single palace louis xvi and occupied it until compelled by the to remove to paris and it has not been used as a residence since though victoria was entertained there in louis spent nearly five millions of dollars upon it and it now contains four thousand paintings and one thousand pieces of the students first visited the stables where the state carriages are kept they look like the golden of the fairy tales for they seem to be of gold the carriage ed by napoleon as first is a gaudy affair that in which charles x rode | 36 |
to his has been repaired and newly decorated for the present sovereign the party then young america in france and walked to the grand and the the former built by louis xiv for madame de and the latter by louis xv for madame du the little was presented to by her husband who had the gardens laid out in english style with cottages lakes and groves returning the gardens of the grand the entered the magnificent grounds of the palace of on the grand canal a vast artificial body of water in the form of a cross floated a beautiful similar to the of the is a broad avenue bounded on each side by trees whose dense foliage was trimmed as square and even as if it had been solid wood with a walk on each side bordered by marble statues the space between them laid out as a lawn at the head of this avenue is the de and the entrance of the palace the de is a multitude of fountains in a mass these fountains of which there are a score are played only on occasional sundays and days within the palace the halls and galleries appear to be interminable and one may walk seven miles in doors the des or hall of is nearly two hundred and fifty feet long is gilded and painted in brilliant colors and was the of the the bedroom in which louis xiv died and the apartments of other members of royal families are shown all of them containing curious articles of furniture used by them the picture halls are according to the subjects found in them the des is four palace and cottage or hundred feet long and is filled with representations of the historic in which france has been engaged the de is devoted to the time of napoleon i and several of david s pictures are here exhibited the floors of all these apartments are as smooth as glass and before the students had seen half of them they were tired out and begged for mercy it requires at least a week to comprehend fully the glories the wonders and the beauties of and nowhere else can one obtain so clear an idea of grandeur it is impossible even to mention more than a of the attractions of the place and if we are astonished at its present grandeur we cannot but wonder what it must have been when it was fresh and new in the prevailing style and in the of its royal owner seats in the railway carriages were never so agreeable to the party as when they returned to the station the had abandoned the chase long before the course was run worn out with fatigue but the boys were amply for the weariness of the day by the wonders they had seen the next day they visited st cloud pronounced sang another palace with grand gardens on the five miles from the city it was the favorite residence of napoleon i and is occasionally occupied by the present emperor its grounds are laid out in a style similar to those of but on a smaller scale st six miles north of paris was the burial place of the kings of france from to the time of louis xviii at st fifteen miles from paris francis i built a splendid palace young america in france and and it was a royal residence till louis xiv built the palace of the students devoted saturday to sights within the city and first visited the palace and gardens of the built by de it is now the house and the du tr ne is a magnificent apartment where the emperor his speech to the near the palace is the h de formerly inhabited by various members of the royal family but now occupied as a museum for the exhibition of specimens of ancient carving glass metal work dresses furniture guns and other curious articles among them are a richly wrought night cap of charles v emperor of germany the lower jaw of re and a collection of gold crowns of the seventh century found at leaving this interesting collection the went to the church of st commonly called the part one of the largest and finest churches in paris in the days of the revolution it was converted into a to the memory of illustrious citizens it is surmounted by a grand dome beneath it is a containing a of full of among them those of and and were buried here but their remains have been removed near this church is that of st du which contains the tomb and shrine of st the patron saint of paris and a singular bridge or gallery extending across the body of the interior the celebrated school was passed on the way to and ob the au or wine market which covers one hundred and ten acres the are stored in eight of low with five hundred and forty stores which hold half a million barrels about twenty five of wine are consumed in paris for every person women and children included the next object of interest was the des plants which vast and gardens all sorts of plants and all sorts of animals are to be seen there crossing the d the company proceeded to the place de la where the state prison with that name formerly stood on the th of july the mob attacked and captured it the governor and carrying his head on a through the streets the prison was afterwards and the used in building the de la in louis laid the foundation of the present de in memory of those who fell in the three days revolution of whose remains were beneath it in the throne of the citizen king was brought to this square and burned by another mob in the same year the built an enormous on which the of paris was | 36 |
shot in attempting to with the on the return to the hotel the party stopped at the tour de st a fine tower in the the church of which it originally formed a part was removed to make room for improvements a beautiful garden lies behind it in the afternoon carriages were provided and th visited young america in france and the imperial carpet where the are made admission to which may be obtained by exhibiting the traveller s the fabric is a carpet wrought with the most beautiful pictures so delicately shaded as to with the richest paintings the boys gazed with wonder at an immense piece which contained full length portraits of the emperor and the work is done by hand the threads being woven in according to the pattern with the fingers a single carpet had kept a dozen men busy for six years they are not sold but are sometimes presented id great personages by the emperor the ride was continued to several places hot before visited and palaces public offices orphan and other buildings were pointed out by the drivers to those who knew french enough to understand them on sunday the visitors attended church at the american chapel and on monday went to p re the oldest and largest in paris but it is not worthy to be compared with mount laurel hill and other noted american burial places it received its name from p re the of louis xiv the students gazed with interest at the monument of ab ard and whose genius and whose affection seem to speak from the cold marble and upon the quaint and curious to the dead the french are as extravagant in their grief as in their mirth on many of the were miniature in which were placed and where a child was buried its were sometimes deposited it contains some splendid t the great palace and cottage or two hundred acres of land there are three classes of graves for four dollars an open grave is purchased in which forty or fifty are deposited three deep in a but in five years they are removed for ten dollars a separate grave and ten years of are purchased for one hundred dollars about six feet of ground are bought to be retained forever on these the monuments are usually built and the stone is concession a and are the two other principal about tenth part of paris is by from which the stone for building purposes was formerly taken these galleries are now used as for the remains taken from the above they are called the and the bones of over three million human beings are piled up in them the public are not admitted that night arrived in paris and told the story of the of the which however we will not anticipate on tuesday the students went to another magnificent palace of the sovereigns where napoleon signed his on wednesday the napoleon the school of fine arts the and where the government is established whose like those of the are only used or given away by the emperor were visited although there was much more to be seen in paris this day closed up the sight seeing mr had delayed the departure for one day to enable those provided with invitations to be presented at court america in france and i the time appointed for this great event had arrived and the half dozen young gentlemen who were to be the of the distinguished honor prepared themselves with the care for the ceremony paul appeared about the hotel dressed as a common sailor which was a new guise for him and ben in the captain s uniform looked just as odd though the garments fitted him splendidly and became him perfectly mrs had furnished them with little of roses for the button holes of their coats and grace had the treasures of her perfume bottles upon their handkerchiefs they were as of the of tar and pitch as though they had never seen a ship in their lives they were provided with white and when ready for the carriage any american not by a stomach would have been proud of these representatives of his country the carriage which contained them entered the place du and the gates opened wide to admit them there were three carriage loads in charge of the american minister mrs wall of new york with her diamonds and her bad grammar was there attended by her niece with die away manners escorted by a young who was deeply in love with her because the cotton crop had failed a distinguished military officer talked and of napoleon and declared that he intended to discuss his with the emperor and doubtless would have attempted to do so if the minister had not told him he must say nothing unless he was spoken to by the royal personages ac and or to the rules of etiquette which obtain at court the party most of them in a flutter of excitement passed through the magnificent rooms of the palace which were thronged with innumerable servants in green and gold the livery of the emperor the party were conducted to the des mar and our students declared it was the most decorated room they had ever seen the guests were formed in lines according to their the americans being in one section the english in another the in a third and so on each headed by the minister the russian was a count the a prince and the english an earl so that the boys saw sundry great men who were not down on the programme for the show ben whispered that the whole thing was decidedly at length for great bodies move slow there were indications of the approach of the imperial couple and the lines of guests sighing for a royal nod straightened the and their breathing was heavy with anxiety the | 36 |
in a couple of hours he was as easy and self po as though he had been born and brought up in a royal court later in the evening they had danced together again they heard a calling out to make room for the emperor and the royal pair passed through the brilliant throng bowing to the guests and ben felt very proud to have the lady leaning on his arm bowed sweetly to him in return for his bow and when she saw his golden haired companion she stopped young america in france and good evening said the is madame the your mother here non answered lady the de brought me here this evening ah i have not perceived her yet compliments a madame de ce pas added the as lady made her and the imperial couple passed on it was a big thing to ben to hear talk and ben realized that he had a brilliant story to tell the next day if not every day for a year to come and the other officers danced occasionally and explained their quality to inquiring ladies and gentlemen the dancing continued till supper time and then the young were again astonished at the quantity and richness of the at five o clock in the morning ben bade adieu to lady and his companions to the new acquaintances they had made the servants in green and gold brought their and assisted them as tenderly as though they had been babies they returned to the hotel but had hardly gone to sleep with the glitter and the gold and the fair forms lingering in their minds before they were called to take the train for o and cottage or chapter xviii the way of the there was a very sudden change in the affairs of the crew of the the bold movements of first in taking possession of the of the and then in fighting the battle with the bully of the had the knights and utterly them the three men with pins in their hands which they seemed to have no scruples about using were a of peace for the present as little and others had suggested was not a baby and it was evident enough now that he had come with the for the sole purpose of the work which he had now so executed after the overwhelming defeat of who had been supposed to be a match for any two on board no others were disposed to resist the will of backed as he was by three men and others who had been stunned by the heavy blows of the cook and were picked up and were soon restored to a sense of the altered condition of affairs they were not seriously injured though the hard fist of the cook had given them something to remember him by for a few days young america in france and the men had given the boys credit for more fight and t d really expended more force than was y upon their a y ship had these boys ever been sub h v p punishment and they seemed to circumstances would the would t l it never would have been on board of the ship except to j y l force board had hard muscles and big fists wh r f y te and over i looked at each other with blank astonishment the conquest had been achieved so suddenly that they realized their misfortune or comprehended that the enterprise was a total fail they had seen nothing of the good time they had anticipated they had only kept watch a couple of nights and lived on beef and hard bread the beautiful vision of a along the sunny shores ot had vanished into thin air our game is up said who had been sitting for some time in the cabin with both hands pressed to his aching head that s so replied little and it s all your fault growled the commander i suppose it is sneered t tu it was you who wanted to keep on board io palace and cottage or if i had had my way he would have gone into the with retorted he promised to join us and he is a fellow than any other or e on board of this craft if he had had the management of the thing we should have put it through straight o my head groaned what s the matter with it asked little i believe that fellow meant to knock my brains out replied with a long sigh he would have done so if you had had any brains to knock out snapped little as ill natured as it was possible for so small a fellow to be can t we take the vessel again asked suddenly those three men to say nothing of can the whole of us replied little they hit you over the head with a ing said i didn t think that of them if hadn t taken the money i could have fixed them all right added little might as well have asked the lamb to keep the money for us as to put it where he did i didn t try to make the lamb captain growled what s that demanded springing to his feet from the force of habit as the shrill pipe of the s whistle was heard on deck let them pipe i don t go for one said little nor i added so they all said and set their teeth firmly together to resist the new authority on board declaring that if young america in france and ii intended to take the vessel back to he must do it alone they would not lift a finger or touch a rope or a sail even if the in a gale was full of energy and determination | 36 |
he had been thoroughly aroused by the sharp battle he had fought and assured that he was engaged in a good cause he was resolved to be master of the situation he had called up the appointed by the new officers and ordered him to pipe to muster the fellow looked at the cook who stood at the wheel and then obeyed about one half of the the summons the rest paid no attention to it jones take the said to one of the who was competent to perform the duty i won t do it replied jones he had hardly spoken the rebellious words before one of the had him by the collar had conferred with the three men and it was decided that discipline must be enforced at once for if bad weather came on the vessel might be lost for the want of obedience but the new captain had the men not to use the pins unless attacked by a dozen of the the steward dragged jones to the wheel if you don t obey orders jones it will be the worse for you interposed i won t take the wheel replied the rebel without waiting to be prompted the steward shook him till poor jones thought the life was to be knocked out of him and cottage or let alone he you ll kill me will you obey orders asked the excited steward as he cast the rebel heavily upon the deck will you take the wheel demanded jones made no reply but getting up he went to the wheel and took hold of the crying with anger and shaking his head in the fury he dared not express in any other manner he yielded to the stern which had been so vigorously enforced those who had answered the summons of the s whistle were not the most daring of the party or an attempt might have been made to support jones in his resistance as it was those in the waist only looked on more in terror than in indignation pipe again and call all hands said as the cook giving up the wheel to the unwilling jones took his place near the companion way the call was not and directed the cook and one of the to go into the cabin and and enforce the summons and positively refused to obey but the cook exhibited his which convinced and he went on deck i can t go you have almost killed me now ril finish you if you don t mind replied the cook as savagely as a west indian i m not able to go on deck groaned the cook took him by the collar dragged him off the where he was seated pitched him upon the floor at the foot of the ladder young america in france and this is and if some of you get killed it won t be my fault added the cook crawled up the ladder followed by it looked like a matter of life and death and the poor fellows were actually afraid the cook would murder them little had into the but the steward there drove him on deck at the point of his this was the end of all open resistance for seemed to a blow on the head with the pin never before had any of the seen such sharp practice the cook and had suddenly from quiet orderly men been transformed into savages who appeared to be as ready to murder them as they were to eat the knights were all in the waist was mad with himself for yielding and something was said by him and about the with such weapons as they could lay their hands on and making a sudden rush upon their but facing that awful cook was as terrible as marching up to a twenty four loaded with shot they growled and howled but they did nothing more fellows said when the party were assembled i have no long stories to tell but i want you to understand how things are between us i came with you in the when i had a chance to leave her in order to bring the vessel back and i m going to do it this is all i have to say on that point as you are already divided into watches you will perform your duty on deck as before those who were officers will take in the but palace and cottage or will serve in the watches to which they were appointed those who perform their duty faithfully from this time i will report to mr those who are not willing to obey orders shall be compelled to do so the port watch is dismissed the will remain on deck about two thirds of the came to the conclusion that it would be better to fall in with tlie new order of things while the others obeyed only with and threats but they dared not refuse to do as they were required in the had howled and sworn and beaten against the hard wood of his prison till he had worn himself out in stupid resistance to his fate he was informed by some of the port watch of what had on deck he called the and declared if he had been among them there would have been a bigger fight than the first one the restless little planned half a dozen schemes to the but he could find none who were willing to face the terrible cook he had yet another project which was to be executed at night when some of their would be asleep several were willing to take part in this plot three of the actors were each to throw a handful of black taken from the into the faces of the cook and or whoever might be in charge on deck while others knocked them down with in this vicious scheme there was hope and | 36 |
the kept very quiet and orderly during the day animated by the prospect of its success instead of heading the directly for young america in france and as the weather looked threatening had directed her towards the isle of so that he could readily make a port in a for he had not much confidence in his crew at four o clock in the afternoon a steamer flying the french flag was discovered making for the it was one of the two sent out with mr on board in quest of the she had gone to on sunday to during the night and to on monday morning she had obtained intelligence of the from the captain of a steamer who had seen a vessel answering to her description off bound to the north westward mr left and sailed for but had made out the in the afternoon headed to the eastward the steamer ran up under the stem of the and mr hailed her from the promptly recognized his voice and to among the all was consternation the ce principal was a sharp and the was now certainly up the scheme for that night was postponed a in charge of as was sent to the steamer the were disposed to resist but there stood the cook and his with the pins in their hands and it was impossible to escape their manifest destiny while the boat was pulling to the steamer mr wrote a letter to the principal in paris informing him of the discovery of the which the french captain was to mail on his return to he added that he should take the vessel and cottage or to where e could lie in safety without during the absence of the the and the carpenter went over the side into the boat as the steamer started on her return mr obtained the leading facts of the from he learned that had the vessel and was now returning to in her if he had ever had any doubts in regard to the student the were now removed as he went on deck he took the acting captain by the hand and generously him upon his gallant and faithful conduct after he had heard a detailed account of the proceedings on board all hands were to muster and the vice principal laid down the law so forcibly that it could not be misunderstood he gave the command for the rest of the voyage young gentlemen said the vice principal in conclusion by this silly enterprise which could not possibly have been a success under any circumstances you have deprived yourselves of all privileges for the rest of this season s i am directed by the principal to allow you no liberty and to keep you busy at ship s duty and your studies till the return of the rest of the students from their travels you have made a great blunder it is always a blunder to depart from the plain path of duty i shall take the vessel to where we can lie at anchor and you can pursue your studies without interruption the students were dismissed and mr went into the cabin with leaving in charge of the deck a long conversation ensued in which explained more what he had done young america in france and after being by little i felt that i ought to do something to redeem myself said he i knew these fellows would soon quarrel and afford me an opportunity to do something but i could not resist the temptation to check them by taking possession of the gold that brought things to a head and we soon had the battle you say you hid the gold where did you put it asked mr in a of water you have done very well with the odds all against you when we get to you shall join the students in paris mr wished to satisfy himself in regard to the safety of the gold the cook was directed to draw off the water in the and one of the heads was taken out every coin was found and the whole was placed in the iron safe of which the vice principal had an extra key the was now headed to the south west the storm which had feared came the next morning and it was five days before the vessel could reach her destined port all hands were frequently called and the had to work hard night and day as there were no provisions on board but hard bread salt beef and pork the fare was no better than have in ordinary merchant vessels it was a hard time for all hands and the did not enjoy it when after this rough the went into port even review lessons were a luxury compared with night watches in the cold the rain and the gale the vessel came to anchor on saturday night in l and cottage or the harbor of and sunday was a day of grateful rest to the worn out knights of the golden roast beef was a treat and even a plentiful supply of cold water to drink was a luxury for they had been on short allowance for three days on monday morning started for paris and on his arrival was warmly welcomed by the principal to whom mr had written full particulars of the of the on sunday morning not less warmly was he greeted by grace and the rest of the party young america in france and chapter xix a visit to and as grace had predicted was more of a hero than he had been before and he was obliged to tell the story of the till he was thoroughly wearied with the subject when the train started for he was invited to take a seat in the with the from which however paul was not excluded the country through which the train passed was certainly | 36 |
beautiful and the students had seen so palaces in paris and its vicinity that the sight of the cottages which dotted the landscape was really a luxury they were generally very pretty and in the fields adjoining was occasionally seen a patch of indian corn which made the scene more like home many exceedingly and ghost like grew near them for which the people seem to have a singular partiality at the train stopped for half an hour and the was all that could be desired having ten minutes to spare for we are sorry to say they bolted their dinner after the american fashion some of the students took a hasty run into the place which is an old city and presented some interesting relics of palace and cottage or the ancient time when it was the capital of the of the train moved on through a region in which produce vast quantities of wine every year the principal wealth of the country after leaving the road ran along the bank of the sa ne from the window of the carriage could be seen the lofty peaks of the mountains and it was said that a hundred miles distant could be discerned in very clear weather between the and the this part of france has suffered severely said dr as the train dashed through was ruined by the and in nearly all the religious were destroyed by them and the by the way was born in much of the red wine used in paris from this district at five o clock the train arrived at and the hastened to the grand hotel de where mr s agent had secured the boys had been sitting in the carriages for ten hours and were anxious to stretch their limbs among the sights of the city is principally on a tongue of land between the ne and the though its limits extend beyond both these rivers it is the second city in population and commercial importance in france and the first in the extent of its silk being the most important fabric the students walked down the on the ne quite as much interested in the strange looking boats which floated on the broad river as in the stately buildings that adorn the city crossed the tongue of young america in france and i land less than half a mile wide at this point through the on a magnificent avenue bordered with double rows of trees returning on the of the sa ne they visited the place a square which covers fifteen acres the next morning attended by the professors the boys crossed the bridge over the sa ne called the du de justice visited the cathedral and then ascended the height behind it on which stands the church of dame de it has a lofty dome crowned by a gilded figure of the virgin over the entrance is an inscription to the lady whose name the church bears stating that by her was saved from the of the the walls within are literally covered with pictures four thousand in number offered to the saint for her kindness near the church is an six hundred and thirty feet above the river which many of the students ascended it commands a fine view of the city and its the attendant pointing to an object which looked like a white cloud in the distance declared that it was the of and other mountains were also pointed out to them there all around them was a vast system of which extends in a circle of twelve miles around erected as much to put down within the city as to invasion from without for the population have proved to be exceedingly turbulent in times of revolution or of the of la is almost wholly inhabited by silk crowded palace and cottage or into very high houses on narrow streets ten to twenty families in each the guns of fort command this quarter and could level it to the ground in a few minutes for this is the section where violence and usually break out beneath the mr gathered bis pupils together to give them a lecture on the history of only a brief sketch of which can be repeated here it is said to have been founded by the six hundred years before christ it was an important roman city and various remains of their including an and the ruins of an are still seen it was held by the in virtue of a grant from the emperor of germany in the twelfth century but was restored to france in the reign of philip the fair in the in the sixteenth century it was by both and as each came into power and in the french revolution it suffered terribly though the people at first embraced principles they were disgusted with the of their leaders and the tyranny of the officers and tried and executed the president of one of the clubs in consequence of this rebellion against its authority the national collected sixty thousand troops to subdue the place thirty thousand of the citizens the walls and resisted the attack for two months thirty thousand persons perished within the walls eleven thousand red hot shot and more than twice as many shells had been thrown into the place but the citizens yielded only when famine compelled them to do so in order to humble the pride young america in france and of the the the total destruction of the city the command was obeyed to the letter and the place was reduced to a pile of ruins at a cost of three and a half millions of dollars for merely pulling down the buildings the work of the was commenced but it was too slow and the citizens were tied together in groups of sixty and shot down with shot from cannon over two thousand were to satisfy the fury of | 36 |
place was eagerly sought in the guide books was the residence of the unfortunate minister of of louis xvi and of his daughter madame de the author at the capital of the the boat stopped for some time and the students went ashore and had a glance at its cathedral and its castle or the historian lived here and the garden of his house is now attached to the hotel which bears his name it was dark on saturday evening when the party reached and on sunday they attended the church service in the place the village is said to be the in europe the hills are covered with or boarding houses and the hotel in the vicinity is one of the best in on monday morning the visited the castle of which poem has made an object of interest to all who the english language it is situated on an rock within a stone s throw of the shore from it is reached by a wooden bridge it was built by tv duke of and used as a state prison in the th century s story in the poem is a but a having offended hi master in his efforts to free the was fi in this castle six years in its deepest poet s story was more real than he sun prison looks like the of a church is written on one of the pillars i are palace and cottage or with the of visitors some of them distinguished persons the castle is now used as a for military stores the scenery of the lake and mountains is very attractive and the students enjoyed it for hey had all read in the school books the from which its glories taking the train at at the head of the lake the arrived in an hour at and visited the famous of the one of the in the river falls two hundred and eighty feet in its descent to the valley of the making one hundred and twenty feet of this distance at one leap the region was almost as much with beggars and guides as in ireland the party were now in the midst of the mountains which to a vast height all around them the rest of the day was spent in exploring the wild region in the neighborhood after an early breakfast on tuesday the company started to walk to over the col de a distance of twenty miles it was a long and weary journey but it was full of exciting interest the path was steep and rugged on the crest of the col de the view surpassed anything they had ever seen before from its summit to its base in the of was before them the immense were indeed seas of ice and many were the exclamations of wonder and delight which burst from the travellers a lunch was obtained at the house of refuge built for those overtaken on the mountains by storms and the descent following the was commenced young america in france and early in the afternoon the arrived at where had been secured at the hotel de the village is a large place its importance from the crowd of people who visit it to see the scenery its hotels are on the scale and no better ones are to be found in the world the principal business of the inhabitants is attending to the wants of the state all affairs to guides and for excursions there are two hundred of the former under the management of a guide en who the others men and are subjected to an examination to ascertain their for the work for a guide and mule the charge is six a day each though particular excursions are made at fixed prices the students remained at three days making to the du to the which a visit to the de and a short walk across its rough icy surface to the to the a rock among the seven acres in area and nine thousand feet above the sea level covered with green and flowers an in the desert of ice and the ascent of the mountains on the side of the river opposite the range which commands a splendid view of the towering heights the seas of ice and the rushing torrents in this lofty position professor read s sublime address to on saturday the returned to by the t te taking the valley of the instead of crossing the mountain and by the last train at dark reached sion where they were to spend sunday and cottage or chapter xx a run through sion contains three old castles on the heights to one of some of the students climbed at this point in the journey were no longer available but the zealous agent of mr had provided six for the exclusive use of the guests in which they were to proceed to on the road built by napoleon these differ from any seen in the united states they contain four for passengers a or covered seat on the top the or front place in the body with windows looking out under the driver s seat the with cross seats in the middle and the opening like an from the rear it eighteen passengers their baggage being upon the top the distance to is thirty three miles and it was accomplished in about five hours the route is among the high twelve or thirteen thousand feet high after a dinner at the h d a miscellaneous procession of and was formed and up the valley of the ne though a portion of the party were to go on foot changing occasionally with those in the young america in france and they seemed to be travelling in the clouds though far above them were the st and the there was everything to see but little to be described dr pointed out to grace paul and who were | 36 |
his special care the objects of interest on the route it was quite dark when the arrived at the village of which is forty four hundred feet above the sea level travelling in this lofty region was different from anything the party had ever before seen often the road was a mere shelf not more than four feet wide cut out of the rocks with an abyss thousands of feet deep below it mountain which looked in the distance were overcome by the vast yawned in th rocks and unsteady bridges torrents leaped down dizzy heights snow clad peaks above and even the most thoughtless of the boys were by the grandeur of the scene as the days were short the left at daylight in the morning for visiting the ne one of the in on the way the source of the river is in a of ice and its waters fall over a precipice one hundred and fifty feet high into an ice bound beneath the water forces itself under the and issues from another at its foot crossing the at the pass between two peaks over eight thousand feet above the level of the sea the descended to where they dined on red and hastened on in the provided by mr s agent to palace and cottage or three cheers for tell shouted ben as he leaped from the a which is a kind of sofa on four wheels in the open square in the centre of the town tradition says that william tell shot the apple from his son s head and the place where he stood is marked by a plaster statue the town contains nothing else of interest being in the smallest and poorest in where poverty and are an to the traveller two miles beyond is on the lake of where the party embarked for the city at the other end of it twenty six miles distant the lake consists of a series of or and has a bad reputation for stormy weather but it behaved very well while the students were crossing it vast mountains rise in places from the surface of the water high and lofty frown upon the and it would be hard to conceive of anything more wild and than these rugged shores on a little shelf at the east shore of the lake stands tell s chapel according to the story the governor was conveying the hero bound in a boat to the of but a sudden storm coming up the tyrant removed his in order to enable him to steer the boat taking advantage of this circumstance tell leaped ashore upon the shelf where the chapel stands made his escape and afterwards killed mass is said and a sermon preached in this chapel on the friday after day the inhabitants on the shores attend and form an procession in their boats young a in france and the landed at the broad and walked across the street to the one of the principal hotels in the evening they visited the which contains a sword of william tell and many other historical the most interesting sight in is the monument to the memory of the guards who fell while defending louis xvi and in the in the first french revolution which the visited the next morning it is the figure of a wounded lion of colossal proportions out of the ledge the recess forming a kind of in which it rests it was designed by the famous and is twenty feet long and eighteen high the lion with a broken spear in his side is dying but is striving with his last gasp to protect a shield on which is represented the de us of the over the river which the town are several bridges of picturesque architecture which are adorned with paintings the students walked through some of the principal streets of the town and then through one of to the they had regarded with peculiar interest the cottages of for there are no palaces they are peculiar to the country and rather the name as it is understood in other countries for they are often large enough to accommodate not only the farmer s family but also his oxen cows and sheep some of them suggest a hotel rather than a dwelling house they are often adorned in a rude way the rear is frequently used as a stable and sometimes palace and cottage or there is a road from the hill side into the second where a cart laden with produce may be driven in on a hill they obtained a fine view of the two noted mountains of this vicinity mount on one side of the lake and mount on the other the former is said to derive its name from the wicked governor of who permitted the to be having been banished to by caesar he wandered about this mountain conscience stricken and finally drowned himself in the lake the mountain is therefore in bad and formerly the government of forbade its ascent the company left in the steamer for on the way dr pointed out where s statue stands in the market place he was a devoted and sacrificed himself to his country near was tlie great slide by which timber was formerly shot down from the mountains to be floated nearly a thousand miles down the into which the flows from the conveyed the to where a is taken to from the lake could be seen in the distance the behind which are the of the the the among which wrote spending the night at a very pretty village of hotels and boarding houses in the midst of the scenery in the world which our party were forced to see as they travelled they proceeded by steamer through the lake of to the beautiful village of young america in france and that name one of the most beautiful in the | 36 |
display of figures at noon the clock its grand the twelve march out with stately step bow humbly to the who his hand to bless each as he passes an angel strikes the hour time the stroke a second angel turns an and a painted cock his wings and three times the show over the party hastened to the hotel for dinner and then took the train for paris where at midnight they bade adieu to the young america in france and and then dashed on to arriving there at six o clock on sunday morning the ship had been hauled out of the dock and was lying in the in readiness to receive her weary crew near her lay the in which the vice principal with the had arrived the day before the day was literally one of rest and though the held an afternoon service most of the students slept all the and a portion of the afternoon the excursion had been extended one week beyond the time at first intended and mr had treated the travellers in their long journey in the most style on monday morning all hands including the were assembled on the deck of the young america the appeared to be rather disconcerted and chop fallen when they met their companions for four weeks they had been confined to the vessel hardly stepping foot on shore and it is no exaggeration to say that they were heartily sick of the game of running away how are you sir thomas said when the leader of the came over the rail shut up growled the commander of the knights of the golden who was disgusted with his title you haven t seen the end of it yet what next laughed that s telling but if you think our fellows are going to stand it to be imposed upon as we have been you mistake us who has imposed upon you who haven t we been shut up on board of palace and cottage or the for four weeks while you were seeing the country haven t we been compelled to study up back lessons every day it was your own fault you might have gone with us if you hadn t run away laughed no matter will find out what is what in a few days added shaking his head and it appeared to be almost certain that another been formed in which the were to revenge themselves for their defeat up asked we have been insulted trodden under foot over by we won t stand it that s all the use don t be a fool i have tried it on and i have made up my mind that a fellow has the best time when he minds the rules continued and such language from him was certainly rather remarkable are we to go back without seeing paris or replied indignantly what did our folks send us over here for if it wasn t to see the country you might have seen it if you had done your duty i suppose you know we are going off again for two or three weeks said we were to be deprived of all privileges for the rest of the season perhaps will let you up if you behave well i don t care whether he lets us up or not we are going to germany and down the young america in france and in a few days perhaps you will be allowed to go with us suggested i want to see paris and all our fellows do and we are going to see them the voice of mr interrupted the conversation he congratulated the students upon their safe return and praised them for their excellent conduct on the trip declaring that not a single instance of decidedly bad behavior had occurred during the journey the students had conducted themselves in a manner highly creditable to their country and the he then referred to the case of and the bag of gold giving the whole truth in regard to the mysterious subject as it had been derived mr and others of course the student was not only of all blame but was warmly commended for his conduct on board of the during the to ur in and had compared notes and though the second lieutenant could not quite forgive the for knowing more than he did himself they were reconciled and became tolerably good friends young gentlemen with this month commenced a new quarter and i will now proceed to read the list of officers for the term continued mr as he took the book handed to him by one of the professors agreeably to the rule adopted three months ago those who have served as captain of either vessel are not again eligible to office therefore captain haven and captain must retire but the highest in rank of the past officers is entitled to the position of flag officer and cottage or these created a strong sensation among the ship s companies and many of them had their hearts in their throats from sheer anxiety many glanced at for all were confident that he had won a high rank of the three past officers now on board captain paul has attained the highest rank and for the next term he will be the i greet you said grasping his hand i congratulate you paul added captain haven taking the other hand of the if these distinguished young officers were disturbed by a feeling of envy and jealousy they were but human and it was more creditable to subdue and overcome such an unworthy sentiment than it was not to have it paul was one of the most popular among the students and his elevation was greeted by three cheers in which ail but the heartily joined the shouts ceased and a dead silence ensued for the anxiety to know who was to command the ship for the | 36 |
w much they indebted for what is pure and to his i r l l lee ft boston s stories six vol rich and or the mission of grant in school and out or the conquest of richard grant watch and wait or the young work and win or on a hope and have or grant among the indians haste and waste or the young pilot of lake plain is the at th of peter he has just j the stories by the publication of haste and waste the best notice to give of them is to mention that a couple of pulled them out of the two hours since an i are yet devouring them out in the autumn leaves cover it to iv r lee i r o au x r m n r bs si outward bound or y young america afloat a story of travel and adventure by william t boston lee and new york and y the new york public library r and n foundations r l entered according to act of in the year tj william t in i office of the district court of the district of to george this volume is respectfully en o i young america abroad by a library of travel and adventure in foreign lands and second series six volumes in each i mo illustrated j series i outward bound or young america afloat n and or young america in ireland and scotland iii red cross or young america in england and wales es and or young america in holland and v palace and cottage or young america ik france and vl down the or young america in germany second series i up the z y br y g america in and v j ii northern lands or america in and russia in vine and or in and y m iv shores or young america in and v cross and or young america in greece and turkey vi of the sea or young america homeward bound preface outward bound is the first volume of a of travel and adventure in foreign lands and contains the voyage of the academy ship young america across the atlantic the origin and progress of this institution are incidentally developed and the plan is respectfully submitted to the consideration of those who are interested in the education and moral training of the class of young men who are the characters in the scenes described in this work besides a full description of the routine and discipline of the ship as an and institution the volume a rather free of the follies and of youth but their vices are revealed to suggest the remedy the story the experience of the officers and crew of the young america eighty seven in number though of course only a few of them can appear as prominent actors as the ship has a little world with all the elements of good and evil within her wooden walls the story of the individual will necessarily be with that of the mass and the history of the chain league in the present volume of which is the hero will it is hoped convey an instructive lesson to young men who are disposed to rebel against reasonable discipline and authority in the succeeding volumes of this series the adventures travels and sight seeing as well as the individual and experience of the crew of the academy ship will be thej will visit the principal ports of europe as well as penetrate to the interior but they will always be american boys wherever they are the author hopes that the volumes of the series will not only be instructive as a description of foreign lands and interesting as a record of exploits but that they will convey correct views of moral and social duties and the young reader to their faithful performance mass contents i the idea suggested ii ii the young america iii the at the peak iv officers and v our fellows vi fourth of july vii heaving the loo viii outward bound a ix the watch bill x making a chain xi the in no xii the root of all evil xiii to mischief xiv all hands xv after the gale t contents xvi thb of the xvii peas and beans xviii the result of the xix man overboard xx the end of the chain league x outward bound outward bound or young america afloat chapter i thb idea suggested there are ho such this side of new and you can t get them for love or money at the stores all we have to do is to fill our pockets and keep our mouths closed till the are ripe enough to eat said robert the older and the larger of two boys who had just climbed over the high fence that surrounded the fine garden of mr what will say if he finds it out replied his companion the gentleman thus alluded to was the principal of the academy of which and were pupils in the boarding department what will he say when he finds out that the king of the islands his teeth with a pitch outward bound or fork added contemptuously i don t intend that he shall find it out and he won t unless you tell him of course i shall not tell him come along then it is nearly dark and no one will see us led the way down the walk till he came tp a brook on the bank of which stood the tree whose rich fruit had tempted the young gentlemen to the territory of mr with intent to plunder there they are said the | 36 |
chief of the young as he paused behind a of bushes and pointed at the fruit there s no on them and they are worth coming after hark i whispered i heard a noise what was it i don t know i m afraid we shall be caught no danger no one can see us from the house but i m sure s some one near i heard something nonsense it was only a dagger of the mind such as talks about answered as he crawled towards the tree come be quick and fill your pockets this tree was a choice variety in whose cultivation the owner had been making an elaborate experiment mr had watched it and nursed it with the most care and now it e about a dozen remarkably large and beautiful they were not quite ripe enough to be america afloat gathered but was confident that they would mellow in his trunk as well as on the tree the experiment of the had been a success and he had already prepared with much care and labor a paper of the process which he intended to read before the society exhibiting the fruit as the evidence of tlie of his method to mr therefore the had a value far beyond their worth gathered a couple of the and urged his companion to use all possible haste in the tree of its rich burden there what are you about shouted some one who hastened to make his presence known to the began to retreat hold on interposed it s no one but harry n he can tell of us just as well as anybody else if he does he will catch it what are you doing demanded harry r who was a nephew of mr and lived with him as he crossed the rustic bridge tliat the brook don t you see what i m doing replied with an impudent coolness which confounded harry stop that cried harry indignantly my uncle wouldn t take ten dollars apiece for those that s more than he ll get for them added as he reached up and gathered another stop tliat i tell you said harry angrily as he z outward bound or stepped up in a menacing attitude before the reckless shut up harry i you know me and when i get all these i ve got something to say to you was about to gather another of the when harry his indignation his prudence grasped his arm and pulled him away from the tree what do you mean harry exclaimed apparently astonished at the of the youth i can t stop to you now but i ll do it within twenty four hours well don t you touch those then yes i will touch them i intend to have the whole of them and if you say a word to your uncle or any one else about it i ll that head of yours no you won t i you shall not have those anyhow replied the resolute little fellow who was no match physically for if you open your mouth uncle robert help help i thieves in the garden shouted harry who certainly had no defect of the lungs take that you monkey said angrily as he struck the little fellow a heavy blow on the side of the head with his fist which knocked him down i ll fix you the next time i see you consulted his discretion rather than his now that the alarm had been given and retreated towards the place where he had entered the garden s the matter harry asked mr america afloat i as he rushed over the bridge followed by the gardener and his just as harry was picking himself up and rubbing his head they were stealing your and i tried to stop them replied harry they have taken some of them now mr glanced at the favorite tree and his brow lowered with anger and vexation his paper before the could be illustrated by only nine instead of thirteen who stole them harry demanded tlie disappointed fruit the nephew hesitated a moment and the question was repeated with more robert was with him but he didn t take any of the what is the matter with your head harry asked his uncle when he observed him rubbing the place where the blow had fallen struck me and knocked me down when i called out for you did he where is he now he and ran up the walk to the back of tlie garden that boy shall be taken care of continued mr as he walked up the path towards the point where the had entered the academy is fast becoming a nuisance to the neighborhood because there is neither order nor discipline among the students the thieves had escaped and as it would be useless to follow them mr went back to the outward bound or house but he was too much annoyed at the loss of his splendid which were to figure so before the to permit the matter to drop without further notice did he hurt you much harry asked mr as they entered the house not much sir though he gave me a pretty hard crack answered harry did you see them when they came into the garden no sir i was fixing my water wheel in the brook when i heard them at the tree i went up and tried to prevent from taking the i caught hold of him and pulled him away he said he couldn t stop to me then but he d do it within twenty four hours then he hit me when i called for help the young scoundrel that boy is worse than a in any neighborhood mr seems to have no control over him suddenly and without any apparent reason mr s compressed lips and contracted brow relaxed and his face wore its usual | 36 |
