"Don"t let us quarrel about it, my dear fellow," said Shuffles, in soft, insinuating 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, Shuffles, you and I are too smart to play in the same game. I shall stick to the bond. When you order me to do anything, I shall do it," replied Pelham as he turned on his heel and walked off.
He retreated into the after cabin, where Shuffles could not follow him.
At the cabin table, studying his French lesson, sat Paul Kendall.
CHAPTER XIX.
MAN OVERBOARD!
"Do you know how to play "Don"t know Beans"?" asked Pelham, as he seated himself by the side of the second lieutenant.
"Yes; I know how to play it, but it"s a stupid game. Shuffles 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, Kendall," laughed Pelham. "It was no game at all."
"What are you laughing at?"
"You were sold on that game," added the conspirator indulging in more laughter than the occasion seemed to require.
"How was I sold? I don"t see anything 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.
"When you gave those fellows the beans that day, you were voting!"
"Voting! Voting for what, or whom?" exclaimed the second lieutenant.
"For Shuffles."
"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 the trick," replied Pelham 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."
"I"ll tell you, Kendall; but you must keep still about it for the present."
"It looks to me, on the face of it, like a dishonest trick. It seems that Shuffles 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, Kendall. It was not only a dishonest trick, but it was a mean one."
"What was the position?" repeated Paul.
"Some of the fellows are going to make Mr. Lowington a present of a silver pitcher as soon as we get to some port where we can obtain one."
"Why didn"t you tell of it?" demanded Paul. "I should like to join in the presentation, for I don"t think there is a fellow on board who likes Mr. Lowington better than I do."
"Yes; but, you see, there"s something peculiar about this thing. The contribution is to be confined to those fellows who have been disciplined in one way or another. A good many of us, you know, were mad when Mr. Lowington 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. "That"s splendid! Mr.
Lowington will appreciate the gift when he sees the names of the subscribers."
"Certainly he will."
"But you have no money," laughed the second lieutenant.
"We have put our names down for ten shillings apiece--about thirty of us. When we get into port, we shall tell Mr. Lowington that we wish to present a silver pitcher to a gentleman on board, in token of our appreciation of his kindness, &c., and ask him for 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 princ.i.p.al for ten shillings, to be paid to Dr. Winstock, who will buy the pitcher 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. Lowington until after the presentation. Then he will have no chance to object, on the suspicion that the gift is intended for him--don"t you see?"
Paul Kendall entered into the project with a degree of enthusiasm which was rather embarra.s.sing to the conspirator.
"The fellows have been very secret about the thing," added Pelham.
"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 voting for?"
"For orator of the day."