"You are right. My father, for one, wouldn"t let me stay on board a single day, if he knew any of the boys were gamblers."
"It can be easily stopped, now you know about it," added Shuffles.
"Perhaps it can. I will inform Mr. Lowington at once."
"Remember, if you please, what I said, Mr. Kendall. I am willing to do a good thing for the ship; but you know how much I should have to suffer, if it were known that I gave the information. I didn"t mean to blow on my shipmates; but you and I have been so intimate in the after cabin, that I spoke before I was aware what I was about," continued Shuffles.
"I shall not willingly betray you."
"Willingly! What do you mean by that?" demanded the conspirator, startled by the words of the officer.
"Suppose Mr. Lowington should ask me where I obtained my information,"
suggested Paul.
"Didn"t you see for yourself in No. 8?"
"He might ask what led me to examine the matter so particularly. But, Shuffles, I will tell him honestly that I do not wish to inform him who gave me the hint; and I am quite sure he will not press the matter, when he finds that the facts are correct."
"Don"t mention my name on any account," added Shuffles. "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, Shuffles," replied Paul, as he descended the cabin steps.
Mr. Lowington 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 princ.i.p.al was as polite to the young 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 the cabin steward, who was at work in the pantry.
"Come into my state room," said the princ.i.p.al, leading the way.
"I hope your business does not relate to the discipline of the ship,"
continued Mr. Lowington, when they were seated, and the door of the room was closed. "If it does, you should have applied to the captain."
"This is a peculiar case, sir, and I obtained my information while off duty," replied Paul, with some embarra.s.sment; for he had thought of communicating his startling discovery to Captain Gordon, and had only been deterred from doing so by the fear of betraying Shuffles.
"I will hear what you have to say."
"There is something very bad going on in the steerage," said Paul, seriously.
"Indeed! What is it?" asked the princ.i.p.al, full of interest and anxiety.
"Gambling, sir."
"Gambling!" repeated Mr. Lowington, his brow contracting.
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. Kendall?"
"Yes, sir, I am. In mess room No. 8, there are three 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. Kendall."
"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. Kendall; remain in this cabin, if you please, until my return," added the princ.i.p.al, as he moved towards the door.
"You must be careful when you approach them, sir, for the gamblers are very sly."
Mr. Lowington pa.s.sed from the professors" cabin into the steerage, and proceeding to the entrance of No. 8, he paused to listen. He heard the whispered conversation about the stakes, and "nicks," "browners" and "outs." The gamblers were by this time highly excited by the game, and had not only become imprudent, but absolutely reckless, so intense was the fascination of their employment. Suddenly, but with a light step, he entered the mess room. Wilton sat in the berth, while his companions occupied stools outside and their heads were close together.
Mr. Lowington took Adler by the collar of his frock with one hand, and Sanborn with the other, just as Wilton had thrown the props upon the bed. With a vigorous jerk, he tossed them back upon the floor, so as to obtain a full view of the stakes and the gambling implements. The culprits were astounded at this sudden descent upon them; but before they could comprehend the situation fully, the princ.i.p.al turned upon his heel, and left the room without a word of astonishment or censure.
"We"re in for it now," said Wilton, as his companions picked themselves up from the floor, and gazed at each other with a sheepish look.
"That"s so," replied Sanborn.
"We shall catch it," added Adler.
"We shall find out how the inside of the brig looks, in my opinion,"
continued Wilton. "I was a fool to play here, right in the steerage.
Shuffles told me that Lowington smelt a mice, and would make a row about this thing."
"Shuffles told you so!" exclaimed Adler. "How did he know?"
"I don"t know? I believe the parson told him last night, when he was in the brig."
"Why didn"t you say so then?" demanded Sanborn. "You have got us into a pretty sc.r.a.pe! That is the reason why Shuffles wouldn"t play himself."
"Yes, he said it was; but I didn"t believe Lowington knew anything 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 Wilton.
"Of course he did: you say Shuffles told you Lowington 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 props overboard now."
Mr. Lowington returned to the cabin, where he had left Paul Kendall. 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 forerunner of dissipation and crime; and he felt the responsibility which rested upon him as a guardian and instructor of youth.
"Mr. Kendall, your information was correct; and I commend the zeal you have displayed in bringing this fearful evil to light. How happened you to discover it?"
"I had a hint from a source which I would rather not mention," replied the second lieutenant, with some embarra.s.sment.
"Indeed!"
"Yes, sir; one of the students, who berths in the steerage, happened accidentally to let it out."
Paul said "accidentally," because he believed that Shuffles had been betrayed into the revelation by their former intimacy.
"And he does not wish to be regarded as an informer," added the princ.i.p.al.
"No, sir; after he had excited my curiosity, he told me where I could find the gamblers at play."