With Cochrane the Dauntless

rotten. This he crumbled up. Then he set the cask of salt junk on end, and with a heavy piece of rock hammered away until he forced the head in. Then

he right and left. It was not until it was nearly noon and the sun was overhead that he could try the experiment upon which he relied to obtain fire. When it was nearly vertical he went down to the well, opened his watch-case, and dipped the glass carefully into the

as the wood was well alight he had poured [pg 110]off the water and very carefully wiped the glass and the rim that held it. He went a short distance away as soon as the fire was burning well, and was pleased to find that no smoke was given off, the sun having dried the wreckage until not the slightest particle of moisture remained in it. He now kept a sharp look-out along the sho

of glowing embers, over which he put the meat, the ends of the ramrod being supported by the forked twigs. He turned it round and round occasionally to prevent it from burning, and although he had himself been indifferent as to whether they could

h. "Don't stand staring there. Dinner is re

e came up. "I would not have believed it if I h

as a burning-[pg 111]glass; it lit the wood in less than a minute; only it would not do, you know, un

portions, and using biscuits as plat

x said after his first mouthful. "It is well-nigh

hat it was as good as putting it into a river. Salt meat is best boiled, but as I had no pot to boil it

ere for another month. We have meat and biscuits, and I reckon, Mr. Stephen, that you will be able to think of some pl

salt, then put it into half a cocoa-nut shell, placed this on some hot embers and fried the fat until most of it melted, and then squeezed the remainder between two flat stones. Then he poured the fat into another cocoa-nut half full of milk, put three or four pounds of flour on a flat rock, made a hollow in the middle as he had seen the servant do at home while [pg 112]making pastry, poured the liquor gradua

I propose for breakfast that we have biscuits only, then for dinner we will have some meat and

a hundred and a half in

there are no signs of the ship by that time we can then reduce ourselves to three-quarters of a pound a day. At that rate it will last for six weeks altogeth

ne morning Joyce discovered a sail far away on the horizon. In great excitement they

er to see if the sun

nd then hauled her just beyond the edge of the

Tiger, I reckon she is making for this spot, and we can wait till the afternoon anyhow before we take to the canoe. If it is only a chance ship, and we find she is bearing a course that br

nly heading in their direction. Then the wind left her

. "She is just about the same size and b

"Her heading this way made it pretty well c

for her at once. What

and cocoa-nuts on board. One never knows about the weather here, and before night there might be another cyclone, then she migh

ore sufficient for two or three days put on board, and they were soon on their way. They took the bea

4]paddles in the water. "We have got a good five hours' pull before

it easy their impatience to reach the ship, on whose upper sails their eyes were fixed as they paddled, prevented their doing so, and for the first two hours they rowed at almost racing pace. Then the heat of the sun began to tell upon them, their efforts slackened, and their pace decreased materially. However, they could now make out the line

took us for a native canoe, for they would be looking for the

de, but as soon as they were withi

all w

back, "I am sorry to say that Mr. Towel and

entertained any hopes that the gig could have lived through the storm. However, as they climbed up the ladder to the deck they were shaken warmly by the hand by officers and crew, and then the captain requested Joyce and Stephen to come d

me to the conclusion, "I owe my li

n our way here. It was, of course, most doubtful whether you would be able to find the place where the wreck was, for you too might have been carried hundreds of miles in an entirely different direction, and without your instruments you would have had but a small chance of discovering your position or finding your way here. Still, it seemed the only chance. Of

the bank on foot, whether there were any native villages there before venturing up in the boat; and to fire guns until he had ascertained that there were no enemy near, is another instance of that fatal carelessness that costs so many lives. However, the poor fellow of course acted for the best, and he has paid dearly for his error. That expedient of yours for lightin

the lads at finding themselves safely on board the Tiger ag

that time they had disposed of their goods and had taken in a large number of the native productions in exchange, and

at Gravesend, and the captain told Stephen to land and take a post-chaise up to London, and report to Mr. Hewson that the Tiger would come up o

confidence, there are times when human skill and strength are of no avail. I did not expect that the Tiger would

her nine lives, including those of Mr. Towel, the

wson said in a tone of great

ch, as we know, the stoutest ships will sometimes founder. As to the accident on board, it was one of those things that too often occur in a heavy gale, and that cannot be provided against. Of course, I shall hear from the captain all details of that affair. As to your adventure on shore, you must give me a much fuller account when you have had some s

thing wrong,

y. It is another m

g 118]Calcutta, and after feeding so long almost entirely on salt meat, he thoroughly enjoyed the change of fresh p

at does make a good deal of difference; still, you have grown more than I should have expected. I used to think that you would be rather short, but now you b

oon, and the captain sent me up by post-chaise to tell Mr. Hewson that she was in. I got to his place at eight

ll you what f

thought that you would p

ments and get his house off his hands. He said that he thought it would be five or six weeks before he was able to sail, and that he would take you out with him as his flag-midshipman. Of course I wrote to him at once, saying where you were, and [pg 119]that you might be home any day, but that, on the other hand, you might not be back for two or three months. However, if you arrived in time I was sure that

