Mr. Midshipman Easy Read online

  CHAPTER NINE.

  IN WHICH MR. EASY FINDS HIMSELF ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BAY OF BISCAY.

  The next morning Jack Easy would have forgotten all about his engagementwith the captain, had it not been for the waiter, who thought that,after the reception which our hero had given the first-lieutenant, itwould be just as well that he should not be disrespectful to thecaptain. Now Jack had not, hitherto, put on his uniform, and he thoughtthis a fitting occasion, particularly as the waiter suggested thepropriety of his appearance in it. Whether it was from a presentimentof what he was to suffer, Jack was not at all pleased, as most lads are,with the change in his dress. It appeared to him that he wassacrificing his independence; however, he did not follow his firstimpulse, which was to take it off again, but took his hat, which thewaiter had brushed and handed to him, and then set off for the captain'slodgings. Captain Wilson received him as if he had not been aware ofhis delay in joining his ship, or his interview with hisfirst-lieutenant, but before breakfast was over, Jack himself narratedthe affair in a few words. Captain Wilson then entered into a detail ofthe duties and rank of every person on board of the ship, pointing outto Jack that where discipline was required, it was impossible, when dutywas carried on, that more than one could command; and that that one wasthe captain, who represented the king in person, who represented thecountry; and that, as the orders were transmitted from the captainthrough the lieutenant, and from the lieutenant to the midshipmen, who,in their turn, communicated them to the whole ship's company, in fact,was the captain alone who gave the orders, and that every one was_equally_ obliged to obey. Indeed, as the captain himself had to obeythe orders of his superiors, the admiral and the admiralty, _all_ onboard might be said to be _equally_ obliged to obey. Captain Wilsonlaid a strong emphasis on the word _equally_, as he cautiouslyadministered his first dose; indeed, in the whole of his address, hemade use of special pleading, which would have done credit to the Bar;for at the same time that he was explaining to Jack that he was enteringa service in which _equality_ could never for a moment exist, if theservice was to exist, he contrived to show that all the grades werelevelled, by all being equally bound to do their duty to their country,and that, in fact, whether a seaman obeyed _his_ orders, or he obeyedthe orders of _his_ superior officer, they were in reality only obeyingthe orders of the country, which were administered through theirchannels.

  Jack did not altogether dislike this view of the subject, and thecaptain took care not to dwell too long upon it. He then entered uponother details, which he was aware would be more agreeable to Jack. Hepointed out that the articles of war were the rules by which the servicewas to be guided, and that everybody, from the captain to the least boyin the ship, was _equally_ bound to adhere to them--that a certainallowance of provisions and wine was allowed to each person on board,and that this allowance was the same to all; the same to the captain asto the boy: the same in quantity as in quality; every one _equally_entitled to his allowance;--that, although there were, of necessity,various grades necessary in the service, and the captain's orders wereobliged to be passed and obeyed by all, yet still, whatever was thegrade of the officer, they were _equally_ considered as gentlemen. Inshort, Captain Wilson, who told the truth, and nothing but the truth,without telling the whole truth, actually made Jack fancy that he had atlast found out that equality he had been seeking for in vain on shore,when, at last, he recollected the language used by Mr Sawbridge theevening before, and asked the captain why that personage had soconducted himself. Now, as the language of Mr Sawbridge was very muchat variance with equality, Captain Wilson was not a little puzzled.However, he first pointed out that the first-lieutenant was, at the timebeing, the captain, as he was the senior officer on board, as would Jackhimself be if he were the senior officer on board; and that, as hebefore observed, the captain or senior officer represented the country.That in the articles of war, everybody who absented himself from theship, committed an error, or breach of those articles; and if any erroror breach of those articles was committed by any one belonging to theship, if the senior officer did not take notice of it, he then himselfcommitted a breach of those articles, and was liable himself to bepunished, if he could not prove that he had noticed it; it was thereforeto save himself that he was obliged to point out the error; and if hedid it in strong language, it only proved his _zeal_ for his country.

  "Upon my honour, then," replied Jack, "there can be no doubt of hiszeal; for if the whole country had been at stake, he could not have puthimself in a greater passion."

  "Then he did his duty; but depend upon it it was not a pleasant one tohim: and I'll answer for it, when you meet him on board, he will be asfriendly with you as if nothing had happened."

  "He told me that he'd soon make me know what a first-lieutenant was:what did he mean by that?" inquired Jack.

  "All zeal."

  "Yes, but he said, that as soon as he got on board, he'd show me thedifference between a first-lieutenant and a midshipman."

  "All zeal."

  "He said my ignorance should be a little enlightened by-and-by."

  "All zeal."

  "And that he'd send a sergeant and marines to fetch me."

  "All zeal."

  "That he would put my philosophy to the proof."

  "All zeal, Mr Easy. Zeal will break out in this way; but we should donothing in the service without it. Recollect that I hope and trust oneday to see you also a zealous officer."

  Here Jack cogitated considerably, and gave no answer.