expression of dignified serenity harry could not understand the cause of this sudden change but his uncle s anger had passed away the fact was that mr happened to think while his indignation prompted him to resort to the punishment for that he himself had been just such a boy as the of his cherished fruit at the age of he had been tlie of the town in which he resided his father was a very wealthy man and resorted america afloat to many to cure the boy of his vicious young had a taste for the sea and his father finally procured a s warrant for him to enter the navy the strict discipline of a ship of war proved to be the one thing needful for the of the wild youth and he not only became a steady young man but a hard student and an accomplished officer the navy made a man of him as it has of hundreds of the sons of rich men by idleness and the absence of a reasonable ambition when mr was thirty years old his father died leaving to each of his three children a quarter of a million and he had resigned his position in the navy in order to take care of his property and to lead a more domestic life with his wife and daughter than the discipline of the service would permit he had taken up his residence in the early home of his wife it was a large town on the sea shore only a few miles from the metropolis of new england thus all the advantages of a home in the city and in the country for several years he had been happy in his peaceful retirement but not wealth nor even integrity and piety can bar the door of the lofty mansion against the er of the race his wife died of an hereditary disease which gave no indication of its presence till she had passed her year two years later his daughter just blooming into maturity followed her ts outward bound or down to the silent tomb stricken in her freshness and beauty by the same malady the husband and father was left desolate his purest and hopes were but while he was to the will of the father who all things well he became gloomy and sad he was not seen to smile for a year after the death of his daughter and it was three years before he had recovered even the outward semblance of his former cheerfulness he was rich but alone in the world he continued to reside in the home which was to him by the memories of his loved and lost ones when his wife s sister died in poverty leaving two children he had taken them to his home and had become a father to them was a good boy and was a good girl but they were not his own children there was something wanting an aching void which they could not fill though mr was to them all that could be asked or expected of a parent mr busied himself in various studies and experiments but life had ceased to be what it was before the death of his wife and daughter he wanted more mental occupation he felt the need of greater activity and he was tempted to return to the navy even after his absence of ten years from the service but this step for many reasons was not practicable at the time when his garden was invaded by the students from the way academy he was still thinking what he could do to save himself from the life of ease he was young america afloat x leading and at the same time serve his country and his race had robbed his garden of some of his fruit had struck his nephew a severe blow on the head and to still greater upon him in the future mr was justly indignant and his own peace and the peace of the neighborhood demanded that the author of the mischief should be punished especially as he was an old it was absolutely necessary that something should be done and the retired naval officer was in the right frame of mind to do it just then when he was wrought up to the highest pitch of indignation his anger vanished at sixteen was the of himself at fifteen this was certainly no reason why the hand of justice should be stayed mr did not intend to stay it though the thought of his own modified his view and appeased his wrath he put on his hat and left the house he walked over to the academy and being shown to the office of the principal he informed him of the committed in his garden who did it mr demanded the principal with proper indignation in his tones and his looks i need not have asked that boy gives me more trouble all the others put together added with an anxious expression and yet what can i do with him him replied mr outward bound or i don t like to do that why not it would be an injury to me why so it would his father who is a person of wealth and influence when came to ten other boys came with him he was from another institution which so his father that he induced the parents of ten others to take their sons out and send them to me if i i shall lose about a dozen of my students and i can t afford to do that but must the neighborhood from his i will talk with the boy i will keep him in his room for a week i m afraid the boy needs measures if tliis were the first or even the third time i would not say so much my dear sir what can i do the boy | 36 |
needs strict discipline if i were still in the navy and had him aboard my ship i could make a man of him i don t anything can be done something must be done mr my garden shall not be robbed with i will do what i can mr but the owner of the stolen fruit was by this time satisfied that nothing would be done the principal of the academy had not force nor influence enough to control such a boy as mr took his leave determined to apply to another america afloat for the of the evil that night the thieves were arrested and put in the lock up the next day they were tried found guilty and to pay a fine and costs which mr promptly paid a week mr s stable was burned to tlie ground was seen near the building just before the fire broke out but it could not be proved that he was the though no one doubted the fact he was arrested but discharged on the examination you see how it is mr said tlie principal of the academy as the two gentlemen met after the examination it would have been better for you if you had not the boy for stealing tlie i don t think so replied mr i must do my duty regard to consequences and you will pardon me if i say you ought to do the same if i the boy he would burn the house over my head then you think he burned my stable i don t know it cannot be proved that he did i have no doubt of the fact i have no ill will against the boy i only desire to protect myself and my from his i think you were very unfortunate in the method you adopted mr replied the principal of tlie academy it has upon yourself shall this boy steal my fruit and burn my buildings with added mr with considerable warmth z outward bound or certainly not i applied to you for mr i told you i would talk with the boy such a as that needs more than talk what would you do witli him sir demanded mr earnestly i hardly know i should certainly have him but that while it the academy not benefit the boy it would only the boy very likely and his remaining will a dozen more by his influence mr i shall be obliged to take my nephew out of your institution added mr seriously take him out i must indeed why so asked mr who was touched in a very tender place because i am not willing to keep him under the influence of such an example as this sets for his companions as the matter now stands the young rascal has more influence in the academy than you have you cannot manage him and you dare not him the boy knows this and he will not leave his advantage unused i hope you won t take harry out of the school said mr i must others may do the same i cannot help it with my view of the matter tliey can hardly do otherwise young america afloat but you see sir what the effect of tliis step must be mr i must be frank with you you have declined to while you know that his influence is bad you asked me what you should do and i told you now you prefer to retain but you must lose others permit me to say that ou should do your duty without regard to consequences i cannot afford to lose my scholars your position is a one i grant mr but you can do nothing for yourself or t ic boys air went home harry was taken from the academy and a dozen parents and followed the example of the advocate for discipline mr was in despair the institution was falling to pieces for the want of discipline the principal had not the nerve to enforce order even with the limited means his reach he went to see mr and begged him to assist in the tide which was setting against the academy the retired naval officer became deeply interested in the subject of school discipline in general especially in its connection with tlie education of rich men s sons given to he pitied poor mr in his for he was a good man and an excellent teacher in the mean time grew worse instead of better finding that he could have his own way that tlie principal was no match for him his influence for evil was stronger than mr s for good the worthy had finally resolved to his outward bound or troublesome student when dr one day surprised him by to buy out the academy at a price far exceeding its value he gladly accepted tlie offer as the best solution of the problem and the naval officer became principal of the academy mr did not the pupil at once he waited for an act but found tlie of authority upon him he attempted to himself before his by setting fire to a on the marsh belonging to the new principal a searching investigation followed and was convicted mr wrote to the boy s father announcing his mr went to full of wrath and the new head of the institution with the loss of a large number of his scholars if he disgraced his son by him if the boy had done wrong and he supposed he had let him be talked to let him be confined to his room for a day or two but he must not be it was a disgrace to the boy the principal was as firm as a rock and mr was calm when he found that threats were mr pointed out to his visitor the perils which lay in the path of his son mr began to be | 36 |
reasonable and dined with the principal a long and earnest consideration of the whole matter took place over the the of was and young was turned over to the ex naval officer with full to discipline him as he thought best mr had converted the young america afloat and he hoped he should be able to convert the son after dinner mr went down tlie bay with his host in the on the way they passed the school ship to which boys are by the courts for crime and and on board of which they are and educated mr explained the institution to his guest an excellent idea said mr it is just tlie place for your son replied mr but it is for very true robert is a criminal if he is not now he soon will be if he continues in his present course if i had him on i could make a man of him then i wish you had him on perhaps i may yet replied the principal with a smile i did not purchase the academy with the intention of becoming a in the ordinary sense of the word i have no intention of remaining in it i hope you will i have been thinking of fitting up a vessel like the school ship that rich men s sons may have the benefit of such an institution without the necessity of committing a crime i could do more for the boys in a month on board ship than i could in a year at this was the first mention which mr made of his plan though he had been considering outward bound or it for several weeks mr hoped that this idea of a academy would be reduced to practice for he now felt that it was just what his son needed the project was discussed during tlie rest of the trip the history of the scheme from its need not be followed in detail many persons were consulted in regard to it there were plenty to approve and plenty to but in october tlie of a four hundred ton ship was laid down the object of this marine institution was thoroughly explained and before the ship was ready for there were for every berth on board of her the idea was exceedingly popular among the boys all of whom were to be students on board especially as it was already hinted that the ship would visit europe to parents it held out for their sons all the benefits of a sea voyage with few of its it would furnish healthy exercise and a vigorous constitution to its pupils in march of the following year the ship was at anchor in harbor ready to receive her crew young america afloat j chapter ii the young america with mr the academy ship which was the name he usually applied to the idea he had and thus far carried into effect was not a speculation he did not intend to see how much money could be made by the scheme it was an experiment in the education of rich men s sons for only rich men could pay for in such an expensive institution the academy was to be continued under the management of a board of an accomplished teacher had been selected by mr and the school under its present administration was in a highly prosperous condition only ten of its pupils had been transferred to the academy ship for it required no little nerve on tlie part of parents to send their sons to school on the broad ocean to battle with the elements to endure the storms of the atlantic and to undergo the hardships which tender mothers supposed to be connected with a life on for six months mr had studied upon his plan and it was hardly when the new ship came to anchor in harbor during outward bound or this period he had visited the principal cities of tlie northern states those of the southern section being closed against his operations by the war of the rebellion then raging at the height of its fury he had interested his friends in his bold enterprise and boys witli whom the experiment was to be were from all parts of the country the securing of the requisite number of pupils was the first success and what he had regarded as the most difficult part of the enterprise more than half of them had been obtained before it was deemed prudent to lay the of the ship the details of the plan had been carefully considered during the winter and when the ship was at the organization of the school its rules and had all been written out the boys began to arrive about the first of march and by the first of april all of them eighty seven in number were on board mr was naturally very anxious for the success of his experiment and for months he had labored with diligence in his plan and carrying it into operation in this occupation he had found the activity he needed and he may not be blamed for believing all the time tliat he was laboring for his country and his race if it has been inferred from what has been said of mr of his domestic and of his views on the subject of discipline that he was an austere cold and man a wrong impression has been conveyed the boys of the academy when they came to know him loved him ar much as they respected him he was not the man young america afloat to the harmless enjoyment of youth or to repress its innocent he watched the sports of the students with interest and pleasure and encouraged them by all the means in his power he was fond of humor enjoyed a harmless joke and had a keen appreciation of wit lie was a good companion for the boys and | 36 |
much needed by the first of april tlie last of tlie students had reported to the principal on board and tlie professors young america afloat as tlie boys insisted upon calling them had taken possession of their state rooms though some of the pupils had been on board nearly a month the organization of the ship had not been commenced but classes had been formed in some of the studies by the teachers and tlie pupils every day the had instructed tlie boys in and some temporary had been adopted for the eating and sleeping but not a boy had been allowed to go and nothing more ordinary school discipline had been attempted the boys as boys always are were impatient at this delay they wanted to be bounding over the ocean to be on their way to some foreign port they were anxious to work to climb the and stand at the wheel as yet they knew veiy little of the purposes of the principal and had l ut a faint perception of the life they were to lead in tlie academy ship it was understood that tlie officers were to be selected for merit and that tlie ship some time or other was to cross the ocean but beyond this all was darkness and uncertainty to morrow will be the first day of april said george as he walked the deck of the young america richard a dignified young gentleman of seventeen mr said we should go to work on that day if he said so then of course we shall go to work replied games tm tired of waiting added i think is a stupid kind of life we are not even tied to a bell rope here outward bound or this takes place the is hoisted to morrow at twelve o clock we shall display tlie colors at the peak with us going into commission will only mean the organization of our school from that time we shall observe the discipline of a man of war so far aa the ship and crew are concerned shall we go to sea then asked i think not replied mr laughing we shall not leave the harbor till every officer and seaman knows his duty you shall enough to do to morrow young gentlemen when shall we be able to go to sea i don t know there are many ropes in the ship and you have a great deal to learn before i shall be willing to trust you with the anchor at the cat head what is the cat head sir asked do you wish to go to sea without knowing what the cat head is replied the principal you shall know in due time to morrow we shall select the officers fifteen in number who are to occupy the after cabin this announcement created a decided sensation among the eighty seven boys gathered in the waist for the subject had been full of interest to the after cabin had thus far been a sealed book the door was locked nd they had not even seen the inside of the apartment they were curious to visit this cabin and to know who to occupy it after the organization of the it is my intention to give these offices to those who obtain the highest number of merit marks which will be given for good young america afloat conduct good lessons and progress in the best boy who is at the same time the best scholar and the best seaman shall be captain we have no marks now by which to make the selection and i intend to have you elect him the first time to myself the right to your choice if it is obviously an improper one as mr uttered this last remark he glanced perhaps unconsciously at who stood directly in front of him young gentlemen the will take place tomorrow morning at nine o clock i have given you tliis notice that you may be able to consider the matter and if you choose to make for the several offices continued the principal what are the offices sir the first and most important one of course is the captain the others are four four masters two and four what are they to do asked i will not explain their duties now it would require too much time i mentioned them in the order of their importance now young gentlemen you should select your for these offices by merit not by favor i am aware that a few of you have been to sea but probably none df you are competent to handle a ship and your choice should be based mainly on good character and good conduct i hope i shall be able to approve the choice you may make you are dismissed now three cheers for the principal shouted of ttie boys outward bound or silence young gentleman let me say now that no expressions of approbation or are to be allowed the boys separated into groups and immediately gave their attention to the important subject suggested to them by mr on it must be acknowledged that violent symptoms of log rolling began to be exhibited there were fifty if not eighty seven young men who wished to be captain and sit at the head of the table in the after cabin some of them went down into the and in five minutes there was a confused in every part of the ship for whom shall you vote asked in a group of half a dozen which had gathered around one of the mess tables i don t know whom do you go for replied i rather think i shall go for bob in my opinion he is the best fellow on board replied the owner of that name that s modest laughed do you know of any fellow tliat would make a better captain than i should you don t | 36 |
wide awake bold daring fellows who had a taste for stirring events fellows who wanted to climb the rocky mountains visit the pole and explore the cave they were full of fun and mischief and it would have been easy at any time to get up a party among them to march the principal s cow into the parlor of the academy to climb to the on a winter s night and fill th bell with water where it would solid before morning or to convey the occupants of the hen to the room it was mr s task to repress the mischief in these boys to keep them occupied with work and play and to develop their moral and mental he had doubtless taken a heavy load upon himself but he felt that he was to labor for his race and his country at least one half of his students were too wild to attend the ordinary public or private schools or to profit by them if admitted with such material his work could not be a but he had a taste for it and he gave his whole heart and soul to the performance of his duties when the students were gathered on board the young america they were mostly strangers to him though he had communicated personally or by letter with the parents of all of them he had read and listened to the stories of their and but when they came together he hardly knew one from another and was not prejudiced against any individual by the terrible accounts of him related by parents or teachers he to give young america afloat them the opportunity to select their own officers at first in order to win a more cheerful obedience from them and because the students knew each other better than he knew them after the announcement of the principal that the would commence on the following morning nothing else was talked of on board the of various members of the school were discussed by groups of excited and we must do them tlie justice to say that most of them considered the matter and with a single eye to the public good perhaps it is a little remarkable that not a single student outside of the little group of that gathered in the thought of for the position of captain and the log were likely to have up hill work in themselves to the six principal offices but they went to work and labored very diligently till bed time in carrying their point while none thought of in connection with the highest position many mentioned the dignified young gentleman who had made one voyage up the richard he had been on board a fortnight and had won and retained the respect of all his companions before the little band of wire in the had made up the slate to suit their minds the crowd on deck had agreed upon richard for captain and were busy in discussing the of others for the subordinate offices when the log separated and went to work upon their mission outward bound or how are you going to vote for captain said stepping up to the young gentleman who had proposed so many questions to the principal and who had been so honest in his ignorance of matters for of course i wouldn t vote for him sneered the wire why not he s too stiff he ll put on airs and be a tyrant over us no he won t you ee if he don t i say are you up for any office continued with a certain appearance of which the straightforward young gentleman did not exactly like ami yes you wouldn t you like a room in the after cabin perhaps i would answered thoughtfully and the place was certainly very inviting to him they say the after cabin is a perfect little palace i dare say it is you can just as well go in there if you like i don t see how that can be i don t think i m fit to be an officer i am from and i never saw a ship till i came east three weeks ago none of the fellows know anything about a ship all of us will have to learn knows all about one no he don t he made one voyage and knows young america afloat just enough to talk salt he s a good fellow enough but he isn t fit for captain if you want to be an officer and have a berth in the after cabin you can just as well as not well i would like such a place i can t deny it but i don t think the fellows will go for mc they will if you say so if i say so i m not going to ask them to vote for me replied warmly for he was no and had a vein of modesty in his composition you needn t say a word to any one if you will go for our ticket it will be all right half a dozen of us have talked this matter over and we have concluded that you would be the best fellow for second master have you asked who could not help being gratified to learn that even half a dozen of his companions had thought him worthy to be an officer of so high a rank as second master i m very much obliged to you all you have to do is to go for our ticket what do you mean by your ticket demanded who was rather confused by the terms of the wire explained that his little party had selected a candidate for each of the offices and if all the fellows agreed to it there would be fifteen for ticket to begin with well what is your ticket demanded impatiently if they are all | 36 |
good fellows i will go for them of course you mean to vote for for captain not exactly replied with evident dis outward bound or that i spoke to you of this little matter i thought you would go with us or i shouldn t have said anything to you not say anything why not because it will be better to keep still i shall not do anything of the kind you have got up a plan to defeat by giving the offices to fellows who will vote against him you wish me to keep still while you carry out your plan i can see through a cord of wood when there s a hole big enough i mentioned tliis thing to you in confidence you didn t say a word about confidence and i didn t promise to keep still i won t keep still i think it is a mean trick to buy up the of the fellow i a nd i ll blow the whole thing higher than a you ll catch it if you do said in a threatening tone catch what demanded with a very pretty exhibition of dignity bob will give it to you give what to me give you the biggest you ever had in your life answered angrily you are so stupid you can t understand anything i think i can understand the when it comes that s a game that two can play at what do you mean you little do you think you can whip bob i had no idea of him and i have no idea of his me young america afloat was could make nothing of him by threats or persuasion and he turned away from him to seek a more promising field of labor took off his cap scratched his head as he reflected upon the event which had just and made up his mind that it was an insult to an to attempt to buy his vote with the paltry consideration of an office he was sorry that he had been even tempted by the proposition of the wire and thankful that his sense of honor and decency had prompted liim to decline it when asked to vote for an improper person true to his promise he made all haste to expose the conspiracy as he regarded it against when the students turned in that night the wire had found a sufficient number of for all the offices on the terms set forth in the compact each of whom had promised to use his influence for the entire ticket had made a very pretty calculation to the that each of the fifteen could influence at least two besides his own for the ticket which would inevitably elect it but during all this time paul had been laboring like a for and had induced his friends to do the same at nine o clock in the morning the were opened for the election of officers a box was placed on the rail at the in which the were deposited under the inspection of professor have all the students called the professor outward bound or when the was suspended if so i declare the closed it was a moment of intense excitement on the deck of the young america when mr stood up on the to announce the vote there was a pleasant smile upon his face which indicated that it would not be his painful duty to the choice of the independent young gentlemen your appears to have been conducted with entire said he and i will proceed to declare the result whole number of eighty seven necessary to a choice forty four paul has five charles has seven robert has twenty two richard has fifty three and is elected captain of the young america for succeeding three months the party who had worked and for applauded the result most and gave three cheers for the new captain which on this exciting occasion were hot objected to by the principal s jaw dropped down and his lip quivered with angry emotion that little of a did that said in a low tone to tlie disappointed candidate i was afraid of this when i saw him blowing about the deck i ll settle it with him when i get a good chance growled as he went to the rail and looked over into the water in order to conceal his ment and young gentlemen will bring in their for first young america afloat lieutenant said professor as he placed the box on the rail again the boys marched around the and deposited their for the second officer as they had done before the friends of rallied again hoping that something might yet come of the compact they had made with him and gave him their for first lieutenant though in his he declared that he would not accept the position fortunately for him he was not called upon to do so for charles elected by a very large as tl c election proceeded it became evident that there was no office for paul was elected fourth lieutenant and tlie announcement of the vote was greeted by even more hearty applause than had been bestowed upon the captain at the conclusion of the found that not a single one of the wire or of the by them had been elected the attempt to bribe the independent by giving them office had been a signal failure and it is to be hoped that young america when fully developed will stick to his captain richard said mr as he stepped upon the the had concluded the young gentleman thus addressed came forward blushing beneath the honors which had been bestowed upon him the principal took his hand captain i congratulate you upon your election to the highest office in the gift of your con outward bound or and i congratulate your fellow students also upon having so good a young | 36 |
man to handle the ship you have been modest and tliey have been wise i congratulate you both young gentlemen i am satisfied that your captain will be courteous and gentlemanly in his relations with you and i hope you will yield a willing and cheerful obedience to his orders and to those of all your let me say that this business is not a farce it is not mere boys play for as soon as the officers and crew are fully trained and instructed all ship duty will be carried on without assist from me or others when necessary i shall advise the captain what to do but i shall not do it myself neither shall i interfere with the discipline of the ship this is the last time an election of officers will be permitted for it is liable to many objections not the least of which are the and con by which some have attempted to obtain office mr looked at as though he knew all about the method to which he had resorted to secure an election but we are quite sure that paul had never a word of it to him or to any of the on the first day of july young gentlemen all the offices will be vacant and they will be strictly in accordance with the marks you may obtain there will be no upon the result of the merit roll these places therefore are open to all we have no aristocracy on board every student in the ship is a candidate for the now if the officers elect will follow me to the after cabin i will young america afloat them into their new positions after which i will proceed to the crew the door of the after cabin which had hitherto been a mystery to all the boys was unlocked by the head steward and mr followed by the officers entered the students on deck were ordered forward and were not even permitted to look down the companion way for the principal intended to keep the cabin exclusively for the officers and no one not to admission was to be allowed to cross its threshold he believed that this mystery and this rigid to the division line between officers and crew would promote the discipline of the ship and the value of the offices the for good conduct and general fidelity to duty captain this is your state room continued mr opening the door of the room farthest forward on the side as the commander of the ship you are entitled to an apartment by yourself thank you sir replied the captain as he stepped into the room you will find on the hooks your uniform as captain there are three suits from which you will select one that fits you captain entered and closed the door if he did not feel like a king he ought to have felt so mr then gave the next room to the first and second who were to occupy it together and they were also directed to clothe themselves in the deposited there for their use the third state room was given to the third and fourth and outward bound or the fourth to the first and second the forward room of the port side was assigned to the first and second masters the next to the third and fourth the third to tlie two and the last to the third and fourth in a short time the officers came out of their rooms clothed in their which consisted of a blue frock coat with brass buttons and blue the cap was of the same material with a gold band around it thus far the were all alike but there were to indicate the rank of each all the officers had shoulder by which their positions were the captain had two the first lieutenant had one anchor with four stars one above one below and one on each side the second lieutenant had the anchor with three stars none above the third lieutenant one star on each side of the anchor and the fourth lieutenant one star below the anchor the captain also wore five narrow gold bands on each of his coat sleeves the first lieutenant four and so on the fourth wearing but one band the shoulder of the masters contained no anchor only the stars one for each grade the first master having four stars the fourth only one the rank of the was indicated by the outline of a for the second and two of the same figure one within the other for the first the of the contained gilt numbers from one to four their grade the officers presented a very elegant and dashing appearance in their new uniform and if some of them young america afloat did not feel a little vain it was because they were less human than boys usually are what are we to do sir asked of the principal after the had been duly nothing at present nothing why i feel like a gold dollar in this when i know no more about a ship than i do about the inside of the moon you will learn in due time you will go on deck now young gentlemen and remember that as officers you are not to be familiar with tlie crew while you are on duty can t we speak to them asked who was not disposed to be so exclusive as naval discipline required him to be not while you are on duty except when it is necessary to do so we will now the in tlie to the crew as the boys came on board they had taken the as they pleased had selected a room and invited his to occupy the it contained with him the were now to be distributed by lot professor had provided slips of paper on each of which he had written a | 36 |
number the boys were into line and drew out these numbers from the as each student drew his slip the wrote down his name in a book with the number he had drawn in the each berth had its own number which was also applied to a and a seat at on of the mess tables when the drawing was completed each student had his berth his clothes outward bound or and his seat at meals many of them were extremely dissatisfied when they found that they had been separated from their but the principal was firm and would not allow a single change to be made by this time it was twelve o clock and peaks all hands to muster the was hoisted and saluted with cheers in which all hands young and old joined when this ceremony was finished the crew were to dinner and the officers went to their cabin where the steward had set the table for them for the first time they dined like lords though upon tlie same fare as their companions in the young america afloat chapter iv officers and after dinner the organization of the crew was continued all hands were to muster and by this time most of those who had been at the drawing of had recovered their natural and all were intensely interested in the arrangement of the details none of the boys knew what was coming and their curiosity kept in a continuous state of excitement all who have drawn even numbers will take the side of the ship said mr from his perch on the all who have drawn odd numbers will take the port side this is the side my lads added mr the in who like the principal had been a naval officer as he pointed to the right looking forward some had already forgotten their numbers and there was considerable confusion before the order could be obeyed young gentlemen the books will be opened today and a student who forgets his number again will lose a mark said mr are they all in their places mr o outward bound or they are sir replied the who had just counted them young gentlemen you are thus divided into two equal parts the and the port watches now form a straight line toe the crack and call your numbers in order beginning with the watch the boys eagerly followed this direction though some assistance was required from the in their superfluous enthusiasm very well continued mr when the students were formed in two lines every boy in the watch whose number is by four step forward one pace number three in the port watch do the same mr oblige me by seeing that every alternate boy in the line steps forward the line is formed sir replied the when he had carried out the direction of the principal each watch is now divided into two parts the first and second parts as they will be called now young gentlemen the clothing will be distributed and each student will put on his uniform at once the four lines were then marched down into the each under the charge of an to a particular locality where the head steward and his had deposited the clothing for each watch and quarter watch the uniform consisted of blue seaman s and a heavy flannel shirt or frock such as is worn in the united states navy to each student the following articles were served out i jacket i blue cloth jacket young america afloat l i pair blue cloth i pair blue i blue cap straw hat of coarse straw hat bound knit shirts pair knit drawers white pair white duck pair pair shoes black silk neck handkerchiefs these articles were given to the boys and they were required to put on the every day uniform after which they were directed to arrange the rest of the clothing in the belonging to them the who had furnished the goods was present with four to attend to the fitting of the clothes which were all numbered according to the size in a short time the students began to come out of their rooms clothed in their new they looked salt and was no end to the jokes and smart things that were said on this interesting occasion even hardly knew himself in his new dress the frock had a broad rolling collar in each corner of which was worked an anchor in white the black silk neck handkerchief was worn under the collar and not many of the boys had acquired the art of tying the regular sailor s knot peaks not only stood up as a model for them but he adjusted the neck gear for many of them the carpenter and outward bound or the who were also old sailors cheerfully rendered a s assistance to such as needed help agreeably to the directions of mr the shore suits of the students were done up in bundles each marked with the owner s name and the head steward took them to mr s house for out in their sea the students began to feel salt as well as to look salt some of them tried to imitate the rolling gait of the when they walked and some of them began to exhibit an alarming tendency to indulge in sea there my hearty you look like a sailor now said peaks when he had rolled over the collar and tied the square knot in the handkerchief of shiver my but i feel like one laughed the seaman what s tliat young gentleman demanded mr who happened to be hearing what did you say i said i felt like a sailor sir what was the expression you used i only said shiver my sir you stole that expression from a yellow covered novel did you ever hear mr peaks who has been a sailor all | 36 |
his lifetime use such language i ll be bound he never did added peaks no sir i don t know that i ever did some sailors do use such expressions but it is gross affectation for these young gentlemen who never saw a blue wave to indulge in them if you please america afloat you will not use such language it is simply ridiculous mr peaks you will pipe all hands to muster again the shrill whistle of tlie sounded through the ship and the boys tumbled up the eager to learn what was to be done next as they formed in lines they presented a novel and picturesque appearance in their uniform most of them had already learned to wear their caps over on one side and not a few of them perhaps as much from necessity as because it was a sailor s habit up their trousers and thrust their hands deep down into the side pockets the students were again formed in watches and quarter watches each of which classes and sub classes was indicated on the all the watch wore a small silver star on the right arm above the elbow and the port watch the same emblem on the left arm the first part of each watch had a figure i under the star and the second part a figure in the same position the rest of the day was spent in the organization for ship s duty which was far from completed when the sun went down the next day every boy was kept so busy that he had no time to the attended to the lessons in the with one watch while the other was on deck acquiring in the course of the month as the boys learned their duties and the of each were ascertained they were assigned to their stations in the various required in working the vessel peaks had taught the boys a few at a outward bound or time how to set a sail and it they had been gradually accustomed to going aloft until the giddy height of the main royal did not them and they could lay out on the yards without thinking of the empty space beneath them by the first of june all the petty officers had been appointed and every student had his station when the order was given to ship to make sail or to the sails every one knew where to go and what to do the station were cards on which the various of the had been printed in a column on the left while the particular duty of the owner of the card was written against it the card was kept by the student and he was expected to learn its contents so that he could take his place without stopping to consult it when an order was given here is a specimen of the cards port watch no william foster second part captain of the head ob let go head let go and in and it under way head and head sheets sheets and sails head and and boat professor s stroke oar mess no young afloat the crew had been in training a month before an attempt was made to set more than one sail at once but by this time the officers knew the orders having practised every day since the organization the petty officers had been appointed and had to some extent become familiar with their duties the boys still continued to wonder when the young america would go on a for they were very anxious to see the blue water and to roll on the great waves of the atlantic but they were so constantly occupied with ship s duty and their studies that the time did not hang heavily on their hands two months of constant practice had made tolerable of them and the discipline of the ship went on regularly the young officers as mr had promised began to conduct the and g ve the orders on the ist day of june after breakfast the students were thrown into a fever of excitement by an unusual order and they ventured to hope that the ship was to leave her mr you will pipe all hands to muster said captain to the first lieutenant pass the word for the added to one of the who stood near him this call was answered not by peaks who no longer performed the duties of but by one of the students who had been appointed to this position pipe all hands to muster said the first lieutenant as tlie petty officer touched his cap to him outward bound or all hands on deck i shouted the as he the call this was an unusual order for that time of day the being appropriated to study for each watch in turn and those who were below hastened on deck to ascertain what was to be done all hands stations for sail the when ordered to do so by the first lieutenant was in charge of the ship under the direction of the captain the second lieutenant stood on the where he was attended by the the third lieutenant was in tlie waist and die fourth on the quarter deck near the these were the stations of the officers whenever all hands were called mr and the stood near the companion way watching with interest this first attempt to make sail all over the ship lay aloft sail shouted and his order was repeated by the officers at their several stations the little who belonged on the and yards sprang up the like so many cats excited beyond measure by the scene of activity around them lower in the chains continued and his order was passed along by the officers aloft lower in a moment the crew were in their places the sail were up with the usual system so the sails could be reached lay out | 36 |
continued the first lieutenant and the young america afloat boys walked out on the foot ropes to their stations on the yards loose i the ropes by which the sails were secured to the yards were removed at tliis order and the held tlie sails in their places all ready on the sir reported foster who was captain of that part of tlie ship all ready in the all ready in the all ready in tho reported the several captains of the tops in proper order these reports were passed to the first lieutenant in charge of the deck by his let fall shouted highly excited and the sails dropped from tiie yard your aloft man sheets and sheets home and away these orders were passed from mouth td mouth among the officers and return reports made according to the strict discipline of the navy they were promptly executed by the crew though of course not without some and the young america was covered with her cloud of canvas mr commended the officers and crew for tlie and skill they had displayed in their first attempt at making sail he then directed captain games to both were then repeated until a satisfactory for one day was attained not going to sea all said when the crew were dismissed from muster no replied fm tired of lying here and if we don t go to sea soon i shall take myself oil outward bound or i m with you i thought we were going to have some fun on board but we don t do anything but study and shake out do you know how you stand on marks asked no not very high though don t you think you shall get into the cabin next term i know i shall not i haven t tried for anything on the first of next month you know new officers will be appointed and i suppose the crew will be over again i don t care i m getting tired of this thing i had a better time at the academy before we came on board there isn t much chance for any sport hardly a fellow has been allowed to go on shore since we joined the ship we ll get up a if things don t improve i was thinking of that very thing myself said in a low tone a i exclaimed who had used the word in jest just for fun you know laughed you don t mean any such thing not yet of course do you at any time we want something more exciting than this kind of a life here we are kept down and treated like common sailors we have to touch our caps and make our manners to dick and the rest of the young america afloat in the after cabin my father pays as much for me as dick games father does for him and i don t it is fair that he live in the cabin and i in tlie if you get marks enough you can have a in the cabin replied marks confound the marks i i m not a baby do you think a fellow seventeen years old is going to be put up or put down by marks said i thought you had been working for a place in tlie cabin so i have but i don t expect to get it i never studied so hard in my life and i believe i haven t had a bad mark since i came on board thinks i have laughed and so i have what do you want to get up a for then i shall not if i get a decent position if i don t i m going in for some fun but do you really think of getting up a asked curiously i was thinking the other day what a fine it would be if our fellows had the ship all to themselves what could we do with her go on a in her we couldn t handle her there is hardly a fellow on board that knows anything about of course i don t mean to do anything yet a not this year perhaps one of these days if we stay on board we shall know all about a ship fifteen or twenty of the fellows are studying we are going to europe some time or other when outward or we do we can take the ship and go it on our own hook i don t believe you mean anything of the kind bob i ve been thinking about it anyhow we can lock and the rest of the old folks into their cabin while they arc at dinner and are enough of us to handle peaks and i think you are crazy we should have a high old time if we could get possession of the ship wc wont say a word about it yet i think you had better not we might go round cape horn into the pacific and have a splendid time among the beautiful islands of south sea of course all the fellows wouldn t join you we could put those ashore somewhere who did not agree with us you know the penalty of on the high said contemptuously it would be nothing but a lark o one think of hanging us or even sending us to prison for it my father is rich enough to get me out of any scrape so is mine but i don t it would be quite safe to go into a not yet my dear fellow you can think it over but i m tired of this kind of a life i liked it first rate in the beginning do you think really to go to sea with the ship i know he does young america afloat if he don t go pretty soon i shall run away and go to | 36 |
sea in earnest don t say a word about the at present by and by if things go right or if they don t go right we may want wo take some stock in such an enterprise i don t see it yet but of course i shall keep still it is doubtful whether even sc daring a young man as who the to do almost anything seriously contemplated getting ur a very likely his and vicious imagination had in such an enterprise had pictured the delights of the s life at sea but a boy of ordinary common sense could hardly think of engaging in such a n ad scheme the last week of june with which month ended the first school term on board of the young america was devoted to and in all the studies for extra marks were given on the last day the made up the merit lists and on the morning of the ist of july all hands were and the result declared most of the officers all of whom had studied with diligence in order to retain their positions were in their offices the lieutenant however fell out having failed in his and to the astonishment of all robert was found to be entitled to the place the first and second exchanged ranks and paul fell to the position of second master three of the tenants of the after cabin were compelled to move into tlie and outward bound or three of the crew were transferred to the officers quarters many were disappointed and perhaps some were for the competition had been a severe struggle and as much depended upon natural ability as upon energy and perseverance but tlie young america was a world by herself she had all the elements of society within her wooden walls and success and failure there followed tlie same rules as in the great world of which she was an after tlie officers had been duly in their positions the petty offices were given to those having tlie highest number of marks among the crew it was certainly for the late third lieutenant to become captain of the and for a second master to become of the professors but these young gentlemen though disappointed submitted with a good grace to their misfortune the student having the highest number of among the crew was allowed to have the first choice of in the the one having the next highest number had the second choice and so on until all the numbers had been appropriated at the conclusion of the mr made a speech comforting the and reminding all the students that on the ist of october there would be distribution of the places of honor he hoped those who had failed to attain what tliey to reach would not be discouraged for after all they had been gaining knowledge and thus the real end of the school had been reached america afloat how about the said to the new lieutenant when both were off duty in the evening it won t pay just now replied with great good humor i suppose not sneered who had not even won a petty office what would say if he knew the third lieutenant talked of getting up a on board what would he say repeated who was as much surprised at the high rank he had gained as his companion had been yes what would he say if i should tell him of it he would say you were a mean for telling tales out of school at least he ought to say so and i think he would is a pretty good fellow after all no doubt he is now you are third lieutenant you needn t snuff at it if you want a place why don t you sail in and get one just look out for your marks that s all you have to do marks i thought a fellow seventeen years old was not to be put up or put down by marks said bitterly that depends somewhat upon whether you get in or out laughed i suppose you and paul will be fast friends now added the discontented student very well and has treated me first rate since i went into the cabin outward bound or i suppose if i want to run away you will stop me now if you are going to do that you t tell me of it now i m an officer replied as he turned on his heel and walked was disgusted and felt that he had lost his best friend now that had worked his way into tlie cabin young america afloat chapter v our fellows i would like leave of absence for to morrow mr said as he touched his cap to the first lieutenant of the young america on the day before the fourth of july i am sorry to inform you that no leave of absence will be granted to morrow replied in accordance with the instructions given him by tlie captain who in turn had received his orders from the principal no leave i exclaimed his jaw dropping down such are the orders i have always been in the habit of the fourth of july replied are we to stay on board the ship and all day i presume the day will be celebrated on board in a proper manner added the first lieutenant on board what can a fellow do here we might as well go to bed and off the day no words are necessary replied as he turned and walked away a good one added to the group of boys who had come with him to the to outward bound or request the same favor if the was ted to go on shore and the day not to exclaimed with thing like horror in his tones and looks work on the fourth of july in i won t stand it for one | 36 |
