Twenty times I had it on my tongue"s end to tell him of my intention, but as often I checked myself. I did not fear that he would betray me, provided I gave up my design of running away; but I fancied he would advise me against it, and in the event of my persisting, _then_ he might betray me. It would be of no use, therefore, seeking counsel from him, and I kept the design to myself.
I ate my supper, and went to bed as usual.
You will expect to hear that I got out of bed, and stole away in the night.
Not so. I kept my bed till the usual hour for rising, though I slept scarce a wink. The thought of my important purpose kept me awake, and during the few s.n.a.t.c.hes of sleep I had, I dreamt of big ships and rolling seas, of climbing up tall masts, and dragging black, tarry ropes, till my fingers were in blisters.
I had at first partly made up my mind to take my departure in the night, which I could easily have effected without danger of disturbing any one.
There were no burglars in our quiet little village, nor had any been heard of for years, so that most people left their outside doors on the latch. The door of my uncle"s house was on that night particularly free of egress, for, it being summer, and the weather extremely hot, it had been left "on the jar." I could have slipped out without causing it even to creak.
But though so very young, I was not without some powers of ratiocination; and I reasoned that if I ran away in the night, I should be missed at an early hour of the morning, and consequently sought for.
The searchers, or some portion of them, would be pretty certain to follow me to the seaport town, and find me there as a matter of course.
I should be in no better position than if I had given John the slip on the preceding day. Moreover, it was but five or six miles to the town-- I should go over the ground in two hours at most--I should arrive too early, before the people of the ship would be stirring--the captain would be a-bed, and therefore I could not see him to offer myself as a volunteer in his service. These were the considerations that induced me to remain at home until morning, although I waited impatiently for the hour.
I ate my breakfast along with the rest. Some one observed that I looked pale and "out of sorts." John attributed it to my journey of the preceding day, under the hot sun; and this explanation seemed to satisfy every one.
After breakfast I was afraid I should be ordered to some work--such as driving a horse, from which I might not easily get off--some one might be set to a task along with me, who might report me too soon if I should absent myself. Fortunately there was no work fit for me on that particular day, and I was not ordered about anything.
Taking advantage of this, I brought out my sloop, which I was occasionally in the habit of amusing myself with during hours of leisure. There were other boys who had sloops, and schooners, and brigs, and we used to have races over the pond in the park. It was Sat.u.r.day. There was no school on Sat.u.r.day, and I knew that some of these boys would repair to the pond as soon as they had breakfasted, if not sooner. This would be a capital excuse for my going there; and with the sloop ostentatiously carried I pa.s.sed through the farmyard, and walked in the direction of the park. I even entered the enclosure, and proceeded to the pond, where, as I had conjectured, I found several of my companions with their little ships going, in full sail.
"Oh," thought I, "if I were to declare my intentions! what a stir it would make if the boys only knew what I was about to do with myself?"
I was welcomed by the boys, who seemed glad to see me once more among them. The reason of this was, that of late I had been kept almost constantly at work, and found but few occasions when I could join them at play, and I believe I had formerly been a play favourite with most of them.
But I remained among them only during the time in which the fleet made one voyage across the lake--a miniature regatta, in which my own sloop was conqueror--and taking the little vessel under my arm, I bade them good-day, and left them.
They wondered at my going away so abruptly, but I found some excuse that satisfied them.
As I crossed the park wall, I glanced back upon the companions of my childhood, and the tears ran down my cheeks as I turned away from them for ever.
I crouched along the wall, and soon got into the high road that led from our village to the seaport town. I did not remain upon the road, but crossed it, and took into the fields on the opposite side. My object in doing this was to get under cover of some woods that ran for a good distance nearly parallel to the direction of the road. Through these I intended to travel, as far as they would screen me from observation; for I knew that if I kept on the road I should run the chance of being pa.s.sed or met by some of the villagers, who would report having seen me, and thus guide the pursuit in the right direction. I could not guess at what hour the ship might weigh anchor, and therefore I could not make my time for absenting myself from the village. This had been the thought that troubled me all the morning. I feared to arrive too soon, lest the vessel might not sail until I should be missed, and people sent after me. On the other hand, I dreaded lest I might reach the port too late, and find the ship gone. This would have been a disappointment worse than to be taken back, and whipped for the attempt at running away--at least, so I should have considered it at the time. I say, then, that this was the thought that had annoyed me all the morning, and still continued to do so; for it no longer occurred to me that there was any danger of my being refused once I offered myself on the ship. I had even forgotten that I was so small a boy. The magnitude of my designs had magnified me, in my own estimation, to the dimensions of a man.
I reached the woods, and traversed them from end to end unseen. I met neither ranger nor gamekeeper. When I had pa.s.sed through the timber, I took into some fields; but I was now at a good distance from the road, and I was less afraid of meeting any one who knew me. I could tell how far I was from the road, by keeping the sea in sight, for I knew that the former ran close to the beach.