  "You will, I am sure," continued Captain Wilson, "find Mr Sawbridge oneof your best friends."

  "Perhaps so," replied Jack: "but I did not much admire our firstacquaintance."

  "It will perhaps be your unpleasant duty to find as much fault yourself;we are all equally bound to do our duty to our country. But, Mr Easy,I sent for you to say that we shall sail to-morrow: and, as I shall sendmy things off this afternoon by the launch, you had better send yoursoff also. At eight o'clock I shall go on board, and we can both go inthe same boat."

  To this Jack made no sort of objection, and having paid his bill at theFountain, he sent his chest down to the boat by some of the crew whocame up for it, and attended the summons of the captain to embark. Bynine o'clock that evening, Mr Jack Easy was safe on board his Majesty'ssloop _Harpy_.

  When Jack arrived on board, it was dark, and he did not know what to dowith himself. The captain was received by the officers on deck, whotook off their hats to salute him. The captain returned the salute, andso did Jack very politely, after which the captain entered intoconversation with the first-lieutenant, and for a while Jack was left tohimself. It was too dark to distinguish faces, and to one who had neverbeen on board of a ship, too dark to move, so Jack stood where he was,which was not far from the main bitts; but he did not stay long; theboat had been hooked on to the quarter davits, and the boatswain hadcalled out:

  "Set taut, my lads!"

  And then with the shrill whistle, and "Away with her!" forward camegalloping and bounding along the men with the tackles; and in the darkJack was upset, and half a dozen marines fell upon him; the men, who hadno idea that an officer was floored among the others, were pleased atthe joke, and continued to dance over those who were down, until theyrolled themselves out of the way. Jack, who did not understand this,fared badly, and it was not till the calls piped belay, that he couldrecover his legs, after having been trampled upon by half the starboardwatch, and the breath completely jammed out of his body. Jack reeled toa carronade slide, when the officers, who had been laughing at the larkas well as the men, perceived his situation--among others, MrSawbridge, the first-lieutenant.

  "Are you hurt, Mr Easy?" said he kindly.

  "A little," replied Jack, catching his breath.

  "You've had but a rough welcome," replied the first-lieutenant, "but atcertain times, on board ship, it is every man for himself, and God forus all. Harpur," continued the first-lieutenant to the doctor, "takeMr Easy down in the gun-r
oom with you, and I will be down myself assoon as I can. Where is Mr Jolliffe?"

  "Here, sir," replied Mr Jolliffe, a master's mate, coming aft from thebooms.

  "There is a youngster come on board with the captain. Order one of thequartermasters to get a hammock slung."

  In the meantime Jack went down into the gun-room, where a glass of winesomewhat recovered him. He did not stay there long, nor did he ventureto talk much. As soon as his hammock was ready, Jack was glad to go tobed--and as he was much bruised he was not disturbed the next morningtill past nine o'clock. He then dressed himself, went on deck, foundthat the sloop was just clear of the Needles, that he felt very queer,then very sick, and was conducted by a marine down below, put into hishammock, where he remained during a gale of wind of three days,bewildered, confused, puzzled, and every minute knocking his headagainst the beams with the pitching and tossing of the sloop.

  "And this is going to sea," thought Jack; "no wonder that no oneinterferes with another here, or talks about a trespass; for I'm sureany one is welcome to my share of the ocean; and if I once get on shoreagain, the devil may have my portion if he chooses."

  Captain Wilson and Mr Sawbridge had both allowed Jack more leisure thanmost midshipmen, during his illness. By the time that the gale wasover, the sloop was off Cape Finisterre. The next morning the sea wasnearly down, and there was but a slight breeze on the waters. Thecomparative quiet of the night before had very much recovered our hero,and when the hammocks were piped up, he was accosted by Mr Jolliffe,the master's mate, who asked, "whether he intended to rouse and bit, orwhether he intended to sail to Gibraltar between his blankets."

  Jack, who felt himself quite another person, turned out of his hammockand dressed himself. A marine had, by the captain's orders, attendedJack during his illness, and this man came to his assistance, opened hischest, and brought him all that he required, or Jack would have been ina sad dilemma.

  Jack then inquired where he was to go, for he had not yet been in themidshipmen's berth, although five days on board. The marine pointed itout to him, and Jack, who felt excessively hungry, crawled over andbetween chests, until he found himself fairly in a hole infinitelyinferior to the dog-kennels which received his father's pointers.

  "I'd not only give up the ocean," thought Jack, "and my share of it, butalso my share of the _Harpy_, unto any one who fancies it. Equalityenough here! for every one appears equally miserably off."

  As he thus gave vent to his thoughts, he perceived that there wasanother person in the berth--Mr Jolliffe, the master's mate, who hadfixed his eye upon Jack, and to whom Jack returned the compliment. Thefirst thing that Jack observed was, that Mr Jolliffe was very deeplypockmarked, and that he had but one eye, and that was a piercer; itappeared like a little ball of fire, and as if it reflected more lightfrom the solitary candle than the candle gave.