said nor i for another added so said half a dozen others well what are you going to do about it de here we are and we can t get ashore perhaps we can said as he led the way to a retired part of the deck where they could talk without being overheard did any one ever hear of such a thing as keeping the fellows on board on the fourth of july why every little greek in the city yonder has his on that day and we are to be up here like a parcel of sick chickens i i suppose we shall have to history and french and shake out as usual it s outrageous i don t believe the fellows will stand it added who did not know how bad the case was until it had been by who in the absence of had become the leader of a certain on board given to taking opposite views but i don t see what we can do said we will do something i won t stand it if i stay on board the ship to morrow it will be as a prisoner answered it s a hard case but what can we do about it asked young america afloat suppose we go to and state the case to him suggested what s the use of that of course the first lieutenant spoke by the card he had his orders to say what he did and i m sure they came from there can be no doubt of that but it would be better to have it from him i m willing to ask for the day if the fellows want me to do so but it won t do any more good than it would to bark at the continued i have an idea in my head if the fellows will stand by me he added in a lower tone as he looked over the rail at the swinging boom to which the boats in constant use were made fast what is it asked eagerly keep shady for a while how many fellows can we muster i don t know well don t stir the matter yet here comes and we will talk to him first come fellows s make a at him attended by his companions walked up to the principal as he was going forward touching his cap respectfully as the discipline of the ship required he opened the case mr some of the students would like to go on shore to morrow to the fourth can t we have liberty you know the rule you should apply to the first lieutenant for leave of absence replied mr js outward bound or we have sir and been refused then there is nothing more to be said the first lieutenant speaks with authority i beg your pardon sir but are we to stay on board all day to morrow that is certainly the arrangement t some of us would like to the day sir and we think it is rather hard to be obliged to do duty on the fourth of july i intend to have the day celebrated in a proper manner i have made preparations for a day on board if you please sir we would rather go on shore i am very sorry for your sake that i shall be unable to reverse the answer of the first lieutenant if i permit one or a dozen to go ashore i cannot refuse any and all must go i think the boys will be satisfied with the arrangements i have made for the day i never was kept in school on the fourth of july before sir growled then this will be a new event in your experience answered mr coldly as he turned from the and went forward there were a great many wild boys on board of the young america and it was morally impossible for the whole crew to attend the in the city without more or less of them getting into a scrape they had been kept on board for two months and not allowed to go on shore except under the of one of the and to let any considerable number of them loose on such a day as the fourth of july would only be trouble for they would america afloat be all the more after the long period of restraint mr did not willingly deprive the boys of any innocent gratification he had faithfully considered the matter of the day and taken the advice of the on the subject it had been proposed to procure a band of music and visit the city in a body under the usual discipline but there were many difficulties attending such a plan the boys were all the sons of rich men and most of them were abundantly supplied with pocket money as it would be impossible to prevent the escape of some of them from the procession in the crowded streets it was feared that their money would prove to be the root of all evil the project had finally been abandoned and as a substitute a ne for a on board had been arranged for there the students would be entirely under the control of the who would check all it was anticipated that a few discontented spirits would but no rebellion was expected and his companions were dissatisfied and disposed to be rash they felt that they had been harshly and denied a reasonable privilege the subject of the fourth had been under consideration for a long time among the boys and it had been generally believed that all hands would be permitted to go on shore with perfect liberty on that day and many of them had already arranged their plans for the occasion well what do you think now said at walked forward so outward bound ou i think if too bad replied it is than | 36 |
dirt to make us stay on board on the fourth of july but i don t see how we are going to help ourselves added looking at for a solution of this difficult problem i do how keep still don t say a word here continued scatter now and i will be on the in a few minutes strolled about the deck a short time and went to the place of meeting where he was soon joined by the rest of the discontented pupils how many fellows can we muster asked lie when his associates in mischief had again gathered around him i know at least a dozen who are up to anything replied but some of them are in the other watch what are you going to do i ll tell you there are the professors and the third at the swinging boom we will drop into them when the go down to supper and make for the shore all the rest of the boats are at the and before they can get them into the water we shall be out of their reach what do you think of that for a plan i think it is a first rate one but hadn t we better wait till the turn in suggested no the boats will all be hoisted up to the at sunset we must do it while the professors are at supper or not at all we want eight oars for tht america afloat b r e and six for the third that makes fourteen fellows can we raise as many as that yes i we can we will try at any rate but you must look out or some fellow will blow the whole thing added mind whom you speak to the of the various students was and it was decided what ones should be invited to join the enterprise the discontented boys separated and went to work with great caution to obtain the needed unfortunately in such a crowd of young men there are always enough to engage in any mischievous plot and it is quite likely that twice as many as were wanted could have been obtained to man the boats in the expedition missed very much in arranging the details of the present enterprise while at the academy they had mischief so often that each seemed to be necessary to the other but had he was now third lieutenant of the ship and it was not safe to suggest a conspiracy to him for he would attempt to gain favor with the principal by exposing or it yet was so bold in thought and so daring in execution that could hardly abandon the hope of obtaining his assistance besides the third lieutenant would be officer of the deck when the professors went to supper and might wink at their departure in the boats if he did not actually help them off would you say anything to asked outward bound or still in doubt of as they happened to meet again in the waist to exclaimed in an energetic whisper i mean so certainly not i should as soon think of speaking to himself but may join us he is always in for a good time why you he is third lieutenant of the ship no matter if he is i think would like to join us nonsense i he has been in office only three days and it would break him he would be degraded to the replied who could not help thinking that was beside himself in proposing such a thing and that the enterprise was doomed to failure in such hands if he won t join us perhaps he will help us off he is officer of the deck you know in the second dog watch i know he is but don t you open your mouth to him if you do i ll back out at once back out yes back out i believe you are crazy why don t you go to captain and done with it said with energy i haven t any hold on and i have on f what do you mean asked the prudent curiously young afloat if won t join us he won t blow on us you may depend upon that he wouldn t dare to do it i could break him before if i chose said with conscious power that the case of course i shouldn t think of saying anything to him if i did not know what i was talking about i have him where the hair is short and he knows it aft well as i do what is it no matter what it is when a thing is told me in confidence i keep it to myself but if he turns traitor to his he must look out for he knows what it is well if you can get him he will be a first rate fellow to have i think i can get him here he comes you keep out of the way and i will see how deep the water is went forward to find a student to whom he had been to speak in the interest of the enterprise leaving to with the old lion of whose teeth however seemed to have been worn out in the cause up demanded the third lieutenant who was now off duty and therefore allowed to speak to the crew though it was a privilege of which the officers seldom availed themselves who said anything was up asked you look as though you meant something what were you and ike talking about just now continued about me i ll be bound for you looking at me as though you t outward bound or what makes you think so have you heard anything asked fearful that the plot had out not a word i only judged by your looks i suppose if anything was up you wouldn t have anything | 36 |
to do with it now most decidedly i should not i like my present position too well to fall out of it i m go ig to be captain next term if i can fetch it any way in the world you mean to be a just like the rest of them you are not the same fellow you used to be yes i am you are getting too big for your boots you wrong me i m just as good a fellow as i ever was i think i m the best fellow in the ship and for that reason i want to be captain i m ahead of so far on marks this month well if you want to be the head i hope you ll get it we are not going ashore to morrow they say added changing the topic to get nearer to the business of the hour so told me are you willing to stay on board and study and do ship s duty on the fourth of july we are going to how i m sure i don t know we shall to morrow just as we do every day as close prisoners on board the ship i for one ik n t like it and i won t stand it won t you laughed young america afloat when i say i won t i mean so o you do do you you better believe i do added shaking his head resolutely what are you going to do i m going ashore by hook or by better not get into any scrape say that as one of the well you had better not say anything to me for i shall have to do my duty as an don t say anything to me and then i not know anything about it sneered not pleased witli this non policy i don t want to do anything mean with any of our fellows so don t say a word to me i shall do my duty as an officer as i promised to do when i was made third lieutenant do you mean to say you will stop me if you see me going demanded i do mean so i promised faithfully to do my duty as an officer and i shall do it see here bob you needn t talk to me in that manner i knew the ship s cable from a pint of milk and you can t come the over me i m going to do just as you would do if you were in my place i won t hear a word about any of your but will you interfere with them if it is my duty to do so i shall i intend to obey orders and if i have the deck i shall keep things straight whatever happens outward bound or don t know you as well as i do no matter if he don t he have no fault to find with me this term jf i can help it it s no use for me to the matter with you bob we understand each other too well for tliat s up turned on his heel and was about to walk away hold on a minute continued i won t tell you what s up but i ll tell ou this if you interfere with what i do or with what the fellows with me do i ll tell about the i will as sure as your name is bob do you understand me well i do and it seems to me that sounds very much like a threat call it what you like if you turn traitor to our fellows you must stand the of it you are not a saint just yet and those that live in glass houses t throw stones i believe i haven t played false to any of our fellows if i don t choose to get into any scrape with them i have a right to keep out that s all i ve got to say but what are you going to do out fellows will want to know i m going to do my duty replied the third lieutenant as he walked away regardless of tlie efforts of his companion to detain him was the truth of the old that honesty is the best policy it is to be regretted that his present devotion to duty had no young afloat higher than mere policy but it may be hoped of those who do their duty from low motives that they may gather inspiration even from their fidelity to obey its from higher motives the third lieutenant of the young america intended to keep the promise he had made in accepting liis simply because it would pay best and his had no difficulty in making up the required number of and before six o clock which was the time fixed for carrying out the enterprise they had planned some of the joined because they anticipated a good time in the city in the fourth and others from a mere love of mischief and excitement the details of tlie scheme had been carefully by and after tlie ranks of the were full having learned a valuable lesson from the daily discipline of the ship the mischief was certainly well planned each boy was assigned to a particular position in the boats and knew on what he was to sit and which oar he was to pull and as the master spirits of the enterprise were to run out first on the swinging boom and slide down the painters each into the boat he was to command the others were to follow in the same way descending from the boom for it was not con prudent to run the boats up to the where some enthusiastic officer might easily interfere with the plan which was to depend for its success | 36 |
upon the of its execution when four bells struck the professors went down to outward bound or their evening meal as usual and the the port watch to supper the watch taken theirs at three bells or half past five gave a low whistle when officer of the deck was the with his back to the who had gathered in the waist and were waiting for the signal be lively fellows said the leader of the enterprise as he sprang over the rail and ran out on the boom followed by the others in the order in which they had been instructed did the same about half of them were on the boom when the movement was reported to the officer of the deck by tlie on duty in th waist rushed forward now understanding for the first time the intentions of and true the inspiration of fidelity he set about the object of our fellows the sail boom to which the boats were fastened was supported by a lift from above and kept in position at right angles with the side of the ship by extending forward and aft stand by that fore shouted as he sprang upon the rail cast oflf i lively fellows said when he saw that the third lieutenant intended to swing in the boom to tlie ship s side stand by the after of the sail boom continued with becoming energy both his orders were promptly obeyed but seeing that his movement would be too late he rushed to the lift and cast it off causing the swinging boom young america afloat to drop into the water just as the last boy was about to slide down into the professors boat of course the fellow went into the water but he was promptly picked up by his companions in mischief if i m caught bob you look out for cried as the third lieutenant appeared at the again the tide was coming in and the boats swung so far the boom that it had fallen clear of them when it dropped into the water and were prompt to avail themselves of their present success and the boys sat in the boats with their oars up ready to pull as soon as the order was given let fall i said and the eight oars of the professors dropped into tlie water and the placed them in readiness for the first stroke in the third followed the example of his principal and was hardly a second behind him give way added give way repeated and the two boats gathered way and darted oft towards the nearest point of the shore thus far the enterprise of our fellows was entirely successful and stood on the at the defeat which had attended his efforts to prevent the escape of the stand by to clear away the first shouted he suddenly and with energy as he made his way to the where the boat indicated was suspended cast off the and man the falls he when the watch were collected at the scene of outward bound or action mr you will inform the captain what has happened within three minutes the first was in the water for the crew had been frequently exercised in the of lowering boats and performed it with remarkable facility for boys before the first touched the water the captain tlie principal and all the professors came on deck mr was entirely cool though everybody else appeared to be intensely excited the crew of the first were away and at the principal s suggestion the third lieutenant was sent off in the boat to prevent the landing of the rebellious pupils up oars let fall give way said in the boat delivering his orders in rapid succession and the first darted off in chase of the america chapter vi the fourth of july the first was by her regular crew who had been trained with the utmost care to pull together while in the professors which was of the same size had some very the had made up their force of such material as they could obtain and though all were somewhat accustomed to they had not been to work together they were not the of power in pulling a boat therefore had a manifest advantage and he was determined to bring back the the second in charge of paul was cleared away and with mr and mr on board left the ship to take part in the pursuit the chase promised to be an exciting one for and were straining every nerve to reach the shore before they were overtaken they were making for the nearest land and having just the number of hands required to pull the boat each of was obliged to use an oar himself they had no and at the bow oar of the professors could not see what was ahead he kept the pursuing boats in full view outward bound or the nearest land not more than half a mile from the ship was a point covered with salt marsh above which was a whose opening was about ten rods in width was making for the point below the but his calculations were made without judgment or discretion if he reached the land his would l e obliged to walk a mile in order to get round the on a narrow strip of marsh where they might be but the fatal defect in his plan of operations was a failure to consider the depth of water between the ship and the point the flow of the tide from the while it kept a clear channel through the entrance had formed a bar off the tongue of land on the side of it which was bare at half tide and was now just covered was pulling for this bar with all the strength of his crew was prompt to observe the mistake of his late and just as prompt | 36 |
to profit by it the first was gaining rapidly on the chase but as she reached the border of the main channel ordered his to keep the boat s head towards the entrance of the we shall never catch them on this tack said the of the who knew nothing about the bar i think we shall replied the third lieutenant confidently we are not going towards the point that s very true and the professors will not go much in that direction pull steady my lads don t hurry yourselves there is plenty of time young america afloat the thought his superior officer was taking the matter very coolly and knowing of the intimacy which had formerly between and he was ready to conclude that the lieutenant was willing to permit the escape of our fellows while he was putting construction on the conduct of his superior the professors took the ground and stuck fast they re mr said the there s just where i expected them to be answered quietly shall i run towards them no keep her as she is there isn t more than a foot of water anywhere between them and the point the third being a smaller boat than the professors did not touch the bar as soon as her but saw that his craft could not land her party on the point at that stage of the tide and he ordered his crew first to lay on their oars and then to back water s boat was at the bow and when he had sent part of his crew aft she was easily pushed off the bar by this delay he had lost the chance of landing at tlie point and his only alternative was to pull up to the but in doing so it would be impossible to avoid the first which had now secured a position the mouth of the little bay stand by to lay on your bars said the of the first as directed by the lieutenant in command oars the crew ceased and laying on their oars waited the next movement of the in the outward bound or mean time the second was well away from the ship and mr promptly the intentions of the third lieutenant directed the officer in command to pull towards the boats on the bar keeping well to in order to prevent from escaping in that direction realized that he was and hoping that would not be over zealous in the discharge of his duty directed his course towards the opening of the a few strokes brought him within distance of the first no use said laughing you may as well pull for the ship it s all up with you but the leader of the instead of this good advice attempted to push by of the first stern all give way shouted sharply stand by with your stern line it was generally understood that the third lieutenant of the young america was a fighting character and that he could whip any officer or seaman in the ship though his had not been practically took the stern line himself instead of the duty to the he intended to the bow of the professors and make fast to it with the rope but the did not gather way enough in season to do this as she backed she the oars of the and secured a firm hold pf her stern what are you doing bob demanded angry when he saw that his late was fully in earnest the york r young america afloat the third lieutenant made no reply but passing hia rope through a ring in the stern of the he made it fast and then pushed the off from her when the line had run out about a he secured the end he held in his hand to the after of his own boat thus the first and the were lashed together stem to stern cast off that rope shouted to the stroke in the don t you touch it my lad interposed when the boy to obey the order of his leader if you attempt it you will purchase a sore head the third lieutenant had picked up a boat hook and stood ready to rap any of the s crew who might attempt to cast off the line by which the boats were fastened together no one was disposed to cross the purposes of so formidable a person as and the stroke did not obey tlie order of it would not be safe to do so now what do you say demanded a smile of triumph playing upon his face which was very to tlie leader of the will you go back to the ship or not no of course i won t replied the chief of the you had better my dear fellow there comes mr i didn t think this of you bob said reproachfully i told you i should do my duty and i shall ta outward bound or the end if you will return all right if not i take you back no you won t i think i will added the third lieutenant quietly stand by to give way he continued to the two can play at that game said as he gave the same order to his crew give way shouted the of the first with energy give way repeated in the the rope straightened stood up in the stern sheets of the to prevent the line from being cast off and the contest began to ascertain wliich should drag the other it was rather ludicrous in spite of the serious question of discipline involved in the affair and the boys in the were intensely amused as well as excited both struggled with all their might and each leader urged his followers to renewed exertions discipline of the first was on the point of carrying the contest in favor of law and order when | 36 |
seeing that his friend was nearly backed the third up to the bow of the and took her painter on board which he made fast at the stern his oar he ordered his crew to give way together then law and order appeared to be at a for the eight in the first were not a match even in the cause of discipline against the fourteen in the nd third did not give it up notwithstanding the young america afloat great odds against him letting out the stem line far enough to allow space for a new he directed the to lay on their oars while those the port side pulled the boat round then all gave way together and the was dragged round sideways until her oars with those of s boat at this stage of the exciting proceedings the second came up with the principal mr sat in the stern sheets shaking his sides with laughter at the singular contest which was going on but mr though evidently amused maintained his gravity and w as as dignified as usual the appearance of the principal ended the struggle a glance from him was quite sufficient to take all the out of the and even he talked behind mr s back and neglected even to give him the simple title of had not the courage to resist the strong arm of his authority as the second backed up to the the principal stepped on board of her and took a seat in the stern sheets young gentlemen you will return to the ship said mr sternly as he took tlie in his hands give way i the had no thought of further resistance the presence of tlie principal was sufficient to overcome all they did not dare to him mechanically they bent to their oars and without a word pulled back to the ship mr by direction of mr had taken his place in s boat and followed the the two bringing up the rear this was outward bound or the first instance of which had occurred since the organization of the ship s company and the students were not a little anxious to learn how it would be treated it was singular that who on shore had always been the in of mischief had been the means of the scheme of the the boats were hoisted up at the and the was ordered to pipe all hands on deck the principal looked calm but stern as he took the position on the which he usually occupied when he addressed the students and said he the came forward hanging their heads with shame i learn that you are the in this movement is it so i suppose we are replied who proposed the plan first spoke to me about it answered and you induced the others to join you yes sir as the and will lose twenty marks each and remain in their mess rooms to morrow the other lose ten marks each continued mr young gentlemen those who have engaged in this scheme are not to be trusted i have nothing further to say the crew were dismissed and all the students were disposed to laugh at the of the punishment compared with the of the offence young america afloat mr said the principal as he stepped flown from the i am very much obliged to you for the zeal and energy you have exhibited in the discharge of your duty not only was your disposition to do your duty highly but your plans displayed skill thank you sir replied the third lieutenant am very glad to have pleased you mr bowed and descended to the cabin to finish his supper which had been interrupted by the event described what the professors said about the affair was not known to the boys but was warmly praised for the moderate but skilful measures he had used in the capture of the at a shore boat came alongside with an abundant supply of which had been ordered by mr they were hoisted on board and deposited in a safe place at the usual hour the boys turned in to dream of the good time which these and suggested to them all but and who had something else to think about the latter was disappointed and surly while the former congratulated himself upon getting out of the scrape so easily was very angry with who might have permitted him to land if he had been so disposed and he determined to take what he considered an ample vengeance upon the traitor as soon as he had an opportunity to speak to mr he intended to tell him all about the plan for a and he was fully satisfied that would be sent in disgrace from his pleasant position in the after cabin to take up his abode in the again loo outward bound or on the morning of the ever glorious fourth all hands on the deck of the young america at four o clock were out and for two hours there was a tremendous from stem to stern among the younger boys at six o clock the port watch were to breakfast and all the having been burned the decks were swept and everything put in perfect order by the watch a band of music engaged for the day came off and the of the national airs sounded through the ship at seven o clock when all hands had an hour earlier than usual the crew were to muster wondering as they always did what was going to be done all hands up anchor i shouted the prompted by the first lieutenant but this order was so common in the every day practice of the crew that no one supposed it had any unusual significance and some of the boys even began to at being compelled to go through the routine of ship s work on the fourth of july | 36 |
and the all laughed when young america afloat io they saw the woe expression on the face of the learned man but some of those who laughed the were the first to be taken by the ridiculous malady the young america pitched and rolled heavily as she from the land and nothing more was said by the students about putting on more sail the spray broke over the bow and washed the decks but most of the boys enjoyed the scene as they had never enjoyed anything before what are you doing here sir demanded mr as he went forward and discovered under the lee of the you were told to stay in your mess room sir i couldn t sir the you could and you will i was sir i can t help it you must stay in your mess room added the principal sternly if you please sir i will obey orders if you will let me stay on deck said humbly no return to your room and was compelled to obey it was a very severe punishment to him and to be obliged to stay in the during the first trip of the young america x outward bound or chapter vii heaving log the young america under and sails was making about ten knots an hour passing the last island in the bay she was headed to the south east which brought the wind over the quarter the ship was of the class though not as sharp as many of tliis model it was found that her sailing ability was excellent and mr and mr expressed much satisfaction at her performance both in respect of speed and qualities when the ship left her the principal had not decided where to go or how long to remain at sea intending to be governed by the circumstances of the hour it had never been his purpose to keep her at one but to go from port to port remaining a few days or a few weeks at each as the discipline of the ship and the progress of the boys in their studies suggested there were many elements of which could not be practised while the ship lay at anchor such as heaving the log sounding and though the boys had been carefully instructed in the theory of these operations the in the the young america afloat i carpenter and the all of whom were good were in great demand as soon as the ship was under way but when she had sea room enough the was handed over to the boys under the charge of a peaks stood by and gave the necessary directions till the students were able to do the work themselves now my lads we will heave the log said the when the ship was well out from the land we know how to do tliat replied smith one of the i dare say you do young gentlemen but in my opinion you can t do it you know how to write a but i don t believe you could write one added peaks you have to learn how to do these things by the feeling so that they will do themselves so to speak after guard stand by to haul in the here you will hold the glass and the officer of the deck will throw the we know all about it mr peaks repeated smith i know you do but you can t tell within five knots how fast the ship is going laughed the let s do it right a few times and then you can be trusted the took the s and then officer of the watch the which he cast into the water over the stern of the ship turn i said he when the stray line had run out now smith at this particular moment was watching a vessel over the quarter and he did not instantly io outward bound or turn the glass as he should have done but peaks said nothing up cried the when the sand had all run through the glass stopped the from which the line was running out and noted the mark seven knots said he not right replied the sharply this ship is going nine or ten knots an hour and any man who has salt water for six months could guess nearer than you make it now try it once again and if you don t hit nearer than that next time you may as well throw the overboard and hire a yankee to guess the rate of sailing i thought we knew all about it added smith i think you do young gentlemen but you were star gazing when you ought to have been all attention the line ran out two or three knots before you turned the glass took the again it was a thin piece of board in the form of a quarter circle the round side was loaded with just lead enough to make it float upright in the water the log line was fastened to the just as a boy a two strings being attached at each end of the circular side while the one at the angle is tied to a which is inserted in a hole just hard enough to keep it in place while there is no extra strain on the board but which can be drawn out with a smart pull when the log line has run out as far as desired there would be some difficulty in in the while it was upright in the water but a sudden jerk draws the at the angle and young america afloat io the board to lie flat in which position the water offers the least resistance to its passage the half minute glass used on board the young america held by the was like an glass and contained just sand enough to pass through tlie hole in the neck in thirty seconds the | 36 |
log line w as one hundred and in length and was wound on a which turned very easily so that the resistance of the to the water would it the log line is divided into certain spaces called knots the length of each of which is the same part of a mile that a half minute is of an hour if there be sixty one hundred and twenty feet in a mile or the part of a degree of a great circle which is not far from accurate and the ship be going ten knots an hour she will run sixty one thousand two hundred feet in an hour if the were thrown overboard at eight o clock and the line were long enough the ship would have run out thousand two hundred feet or ten miles at nine o clock or in one hour in one minute she would run one of sixty one thousand two hundred feet which is ten hundred and twenty feet in half a minute five hundred and ten feet the half minute glass is the measure of time generally used in heaving the log while the sand is dropping through the line runs out five hundred and ten feet the ship going ten knots an hour being the basis of the calculation one knot therefore will be one feet if the line pays out five hundred and ten feet in thirty seconds by the glass the ship is going ten knots an hour if it pays out four hundred outward bound or and eight feet in half a minute or eight hundred and sixteen feet in a minute she will pay out a mile in as many minutes as eight hundred and sixteen feet is contained in sixty one hundred and twenty feet which is seven and a half minutes then the ship goes a mile in seven and a half minutes or eight miles an hour a knot on the log line is therefore invariably feet and the number of knots of the line run out in half a minute also the ship s speed per hour for fifty one feet is the same part of a mile that half a minute is of an hour the calculations are given without merely to show the principle and both the glass and the line are modified in practice on board the young america ten were allowed for stray line this length of line being permitted to run out before the measuring commenced in order to get the clear of the in the wake of the ship the ten were indicated by a white rag drawn through the line and when the officer paying out comes to this mark he orders the to turn the glass and the operation actually begins at every fifty one feet or and six making the there is a mark a bit of leather or two or more knots the instant the sands have all run through the glass the says up and the officer notes the mark to which the line has run out half and quarter knots are indicated on the line now mind your eye when the officer of the deck says turn you repeat the word young america afloat after him to show that you are alive continued peaks ready said ready replied smith the lieutenant threw the into the water and when the stray line had run off he gave the word to turn the glass turn repeated smith off the log line so that nothing should prevent it from running easily up shouted smith and stopped the line very well added peaks what s the mark ten and a quarter replied the officer that sounds more like it i knew this ship was going more than seven knots you see young gentlemen you can t catch flies and tend the line at the same time now you may try it over again the experiment was repeated with the same suit other officers and were called to the quarter deck and the training in heaving the log continued until a reasonable degree of was attained land ho cried the on tlie top gallant at about eleven o clock in the where away called the officer of the deck dead ahead sir what is that land mr asked paul don t j ou know i m sure i don t outward bound or then you should study your more look at the compass and tell me how she heads south east sir replied paul after looking into the now what land lies south cast of harbor asked tlie principal cape i think you are right then that must be cape is it really certainly it is laughed mr have you no faith in your map i didn t think we could be anywhere near cape i thought it was farther off added paul who seemed to be amazed to think they had actually crossed bay the land you see is race point which is about forty miles from the entrance to the bay at the head of which is we have been making about ten knots an hour and our calculations seem to be very accurate by one o clock we shall come to anchor in harbor this was fully and the young america was off the town those who had been recovered as soon as the motion of the ship ceased and when everything aloft and on deck had been made snug the crew were to dinner in tlie afternoon part of the students were permitted to go on shore the band played and several boat races took place very much to the delight of the people on shore as well as those on board at six o clock the ship was opened for the reception of visitors who came off in large numbers to inspect young america afloat the vessel after dark there was a brilliant display of and the young america | 36 |
on the subject this exercise with the ordinary ship s duty kept them in excellent physical condition and while j young america afloat xi their brown faces and rosy cheeks indicated a healthy state of the body their forms were finely developed and their muscles trained greek and latin german and french with the ordinary english branches pursued in high schools and were taught on board and the were satisfied that the boys accomplished twice as much as was ordinarily done in similar institutions on shore and without injury to the students everything was done by rule and nothing w as left to the and of teachers and scholars just so much study was done every day and no more there was no sitting up nights there were balls and parties theatres and to interfere with the work no late of and to be eaten boys who had bad habits were watched and injurious tendencies corrected but the students enjoyed their life on as the vessel went from port to port new scenes were opened to them those who could be trusted were allowed to go on shore in their off time and as all their privileges depended upon their good conduct they were very careful to do their duty both as students and as cheerfully and faithfully the young america dropped her anchor in harbor on the of march on her return front her southern the first term of the second year was to commence on the ist of april and it was understood that the ship would sail for europe on the last day of march the vessel needed some and all the students were allowed a of twenty days to visit their homes il outward bound or several of the larger boys including games had obtained places in the navy and were not to return two or three were to enter college in the summer and a few were to go into houses but these would be more than filled by the who had been waiting months for an opportunity to join the ship after the departure of the students the young america was and tlie necessary made upon her she was thoroughly and painted and came out as good as new before the return of the boys her provisions water and stores were taken on board and all the preparations made for a foreign voyage on the th of the month she was again at her old and in the course of the next two days all the and pupils were in their places there were eleven new boys young gentlemen said mr as he mounted his usual i am happy to see you again and to welcome you on board our experience during the coming season will be much more interesting and exciting than that of the last year we shall proceed immediately to europe and all who are worthy of the privilege will have an opportunity to visit the principal cities of europe london paris st we shall go up the and up the in this or a subsequent and i can safely promise you not only an interesting but a profitable trip in a circular i have informed your parents and of my purposes and you are this time for a foreign voyage with their con sent and approval young america afloat xi this speech caused no little excitement among the boys who anticipated a great deal from the summer voyage it was no small thing to visit london paris and st and not many boys obtain such an opportunity but young gentlemen i believe in discipline and progress as most of you know i expect every student to do his whole duty and i wish to tell you now that and failures at will bring heavy disappointments upon you if you do nothing for yourselves you need expect nothing from me for example when the ship is going up the thames if any one of you or any number of you should be guilty of or gross neglect of your studies you will see no more of the city of london than you can see from the cross trees for you shall not put a foot on shore rather steep whispered one of the new comers that s so but he means it replied an old student we shall be at sea out of sight of land for twenty or thirty days continued mn we shall encounter storms and bad weather such as none of you have ever seen for in going from port to port last season we were enabled to avoid all severe weather we shall go to sea now with no harbor before us till we reach the other side of the atlantic and w must take whatever comes but the ship is as strong as a ship can be built and with good management she would stand any gale that ever blew good management good discipline and every officer and seaman must be faithful in the discharge of his duty outward bound or for the safety of the ship and all on board of her will depend upon the fidelity of each individual young gentlemen there are eleven new scholars they must take the vacant after the ship s company is organized on the old plan the offices will be given out and the drawn by the merit roll for january and a portion of march only about nine weeks of term time who stood near the principal looked very much disconcerted when this announcement was made and whispered to paul that it was not fair to tiie offices by last year s record while the young america was lying at anchor in bay in december then second lieutenant had received a letter from his mother in which she had informed him that his family would visit europe in the following spring and that he would leave the ship and form one of the | 36 |
party this information had caused him to his as a student and he had fallen very low in rank this was the reason why the proposed distribution of offices was not fair when went home on his of twenty days he had behaved so badly that his father refused to have him form one of the party in the trip abroad and compelled him to return to the ship for another year of wholesome discipline under mr angry and indignant did return and the announcement that the offices were to be distributed by the merit roll did not add to his young america at i will now read the record of marks said the principal and announce the officers for the next term the boys were silent and anxious for places in the after cabin were more highly valued than ever now that the young america was going to europe ii outward bound or chapter viii outward bound mr read the merit roll announcing the officers as he proceeded the occupants of the after cabin who were appointed for the succeeding three months during time the ship crossed the atlantic and visited various european ports w re as follows charles captain joseph haven paul samuel first lieutenant second third fourth william foster henry martin thomas joseph first master second third fourth joseph o edward first second george w john mark robinson groom first second third fourth young america afloat the students mentioned in the list made the required promise to behave themselves like gentlemen and faithfully discharge the duties of their several offices and were duly in their new positions in the after cabin most of them had been officers before but all of them were higher in rank than at any former period richard had been captain four terms for no one could get ahead of him the new captain had been first lieutenant during the preceding year three terms out of four and was certainly the best qualified student on board for the command he was a young man of high moral aims with much dignity of character and energy of purpose the officers went to the after cabin put on their and assumed their proper places the choice of in the proceeded as usual according to the merit roll and the petty offices were given to the highest in rank the new boys took the by lot the organization of the ship was now completed and the students were directed to put their and in order the remainder of the day was fully occupied in preparing for the voyage great quantities of ice and fresh provisions were taken on board and packed away in the store rooms of the hold and all was bustle and confusion on thursday morning the ship was put in order again the vessel had been duly cleared at the custom house and every article required for the voyage had been received the boys were ordered to put on their best suits and at nine o clock a steamer came outward bound or off having on board a large number of the parents and friends of the students the was given up to this interesting occasion it was a beautiful day witli a gentle breeze from the westward and at twelve o clock all hands were on deck for religious services to be performed by the ia the presence of the friends of the pupils mr was a religious man and the tion of the rev mr as on board was by no means a services had always been held twice a day on sunday at five minutes before eight in the morning and at the time in the evening prayers were said on deck or in the in the presence of the entire ship s company on the point of leaving the shores of the united states it seemed highly appropriate to the blessing of god on the voyage and the and the principal had directed that the service should be conducted in the presence of the parents and friends the prayer and the remarks of the were very solemn and impressive and even the of the students were moved by them at the conclusion of the religious service mr addressed the visitors explaining the details of his plan more fully than he had done in his and saying what he could to inspire the parents with confidence in regard to the safety of their sons it need not be said that there were many tears shed on this occasion at the close of the speech a was served to the visitors in the and after which another hour was allowed for social intercourse and then the ship was cleared the visitors going on board young america afloat e steamer again which was to accompany the young america below the the boys were sent below to change their clothes again all hands up anchor the and the crew sprang to their stations witli more than usual alacrity this was a greater event than they had ever known before the anchor which was now to be hauled up was not to be dropped again for about a month and then in foreign waters they were going out upon the waste of the ocean to be driven and tossed by the storms of the atlantic they were bidding farewell to their native land not again to look upon its shores for many they were boys and they were deeply impressed by the fact the was and the cable up to a short stay the and top gallant sails were set then the anchor was hauled up to the and the young america moved she wore round and her long voyage was commenced the courses and the were set and she moved down the bay the steamer kept close by her and by shouts cheers and the waving of handkerchiefs were continually till the ship was several miles outside of the lower | 36 |
at eight the wind and the log indicating but four knots only eight miles were to be added for the two hours run making twenty three miles in all the first sea day would end at twelve o clock on the morrow when the log slate would indicate the total of miles the ship had f taking her departure this is outward bound or called her dead reckoning which may be measured off on the and should carry the vessel to the indicated by the observations for latitude and the wind was very light and sails were set and aloft the ship only made her six knots as she pitched gently in the long swell of the ocean the boys were still under the order of all hands on deck but there was nothing for them to do with the exception of the and they were gazing at the receding land behind them they were taking their last view of the shores of their native land doubtless some of them were inclined to be sentimental but most of them were thinking of the pleasant sights they were to see and the exciting scenes in which they were to engage on the other side of the rolling ocean and were as jolly as though had no sorrows for them the principal and the professors were pacing the quarter deck and doubtless some of them were wondering whether boys like the crew of the young america could be induced to study and their lessons amid the excitement of crossing the atlantic and the din of the great commercial cities of the old world the teachers were energetic men and they were hopeful at least especially as study and discipline were the principal elements of the voyage and each pupil s privileges were to depend upon his diligence and his good behavior it would be almost impossible for a boy who wanted to go to paris while the ship was lying at so far to neglect his duties as to the privilege of going as america afloat i gentlemen have not been formally introduced the faculty of the ship is here presented robert principal rev thomas dr edward b surgeon john a m greek and latin richard reading and grammar charles c a m geography and history james e m d and j and german these gentlemen were all highly accomplished teach in their several as the progress of the students during the preceding year fully proved they were interested in work and in sympathy with the boys as well as with the principal it was a very quiet time on board and the crew were collected in little groups generally talking of the sights they were to see in the waist were and all among them having been they appeared to be the best of friends and it looked ominous for the discipline of the ship to see them was powerful for good or evil as he chose and mr regretted that he had fallen from his high position fearing that the self respect which had sustained him as an officer would desert him as a seaman and permit him to fall into was more dissatisfied and discontented than outward bound or he had ever been before he had desired to make the tour of europe with his father and he was sorely disappointed when denied this privilege for with the family he would be free from restraint and free from bard study when he lost his rank as an officer he became desperate and reckless to live in the and do s duty for three months after he had enjoyed the luxuries of authority and of a in the after cabin were intolerable after the cabin offices had been distributed he told that he intended to run away that night but he had found no opportunity to do so and it was unfortunate for his that he did not this isn t bad is it said as the ship slowly her way through the i think it is i had made up my mouth to cross the ocean in a steamer and live high in london and paris replied i don t relish this thing now why not asked i don t feel at home here i do because you never were anywhere else i ought to be captain of this ship well you can be if you have a mind to work for it added work for it that s played out i must stay in the three months at any rate and that while the burden of the fun is going on if we were going to lie in harbor or along the coast i would go in for my old place but games is out of the way now and young america afloat i chance is better this year than it was last suggested i know that but i can t think of straining every nerve three months two of them while we are going from port to port in europe when we go ashore at i shall have to wear a short jacket instead of the frock coat of an officer and i the jacket would look better on some younger fellow what are you going to do asked i d rather be a king among than a kings what do you mean by that no matter there s time enough to talk over these things do you mean a laughed haven t you forgotten that no i wonder what would say if he knew i had proposed such a thing added thoughtfully he did know it at the time you captured the for i told him did you demanded his brow with anger i told you i would tell and i did answered you were a traitor to our fellows and got us into a scrape i was an officer then no matter for that do you suppose if i were an outward bound | 36 |
