"i would like leave of absence for to-morrow, mr. pelham," said wilton, as he touched his cap to the first lieutenant of the young america, on the day before the fourth of july.
"i am sorry to inform you, wilton, that no leave of absence will be granted to-morrow," replied pelham in accordance with the instructions given him by the captain, who, in turn, had received his orders from the principal.
"no leave!" exclaimed wilton, his jaw dropping down.
"such are the orders."
"i have always been in the habit of celebrating the fourth of july," replied wilton. "are we to stay on board the ship, and mope all day?"
"i presume the day will be celebrated on board in a proper manner," added the first lieutenant.
"on board! what can a fellow do here? we might as well go to bed, and sleep off the day."
"no words are necessary, wilton," replied pelham as he turned and walked away.
"that's a good one!" added wilton, to the group of boys who had come with him to the mainmast, to {76} request the same favor, if the spokesman was permitted to go on shore and celebrate the day.
"not to celebrate!" exclaimed monroe, with something like horror in his tones and looks.
"work on the fourth of july!" chimed in adler.
"i won't stand it, for one!" said wilton.
"nor i, for another," added monroe.
so said half a dozen others.
"well, what are you going to do about it?" demanded adler. "here we are, and we can't get ashore."
"perhaps we can," said wilton, as he led the way to a retired part of the deck, where they could talk without being overheard. "did any one ever hear of such a thing as keeping the fellows on board on the fourth of july? why, every little greek in the city yonder has his liberty on that day; and we are to be cooped up here like a parcel of sick chickens! i suppose we shall have to recite history and french, and shake out topsails, as usual."
"it's outrageous. i don't believe the fellows will stand it," added adler, who did not know how bad the case was, until it had been rehearsed by wilton, who, in the absence of shuffles, had become the leader of a certain clique on board, given to taking opposite views.
"but i don't see what we can do," said monroe.
"we will do something. i won't stand it. if i stay on board the ship to-morrow, it will be as a prisoner," answered wilton.
"it's a hard case; but what can we do about it?" asked sanborn.{77}
"suppose we go to lowington, and state the case to him," suggested adler.
"what's the use of that? of course the first lieutenant spoke by the card. he had his orders to say what he did, and i'm sure they came from lowington."
"there can be no doubt of that; but it would be better to have it from him."
"i'm willing to ask lowington for the day, if the fellows want me to do so; but it won't do any more good than it would to bark at the mainmast," continued wilton. "i have an idea in my head, if the fellows will stand by me," he added, in a lower tone, as he looked over the rail at the swinging boom, to which the boats in constant use were made fast.
"what is it?" asked monroe, eagerly.
"keep shady, for a while. how many fellows can we muster?"
"i don't know."
"well, don't stir the matter yet. here comes lowington and we will talk to him first. come, fellows, let's make a dive at him."
wilton, attended by his companions, walked up to the principal, as he was going forward. touching his cap respectfully, as the discipline of the ship required, he opened the case.
"mr. lowington, some of the students would like to go on shore to-morrow, to celebrate the fourth. can't we have liberty?"
"you know the rule; you should apply to the first lieutenant for leave of absence," replied mr. lowington. {78}
"we have, sir, and been refused."
"then there is nothing more to be said. the first lieutenant speaks with authority."
"i beg your pardon, sir, but are we to stay on board all day to-morrow?"
"that is certainly the arrangement, wilton."
"some of us would like to celebrate the day, sir, and we think it is rather hard to be obliged to do duty on the fourth of july."
"i intend to have the day celebrated in a proper manner. i have made preparations for a gala day on board."
"if you please, sir, we would rather go on shore."
"i am very sorry, for your sake, that i shall be unable to reverse the answer of the first lieutenant. if i permit one or a dozen to go ashore, i cannot refuse any, and all must go. i think the boys will be satisfied with the arrangements i have made for the day."
"i never was kept in school on the fourth of july before, sir," growled wilton.
