the chaplain was too glad of an opportunity to converse with the prisoner to refuse his request, and he hastened to the brig, hoping to find shuffles in a better state of mind than when he had visited him before. mr. agneau entered the lock-up, and was securing the door behind him, when the prisoner spoke.
"you needn't lock it, sir; i will not attempt to escape," said he. "i sent for you to apologize for my rudeness."
"indeed! then i am very glad to see you," replied the delighted chaplain. "i have been sorely grieved at your misconduct, and i would fain have brought you to see the error of your ways."
"i see it now, sir," replied shuffles, with apparent penitence. "i'm afraid i am a great deal worse than you think i am, sir."
"it is of no consequence what i think, shuffles, if you are conscious of the wrong you have done," added the worthy chaplain. "you behaved exceedingly well last year, and it almost broke my heart to see you relapsing into your former evil habits."
"i am grateful to you for the interest you have {155} taken in me, and i assure you i have often been encouraged to do well by your kind words," continued the penitent, with due humility. "i have done wrong, and i don't deserve to be forgiven."
"'he that humbleth himself shall be exalted,'" said mr. agneau, gratified at the great change which had apparently been wrought in the prisoner. "if you are really sorry for your offence, mr. lowington, i doubt not, will pardon you, and restore you to favor again."
"i don't deserve it, sir. since you left me, i have been thinking of my past life. i dare not tell you how bad i have been."
"you need not tell me. it is not necessary that you should confess your errors to me. there is one who knows them, and if you are sincerely repentant he will pity and forgive you."
"i think i should feel better if i told some one of my misdeeds."
"perhaps you would; that is for you to judge. i will speak to mr. lowington about you to-night. what shall i say to him?"
"i hardly know. i deserve to be punished. i have done wrong, and am willing to suffer for it."
the tender-hearted chaplain thought that shuffles was in a beautiful state of mind, and he desired to have him released at once, that he might converse with him on great themes under more favorable circumstances; but shuffles still detained him.
"i'm afraid i have ruined myself on board this ship," continued shuffles, persisting in his self-humiliation. {156}
"if you manfully acknowledge your fault, you will be freely and generously forgiven."
"mr. lowington hates me now, after what i have done."
"o, far from it!" exclaimed the chaplain. "it will be a greater satisfaction to him than to you to forgive you. you are no longer of the opinion that you were unfairly used in the distribution of the offices, i suppose."
"mr. agneau, i was beside myself when i resisted the principal. i should not have done it if i had been in my right mind."
"you were very angry."
"i was—i was not myself."
"anger often makes men crazy."
"you don't understand me, mr. agneau."
"indeed, i do. you mean that you deluded yourself into the belief that you had been wronged, and that you ought not to obey the orders of your officers, and of the principal. the force that was used made you so angry that you did not know what you were about," added the sympathizing chaplain.
"in one word, mr. agneau, i had been drinking," said shuffles, with something like desperation in his manner, as he bent his head, and covered his face with his hands.
"drinking!" gasped the chaplain, filled with horror at the confession.
"i told you i was worse than you thought i was," moaned shuffles.
"is it possible!"
"it is true, sir; i say it with shame." {157}
"are you in the habit of taking intoxicating drinks?" asked the chaplain, confounded beyond measure at this complication of the difficulty.
"i am not in the habit of it, because i can't get liquor all the time. my father has wine on his table, and i always was allowed to drink one glass."
"can it be!" ejaculated the chaplain. "a youth of seventeen——"
"i'm eighteen now, sir."
"a youth of eighteen in the habit of taking wine!" groaned mr. agneau.
"i drank a great deal more than my father knew of while i was at home."
"i am amazed!"
"i knew you would be, sir; but i have told you the truth now."
"but where did you get your liquor to-day?"
"it was wine, sir."
"where did you get it?"
"i brought two bottles on board with me when i reported for duty yesterday."
"this is terrible, shuffles! do you know what an awful habit you are contracting, my dear young friend?"
"i never thought much about it till to-night. it has got me into such a scrape this time, that i don't believe i shall ever drink any more."
"as you respect yourself, as you hope for peace in this world, and peace in the next, never put the cup to your lips again. 'wine is a mocker; strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.' did you drink the two bottles?" {158}
"no, sir; only part of one bottle," replied shuffles, with commendable promptness.
"where is the rest of it?"