or officer i would throw myself in your way when you were up to anything l don t know whether you would or not but wouldn t blow on you if you had told me anything in confidence what did low say nothing he wouldn t take any notice of what i said that was sensible on his part one thing is certain you t be trusted you mustn t make me mad then i will keep things to myself hereafter growled don t be savage you sen ed me a mean trick and i paid you off for it so we are square we will keep square then and not open any new accounts but you will want me when anything is up laughed what would you do without me in getting up a who said anything about a i know you are thinking over something and you don t mean to submit to the discipline of the ship if you can help it well i can t help it there goes the s whistle to muster said confound the s whistle growled i don t like the idea of running every time he pipes very much to the surprise of his companions his irritation increased by the conduct of took no notice of tlie call and went forward young afloat i instead of aft his companions more wise and prudent walked up to the which mr had just mounted groom tell to come aft said the principal to one of the the officer obeyed the order refused to go aft mr descended from his and went forward to enforce obedience this event created a profound sensation among the students said mr sternly sir replied the in a surly tone the the crew to muster i heard him you did not obey the call i sent for you and you refused to come i don t think i ought to obey the s call may i ask why not i ve been an officer three terms and i should be now if we had had fair play growled i am not disposed to e this point in your present frame of mind i order you to go aft and i won t go replied mr peaks said the principal calling the senior here sir replied peaks touching his hat to the principal mr added mr here sir walk this young gentleman aft let me alone cried as peaks placed his hand upon him outward bound or gently my sweet lamb said the with affected tenderness take your hands off me roared the pupil as he struggled to release himself from the grasp of the seaman peaks took him by the collar with one hand and held his wrist with the other on one side while did the same on the other side walk him aft repeated the principal mr may i trouble you to bring up the irons continued mr when the and carpenter had walked the rebel aft in spite of his struggling and kicking irons gasped as he heard the request of the principal he trembled with rage as he uttered the word the irons seemed to pierce his soul probably he did not think that the son of a wealthy gentleman would be compelled to submit to such an as being put in irons mr came on deck with a pair of it was the first time tliey had been seen and no student even knew there were any on board the discipline of the ship had been as gentle as it was firm and this was the first time such instruments were necessary mr peaks put the irons on him said mr his usual dignity by angry emotions don t put them on me cried making an effort to himself from the grasp of his put them on at once added the principal young america afloat you shall not put them on me i i will die first i roared the rebel it was easier to talk than to do in the hands of two sturdy sailors one of whom had used the cat in the navy when its use was did not die and he was in spite of his struggles and his protest outward bound or chapter ix the bill struggled with the irons and with the stout men who held him until he had exhausted himself and then because his frame rather than his spirit was worn down he was quiet it was the first case of severe discipline that had occurred on board and it created a tremendous sensation among the students mr stood with folded arms watching the vain struggles of the until he was reduced to a state of comparative calmness he looked sad rather than angry and his dignity was not b the assault upon his authority i am sorry to see one who has been an officer of the ship reduced to your condition but discipline must and shall be maintained said the principal we are on the high seas now and is dangerous you led me to believe that you had your life and conduct it isn t my fault replied angrily you had better not reply to me in that tone added mr mildly yes i will mr continued the principal young america afloat here sir replied the head steward you will have the cleared out for use yes sir and the head steward went below to obey the order there was not a boy on board who knew what the was though the establishment had existed in the from the time when the boys first went on board the ship it had never before been required for use and mr had carefully veiled every disagreeable feature of discipline until it was necessary to exhibit it the was the prison of the ship the lock up it was under and the main ladder in the being an apartment five feet in length by three | 36 |
feet in width the which enclosed it were composed of upright eight inches in width with spaces between them for the admission of light and air the had been used as a store room for by the and tlie students never suspected till case came up that it was not built for a closet mr and his removed the blankets and from this lock up and prepared it for the reception of the pupil when the room was ready he went on deck and reported the fact to the principal our discipline has always been of the character said mr breaking the impressive silence which reigned on deck i regret to be compelled to resort to force in any form even now i would avoid it you needn t on my account replied outward bound or shaking his head you have done your worst already mr peaks take him below lock him up in the and bring the key to me the rebel made another effort to resist but the stout sailors easily handled him and bore him down into the he was thrust into tlie as he was and the door locked upon him glanced at the interior of the prison and broke out into a contemptuous laugh he then commenced kicking the of the but he might as well have attempted to break through tlie deck said peaks in a low tone when he had locked the door be a man you act like a spoiled child now i have been insulted and abused replied fiercely no you haven t aboard almost any ship you would have got a knock on the head with a before tliis time don t make a fool of yourself you are only making yourself ridiculous now my word as an old sail r you arc i ll have satisfaction no you won t unless you break your own head i want to advise you as a friend not to make a fool of yourself i m sorry for you my lad don t talk to me i can forgive you for orders but i can t forgive you for being a fool now keep quiet and be a man the well meant effort of the u the young afloat i i was a failure and peaks going on deck delivered the key of the to mr kicked against the till he was tired of the exercise young gentlemen to day we enter upon a new experience on said the principal without making any further allusion to our short last season were so timed that we kept no regular night watches and two or three exceptions the ship was at anchor when you slept of course that is not practicable on a long voyage and you must all do duty by night as well as by day this has been a difficult matter to arrange for you are all too young to be deprived of your regular sleep though in heavy i am afraid you will lose your rest to some extent at eight o clock this evening the watch will be on duty we have four times as many hands on board the young america as are usually employed in merchant ships so that a quarter watch will be able to handle the ship on all ordinary occasions we shall therefore keep a quarter watch on ship s duty at all times the twenty four hours during the night including the time from eight in the evening until eight in the morning each quarter watch will be on duty two hours and then off six hours and each hand will obtain six hours sleep every night at eight this evening the first part of the watch will have the ship in charge and all others may turn in and sleep at ten the second part of the watch will be called without disturbing any others at twelve tlie first outward or morning ca from a m from till ist d master ist mid first part of the watch from till d th master d mid second part of the watch watch from a mi from till d ist master d mid first part of the port watch second part of port watch off duty all the watch study and till from till th d master th mid second part of port watch first part of port watch off duty afternoon watch from p m from till ist d master ist mid first part of watch second part of the watch off duty all the port watch study and till from till d th master d mid second part of the watch first part of the watch off duty first dog watch from p m from till d ist master d mid first part of the port watch second part of the port watch off duty all the watch study and till from till th d master th mid second part of the port watch first part of the port watch off duty young afloat i second dog watch from till p m from till ist d master ist mid first part of the watch second part of the watch off duty all tiie port study and till from till d th master d mid second part of the watch first part of the watch off duty breakfast port watch i o clock watch o clock dinner watch o clock port watch o clock supper watch j o clock port watch o clock the watch bill for the second day was the same with the exception of the names of the watches and quarter watches the entire programme was reversed by the operation of the dog watches which port for and for port in the next day s routine when the boys were permitted to go below they rushed to the watch bills and studied them faithfully till they fully understood the programme each student ascertained his duty for the night and | 36 |
his outward bound or lime and hours for the next day which included in the first day s bill i go on at twelve o clock said paul in the after cabin when he had examined the bill and i go on deck at eight o clock added joseph haven the first lieutenant i shall have a chance to sleep from ten till four in the morning and an hour and a half from six till half past seven i shall have my watch below from two till break fast time i don t think we need wear ourselves out under this arrangement no i thought we should be obliged to take four hours of duty at a time on deck how will it be when we have rough weather asked paul i don t know i suppose we must take our chances then wliat do you think of case added paul he will get the worst of it i m sorry for him he behaved first rate last year though they say he used to be a hard fellow what s the use of a fellow doing as he has done said haven with palpable disgust he can t make anything by it of course he can t i would rather have him in the cabin than in the for he will not obey orders and when he is ugly he is a perfect tiger i wonder what mr is going to do with him there is no such thing as a fellow in this institution now if young america afloat i he means to be cross he can keep us in hot water all the time the officers were too much excited by the fact thai the ship was outward bound to remain long in the cabin and they returned to the deck to the progress of the vessel at eight o clock the young america was out of sight of land though it would have been too dark to see it ten miles distant the at the struck eight bells which were repeated on the all the first part of the watch shouted the for it was now time to commence the programme of regular sea the first lieutenant took his place as officer of the deck near the the second master on the and the third in the waist th first part of the watch were stationed in various parts of tlie deck of the four one was attached to each quarter watch the wheel was given to two hands for tlie first hour and two were placed on the top gallant to act as the men to be relieved after one hour s service the rest of the boys were required to keep awake but no special duty was assigned to them there were hands enough on deck to tack ship or to take in the sails one or two at a time though tlie ship was in the hands and under the direction of her officers who per formed all the duties required in working her yet they were closely watched by the principal who if there was anything wrong informed the captain of the fact the commander kept no watch but he was outward bound or responsible for every and for the regular routine p duty mr seldom spoke to any other officer in regard to ship s duty or the when the watch was set at eight bells most of the boys who were off duty went into the some of them turned in but the novelty of the occasion was too great to permit them to sleep they collected in groups to talk over the prospects of the voyage and the duties required of as indicated by the watch bill sat on a stool in the still nursing his wrath when his supper was carried to him by the steward his irons had been taken off he refused to eat and the food was removed as he was now quiet the irons were not replaced the prisoner was far from penitent for his offence mr the was very much concerned about the prisoner he was shocked by his and pained to find that one who had done so well could do so ill the case had been fully considered in the professors cabin and mr declared that should stay in the till he had repented of his folly and promised obedience for the future the was a man and he thought that some gentle words might touch the feelings of the prisoner and bring him to a sense of duty with the principal s permission therefore he paid a visit to in the evening i am very sorry to find you here said mr when he had locked the door behind him young america afloat i has sent you to torment me demanded the prisoner mr you mean added the gently no i mean when a man has and insulted me i can t stop to put a handle to his i regret to find you in such an unhappy frame of mind my young friend i came here of my own accord to do what i might to help you did you indeed sneered that was my only object was it well if you want to help me you will induce to let me out of this for what he has done and give me my place in the after cabin that is plainly impossible replied the astonished then you can t do for me and i think i can take care of myself i entreat you my young friend to consider the error of your ways there is no error in my ways mr you are unreasonable no i m not i only want what is fair and right was it right for you to refuse obedience to the principal when he told you to go aft i have always obeyed all proper orders and under the circumstances | 36 |
the professor cabin outward bound or chapter x making a chain the was too glad of an opportunity to converse with the prisoner to refuse his request and he hastened to the hoping to find in a better state of mind than when he had visited him before mr entered the lock up and was securing tho door behind him when the prisoner spoke you needn t lock it sir i w ill not attempt to escape said he i sent for you to for my indeed then i am very to see you replied the delighted i have been sorely grieved at your and i would fain have brought you to see the error of your ways i see it now sir replied with apparent i m afraid i am a great deal worse than you think i am sir it is of no consequence what i think if you are conscious of the wrong you have done added tl ie worthy you behaved exceedingly well last year and it almost broke my heart to see you into your former evil habits i am grateful to you for the interest you have young america afloat taken in me and i assure you i have often been encouraged to do well by your kind words continued the penitent with due humility i have done wrong and i don t deserve to be forgiven he that himself shall be exalted said mr gratified at the great change which had been wrought in the prisoner if you are really sorry for your offence mr i doubt not will pardon you and restore you to favor again i don t deserve it sir since you left me i have been thinking of my past life dare not tell you how bad i have been you need not tell me it is not necessary that you should confess your errors to me there is one who knows them and if you are sincerely he will pity and forgive you i think i should feel better if i told some one of my perhaps you would that is for you to judge i will speak to mr about you to night what shall i say to him i hardly know i deserve to be i have done wrong and am willing to suffer for it the tender hearted thought that was in a beautiful state of mind aud he desired to have him released at once that he might converse with him on great under more favorable circumstances but still detained him i m afraid i have ruined myself on board this ship continued in his self humiliation outward or if you acknowledge your fault you will be freely and generously forgiven mr hates me now after what i have done o far from it exclaimed the it will be a greater satisfaction to him than to you to forgive you you are no longer of the opinion that you were used in the distribution of the offices i suppose mr i was beside myself when i resisted the principal i should not have done it if i had been in my right mind you were very angry i was i was not myself anger often makes men crazy you don t understand me mr indeed i do you mean that you yourself into the belief that you had been wronged and that you ought not to obey the orders of your officers and of the principal the force that was used made you so angry that you did not know what you were about added the in one word mr i had been drinking said with something like desperation in his manner as he bent his head and covered his face with his hands drinking gasped the filled witli horror at the confession i told you i was worse than you thought i was moaned is it possible it is true sir i say it with shame young america afloat i are you in the habit of taking drinks asked the confounded beyond measure at this of the difficulty i am not in the habit of it because i can t get liquor all the time my father has wine on his table and i always was allowed to drink one glass can it be i ejaculated the a youth of seventeen fm eighteen now sir a youth of eighteen in the habit of taking wine i groaned mr i drank a great deal more than my father knew of while i was at home i am amazed i knew you would be sir but i have told you the truth now but where did you get your liquor to day it was wine sir where did you get it i brought two bottles on board with me when i reported for duty yesterday this is terrible i do you know what an awful habit you are my dear young friend i never thought much about it till to night it has got me into such a scrape this time that i don t believe i shall ever drink any more as you respect yourself as you hope for peace in this world and peace in the next never put the cup to your lips again wine is a strong drink is raging and is deceived thereby is not wise did you drink the two bottles outward bound or no sir only part of one bottle replied with where is the rest of it under my berth sack are you willing i should take possession of it and hand it to mr i will ag ee to anything which you think is right then i will take the wine and throw it overboard just as you think best sir you will find the two bottles in my berth no d the forward one on the side i hope you will never touch the wine cup again i will not till | 36 |
next time added as the moved towards the door of the look not thou upon the wine when it is red when it his color in the cup at the last it like a serpent and like an continued the as he passed out of the lock up mr went to the prisoner s berth and found the two bottles of wine they were a sufficient explanation of the remarkable conduct of the youth had drank wine and was drunken otherwise he would not have been guilty of such though in his own estimation the excuse was worse than the original fault yet it was an explanation and if the root of the evil could be removed the evil itself would cease to exist the wine could be thrown overboard and as no more could be obtained during the voyage the good conduct of the young would be at least till the ship young america afloat x reached which was the port to which she was bound with the two bottles in his hands the returned to the professors cabin mr was on deck he did not deem it prudent to leave the ship in the hands of the students at first without any and it was arranged that the principal mr and mr the should take turns in observing the course and management of the vessel mr carried the prize he had cap on deck and informed mr what had just in the i knew the boy drank wine when he was at home replied the principal and if he is ruined his father must blame himself but it is really shocking exclaimed the as he tossed one of the bottles of wine over the rail how can a parent permit his son to drink when he knows that more men are killed by than by war and i am amazed i so am i mr the boy is hardly to blame for his conduct since he contracted this vicious habit under the eye of his father the discipline of the ship must be preserved certainly mr and the boy is just as much to blame for his act of as though it had been done in his senses but you can to pardon him under the circumstances l o outward bound or i will do that when he is willing to make a proper acknowledgment of his offence in the presence of the ship s company before whom the act was committed he is quite ready to do so now if he will say as much as that to me he shall be released at once he will sir it is very strange to me that t noticed nothing peculiar in the boy s speech or manner at the time added tiie principal he certainly did not seem to be probably he had taken just enough to his e il passions without affecting his manner suggested the i did not even discover the of wine upon him perhaps you did not go near enough to him if you please mr we will go down and see him and you can judge for yourself whether or not it is prudent to release him i will thank you sir i feel a deep interest in the young man and i hope he may yet be saved when mr left the after his second visit who was very anxious to know what meant by making a chain came out of his mess room he had been watching the and wondering what the prisoner could have to say to him what s up asked when mr had left the i ve been him down laughed young america afloat l l with an audible chuckle i have concluded not to stay in here any longer what do you mean i m coming out pretty soon though it has cost me a bottle and a half of old to get out laughed i don t know what you mean i told the parson that i was drunk when i orders and that i was very sorry for it and wouldn t get drunk any more did you tell him that i did assured him i was the worst fellow in the whole world and ought to be hung drawn and for my wickedness and he swallowed it as a does a and you gave him all the wine no i didn t i gave him one full bottle and what was left in tlie one from which we drank this afternoon i have two more we were going to have a good time with that wine i have enough left where is it in my they may find it no they won t i will put it in some other place before inspection day there is plenty of wine in the stores it was a good joke for the parson to suppose i was drunk perhaps you were suggested i felt good but i was as sober as i am now outward bound or the drink i took went into my head and i felt as though i was going up in a that was because you are not used to the article it me up a little but i knew what i was about i think you were a confounded fool to do what you did i m not going to live in the you may take my word for it been an officer too long to come down to that if we don t succeed in making a chain i shall quit the concern the first time i put my foot on shore in ireland what do you mean by making a chain asked eagerly a chain is strong what of it it is composed of many links can t you understand that hush up i some one is coming said as he walked away from the here who is that demanded mr as he saw moving from the lock up | 36 |
no sir replied he i was just going on deck to find you sir to find me asked the principal yes sir called me when i was passing and wished me to tell you he wanted to see you very much i was just going after you sir if there is any blame sir it rests on me inter posed through the bars of his prison mr unlocked the door of the and entered followed by mr leaving to young america afloat congratulate himself on the result of the lies he had uttered i am told you wish to see me said the principal yes sir i wish to say that i am extremely sorry for what i have done i thought you were crazy when you refused to obey and now i find you were i had been drinking sir i confess mr has told me your story it is not necessary to repeat it now to morrow i shall require you to acknowledge your error at muster and promise obedience in the future are you willing to do so i am sir you are discharged from confinement then and will at once return to your duty replied mr upon whom did not venture to intrude his extremely story to which watch do you belong to the port watch first part sir it will be on deck during the first half of the mid watch from twelve till two added tlie principal as he came out of the mr made no parade of what he had done he never subjected any student to unnecessary humiliation he indulged in no reproaches and preached no sermons he went on deck intending to leave the to the influence of the better thoughts which he hoped and believed had been kindled in his mind by the events of the day mr remained a moment to give a final outward bound or tion to the penitent as he regarded him and then went to his cabin are you going to turn in asked not yet are there any of our fellows below plenty of them our fellows was a term applied to that portion of the crew who were understood to be ready for any scrape which might be suggested had the expression himself while at the way academy and introduced it on board the ship without concealment or they were bad boys by the discipline of the ship they were kept in good order and compelled to perform their duties as in every community of men or boys where persons of kindred tastes find each other out the bad boys in the young america had discovered those of like tendencies and a bond of sympathy and tion had been established among them they knew and were known of each other on the other hand it is equally true that there was a bond of sympathy and association among the good boys as there is among good men if a good man wishes to establish a daily prayer meeting he does not apply to tlie the profane and the of his neighborhood for help there is a among men which leads him to the right persons if a bad man to get up a mob a or a he does not seek assistance among those who go to church every sunday and refrain from evil either from principle ot policy he n mi of this kind young america afloat in every community perhaps one fourth of the whole number are positively good and one fourth positively bad while the remaining two are more or less good or more or less bad floating between the two poles of the moral sometimes drawn one way and sometimes the other the young america was a world in herself and the moral composition of her people was similar to that of on a larger scale she had all the elements of good and evil on board one fourth of the students were doubtless high minded moral young men having fixed principles and being willing to make great sacrifices rather than do as good behavior as well as in the studies was an element of success in the ship a large proportion of the positively good boys were in the after cabin another fourth of the students were reckless and with no respect for authority except so far as it was purchased by fear of punishment or hope of reward occasionally one of tliis class worked his way into the cabin by superior natural ability and a attempt to better his condition on board the rest of the ship s company belonged to the indefinite class floating more or less distant from the positive elements of good or evil they were not bad boys for with proper influences they could be and were kept from evil ways they were not good boys on principle for they could be led away in paths of error our fellows were the positively bad boys of the floating academy and they existed in no greater outward bound or portion in the ship s company than in the of the great world to this class belonged and others to the positively good boys belonged and others not all of them in the after cabin by any means and walked forward to find some of these kindred spirits they seemed to know just where to look for them for they turned in at d over each of the six passages from which rooms opened a lantern was suspended besides four more in the middle of the it was light enough therefore in the rooms for their occupants to read coarse print in the lower of mess room no lay two students while another sat on a stool between them their occupation was sufficient evidence that they belonged to our fellows for they were shaking for money on a stool between the as and approached they picked up the and tlie and drew back | 36 |
into their beds it s said philip how did you get out worked out replied you don t mean to say you broke jail no that would have been too much trouble there was an easier way and i took that how was it why i soft the parson and he it s all right go ahead with the game said as he produced the again young america afloat placed the money on the stool consisting of two quarters in shook the and dropped them on the stool a nick exclaimed he the money i ll go you a half now half if is replied as he placed the requisite sum on the money the other laid down rattled the and threw them down again a cried he intensely excited as he seized the money with eager hand don t talk so loud you fool added the fellows are asleep above us and you will wake them up go you a half again half it is replied in a whisper as he shook again an out said picking up the money three bells dry up interposed one of the officers of the deck will be down in a minute the young put away the implements and drew back into their until the officer had looked into the room when the master had gone on deck again the play was resumed and and watched it with deep interest gambling was a new thing on board the young america it had not been practised at all in the preceding year having been introduced by and who had visited a saloon in the city where they resided during their late each of them had brought a set of on board with which they intended to amuse during the voyage as yet the practice was confined to a few outward bound or of our fellows but the crew in the were certainly in veiy great danger of being carried away by the passion for for it was spreading rapidly the shaking was carried on in the mess rooms while the students were off duty had played with half a dozen boys the night before and had been engaged in the game since the first watch was set and another party had been employed in the same manner in another room all of the boys were supplied with money in considerable sums generally in sovereigns and half sovereigns for use when tliey reached europe it was changing hands now though no one had as yet been particularly lucky have a game said when declared that he had no money left but gold no replied i shall not play any more why not i haven t time and i don t want to become too fond of it haven t time exclaimed no i ve got a big job on my hands what s that making a chain making a what making a chain a watch chain i think it will be a watch chain but i ll tell you about it when we are alone do you understand no i don t keep still then young america afloat turned in and the others followed his example he did not sleep if they did for his soul was full of rage and malice he was studying up the means of revenge and he had a project so that it was ridiculous and his mind was occupied with it at twelve o clock he was called to take his place with the first part of the port watch on deck belonging to each quarter watch there were five petty officers four of whom were to call the portion of the crew who were to relieve those on duty was one of these the wind was when he went on deck and the ship was going rapidly through the water at the last heaving of the log she was making eleven knots with her sails still set mr came on deck at eight be is and were in the watch with and the lost not a moment in pushing forward the scheme he had fortunately or unfortunately he was placed on the with and the solitude of the top gallant afforded them a good opportunity for the conference outward or chapter xl thb in no it s coming on to blow said as the took their stations on tlie top gallant i don t think it will blow much it is only a little replied now what about the demanded impatiently after he had become more accustomed to the dash of the sea under the bows of the ship don t call it by tliat name replied earnestly never use that word again s what you mean isn t it you might as well call by their right names it s an ugly word and if any one should happen to hear it their attention would be attracted at once we t get in the habit of using it i don t know what you are going to do yet added i it s a big job but i mean to put it through even if i am sure of failure what s the use of doing that do you want to get the fellows into a scrape for nothing there will be no failure you may depend upon that there will be a row on board within a young america da or two and if i mistake not nearly all the fellows will be so mad that they will want to join us what row do you know the reason why i wouldn t shake this evening fm sure i don t has found out what is going on in the rooms he hasn t though yes he has how do you know what odds does it make how i know answered impatiently for was much too inquisitive to suit his purposes i talked with the half an hour to night when he went to | 36 |
my berth after the wine i rather think he heard the rattle of the at any rate the whole thing will be broken up to morrow or next day i don t see how that will make a row not more than a dozen fellows have played any and they won t think of making a row about that you see added confidently exclaimed as a cloud of spray dashed over the bow and the but they wore their and such an occurrence was to be expected at sea stand by to take in sails shouted paul who was the officer of the deck and the order was repeated by his in the waist and on the we must go said and they descended from their position outward bound or the wind had to until the ship labored somewhat under her heavy press of canvas it was the policy of the principal to go as easily and comfortably as possible and he had directed mr if the wind continued to increase to have the sail reduced though neither the safety of the ship nor of the absolutely required such a step the quarter watch on deck was sufficient to perform this labor lay said the second lieutenant and those of the watch who had their stations in the fore sprang up the stand by the of the top gallant sails man the and sheets all ready sir reported the second who was in the the operation lower on the ease off the and haul on the sheet the two top gallant sails were thus brought into the top where they were made up the and the lower sails were taken in by a similar routine and the young america then moved along less furiously tlie water now about the chain said when the the had returned to their stations let me see where did i leave off replied you said there was to be a row which i don t believe i may be mistaken about that if i am the job will be all the more difficult has got us out to sea now and in my opinion he means to shake young america afloat us up he is a tyrant at heart and he will carry it with a high hand i hate the man added with savage earnestness you may but the fellows don t generally they will as soon as he begins to put the on them you won t hear him say if you please young gentlemen now that we are in blue water you know how savage he was with me well but you were you told him up and down you wouldn t do what he ordered you to do no matter for that you had a chance to see the spirit of the man he was a perfect demon he put me in irons i exclaimed still groaning under this i have been insulted and outraged and i will teach him that bob is not to be treated in that manner i will be upon him if it costs me my life the fellows won t go into any such desperate game as that replied cautiously but there will be in the thing added the softening his tone we shall have tlie ship all to ourselves we needn t trouble ourselves anything about latin and greek and and we shall go in for a good time generally it is all it can t be done what s the use of talking about such a thing said it can be done and it shall be replied stamping his foot on the deck how i am not quite ready to tell you yet very well i don t want to know more outward bound or about it answered the timid who was almost disgusted at the of the plan i can get along without you added with assumed indifference i would rather have you do so all right but you will want to come in when w e have got along a little farther perhaps i shall if i do i suppose the door will be open to me it may be open but perhaps you can t walk into the cabin then why not do you suppose the fellows who do the burden of the work are going to be shut out of the cabin if you join at the hour you will have to be what you are now a hand what can i be if i join now second or third officer who will be first i can t mention his name yet he belongs in the cabin now you don t mean so said astonished to learn that his bold companion expected to find friends among the present officers of the ship i know what i m about replied confidently with this information thought more of the mad enterprise if it was to be a winning game he wished to have a part in it if a losing one he desired to avoid it there was something in the decided manner of the chief which made an impression upon this doubting mind young america afloat i don t want to go in till i know more about it said he after walking two or three times across the top gallant you can t know anything more about it until you have been replied repeated the curiously this thing is to be well managed we shall not use any hard words that can understand and if any of them happen to hear anything that don t concern them they will not know what it means will you join or not i will replied desperately the strange words which used and the confidence he manifested in the success of his project carried the hesitating man he was fascinated by the clap trap which the leader of our fellows had adopted to help along his scheme for it promised to afford | 36 |
no little excitement during the voyage now you talk like a man replied you shall be a member of the league at once s the league the chain league upon my word you have been reading yellow covered novels to some purpose i didn t get this idea from a novel i invented it myself the chain league i repeated who was pleased with the title of the it will be called simply the chain i am the outward bound or first member and you are the second or yon will be when you have been again laughed what do you mean go ahead then repeat after me go on replied deeply interested in the proceeding even while he was amused at its formality i am a link of the chain i am a link of the chain repeated i will obey my superior officers i will obey my superior officers and i will reveal none of its secrets and i will reveal none of its secrets this i promise this i promise on penalty of falling overboard accidentally on penalty of what demanded both puzzled and terrified by the mysterious words repeat the words after me on penalty said sternly i know what the words are but i ll be hanged if i will repeat them falling overboard accidentally i what does tliat mean it means that if you betray the secrets of the chain you might fall overboard accidentally some day that is you would push me when no one was looking added involuntarily retreating from the whom for the moment he regarded as a very dangerous companion young america afloat that s what the words mean replied coolly have i been demanded no you didn t repeat all the words then you needn t me any more i ve got enough of this thing all right just as you say but i can tell you this my dear fellow if you should whisper the first word of what has passed between us to night you might fall overboard continued sharply as he laid his hand on his companion s shoulder grasped the sheet of the fore which was the nearest rope to him and held oh as though he was then in imminent danger of falling overboard accidentally i won t say a word protested he vehemently for he did not know but that was wicked enough to push him into the sea you are a fool added the disappointed with deep disgust why didn t you say what i told you i don t want to be bound in any such way as that replied the terrified student don t you see it is only a form no i don t or if it is i don t want anything to do with such forms you won t get any fellows to be in that way yes i shall i shall get plenty of them the are not babies like you i m not a baby yes you are a great calf i what are you d of outward bound or fm not afraid i didn t think you meant to have any murder in your chain i don t no fellow will think of such a thing as betraying one of the secrets then what s the use of having such a penalty it will prevent any fellow from opening his mouth when he ought to keep it shut i don t want anything to do with a concern that means murder i m not any better than i should be but i m too good for that suit yourself but remember if you should happen to say a word you will fall overboard accidentally some night when you are on the or out on the yard arm two bells said greatly relieved to hear them for he did not like to stand any longer on the top gallant where there was no railing with such a dangerous fellow as proved to be two other members of the watch were sent forward to take their places and went down and mingled with their who were talking about what they should do and what they should see in ireland where the ship would first make a harbor breathed easier and the topic was a more agreeable one than the dark and terrible which had been under discussion on the top gallant was disappointed by the scruples of his generally companion he regarded the machinery of the plot the clap trap of the secret league as decidedly attractive and he depended largely upon it to influence his companions though he claimed that his plan was original it was suggested young america afloat by a secret political organization in europe of which he had read in a and the idea had doubtless been modified by his more extensive in the department of fiction in which midnight laid out robbery treason and murder tales in which and decayed princes in disguise largely figured in which mysterious pass words opened mysterious beneath ruined castles in which met and knew him by some mysterious sign or word had a taste for these things and out of his lively imagination he had a similar association to be from the crew of the young america which was to fancied wrongs and even take the ship out of the hands of the principal he could of nothing but this brilliant enterprise and while his were talking of the future and indulging in the old of spinning he was busy the details of the chain league he did not for reasons best known to himself attempt to make any more that night the ship continued to go along easily on her course till morning it was a clear night and though the wind was fresh the sea was not rough and the young america behaved very handsomely the programme for the watches was carried out to the letter but on the first night out | 36 |
not lived outward bound or in the since the ship s company were organized that s because you were always a good boy and a smart scholar i think you would not like it if it wasn t for losing my rank i should like to try it replied paul i should like to get better acquainted with the fellows you wouldn t like them in the you would see a great many things there which you never see in the cabin a great many things which mr and the professors know nothing about why what do you mean demanded paul astonished at this revelation i ought not to say anything about it but i believe these things will break up the academy ship one of these days for the boys are growing worse instead of better in her and their folks will find it out sooner of later you surprise me exclaimed paul sadly for he held the honor of the ship and her crew as the apple of his eye if there is anything wrong there you ought to make it known i suppose i ought but you know i m not a you have told me and i m an officer well i into saying what i have what you said about going into the made me let it out i am sorry i said anything you have raised my curiosity i will tell you or rather i will put you in the way of seeing for yourself if you will not mention young afloat my name in connection with the matter even to mr and certainly not to any one else i will not the fellows are gambling in the at this very moment added in a low tone don t betray me i will not gambling exclaimed paul witli natural horror you will find them in no continued walking away and leaving the astonished officer to wonder how boys could l outward bound or chapter xii the root of all evil paul who had not occupied a berth in the since the first organization of the ship was greatly surprised and grieved to learn that some of the crew were to vicious gambling was an enormous and he was not quite willing to believe that such a terrible evil had obtained a in the ship he could hardly conceive of such a thing as boys engaging in games of chance only the of men in his estimation would do so had told him so apparently without malice or design and there was no reason to doubt the truth of his statement especially as he had given the particulars by which it could be the second lieutenant went down into the classes were to the professors and studying their lessons at the mess tables there was certainly no appearance of evil for the place was still and no sound of angry or jest which his fancy connected with the vice of gambling saluted his ears he cautiously entered d and paused where he could hear what was said in mess room no five shillings into your half sovereign said young america afloat one of the and then paul distinctly heard the rattling of the there s the half sovereign added whose voice the officer recognized as that of you own five shillings in it and i own five shillings that s so replied who appeared to be the lucky one let us shake for the coin added it s my throw that s rather steep we get along faster that s all if i throw a nick or a it s mine if an out it s yours i am agreed throw away replied without perceiving that the one who held tlie had two chances to his one the rattled and dropped on the bed a exclaimed thereby winning all he had lost at one throw i don t talk so loud interposed you ll have the down upon us ril go you another five shillings on one throw said at his loss put down your money the reckless young put two half crowns or five shillings upon the bed and shook again a nick said he seizing the two half crowns try it again demanded paul was filled with horror as he listened to this conversation when he had heard enough to satisfy him that the were actually gambling he hastened to inform mr of the fact outward bound or paul was an officer of the ship and this was so plain ly his duty that he could not avoid it disagreeable as it was to give testimony against his it seemed to him tliat the ship could not float much longer if such were carried on her walls of wood she must be of such or some fearful would overtake her there was no malice or revenge in the bosom of the second lieutenant he was acting solely and for the good of the institution and the students he went on deck again was still and they met in the waist you told me the truth said paul you did not i was joking about so serious a matter did you no but i hoped you might be mistaken how could i be mistaken when i have seen at one time and another a dozen fellows engaged in gambling of course such things as these will ruin the boys and bring the ship into you are right my father for one wouldn t let me stay on board a single day if he knew any of tlie boys were it can be easily stopped now you know about it added perhaps it can i will inform mr at once remember if you please what i said mr i am willing to do a good thing for the ship but you know how much i should have to if it were known that i gave the information i didn t | 36 |
mean to blow on my but you and i have young america afloat been so intimate in the after cabin that i spoke before i was aware what i was about continued i shall not willingly betray you willingly i what do you mean by that demanded the startled by the words of the officer suppose mr should ask me where i obtained my information suggested paul didn t see for yourself in no he might ask what led me to examine tlie matter so particularly but i will tell him honestly that i do not wish to inform him who gave me the hint arid i am quite sure he will not press the matter when he finds that tlie facts are correct don t mention my name on any account added it was mean of me to say anything but the ship was going to ruin and i m rather glad i spoke though i didn t intend to do so i will make it all right replied paul as he descended the cabin steps mr was in the main cabin and the second lieutenant knocked at the door he was readily admitted and invited to take a seat for the principal was as polite to the yoimg gentlemen as though they had been his equals in age and rank i would like to speak with you alone if you please sir paul began glancing at tlie cabin steward who was at work in the come into my state room said the principal leading the way i hope your business does not relate to the discipline of the ship continued mr when outward bound or they were seated and the door of the room was closed if it does you should have applied to the this is a peculiar case sir and i obtained my information while off duty replied paul with some embarrassment for he had thought of communicating his startling discovery to captain and had only been from doing so by the fear of betraying i will hear what you have to say there is something very bad going on in the said paul seriously indeed i what is it asked the principal full of interest and anxiety gambling sir gambling repeated mr his brow paul made no reply and he expected to be asked how he had obtained the startling information are you quite sure of what you say mr yes sir i am in mess room no there are or four students now engaged in gambling i stood at the door long enough to find out what they were doing this is serious mr if you have any doubt about the fact sir i hope you will take measures to satisfy yourself at once for i think the students are still there i will mr remain in this cabin if you please until my return added the principal as he moved towards the door young america afloat i i you must be careful when you approach them sir for tlie are very sly mr passed from the professors cabin into the and proceeding to the entrance of no he paused to listen he heard the whispered conversation about the and and the were by this time highly excited by the game and had not only become but absolutely reckless so intense was the fascination of their employment suddenly but with a light step he entered the mess room sat in the berth while his companions occupied outside and their heads were close together mr took by the collar of his frock with one hand and with the other just as had thrown the upon the bed with a vigorous jerk he tossed back upon the floor so as to obtain a full view of the and the gambling implements the were astounded at this sudden descent upon them but before they could comprehend the situation fully the principal turned upon his heel and left the room without a word of astonishment or censure we re in for it now said as his companions picked themselves up from the floor and gazed at each other with a look that s so replied we shall catch it added we shall find out how the inside of the looks in my opinion continued i was a fool to play here right in the told me that outward bound or smelt a and would make a row about this thing told you so exclaimed he know i don t know i believe the parson told him last night when he was in the why didn t you say so then demanded you have got us into a pretty scrape i that is the reason why wouldn t play himself yes he said it was but i didn t believe ton knew an about it i don t see how he could he walked in here as straight as though he had been sent for and knew just where to go said of course he did you say told you knew all about it and i suppose he has been on the watch to find some fellows at it so as to make an example of them that s the whole of it we might as well throw the overboard now mr returned to the cabin where he had left paul he was sadly disturbed by the discovery he had made for he had no suspicion before that any of his pupils had made so much progress in vice he knew what a terrible evil gambling was among men that it was the of and crime and he felt the responsibility which rested upon him as a guardian and of youth mr your information was correct and i commend the zeal you have displayed in bringing this fearful evil to light how happened you to di cover it i had a hint from a source which i would rather young america afloat i not mention replied the second | 36 |
