"And a very good job too," said the inspector laughing, "otherwise, you might not perhaps have been so glad to meet me this morning; but come on now, lads. Let us go into the town to some restaurant, and then I will see you to the depot, if I can depend on your going back."
"That you can, sir," replied Val drily, "if you buy the tickets for us."
"Oh, I"ll see about that," said the inspector; and so, under his escort, they went into the nearest restaurant and had a good meal, after which the inspector took tickets for them, seeing them into the railway- carriage. The worthy policeman must also have said something to the guard, for after he had given Teddy his name, at the lad"s especial request, and wished them good-bye, some official or other came up and locked the door of the compartment, so that they could not have got out again if they had wished save by climbing through the window.
"He needn"t have been alarmed at our giving him the slip," observed little Maitland. "I am only too glad to be sent back in any fashion, ignominious though it may be to be under charge of the police."
"So am I," said Teddy; "but the inspector is a nice fellow after all, and has behaved very well to us."
He had been even more thoughtful, however, than the boys imagined; for, on the train arriving once more at the Melbourne terminus, who should be there to meet them but Uncle Jack!
"Well, you"re a nice pair of young scamps," was his exclamation when the door of the carriage was opened by another policeman, and they got out right in front of where he was standing. "What have you got to say for yourselves, eh, for taking leave in French fashion like that? Why, you ought to be keel-hauled both of you!"
But he saved them a long explanation by telling them that Jones, the other midshipman, having been knocked down with a marlinespike by the second-mate, Captain Lennard had both him and Mr Capstan brought before him, when, sifting the matter to the bottom, Jones had made a clean breast of the way in which he and the other youngsters had been bullied.
"And the upshot of the whole affair is," continued Uncle Jack, "Captain Lennard has dismissed Capstan from his ship, giving him such a discharge certificate that I don"t think he"ll get another second-mate"s place in a hurry! As for you, my young scamps, I don"t think the skipper will be very hard on you; but, Teddy, you ought to have told me of the treatment you three poor beggars were receiving at that ruffian"s hands all the voyage. Old Bill Summers, the boatswain, confirmed every word that Jones said, and was quite indignant about it."
"I didn"t like to tell, you being my uncle and over Mr Capstan," said Teddy; "I thought it would be mean."
"It is never mean to complain of injustice," replied Uncle Jack gravely; "still, the matter now rests with the skipper."
Captain Lennard gave the boys a good talking to for running away, saying that it wasn"t manly for young sailors to shirk their work in that way for any reason. However, considering all the circ.u.mstances of the case and the lesson they had learnt, that boys couldn"t be absolutely independent of those in authority over them, he said that he had made up his mind to forgive them, telling them they might return to their duty.
The pa.s.sengers having all landed and the ship cleared of her home cargo, she began immediately taking in wool for her return voyage, and in a few weeks" time set sail from the Heads for England--though _via_ Cape Horn this time, as is generally the routine with vessels sailing to Australia when coming back to the Channel.
There were only two pa.s.sengers on board, the captain and mate of a vessel that had been sold at Melbourne, she having only been navigated out by these officers for the purpose, and the vessel being unenc.u.mbered by emigrants the sailors had more room to move about. Teddy found it much pleasanter than on the pa.s.sage out, as Captain Lennard was able to spare more time in teaching him his duty, a task which he was ably backed up in by Uncle Jack and Robins, the new second-mate, a smart young seaman whom the captain had promoted from the fo"c"s"le to take Capstan"s vacant place, and a wonderful improvement in every way to that bully.
After leaving Port Philip, they had a fair enough pa.s.sage till they got about midway between New Zealand and the American continent, Captain Lennard taking a more northerly route than usual on account of its being the summer season in those lat.i.tudes, and the drift-ice coming up from the south in such quant.i.ties as to be dangerous if they had run down below the forties.
When the _Greenock_ was in longitude somewhere about 150 West and lat.i.tude 39 South a fierce gale sprung up from the north-east, right in their teeth, causing the lighter sails of the ship to be handed and the topgallants to be taken in.
At midnight on the same day, the wind having increased in force, the upper topsails were handed and the foresail reefed, the ship running under this reduced canvas, and steering east-south-east, the direction of the wind having shifted round more to the northward. The next evening, the wind veered to the westward, and was accompanied with such terrific squalls and high confused sea that Captain Lennard, who had thought at first he could weather out the storm under sail, determined to get up steam, and lowered the propeller so that the ship might lay-to more easily.
Later on in the afternoon, however, another shift of wind took place, the gale veering to sou"-sou"-west in a squall heavier than any of its predecessors; while a heavy sea, flooding the decks, broke through the hatchway and put out the engine fires.
Being a smart seaman, the captain had sail set again as soon as possible, hoisting reefed topsails and foresail to lift the vessel out of the trough of the following seas, in which she rolled from side to side like a whale in its death flurry.
All seemed going on well for a short time after this; and he and Uncle Jack thought they had weathered the worst of it, when the foresheet parted and the clew of the foresail, going through the lower foretopsail, split it in ribbons.