"then this will be a new event in your experience," answered mr. lowington, coldly, as he turned from the petitioners, and went forward.
there were a great many wild boys on board of the young america, and it was morally impossible for the whole crew to attend the celebration in the city, without more or less of them getting into a scrape. they had been kept on board for two months, and not allowed to go on shore, except under the supervision of one of the instructors; and to let any considerable number of them loose on such a day as the fourth of july, would only be courting trouble, for they would {79} be all the more disorderly after the long period of restraint.
mr. lowington did not willingly deprive the boys of any innocent gratification. he had faithfully considered the matter of celebrating the day, and taken the advice of the instructors on the subject. it had been proposed to procure a band of music, and visit the city in a body, under the usual discipline; but there were many difficulties attending such a plan. the boys were all the sons of rich men, and most of them were abundantly supplied with pocket money. as it would be impossible to prevent the escape of some of them from the procession, in the crowded streets, it was feared that their money would prove to be "the root of all evil." the project had finally been abandoned; and, as a substitute, a programme for a celebration on board had been arranged, for there the students would be entirely under the control of the instructors, who would check all excesses. it was anticipated that a few discontented spirits would grumble, but no rebellion was expected.
wilton and his companions were dissatisfied, and disposed to be rash. they felt that they had been harshly and cruelly denied a reasonable privilege. the subject of celebrating the fourth had been under consideration for a long time among the boys, and it had been generally believed that all hands would be permitted to go on shore, with perfect liberty, on that day; and many of them had already arranged their plans for the occasion.
"well, what do you think now?" said wilton, as mr. lowington walked forward. {80}
"i think it's too bad," replied adler. "it is meaner than dirt to make us stay on board on the fourth of july."
"but i don't see how we are going to help ourselves," added monroe, looking at wilton for a solution of this difficult problem.
"i do."
"how?"
"keep still; don't say a word here," continued wilton. "scatter, now, and i will be on the top-gallant forecastle in a few minutes."
wilton strolled about the deck a short time, and then went to the place of meeting, where he was soon joined by the rest of the discontented pupils.
"how many fellows can we muster?" asked he, when his associates in mischief had again gathered around him.
"i know at least a dozen, who are up to anything," replied monroe; "but some of them are in the other watch. what are you going to do?"
"i'll tell you: there are the professors' barge and the third cutter at the swinging boom. we will drop into them when the instructors go down to supper, and make for the shore. all the rest of the boats are at the davits; and before they can get them into the water, we shall be out of their reach. what do you think of that for a plan!"
"i think it is a first-rate one. but hadn't we better wait till the instructors turn in?" suggested adler.
"no; the boats will all be hoisted up to the davits at sunset. we must do it while the professors are at supper, or not at all. we want eight oars for the {81} barge, and six for the third cutter; that makes fourteen fellows. can we raise as many as that?"
"yes, i think we can; we will try, at any rate."
"but you must look out, or some fellow will blow the whole thing," added wilton. "mind whom you speak to."
the trustworthiness of the various students was canvassed, and it was decided what ones should be invited to join the enterprise. the discontented boys separated, and went to work with great caution to obtain the needed recruits. unfortunately, in such a crowd of young men, there are always enough to engage in any mischievous plot, and it is quite likely that twice as many as were wanted could have been obtained to man the boats in the runaway expedition.
wilton missed shuffles very much in arranging the details of the present enterprise. while at the brockway academy, they had plotted mischief so often that each seemed to be necessary to the other. but shuffles had reformed; he was now third lieutenant of the ship, and it was not safe to suggest a conspiracy to him, for he would attempt to gain favor with the principal by exposing or defeating it.
yet shuffles was so bold in thought, and so daring in execution, that wilton could hardly abandon the hope of obtaining his assistance; besides, the third lieutenant would be officer of the deck when the professors went to supper, and might wink at their departure in the boats, if he did not actually help them off.
"would you say anything to shuffles?" asked {82} wilton, still in doubt, of monroe, as they happened to meet again in the waist.
"to shuffles!" exclaimed monroe, in an energetic whisper.
"i mean so."
"certainly not. i should as soon think of speaking to lowington himself."
"but shuffles may join us. he is always in for a good time."
"why, you ninny, he is third lieutenant of the ship."
"no matter if he is. i think shuffles would like to join us."
"nonsense! he has been in office only three days, and it would break him. he would be degraded to the steerage," replied monroe, who could not help thinking that wilton was beside himself in proposing such a thing, and that the enterprise was doomed to failure in such incompetent hands.
"if he won't join us, perhaps he will help us off. he is officer of the deck, you know, in the second dog watch."
"i know he is; but don't you open your mouth to him. if you do, i'll back out at once."
"back out?"
"yes, back out. i believe you are crazy. why don't you go to captain carnes, and done with it?" said monroe, with energy.
"i haven't any hold on carnes, and i have on shuffles."