games of chance without being seen x don t think you have hit the hail on the head yet mn the utmost vigilance we can use will not entirely prevent evil we depend upon moral influences as well as discipline for the and cure of vice and error added the principal i m afraid a lecture on gambling wouldn t do much good while the means of play were still in the hands of the students it would influence some but others are not to be influenced in any way a strong arm alone will meet their case we can take the from them said mr you must go a step farther than that you must search the and for cards or other gambling implements even then you will not have struck at the root of the evil what is the root of the evil asked the principal money sir replied the doctor with unusual energy that is said to be the root of all evil added mr with a smile among boys money does more injury than we can comprehend a college friend of mine was wholly spoiled by his allowance of money his purse was always full which made him the prey of persons he always had the means of gratifying his i s outward bound or and is now a if he is living he he an drink and generally before he entered college he was in a year without money as a boy he would have been saved from a score of temptations every boy on board this ship has a pocket full of sovereigns for his european expenses they are all young and if you ever let them go ashore you will have your hands full mr they will drink beer and wine visit bad places and while they have plenty of money you can hardly prevent them from being a nuisance to you and to themselves there is a great deal of force in what you say dr money will be the root of all evil to these boys most emphatically those who are disposed to will do so while they have money the to be drawn from your remarks is that the students should not have pocket money most decidedly that is my opinion if i had a son i wouldn t allow him a penny of pocket money that would be rather hard said the i know it but it would be the best thing in the world for the boy i don t mean to say that i would never permit him to have money but he should have no stated allowance and when he had a dollar i should want to know how it was to be expended this question of money has been under serious consideration with me you can t handle the boys in europe with money in their pockets a regiment of soldiers could not keep them straight young america afloat i think you are right doctor i am tempted to take their money from them do it by all means exclaimed dr the regarded the measure as rather he thought it would the boys and deprive them of some portion of their self respect the came into the cabin at seven bells and their opinions were taken four of the six were in favor of taking all money from the boys mr had already reached this view of the case and it was resolved to take the important step at once as the best means of effectually putting a stop to the practice of gambling mr had been unable to attend tliis conference for more than a few moments for he was the in which included and he was compelled to the observations which were made with separate instruments by himself and by the two masters of the watch the position of the ship was found and marked on the and the dead reckoning compared with the result obtained by calculation at one bell in the afternoon watch all hands were to muster and the readily understood tliat this call was for their especial benefit said mr from his usual position the came forward with whom were you gambling in mess room no this asked the principal looked up at the stern of discipline if he did not know it was not his business to tell outward or answer me i don t know you are telling a falsehood i don t remember their names now said you do remember them and for each falsehood you utter you shall an additional penalty i m not a sir answered dogged ly i don t want to tell who they were very well why didn t you say that at first i have some respect for the student who to betray even his companions in error none at all for a liar and added the principal and the two stepped up to the young gentlemen you are charged with gambling have you anything to say nothing sir they all replied how much money have you lost at play none sir how much have you made ten shillings half a sovereign from whom did you win it from return it to him obeyed had won about a dollar from which he was also compelled to restore mr was satisfied that others had gained or lost by gambling but as he did not know who the other were he did not attempt to have the ill gotten money restored for he never made himself ridiculous to the students by to do what could not be done mr then made a very judicious s young america afloat the evil of gambling pointing out its dangerous fascination and the terrible consequences which sooner or later overtook its victims he illustrated his remarks by examples drawn from real life the followed him the career of a young man whom he had attended in prison and who had been utterly ruined | 36 |
by the habit of contracted before he was of age these addresses seemed to produce a deep impression on the boys and one would have judged by their looks that they all regarded the dangerous practice with well horror mr took the stand again and followed with another address upon the root of all evil adding that having money in their possession they would be tempted to now young gentlemen i propose that you all deliver your funds to me taking my receipt for whatever amount you deliver to me when you have any real need of money apply to me and i will restore it added mr take our money from us exclaimed several and it was evident that the proposition was creating a sensation among the students outward bound or chapter to mischief after tke announcement that the students were to deliver up their money to tlie principal and take his receipt for it the crew were dismissed from muster after being informed that the business of the funds would be immediately commenced in the the three were not punished except by the mortification of the exposure even by the loss of marks though was confined in the one hour for each falsehood he had uttered mr knew that at least a dozen of the boys were guilty of gambling and as the matter now came up for the first time he did not deem it expedient to punish those who had been discovered hoping tliat the measures he had adopted would suppress the evil many of the students the taking of money as an only a few of them comparatively had engaged in gambling though many of tlie occupants of the knew of the existence of the practice on board the ship they were willing to believe and did believe after the impressive addresses to which they had listened tliat games of chance were a perilous amusement but they were not quite young america afloat willing to acknowledge the justice of mr s measures most of the officers and many of the crew cheerfully complied with the new they handed their money to the and received a receipt for the amount signed by tlie principal others emptied the contents of their sullenly and under protest while not a few openly grumbled in the presence of mr some of our fellows attempted to keep back a portion of their funds and perhaps a few succeeded though the tact of the principal exposed the deceit in several instances whatever may be thought of the justice or the of the students of their money it was evidently an exceedingly step in the second dog watch when and paul were off duty they happened to meet in tlie waist and the exciting topic of the day came up for discussion as it had in every little group that collected that afternoon had accomplished his purpose he had accomplished far more than he intended he had expected nothing more thin a general upon gambling followed by increased in tlie and a closer watch over the students in their rooms which would produce sufficient irritation among the boys to suit his purposes now the crew and even some of the officers were in a of indignation and ripe for a demonstration of any kind the business is done said paul as he met the i m afraid k s answered outward bound or though he was actually in a state of exultation over the effect which had been produced by the new i hope not i did not mention your name to the principal in with the matter added didn t he ask you he did but when i stated the case to him and told him the person who had given me the information had let it out accidentally and did not wish to be known he asked no more questions thank you mr this last measure is so that i should have been cast out like an bird if it were known that i gave the hint no one shall know anything about it from me you did a good thing for the ship and for every fellow in it they wouldn t be willing to believe that just now said laughing perhaps not but it is a fact none the less i didn t mr would go it quite so strong if i had i shouldn t have told you what i did are you not satisfied with what has been done asked with some astonishment no i am not i am glad enough to see the gambling stopped but i don t think the principal had any more right to take my money away from me than he had to take my head off replied earnestly don t you think it will be better for tlie fellows to be without money than with it perhaps it will i don t know about that your neighbor might be a better man if he were poor young america afloat if he were rich does that make it that you have any right to take his property from him i don t think it does replied paul the state of for instance or the state of makes laws against games of chance why not make a law if a man that all his money shall be taken from him the state has no right to make such a law i suppose but the principal goes a long reach beyond that he takes every man s money away from him whether he is accused of gambling or not do you he had any right to do that he hasn t made any law but if you want law i ll give you some laughed paul who was disposed to treat the subject very good especially as there was so much loose indignation floating about the decks i don t mean law alone but justice added i call it high handed injustice to take | 36 |
the fellows money away from them let me give you a little law then persisted paul how old are you eighteen good i you are an infant lam suppose your uncle or somebody else should die to day and leave you thousand dollars wouldn t you have a good time with it i should as soon as i got hold of it you had better believe replied as soon as you got hold of it i exclaimed paul ao outward bound or i suppose i should have a guardian till i became of age who would your guardian the court i believe exactly so the law i what take your away from you or not let you touch it that s law certainly wouldn t the law have just as much right to take off a fellow s head as to take his money demanded paul triumphantly mr is not our guardian yes he is for the time being and i hold that he has just as much right to take your money from you as your father would have i don t see it i don t believe it the money was given us by our fathers to spend in europe when we get there mr is to pay all our expenses on shore by the terms of the contract besides the of the academy ship to which all the parents assented require that the control of the boys shall be wholly given up to the principal it s a plain case mr and his policy had an able and zealous in the person of paul who hy his arguments as well as his influence had already reconciled several of the students to the new if i were willing to grant the right of the to take the fellows money from them which i am not i think it is treating them like babies to do so it is the innocent with the guilty mr said in so many words that the young america afloat measure was not intended as a punishment that it was purely a matter of discipline intended to meet certain evils which must appear when we landed in europe as well as to prevent gambling paul certainly had the best of the argument but was not convinced because he did not wish to be convinced at eight bells when the first part of the port watch went on duty the wind had shifted from west to north the sails had been taken in the main and all the stay sails been set and the ship close hauled was barely laying her course the wind was fresh and she was over on the side so that her decks formed a pretty steep inclined plane under these circumstances it required a great deal of skill and on the part of the to keep the sails full and at the same time to lay the course as the ship s head met the heavy seas a g eat deal of spray was dashed on deck and the position of the men on the top gallant was not as comfortable as if the weather had been warmer there was no every student was obliged to stand at his post wet or dry blow high or blow low had been discharged from confinement in the where mr had visited him giving him good advice and religious instruction as he did to all who were punished in any manner and was now with his watch on deck the new was particularly odious to our fellows and regarded himself as a martyr to the popular cause forgetting that he had been punished for the lies he had o outward bound or told lie and twenty others were forward to say they wouldn t stand it and the indignation seemed to be increasing rather than well how do you like the inside of the asked when they met in the main top having been sent aloft to clear away the bridle on the main i like it well enough replied i wasn t going to blow on the fellows i would stay in there a month first did you give up your money of course i did i couldn t help myself how do you like the new i don t like it any better than the rest of the fellows do answered in surly tones i won t stand it either o i guess you will laughed i told you was a tyrant but you wouldn t believe me yes i would and i did the fellows will find out what he is before they are many days older i think they have found out now i say was this the row you spoke about last night yes only there s more of it than i expected how did you know anything it before hand i have a way of finding out these things the artful mysteriously i have one or two friends at court is paul one of them no he is a he don t know which young america afloat bide his bread is if takes snuff i have seen you talking with him two or three times to day i was only him well there is a jolly row on board now anyhow added as he prepared to descend over the cat hold on don t let s go on deck yet interposed i want to know what our fellows are going to do they will call us down if we stop here when they do we will go down then replied as he seated himself in the top with his legs through the s hole what are our fellows going to do do they mean to stand this thing they can t help themselves they are mad enough to do an but what s the use added as he seated himself by the side of his companion don t you think they will join the league | 36 |
now they would join anything that would give them their rights i ll join now but i don t want to be in such a way as you said last night then you can t be at all i haven t any idea of falling overboard accidentally i d rather lose my money than do it s nothing but a form between you and me it s only a intended to work upon the nerves and the imagination of course we shouldn t help any fellow overboard no one would dare to do any such thing i don t like the sound of the thing no outward bound or if you really mean to expose the secrets which are to you i advise you not to join i don t mean any such thing added indignantly if you didn t you wouldn t be afraid of the penalty me then and see what i mean i don t want you to go in if you don t believe in it but i do believe in it so go ahead pronounced the ridiculous obligation again and repeated it after him now you are said the leader what are we going to do bring in the rest of our fellows that is the first job in my opinion we can get over fifty of now i don t know about that answered doubtfully i m very sure we can if we get enough to take the ship we can have all the rest as soon as we have done the job take the ship exclaimed appalled at the idea that s what we mean i don t believe you can do it replied the doubtful link in the chain it s the easiest thing in the world the affair will come off at supper time when the professors are all in their cabin all we have to do is to clap the on the after companion way and secure the doors young america afloat leading from the main cabin into the then we have them and they can t help themselves but the carpenter and will be loose no they won t at the right time we will pass the word for and say that wants to see them in the main cabin as soon as they go below we will put the on the and will still be at large we can lock them up in the kitchen if they make trouble i have a revolver whispered a revolver i won t have anything to do with it if you are going to use pistols said the alarmed it s only to look at there will be no occasion ta use it answered soothingly there will be twelve men besides the locked up in tlie main cabin that s so how long do you suppose it would take them to break down the between the cabin and tlie or to climb up through the if they attempt anything of that kind we can show them the revolver that will quiet them you might frighten the parson in that way but do you suppose men like mr mr and peaks who have been in the navy so long will be afraid of a pistol they won t want to be shot if they have in the navy all their lives then you mean to shoot them outward bound or they will think we do and it will be all the same i don t know about this business i m afraid the pistol might go oft and hurt somebody i suppose you could raise objections all night added contemptuously i m not going to have any man over me i suppose if wants to pull every fellow s teeth out you won t object i m as much opposed to his tyranny as you are and i will do anything that is reasonable but i want to know whether the water is hot or cold before i put my fingers into it what s the use of into an enterprise and making a failure of it i have no idea of making a failure of it did you ever know me to make a failure of anything that i attempted yes i have what you failed to get elected captain when we first came aboard of the ship that was only because we had just come on board the fellows didn t know me and i didn t know them we are better acquainted now and i am just as sure of success as though we had already won it added confidently i don t believe in making failures i don t believe there is more than one chance in ten for you to succeed continued the there isn t more than one chance in ten for us to fail you are a bird of evil omen you have no faith in anything and if you are going to like this i young america afloat don t want you in the chain added fm in for it already and when i can see my way clearly i shall be as strong as you are then don t any more we must go to work while the fever is on the fellows and make up in the main top shouted the master from the waist on deck replied lay down from aloft yes sir the descended after had his companion to be discreet what are you doing in the top so long demanded foster the first master as the reached the sheer pole watching the sea sir replied it looks fine from the top when you have done what you are sent aloft for it is your duty to come down and report it added the officer mad no reply as he probably would have done if he had not had a heavy operation on his hands which prevented him from indulging in any side quarrels except the and the the watch on | 36 |
deck was divided into little groups who were in the most comfortable places they could find telling stories or discussing the exciting topic of the day some of our fellows want to see you outward bound or and said as the first master went below to inspect tlie at two bells what s up demanded the don t say anything added the messenger as he led the way to the under the lee of which and had themselves away out of the reach of the stream that was flowing along the water ways and of the spray which was dashing over the weather bows the party from aloft with the messenger increased the group to five which was the total number of our fellows that could be in the first part of the port watch what s up demanded when he had seated himself by the we intend to pipe to mischief to night and we want some help from you said in reply we have been robbed of our money and we are going to have satisfaction somehow or other added in explanation we are not going to stand this sort of thing we must teach and the professors tliat they can t put our noses to the exactly so exclaimed and you intend to put them there yourselves in other words you mean to get into some scrape and be punished for it as i was no we don t we are going to work man style old peaks told us how to do it when we were on watch last night replied peaks america afloat yes he spun us a about man of war life and told us how the men serve out the officers when they don t behave themselves peaks told you this did he demanded of course he didn t mean to have us do anything of t le kind well how did he tell you to serve out the officers make them uncomfortable keep them in a j nest all the time how how asked why if the officer went forward a pin was sure to drop on his head or his feet a tar can or a paint pot would be upset on his back or if he went below a cannon ball was liable to roll out of a shot case upon him of course no ever knew the author of this mischief do you propose to play off any of these tricks on demanded we have got a rod in for him replied what is it we intend to give him a dose of oil to begin with laughed one of the left his oil can on the ladder after the was put on to keep the spray out and i took possession of it added j hardly able to keep his mirth within the limits of prudence what are you going to do with it asked we are going to give the contents of tl tan and throw it overboard l outward bound indeed who is the fellow that has boldness enough to do this thing i have and i have volunteered do the job answered with a degree of assurance which astonished even you dare not do it i i dare and i will if the fellows will stand by me is sitting at the table in the professors cabin right under the reading one section of the is pen and you can see him as plain as day it s as dark as a pocket on deck and th officers can t see you twenty feet off all i have to d t is to pop the oil through the opening and get out of the way what then why he will come on and try to find out who did it but he can t perhaps he can no he can t only half a dozen of the fellows will know anything about it and of course they won t let on suppose he don t find out what good will tliis trick do the second part of the port watch must follow up the game will come on deck at eight bells and in the watch will give him another dose what will that be the first step of ladder the after companion way and let tumble down stairs chuckled then will give some told young america afloat well you may break his neck when he les down the ladder have nothing to do with any of those tricks added decidedly if you want to pipe to mischief i m with you but in no such way as that those are little mean dirty tricks but they will keep him in hot water all the time and he will get sick of being a tyrant over the fellows in less than a week there are twenty things we might do to annoy him which would help to bring him to his senses for instance when the steward carries the coffee into the professors cabin one fellow might engage his attention while drops a lump of salt a handful of or a piece of tobacco into the urn i don t want to hear any more of such low lived tricks interposed the magnificent if you want to pipe to mischief let us do it like men what would you do fifty of the fellows at least will go into anything to punish for his tyranny join the chain then said in a whisper and with a suitable parade of mystery the what the chain the object of the ie was duly explained and before the second part of the port watch came on deck three new members had been greatly to the satisfaction of and to the astonishment of they did not hesitate at the penalty of the obligation and seemed to be entirely willing to fall overboard accidentally if they failed to make strong and faithful links in the chain l outward | 36 |
ok chapter xiv all hands i the fourth lieutenant of the young america was almost the only among the officers the only one who persistently declined to be reconciled to the new others objected to it others it and even regarded the act as but the good offices of paul who argued the question with them as he did with had in a measure them and they were at least disposed to submit gracefully to the order but was not of this number he was above the average age and like the chief on board expecting to leave the ship at the end of the first year had not exerted himself to the extent of his ability he had been first lieutenant and had now fallen to fourth he was older than the captain and it him to be subject to one younger than himself he was dissatisfied with his rank and this had a tendency to make him a it needed only an appearance of tyranny or injustice to array him in against the authorities of the ship knew his state of mind and was prepared to take young america afloat ig advantage of it hoping through him to gain other discontented spirits in the cabin when the first part of tlie port watch was relieved the chain consisted of five links and the were well satisfied with the present success of the enterprise each of the new members of the league was to obtain a whose name was given to him and he was required to report upon the case to before eight bells in the watch as a measure of precaution it was required that no meetings should be held that not more than three members should for business at any one time the utmost care and were urged and it was agreed that not a word should be said in the where it was possible r any of the professors to it the second part of the port watch with as officer of the deck went on duty at ten o clock the wind had been for the last two hours and it was now necessary to reduce sail the were first taken in and then the top gallant sails we can t lay this course sir said the who was the the wind is tp the eastward make the course east by north then replied without taking the trouble to consult the captain or mr both of whom were on deck the wind is north north east sir reported the a short time afterwards keep her east then at six bells the wind was north east and coming heavier and heavier every moment the ship was outward bound or headed east south east and it was evident that she still had on more sail than she could easily carry what s the course mr asked captain east south east sir replied the course given out was east north east i have changed it three times within the last hour answered the fourth lieutenant in rather surly tones by whose order demanded the captain by n j one s order sir you know tlie for the officer of the deck he is not permitted to alter the course of the ship unless to avoid some sudden danger without informing tlie captain i had to alter the course or have the thrown replied very likely it was proper to alter the but it was also proper to inform me especially when i was on deck very well captain i will not alter the course again without your order added the fourth lieutenant stiffly the is not mine mr continued the captain sternly as the wind increased sail was reduced to and courses and but at seven bells even these were found to be too much for her captain it is coming heavier said mr i think it will be necessary to i was thinking of that sir the wind is and blowing a gale you had better call hands and do it at once young america afloat mr you will call all hands to top sails a hands sir certainly mr that was my order replied the captain more sharply than usual for there was something in the manner of the officer of the deck which he did not like and he found it necessary to maintain the dignity of his position touched his cap he felt the weight of upon him heavier ever before until recently he had always performed his duty cheerfully and was considered a first rate officer since the new had been put in force and he had been compelled to deliver up ten sovereigns in his possession he had been rather disagreeable in the cabin he had used some language reflecting upon the principal and he was now regarded as a by tlie captain and by who still sustained the discipline of the ship called he as he went forward to the waist here sir replied the who belonged in this quarter watch and there was a s mate in each of the others call all hands to the shrill pipe of the s whistle soon rang above the howling winds which now sounded gloomily through the the call was repeated in the and at the door of the after cabin where it could be heard by the officers for no one on board is when all hands are called this was the first taste of the hardships of a seaman s life to which outward bound or the students had been invited it is not pleasant to say the least to be turned out of a warm bed in a gale when tlie wind comes cold and furious laden with the spray of the ocean and be sent aloft in the of the ship when she is rolling and jumping and in the mad waves but there is no excuse at such a time and nothing but positive physical can | 36 |
officer or seaman from duty it was the first time the bo s had seen a gale at sea and though it was not yet what would be called a strong gale it was sufficiently to produce a deep impression upon them the ship was still under and courses with and the wind came in heavy and when they struck the sails tlie young america over until her lee yard arm seemed to be dipping the waves huge came roaring down from the crowned with white foam and presenting an a aspect in the night striking the ship lifting her bow high in tlie air and breaking over the rail pouring tons of water on the deck before the whole crew had been called every opening in the deck had been secured and the plank guards placed over the glass in the life lines had been stretched along the decks and the swinging ports through which the water that came over the rail escaped were crossed with whale line by peaks to prevent any unlucky boy from being washed through if he happened to be thrown off his feet by a rush of water to the the scene was wild and startling it was even ter young america afloat to those who had never seen anything of the kind before though the old sailors regarded it quite as a matter of course peaks had never been known to be so jolly and excited since he came on board he was full of jokes and witty sayings he seemed to be in his element now and all his powers of body and mind were in the keenest state of excitement the students were disposed to look upon it as a rough time and doubtless some of them thought the ship was in great peril not a few of them pretended to enjoy the scene and talked salt as though they had been used to this kind of thing all their lives mr came on deck all hands were called and though to his experienced eye there was no danger while the ship was well managed he was exceedingly anxious for it was a time when accidents were prone to happen and the loss of a boy at such an hour would the success of his great experiment on deck the students could not get overboard without the carelessness but it was perilous to send them aloft in the gloom of tlie howling tempest he had hoped that he might be permitted to meet the of die first gale the ship encountered in the but as the clerk of the weather otherwise ordained it he was compelled to make the best of the circumstances before the of in the gale was begun mr was sent forward was placed in the fore peaks in the main and in the to see that the young did not expose themselves and that they used all s outward bound or proper precautions to avoid an accident all the officers were at their stations man the and and the weather shouted haven the first lieutenant who always handled the ship when all hands were called stand by the lee and the are ropes fastened to the corners of the passing through blocks on the yard and leading down to the deck through the s hole they are used in the corners of the sail up when they are to be or the are two ropes attached to or eyes in the bottom of the sail which are used for up the middle or of the the are the ropes secured to the ends of the yards leading down to the deck directly or to a mast first and thence below by which the yards and the sails attached to them are hauled round so as to take the wind they are distinguished by the terms weather and lee the former being those on the side from which the wind comes the latter on the opposite side they also have their specific names as the weather fore top gallant brace the lee main brace the are ropes attached to the of square sails to draw the edge forward so that they may take the wind better they are fastened to the which are like those of a two or of them extending from the side of the sail the are the ropes by which any sail is hoisted for square sails they are secured to the young america afloat yards which with the exception of the lower one on each mast slide up and down clear away the said the first lieutenant when all hands were reported ready for the which had been ordered at this command the on the and courses were all clear sir reported the officers from their stations round in the weather ease off the lee was the next order settle away the down to round in the weather was simply to haul them up as the lee were so that the yard was as the command was executed the sail was or the wind thrown out of it haul out the haul up the continued the officer to a sail is to tie up a portion of it so as to present less surface of canvas to the force of the wind are in the upper part a portion of the sail nearest to the yard from which it is suspended being rolled up and secured by strings to the yard fo e and sails like the the fore and main or the of a are at the foot the lower part being tied down to the boom the of the young america had three bands or of canvas over them in which were the points or strings by which the sail is tied up when when the first or highest row of points was used the sail was single when the second was used it was outward bound or double and when | 36 |
the third row was used h was close on each side of the sail at the end of each band was a or eye in which the was fastened the tackle consists of a rope passing from the eye at the end of the band through a block at tlie extremity of the yard thence to the mast and down to the deck on this rope draws the required portion of the sail up to the yard in readiness to be the were hauled out and the hauled up to bring the sail where it could be easily handled when the sail is to be the have to lay out on the yards and tie up the sail to enable them to do this with safety there are horses or foot ropes extending from the or middle of the to the yard arms this rope hangs below the yard the middle parts being supported by when a man is to lay out he throws his breast across the yard with his feet on the horse the man at the weather or eye for the has to sit the yard and pull the sail towards him the foot rope sometimes slips through the eyes in the when only one hand goes out upon it which does or may place him in a dangerous position during the preceding day when the indicated a change of weather mr had sent the old aloft to mouse the horses in anticipation of the which the boys were now compelled to perform at midnight in a gale of wind the horses was merely the foot ropes to the eyes of the so that they could young america afloat 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 at the foot of each mast there is a contrivance for securing ropes called the rail it is full of pins to which are secured the sheets lifts 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 tlie 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 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 continued the first lieutenant when the were in readiness for at this order thirty of the young ran up the over the cat and up the till they reached the fore main and yards twelve of them were stationed on the main ten on the fore and eight on the yard the first second and third were aloft to the work and when the sail had been up they gave the order to lay out and take two when the hands were at their stations on the yard the first lieutenant ordered the to s s outward bound or up that is to put the down so as to throw the ship up into the wind and the sail or get the wind out of it that the young might handle it with the more ease the boys had been frequently trained in the which they were now 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 business to lay out on a 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 lines were again and the sail restored to their places lay down from aloft i shouted haven when the in charge aloft had reported tlie 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 of the gale and the dashing of the sea man the stand by the all ready sir reported the fourth lieutenant after the others away the i the hands en deck walked away with the until the were hauled up to a the same operation was repeated on the fore and main course tlie yards were trimmed the young afloat attached and hauled out and then the ship was double and courses pipe down said the 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 waves it was now after midnight eight bells having struck before the courses were and the first part of the watch were to have tlie deck mr 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 were earnest in their of the behavior of the young america she was not only a stiff and ship but she behaved most admirably keeping well up to the wind and her 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 and though she jumped plunged and rolled making a terrific roar as | 36 |
she went along everything was ship shape about her and the boys soon became accustomed to the exciting scene she was making but little but she still kept within three points of her general course mr remained on deck the rest of the night anxiously watching the ship and her crew in the trying experience of the hour lo outward bound or 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 tlie rules of the ship and he regarded the gentle reproof he had received as a very eat 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 the third lieutenant who was his room mate had already turned in but it was impossible for him to sleep took a match from his pocket and lighted the lamp which swung on in the room what are you doing demanded 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 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 and don t bother me what s the matter what 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 i have been insulted young america at who insulted you the captain asked 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 himself on a stool and his feet against the front of the to prevent being thrown down what did he do he me told me i knew the rule and was as 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 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 him for you 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 neglected to say tliat he was not particularly gentle put that light out for my sake if not for your own said 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 outward bound or replied as he took a cigar from its place under the lower berth what are you going to do demanded 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 either on ship or shore i haven t had a smoke since replied as he lighted the cigar see here 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 coolly but i shall be stifled here can t help it i can retorted as he leaped out on the floor what are you going to do i am going to inform mr what you are doing are you such a fellow as that asked indignantly i am if you are such a fellow as to attempt to me with cigar smoke in my own room it would make me as sick as a horse in ave minutes you mean sneered i m going to have my smoke if there is a row about it put on his jacket and left the room young america afloat chapter xv after the gale one of the most singular traits in the character of some boys is the and even the desire under certain circumstances to get into trouble a young gentleman feeling that be has been or his merit overlooked himself to fall into a mental condition in which he feels no responsibility for his conduct in which he breaks through all places himself in an attitude of opposition to constituted authority and seems to court the heaviest penalty which can be inflicted upon him for 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 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 tlie practice to the ship but to the student it was condemned not simply because it would be offensive in the and outward bound or and on deck but because it was a bad habit for a boy to acquire the forward officers the and ihe were allowed to smoke on tlie a certain prescribed hours but it w as a for a student to smoke at any time or in any place whether on board or on shore wa indignant at | 36 |
the conduct of his for the lieutenant was not only opposed to smoking on principle but the of tobacco were intensely to him and there was no doubt that in the space of the state room v all the in the deck were closed during the gale the smoke would make him as sack as a horse he was a noble minded manly youth and had all a boy s for and tale bearing he did not like to go on deck and inform the principal of the conduct of but he could not submit to the cast upon him he went out into the cabin and threw himself upon the under the stem ports of the ship this would have been a very satisfactory place to sleep under ordinary circumstances but had hardly secured a comfortable position before the heavy rolling and of the vessel tumbled him off and he measured his length on the cabin floor a very situation for a third lieutenant he picked himself up in the darkness and tried it again but with no better success an before he had fully intended to go on deck inform the principal of the of which had driven him from his room but he shrank from the task young afloat what was attempting to do on the many of the officers were striving to do in their though with better success than attended his efforts it was not an easy matter to stay in the and this done the situation was far from comfortable avoiding the rude fall on the one side the was rolled over against the on the other side sleep in anything more than cat was utterly for as soon as the tired officer began to lose himself in slumber he was violently against the pine boards or was roused by the fear of being tumbled out of his berth mr comprehended the situation of the students and when the and courses had been he called up all the and sent them through the after cabin and to ascertain the condition of the boys and to give them the benefit of certain known to old for such occasions the steward of the after cabin entered to perform his duty he had no light not even a lantern for fire is so terrible a calamity at sea that every lamp was extinguished by the at ten o clock and no light was allowed except in the without the special permission of the principal even the could not allow a lamp to be lighted after hours went to all the state rooms on the port side pulled up the berth above the front of the so as to form a kind of wall to keep the from rolling out a bundle of clothing was placed on the inside of the berth and the body was thus in so as to afford some relief to the outward bound or form s room was the second one on the side and came to it at last in his humane mission he opened the door and started back with astonishment to see the lamp lighted and the fourth lieutenant puffing his cigar as leisurely as the violent motion of the ship would permit contrary to sir said respectfully as he touched his cap to the reckless officer take yourself off replied and rudely yes sir did take himself off and hastened on deck to inform mr of the conduct of the officer the principal immediately presented himself had fully believed in his self willed obstinacy that he could look mr full in the face and defy him he found that he was mistaken the experience of in the hands of the and carpenter would intrude itself upon him and he when the principal opened the door and gazed sternly into his face smoking mr yes sir replied the rebel with an attempt to be cool and impudent which however was a signal failure you will put out that cigar and throw it away i will i ve smoked enough answered your light is burning contrary to the ship rolls so i should break my neck without one replied young america afloat that is a weak plea for a sailor to make mr i confess my surprise to find one who has done so well engaged in acts of the reckless officer could make no reply if the reproof had been given in presence of others he would probably have retorted prompted by a false foolish pride to keep even with the principal for smoking you will lose ten marks for lighting your lamp ten more added the principal you might as well send me into the at once answered if either offence is repeated that will be done you will put out your light at once the fourth lieutenant obeyed the order because he did not dare to it the fear of the muscular the irons and the than that of immediate to the upon his mind the principal went on deck turned in and was soon followed without a word of comment on the events which had just by the night wore away the gale increasing in fury and the rain pouring in torrents it was a true taste of a seaman s life to those who were on deck at daybreak all hands were called again to put the third in the at eight bells the courses were the gale continued to increase in power during die and by noon a tremendous sea had been stirred up the ship rolled almost down to her beam ends and the of the waves seemed to be above the level of the main j ard in the popular exaggerated language the waves outward bound or ran mountain high which means from twenty to forty feet perhaps on this occasion twenty five feet from the of the sea to the crest of the even this is a g eat height | 36 |
to be tossed up and down on the water and to the boys of the young america the effect was grand if not terrific the deck w as constantly with water additional life lines had been stretched across from rail to rail and every precaution taken to the safety of the crew study and were impossible and nothing was attempted of this kind the storm was now what could justly be called a heavy gale and it was no longer practicable to lay a course before eight bells in the watch the royal and top gallant yards had been sent down and the ship was laid to under a close main which the gentlemen on board regarded as the best for the peculiar conditions which the young america presented when a ship is laying to no attention is paid to anything but tlie safety of tlie vessel the only object being to keep her head up to the sea in the gale the young america lay with her port bow to the wind her being at an angle of forty five degrees with a line indicating the direction of the wind her yard was so that it pointed directly to the north east the quarter from which the gale blew the was put a lee just enough to keep her in the position indicated she made little or no but rather drifted with the waves the young had a hard s work and what was done was accomplished with triple the labor required in an ordinary sea all hands were on duty young afloat during the first part of the day though there were intervals of rest such as they were while the boys had to hold on with both hands and there was no stable abiding place for the body the ship rolled so fiercely that no cooking could be done and the only were coffee and hard tack this is a regular said in the afternoon as they were holding on at the in the waist that s a fact and i ve got about enough of this thing there isn t much fun in it replied who had been watching for this to advance the interests of the chain no not a bit it s better for you officers who don t have to lay out on the yards when they jump under you like a mad horse than for us i suppose i shall have a chance to try it next term why so i lost twenty marks last night i got mad lighted the lamp and smoked a cigar in my state room will the loss of the twenty marks throw you over yes i m a i added with a smile what made you mad the captain me then came the magnificent over me a single slip throws a fellow here a single slip in the great world throws a man or woman and young men and young women should be outward bound or taught that single slips are not to be more children are spoiled by weak indulgence than by over severe discipline but a boy had a better chance to recover from the effects of his errors in the young america than men and women have in the community by gradual approaches informed the fourth lieutenant of the object of the chain which promptly agreed to join declaring that it was just the thing to suit his case he was in a rebellious frame of mind and though he could not feel that the enterprise would be a complete success it would afford him an opportunity to annoy and punish the principal for his degrading and as the officer chose to regard it by the exercise of some tact the found a convenient place under the top gallant to consider the project was duly and offered no objection to the penalty indeed he only laughed at it suppose we get possession of the ship what then asked we will go on a i understand that she has provisions for a six months voyage on board i m in favor of going round cape horn and having a good time among the islands of the south sea laughed outright at this splendid scheme round cape horn exclaimed he yes why not we should be up with the cape by the first of june rather a bad time i know but this ship would make good weather of it and i don t believe we should see anything worse than this young america afloat i what will you do with the principal and the professors asked lightly we can run up within ten or fifteen miles of cape give them one of the boats and let them go on shore perhaps they won t go we have ten fellows already in the chain who are seventeen years old if we get half the crew we can handle the other half and the professors with them all right i m with you whether you succeed or not fm not going to be ground under s feet and be by such fellows as if i want to smoke a cigar fm going to do it or take a glass of wine suggested if there is any on board there is plenty of it i ll make you a present of a bottle if you wish it thank you suppose we get the ship who are to be the officers asked we shall have good fellows for officers you will be one of course i suppose lam higher in rank now than any fellow who has joined the chain yes that s a fact but we are not going to mind who are officers now or who have been before we intend to take the best fellows those who have done the most work in making the chain whether they are competent or not added all the fellows know how to work a ship | 36 |
now except the g een hands that came aboard this year this is rather an important matter outward bound or everything depends upon the officers for instance who will be captain asked with assumed indifference i shall of course replied with becoming modesty that s a settled matter i suppose yes without a doubt it is i may not ag ee to that suggested new convert you have already agreed to it you have promised to obey your but who are my i am one of them who appointed you i appointed myself i got up the chain i think i have just as much right to that place as you have j i don t see it do you expect me to get up this i thing and then take a subordinate position demanded indignantly let members choose the captain that s the proper way perhaps they will choose neither one of us very well i will agree to serve under any fellow who is fairly elected when shall he be chosen asked who was so sure of a majority that he was disposed to adopt the suggestion when we have thirty links say will agree to it the separated each to obtain as fast as he during the latter part of the day young america afloat the gale began to and at sunset its force was broken but the sea still ran fearfully high the fore course was shaken out and the ship filled away again plunging madly into the savage waves on sunday morning the gale had entirely subsided but the wind still came from the same quarter and the weather was cloudy the sea had its fury though the still rolled high and the ship had an ugly motion during the night the had been turned out of the the flying and had been set and the young america was making a course east south east sail ho shouted one of the crew on the after the watch was set where away demanded the officer of the deck over the lee bow sir was the report which came through the officers on duty the report created a sensation as it always does when a sail is seen for one who has not spent days and weeks on the broad expanse of waters can form only an inadequate idea of the companionship which those in one ship feel for those in another even while they are miles apart though the crew of the young america had been shut out from society only about three days they had already begun to realize this craving for association this desire to see other people and be conscious of their existence after the severe gale through which they had just passed this sentiment was stronger than it would have been under other circumstances the ocean lashed into unwonted fury by the mad winds a fierce gale had been raging for full twenty four hours outward bound or and the tempest was suggestive of what the sailor most with its long train of disaster suffering and death it was hardly possible that such a terrible storm had swept the sea without carrying down some vessels with precious of human life the young america had safely ridden out the gale for all art could do to make her safe and strong had been done without regard to expense no owners had built her of poor and insufficient material or sent her to sea weakly and with officers the ship was heavily eighteen or twenty men would have been deemed a sufficient crew to work her and though her force consisted of boys they would average more than two of the muscle and skill of able there were other ships abroad on the vast ocean which could not compare with her in strength and and which had not one third of her working power on board no ship can absolutely defy tlie elements and there is no such thing as absolute safety in a voyage across the ocean but there is far less peril than people who have had no experience generally suppose the have been running more than a quarter of a century with the loss of only one ship and no lives in that one a triumphant result achieved by strong ships with competent men to manage them poorly built ships short with officers unfit for their positions constitute the harvest of destruction on the ocean mr believed that the students of the academy ship would be as safe on board the young young america afloat america as they would on shore he had taken a great deal of pains to his theory to parents and though he often failed he often succeeded the young america had just passed through one of the of the year and in for the next three years she would hardly encounter a more terrific storm she had safely it the boys had behaved splendidly and not one of them had been lost or even injured by the trying exposure the principal s theory was thus far the watch to breakfast when the sail was discovered too far off to make her out the boys all manifested a deep interest in the distant wanderer on the sea mingled with a desire to know how the stranger had the gale many of them went up the into the tops and the spy glasses were in great demand do you make her out captain asked mr as he came up front bis breakfast and discovered the commander watching the stranger through the glass yes sir i can just make her out now her and have gone by the board and she has the union down hoisted at her replied the captain with no little excitement in his manner indeed exclaimed the teacher of as he took the glass you are right captain and you had better keep her away shall i speak to | 36 |
