The sentry, for such he was, not understanding me, seized hold of my collar.
"You mustn"t be going in there, whoever you are," he said in a gruff tone.
"I"m a midshipman of this ship, and have a right to go wherever I like, I"m after thinking," I said, trying to shake myself clear of his grasp.
"Hush, now; be pleasant, will ye, and do as I order you!"
"I shouldn"t be finding it very pleasant if I was to break through the rules and regulations of the service," he answered. "Now go forward, young gentleman, and don"t be attempting to playing any of your tricks on me."
"I"m your officer, and I order you not to interfere with me, or say where I"m gone," I exclaimed.
"I obey no orders except from my own lieutenant or the captain and the lieutenants of the ship," answered the st.u.r.dy marine. "You can"t go into the captain"s cabin while I"m standing here as sentry;" and he proceeded to use more force than was agreeable to my dignity.
"Shure you"re an impudent fellow to behave so to an officer," I exclaimed; at which the sentry laughed, and said--
"Off with you, Master Jackanapes, and consider yourself fortunate that worse hasn"t come of your larking."
Trying to look dignified I answered--
"You"re an impudent fellow, and I shall make known your conduct to your superiors. I know your name, my fine fellow, so you"ll not get off." I had observed his name, as I thought, on his musket.
Just then Tom Pim popped his head above the hatchway, and I, finding that I was discovered, made chase after him. He quickly distanced me; and as I was rushing blindly along, I ran my head right into the stomach of old Rough-and-Ready, who, as ill-luck would have it, was on his way round the lower deck. I nearly upset him, and completely upset myself.
"Shure, sir, I never intended to behave so rudely," I said, as, picking myself up, I discovered whom I had encountered.
"Go to the masthead, and stay there till I call you down," thundered the lieutenant, rubbing the part of his body I had a.s.saulted.
"Please, sir, I had no intention in the world of running against you," I said, trying to look humble, but feeling much inclined to laugh at the comical expression of his countenance.
"Look to the rules and regulations of the service, where all inferiors are ordered to pay implicit obedience to their superiors," cried Mr Saunders. "To the masthead with you."
"If you please, sir, I should be happy to do that same if I knew the way; but I haven"t been up there yet, as the men have been painting the rigging with some black stuff, and I should be after spoiling my new uniform," I answered.
"Go to the masthead," again shouted the first lieutenant; "and you, Pim, go and show him the way," he exclaimed, catching sight of Tom Pim, who was grinning at me from the other side of the deck.
Tom well knew that it was against the rules and regulations of the service to expostulate; therefore, saying, "Come along, Paddy," he led the way on deck.
"Do as I do," he said, as he began to mount the rigging. "Just hold on with your hands and feet, and don"t let the rest of your body touch the rattlings or shrouds, and don"t be letting go with one hand till you have got fast hold with the other."
Up he went, and I followed. He was nimble as a monkey, so I had difficulty in keeping pace with him. Looking up, I saw him with his back almost horizontal above me, going along the futtock shrouds to get into the top. These are the shrouds which run from the side of the mast to the outer side of the top, and consequently a person going along them has his face to the sky and his back to the deck. Tom was over them in a moment, and out of sight. I didn"t like the look of things, but did my best; and though he stood ready to give me a helping hand into the top, I got round without a.s.sistance. We now had to ascend the topmost rigging to the cross-trees, where we were to stay till called down.
This was a comparatively easy matter, and as I didn"t once cast my eyes below I felt no giddiness. Tom seated himself as if perfectly at home, and bade me cross my legs on the other side of the mast.
"It"s lucky for you, Paddy, that you are able to gain your experience while the ship is in harbour and as steady as a church steeple. It would be a different matter if she were rolling away across the Bay of Biscay with a strong breeze right aft; so you ought to be duly thankful to old Saunders for mastheading you without waiting till we get there.
And now I"d advise you to have a look at the rules and regulations of the service. It will please old Rough-and-Ready if you can tell him you have employed your time up here studying them, but don"t forget you are up here, and go tumbling down on deck."