"what do you mean?" asked the prudent conspirator, curiously.{83}
"if shuffles won't join us, he won't blow on us, you may depend upon that. he wouldn't dare to do it. i could break him before sundown, if i chose," said wilton, with conscious power.
"that alters the case."
"of course, i shouldn't think of saying anything to him, if i did not know what i was talking about. i have him where the hair is short, and he knows it, as well as i do."
"what is it, wilton?"
"no matter what it is. when a thing is told me in confidence, i keep it to myself; but if he turns traitor to his cronies, he must look out for breakers. he knows what it is."
"well, if you can get him, he will be a first-rate fellow to have."
"i think i can get him. here he comes; you keep out of the way, and i will see how deep the water is."
monroe went forward to find a student to whom he had been deputed to speak in the interest of the enterprise leaving wilton to grapple with the old lion of mischief, whose teeth, however, seemed to have been worn out in the cause.
"what's up, wilton?" demanded the third lieutenant who was now off duty, and therefore allowed to speak to the crew, though it was a privilege of which the officers seldom availed themselves.
"who said anything was up?" asked wilton.
"you look as though you meant something. what were you and ike monroe talking about just now?" continued shuffles. "about me, i'll be bound, for you kept looking at me, as though you meant something." {84}
"what makes you think so? have you heard anything?" asked wilton, fearful that the plot had leaked out.
"not a word? i only judged by your looks."
"i suppose if anything was up, you wouldn't have anything to do with it now."
"most decidedly, i should not. i like my present position too well to fall out of it. i'm going to be captain next term, if i can fetch it any way in the world."
"you mean to be a flunky, just like the rest of them. you are not the same fellow you used to be."
"yes, i am."
"you are getting too big for your boots."
"you wrong me, wilton. i'm just as good a fellow as i ever was. i think i'm the best fellow in the ship, and for that reason i want to be captain. i'm ahead of carnes so far on marks this month."
"well, if you want to be the head flunky, i hope you'll get it. we are not going ashore to-morrow, they say," added wilton, changing the topic to get nearer to the business of the hour.
"so pelham told me."
"are you willing to stay on board and study, and do ship's duty, on the fourth of july?"
"we are going to celebrate."
"how?"
"i'm sure i don't know."
"we shall celebrate to-morrow just as we do every day—as close prisoners on board the ship. i, for one, don't like it, and i won't stand it."
"won't you?" laughed shuffles. {85}
"when i say i won't, i mean so."
"o, you do—do you?"
"you better believe i do," added wilton, shaking his head resolutely.
"what are you going to do?"
"i'm going ashore, by hook or by crook."
"better not get into any scrape."
"you say that as one of the flunkies."
"well, you had better not say anything to me, for i shall have to do my duty as an officer. don't say anything to me, and then i shall not know anything about it."
"humph!" sneered wilton, not pleased with this non-committal policy.
"i don't want to do anything mean with any of our fellows; so don't say a word to me. i shall do my duty as an officer, as i promised to do when i was made third lieutenant."
"do you mean to say you will stop me, shuffles, if you see me going?" demanded wilton.
"i do mean so; i promised faithfully to do my duty as an officer, and i shall do it."
"see here, bob shuffles; you needn't talk to me in that manner. i knew the ship's cable from a pint of milk, and you can't come the flunky over me."
"i'm going to do just as you would do if you were in my place. i won't hear a word about any of your plans."
"but will you interfere with them?"
"if it is my duty to do so, i shall. i intend to obey orders; and if i have the deck, i shall keep things straight, whatever happens." {86}
"lowington don't know you as well as i do."
"no matter if he don't; he shall have no fault to find with me this term, if i can help it."
"it's no use for me to mince the matter with you, bob shuffles. we understand each other too well for that. something's up."
shuffles turned on his heel, and was about to walk away.
"hold on a minute, shuffles," continued wilton. "i won't tell you what's up, but i'll tell you this; if you interfere with what i do, or with what the fellows with me do, i'll tell lowington about the mutiny—i will, as sure as your name is bob shuffles. do you understand me?"
"well, i do; and it seems to me that sounds very much like a threat."
"call it what you like. if you turn traitor to our fellows, you must stand the racket of it. you are not a saint just yet, and those that live in glass houses musn't throw stones."
"i believe i haven't played false to any of our fellows. if i don't choose to get into any scrape with them, i have a right to keep out. that's all i've got to say."
"but what are you going to do, shuffles? our fellows will want to know."