mr first sir asked the captain i think there is no need of it in the present bound or instance there can be no doubt what he will do when a ship is in distress mr keep her away two points said the captain to the officer of the deck what is the ship s course now east south east sir replied the second lieutenant who had the deck make it south east south east sir repeated keep her away two points he added to the petty officer the wheel two points sir said the make the course south east south east sir after all these it was not likely that any mistake would occur and the discipline of the ship required every officer and seaman who received a material order especially in regard to the or the course to repeat it and thus make sure that it was not misunderstood it was sunday and no study was required or work performed except the necessary ship s duty morning prayers had been said as usual and there was to be divine service in the and afternoon for all who could possibly attend and this rule none but the watch deck by this system the quarter watch on duty in tiie attended in the afternoon those were absent at morning prayers were always present at the evening and blow high or blow low the brief and service were never omitted for young men in the midst young america afloat z f of the and the terrors of the ocean could least afford to be without the daily thought of god who plants his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm every man and boy in the ship was watching the speck on the watery waste which the glass had revealed to be a and perhaps sinking ship the incident created an intense interest and was calculated to bring out the finer feelings of the students they were full of sympathy for her people and the cultivation of noble and unselfish sentiments which the occasion had already called forth and was likely to call forth in a still greater degree was worth the voyage over the ocean for there are impressions to be awakened by such a scene which can be in no other field outward bound or chapter xvi thb wreck of the the people in the ship had discovered the young america as it appeared from the efforts they were using to attract her attention the of a gun was occasionally heard from her but she was yet too far off to be distinctly seen on the of the academy ship were two brass guns four intended solely for use in making they had never been fired even on the fourth of july for mr would not encourage their use among the boys on the present occasion he ordered peaks the to fire twice to assure the ship in distress that her were heard the top gallant sails were set and the speed of the ship increased as much as possible but the heavy sea was not favorable to rapid progress through the water at four bells when all hands but the second part of the port watch were to attend divine service in the the young america was about four miles distant from the vessel she was rolling and heavily and not making more than two j i i ts an hour and blow n ing the impatience of the crew and ne young afloat their desire to be on deck where they could see the wreck the service on that sunday was especially impressive mr prayed earnestly for those who were suffering by the perils of the sea and that those who should draw near unto them in the hour of their danger might be filled with the love of god and of man which would inspire them to be ful to the duties of the occasion when the service was ended the students went on deck again the wreck could now be distinctly seen it was a ship of five or six hundred tons rolling helplessly in the of the sea she was apparently water if not just ready to go down as the young america approached her her people were seen to be laboring at the and to be her out with it was evident from the appearance of the wreck that it had been kept afloat only by the exertion on the part of the crew mr peaks you will see that the boats are in for use said mr we shall lower the and the the and the sir replied the captain continued the principal tv o of your best officers must be detailed for the boats i will send mr in the sir very well he is entirely whom will you send in the i am sorry is not an now for he was one of the best we had for such service added the captain is out of the question replied mr a outward bound or mr haven then in the the sea is very heavy and the boats must be han died with skill and prudence the have been practised in heavy seas though in nothing like this the and the called so by courtesy were the two largest boats belonging to the ship and pulled eight oars each they were light and strong and had been built with especial reference to the use for which they were intended they were life boats and before the ship sailed they had been with life lines and if they were upset in a heavy sea the could save themselves by clinging to the rope up by the the young america stood up towards the wreck intending to pass under her stem as near as it w as prudent to lay the head of the ship being to the north west pipe all hands to muster said the captain prompted | 36 |
and then plunging down deep into th of the sea but they had been well trimmed and though the comb of the sea occasionally broke into them the boys with spray the return to the young america was safely effected young america afloat how happens it that you are all boys asked the captain of the wrecked ship who was in paul s boat that s the academy ship replied the second lieutenant the what exclaimed the captain it is the young america she is a school ship ay there was no disposition to talk much in the boats the officers and were employed in keeping the and right side up in the tremendous sea and though all hands were filled with curiosity to know the particulars of the wreck all questions were wisely deferred until they were on the deck of the ship when the came up under the counter of the young america a line was thrown down to the who made it fast to the ring the passengers were then taken aboard in oa the boom which was swung over tlie lee quarter for the purpose part of the boat s crew were taken on board in the same way and then the was hoisted up to the with the rest in her before the was allowed to come up under the counter the officer of the deck wore ship so as to bring the port quarter on which the boat was to be suspended on the lee side her passengers were taken on deck as those from the had been and she was hoisted up mr i congratulate you upon the success of your labors said mr when the second lieutenant reached the deck you have handled outward bound or your boat exceedingly well and you deserve a great deal of credit that s a fact sir added peaks touching his cap i hardly spoke a word to him and ive seen many a boat worse handled in a sea paul blushed at the praise bestowed upon him but he was proud and happy to have done his duty faithfully on this important occasion the same was given to the first lieutenant after the had been hauled up to the and the order g ven for the ship to fill away again the women and children were conducted to the professors cabin as soon as they came on board and the were taken into the all of them were exhausted by the anxiety and the hardships they had endured and as soon as their safety was they sank almost helpless under the pressure of their physical weakness this is a school ship i m told said captain the master of the vessel who had also been invited to the main cabin yes sir we call it the academy ship and we have eighty seven young gentlemen on board replied mr they are smart boys sir never saw boats better handled than those which brought us off from the ship added captain warmly your voyage has come to an unfortunate conclusion said mr yes sir i have lost my ship but i thank god my wife and children are safe answered the seaman as he glanced at one of the young america afloat while the great tears flowed down his sun cheeks poor children sighed mr as he patted the little girl on the head and his own eyes were dim with the tears he shed f r others woes captain told his story very briefly his ship was the thirty days out of liverpool bound to new york she had encountered a heavy gale a week before in which she had sprung her finding it impossible to lay her to under the they had been compelled to set the main but even tliis was too much for the weak mast and it had gone by the board carrying the second mate and five men with it the was old and the captain acknowledged that she was hardly sea worthy she became and the had been cut away to ease off the strain upon her her opened and she was making more water than could be controlled with the for eighteen hours all hands even including the two women had labored incessantly at the and the to keep the ship afloat they were utterly worn out when they discovered the young america were on the point of their efforts in despair and taking to the boats in which most of them would probably have perished the boats started from the young america mr had ordered the to prepare a meal for the people from the wreck and as soon as they came on board coffee and tea potatoes and hot were in readiness for them tables were spread in the main cabin and in the outward bound or and the exhausted guests sent to this board were cordially invited to partake they had eaten nothing but hard bread since the gale came on and they were in condition to appreciate the substantial fare set before them by the of captain the clothing of the women and children had been thrown into one of the boats the bundle was opened and its contents dried at tlie fire the doctor and the gave up their state room to the captain his wife and children while mr extended a similar courtesy to the other woman who was mrs s sister mr was the first to offer his berth to the mate of the which was reluctantly accepted and all the professors were zealous to sacrifice their own comfort to the wants of the wrecked visitors in the every boy without an exception wanted to give up his berth to one of the from the but the privilege was claimed by the forward the and the principal was finally obliged to decide between them and for obvious reasons he directed that the guests should occupy the quarters of the men | 36 |
rather than of the boys the people from the needed rest and nourishment more than anything else they were warmed and fed and dried and then permitted to sleep the of their severe exertion at three o clock though they had slept but an hour or two most of the people appeared at divine service for this was a privilege which they had long been denied and it would be strange at such a young america afloat time if the hearts of those who had been saved from the angry flood were not overflowing with gratitude to god for his mercy to them mr whose sensitive nature had been keenly touched by the events of the day made a proper use of the occasion deliver ing a very effective address to the students and to the who formed his little congregation the next morning tlie wind came up fresh and warm from the southward knocking down the heavy sea and giving a delightful day to those on board the ship the passengers appeared on deck and were greatly interested in the young america and her crew captain s son and daughter were little lions of the first class among the boys all hands with each other in their efforts to do something for the guests of the ship and it really seemed as though the era of good feeling had dawned upon them even and forgot for a time the interests of the chain league and joined with others in the children of the wreck and in laboring for the happiness of the involuntary guests on this day observations for latitude and were obtained and at noon the ship was found to be in latitude n w the position of the ship was marked on the by the masters in council assembled and the calculations made for the course s an indispensable work to the seaman was consulted frequently both for the rules and the tables it contains the course after allowing for the a o outward bound or of the compass was found to be north east by east which agreeing w ith the calculations of mr was given out to the the wheel the wind continued to blow fresh from the south and south west during the rest of the day and the succeeding night and the log slate showed ten and eleven knots until midnight when the wind hauled round to the westward and soon came strong from that quarter at noon on tuesday april the young america had made two hundred and forty four miles during the preceding twenty four hours which was the best run she had had during the voyage on the afternoon of this day a ship bound to the westward was seen and captain expressed a desire to be put on board of her with his family as he did not wish to return to the point from which he had just come the young america bore down upon the sail and spoke her at her captain was willing to take the on board his ship which was bound to new york and they were transferred in the and captain and his party were very grateful for the attentions they had received and the little boy and girl almost at the idea of leaving their new and partial friends as the two ships were filling away after the transfer of the passengers the of the new york ship having learned what the young america was gave three cheers and dipped her in compliment to her all the young were immediately ordered into the by captain and three times three were most given the young afloat l american flag at her peak was lowered three times in reply to the salute of the stranger as the academy ship stood off on her course the two children of captain were seen on the deck of the other vessel waving their handkerchiefs and they continued to do so as long as they could be seen the departure of the guests had a effect upon the crew of the young america as they missed the children and the ladies very much for during their presence on board the ship had assumed quite a domestic aspect and all the on deck found pleasing companions in the little boy and girl the limits of this volume do not permit a full detail of the entire voyage across the ocean enough has been given to show the discipline of the ship and the daily life of the boys on board of her for the next ten days the weather was favorable and she laid her course all the time some days she made two hundred miles and others less than one hundred on the sixteenth day from her departure she was in latitude n w course e by n in going from cape race the southern point of to cape clear the southern point of ireland the young america did not lay a straight course as it would appear when drawn on a map or la on the western coast of france and cape race are nearly on the same parallel of latitude and the former is exactly east of the latter but the parallel on which both points lie would not be the shortest line between them a great circle extending entirely around the earth in the part going through both would outward bound or not with the parallel but would run to the north of it a considerable distance at a point half way between the two places the separation each way till the great circle crosses the parallel at cape race and la the shortest course between the two points therefore would be the arc of the great circle lying between them a skilful would find and follow this track this is called great circle sailing the young america followed a great circle from cape race to cape clear oft the former point her course | 36 |
was two points north of east off the latter it was half a point south of east on her twentieth day out she sailed due east after the excitement of the wreck and the departure of the passengers and his resumed their operations in the chain league assisted somewhat by a case of discipline which occurred at this time when the ship was sixteen days out the chain consisted of thirty one links in the language of the and was in favor of striking the blow young america afloat chapter peas and beans the business of the chain had been managed with extreme caution by the and more than one third of the crew had been without the knowledge of the principal and professors or of the officers and who were not members and ordered the affairs of the e and no link was allowed to approach an for the purpose of him to join without the consent of one of these as the scheme various had been made in the plan to ft to circumstances the principal of which was the choice of two la ho should be deemed the officers of the league until a regular election had taken place by this invention and had been enabled to compromise their differences for they assumed the newly created offices and labored as equals in the bad cause each endeavored to make as many new links as possible for already the consisted of two one of which favored the election of and the other that of to the each in a measure controlled his own bound or and was reasonably sure of their when the election should be ordered these young gentlemen were not only to take the ship but to take in each other while both worked for the league as a whole each worked for himself as an individual was much more thorough than his rival in the making of his he told them the whole story and taught them to look full in the face the extreme peril of the undertaking he did not conceal anything from them on the other hand merely represented the project as a means of the of the officers and crew of having their money restored to them and certain portions of the which pressed hard upon those who were disposed to be though the number of links in the chain has been mentioned it was not known to either of the rivals each knew his own peculiar followers but he did not know how many the other could muster though there were signs and by which the members could know each other there were no means by which any one could precisely sum up the whole number of links could count thirteen including his rival while could number nineteen without his in authority the former believed the list to consist of about twenty four while the latter estimated it above thirty with them it was a struggle for an office as well as to fancied wrongs and tliey deceived each other in order to obtain the advantage how many do you suppose we can muster now young america afloat asked on the evening of the out as they met in the waist when both were off duty about twenty replied there are more than that perhaps there are but it is time to stretch tlie chain added in a whisper not yet if we are ever going to do anything we must begin soon we have so many members now that the danger of exposure every day we can t do anything here besides i am not in favor of having the time or the manner of the work talked about among the members i believe in one man power in an affair of this sort there should be one head who should plan and command all the rest should obey if every step in the thing must be discussed and agreed upon we shall never do anything one fellow will want it done in one way and another in some other way i think you are more than half right replied who was confident that he should be the person chosen to arrange the plans and issue the commands i know i am wholly right added who was equally confident that he should enjoy the sway of the league if you are chosen captain i will cheerfully obey your orders i go a step farther whoever is elected captain should his own officers i will agree to that also replied the outward bound or very well then the understanding is that when one of us is elected captain he shall his own officers and do all the planning and all the commanding answered exactly so we are now in about and cork harbor is in eight according to for i was looking the matter up in the to day we have to make about twenty three degrees more a degree of in latitude is thirty seven and three quarters miles which would make it eight hundred and sixty eight miles more to rim in order to reach you see i am posted said i see you are by the way had you noticed that is not in the or on the older maps added yes the place was called the of cork until when in honor of her majesty s visit to the town the name was changed to all right said it need not be supposed that tlie distance to and the change in tlie name of that place had anything to do the league the fact was that mr had passed near the and had paused a moment in the waist to glance up at the gallant sail which was not in good trim and the conversation had been changed to suit the occasion in talking of the affairs of the chain it was required that one of the party should look forward and the other | 36 |
aft if there were two of them and that the if there were three should stand back to tlie nearest rail it was further required the conversation young america at should not take place in a situation where it would be possible for a ny one to them the lee side of the waist the of the watch always being on the weather side the top gallant and the tops were the favorite of the if any one approached the parties in conversation were instantly to change tlie topic as had done i think it is about time for the election to take place continued when mr had gone whenever you are ready i am replied i am ready now so am i very well it shall come off to morrow say to morrow it is then but how shall it be conducted asked that will not be an easy matter i think however we can hit upon some j for having it fairly done of course the matter lies between you and me added to be sure j suppose both of us are ready to abide the issue whatever it may be said who was not a little fearful that his powerful rival would refuse to acknowledge him when he was chosen as he confidently expected to be i pledge you my word and honor that i will obey you in all things if you are fairly elected captain replied who was equally sure of being chosen himself s outward bound or fairly who is to decide whether it is fairly done or not demanded unwilling to leave a through which his companion could crawl out of the bargain when we have agreed upon the means of the captain the choice shall be final good you and i shall have no difficulty i exclaimed rather astonished to find his rival so easily managed as he regarded it we will make it a little more binding if ou choose suggested who the reader has already been assured by the figures given was completely the author and of tlie chain league with all my heart we will each other on this special question if you like the stronger we make the bond the better said repeat after me not here there is a steamer on bow let s go up into the top and have a look at her with a night glass mr haven the first lieutenant who was in charge of the deck permitted them to go aloft with the glass for the officers were to grant small on reaching the top they glanced at the steamer and then resumed the conversation which had been suspended on deck it being too dark for the officers below to see what they were doing now go ahead said repeat after me all right america afloat i promise without any to acknowledge as captain if he is chosen and faithfully to obey his orders on penalty of falling overboard accidentally repeated these words then his rival in the same manner now we understand each other perfectly and there will be no chance of dragging the anchor said satisfied that his sway would be let me say in addition to this that if i should happen to be chosen i shall make you my first officer and i will make you my first officer if i should happen to be chosen replied the obliging of course i don t expect to be chosen you have had the swing of this affair and you will have all the advantage no i think not you are an officer now and you have more influence than i have added tlie modest if both had been laboring for the organization of the league on the same terms would certainly have the better chance of an election but had been taking in members on false merely representing to those whom he approached that the league was an association having for its object the of their to only a few had he mentioned the fact that a regular was contemplated that the ship was to be taken out of the hands of the principal and an independent commenced he was afraid the whole truth would be more than some of them could bear and perhaps as t o outward bound or he had so little faith in the extreme measures to be carried out by the league that he was unwilling even to mention them those who serve the evil one can neither trust each other nor trust their master the only real confidence in each other which can exist among men or boys must be based on moral and religious principle the man who pays his debts or who hi obligations to his fellow men for his reputation s sake rather than from devotion to pure principle will fail of his duty when he can conceal his or when his reputation will not suffer from his acts a man or a boy without principle is not to be trusted out of the line of his own interest while and were themselves to a kind of romantic fidelity they were each against the other each being satisfied that he had the advantage of the other now fm afraid the election will give us some trouble continued it will not be an easy matter to conduct it fairly not that any fellow means to cheat but it must be conducted with so much secrecy that we can t the properly i know there is all that difficulty but i have thought of a method which i believe will g us a fair election replied have you so have i well what is your plan if it is better than mine i am willing to adopt it i was thinking as you and i are the only that each of us might be represented by one side young america afloat of the ship you shall be | 36 |
port and i will be then every link in the chain shall hand his vote on which shall be written the single word port or either to you or me and if there are more port than you will be captain if more than port i shall be captain how does that idea strike you pretty well but the fellows have all got to write their and others will want to know what it means it will set to thinking and i don t the plan is quite safe well what is your method asked who was willing to acknowledge the force of his rival s objections perhaps my plan is as open to objection as yours answered but it will require no writing each of us shall get a handful of beans and a handful of peas we can easily obtain them when the store rooms are opened you shall be beans and i will be peas how are you peas said laughing at the idea how are you beans added go on with your soup we will give to every fellow belonging to the chain one and one i understand the plan now but where are the fellows to deposit their vegetable we can have a some good fellow for the purpose say the captain of the or tom the third master tom i does he belong outward bound or of course he does laughed who realized that he had been a little too fast in betraying the strength of his i wouldn t an officer well you mention some fellow said the say mention another no try again very well i will agree to him but he t make some mistake if he does it will be in your favor i suppose for you him and of course he will give you the benefit of any doubt replied i want a fellow who will do it fairly i don t wish to get in by any mistake said neither do i and i don t think there will be any mistakes there is a chance for a great many the fellows may get mixed between beans and peas when they come to vote there will be some who don t know beans laughed well if they don t they will know peas which will do just as well replied it would not be pleasant for me to have them know peas when they ought to know beans we will give them p p as a to the whole thing p p that means i suppose young america afloat it means that and more p for and p for peas if they get one right they can t very well get the other wrong that s true answered silenced rather than convinced by tlie of his fellow it was settled that he who knew peas must certainly know beans when shall the fellows vote asked after dinner to morrow afternoon every fellow will be off duty an hour in the first or second dog watch replied who seemed to have an answer ready for every question the shall be kept open till eight o clock the peas and beans shall be distributed before eight bells in the watch so that every fellow will be ready to vote where will stand when he receives the he won t stand anywhere in particular we will see him together and give him his instructions i think it will be better for him to walk about the ship and let the fellows hand him the on the sly which he must put in his pocket he shall count them in the presence of both of us suppose he should lose some of them suggested if he does he is as likely to lose peas as beans i don t want to be chosen in any such manner as by the loss of the i can t see that there is any more danger of his losing them than there is of his losing his head i see you are not entirely satisfied with the plan j outward bound or to tell you the i am not there is at least a chance for mistakes i m willing to do anything you like that will make the election a fairer one i have it exclaimed we can give each fellow two peas and two beans and let him vote twice what good will that do tell you we want another then let each fellow vote twice giving a or a to both of the if the two results don t agree it shall not be an election that s a first rate idea and i go in for it with all my might replied with so much warmth that his companion was put in the best of humor who shall be the other name some one said generously con the to his no objected because had done so when he had mentioned two names once more right is an honest careful fellow added now i think there can be no mistake the minor details of the election were carefully arranged and the boys went below again they g ve satisfactory replies to the first lieutenant who questioned them in regard to the steamer they had gone young america afloat aloft to examine thought she was a but was confident she belonged to the line and it is quite certain neither of them had any opinion whatever in regard to her except that she was going west for the red light on her port side was visible on the following day and the who had been appointed were waited upon separately by the two they accepted the important trust which was confided to them and each was duly and solemnly of the necessity of entire they were informed that any in the number of in the hands of the two would cause the vote to be rejected and they promised to be | 36 |
both faithful and careful the beans and the peas were readily obtained and were distributed among the members of the league with the necessary secrecy some of the independent needed a little persuasion to induce them to vote when informed that the choice was between tlie only but they yielded the point and entered heartily into the excitement of the event for secret as were the proceedings they were attended with no little of feeling the commenced in the afternoon watch the second part of the watch being off duty gave in their peas and beans first the without even knowing all the members of the league took whatever was handed to them on the sly and looked as careless and indifferent as though nothing was going on the only responsibility that rested outward bound or upon them besides the general duty of and fidelity was to see that no one twice vote early and vote often was not and one acted as a check upon the other the election so secretly that no occasion for suspicion was given and though the were deposited under the eyes of the principal and the professors they saw nothing and had not the remotest idea that anything wrong was in progress in the last half of the first dog watch began to be excited he was too much of a to be idle while any was going on and so far as his duty would permit he had watched the since the commenced he had seen seven or eight vote of whose in the chain he had no previous knowledge he saw that had made more than he had been willing to acknowledge apparently concealing the facts for the purpose of his own election he observed that all the officers of his rival s quarter watch and he was almost certain that he had been defeated was angry and indignant when he discovered the treacherous of his fellow but he had solemnly promised to abide the result of the election and he could not from his position without a of the honor among thieves which is said to exist the would not be closed for half an hour and as he had been cheated he deemed it quite right to restore the by a resort to the same policy i have been cheated said he angrily as he met his old in the waist how do you know you have i know it i will explain by and by something must be done i am beaten as sure as you live well can t help it if you are you and have fixed things to suit yourselves and now you must fight it out between you replied as he turned on his heel and left the mighty mischief maker alone and disconcerted where do all these beans come from said paul as he noticed the rejected of the which they had not even taken the trouble to throw over the rail if s a new game the fellows are replied with apparent indifference as he walked aft with the second lieutenant what s that asked paul curiously it s called don t know beans answered in deep thought the fellows have a good deal of sport out of it in the off time don t know beans i never heard of such a game before tell me about it you see and yes well they are the as we call them all the fellows in our watch have some beans added taking a handful of them from his pocket what do they do with them you try it yourself take two of these beans paul took them now you must give one to and the other to without letting any fellow see you j bound or do it if any fellow does see you give it to either of them he will say in a low tone don t know beans and then the butt must drop it on deck when the even bell strikes and must count their beans the one who has the most must the next two pots or and the one who has the smaller number must pick up all the beans that have been dropped on the deck there is fun in it though perhaps you wouldn t think so i will try it at any rate paul did try it and succeeded as all others did in giving the beans to the without any one uttering the warning words he w as rather pleased with the game so suddenly invented and the two officers of his watch were induced to try the experiment then and were supplied with beans by who instructed his that not a word must be said about tlie matter to the or to any one in the waist the last three were as successful as the first three then and were equally finally captain s attention was attracted and he descended so far from his dignity as to deposit the beans was satisfied he had procured nine and he was confident that he had thus defeated his rival as a matter of precaution he directed to pick up the beans scattered in the waist and the who had cast the nine believed that he was the unlucky butt who had been beaten in the game young america afloat the captain and half the officers whispered at four bells certainly that s all right you and will meet and me in the waist at eight bells replied as he went below outward bound or chapter the result of the the first part of the port watch went on duty at eight o clock when the secret for the choice of a captain under the new order of events was closed was in this watch but as neither his trick at the wheel nor his turn on the the first hour he had an opportunity to attend to the important business of tlie league and | 36 |
the two of belonged in the second part of the port watch and there was nothing to prevent them from attending the conference which had appointed while had been teaching the tlie game of don t know beans as officer of the deck remained the and had failed to notice what was taking place in the waist the officers who were off duty and who had unconsciously for nothing to those in charge of the ship in accordance with the of man of war discipline the weather side of the deck was given up to the captain and the officers on duty while all the were required to keep on the lee side captain was a privileged person on the weather side even the of the after young america afloat t cabin did not presume to address him on any question not connected with the discipline of the when he went over to the lee side it was understood that he was simply a student and even an ordinary seaman might speak to him when he walked forward had explained the game to the on the lee side out of the hearing of the officer of the deck and entirely satisfied that he was already elected did not trouble himself about the matter if don t know beans was not much of a game it was better than nothing and soon found that there was danger of his little scheme being exposed during the second dog watch at supper time and as other opportunities were presented he told and others that the second lieutenant seeing so many beans on the deck wished to know where they came from and that to deceive him and the rest of the officers he had invented the game which he described and wished them to play while off duty on deck our fellows thought this was a good joke and the new was soon understood the ship and were appointed in each quarter watch to play it the next day the fellows have all i suppose said when the party had obtained a good position for tlie conference the time is out whether they have or not replied all we have to do now is to count the added impatiently for he was afraid his little h a outward bound or trick would be exposed before the result of the was obtained well let us have it counted at once said who having no doubt of the result had no thought of offering any objection to the of the election we can t count the here suggested some one would see us and want to know what we were doing i can t leave the deck i m on duty replied let the it themselves we ought to see them do it that is not necessary they don t know how many they have i m sure i don t said neither do i added i ll tell you how we can manage it without exciting the attention of any one i will agree to anything that is fair replied shall go forward and aft as far as the so that each cannot know what tlie other is about they can count the separately without being seen i don t see how we can said can you tell a from a by the feeling of course we can where did you put the asked in my trousers pocket so did i added both of you have on your now and young america afloat there is a pocket on each side of them take out all the peas first and put them in the right hand pocket of your jacket then all the beans and put them in the left hand pocket then count each some fellow may see us counting them said you must take care of that answered if they do it will not make much difference some of the fellows were careless and threw their beans on the deck did they laughed i suppose they had no use for them the second lieutenant saw them and wanted to know what they meant added exclaimed i made it all right though i was obliged to invent a new game to throw him off the track good said but we must go on with the counting when you have found the number of peas and of beans you will write the result on a piece of paper each of you you will hand your paper to and you will hand yours to me that s fair isn t it certainly replied then we will put tlie two papers together if they agree the election is made if they do not agree we must do it all over again continued all right added the two were sent away to count the as one went forward and the other aft and tlie two stood between no communication whatever could pass from one to the other it was s outward bound or now quite dark and most of those off duty had turned in for the students had become so well accustomed to sea life that they could sleep whenever their presence was not required on deck i hope this thing will be settled now once for all said who feared that some mistake might defeat his hopes so do i replied who was disturbed by the same dread have you any idea what the result will be asked who in spite of the mutual and the mutual assurances of good faith had some doubts whether his rival would be willing to accept the result well i don t know replied cautiously and with the same want of confidence which disturbed his companion there is no knowing who will be governor till after election of course not but you might have some idea of tlie way the thing is going i might but what s the use of talking when we shall know all about | 36 |
it in ten or fifteen minutes of course you have some hopes to be sure i have and i suppose you have too certainly i have if i hadn t i should have given the thing up without the trouble and risk of a replied we both expect it and it follows that one of us must be disappointed you know the bond i do here is my hand i pledge myself over young america afloat again to abide the result of the vote whether it is for me or against me continued extending his hand and here is my hand with the same pledge honor bright replied as he took the offered hand i am tolerably confident of the result added i am quite confident that i shall be chosen replied don t be too certain my dear fellow laughed the fourth lieutenant i have taken in a great many i m glad you have the more the better i have also taken in a good many do you know this is very business yes between you and me i mean if either of us should back down the whole thing would fall to the ground back down exclaimed why after what has passed between us i consider it impossible that either of us should back down i am pledged so are you and if either of us should back down i hope he will fall overboard accidentally so do i replied heartily my dear fellow if you should back out i should be mad enough to help you over the rail some dark evening if i had a good chance i don t believe i should feel any better natured if you should break your agreement of us is doomed to disappointment we have tried to make this thing as fair as possible outward bound or certainly we have aod it will be as fair as anything can be i am entirely satisfied with the are you of course i am was very glad of this acknowledgment in advance of the reception of the result but after all said he there may be an appearance of in the after the result is declared there may be but each of us is pledged not to claim anything on account of such an appearance if the figures of the two agree that is the end of the whole thing and you or i will be the captain that s so but here comes replied as the gave him the paper on which the result of the he had received was written it was too dark to see it and the rivals waited in great excitement of mind for tlie appearance of he came and his paper was handed to the conditions of the agreement had now all been complied with and the two papers were to be placed side by side where both of the could see them at the same instant it was necessary in the darkness to obtain the use of a light for a moment and they decided to wait till the on duty in the waist went into the to make the half inspection when one bell struck the officer left his post and the walked up to the in the i waist by raising one of the in the side of the machine the lamp which threw its light on the v young america afloat of the compass would to examine the papers hold your paper by the side of mine said as he placed the important document in a position to receive the light from the when the slide should be moved open it replied nervously as he complied with the direction of his rival raised the slide and the contents of the papers were read by both peas beans the results g ven in by the two were the same and by the terms of the bond it was an election shut the slide said who opened that demanded the first master walking aft from his station on the i did sir replied unwilling to permit the fourth lieutenant to answer the question we were looking at some figures i had made the master finding that the fourth lieutenant was one of the party gathered around tlie said no more and returned to his place are you satisfied asked in the of tones i don t understand it answered the disappointed candidate don t you well you will remember that neither of us was to raise any question about the of the i don t say a word about its i only said outward bound or i did not understand it answered in surly tones i don t understand it any better than you do but the point just now is whether you acknowledge me as captain or not n of course i do when i pledge myself to do a thing i always do it i hail you as captain all right added then nothing more need be said you have kept your bond like a gentleman and i now you my first officer as i promised to do thank you replied in a tone what s the matter my dear fellow are you not satisfied demanded entirely satisfied with the result but he talked like one who was anything but satisfied it was a fair thing wasn t it i suppose it was i don t know you speak as though you were not satisfied i am not disposed to i only say that i don t understand it what don t you understand asked sharply the election was conducted on a plan furnished by yourself the were of your own choice the results agree and i can t see for the life of me that there is any chance to find fault i don t find fault the result me because i can t see through it what do you mean by that i don t | 36 |
see where your twenty two came from young america afloat and i don t see where your nineteen came from retorted the successful candidate tht whole number of was one added who was quite sure there was something wrong the long and short of it is that there are more fellows on board that know beans you thought there were laughed can you tell me where the forty one came from demanded came from the fellows of course no use to snuff at it my dear fellow i do not purpose to set aside the election i acknowledge you as captain can i do any more you can t but you seem disposed to do something more i merely wish to inquire into this thing and find out how we stand had you any idea that forty one fellows belonged to the chain i had not replied honestly i was never more surprised in my life than when i saw tom and groom vote that was all right both of them joined i can tell you what took me all interposed who with had been walking back and forth in the waist no matter what took you all added sharply the question is settled what s the use of up every thing that may seem to be strange what was it that took you demanded p t o outward bound or it was when the captain replied the re the captain i exclaimed yes do you mean captain with intense surprise of course i do all the officers of the first part of the port watch added they did exclaimed well was it any stranger that the officers of the first part of the port watch than it was that those of the second part did so inquired with earnestness i think it was replied decidedly paul was one of them said paul i does any fellow suppose he has joined the chain demanded the defeated candidate why not and captain why not how did the captain vote asked no matter how he said i protest against this up of matters which are already settled he beans replied who it is hardly necessary to add was a man then he is one of your friends continued who was beginning to understand how his rival bad been elected i don t claim him did t he th into the young i i won t answer replied the captain elect if captain and paul are i would like to know it i am first officer of the ship under the new order of things and if i command to do anything i mean that he shall obey me of course you will give him no orders till we are in possession of the ship added not a little alarmed well as and are members of the chain of course they are or they wouldn t have we can talk over the matter freely with them said if you make the signs and they make them of course you can replied no member can speak to another about the business of the chain until both of have proved that they belong by giving the required do you suppose captain knows the signs how should i know i never tried him i don t know why he shouldn t make them as well as tom tom is all right i for him for i admitted him myself who will for the captain who took him in i don t know i don t but if anybody has admitted him and not given him the signs he ought to be instructed in them of course he must have been admitted or he would not have added i have nothing more to say about this matter g outward bound or replied disgusted with the of his first officer nor i but i shall satisfy myself whether the captain is a member or not said decidedly well you must be very cautious what you do certainly i shall i will give him the first sign if he don t answer it i shall conclude he is not a member or if he is that he has not been properly instructed better not say anything to him said why not he and it must be all right don t you say a word to him unless he prove that he is a member i think he has proved that already by you know our rule i do it requires me to satisfy myself that the person to whom i speak is a member i am entirely satisfied now that the captain and paul belong they would not have if they had not belonged this was a and even had not wit enough to escape the conclusion of the the captain elect of the league knew very well that nine persons who were not members had that he had secured his election by a gross fraud he was afraid that disappointed by his defeat would do something to compromise the enterprise but his own treachery had placed him in such a position that he could say nothing exposing himself of course if s all right added i find we have plenty of friends in the after cabin as soon america afloat rs you have any orders to give captain i am m a position to execute them to the best advantage when i am ready i will give them to you it will be an easy matter now to obtain possession of the ship in fact all you have to do is to captain to turn the command over to you he has been and must obey his of course he has been he couldn t have if he hadn t been was terribly exercised by the repeated of his disconcerted rival he was already satisfied that the enterprise had come to an end unless could be and he was about | 36 |
to propose a new when he was ordered by the on duty to take his trick at the wheel what does all this mean demanded of the when the captain elect had gone to his duty i only know that the captain and all the officers of the first part of the port watch and other fellows who would no more join this thing than they would jump overboard replied how could they vote how could the captain vote without understanding the whole thing demanded perplexed at the of tlie facts i think i know something about it added gross what do you know haven t you heard of the new game what new game don t know beans j outward bound or said something about it but i did nd comprehend his meaning explained the game whose history had been among our fellows and this game was played while the was going on said who began to see the trick which his rival had put upon him i didn t know anything about it till supper time answered i see it all continued the were the and about a dozen fellows for including and supposing they were simply playing don t know beans it did not require a great deal of penetration on the part of the fourth lieutenant to comprehend the trick of his rival he was indignant and angry and all the more so because he had been even while he was attempting to his the next day the quarter watches off duty played don t know beans to their satisfaction it was found when everybody was watching the that very few could deposit their beans without detection a few hours trial of the new convinced all except our that it was a senseless game and it was speedily abandoned on the nineteenth day of the voyage the young america encountered another gale but it was not nearly so severe as the one through which she had passed when off cape the ship ran for twelve hours under close but as the gale came from the south west she laid her course during the whole of it and behaved herself to the entire young america afloat don of all on board on the following day the wind had hauled round to the north west and the sea sub sided so that the ship went along very comfortably notwithstanding his doubts of the good faith of who to the terms of the compact arranged his plans for the capture of the ship he had decided to the grand strike the ship had come up with cape clear so that the faculty and all the students who would not take a part in the enterprise might be put on shore immediately in tlie course of three days the land would probably be sighted the rising was to take place in s watch tlie officers of which were members of the league all the details had been carefully arranged and links appointed to perform the heavy work as soon as the old folks had been locked up in the cabin and the new captain had taken the command the ship was to be headed for the shore the great event was to come off at six o clock in the afternoon of the twenty third or twenty fifth day the ship would be near the coast for at least a part of two days if she was within six hours sail of the land on the twenty third day out when would have the second part of the first dog watch the rising was to take place then if not it was to be deferred till the twenty fifth day when the watches were again favorable communicated with his discontented first officer as often as he could and unfolded his plans reserve listened and still his to obey his superior officer promised t do all that was required of him g outward bound or in your watch you will see that tlie in the hands of some of our fellows said certainly replied with more indifference than suited the enthusiastic chief of the enterprise by the way captain have you laid out any work for captain to do what s the use of talking to me about him now that we are on the very point of purpose demanded with deep di you can t deny that is an able fellow and as a good commander of course you intend to give some important position chuckled have you appointed the rest of your officers yet to be sure i have have you given anything no growled no why do you think the present captain of the ship will be content to go into the under the new arrangement he may go into the or go overboard answered the chief angrily accidentally you mean if you intend to be a traitor say so i my dear fellow i don t mean anything of the kind i am as true as the pole star have you spoken to tlie captain about our affairs not a word have you tried him by the signs i have and he made no sign laughed who was not much of the of the chain young america afloat then of course he is not a member he must be he replied how many more times will you say that perhaps fifty perhaps a hundred answered the fourth lieutenant coolly i shall say it until you are willing to acknowledge the trick you put upon me what trick o i know all about it didn t you tell the captain and seven or eight others how to play don t know beans if i did it was to cheat them when they wanted to know what the beans meant you saw that the fellows threw away the beans instead of for you with them and you invented your game to make the thing come out | 36 |
