"Because the captain left word he wants to speak to you," he replied.
"You must go up again on the main-deck to his quarters aft."
Thoroughly frightened at this, I proceeded as he had directed me; and, on reaching the door of the captain"s cabin, the marine sentry standing outside pa.s.sed on my name and I was ushered in.
Cap in hand and in a state of much trepidation, I went along the gangway with him; and "bringing up" opposite an open door, I rapped at this with my heart in my mouth.
"Hallo!" cried a voice within. "Who"s there?"
"T-t-t," I stammered-- "T-T"m Bowling, sir."
"Oh!" exclaimed the same voice, in a softer and more kindly tone than at first, when, I confess, it sounded rather gruff and peremptory. "Come in, Tom Bowling."
With this, I went into what seemed to my eye, expecting, as I did, something very different on board ship, one of the grandest apartments I had ever seen; with sofas and pictures, and big looking-gla.s.ses, besides a piano at the end, just like a drawing-room. Why, the Queen herself couldn"t have had a finer place to live in!
The captain, who, of course, was the owner of the voice that had previously spoken, I saw was a nice, pleasant-faced, good-looking officer, looking every inch a sailor, and a smart one too!
He was sitting in a comfortable easy-chair that was fitted with gimbals, like the compa.s.s card in a binnacle, or some other appliance which permitted the occupant to shift round as he pleased without moving the seat; as my commanding officer did now, in order to face me.
"Don"t be afraid, my lad," he said kindly, seeing, no doubt, how nervous I looked. "I"ve only sent for you to let you know that I have been told of your exceedingly courageous conduct just now in saving your shipmate from a terrible death. I"m glad to see that you are bearing out by your behaviour the strong recommendation Captain Mordaunt, who is an old friend of mine, sent me when you came to join the service."
I declare you could have knocked me down with a feather on his saying this, the revulsion of feeling being so great; for I had expected something totally different, so I hardly knew what to say.
"Th-a-ank you, sir," I at last managed to get out. "I--I--I am very much obliged to you, sir."
"No obligation at all, my lad," he said, smiling. "I am only giving you your due, for I think you have really behaved in a very plucky manner, and deserve all that I have said, and more. I must tell you, though, I have heard something else also about you, Tom Bowling, which, perhaps, I might have been inclined to speak about, for I don"t like any fighting or ill-feeling between the boys under my command here; but, after what has occurred, I shall not take any notice of what I might have heard to your detriment. Besides, I believe you were not particularly in fault, all things considered."
Fancy! He must have been told of the fight between "Ugly" and me.
My face, no doubt, expressed the thoughts that pa.s.sed through my mind; and, as I could see from a mirror opposite me, I appeared, as father used to say, "like a cat looking nine ways for Sunday!"
The captain, though, evidently wished to set me at my ease.
"Never mind, my boy," he said rea.s.suringly. "We"ll let bygones be bygones; and, as you have so n.o.bly condoned the offence of fighting with your shipmate by subsequently saving his life, I feel more inclined to reward than punish you. Have you been allowed ash.o.r.e yet to see your parents since you joined?"
"No, sir," I replied. "I didn"t have my uniform rig last Sunday, sir."
"Well, then, my boy, you may go and see them this afternoon if you like, when you"ve finished your dinner. I will give you leave till Eight Bells."
So saying, he scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to me.
This was a pa.s.s, permitting me to be absent from the ship until the time specified on it.
Noticing, as I thanked him for his kindness, that I did not appear perfectly satisfied, he glanced at me scrutinisingly. His eye was like a gimlet, and seemed to penetrate my inmost thoughts; for, I declare, he guessed the feeling that was uppermost in my mind.
"Would you like, my lad," he said, smiling again, "to take a chum with you ash.o.r.e?"
"Why, sir," I exclaimed, "that was the very thing I was thinking of!"
"Ha!" said he, "I fancied that was what was on your mind. Who is your chum?"
"Mick Donovan, sir," I replied; "he"s an Irish lad who joined the ship the same time as me."
"All right; Mick Donovan shall go with you," said he. "Hand me back your pa.s.s."
This I did; whereupon he bracketed Mick"s name with mine and returned me the paper.
"You may go now," he said kindly, seeing the rush of joy that must have been reflected on my face, filling, as it did, my heart, though I hesitated to leave without his permission, albeit anxious to communicate the good news to Mick. "Stop, Tom, here"s half-a-crown for you and your chum to enjoy yourselves with."
