"That is a weak plea for a sailor to make. Mr. Pelham, I confess my surprise to find one who has done so well engaged in acts of disobedience."
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 princ.i.p.al.
"For smoking, you will lose ten marks; for lighting your lamp, ten more," added the princ.i.p.al.
"You might as well send me into the steerage at once," answered Pelham.
"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 disobey it; the fear of the muscular boatswain, the irons, and the brig, rather than that of immediate degradation to the steerage, operating upon his mind. The princ.i.p.al went on deck; Pelham turned in, and was soon followed, without a word of comment on the events which had just transpired, by Goodwin.
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 reef in the topsails. At eight bells the courses were furled. The gale continued to increase in power during the forenoon, and by noon a tremendous sea had been stirred up. The ship rolled almost down to her beam ends, and the crests of the waves seemed to be above the level of the main yard.
In the popular exaggerated language, "the waves ran mountain high,"
which means from twenty to forty feet; perhaps, on this occasion, twenty-five feet from the trough of the sea to the crest of the billow.
Even this is a great height 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 was constantly flooded with water; additional life-lines had been stretched across from rail to rail, and every precaution taken to insure the safety of the crew.
Study and recitation 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 forenoon watch, the royal and top-gallant yards had been sent down, and the ship was laid to under a close-reefed main-topsail, which the nautical 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 the safety of the 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 hull being at an angle of forty-five degrees, with a line indicating the direction of the wind. Her topsail yard was braced so that it pointed directly to the north-east--the quarter from which the gale blew. The helm was put a-lee just enough to keep her in the position indicated. She made little or no headway, but rather drifted with the waves.
The young tars had a hard forenoon"s work; and what was done was accomplished with triple the labor required in an ordinary sea. All hands were on duty 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 refreshments were coffee and "hard tack."
"This is a regular muzzler, Pelham," said Shuffles, in the afternoon, as they were holding on at the life-lines in the waist.
"That"s a fact; and I"ve got about enough of this thing."
"There isn"t much fun in it," replied Shuffles, who had been watching for this opportunity 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 goner!" added Pelham, with a smile.
"What made you mad?"
"The captain snubbed me; then Lowington 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 taught that "single slips" are not to be tolerated. 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, Shuffles informed the fourth lieutenant of the object of the "Chain," which Pelham 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 princ.i.p.al for his degrading and tyrannical regulation, as the recreant officer chose to regard it.
By the exercise of some tact, the conspirators found a convenient place under the top-gallant forecastle to consider the project. Pelham was duly "toggled," and offered no objection to the penalty; indeed, he only laughed at it.
"Suppose we get possession of the ship--what then?" asked Pelham.
"We will go on a cruise. 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."
Pelham 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."
"What will you do with the princ.i.p.al and the professors?" asked Pelham, lightly.
"We can run up within ten or fifteen miles of Cape Sable, give them one of the boats, and let them go on sh.o.r.e."
"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. I"m not going to be ground under Lowington"s feet, and be snubbed by such fellows as Gordon. If I want to smoke a cigar, I"m going to do it."
"Or take a gla.s.s of wine," suggested Shuffles.
"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, Shuffles, who are to be the officers?" asked Pelham.
"We shall have good fellows for officers. You will be one, of course."
"I suppose I am 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 Pelham.
"All the fellows know how to work a ship now, except the green hands that came aboard this year."
"This is rather an important matter. Shuffles, for everything depends upon the officers. For instance, who will be captain?" asked Pelham, with a.s.sumed indifference.
"I shall, of course," replied Shuffles, with becoming modesty.
"That"s a settled matter, I suppose."