"under my berth-sack."
"are you willing i should take possession of it, and hand it to mr. lowington?"
"i will agree to anything which you think is right."
"then i will take the wine and throw it overboard."
"just as you think best, sir. you will find the two bottles in my berth, no. 43, gangway d,—the forward one on the starboard side."
"i hope you will never touch the wine-cup again."
"i will not—till next time," added shuffles, as the chaplain moved towards the door of the brig.
"'look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder,'" continued the chaplain, as he passed out of the lock-up.
mr. agneau went to the prisoner's berth, and found the two bottles of wine. they were a sufficient explanation of the remarkable conduct of shuffles. the youth had "drank wine, and was drunken," otherwise he would not have been guilty of such flagrant disobedience. though in his own estimation the excuse was worse than the original fault, yet it was an explanation; and if the root of the evil could be removed, the evil itself would cease to exist. the wine could be thrown overboard, and as no more could be obtained during the voyage, the good conduct of the young tippler would be insured, at least till the ship {159} reached queenstown, which was the port to which she was bound.
with the two bottles in his hands, the chaplain returned to the professors' cabin. mr. lowington was on deck. he did not deem it prudent to leave the ship in the hands of the students, at first, without any supervision, and it was arranged that the principal, mr. fluxion, and mr. peake, the boatswain, should take turns in observing the course and management of the vessel. mr. agneau carried the prize he had captured on deck, and informed mr. lowington what had just transpired in the brig.
"i knew the boy drank wine when he was at home," replied the principal; "and if he is ruined, his father must blame himself."
"but it is really shocking!" exclaimed the chaplain as he tossed one of the bottles of wine over the rail. "how can a parent permit his son to drink wine, when he knows that more men are killed by intemperance than by war and pestilence? i am amazed!"
"so am i, mr. agneau."
"the boy is hardly to blame for his conduct, since he contracted this vicious habit under the eye of his father."
"the discipline of the ship must be preserved."
"certainly, mr. lowington."
"and the boy is just as much to blame for his act of disobedience as though it had been done in his sober senses."
"but you can afford to pardon him, under the circumstances." {160}
"i will do that when he is willing to make a proper acknowledgment of his offence in the presence of the ship's company, before whom the act was committed."
"he is quite ready to do so now."
"if he will say as much as that to me, he shall be released at once."
"he will, sir."
"it is very strange to me that i noticed nothing peculiar in the boy's speech or manner at the time," added the principal. "he certainly did not seem to be intoxicated."
"probably he had taken just enough to inflame his evil passions, without affecting his manner," suggested the chaplain.
"i did not even discover the odor of wine upon him."
"perhaps you did not go near enough to him. if you please, mr. lowington, we will go down and see him; and you can judge for yourself whether or not it is prudent to release him."
"i will."
"thank you, sir. i feel a deep interest in the young man, and i hope he may yet be saved."
when mr. agneau left the brig, after his second visit, wilton, who was very anxious to know what shuffles meant by "making a chain," came out of his mess room. he had been watching the chaplain, and wondering what the prisoner could have to say to him.
"what's up, shuffles?" asked wilton, when mr. agneau had left the steerage.
"i've been smoothing him down," laughed shuffles, {161} with an audible chuckle. "i have concluded not to stay in here any longer."
"what do you mean?"
"i'm coming out pretty soon, though it has cost me a bottle and a half of old sherry to get out," laughed shuffles.
"i don't know what you mean."
"i told the parson that i was drunk when i disobeyed orders, and that i was very sorry for it, and wouldn't get drunk any more."
"did you tell him that?"
"i did; i assured him i was the worst fellow in the whole world, and ought to be hung, drawn, and quartered for my wickedness; and he swallowed it as a codfish does a clam."
"and you gave him all the wine?"
"no, i didn't; i gave him one full bottle, and what was left in the one from which we drank this afternoon. i have two more."
"we were going to have a good time with that wine."
"i have enough left."
"where is it?"
"in my locker."
"they may find it."
"no, they won't; i will put it in some other place before inspection day. there is plenty of wine in the medical stores. it was a good joke for the parson to suppose i was drunk."
"perhaps you were," suggested wilton.
"i felt good; but i was as sober as i am now." {162}
"the drink i took went into my head, and i felt as though i was going up in a ballon."
"that was because you are not used to the article. it waked me up a little, but i knew what i was about."
