He was
now once more happy in the affection of his shipmates, who, one and
all, pronounced him sound to the kelson.
The Pisco soon told; and, with great difficulty, we restrained a party
in the very act of breaking into the after-hold in pursuit of more.
All manner of pranks were now played.
"Mast-head, there! what d'ye see?" bawled Beauty, hailing the
main-truck through an enormous copper funnel. "Stand by for stays,"
roared Flash Jack, bawling off with the cook's axe, at the fastening
of the main-stay. "Looky out for 'quails!" shrieked the Portuguese,
Antone, darting a handspike through the cabin skylight. And "Heave
round cheerly, men," sung out Navy Bob, dancing a hornpipe on the
forecastle.
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE SECOND NIGHT OFF PAPEETEE
TOWARD sunset, the mate came off, singing merrily, in the stern of his
boat; and in attempting to climb up the side, succeeded in going
plump into the water. He was rescued by the steward, and carried
across the deck with many moving expressions of love for his bearer.
Tumbled into the quarter-boat, he soon fell asleep, and waking about
midnight, somewhat sobered, went forward among the men. Here, to
prepare for what follows, we must leave him for a moment.
It was now plain enough that Jermin was by no means unwilling to take
the Julia to sea; indeed, there was nothing he so much desired;
though what his reasons were, seeing our situation, we could only
conjecture. Nevertheless, so it was; and having counted much upon his
rough popularity with the men to reconcile them to a short cruise
under him, he had consequently been disappointed in their behaviour.
Still, thinking that they would take a different view of the matter,
when they came to know what fine times he had in store for them, he
resolved upon trying a little persuasion.
So on going forward, he put his head down the forecastle scuttle, and
hailed us quite cordially, inviting us down into the cabin; where, he
said, he had something to make merry withal. Nothing loth, we went;
and throwing ourselves along the transom, waited for the steward to
serve us.
As the can circulated, Jermin, leaning on the table and occupying the
captain's arm-chair secured to the deck, opened his mind as bluntly
and freely as ever. He was by no means yet sober.
He told us we were acting very foolishly; that if we only stuck to the
ship, he would lead us all a jovial life of it; enumerating the casks
still remaining untapped in the Julia's wooden cellar. It was even
hinted vaguely that such a thing might happen as our not coming back
for the captain; whom he spoke of but lightly; asserting, what he had
often said before, that he was no sailor.
Moreover, and perhaps with special reference to Doctor Long Ghost and
myself, he assured us generally that, if there were any among us
studiously inclined, he would take great pleasure in teaching such
the whole art and mystery of navigation, including the gratuitous use
of his quadrant.
I should have mentioned that, previous to this, he had taken the
doctor aside, and said something about reinstating him in the cabin
with augmented dignity; beside throwing out a hint that I myself was
in some way or other to be promoted. But it was all to no purpose;
bent the men were upon going ashore, and there was no moving them.
At last he flew into a rage - much increased by the frequency of his
potations - and with many imprecations, concluded by driving everybody
out of the cabin. We tumbled up the gangway in high good-humour.
Upon deck everything looked so quiet that some of the most pugnacious
spirits actually lamented that there was so little prospect of an
exhilarating disturbance before morning. It was not five minutes,
however, ere these fellows were gratified.
Sydney Ben - said to be a runaway Ticket-of-Leave-Man, and for reasons
of his own, one of the few who still remained on duty - had, for the
sake of the fun, gone down with the rest into the cabin; where Bembo,
who meanwhile was left in charge of the deck, had frequently called
out for him. At first, Ben pretended not to hear; but on being sung
out for again and again, bluntly refused; at the same time, casting
some illiberal reflections on the Mowree's maternal origin, which the
latter had been long enough among the sailors to understand as in the
highest degree offensive. So just after the men came up from below,
Bembo singled him out, and gave him such a cursing in his broken
lingo that it was enough to frighten one. The convict was the worse
for liquor; indeed the Mowree had been tippling also, and before we
knew it, a blow was struck by Ben, and the two men came together like
magnets.
The Ticket-of-Leave-Man was a practised bruiser; but the savage knew
nothing of the art pugilistic: and so they were even. It was clear
hugging and wrenching till both came to the deck. Here they rolled
over and over in the middle of a ring which seemed to form of itself.
At last the white man's head fell back, and his face grew purple.
Bembo's teeth were at his throat. Rushing in all round, they hauled
the savage off, but not until repeatedly struck on the head would he
let go.
His rage was now absolutely demoniac; he lay glaring and writhing on
the deck, without attempting to rise. Cowed, as they supposed he was,
from his attitude, the men, rejoiced at seeing him thus humbled, left
him; after rating him, in sailor style, for a cannibal and a coward.