right no matter i am bound by the compact we made but i shall persist in regarding foster and others as members as you made them vote you are responsible for them that s all don t let us quarrel about it my dear fellow said in soft tones by no means we will have a new election suggested the chief if we should i m afraid all the fellows would want to play don t know beans you shall conduct it any way you please if i did you would say i cheated you i agreed to abide by the election and i shall do so the fact is you and i are too smart to play in the same game i shall stick to the bond when you outward or order me to do anything i shall do it replied as he turned on his heel and walked off he retreated into the after cabin where could not follow him at the cabin table studying is french lesson sat paul afloat chapter xix overboard do you know how to play don t know beans asked as he seated himself by the side of the second lieutenant yes i know how to play it but it s a stupid game told me how did he indeed there was some fun in it the first time i tried it but the second time was enough to satisfy me i don t think there is any sense in it of course there isn t laughed it was no game at all what are you laughing at vou were sold on that game added the indulging in more laughter than the occasion seemed to require how was i sold i don t see an so very funny about it i do tell me about it if there is any joke i think i shall enjoy it you say i was sold you were and so was i well what was it asked paul impatiently outward bound or when you gave those fellows the beans that day you were i for what or whom exclaimed the second lieutenant for did my vote count to be sure it did and he was elected to a certain position by your vote and those of seven or eight others who did not understand tlie trick replied laughing all the time what was the position i don t understand what you are talking about and therefore i can t appreciate the joke ril tell you but you must keep still about it for the present it looks to me on the face of it like a trick it seems that lied to us when he made us believe that we were playing a game i like a joke well enough but i don t believe in a fellow s lying for the sake of any fun you are right it was not a trick but it was a mean one what was the position repeated paul some of the fellows are going to make mr a present of a silver as soon as we get to some port where we can obtain one why didn t tell of it demanded paul i should like to join in the for i don t think there is a fellow on board who likes mr better than i do yes but you see there s peculiar about this thing the contribution is to be confined america afloat to those fellows who have been in one way or another a good many of us you know were mad when mr took our money away we are satisfied now that he was right we made him feel rather uncomfortable by our looks and actions and some of us were positively impudent to him we purpose to show that our feelings are all right precisely so replied paul with enthusiasm splendid mr will appreciate the when he sees the names of tlie certainly he will but you have no money laughed the second lieutenant we have put our names down for ten shillings apiece about of us when we get into port we shall tell mr that we wish to present a silver to a gentleman on board in token of our appreciation of his kindness c and ask him half a sovereign each from our funds he will wish to know who the gentleman is we can ask to be excused from telling him i can manage that part of the business for you each of the fellows shall give me an order on the principal for ten shillings to be paid to dr who will buy the for you if you like he is acquainted in cork i will give all the orders to the doctor and he will get the present without saying a word to mr until after the then he will have no chance to object on the suspicion that the gift is intended for him don t you see paul entered into project with a degree outward bound or of enthusiasm which was rather embarrassing to the the fellows have been very secret about the thing added they must have been or i should have heard something about it replied paul innocently no one but ourselves has known a thing about it till now they have formed a kind of secret society and know each other by certain signs but what was the for for orator of the day for the fellow who is to present the and make the speech added paul yes and was chosen yes by a trick you mean that no one but ought to liave precisely so it was a mean trick it was a sort of practical joke upon me i suppose i don t believe in practical jokes which need a lie to carry them through well has the position unless some of you fellows will help me out i wanted to make the s and without the | 36 |
nine which you and other put in i should have been chosen what can we do i have a right to consider all the fellows that as members of the society the fact of their them members afloat i don t know anything about that it s clear enough to me and in a talk i had with just now he didn t pretend to deny the of my position if he it must be all right laughed paul if you had understood the matter for whom should you have i don t know but after the trick played off upon you i should not vote for him very well then you can change your vote how shall i change it go to and the other eight fellows who in the dark must do the same what shall i say to him you must go to him as a member of the society and salute him as such i don t know how i ll tell you when meet him scratch the tip end of your nose with the nail of your second finger on the right hand in this manner continued giving the first sign that s it is it said paul as he the action of yes that s right he will reply by taking the lower part of his left ear between the thumb and first finger of the left hand so added i have it answered paul as he made the motions then you will scratch your chin with the thumb nail of the left hand and he will reply by blowing his nose let s see if i can do all that laughed paul very outward bound or much amused at the mystic indications of in the secret association he made the s to m who replied to them several times until he was perfect in his part all right i will remember them said paul but you haven t got the whole of it yet when you have made the signs and he has answered them he will say is that so with strong emphasis on the first word that so repeated paul then you will reply that is so with the stress on that is so added paul then you must place yourself so as to look directly forward or aft if you look forward he must look aft i understand you now i want to know who the other fellows were that played don t know beans that day captain was one will you post him up in what i have told you i will and the other fellows who for if you say so thank you i wish you would let them all tell him they desire to change their but have do it one at a time paul promised to do what was required of him and in the course of the following he the who had for in the secret machinery of the supposed society but in fact of the chain league being off duty during young america afloat o the second part of the afternoon watch he encountered in the lee side of the waist well we are almost up with the coast of ireland said paul as he scratched the tip of his nose with the second finger of his right hand to the instructions given him by ham yes and i suppose by saturday if the wind holds fair we shall be off cape clear replied the as he took the lower part of his left ear between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand did not suppose that the second lieutenant was a member of the league and pledged to assist in the capture of the ship but as he had made the sign probably accidentally he replied to it there is a prospect of fair weather for some days to come continued paul as he scratched his chin with his left hand which was the second step towards a recognition in the chain was duly and properly astonished at this exhibition of intelligence on the part of the officer and it was now quite certain that paul had joined the league or that he had obtained its tremendous secrets i hope it will be good weather now during the rest of the passage added the captain elect as he took his handkerchief from his breast pocket and blew his nose for he was determined to satisfy himself whether or not the second lieutenant was a member of the league jt that so demanded that is so answered paul was almost overwhelmed with astonish o outward bound or ment to find that one who was a model of fidelity and propriety had actually joined the chain i for you the other day added paul i know you did wish to change my vote change it exclaimed yes i in the dark i wish now to vote few the other candidate for whom for of course you are too late i think under the circumstances that my vote ought to be counted on the other side even if it the result said paul earnestly why do you wish to vote for demanded rather because he had nothing else to say than because he was interested in the anticipated reply i don t think it was quite fair for you to obtain my vote as you did no matter for that do you think would make a better captain than i should a better what do you think he will command the ship any bet ter than i shall command the ship i repeated paul bewildered by this extraordinary question i wasn t aware that either of you were to command the ship in his turn was confounded when he found that the second lieutenant was a member of the chain without any knowledge of its objects young afloat though he had used all the precautions required by the league a hint had been g | 36 |
going to have him captain after i had got up the chain and done all the work you agreed to leave it out to the fellows who should be captain they and you cheated added i ve had enough of the chain and if any fellow makes the signs again i shall not notice them it s a pretty time to talk so after the whole thing is let out well i will face the music and get out of it the best way i can i was a fool to join the chain so was i said there was no difficulty in arriving at such a conclusion after the had been exposed and the sentiments of and were or outward bound or be the sentiments of all the members of the league realized the truth of the old that rats desert a sinking ship and he began to feel lonely in his guilt and his fear of exposure but he could not forgive for his forgetting that each had been treacherous to the other in the first dog watch on that day while heart was still with hatred towards the alleged traitor the rivals met in the waist which was common ground to officers off duty and i want to see you said in a low tone well you do see me don t you laughed who feeling that he was now even with his rival was in excellent humor things are going wrong with us o no i think not will you meet me on the top gallant where we shall not be disturbed asked that is exactly the place for an officer you are off duty and you can go where you please what do you want of me i want to have an understanding i suppose you think we have too many members don t you asked lightly the more the better i ll meet you there went to the place at once where he was soon followed by the fourth lieutenant well what is it demanded as with one hand on the sheet of the fore t young america afloat he looked over tlie bow at the bone in ihe teeth of the ship what is it don t you know what it is replied angrily upon my life i don t know you have been a traitor exclaimed with savage earnestness o have i you know you have perhaps you would be willing to tell me wherein i have been a traitor added laughing for he was enjoying the scene he had witnessed in tlie waist when one after another the had made the signs to his rival you have betrayed the secrets of the chain didn t you give the signs to paul the captain and half a dozen others but my dear fellow they are members replied they are not and you know they are not but just consider that all of them for you i don t care for that i do you recognized them as members first and i couldn t do less than you did you are a traitor said red in the face with passion and the word through bis closed teeth well just as you like we won t quarrel about the meaning of words replied for he enjoyed the discomfiture of his rival and felt that outward or deserved all he got for the foul play of which he had been guilty on the you pledged yourself to be honest and stand by die vote fair or foul very true my dear fellow and i do so give me your orders and i will obey but you have exposed the whole thing retorted what can we do now when and the captain know all about it they don t know any more than the law allows besides they are members didn t they vote for you didn t they know beans continued in the most of tones do you mean to insult me demanded unable to control his rage not i i respect you too much you are the captain tliat is to be of the ship laughed the captain the second lieutenant and all the for you and of course i couldn t be so deficient in politeness as to insult one who at that moment removed his hand from the sheet and irritated beyond control at the of his companion gave him a sudden push and the fourth lieutenant went down into the under the bow of the ship as disappeared beneath the waves y as appalled at his own act for even he had not sunk so low as to contemplate murder the deed was not it was done on the spur of y excitement which his reason the chief had so often and so lightly used the language of the league about falling overboard young america afloat that he had become familiar with the idea and perhaps the deed seemed less terrible to him than it really was when the act was done on the impulse of the moment he realized his own situation and that of his victim he would have given anything at that instant as he looked down upon the dark waves to have recalled the deed but it was too late self reproach and terror him man overboard i he shouted with desperation as he threw off his jacket and head foremost from the into the sea his first impulse had been to do a foul deed his next to undo it was a powerful the ocean was his element he struck the water hardly an instant after and the ship which was under all sail making nine knots hurried on her course leaving the rivals to the waves man overboard cried officers and on all parts of the ship s deck hard down the i let go the life i shouted who was the officer of the deck hard down sir overboard replied | 36 |
the at the clear away the third i added the orders were rapidly given for the main while the courses were up but the ship went on a considerable distance before her could be arrested when went down into the water he had been injured by the fall and though he struck out to save himself it was not with his usual skill and vigor l outward bound or for like his companion in the water he was a good had struck the waves in proper attitude and was in condition to exert all his powers when he came to the surface he towards intent upon rendering him the assistance he might require do you mean to drown me gasped who supposed his rival had followed him overboard for the purpose of his work i mean to save you replied can you swim i m hurt give me your hand and i will support you took the offered hand of who was able to swim a little and supported him till they could reach the life which had been dropped from the stern of the ship when the alarming cry was given where are you hurt asked as soon as they had grasped the my stomach struck the water replied faintly the third had been lowered into the water as soon as the ship s was stopped and was now within a few yards of the will you forgive me i was beside myself said when his companion had recovered breath after his exertions you have saved me i should have gone down without you will you forgive me pleaded the penitent i did not mean to injure you young afloat never mind it we won t say a word about it answered as the boat came up they were assisted into the and the pulled back to the ship when the party reached the deck a cheer burst from a portion of the crew but and a few others believing that had fallen overboard accidentally were appalled at the probable consequences of the event was assisted to the after cabin where dr immediately attended him he was not seriously injured and the next day he was able to be on deck and do duty how was that asked when had changed his clothes and warmed himself at the stove as they met in the waist looked sad and solemn he made no reply did he fall overboard accidentally demanded don t ask me you jumped in after him and saved him they say added so i suppose it was really an accident still made no reply j outward bound or chapter xx the of thb chain i the fact that had plunged into the sea and labored so for the rescue of the fourth lieutenant blinded he eyes of our fellows who knowing the penalty of treachery to the chain might otherwise have suspected that he had fallen overboard accidentally or in other words that he had been pushed into the water by his rival and had discussed the matter and reached the conclusion that had been knocked over by the shaking of the stay sail sheet or that he had really fallen accidentally they had been appalled and by the event and those who were disgusted with the league were not disposed to betray its secrets for it was possible though not probable that the which had befallen was an incident in the history of the chain when a wicked man or a wicked boy his average wickedness the excess sometimes produces a moral reaction a person who may have the s fate vividly to him by getting absolutely drunk himself and thus be induced to abandon a dangerous practice that young america afloat disease small sometimes leaves the patient better than it finds him and and on account of the sin may come the sinner s had exceeded himself in wickedness and the fact that his foul design was not even suspected bj any other person than his intended victim did not di his self reproaches he shuddered when he thought of the remorse which must have his soul during the rest of his lifetime if had been drowned he would have been a murderer and while so many knew the penalty of treachery to the league he could hardly have escaped suspicion and detection a reaction had been produced in his mind but it was not a healthy movement of the moral nature it was not so much the awful crime he had committed as the terrible consequences which would have followed that caused him to shrink from it it was an awful crime and his nature 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 upon him because the 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 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 ot his offence he was not prepared to outward bound or acknowledge his sin before god whose law he had outraged when came on deck on the day after the exciting event he greeted with his accustomed and seemed not to bear any malice in his heart against the author of his misfortune officers and as well as the principal and the professors congratulated him upon his escape from the peril which had him and all commended for his prompt and noble efforts in him from none of their conclusions and was as generous in his praise of the as the occasion required was rather astonished to find himself a lion on board and at being specially thanked by mr for his humane | 36 |
exertions in saving a 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 who by a word could change the current of popular sentiment and him for the of crimes if tlie fourth lieutenant spoke realized that he should be 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 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 had just escaped was too vivid in his mind to permit him to place himself on young america afloat i the brink of another so far the reaction was when may i see you mr said they came together in the waist we will visit the top gallant again and see if we can understand how i happened to fall overboard for really fm not in the habit of doing such things replied with a smile they walked forward together and mounted the ladder to the place indicated i never paid much attention to the of the before and never supposed it meant anything in particular continued as he placed himself in the position he had occupied before he went over the bow am i in any danger now no no replied earnestly you provoked me so by your cool 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 i would have given my own life for yours at that instant you saved me after all 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 outward bound or you wronged me i would have saved you if had been sure of myself you did save me and i am willing to let that act the other i m grateful to you for this you treat me better than i deserve never mind it now we will call it square replied lightly how about the chain we shall be in sight of land by to morrow we can t do anything now why not how can we after whit has happened i will not reproach you for what you did you know how you provoked me you have exposed tlie whole affair to the officers not a bit of it no certainly not did you ever know to his obligations demanded 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 witli me they all too laughed 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 before this time young america afloat i was puzzled to find nothing was id added 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 purchase it exclaimed by tlie language of his companion just so purchase it added and he proceeded to inform his late rival of the trick he had invented in for the one had put upon him it was for said 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 laughing we have got into this scrape and we must get out of it suppose the captain or the second lieutenant should make tiie signs to one of our fellows and he should tell what we were going to do i told all my not to answer any signs now whoever made them outward bound or i did the same when i found the captain knew them then we are safe but the silver must be 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 for ten shillings to dr added they will do it are you sure nothing has 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 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 what shall we do with the chain now nothing we may | 36 |
want to use it again some time let every fellow keep still when the principal gets his silver 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 ou board i think you liave sold the whole of us young america afloat continued with a smile here s the end of the yes and we may be thankful that it isn t the end of a rope instead of a chain laughed the penalty of 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 we formed the chain because was most of the fellows joined it because he took their money from i precisely so and we are going to end it by giving a silver in token of our respect and esteem in other words 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 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 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 and we should not have been allowed to go on shore when we reached a fellow won t want to go on shore without any money growled who was not wholly cured of his discontent since i went overboard i have been thinking a outward n or great deal of this matter i have come to the conclusion that mr is not the worst man in the world he is harsh and 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 seemed to have turned over a new leaf and to be sincerely sorry for his attitude of rebellion 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 wrote thirty one orders on the principal for ten shillings each in favor of the surgeon during his time on that day which were to be signed and handed to paul 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 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 had possession of all these little in the to fifteen pounds ten shillings which would purchase quite a respectable piece of plate paul was the happiest student on board for the the era of good feeling the league was dead for the present if not forever the inherent evil of the organization with the and bad passions of its members had killed it the had swallowed his own head young america afloat the weather continued fine the routine of ship s duty and the studies went on without interruption on the 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 all on deck sprang into the 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 d 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 own 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 had the deck the young america was off 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 is a outward bound or 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 gaily head all hands were to muster mr on taking the said that he had received a petition signed by a majority of the officers and crew a petition to go ashore i suppose said to i think not laughed the fourth lieutenant who appeared to know what was coming young gentlemen continued the principal whose face wore an unusually pleasant smile a few days since you were all filled witli admiration at th conduct of one of your number who | 36 |
saved the life of another at the peril of his own want to go ashore whispered was too much confused to make any reply he did not know whether he was to be praised or blamed i have received a petition me to robert second lieutenant of the ship in place of paul resigned added mr was overwhelmed with astonishment and a large proportion of the students received the announce ment with hearty applause young gentlemen i have only to say that tho young america afloat petition is granted i ought to add however that no officer will lose his rank except mr who at his own desire will take the vacant number in the now belonging to robert promoted i take great pleasure in this petition because the request is honorable to you and shows a proper appreciation of the noble conduct of your but let me add that you should divide your admiration between the one who rescued his friend from death and him who voluntarily resigned his honorable in the after cabin in order to make a place in which merit could be acknowledged and rewarded nothing but a matter of life and death could have induced me to vary the discipline of the ship young gentlemen you are dismissed from muster three cheers for paul i shouted one of the boys they were given cheers for robert i added paul and they ere given mr will repair to the after cabin where he will be qualified and take his position at once mr i must decline mr s generous offer interposed who was actually choking with emotion this matter has been well considered replied the principal and as it is the desire of a large majority of your that you should accept the position i think you had better do so there isn t a student in the ship who desires it so much as i do added paul with generous you know i told you i would like a outward bound or to be in the for i have always been an officer allow till to night if you f ease to consider it mr replied as he grasped the hand of paul certainly if you desire it was overwhelmed by the of paul and the kindness of the at that moment he would have given everything to be such a young man as the second lieutenant to be as good and true as free from evil thoughts and evil purposes as he was a light had dawned upon the rebel and the which he had never seen before goodness arid truth had themselves and overwhelmed the guilty one mr i congratulate you on your promotion said the extending his hand i cannot accept it sir replied the i would like to speak with alone mr the took him to his state room in the main cabin and there conquered and subdued by the kindness of his friends confessed the terrible crime he had committed that he had pushed overboard the was confounded at this confession but still more so when the self convicted revealed all the secrets of the chain mentioned no names he took all the guilt upon himself i am astonished my dear young friend said the america afloat is it possible the life you saved was by your own violent passions it is true sir replied hardly able to control his feelings then i think you had better not accept the promotion that has been offered to you i will not i would jump overboard first i am willing to be punished i deserve it you have almost for your errors by them and your courageous conduct after you had pushed into the sea proves that you sincerely repented that act shall i tell mr what you have said yes sir let him know me as i am let him despise me as i deserve replied wiping away a genuine tear of repentance mr ag talked to the penitent for two hours and finally he prayed with him and for him if never before the moral condition of the was now hopeful and the labored earnestly and faithfully to give him right views of his relations to god and his fellow beings paul said when he met his generous and self sacrificing friend in the waist after the conference in the state room i am the meanest and fellow on board no you are not exclaimed paul i would give the world to be like you no no i you wrong yourself and me i have confessed all to the and you will con know me as i am paul i will not take your place in the cabin your kindness and generosity outward bound or have overcome me you have convinced me that doing right is always the best way paul did not know what to make of this remarkable confession but after supper all hands were ta muster again the ship being off head nearly the had informed the principal of the substance of confession mr laughed at the chain league the signs and the and regarded the as a matter of little consequence he did not believe that or his followers had really intended to take the ship the project was too monstrous to be the fact that the had attempted the life of his companion was a grave matter and it was treated as such mr was entirely confident of the sincerity of the s repentance had refused to take the proffered promotion which was abundant evidence that he was in earnest the penitent was sent for and repeated his sion to the principal he did not ask to be from punishment but he did ask to be forgiven he was forgiven but when the crew were to muster all the particulars of tlie intended were exposed to the astonished paul understood it now mr the but he spoke very seriously of this consequences of | 36 |
though the writer has been careful correctly to set down all that would be presumed to lie within the limit of fact as a story the volume contains besides a variety of minor incidents the history of certain who under the discipline of the ship deserted from her and travelled in strange lands under their own guidance and on their own resources but only to be captured returned and punished for their it is hot believed that any young reader will be fascinated by their experience in the path of error but on the contrary that a strict devotion to duty a cheerful submission to the of wholesome discipline and a faithful to moral and religious w principle will be deemed the because the are the which can the mind it ia not ao to convey useful and valuable even in regard to foreign lands as it is to tell an interesting or an exciting the plan of this and the i f i j include a certain amount of mid historical matter which not be as reader aa exciting incidents of personal but it ia hoped there will be enough of the latter the former and render the useful and to the reader ore of fear and trembling therefore than usual r presents and to hia friends lit its story will please while its historical and pages will instruct and benefit them contents l and history ix il to cork hi iv a of v the of vl the gap of ob vn the of z vm the key of the safe ix sixty pounds in gold x the voyage to xl the fair of the journey of the about scotland the in xv the land of burns contents xvi s xviii the op the s xix xx paul in xxi conclusion k and and or young america in ireland and scotland chapter l geography and history the young america lay at anchor in the harbor of she bad made her the atlantic in twenty six days during which time the regular studies of the branches of the academy had been pursued with only an occasional interruption by bad weather her officers and crew had performed their sea duty to the satisfaction of the principal there had been no serious accidents and no sickness on board during the voyage dr could not command a patient for more than a single day but his position was by no means an ornamental one for there was hardly a person in the ship it was doubtless owing in a large to his and his valuable that the health of the students was so secured or mr the principal who had devised and the system of and discipline carried out in the academy ship was entirely satisfied with the experiment during the preceding year he bad devoted his whole time and attention to the management of the institution and being a gentleman of abundant wealth this was no small sacrifice he had devoted himself to his idea as a rather than as a the ship had crossed the ocean not only to give the students a variety in their life but to afford them an opportunity to see the wonders of the old world and thus to cultivate the taste the understanding and give them broader views of nature and humanity during the season before them the ship s company were to be as well as and students it was the intention of mr to the course of study in geography and history to the to be visited by the pupils the geography and history of ireland to be the prominent topics while the young america was in the waters of that country and while the students were visiting the scenes of great historic the revolution of in its relation to irish affairs could nowhere be so interesting and impressive as at and on the banks of the where the battle in which james ii was overwhelmed and the power of william iii established the principal anticipated great results from the summer of the ship though a firm he was not an austere man while he was unwilling to give up the occasion entirely to and young in and scotland ij sight seeing he intended that his pupils should enjoy themselves the regular routine of study was to be pursued with as little interruption as possible though it was not expected that the purely intellectual results would compare with those of the preceding year as soon as the ship came to anchor in harbor boats from the shore began to surround her but no visitors were allowed on board th forward officers were placed at the and no amount of irish could induce them to allow any of the hotel or beggars to place a foot on board after dinner the first business was to put the ship in order but the boys were impatient to go on shore there was a world of new sights and sounds on the land near them and they were naturally very eager to mingle at once with them as soon as the decks were swept and all hands were to muster and the students sprang to their stations hoping to obtain some idea of the programme for the future and especially to learn when they were to be permitted to go on shore young gentlemen said mr our voyage across the atlantic is happily finished and in our hearts let us thank god for his mercy in conducting us safely through | 36 |
replied another both on account of the rich g een of the island the grass is the finest and best for cattle the of the say laughed another a pet name derived from the which is green but what is the favorite poetical name answered replied paul go added said the go means for ireland or ireland forever or is the name by which the island was called by the natives it means western by the it was known as and from these it has been into the people of ancient britain called it and the who conquered them which became ireland its present name by one of the changes of common in our language now young gentlemen glance at the map continued the professor taking his ireland is bounded on three sides by the atlantic ocean on the east by the north channel which is only fourteen miles wide between the of in scotland and point the north eastern of ireland by the irish sea which is one hundred and thirty miles broad and st george s channel seventy miles wide the surface of the country is and there is seldom an elevation which rises to the dignity of a mountain though some of them are by courtesy called such the slopes are generally gradual and young in ireland and scotland i there are extensive plains occupied by and from the latter of which is taken the or turf as the people call it used for fuel by all tlie poorer classes in glancing at the physical geography of the island you perceive that the regions are near the coast in the south west are found the greatest the highest mountain is one of s in the county of but it is only three thousand four hundred and fourteen feet high what is the height of mount washington six thousand four hundred and twenty eight feet replied several of the highest in the world twenty eight one hundred and feet the irish mountains then are hardly worth mentioning the highest in the united kingdom is ben in scotland which is about the height of mount and s in what is the largest river of ireland the how long two hundred and twenty four miles english authorities call it two hundred and forty miles the thames and the in england are of about the same length we do not regard the four hundred and fifty miles in length as a large river in our own country though it is nearly twice as long as the largest rivers of the united kingdom our ship now in harbor or the of cork which is the of the river and or lee this stream has its source in lake and has a course of thirty five miles the other principal rivers are the black water and the what are lakes called in ireland the same as in scotland the lakes of the united kingdom measured by the american standard are small affairs in the north of ireland the largest is a little larger than lake in new and lake in new york what are the four provinces of ireland mr and how many are there thirty two the government of the country is administered by a or lord lieutenant appointed by the queen who at he has a council to assist him the members of which are also appointed by the crown ireland is now represented in the british parliament of which i shall have some thing to say in the future by four spiritual and twenty eight with one hundred and five what are spiritual mr asked paul or of the established church who occupy seats in the house of lords a peer is a member of the upper house of parliament corresponding to our the country is not wholly with regard to the number of the young america in ireland and scotland population members are elected for or districts for cities and even for each county in ireland is entitled to two members making sixty four certain towns have thirty nine and the university of has two each county in ireland is governed by a ant who is generally a peer of the realm assisted by and appointed by the crown young gentlemen perhaps you have already noticed that the climate here is than our own though we are now nearly ten degrees farther north than the are not so warm nor the so cold as with us if you glance at your you will observe that the warm waters of the gulf stream flow in this direction and they have a very sensible effect in and the temperature ireland has about the average climate of virginia though its extremes of heat and cold are not so great the moisture of the atmosphere the growth of the grass though it the wheat crop and are the principal is produced in the north while potatoes are raised in every part of the island and form the chief article of diet of the poorer classes the of ireland is inferior to that of scotland and england a few words in regard to the history of ireland will complete what i have to say at present nothing is known of the early history of ireland though a very remote antiquity is claimed by irish writers for their country the first event of present and or importance is the of the natives to christianity a work which was commenced by st long life to him i said who was of irish descent everybody laughed including the professor st was a not a bit of it begging your pardon mr interrupted again what was he an to be sure how could st be a there are grave doubts in regard to his i acknowledge replied the professor with a smile some say he was born in scotland others in england and still others in france | 36 |
was attempted but it was a signal failure several of the leaders were arrested and some of them were to death for treason but the penalty was to most of them were subsequently thomas f one of them went to the united states and distinguished himself in the union army john who fled from the in his own country was unworthy of the cause in which he had been engaged in conclusion young gentlemen ireland has always been an oppressed land her history is a continuous storm of battle and america in and scotland j though her condition has been greatly improved her people are still deprived of equal rights i have taken this early opportunity to g ve you a very meagre outline of the geography and history of ireland that you may view with more interest and pleasure the historic spots you may visit the professor retired the boys were dismissed and hastened on deck to gaze at the shores of the country whose history had just been related to them and or chapter n to cork clear away the professors said the officer of the deck shortly after mr had finished his lecture the boat was lowered into the water the crew over the side and the third master detailed to take charge of it the and crew were regarded as very fortunate in having an opportunity even to go as far as the shore for all were burning with impatience to see something more of the green isle paul came out of the cabin dressed in full uniform with the anchor and three stars on his shoulder and the three gold bands on his sleeves he had put on a new suit for the occasion and being a well formed young man and graceful in his movements he was not likely to bring any upon american boys by his personal appearance dr went down the accommodation ladder followed by paul who was just then the envy of every student in the ship the crew sat with their oars up and when the passengers were seated in the stern sheets they let fall and gave way at the orders of the america in ireland and scotland this is a beautiful harbor dr said paul gazing at the surrounding shores it is one of the best in the world replied the doctor it is large enough to shelter the whole british navy you see it is fortified in every direction for if an enemy gained a here they could inflict immense damage upon the commerce and the power of england the land on the port side is island the buildings belong to the and will accommodate two thousand men who are employed in digging and building for and on other work the next is rocky island which contains a powder magazine occupying six chambers dug out of the solid rock the third island is and the buildings upon it are for cannon and small arms you have been here before doctor said paul yes a few years ago what odd little these are added the young officer as one of them started from the wharf before them they are certainly different from ours but we shall have occasion to use one of them in going up to cork and you will have an opportunity to examine the structure more closely as the boat approached the landing steps a crowd of people began to gather on the pier to witness the arrival of the boat for tlie pilot had probably already proclaimed the character of the young america to the people the professors went up to the wharf in man of war style and landed her passengers a couple of the carried the and bag and or belonging to them up the steps as tliey did so about two dozen each with a large on which was his number around his arm between the shoulder and the elbow rushed forward and seized the baggage we should say luggage for the american word is not used in the united kingdom long life to your honor gasped one of them in the midst of his struggles to obtain tiie prize ye gave it number wan i didn t give it to any of you yet said dr number your shouted another now go way ye you said a man dressed in blue his head covered by a black hat trimmed with patent leather who was evidently a policeman the officer cleared a place around the strangers and dr inquired of him at what hour the next steamer left for cork sir you are too late for the boat that goes up to s bridge but ye can take the railroad boat in about an hour i think we had better take some supper here then paul added the doctor as you think best sir number nineteen continued dr selecting one of the who had been less forward than the others you can take the luggage to the queen s hotel thank your replied the grateful fellow ye gave it to me sir growled number seventeen m and scotland thin ye gave it to me interposed number twenty one i gave it to none of you number nineteen has it now i beg your pardon your honor said another man in uniform as he touched his hat to the doctor the custom house officer sir you wish to examine the luggage if ye your honor give me the here is the key replied dr slipping a shilling into his hand thank your honor replied the man the doctor unlocked the just rise the lid that ll do sir replied the officer of her majesty s customs as he closed the a half crown or even a shilling to the custom house officer at if not expected is gratefully received and may save the traveller much annoyance it is quite probable that some small and books escape by the process the | 36 |
porter with the assistance of the policeman obtained possession of the and bag and the strangers followed him towards the hotel which was situated but a short distance from the god bless your honor said a ragged woman stepping up to the travellers with a low courtesy i m a and i haven t a bit t ate for go way and don t be the interposed the porter would your honor give me the and or bit of silver you have in your pocket persisted the beggar i have no small change replied the doctor a to buy bread your honor said a dirty boy on the other side a or a ha for me who got sick and didn t do a o work for two pleaded another boy in tattered garments one only a for me in a girl paul we shall have the whole town upon us at this rate laughed the doctor i have a couple of whispered paul shall i give them to them no that would be madness you would sow to the wind and reap the they would us to the death if you gave them a penny the beggars by others persisted in their demands and the only safety of the travellers was in immediate flight they pushed forward heedless of the din of women and children who for and bits of silver until they reached s hotel into which the beggars dared not follow them the porter was paid and discharged and the visitors entered the coffee room for unlike american hotels those of the united kingdom seldom contain public or any similar apartment for general use the coffee room in first class hotels is usually an elegant apartment with floor and windows it is commonly furnished with small tables for little parties or single individuals in some of the larger provincial towns there are commercial young in and and scotland rooms for the exclusive use of commercial travel who are agents or for in the cities dr and paul entered the coffee room of the queen s it was about five o clock in the afternoon and a few of the tables were occupied by parties at dinner they seated themselves and began to examine the newspapers with which the room was supplied what will you please to order the question was addressed to paul who was just then absorbed in the latest from america i beg your pardon sir did you speak to me replied paul glancing at the person who addressed him he was clothed in black and black dress coat with a white what will you please to order repeated the individual in black order asked paul confused by the question he is the waiter said dr laughing the waiter i thought he must be a doctor of divinity replied paul measuring the servant from head to foot with his eye i shall have a mutton chop said the doctor i will have the same added paul turning to his paper again in due time the mutton appeared and called forth the approbation of the travellers they were rich tender and delicate far superior to american mutton these come of the rich grass of ireland said and or the doctor though there is something in the breed of sheep when i was in ireland before i lived on mutton which is extra nice throughout the united kingdom how is it about the roast beef of old england asked paul the beef isn t any better than ours paul i have eaten poorer beef in england than i ever did in america while the best i have seen there does not our own i don t think you will like the style of living in this part of the world as well as that at home i don t know i think i shall get along very well laughed paul as he a of bread and tasted it it did not suit him and he added more butter from one of the little before him what sort of butter do you call this demanded he as he tried it again irish butter replied dr laughing there is no taste to it yet it is nice fresh butter i don t think so it tastes more like than butter there is no salt in it paul that is all i assure you no better butter ever was made but you have stumbled upon a custom which does not to your experience in england ireland and scotland as well as on the continent they put little or no salt in the butter you can either get used to it or supply the deficiency there is salt on the table paul supplied the deficiency and the supper was young america in ireland and scotland finished to the satisfaction of both the waiter brought the bill when requested to do so it amounted to five shillings and when he brought the for a sovereign he contrived to have some small coin included he handed it to the doctor piece by piece the last he looked so wistful that it was impossible for an american to refuse his petition and he was permitted to retain the last sixpence he seemed to be very grateful the young officer was rather surprised to see the man whom he had mistaken for a doctor of divinity stoop to a sixpence but he was destined to see bigger men than cotton to small the of the united kingdom in common use is in gold silver and copper the gold are the sovereign and half sovereign the silver are the crown five shillings the half crown two and sixpence the or two shilling piece the shilling the sixpence and the the copper are the penny and the half penny the two penny copper coin is now rarely seen the paper money consists principally of the notes issued by the bank of england the smallest bill is for | 36 |
five pounds the notes are about three times the size of an american bank bill are printed on white paper made exclusively for the purpose and are never issued a second time now paul we have a few minutes to spare and if we not overwhelmed by the beggars we will take a little walk said dr when he had paid the bill and or the beggars are a nuisance replied paul we shall be troubled with them in all the part of ireland after that we shall see but few of them till we reach italy which is the paradise of beggars there was nothing of special interest to be seen in the town this part of the island is a favorite resort for on account of the and of the climate the american land their here and such passengers as wish to make the tour of ireland or to reach liverpool in advance of the ship a small usually meets the steamer off point and takes the mail and passengers ashore it requires about twenty four hours for the to run from to liverpool while the trip is made by railway and steamer by the way of and in about ten or eleven hours the leave liverpool on saturday if one sailed at ten in the a passenger could start from london at five in the afternoon by the express mail train and overtake the ship at thus gaining eight hours and avoid the rough sea of the channel paul was rather surprised to find the streets and houses so much like those he had seen in america there was hardly anything to remind him that he was in a foreign land unless it was the beggars who in the streets and beset all persons that looked like strangers and especially like americans for they have the reputation of being liberal there was little to see and but little time to see it in and scotland and the travellers hastened back to the hotel for luggage paul do you remember the lines on the burial of sir john asked the doctor on their return i do not a drum was heard not a funeral note as his to the we hurried do you know who wrote the poem i don t remember it was the rev charles he died at this place in of consumption and was buried here at the hotel a little fellow who acted as a porter and offered to carry the and bag to the railroad boat he was an odd youth and one could not tell whether he was twelve or twenty he was dressed in faded livery and looked a little like the monkey in the he shouldered the bit of a box a trunk is a box in ireland and led the way to the pier he was full of wit and amused the doctor so much that he gave him a shilling for his services the little steamer in which the travellers embarked for passage where they were to take the train for cork was as unlike the american steamer as anything could be she was a side very long for her width or very narrow for her length as the reader pleases there was no saloon on the deck which had seats around it for the accommodation of passengers the pilot stood on a raised platform at the stern there being no wheel house near the bow as in our there was a small cabin into which people might retreat in case of rain but the and or little thing made good time and for a short trip was comfortable enough the scenery on the shores of the river lee below cork is very attractive the slope of great island on which is is covered with beautiful and other country on the other side of the river the country is more irregular with occasional of rock and picturesque the whole region is improved there are no waste places and the traveller his first ideas of the dwellings of the wealthy class from the elegant seen on the banks of the river we are approaching passage said dr as he pointed to the landing pier it is somewhat noted as a watering place but in my mind it is associated only with francis s irish poem do you know it i never heard of it sir you will find it in s house book of poetry a copy of which is in the main cabin library of the ship i remember a verse or two of it for it is so irish that i could hardly forget it the town of passage is both large and spacious and situated upon the say tis and and quite adjacent to from cork on a summer s day there you may slip in nd take a dip in in ireland and scotland the shipping tha t anchor ride or in a i cross o er the to on the other side mud swarm in this place so charming with sailors garments hung out to dry and all i remember of it these poems i think add an interest to the places they relate to they do sir and i shall certainly read that poem when i return to the ship you will find irish poems in the same volume the steamer hauled up at the pier the travellers landed and entered the railroad station a porter took the and placed it in the van which is the name applied to a baggage car the fare from to cork was one shilling first class in europe the railway carriages are divided into which are entered at the sides each division has seats for six or eight passengers one half of whom sit facing the other half those taking forward seats riding backwards travellers are divided into three and sometimes four classes depending upon the prices tliey pay the different | 36 |