"i think you were a confounded fool to do what you did."
"wilton, i'm not going to live in the steerage—you may take my word for it. i've been an officer too long to come down to that. if we don't succeed in making a chain, i shall quit the concern the first time i put my foot on shore in ireland."
"what do you mean by making a chain?" asked wilton, eagerly.
"a chain is strong."
"well; what of it?"
"it is composed of many links. can't you understand that?"
"hush up! some one is coming," said wilton, as he walked away from the brig.
"here! who is that?" demanded mr. lowington, as he saw wilton moving away from the lock-up.
"no. 59, sir—wilton," replied he. "i was just going on deck to find you, sir."
"to find me?" asked the principal.
"yes, sir. shuffles called me when i was passing, and wished me to tell you he wanted to see you very much. i was just going after you, sir."
"if there is any blame, sir, it rests on me," interposed shuffles, through the bars of his prison.
mr. lowington unlocked the door of the brig, and entered, followed by mr. agneau, leaving wilton to {163} congratulate himself on the result of the lies he had uttered.
"i am told you wish to see me, shuffles," said the principal.
"yes, sir; i wish to say that i am extremely sorry for what i have done."
"i thought you were crazy when you refused to obey; and now i find you were."
"i had been drinking, sir, i confess."
"mr. agneau has told me your story; it is not necessary to repeat it now. to-morrow i shall require you to acknowledge your error at muster, and promise obedience in the future. are you willing to do so?"
"i am, sir."
"you are discharged from confinement then, and will at once return to your duty," replied mr. lowington, upon whom shuffles did not venture to intrude his extremely penitential story. "to which watch do you belong?"
"to the port watch, first part, sir."
"it will be on deck during the first half of the mid watch, from twelve till two," added the principal, as he came out of the brig.
mr. lowington made no parade of what he had done. he never subjected any student to unnecessary humiliation. he indulged in no reproaches, and preached no sermons. he went on deck, intending to leave the culprit to the influence of the better thoughts which he hoped and believed had been kindled in his mind by the events of the day. mr. agneau remained a moment to give a final admoni {164}tion to the penitent, as he regarded him, and then went to his cabin.
"are you going to turn in, shuffles?" asked wilton.
"not yet. are there any of our fellows below?"
"plenty of them."
"our fellows" was a term applied to that portion of the crew who were understood to be ready for any scrape which might be suggested. shuffles had coined the expression himself, while at the brockway academy, and introduced it on board the ship. without concealment or palliation, they were bad boys. by the discipline of the ship they were kept in good order, and compelled to perform their duties.
as in every community of men or boys, where persons of kindred tastes find each other out, the bad boys in the young america had discovered those of like tendencies, and a bond of sympathy and association had been established among them. they knew and were known of each other.
on the other hand, it is equally true, that there was a bond of sympathy and association among the good boys, as there is among good men. if a good man wishes to establish a daily prayer meeting, he does not apply to the intemperate, the profane swearers, and the sabbath breakers of his neighborhood for help; there is a magnetism among men which leads him to the right persons. if a bad man intends to get up a mob, a raffle, or a carousal, he does not seek assistance among those who go to church every sunday, and refrain from evil practices, either from principle or policy. he makes no mistakes of this kind. {165}
in every community, perhaps one fourth of the whole number are positively good, and one fourth positively bad, while the remaining two fourths are more or less good or more or less bad, floating undecided between the two poles of the moral magnet, sometimes drawn one way, and sometimes the other.
the young america was a world in herself, and the moral composition of her people was similar to that of communities on a larger scale. she had all the elements of good and evil on board. one fourth of the students were doubtless high-minded, moral young men, having fixed principles, and being willing to make great sacrifices rather than do wrong. as good behavior, as well as proficiency in the studies, was an element of success in the ship, a large proportion of the positively good boys were in the after cabin.
another fourth of the students were reckless and unprincipled, with no respect for authority, except so far as it was purchased by fear of punishment or hope of reward. occasionally one of this class worked his way into the cabin by superior natural ability, and a spasmodic attempt to better his condition on board.
the rest of the ship's company belonged to the indefinite, undecided class, floating more or less distant from the positive elements of good or evil. they were not bad boys, for, with proper influences, they could be, and were, kept from evil ways. they were not good boys on principle, for they could be led away in paths of error.