The tall spires of the seaport town at length came in sight, and by these I was enabled to guide myself in the proper direction. After crossing a great many drains and ditches, and scrambling through numerous hedges--here and there making a bit upon private roads that ran in the right course--I arrived on the outskirts of the town. I made no pause there, but directing my steps among the houses, I soon found a street that led towards the quay. I saw the tall masts as I approached, and wildly beat my heart as my eyes rested upon the tallest of all, with its ensign drawn up to the main truck, and floating proudly in the breeze.
I took note of nothing more; but, hurrying forward, I scrambled over the broad plank staging; and having crossed the gangway, stood upon the deck of the _Inca_.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
THE INCA AND HER CREW.
On crossing the gangway, I stopped near the main-hatchway, where five or six sailors were busy with a large pile of barrels and boxes. I saw that they were lading the vessel, and with a tackle were lowering the barrels and boxes into the hold. They were in their shirt-sleeves, some with Guernsey frocks and wide canvas trousers, smeared with grease and tar. One among them wore a blue cloth jacket, with trousers of similar material, and it occurred to me that he might be the mate; for I fancied that the captain of such a big ship must be a very grand individual, and very superbly dressed.
He with the blue jacket was constantly giving orders and directions to the sailors at work, which I noticed were not always promptly obeyed; and frequently the men might be heard suggesting contrary modes of action, until a hubbub of voices would arise disputing about the proper plan for executing the work.
All this would have been different on board a man-of-war, where the order of an officer is instantly obeyed without question or remark; but on a merchant vessel it is far otherwise. The orders of the mate are often issued more as counsels than commands, and the men exercise a sort of discretion in obeying them. This is not always the case, and depends very much on the character of the mate himself; but on board the _Inca_ the discipline did not appear to be of the strictest. What with the clatter of tongues, the "skreeking" of pulley-blocks, the rattling of boxes against each other, the bundling of trucks over the staging, and other like sounds, there was more noise than I had ever heard in my life. It quite disconcerted me at first; and I stood for some minutes in a state of half bewilderment at what I heard and saw.
After a while there was a sort of lull. The great water-b.u.t.t that the sailors had been lowering down the hatchway had reached the hold below, and been rolled into its place, and this produced a temporary cessation in the noises.
Just then one of the sailors chanced to set his eyes upon me; and, after regarding me with a comic leer, cried out--
"Ho! my little marlin-spike! What might _you_ be wantin" aboard?--goin"
to ship, eh?"
"No," rejoined a second; "don"t yer see he"s a captain hisself?--got his own craft there!"
This remark was made in allusion to my schooner, which I had brought along with me, and was holding in my hands.
"Schooner ahoy!" shouted a third of the men. "Whither bound?"
This was followed by a burst of laughter from all hands, who were now aware of my presence, and stood regarding me as though I was something extremely ludicrous in their eyes.
I was rather abashed by this reception on the part of the rough tars, and remained for some moments without knowing what to say or do. But I was relieved from my uncertainty by the mate in the blue jacket, who, approaching me, asked, in a more serious tone, what was my business aboard.
I replied that I wanted to see the captain. Of course I believed that there was a captain, and that he was the proper person to whom I should address myself in regard to the business I had in view.
"Want to see the captain!" echoed my interrogator. "And what might be your business with him, youngster? I"m the mate: won"t I do?"
I hesitated a moment; but seeing that it was the captain"s representative who put the question, I thought there could be no harm in frankly declaring my intentions. I replied--"I wish to be a sailor!"
If the men had laughed loud before, they now laughed louder. In fact there was a regular yell, in which the mate himself joined as heartily as any of them.
Amidst the peals of laughter, my ears were greeted with a variety of expressions that quite humiliated me.
"Look yonder, Bill!" cried one, addressing a comrade who was at some distance. "Look at the wee chap as wants to be a sailor. My eyes! You little tuppence worth o" ha"pence, you ain"t big enough for a belayin"
pin! A see-a-lor! My eyes!"
"Does your mother know yer out?" inquired a second.
"No, that she don"t," said a third, making reply for me; "nor his father, neyther. I"ll warrant, now, the chap has run away from home.
Have you gi"n "em the slip, little sticklebat?"
"Look here, youngster!" said the mate. "Take my advice: go back to your mother, give my compliments to the old lady, and tell her to take a turn or two of her petticoat strings round you, belay them to the leg of a chair, and keep you safe moored there for half a dozen years to come!"
This advice elicited a fresh peal of laughter. I felt humiliated at this rough bantering, and knew not what reply to make. In my confusion I stammered out the words--
"I have no mother to go home to!"
This reply appeared to produce a sudden effect upon the mirth of these rude-looking men, and I could hear some of them give utterance to certain expressions of sympathy.
Not so, however, the mate, who, without changing his tone of banter, instantly rejoined--
"Well, then, go to your father, and tell _him_ to give you a good flogging!"
"I have no father!"
"Poor little chap! it"s a horphin arter all," said one of the tars, in a kind tone.