He put the money into my hand as he spoke, extracting it from his pocket for the purpose; and, I recollect, it was a nice new bright half-crown piece, which, though it was "melted" very soon, will never pa.s.s out of my remembrance as quickly as it did from my possession!
Of course I thanked him before leaving; and, in going below, I halted at the police office, to tell the master-at-arms the result of my interview with our chief, whereat he appeared much satisfied, though he cautioned me to continue to be a good boy and not outstay my leave.
Making my way from thence below, it didn"t take me long to fetch up alongside Mick, who almost exploded with delight on my informing him we were to go ash.o.r.e together. He pitched the piece of "gammy duff" he was carving on his plate, which, by the way, was as hard as a brickbat, with the raisins or "gammies" which it contained barely at signal distance apart, right up above his head to the deck beam, where it caught on to one of the hooks and remained a fixture.
"Bedad, Tom, ye"re an anjul if ivver ther wor one," he cried, capering about as if he were mad. "We"ll hev a splindid toime of it entoirely.
Faith, Oi"ll go and git me hair cut, to look like a jintlemin, afore I says yer sisther an" yer fayther and moother!"
"I think I"ll do the same, Mick," said I. "They haven"t seen me in my bluejacket rig yet, and I want to look as smart as I can too!"
Accordingly, the two of us had recourse to the ship"s barber, who cropped us both so close that it would have puzzled anybody to have caught hold of what hair was left on the heads of either, aye even between his thumb and forefinger.
As a boat was leaving the ship early in the afternoon, we went in her; when, being landed at Point, we soon found our way to Bonfire Corner, I, of course, acting as the navigator.
Dear me, no one ever saw such a homecoming in their life before as that of mine that day!
Jenny, who was dusting a mat at the door, rushed frantically into my arms, mat and all, my little sister hugging me as if we had really been parted for years, instead of only for the short spell of time that had elapsed since our separation; and my mother, who was not so demonstrative, was quite as glad, I know, to see me; while as for father, who was having a spell-off in the backyard with his pipe, he beamed all over at the sight of me in my uniform.
"Lor", Tom!" he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, on my taking him unawares, with his head leaning back and the long churchwarden he was smoking dropping out of his mouth, for he had just started, with his eyes closed, for a "lay off the land," as he styled taking a snooze. "Ye"re the very h"image of what I wer" when I wer" your age--though not quite so good-looking I"m a-thinking!"
He said this in joke, for he and I were in the habit when in the wherry together of carrying on in that way and chaffing each other; but mother, who had followed me up, with Jenny behind her and Mick Donovan keeping close company in her wake, took poor father up with a round turn!
"What do you know what you were like at his age?" she cried. "Judging by your present figurehead, you couldn"t have been much to boast of!"
"Couldn"t I?" rejoined father. "I tell you what, Sarah, there wer" a lot more gals "sides you as wos a-runnin" arter me when I was a youngster and first jined the sarvice!" Hearing my mother"s name mentioned, old "Ally Sloper" at once struck up a screech, hopping through from the shop to join us.
"Say-rah, Say-rah!" he screamed, ruffling up the lemon crest on the top of his head, and spreading out the feathers round his neck that made him look as if he wore high collars. "I"ll wring your neck!"
I thought Mick Donovan would have died of laughing on hearing the c.o.c.katoo speak so funnily, his mirth being so contagious that we all followed suit; and, what with the screeching and screaming of the other birds, which seemed to take "Ally Sloper"s" cry for a signal and chimed in, you never heard such a row in your life.
"Bedad, Oi"m kilt entoirely!" exclaimed Mick, when he had well-nigh laughed himself black in the face. "Oi nivver heerd such a baste in me loife fur talkin", to bay sure!"
That made us all begin the concert over again; and I really think we kept on laughing and then stopping, only to break out again, until mother spread the table for tea, just to "shut our mouths," as she said.
Both she and father were really pleased to see Mick, whom they had welcomed as my chum in the first instance, but presently began to like for his own sake after his being but a very short time in their presence--he was such a jolly chap all round!
My sister, however, seemed a bit shy with him, as indeed Mick appeared to be with her, the two hardly exchanging a word; though I noticed that when Jack, the thrush, commenced calling out in his soft way, "Jenny!
Jenny!" Mick flushed up like a boiled lobster.