Rodman The Boatsteerer And Other Stories / 1898

o and the New Hebrides, but the strong westerly current was too much for her with such a failing breeze; and Packenham, the sk

l this time on our way up. Poor old chap! I wish we could send him a case of grog ashore to cheer him up. But a thirty

f the green little island stood up clear and sharply defined from its surrounding narrow belt of palm

much-we can sail ther

ne ashore there, and Denison had bought the wreck from her captain on behalf of Mr. Tom De Wolf. And as he had no

ere's a lot of good metal bolts in it. You shall have

rl, when he was a wandering boat-steerer in the colonial whaling fleet, and was now too shaky to go to sea, sh

h, "Don't be surprised if when you come back you find my old hull has broken up before that of the wreck. Eighty-seven is a good age, Mr. Denison. Ho

sion denoting heavy

locks in

d him that Jack was dead-had died three months ago, they said. And there was a letter for the supercargo and captai

n,-Tom and Sam w

he gear and metal f

I would write you

n, and some of the f

aptain Packenham m

e hangs heavy. Sa

I fear we shall no

ly, John

pia, Denison took out old Oxley's yarn. It was written in a roun

esend, and the strange, wild thrill that tingled my boyish blood at the rough, merry chorus of the seamen while the anchor came underfoot and the hands sprang aloft to make sail. For I was country-born and country-bred, and though even i

gistrates before whom I was brought believed my tale when I weepingly told them that I had no intention of poaching (and, indeed, I did not actually know that my two companions were bent upon so dangerous an enterprise) and my punishment was but light, yet the disgrace was too much for me to bear. So ere the sting of the whipping I received had died away I had made up my mind to run away to London and get some honest employment, and trust to time for my father's for

will surely break mother's heart, I

ad; for every moment my courage was failing me, and when I reached a hedge and lay down to rest awhile, my mother's face rose before me, and I thought I heard her tender voice crying, 'My boy, my boy! Has he gone without a last kiss from

rance was such that no one would give me employment of any sort, and my half-guinea became exhausted in buying food. But weak and wretched as I was, my courage to go on in the

ing on the Thames, and for the moment forgot my woes in the strangeness of the sight. Seating myself on a great log of mahogany that some strange-looking, black-whiskered seam

d come down to bid farewell to those on board, among whom were about a hundred or so of soldiers. Hungry and weary as I felt, the sight of these soldiers, and the inspiriting soun

to be one of them, with a red coat on you

er put out his hand to save me. He was an old, white-haired gentleman of between s

log and made him a bow, as was my duty to such a gentleman, and

moment, and then put

ng the docks? You are a country lad, I can see.

hole truth, and although his face was very grave at the finish, his kind manner did not change, as puttin

and with your pardon, sir, neither can I take this money,' and then my cour

and I will see what can be done.

ented by people engaged at the docks. Pushing me in front of him, he told the landlord of th

impressed by the condescension of the old gentleman in entering such a humble place, and then, bo

or that is Mr. Robert Bent, one of the riches

drove up, and the old gentleman, accompanied by a younger man of very comman

is a good, honest man, who, although he loves you very much, would rather that you did not return to Aylesbury with the memory of your disgrace still fresh in his mind. So this is what I now offer you. This gentlema

or his kindness, and promise I would try hard

that is necessary for the voyage, and I shall write to your father by Sir John Latham and tell him

and, and turning to

engage an enemy's ship if you think she is better armed than the Port-au-Prince. But if you meet my other ship, the Lucy, and with her can take

with my heart bounding with excitement, I set out with Ca