The barque was then brought to the wind on the port tack under the lower maintopsail, and she lay-to pretty well; but the wind kept on veering and beating with frequent squalls from sou"-sou"-west to west, so that at noon a strong gale prevailed again fiercer than before.
Teddy had not seen anything like this; but he wasn"t a bit frightened, and he was as active as the oldest sailor in lending help to carry out the captain"s orders, jumping here, there, and everywhere like a monkey.
The skipper was so pleased with his behaviour that he complimented him by telling Uncle Jack he was as good as his right hand!
Later on, the weather seemed calming down and all were very busy repairing damages; but, in the evening, a tremendous sea broke on board carrying away the bulwarks and chain-plates fore and aft on the port side, the accompanying violent gust of wind jerking the maintopsail as if it had been tissue paper out of the ship.
Immediately after this, with the first lee roll, the foremast broke off almost flush with the deck and fell with a crash over the side, taking with it everything that stood but the lower main and mizzen masts, leaving the _Greenock_ rolling a hopeless wreck on the waste of raging waters.
CHAPTER TWELVE.
EASTER ISLAND.
The gale suddenly ceased during the night, but all hands remained on deck; for, the sea was still rolling mountains high and coming in occasionally over the broken bulwarks, causing Captain Lennard much anxiety about the boats, which, fortunately, the broken top hamper kept from being washed overboard.
In the morning it was quite calm again; but the poor old ship presented a piteous scene of desolation, with her broken sides, and her gay array of towering masts and spreading yards and spread of canvas all swept away.
Teddy could nearly have cried at the sorry sight; not reflecting that through the merciful care of a divine providence watching over all not a life had been lost.
With the daylight, Captain Lennard took a rapid review of their position.
He had caused a stout tarpaulin to be lashed over the engine-room hatch, thus preventing any more water from pa.s.sing down into the hold there in any perceptible quant.i.ty; still, the carrying away of the bulwarks and chain-plates had strained the ship very much on the port side, and when the carpenter sounded the well at eight bells the ship was found to be leaking fast, having already a depth of two feet in her.
"Man the pumps!" cried the captain; when Uncle Jack lending a willing hand, the crew under his encouragement were soon working away steadily with a clink-clank, clink-clank, the water pouring out through the scuppers in a continuous stream.
However, on the well being sounded again presently, it was found to be flowing in equally steadily, having risen already six inches more in spite of all their pumping!
What was to be done?
The captain and Uncle Jack deliberated together, summoning the new third mate to a.s.sist their counsels; but, they could only arrive at one opinion.
The ship was sinking fast, and all hands knew it as well as they themselves; for, in addition to the damage done to the sides and bulwarks, the heavy propeller had aided the waves in wrenching away the rudder, which carried with it the greater portion of the stern-post.
"We must take to the boats," said Captain Lennard. "Thank G.o.d, they are all right, and haven"t been washed away in the storm!"
Leaving the useless pumps, therefore, for it was of no avail fatiguing the men with the unnecessary exertion any longer, all the pumping in the world being idle to save the vessel, the hands were at once set to work clearing the boats and getting them over the side.
It was a ticklish job, the long-boat especially being very heavy, and there being no means, now they had lost their masts, of rigging a tackle aloft to hoist it off the chocks amidships.
Still, necessity teaches men alternatives in moments of great peril; so, now, knocking away the under fastenings of the boat by main force, the crew managed at last to get it free. Then, improvising rollers out of pieces of the broken topmast, they contrived by pulling and hauling and shoving, all working with a will together, to launch it over the side through the hole in the bulwarks.
The jolly-boat followed suit, an easier task; and then, the two being deemed sufficient to accommodate all on board, just sixty-one in number including the two pa.s.sengers, Captain Lennard gave the order to provision them, telling the steward to bring out all the cabin stores for this purpose, there being now no further use for them on board the ship, and officers and men being ent.i.tled to share alike without distinction.
The captain himself, while this was being done, saw to the ship"s log and other papers, taking also out of the cabin his best chronometer and a chart or two, as well as a s.e.xtant and some mathematical instruments.
These preparations for departure, though, were abruptly cut short by a warning cry from Bill Summers, the boatswain.
"We"d better look sharp, sir," he called out to Uncle Jack, who was busily engaged superintending the stowage of the provisions in the two boats. "The water is arising rapidly, and is now nearly up to the "tween-decks!"
Uncle Jack pa.s.sed on the word to the captain, who instantly came up the companion.
Seeing the truth of the boatswain"s statement from the deeper immersion of the ship since he had gone below, he at once ordered the men down into the boats, the pa.s.sengers going first; then the foremast hands; and, lastly, the officers.
"Mr Althorp," said the captain, "you will take charge of the jolly-boat and shove off as soon as she"s got her complement. I will command the long-boat myself."
"Aye, aye, sir," responded Uncle Jack, descending into the boat when she had as many in her as she could safely hold; when, shoving off from the ship"s side and rowing a few strokes, the men lay on their oars, remaining some twenty yards off so as to be out of the whirlpool or eddy that would be formed when the vessel presently foundered.