"our fellows" were the positively bad boys of the floating academy; and they existed in no greater pro {166}portion in the ship's company than in the communities of the great world. to this class belonged shuffles, wilton, monroe, and others. to the positively good boys belonged gordon, kendall, martyn, and others—not all of them in the after cabin, by any means.
shuffles and wilton walked forward to find some of these kindred spirits. they seemed to know just where to look for them, for they turned in at gangway d. over each of the six passages from which the mess rooms opened, a lantern was suspended, besides four more in the middle of the steerage. it was light enough, therefore, in the rooms for their occupants to read coarse print.
in the lower berths of mess room no. 8 lay two students, while another sat on a stool between them. their occupation was sufficient evidence that they belonged to "our fellows," for they were shaking props for money, on a stool between the bunks. as shuffles and wilton approached, they picked up the props and the stakes, and drew back into their beds.
"it's shuffles," said philip sanborn. "how did you get out?"
"worked out," replied shuffles, gayly.
"you don't mean to say you broke jail?"
"no; that would have been too much trouble. there was an easier way, and i took that."
"how was it?"
"why, i soft-sawdered the parson, and he soft-sawdered lowington."
"it's all right; go ahead with the game," said lynch, as he produced the props again. {167}
sanborn placed the money on the stool, consisting of two quarters in fractional currency. lynch shook the props, and dropped them on the stool.
"a nick!" exclaimed he, snatching the money. "i'll go you a half now."
"half it is," replied sanborn, as he placed the requisite sum on the money the other laid down.
lynch rattled the props, and threw them down again.
"a browner!" cried he, intensely excited, as he seized the money with eager hand.
"don't talk so loud, you fool!" added sanborn. "the fellows are asleep above us, and you will wake them up. i'll go you a half again."
"half it is!" replied lynch, in a whisper, as he shook again.
"an out!" said sanborn, picking up the money.
"three bells! dry up!" interposed wilton. "one of the officers of the deck will be down in a minute."
the young gamblers put away the implements, and drew back into their berths until the inspecting officer had looked into the room. when the master had gone on deck again, the play was resumed, and shuffles and wilton watched it with deep interest.
gambling was a new thing on board the young america. it had not been practised at all in the preceding year, having been introduced by shuffles and monroe, who had visited a prop saloon in the city where they resided, during their late furlough. each of them had brought a set of props on board, with which they intended to amuse themselves during the voyage. as yet, the practice was confined to a few {168} of "our fellows;" but the crew in the steerage were certainly in very great danger of being carried away by the passion for gaming, for it was spreading rapidly.
the prop-shaking was carried on in the mess rooms, while the students were off duty. shuffles had played with half a dozen boys the night before; sanborn and lynch had been engaged in the game since the first watch was set, and another party had been employed in the same manner in another room. all of the boys were supplied with money in considerable sums, generally in sovereigns and half sovereigns, for use when they reached europe. it was changing hands now, though no one had as yet been particularly lucky.
"have a game, shuffles?" said lynch, when sanborn declared that he had no money left but gold.
"no," replied shuffles, "i shall not play any more."
"why not?"
"i haven't time; and i don't want to become too fond of it."
"haven't time!" exclaimed lynch.
"no; i've got a big job on my hands."
"what's that?"
"making a chain."
"making a what?"
"making a chain."
"a watch chain?"
"i think it will be a watch chain; but i'll tell you about it when we are alone. do you understand?"
"no, i don't."
"keep still then." {169}
shuffles turned in, and the others followed his example. he did not sleep, if they did, for his soul was full of rage and malice. he was studying up the means of revenge; and he had matured a project, so foolhardy that it was ridiculous, and his mind was fully occupied with it.
at twelve o'clock he was called to take his place with the first part of the port watch on deck. belonging to each quarter watch, there were five petty officers, four of whom were to call the portion of the crew who were to relieve those on duty. shuffles was called by one of these.
the wind was freshening when he went on deck, and the ship was going rapidly through the water. at the last heaving of the log she was making eleven knots, with her studding sails still set. mr. fluxion came on deck at eight bells.
wilton, sanborn, and adler were in the watch with shuffles, and the malcontent lost not a moment in pushing forward the scheme he had matured. fortunately or unfortunately, he was placed on the lookout with wilton, and the solitude of the top-gallant forecastle afforded them a good opportunity for the conference.
