If both had been laboring for the organization of the League on the same terms, Shuffles would certainly have the better chance of an election; but Pelham had been taking in members on false pretences, merely representing to those whom he approached that the League was an a.s.sociation having for its object the redress of their grievances. To only a few had he mentioned the fact that a regular mutiny was contemplated; that the ship was to be taken out of the hands of the princ.i.p.al, and an independent cruise commenced. He was afraid the whole truth would be more than some of them could bear; and perhaps 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 performs his 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 infidelity, 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 Shuffles and Pelham were pledging themselves to a kind of romantic fidelity, they were plotting each against the other, each being satisfied that he had the advantage of the other.
"Now, I"m afraid the election will give us some trouble," continued Shuffles. "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 superintend the ballot properly."
"I know there is all that difficulty, but I have thought of a method which I believe will give us a fair election," replied Pelham.
"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 candidates that each of us might be represented by one side of the ship. You shall be port, and I will be starboard Then every link in the Chain shall hand his vote, on which shall be written the single word port or starboard either to you or me; and if there are more port than starboard, you will be captain; if more starboard than port, I shall be captain! How does that idea strike you?"
"Pretty well; but the fellows have all got to write their votes, and others will want to know what it means. It will set outsiders to thinking, and I don"t believe the plan is quite safe."
"Well, what is your method?" asked Shuffles, who was willing to acknowledge the force of his rival"s objections.
"Perhaps my plan is as open to objection as yours," answered Pelham; "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 Shuffles, laughing at the idea.
"How are you, Beans?" added Pelham.
"Go on with your soup."
"We will give to every fellow belonging to the Chain one pea and one bean."
"I understand the plan now; but where are the fellows to deposit their vegetable ballots?"
"We can have a receiver; appoint some good fellow for the purpose--say, Greenway, the captain of the forecastle; or Tom Ellis, the third master."
"Tom Ellis! Does he belong?"
"Of course he does," laughed Pelham, who realized that he had been a little too fast in betraying the strength of his faction.
"I wouldn"t appoint an officer."
"Well, you mention some fellow," said the politic Pelham.
"Say Wilton."
"Mention another."
"Lynch."
"No; try again."
"Grossbeck."
"Very well; I will agree to him."
"But he might make some mistake."
"If he does, it will be in your favor, I suppose; for you nominated him, and, of course, he will give you the benefit of any doubt," replied Pelham.
"I want a fellow who will do it fairly. I don"t wish to get in by any mistake," said Shuffles, magnanimously.
"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 Shuffles.
"Well, if they don"t, they will know peas, which will do just as well,"
replied Pelham.
"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 clew to the whole thing."
"P.P.? That means P"s, I suppose."
"It means that, and more. P. for Pelham, and P. for peas. If they get one right, they can"t very well get the other wrong."
"That"s true," answered Shuffles, silenced, rather than convinced, by the tactics of his fellow-conspirator.
It was settled that he who knew peas must certainly "know beans."
"When shall the fellows vote?" asked Shuffles.
"After dinner to-morrow afternoon. Every fellow will be off duty an hour in the first or second dog watch," replied Pelham, who seemed to have an answer ready for every question. "The polls shall be kept open till eight o"clock. The peas and beans shall be distributed before eight bells in the forenoon watch, so that every fellow will be ready to vote."
"Where will Grossbeck stand when he receives the ballots?"
"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 votes 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 Shuffles.
"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 votes."