ther trading ship. No one could be kinder than the captain and the mates have been. But of course I should like awfully to serve with Lord Cochrane, esp

e to hold their own, and I have no doubt you will have a stirring time. I only wish that I had been able to go with him. He was good enough to say so in his letter to me. That is unfortunately out of the question. However, Stephen, you must choose for yourself. There is no saying what may come of this business. You know that Lord Cochrane is a hot-headed man, and one

ther injured than benefited the cause of our seamen by the intemperate zeal with which he pressed his reforms, and by allying himself heart and soul with the ultra-radicals. Such a man as he may get on well with a people like the South Americans, his dashing bravery, his frankness, and his disregard of ceremony will render him popular among the people at large, but wi

y counting just the same as if you had been with him. I expressed a doubt whether your apprenticeship would count; but he said that any master being, from any circumstances, unable to teach a trade to an apprentice, as he covenanted to do, could, with the consent of that apprentice, hand him over to another employer; and that as you will be learning the sea as efficiently on the coast of Chili as elsewhere, he could loan you, as it were, to Lord Cochrane. Besides, of course, there is no real necessity for passing through an apprenticeship in order to become an officer. Large numbers of men do, in fact, become officers without ever having been apprenticed, as it is only necessary to serve so many years at sea, and to pass an examin

der Lord Cochrane. Only three of us out of nine got through; the other six were killed and eaten by the Malays; and

m, our fleet is so overpoweringly strong that even a coalition of all the other powers of Europe could not stand against us at sea. It is a good thing no doubt for the nation; but such a peace as this is likely to be, gives no chance for naval men

s he, f

re is nothing like settling the thing finally; and one interview is worth a dozen letters. Let me see." Mr. Embleton consulted the sailing-list. "As there is no boat sailing to-morrow, we will take the coach. It would be better anyhow, for there is never any saying with certainty when the packets will arrive. With a strong southerly wind the

23]Lord Cochrane the first thing after breakfast next day.

he rose from the table, at which he was writing. "So this is your b

g, came down on Tuesday to Dover, an

. Well, young sir, what do yo

, my lord, and I am deeply gratefu

teful, and not to me, for he earned it for you. So

s,

d say, Embleton; one has to

he had had with the Malays, and as only three out of a boat-lo

"and they must have had marvellous luck in getting out of the Malays' hand

Cochrane was sitting, while her two children,

e tell you, the Malays are much more serious foes than the Spaniards. You know, youngster, one of the chief duties of an admiral's midshipman is to make himself agreeable to the admiral's wife and family, if there are such incumbrances. He goes errands for her, attends her when she goes shopping, i

be of any service I can

f availing ourselves of your services. When we once get out there you will be carried off by

g fixed yet, Lord Cochra

om Boulogne, so that your son will have

fitters are not so busy as they used to be, and would furnish an admiral'

and, after all, I have to go without her and we sail in the Rose. She is one of the sloops sold out of the navy, and is now a merchantman. I daresay they would have kept me dawdling about here for months to come if it hadn't been that they have been getting the worst of it out there, and it at length occurred to them that the admiral's place is in command of his fleet, and not to act as a sort of foreman in looking after a single ship being built. We shall embark at Rye, but, of course, it will

sir," Mr. Embleton said, "and

Lord Cochrane they we

I suppose?" the latte

uch accustomed to return thanks, has asked me to say in his name how extremely oblig

ons being to the full as accurate as his own. He especially speaks of him in tones of commendation for his conduct in that unfortunate boat affair. Every credit is due to the sailor Wilcox who was with him through it; but the latter himself told the captain that he felt so certain that all those in the boat had been killed, that he should not have undertaken the risk of going near the Malay village had it not been for the lad's insisting. He says, too, tha

sailors. I have got his chests here; they were sent up yesterday. I shall, of course, try and find out who was the captain of that ship whose chronometers he bought. Captain Pinder has told me all about it, and Stephen is absolutely entitled to the money he got. At the same time his offer to divide it was a generous one, but Captain Pinder and the mates are all [pg 127]dead against accepting it, and I agree with them. The money would be a mere trifle all round, but it will be a comfortable

eir sincere regret that Stephen was not going to sail with t

," he said. "I wrote to them from Gravesend and I had a letter this morning, i

n replied, "and if I am I think Mr. Hew

or him, and also, if no news was obtained as to the lost ship, he would, when he sa

he same opinion himself, and argued the question only because he felt that the fact that the money was really extremely useful at the present time, might render [pg 128]him unable to judge the matter fairly. He really had no answer to the reasons gi

o retain it questioned, and here not even the wreck remained. So we will keep it and spend it, Hewson; but if y

y the chronometers, and here again it is unlikely in the extreme that the owners of the ship, that has, perhaps, been sailing the seas for thirty or forty years, would be able to swear to her chronometers. Lastly,