"i'm going to do my duty," replied the third lieutenant as he walked away, regardless of the efforts of his companion to detain him.
shuffles was experiencing the truth of the old maxim, that honesty is the best policy. it is to be regretted that his present devotion to duty had no {87} higher incentive than mere policy; but it may be hoped of those who do their duty from low motives, that they may gather inspiration even from their politic fidelity to obey its behests from higher motives. the third lieutenant of the young america intended to keep the promise he had made in accepting his office, simply because it would pay best.
wilton and his confederates had no difficulty in making up the required number of discontents and malcontents before six o'clock, which was the time fixed for carrying out the enterprise they had planned. some of the recruits joined because they anticipated a good time in the city in celebrating the fourth, and others from a mere love of mischief and excitement. the details of the scheme had been carefully elaborated by monroe and wilton, after the ranks of the conspirators were full. having learned a valuable lesson from the daily discipline of the ship, the mischief was certainly well planned. each boy was assigned to a particular position in the boats, and knew on what thwart he was to sit, and which oar he was to pull.
wilton and monroe, as the master spirits of the enterprise were to run out first on the swinging boom, and slide down the painters, each into the boat he was to command. the others were to follow in the same way, descending from the boom, for it was not considered prudent to run the boats up to the gangway, where some enthusiastic officer might easily interfere with the plan, which was to depend for its success upon the celerity of its execution.
when four bells struck, the professors went down to {88} their evening meal, as usual, and the boatswain piped the port watch to supper, the starboard watch having taken theirs at three bells, or half past five. wilton gave a low whistle, when shuffles, officer of the deck, was abaft the mizzenmast, with his back to the runaways who had gathered in the waist, and were waiting for the signal.
"be lively, fellows," said the leader of the enterprise, as he sprang over the rail, and ran out on the boom, followed by monroe.
the others, in the order in which they had been instructed, did the same. about half of them were on the boom, when the movement was reported to the officer of the deck by the midshipman on duty in the waist. shuffles rushed forward, now understanding, for the first time, the intentions of wilton; and true to the inspiration of fidelity, he set about defeating the object of "our fellows."
the studding-sail boom, to which the boats were fastened, was supported by a topping-lift from above, and kept in position, at right angles with the side of the ship, by guys extending forward and aft.
"stand by that fore guy!" shouted shuffles, as he sprang upon the rail. "cast off!"
"lively, fellows!" said wilton, when he saw that the third lieutenant intended to swing in the boom to the ship's side.
"stand by the after guy of the studding-sail boom!" continued shuffles, with becoming energy.
both his orders were promptly obeyed; but seeing that his movement would be too late, he rushed to the topping-lift, and cast it off, causing the swinging boom {89} to drop into the water, just as the last boy was about to slide down into the professors' boat. of course the luckless fellow went into the water; but he was promptly picked up by his companions in mischief.
"if i'm caught, bob shuffles, you look out for breakers!" cried wilton, as the third lieutenant appeared at the gangway again.
the tide was coming in, and the boats swung so far abaft the boom that it had fallen clear of them when it dropped into the water. wilton and monroe were prompt to avail themselves of their present success, and the boys sat in the boats, with their oars up, ready to pull as soon as the order was given.
"let fall!" said wilton; and the eight oars of the professors' barge dropped into the water, and the rowers placed them in readiness for the first stroke.
monroe, in the third cutter, followed the example of his principal, and was hardly a second behind him.
"give way!" added wilton.
"give way!" repeated monroe; and the two boats gathered way and darted off towards the nearest point of the shore.
thus far the enterprise of "our fellows" was entirely successful, and shuffles stood on the gangway, chagrined at the defeat which had attended his efforts to prevent the escape of the runaways.
"stand by to clear away the first cutter!" shouted he, suddenly and with energy, as he made his way to the davits, where the boat indicated was suspended.
"cast off the gripes, and man the falls!" he continued when the watch were collected at the scene of {90} action. "mr. kendall, you will inform the captain what has happened."
within three minutes, the first cutter was in the water, for the crew had been frequently exercised in the evolution of lowering boats, and performed it with remarkable facility for boys. before the first cutter touched the water, the captain, the principal, and all the professors, came on deck.
mr. lowington was entirely cool, though everybody else appeared to be intensely excited. the crew of the first cutter were piped away, and at the principal's suggestion, the third lieutenant was sent off in the boat to prevent the landing of the rebellious pupils.
"up oars! let fall! give way!" said shuffles, in the boat, delivering his orders in rapid succession; and the first cutter darted off in chase of the runaways.