I was very well disposed to follow Tom"s advice, and I held tight on with one hand while I pulled the paper out of my pocket and read a page or two relating to obedience to superiors. Having thus relieved my conscience, I took a look round at the beautiful panorama in the midst of which the ship floated: the wooded banks, the magnificent harbour dotted over with numerous vessels; ships of war and merchantmen,--the latter waiting for convoy,--while among the former was the admiral"s flag-ship riding proudly, surrounded by the smaller fry. The pretty town of Cove, with neat houses and villas on the one side, and the mouth of the river Lee, running down from Cork, to the westward.
Sooner than we expected we heard old Rough-and-Ready"s voice summoning us down. He was not an ill-natured man. He knew well that my fault had been unintentional, and that Tom had certainly not deserved any punishment at all, for grinning at a brother midshipman in his presence could scarcely be considered disrespectful.
"You may go through the lubber"s hole," said Tom, when we reached the top.
"No, no. If you go round, I"ll go to," I answered. For being thus put on my mettle, I determined to do whatever he did. By holding fast with my feet and following him, I managed to put them on the rattlings underneath, and thus, though I didn"t like it at all, got down on to the main rigging.
"Next time you run along the deck, youngster, you"ll look where you"re going," said the first lieutenant, when I reached the deck.
"Ay, ay, sir," I said, touching my hat.
"Did you read the rules and regulations?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," I answered; "though I hadn"t time to get through them all."
He was pleased with the respect I paid him.
"Well, you"ll know them by heart soon; and to ensure that, remember to take them with you whenever you"re mastheaded."
"Of course, sir, if you wish it," I answered.
He gave a comical look at me under his bushy eyebrows, and turned on his heel.
After this I accompanied Tom into the berth. Old Nettleship was there.
I told him of the way the marine had behaved, and said that for the sake of keeping up the dignity of the midshipmen, I considered it necessary to make his conduct known, though I had no ill-feeling towards the man himself.
At this remark the old mate burst into a hearty fit of laughter.
"Midshipmen generally find it necessary to carry their dignity in their pockets; and I"d advise you, Paddy, to put yours there, though I approve of your spirit. The man will have been relieved some time ago, and you"ll find it difficult to recognise him among others."
"Oh! I know his name--it was Tower," I said in a tone of confidence.
At this there was a general roar of laughter.
"According to your notion all the jollies are Towers," cried Nettleship, when he regained his voice. "Why, Paddy, the muskets are all marked with the name of the Tower of London, where the arms are stored before they are served out."
"Shure how should I know anything about the Tower of London?" I asked.
"I"m after thinking it"s a poor place compared with Castle Ballinahone."
This remark produced another roar of laughter from my messmates.
"What are you after laughing at? I exclaimed. If any of you will honour us with a visit at Castle Ballinahone, you"ll be able to compare the two places, and my father and mother, and brothers and sisters, will be mighty plaised to see you."
The invitation was at once accepted by all hands, though for the present my family were pretty safe from the chances of an inundation of nautical heroes.
"And what sort of girls are your sisters?" asked Sims, who, I had discovered, was always ready for some impudence.
"Shure they"re Irish young ladies, and that"s all I intend to say about them," I answered, giving him a look which made him hold his tongue.
Still, in spite of the bantering I received, I got on wonderfully well with my new messmates; and though I had a fight now and then, I generally, being older than many of them, and stronger than others who had been some time at sea, came off victorious; and as I was always ready to befriend, and never bullied, my weaker messmates, I was on very good terms with all of them.
Tom Pim took a liking to me from the first, and though he didn"t require my protection, I felt ready to afford it him on all occasions. He was sometimes quizzed by Sims and others for his small size. "I don"t mind it," he answered. "Though I"m little, I"m good. If I"ve a chance, I"ll do something to show what"s in me." The chance came sooner than he expected. There were a good many raw hands lately entered, Larry among others. From the first he showed no fear of going aloft, looking upon the business much as he would have done climbing a high tree; but how the ropes were rove, and what were their uses, he naturally had no conception. "Is it to the end of them long boughs there I"ve got to go, Misther Terence?" he asked the first time he was ordered aloft, looking up at the yards as he encountered me, I having been sent forward with an order to the third lieutenant.
"There"s no doubt about it, Larry," I said; "but take care you catch hold of one rope before you let go of the other," said I, giving him the same advice which I had myself received.