classes of fare from to don for example are as follow first class second class j is third class s p and or first class passengers are always provided with seats stuffed arms backs in ireland the only difference we noticed between second and third class was that the seats were out a little like a kitchen chair in the former while they were entirely flat in the latter but in most parts of europe second class have seats with a leather cushion in germany and they are about equal to our cars but not in the united kingdom the two vacant seats which dr found in the were at the opposite ends and they separated for the time the young officer was absorbed in the country through the train passed be wished to ask some questions of the dignified gentleman who sat opposite to him but he had learned to believe that the people with whom he was now brought into contact were haughty and reserved and that he could not expect a civil answer from them after proceeding a short distance the train stopped is tliis cork sir asked paul forgetting lor the instant his prejudices no sir this is the next will be cork replied the gentleman to whom the question had been addressed in the kindest and of tones thank you sir added paul astonished at the of the native you are a stranger young gentleman continued the person yes sir i belong to the academy ship which arrived to day young america in and t ah indeed the gentleman wished to know something about the ship and in return pointed out the objects of interest which could be seen from the window this is cork added the native as the train stopped can i be of any service to you i am obliged to you sir but the gentleman with me has been here before replied paul as they got out of the carriage it is never called a car on the other side of the ocean now paul you will have a chance to try a which is peculiarly an irish institution i never saw one an except in this country a vehicle was engaged and paul realized that it was a queer establishment there are seats for four passengers who sit facing hanging over the two wheels are foot boards in front of the seats the driver s box is on the forward part but he does not sit there when he has but one passenger occupying instead one of the side seats the vehicle has no top between the seats and behind the four passengers is a space for small pieces of hotel said dr as he mounted the car with paul hotel your honor replied the as he drove off yelling at his horse like a wild indian does your honor long in cork only till to morrow i d like to your honor out to castle n the i shall not be able to go what street is this and or this is your honor and if s now we re to bridge is this the river lee asked paul no this is the branch you see the lee replied the driver pointing down the stream to the of the two branches a short distance below the principal part of cork lies between these two branches on an island this is your honor and is the bank added the driver you must not expect much of cork paul said the doctor st s church is the only build ing of any note i don t care so much about the buildings as i do to see how the people live replied paul you will not see much of them at the hotels i have a commission to execute for the irish girl who has lived in our family since i was a child she was astonished when i told her i was going to ireland and i promised to call upon her brother in law do you know his address yes sir no street he is a porter in an shop hotel your honor said the driver as he drew up in a narrow street before a plain edifice how much is your fare demanded dr anything your honor replied the touching his hat and looking particularly amiable how much is the fare what is your price whatever ye your honor young america in ireland and scotland name your price two shillings replied the driver in a low tone the doctor gave him his price which was four times as much as he was entitled to receive thank your honor if want a nice car a fine call for your honor in the evening they entered the hotel escorted by a porter in livery what should i have paid that driver asked the doctor sixpence sir for the two the surgeon laughed and so did paul at the deceit which was put upon them but the fellow lost several good by the and or chapter m castle after the rooms had been secured at the hotel dr took a car to call upon a gentleman whose acquaintance he had made during his former visit leaving paul at liberty to walk about tlie city where is street sir asked paul of a man who s standing on the near the hotel ril show you sur replied the person addressed leading the way through street paul thought the man was even more obliging than he had found the people in the streets of new york and boston and he walked by the stranger s side with a feeling of gratitude and admiration towards his guide this is street sur said the man after they had gone through street as he touched his hat thank you i m greatly obliged to you replied paul street sur i d showed you the way do ye mind added the guide | 36 |
touching his hat again i know you did and i m very much obliged to you don t break your hand sir said the man t un in ireland and scotland dissatisfied with the simple thanks of the young officer don t break my hand i exclaimed paul puzzled by the phrase i don t think i m in any danger of breaking it ye are not sur for the weight of a would break it paul took a sixpence from his the smallest coin he had and gave it to the man thank your honor replied the guide his face suddenly brightening up as he glanced at the coin in his hand long life to your honor and if you want e er a to show you any place i m idle just now and i ll do me for your honor paul did not think he should be likely to need his services for he was quite disgusted with the of the man his gratitude and admiration were changed into contempt but before he had been in ireland three days he could not help thinking that every person he met was studying out a plan to get a sixpence out of him the young officer walked down st street looking at tlie people and gazing in at the shop windows to him the appearance of the city of cork was similar to that of boston and new york there was nothing of interest to be seen but presently he became painfully conscious that he was himself an object of interest especially to the dirty boys and girls whom he met do ye mind the young said a greek to his companions the remark paul that he was in full and or form and being a modest youth he wished his dress consisted only of plain clothes other expressions came to his ears but he paid no attention to them and seemed not to hear them st street is the principal one in cork and extends in the form of a from the bridge with the same name to grand parade which is also a street of pretensions adorned with an statue of george ii both these streets are wide and imposing but the buildings are of all and heights and with no claims to beauty paul found the brother in law of the faithful domestic in his father s family and was warmly greeted the man was glad to see one who had come all the way from america and paul gave him half a sovereign as he had been requested to do by how did ye come to ireland mr asked michael the brother in law i came in the academy ship is it possible how is my sister she was quite well when i saw her last is it possible do you stop long in cork mr i shall return to the ship to morrow all the officers and crew are to visit and and i shall be up again soon is it possible now mr i d like to have you go out to my little place with me and see my woman i should like to go very much replied paul who desired to visit the houses of some of the common people young america in ireland and scotland thin i ll go you to morrow morning where are you stopping at the imperial hotel is it possible i will come for you at tin minutes before eight very well i will be ready thin mr you are a fine looking young man it s a fine dress you wear it is the uniform of the young america i am second lieutenant of the ship is it possible both possible and probable laughed paul as he took his leave and hastened back to the hotel he felt that he had nearly exhausted cork even in his short walk but early in the morning he visited the market with dr the display of and vegetables was similar to what would be seen in an american city at the appointed time michael appeared at the hotel and just as the travellers finished their breakfast a car was called in which they were driven to row this part of the city was certainly very unlike anything paul had seen in america for it was occupied by the poorer classes of the city the houses were generally of stone with very few windows that in which michael lived was one story high with chambers being a porter in a store he had good wages compared with the common who received from five to eight shillings a week from l dollar and a quarter to two dollars and occupied a better dwelling than the poorest classes paul was ushered into the house and duly presented and or to the woman in the principal room perhaps the visitor was more interested in the apartment than in the persons and while he was giving mrs an account of her sister he busied himself in the style of living the floor was of hardened often called a mud floor the furniture was meagre and of the kind at one end was a fireplace in which a grate was set with high on which the tea kettle and other cooking rested the fire was of soft coal and paul could not help thinking what a luxury a yankee cook stove would be to the family it was breakfast time and the visitor soon realized that he was expected to partake with the family and as extra preparations had been made for the occasion be was not a embarrassed to remember that he had just eaten a hearty breakfast at the hotel draw up and take a bit t ate us said michael as he seated himself at the table i thank you i took my breakfast quite early this morning in order to be ready for you is it | 36 |
possible paul saw that he was offending irish hospitality and he was compelled to compromise i supposed you took breakfast much earlier than this in america our working people have breakfast at six or seven o clock and really i did not understand that i was invited to breakfast but i will sit down with you and take a cup of tea the meal consisted of tea few in the united kingdom take coffee in the morning of cut from an enormous loaf of bread in tiie hands young america in ireland and scotland of mrs who first the surface and then cut off the for the guest of boiled eggs which in europe are invariably eaten from the shell the whole being placed in an egg cup and of bacon which consisted of pieces cured and smoked the butter was fresh but the visitor observed that the members of the family put salt upon it this as an extra occasion and the fare was doubtless much better than usual paul partook of a compromise breakfast and having given and received all the information the time permitted he bade good by to the hospitable irish woman and mounted a car with mr don t break your hand said the when michael gave him sixpence at the end of the course and no irish driver was ever yet satisfied with a regular fare paul found dr at the hotel and they went together to a store in street to see the silver which the doctor and his friend had selected the preceding evening the young officer was perfectly satisfied with the plate and directions for the inscription to be engraved upon it were left with the as i have to call upon his worship the mayor i must find a s shop now for x my on board the ship said the doctor after they had returned to the hotel i think i will go with you sir replied paul you i do you paul laughed the doctor not much but i would like to have my hair cut it was not an easy matter to find a s shop ia cork they were directed to one in old george and or street and while they were looking for it one of those who are constantly studying out the means of from the of strangers offered his assistance and conducted them to the shop don t break your hand said the vagabond when dr gave him two but no notice was taken of him and tlie travellers entered the shop both of them at the idea of such a saloon it was a small dirty apartment opening into another in which the s wife and children lived on the fire was a of hot water and in the middle of the floor stood a common straight back kitchen chair in which the doctor seated himself after preparing for the op the professor of the art took an old wooden box such as our used and made his there was no proper s chair such as we see in america with a rest for the head but the held the head with one hand and used his brush or with the other will i the hair asked the when he had finished the face of his customer no i haven t much hair and i can t afford to lose any of it replied the doctor ye haven t much thin but i have a nice made from the feet of that would bring it out said the paul consented to have his hair though he couldn t help thinking of the elegant and the elegant in his own country as he sat down in the kitchen chair the price at least young america in and scotland t responded with the meagre of the shop for it was only one penny for the and t o for the hair in e those who are regarded as genteel people themselves and even in london and paris it is impossible to find a decent s shop after dr had been presented to the mayor by his friend the travellers took the steamer for at s bridge while they were riding down in the car paul wished to pay his share of the hotel bill but the doctor was obstinate i would like to see the bill at any rate sir laughed paul i want to learn something about the customs at the hotels they are quite different from those in the united states replied dr as he handed the bill to paul i see they are and i don t the hotels compare with our own you are right in the main though in some respects they are superior even in some of the celebrated hotels of new york it is almost impossible to get a civil answer from a clerk in the office while in this country you will invariably be treated with respect and every attention will be paid to you beds said paul reading from the bill two and sixpence each they charge for each item separately not so much a day as at our hotels attendance what s that for it used to be the custom here for servants to and or collect their own wages of the guests now their called attendance are charged in the bills but they still have the habit of hanging around departing visitors and most of them give sixpence though there is no obligation to do so i think almost every common sort of person that looks at you expects you to give him sixpence added paul that is true americans have the reputation of being free and these e the best of their opportunities they hardly expect an englishman to give them anything for thrust upon him at the bridge dr gave the a shilling and though it was double the legal fare the fellow grumbled and begged for more but | 36 |
gazing so long upon the waste of waters on their passage across the ocean the fine but not picturesque scenery was fully appreciated by them after a ride of less than an hour for is only five miles and the drove at a rate the procession reached the gates of the estate on which the castle is situated as no were allowed upon the premises the boys got down and walked a short distance over the lawn till they reached the ruin mr gave the old woman ten in for the whole party go in there and kiss tlie said the as she pointed to a ruined apartment on a level with the ground the rs rushed in and with each other for the first chance to become so the stone is a small stone square in form fixed into a larger one of irregular shape the tradition is that whoever kisses it becomes endowed with the sweet eloquence which is noticeable in the speech of the young m and scotland there is a stone there that whoever o he never to grow eloquent castle built in the century was the residence of the lords of of and of it consists at present of a massive tower one hundred and twenty feet to which is attached the minor ruins the boys went up the circular staircase from which opened rooms recesses and the walls were very thick and conveyed an idea of the immense strength of ancient castles half way up they passed out upon a portion of the like a platform overgrown with ivy and walked round upon the crumbling walls which were from three to six feet thick from the summit of the tower they obtained a fine view of the surrounding country do you see that sheet of water said professor pointing to a small lake about a quarter of a mile distant yes sir lake shouted the boys it is said that the earl of who his castle in the revolution of threw all his plate into a certain part of that lake three of the m inherit the secret of the spot where it is deposited and any one of them when he dies must communicate his knowledge to another member of the family for you know in irish if one can t keep a secret three can and it is never to be revealed until a is again lord of or which may come to pass when the fought their last battle in canada descending from the tower the party were shown to the cave by a boy declared that it was three deep but the hole was so dark that no one was disposed to test tlie he statement fragments of the tied the cave were obtained and then tlie where the m kept his prisoners they were and horrible td to make real the romantic stories of such most of tlie students had read ir way from tlie castle to the groves of i few rods distant paul who was in manners and customs even more than id buildings had an opportunity to inspect called a bam it was a long low brick used merely to shelter sheep and in for all hay and straw is out doors were the pleasure gardens of the were formerly filled with statues and other rustic ornaments they ery beautiful the party were admitted by who was so fat and lame that he walk young in and chapter iv a op the groves of were certainly very interesting and very beautiful though it was too early in the season to see them to the greatest advantage the groves of they look so charming down by the of sweet silent streams being with that spontaneous grow there planted in order by the sweet rock close the popular song describing the garden is peculiarly irish even to the it contains and has done more for the reputation of than its glories will warrant to paul old tom field the gardener was quite as interesting as the grounds he pointed out the beauties of the spot with genuine irish enthusiasm the region was rocky in places and the rocks had been turned to good account in increasing the ss of the gardens from a ledge a flight of steps had been out which o and or from some tradition had received the name of the stairs and a partly natural and partly artificial was called the kitchen on the bank of a small stream within the pleasure grounds there is a very fine which professor explained it was a kind of monument consisting of a large flat stone placed upon other upright stones as these remains of the past are supposed to have been on which ii were offered to heroes buried beneath them the rocks in the garden presented a curious appearance being reduced to the most fanciful shapes by the action of time and the elements some of them had irregular quite through them large enough to admit the hand those of this kind which had been partially covered with earth had trees growing on their tops the roots through the holes there were english oaks laurel and trees in the garden an hour had been spent on the grounds and tom field had received ten shillings for his services the boys were called together by the s whistle and directed to return to tlie gate where the cars had been left the ride back w s by a different road from that taken in going and the students were enabled to see more of tiie country at seven o clock they arrived at s bridge where they were to for the mr had with a stable keeper for the cars and he paid the regular fare to which is two and sixpence with sixpence to each driver but every one of them beset the occupants of his car using the in and scotland | 36 |
very well do you know why he will give us only sixpence more for three days than he did for one asked because some of the fellows spent their money for beer in cork sneered well if he don t give me more than three r america in and and scotland i will spend every penny of it for beer or wine that would punish you more than him it gave you the headache before i don t care for that but what are you going to do it s no use to talk about it i ll tell you what i would do if i only had money enough if perhaps have it yet replied suggest what would you do i would quit the ship and travel on my own hook answered in a whisper i say wouldn t it be tip top if we had the funds to about without being tied to s coat tails we could have a splendid time couldn t we i believe you said delighted with the idea but what s the use of talking about it we haven t the money and if we had we are tied to the ship how easy it would be for us to slip off when we get to cork take the train for and hurry up to london you would certainly be caught do you know why is so particular about our wearing our uniform on shore so that we may be recognized if we run away laughed but couldn t we buy some clothes your fifteen pounds wouldn t last long if you had and or to purchase a new suit of clothes besides lo would telegraph and send police officers after you i could manage all that if i only had the money and i mean to have it too added dropping his voice again to a confidential whisper how will you get it don t say any more about it now we will talk the matter over when we are out of hearing i m going to give a chance to do the handsome thing first if he don t do it tlie consequences lie on himself not on me the principal just then appeared to be in danger of something terrible what will you do do you mean to get up another chain not i exclaimed earnestly when am going to do anything i shall not tell every fellow in the ship including the in the after cabin let us draw an order on for tea shillings each you might as well draw it for a hundred pounds he would pay one as readily as the other said perhaps he would that s nothing to do with it if he won t pay it i shall do the next thing i shall not mention it at present but if you want to go up to london with me in a few days on our own account i ll help you through to london shut up will you do you want to tell every young in ireland and scotland f in the ship what we are about i have given you a hint and i shall say no more now are you going to draw the order for ten shillings asked lam and i would like to have half a dozen fellows do the same i will for one and and will they went down into the and wrote the orders at one of the tables and were induced without much persuasion to join them half past seven on wednesday morning had been appointed for the payment of the orders mr sat at a small table in the main cabin and wrote his on each before it was presented to the was near the head of the column and behind him were his dissatisfied w hen he reached the principal s table he handed in his order ten shillings exclaimed mr if you please sir added with politeness i cannot approve this order three shillings was the amount for which you were to draw said the principal i don t think three shillings is enough sir were you one of those who drank beer in cork tlie other day i was sir if the offence is repeated your will not be honored again added mr as he altered the ten in the order to three i couldn t help it sir growled you couldn t help drinking beer exclaimed the principal looking sternly at the and or no sir i was thirsty and i couldn t get any water couldn t you have asked for water instead of beer in the shop you entered i didn t like to do that it looks mean to go into a man s shop and buy nothing you could pay for the trouble you caused if you are so sensitive be that as it may don t let me hear of your drinking beer again took his order and passed on to the from whom he received his three shillings he was angry but not much disappointed for he had hardly expected to have his order for ten shillings paid the of those who followed him were altered in the same manner even the officers in the after cabin were not allowed to draw for more than the stated sum i wish i had the ten shillings i for that confounded silver said when he met after drawing their money so do i we were fools to make him a present for treating us in this mean and manner a shilling a day for the extra expenses of a gentleman s son exclaimed i wish there was some way to get up a breeze there will be a way added mysteriously i m not going to stand this sort of thing it was well enough when we were at sea and had no chance to spend money but the shoe here we paid | 36 |
the ten shillings to get out of the chain scrape i suppose we ought not to complain of that america in and scotland but the whole thing came out told tho parson all about it he didn t call any names i don t care anything about that now it is done and can t be undone if i can raise the wind i will take care of myself but you can t said but i can replied positively there are heaps of money in the main cabin if there are the fact doesn t concern you yes it does for some of my money is there and i m bound to have it by hook or by how much has got of yours fifteen pounds less what i have drawn fifteen and sixpence you and i together have enough foi a first rate time added how can you get it come up oh the top gallant said leading the way i see you mean to get into some scrape continued as they sat down on the you needn t get into it if you don t want to do so i m going to make a sure thing of it this time do you know where keeps the money in that iron safe which is set in under the companion way that s so you don t mean to say you intend to take the money out of the safe demanded who was not prepared for so bold an expedient what s the reason i don t mean it f and or wouldn t do such a thing yes i would why not the money is mine i didn t give it up of my own accord it was taken from me stolen from me added with emphasis not stolen he will give it back to you he had no right to take it no more right than i have to take his money it is mine and if i can get my fingers upon it i shall take it but you can t get at it yes i can it is locked up in the safe i don t care for that i can get the key it is in s state room and i think i know just where he keeps it even if you had the key you couldn t find a chance to open the safe there is some one in the cabin all the time how easy it would be for me to hide till they are all gone to day you would be missed well i could pretend to be sick or cut up so that i should be punished by being on board as soon as they were all gone i could get the key open the safe take my money call a shore boat and be off for and london old peaks is ship keeper and he wouldn t let you leave i could manage it somehow i know i could get up in the night and open the safe then of course i have got to find out exactly where the key is first i think it is rather business m ireland scotland jl perhaps it is but when we once get the money and leave the ship we are all right it would be easy enough to keep out of the way then i don t know about that but i don t think your chance of getting off is first rate it looks a little like the not a bit like it let me tell you i believe i can get the money just as easy as i can eat my breakfast when it is ready will you go in with me i don t know you don t i shouldn t like to get into any scrape i don t want to stay in the while the fellows are having a good time on shore but just consider what a time we shall have when we get up to london we can go over to paris too i haven t any doubt that we should have a good time but i don t exactly see bow the thing is to be managed ru find a way to manage it you leave all that to me and do just what tell you and we shall come out all right you may depend upon it can t call it stealing if we take only our own money mused biting his finger nails of course he can t if he does it don t make any it won t be stealing was tempted by the unlimited freedom which the proposed excursion would afford him but though not what would be called a conscientious young man he scruples about opening the s fe and he was determined that and or should do this part of the business himself he had already reasoned himself into the belief tliat it would not be stealing to take his own money even from the safe of the principal and after this point had been reached it was not so difficult for him to agree to the rest of the programme shall we try it on now said to day yes we can contrive to be left on board some how or other but i want to go up to the lakes of they say the scenery is very fine i don t care anything about the scenery i ve been to the white mountains and lake george there s nothing in ireland to be compared with them there s nothing at but a one horse lake said contemptuously the boats are going to be taken up there and the fellows will have a first rate time i want to go what s the use here s a capital chance to there goes the s whistle to muster what do you say demanded with much excitement tp day or not | 36 |
some other time replied as he hastened down the ladder followed by his companion who was decidedly in favor pf carrying out his rebellious project at once he did not wish to go alone and he was forced to abandon his scheme till another time for was fully resolved to make one of the party to the lakes all hands w re on deck preparing for the do i in and scotland he took occasion to visit the and examine the ground he opened the door of the main cabin no person was there and he ventured to explore tlie premises the door of mr a state room was not locked he opened it and took a hasty glance within but he did not see the key of the safe he then passed round to the after end of the cabin to survey the safe itself to his astonishment the key was in the door at that instant le heard a step on the companion ladder here was an opportunity which might never occur again taking the key from tlie safe he fled from the cabin and succeeded in his retreat before the entrance of the person whose footsteps had alarmed him shouted one of the s mates at the bead of the main here the from duty on deck here i we are waiting for you added the mate rushed into his room for his jacket and hastened on deck he had not time to conceal the key and he put it into his pocket we are waiting for you to take your place in the boat said mr haven the first lieutenant as appeared in the waist i forgot my jacket sir and went down for it answered the take your place in the you have kept us all waiting for you went down the accommodation ladder and took his place at the stroke oar of tlie which with or tlie four was to form the expedition the pulled eight oars each of the six and it required thirty seven boys including the to n ve boats each of them carried three of the faculty besides seven or eight of mr peaks was to go with the par in charge of the boats the ship being left of mr the carpenter r did you see the key of the safe asked as he took his place in the stem sheets lot replied dr i left it in the safe i opened it to take and was called away i suppose i y somewhere less you will find it again added the doctor did not believe he would find it young america in and scotland chapter v thb op t t then the had received her crew and pas y y she pulled away from the ship and waited till the other boats were ready for they were to proceed in order as a the was to lead and the four were to follow in couples abreast of each other new had been served out to all the boys the arrival of the ship at and nothing could be and than the appearance of the officers and crew in their new clothes all ready in the fourth sir reported johnson the of that boat and she pulled out to her position in the line give way said captain in the when all the boats had reported themselves ready the repeated the order and the little commenced its voyage up the river it presented quite an imposing aspect and attracted the attention of the people on shore and in other boats just above the young america s lay two english ships of war one of them a line of battle ship called the as the boat approached her a pulled by fourteen oars with f and or several in her stern sheets put off from the accommodation ladder from the flag in her bow it was evident that one of the officers was a rear admiral a fact of which mr on informed captain that he might order the proper salute stand by to toss said the captain all ready reported the officers of the boats passing the word in low tones from one boat to another toss added the captain and as the order was repeated by the of the several boats all the oars were raised to a position with the handles resting on the bottom of the boat and the blades as the admiral s passed the all the officers touched their caps and bowed and the salute was duly acknowledged by the english officers let fall said the of the when the had passed and the oars were dropped into the water give way and the crew commenced pulling again half way up to cork the were relieved and the other half of the crew pulled the remainder of the distance the station of the great southern and western railway was near the bank of tlie river arrangements had been made for the of the ship s company and the boats tlie latter of which were taken out of the water by an army of and carried to the platform cars on which they were to be conveyed to the america in and scotland boys were locked up in the first and second class and the train started immediately dr with paul and others was in the e of one carriage the front of which consisted of windows that enabled them to obtain a view of the country through which they passed leaving the city the train entered a very long cut through the solid rock and the travellers were involved in darkness which was only partially relieved by the lamps in the top of the which were lighted for this emergency the air in the was cold and damp and there was a general closing of the windows to it i don t think these cars are any better than ours | 36 |
said paul as the car emerged from tlie i have heard a great deal about first class carriages on this side of the water and that only and lords ever of going first class these carriages are rather inferior to those you will see in england but they are very comfortable they are comfortable enough but they don t ride so easy as our cars i don t think they do there is no spring to them they rest on six wheels and there is an jar which we don t feel on our cars but the principal idea is to keep first class people by themselves with us a and a common may sit side by side in a car here you may be pretty sure of your companions so far as social position is concerned there is castle paul added the doctor pointing to the left through the front windows of the js and or i see it sir and there is an irish cabin added paul pointing to a one story stone house with a roof that is a palace compared with some you will see on the way to i should like to go into one very likely you will have an opportunity before we return paul was much interested in the view from the window though he did not ireland was so fine a country as it had been represented to him by and and and dan who had lived with his father but an may be for believing that his native land is the finest region in the world especially if he has seen but a small portion of his adopted country this is the said dr as the train passed over a stone bridge i ve often heard of it our used to sing down by s side it isn t much of a river here it is not you must remember that ireland is but a small country compared with your own and you must not expect to find very large rivers but it is quite a stream and during my former visit to this country i spent a week upon its bank i went up in a steamer from at its mouth to and i assure you it is a very beautiful river there are plenty of old castles and ruined there each of which has its legends castle for in is a ruin the rocks directly over the river the channel of the river at this place is said young america in ireland and scotland to have a depth and the water to be reached by a passage called hole through which some cruel irish baron conveyed the bodies of his victims i didn t see the passage and i don t believe the story the man that drove our car when we went to last week told me some monstrous stories if you were to tell them to a dead horse he would kick your brains out laughed paul at you will hear plenty of but you can use your own discretion in believing them during my trip up the i visited mount abbey which is inhabited by a community of whose of life are hardly equalled in the annals of rule they exclusively upon a vegetable diet use no not even tea sleep but five or six hours work very hard and maintain perpetual silence don t they talk at all not among themselves a few who teach their schools do the business of the abbey and receive visitors must speak of course they have a vast tract of land near by their labor here is we change carriages here i believe as the train stopped a short time at this station most of the boys got out to survey the premises the railway buildings were plain but very substantial there were first class waiting rooms and second and third class waiting rooms and refreshment for passengers with the same distinctions of grade r a first class traveller could not eat his so and or luncheon and drink his coffee with a second class traveller and when the boys saw the people who occupied the third class they were rather grateful for the distinction all the waiting rooms and the office were on one side of the double track but instead of compelling passengers to walk over the rails to the imminent danger of being run over by an approaching train there was an elevated bridge under which the carriages passed and travellers were forbidden to cross the track except by this bridge while they were waiting the train from arrived and the bells rang for the train to start paul and dr fortunately retained their places in the by which they had come from cork for some of the carriages were to proceed in that direction why this is a single track exclaimed paul after they had ridden a few miles yes why not asked the doctor amused at tlie earnestness of the young officer two or three years ago an english gentleman stopped a few days at my father s he was constantly running down our and complaining of single tracks he said all the in the united kingdom had two tracks he was slightly mistaken but he was right in the main this railway is a small affair compared with the one from to cork and there is not much travel upon it all the principal lines have double tracks in this country you cannot deny paul that some of our most important have but single young america in and l tracks and that hundreds of people have been by paul could not and did not deny that this was true and he was forced to confess that the arrangements for the protection of human life even in what he had seen o ireland were vastly superior to those of the united states here is the paul continued dr as he pointed to the | 36 |
low lands on the right hand side of the road that s the poor m ui s coal mine laughed paul yes and outside of the cities it is the only fuel used in some parts of the united states is used as fuel there they dig it out from here you perceive they take a off the top of the ground so as to leave the land level behind them you see the turf spread out to dry and piled up in heaps yes sir and there are some more irish they are mean houses very poor you would find but one room in those houses and in some of them you would see the pig and the cow sharing the quarters with the family or at least all living under the same roof and that a very small one isn t it strange they have no fences here added paul who was comparing the region with what he had seen in and new england they do have them but they call them here o yes i remember laughing at when he and or called a rail fence a ditch out at my father s country place precisely so and the fences here are there is one said the doctor pointing to a field they dig a and throw all the earth on one side it into shape as soldiers do when they sometimes they plant a hedge on the top of the i should think a cow would walk right over it as a general thing they form a sufficient barrier to prevent the passage of animals from one field to another if not the hedge is entirely effectual how many times have i seen that sign since we left cork said paul as they passed one of the frequent notices all persons on these grounds will be to the extent of tlie law or something of similar import people here are not allowed to enter other people s estates without permission land owners or tenants are more exclusive in their ideas than in america shooting and fishing are not allowed as they arc with us the privilege of hunting and catching the fish in the streams is bought and sold in some places a license may be obtained for shooting or fishing upon payment of a fixed sum in others the right is held by and gentlemen exclusively for themselves and their guests i read that there were plenty of salmon in the rivers in this part of ireland added paul they are taken in great abundance but no one can catch a fish without a license i think it is a hard case if a fellow can t go a young america in ireland and scotland fishing without asking some two and lord or baron said paul contemptuously the custom is certainly very different from our own but i can see no reason why the owner of a piece of land should be compelled to permit all the and of his neighborhood to hunt and fish upon his grounds i said the guard so the conductor of the train was called as the carriage stopped what a name i exclaimed paul it was formerly k e a n t u i r k meaning a s head i suppose some great irish killed one of these animals here some time or other and the act gave a name to the place the ruins of an unfinished castle may be seen about four miles off it was commenced by m in the time of elizabeth but as the english of the country thought it might be dangerous to s rule the was for to continue the said the guard half an hour later milk street exclaimed paul no near it is castle built by another of the and in one of tlie of which professor told you what a capital way they have to manage their passengers here said paul they don t let into the station unless they are going by the train it is a good plan the government the railroad companies better than it does the people there are mountains added paul after the train had started and or small ones that pair nearest to us are called the behind it farther off are the mountains and those as far as you can see are s the highest in ireland at three o clock in the afternoon the train was approaching and the boys were all on the for the lakes though nothing could be seen but the mountains in the distance there are plenty of hotels in said paul do you know at which one we stop doctor at the railway hotel that is not near the lake said mr who was in the same no it is about a mile and a half from the lower lake but i think it is the best hotel i stopped at the royal victoria when i was here added mr perhaps i should have gone there if an incident had not occurred to prevent me from doing so what was that i intended to stop at the lake hotel which is the only one on the border of the lake i was on the point of getting into the which runs to that hotel when the driver told me the house was full just then a for the royal victoria hailed me his manner did not suit me and i told the porter to put my trunk in the car for the railway the royal victoria by the nobility and gentry and the best in the said the way i answered you are a fool the bully i looked at him sternly young america in ireland and scotland my word you are a fool and you ll find it so repeated the i couldn t go to a hotel where they employed such as he was and shall do my best | 36 |
to keep my friends from going there i found the railway hotel to be an excellent and for that reason mr is going it s a very good reason replied mr that was the only instance of in an of a hotel in europe tliat has come to my knowledge the train stopped and the boys hastened to get out of the carriages lake hotel shouted a porter royal victoria said a tall dark fellow royal victoria sir addressing dr no you gave me royal victoria enough the last time i was here replied tlie doctor i beg your pardon sir but what do ye mane be that you called me a fool tlie last time i was here and for that reason this party about a hundred in number will stop at the railway hotel me you were a fool thin i say it again you are a fool added the angrily see here my hearty interposed peaks as he took the by the collar i don t allow any man to speak like that to the doctor take your hand off said the his irish blood stirred by the incident take your hand off br black yer two eyes peaks the fellow round and pitched and or towards the door of the station house he sprang forward and if a couple of the had not interfered there would doubtless have been a fight mr the for touching the bully whom the threatened to arrest if he did not instantly leave the station house there was no need of for the party for the railway hotel was but a few rods from the each student had a small bag containing his night shirt liis comb and and small articles but the crew of the young america carried but little luggage as the boys approached the hotel they were astonished at the elegant grounds adorned with beautiful gardens around it while the building itself was large and imposing an arrangement had been made with the landlord by letter for the accommodation of the ship s company and the large numbers so early in the season did not produce a panic extra beds had been put up for the boys before entering the hotel tlie s whistle the boys into line and the beggars and of began to gather to witness the unwonted sight but they were driven from the yard by a small of the who had been summoned to the premises for the protection of the party the lines filed into the hotel and up stairs where the rooms where assigned to the students a lunch was ready in the coffee room for them of which they partook and then went out to see the town it was a dirty place filled with beggars often called in the united kingdom and anxious to serve as guides young america ik and scotland the streets in the lower part of the town were packed with small irish and the language was heard on every hand it is said that a considerable portion of the people of the county of speak only the irish language the house were dirty and the men women and children were filthy to a degree which the students had never seen even at the five points in new york the men wore knee breeches and iron bound just as they are sometimes seen emerging from ships in america as the students walked through this part of the town they were assailed by beggars on every side and were compelled in self defence to retreat the business streets of the place were more respectable but it was impossible to escape the continuing the walk a little farther they came to the grounds of the estates and from poverty and wretchedness they were transported by a vision of loveliness for nothing could be more attractive than the domain of this nobleman the earl has an income of seventy thousand pounds a year or three hundred and fifty thousand dollars his tenants and his live in the most abject the latter receiving from five to seven shillings a week for their services truly the of wealth and poverty are tremendous in this nobility ridden land more than one of the students as they gazed upon the miserable irish and then at the magnificent grounds around house thanked god that they were not born in ireland if a fine country to from said bam as his party returned to the hotel and or what are those large buildings doctor asked paul as they stood on the front steps of the railway one is a and ae other an insane asylum that large establishment continued dr is called the union and contains about four hundred such are simply when shall we go to the lakes we haven t even seen them yet to morrow morning it is dinner time now replied the doctor many of the hotels at watering places like have a though such an institution is almost unknown in the cities of the united kingdom at the railway the hour was half past six and though dr objected to a hearty dinner at this time in the day he was obliged to submit mine host followed the french fashion he not only called his soup his fish and his salmon but every guest was obliged to eat by programme after soup and fish every dish on the bill of fare was passed to each and it was half past seven before the boys could see the thing through they were tolerably pa however for the food was a change fi om that to which they had been accustomed on board of tlie ship at aa early hour the party retired sleeping on shore for the first time since they left native land they were tired enough to sleep without rocking the boys were permitted to turn out in the morning at their own pleasure and | 36 |
before sunrise some of them were exploring the neighborhood while others young america in ireland and scotland s slept till seven o clock wearing away the of the preceding day breakfast at an english or irish hotel is a very different affair from the same meal in the united states hot cakes corn bread and the varieties of fish flesh and fowl cooked in every conceivable style as in the large hotels of our own country are not known a plain breakfast consists of tea or coffee and bread and but ter to which the guest may add a chop or eggs by paying an extra price on a side table in the coffee room are usually arranged a few cold dishes a boiled ham a leg of mutton a fowl and the visitor generally goes to this table himself and cuts out such as he wants mr feeling that the students needed something more substantial than bread and butter had made a special arrangement with the landlord and the party were supplied with and boiled eggs without limit to fit them for the heavy work of the day at eight o clock the were in front of the hotel and the plans for the day were announced the excursion was to include a trip through the three lakes in the boats and a walk of four irish miles through the gap of there were ninety six persons in the party besides peaks and they were divided into two equal companies one of which was to proceed in cars to the gap and the other in the boats to the vicinity of lord s cottage at the head of the upper lake where the two parties were to meet and have a lunch at about twelve o clock at tliis point those who had and or ap were to take the boats the were to proceed the same route the first n the cars were to wait s cottage parties would have an lakes and observe all the the gap the day was bright anticipated a splendid time had consulted the guide books of the scenes tliey were to mr had both been the the lakes and knew the place surgeon suggested to mr on the lakes were de bringing of the and the principal consulted and paid him a handsome f the railway hotel who alone the party and mine host should not disturb him doubtless he kept ble came from another quarter young america in and scotland i chapter vi the gap of tv cars were drawn up near the hotel the use of the shore party and the young in the highest of spirits leaped into their places the principal and the surgeon had seats in the cars while mr and several of the professors went with the lake company dr contrived to have paul who was a prime favorite with him at his side in the forward car while mr the better to overlook his charge occupied a place in the rear vehicle the procession passed through the principal street of the town in which its appearance excited the curiosity of the people and roused the beggars from their transient but no notice was taken of the and passing the magnificent c cathedral and the spacious or union tlie obtained their first view of the lower lake which is called there was certainly nothing very remarkable about it though it was a very pretty sheet of water i don t think that is much said paul it is all low land down here you see none of the beauties of the lakes wait till you reach the and upper lake and i am sure you will be satisfied re plied the doctor i am quite interested in the sights on shore it seems to me dr that the in ireland are bigger than the palaces the mystery to me is that they are no larger for i should think all the laboring people would sooner or later need a home in the most of these people work for about five shillings or a dollar and a quarter a week men with families and though the pig may pay the and the cow feed the babies there seems to be but little left to pay the other expenses of the family if they can get a poor piece of meat on sunday they are lucky there are the ruins of church paul continued the doctor pointing to the top of a hill the party stopped for a few minutes to explore the ruins of the church and castle which had probably been the residence of a bishop though nothing au was known in i to them the boys were not much interested in the ruins or the of the place and though professor gave a learned on history his hearers were impatient under it the ride of eight miles however through the country was full of interest had an opportunity to see the country of some of the gentry as well as the of the poor occasionally as they passed one of the latter a woman or a of boys and girls would start out from their and charge upon the cars begging for a with the usual tale of a sick father a dead young in and mother or starving children in one instance a wo man ran the cars for more than half a mile trying to present to any of the party a bunch of at last mr gave her a couple of which she picked up but still pursued the that he should take the which he did and she returned panting to her cabin when the procession reached a cross road within a mile or two of the gap a small regiment of guides mounted on as tliey called them though most of the animals were full sized horses the party have a pony your | 36 |
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