  "I don't like your looks," thought Jack--"we shall never be friends."

  But here Jack fell into the common error of judging by appearances, aswill be proved hereafter.

  "I'm glad to see you up again, youngster," said Jolliffe; "you've beenon your beam ends longer than usual, but those who are strongest suffermost--you made your mind up but late to come to sea. However, they say,`Better late than never.'"

  "I feel very much inclined to argue the truth of that saying," repliedJack; "but it's no use just now. I'm terribly hungry--when shall I getsome breakfast?"

  "To-morrow morning at half-past eight," replied Mr Jolliffe."Breakfast for to-day has been over these two hours."

  "But must I then go without?"

  "No, I do not say that, as we must make allowances for your illness; butit will not be breakfast."

  "Call it what you please," replied Jack. "Only pray desire the servantsto give me something to eat. Dry toast or muffins--anything will do,but I should prefer coffee."

  "You forget that you are off Finisterre, in a midshipman's berth: coffeewe have none--muffins we never see--dry toast cannot be made, as we haveno soft bread; but a cup of tea, and ship's biscuit and butter, I candesire the steward to get ready for you."

  "Well then," replied Jack, "I will thank you to procure me that."

  "Marine," cried Jolliffe, "call Mesty."

  "Pass the word for Mesty," cried the marine--and the two syllables werehanded forward until lost in the fore part of the vessel.

  The person so named must be introduced to the reader. He was a curiousanomaly--a black man who had been brought to America as a slave, andthere sold.

  He was a very tall, spare-built, yet muscular form, and had a face by nomeans common with his race. His head was long and narrow, highcheek-bones, from whence his face descended down to almost a point atthe chin; his nose was very small, but it was straight and almost Roman;his mouth also was unusually small; and his lips thin for an African;his teeth very white, and filed to sharp points. He claimed the rank ofprince in his own country, with what truth could not of course besubstantiated. His master had settled at New York, and there Mesty hadlearned English, if it could be so called: the fact is, that all theemigrant labourers at New York being Irishmen, he had learned Englishwith the strong brogue and peculiar phraseology of the sister kingdomdashed with a little Yankeeism.

  Having been told that there was no slavery in England, Mesty hadconcealed himself on board an English merchant vessel, and escaped. Onhis arrival in England he had entered on board of a man-of-war. Havingno name, it was necessary to christen him on the ship's books, and thefirst lieutenant, who had entered him, struck with his remarkableexpression of countenance, and being a German scholar, had named himMephistopheles Faust, from whence his Christian name had been razeed toMesty. Mesty in other points was an eccentric character; at one moment,when he remembered his lineage, he was proud to excess, at others he wasgrave and almost sullen--but when nothing either in daily occurrences orin his mind ran contrary, he exhibited the drollery so often found inhis nation, with a spice of Irish humour, as if he had caught up thelatter with his Irish brogue.

  Mesty was soon seen coming aft, but almost double as he couched underthe beams, and taking large strides with his naked feet.

  "By the powers, Massa Yolliffe, but it is not seasonable at all to sendfor me just now, anyhow, seeing how the praters are in the copper, andso many blackguard 'palpeens all ready to change net for net, and betterthemselves by the same mistake, `dam um.'"

  "Mesty, you know I never send for you myself, or allow others to do so,unless it is necessary," replied Jolliffe; "but this poor lad has eatennothing since he has been on board, and is very hungry--you must get hima little tea."

  "Is it tay you mane, sir?--I guess, to make tay, in the first place Imust ab water, and in the next must ab room in the galley to put thekettle on--and 'pose you wanted to burn the tip of your little fingerjust now, it's not in the galley that you find a berth for it--and denthe water before seven bells. I've a notion it's just impassible."

  "But he must have something, Mesty."

  "Never mind the tea, then," replied Jack, "I'll take some milk."

  "Is it milk massa manes, and the bumboat woman on the oder side of thebay?"

  "We have no milk, Mr Easy; you forget that we are on blue water,"replied Jolliffe, "and I really am afraid that you'll have to wait tilldinner-time. Mesty tells the truth."

  "I tell you what, Massa Yolliffe, it just seven bells, and if the younggentleman would, instead of tay, try a little out of the copper, itmight keep him asy. It but a little difference, _tay_ soup and _pay_soup. Now a bowl of that, with some nuts and a flourish of pepper willdo him good, anyhow."

  "Perhaps the best thing he can take, Mesty; get it as fast as you can."

  In a few minutes the black brought down a bowl of soup and whole peasswimming in it, put before our hero a tin bread-basket full of smallbiscuit, called midshipmen's nuts, and the pepper-castor. Jack'svisions of tea, coffee, muffins, dry toast, and milk, vanished as heperceived the mess; but he was very hungry, and he found it much bet
terthan he expected; and he moreover found himself much the better after hehad swallowed it. It struck seven bells, and he accompanied MrJolliffe on deck.