"mr. lowington, i should like to go to sea for a day or two," said captain shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.

"go to sea!" exclaimed mr. lowington. "why, i thought you were all in a hurry to go down the rhine."

"i am not at all satisfied with the discipline of the ship," answered the new captain. "it requires about as many officers as seamen to execute any manœuvre, and i think we need more practice in ship's duty before we make any more tours on shore."

"how did you succeed in your second drill?"

"we went through with it after a while; but it was only with two officers in each top, and the adult forward officers on the stays, that we could set a single sail."

"have you ascertained who is at the root of the mischief?"

"howe, for one."

"the runaways, probably," added mr. lowington, thoughtfully.

"i have no doubt all of them were concerned in it; but at least half the crew took part in the mischief. we finally went through all the forms with tolerable precision. two or three days' service at sea will enable us to put everything in good working order. the officers also ought to have a little practice in their new stations."

"when do you wish to go to sea?"

"immediately, sir," replied shuffles.

"to-night?"

"yes, sir. i think any delay would be injurious to discipline. the crew have been hazing the officers now for two hours, and have had the best of it most of the time. if we went to sea without any delay, i think it would be understood."

"you are right, captain shuffles. where is commodore kendall?"

"in the after cabin, sir."

"send for him, if you please."

the commander sent one of the waiters to call paul, who presently appeared.

"captain shuffles wishes to go to sea to-night," said mr. lowington, with a smile, as the young commodore entered the cabin; "and i think he takes a correct view of the situation."

"to-night!" exclaimed paul, whose thought immediately flashed from the ship to the hôtel de l'europe, in havre, where mr. and mrs. arbuckle and grace were domiciled, having come down from paris by the morning train, to be in readiness to start with the ship's company for the rhine.

"i know what you are thinking about, paul," laughed the principal. "you may go on shore, and invite the arbuckles to join us; or, as we can work the ship very well without a commodore, you may stay on shore with them until our return."

"invite them to go with us," suggested shuffles. "i think the presence of our friends will have a good effect upon the crew."

"i should be very glad to have them go with us," replied paul.

"it is a little doubtful whether we return to havre again, for brest would be a better place for the vessels to lie during our absence in germany," said mr. lowington.

"we cannot sail at once—can we?" asked paul.

"we can get off this evening," replied mr. lowington. "let the stewards of the ship and the consort go on shore, and get a supply of fresh provisions. the commodore, in the mean time, can wait on the arbuckles. i see no difficulty in getting off by sunset."

"it will be rather short notice for the arbuckles," suggested paul.

"they are ready to go to germany at an hour's notice, and it will require no more preparation for this voyage. you can go on shore at once, commodore kendall. captain shuffles, you will hoist the signal for sailing; send a boat to the josephine, and i will give you a letter for mr. fluxion."

the arrangement agreed upon, captain shuffles went on deck, and directed the first lieutenant to pipe away the commodore's barge. the third lieutenant was detailed to serve in this boat. as its crew went over the side, captain shuffles saw that howe, spencer, and four others of the runaways were of its number, under the new station bill. this fact induced him to send peaks with the lieutenant in charge, so as to guard against any mischief. the third cutter was sent to the josephine, with the principal's letter. in this boat, little was the only runaway. the first cutter soon after left the ship with the steward, to bring off a load of fresh provisions.

as the third cutter was obliged to wait for mr. fluxion to write an answer to mr. lowington's letter, the crew were allowed to go on board of the josephine. the sight of the signal for sailing, which had been hoisted on board of the young america, caused no little excitement in the consort, as, in fact, it did on board of the ship. it looked like a very sudden movement, for all were anticipating their departure for germany by the next or the following day. the principal had told them they would leave in a few days, and not a word had been said about going to sea in the interim.

"what's up?" asked greenway, one of the runaways, who had been transferred to the josephine, as little came on deck.

"i don't know—only that we are going to sea," replied little. "we have had high times on board of the ship."

"what have you been doing?"

"hazing shuffles," said little, in a whisper.

"and i'll bet that is the reason why we are going to sea, instead of going to germany," answered greenway, with something like disgust in his looks and in the tones of his voice.

"no matter; we have proved that shuffles can't handle the ship. he had to call on old peaks to help him before he could get the main-topsail set."

"but if you play these games we shall be left on board while the rest of the fellows go down the rhine."

"not much! fluxion is going to marseilles to see his grandmother, or somebody else, and if we only make mischief enough, lowington won't dare to leave us on board."

little explained the views of howe, which he had adopted as his own, to the effect that the more mischief they made, the better would be their chances of joining the excursion to germany. greenway was foolish enough to take the same view of the question. if the vice-principal was obliged to go away, mr. lowington would not dare to leave the runaways with any other person.

"but we don't want to go to germany," added little.

"why not?"

"simply because we have not been to paris and switzerland," replied the little villain, as he led his companion to the forecastle, where no one could overhear them. "we are going to have the time we bargained for when we sailed in the josephine. if we go with the rest of the fellows, we intend to take french leave of them as soon as we find an opportunity to do so. on the whole, i had just as lief stay if fluxion is not to have the care of us, for we can slip through the hands of any other man in the squadron."

"there is some money in paris waiting for me," said greenway.

"there is some waiting for a lot of our fellows," replied little. "i intend to claim mine as soon as the party begin to go down the rhine."

"what's the plan? how are the fellows to get off?" asked greenway.

"every one must manage that to suit himself. we had better go in little parties of three or four."

"o, no; it's better to keep together," protested greenway.

"i don't think so. if we attempt to do anything together again, we shall be watched. we must look out for our chances."

"but our fellows are separated now, and we can't do anything alone."

"yes, you can. when you see a good opportunity to start for paris, start. that's all you have to do."

"i don't like this way."

"it's the best way. don't you see that when we are missed we can all be caught in a bunch again. if we go in a dozen different squads, they will to chase us in as many different directions. if we start with the fellows for germany, we shall step out as we have the chance to do so. i don't believe in more than two or three going together."

"but some of us may not have any money," suggested greenway.

"then they must borrow some of those who have it."

"lowington got hold of two or three drafts, or bills, sent to the fellows."

"only two or three," replied little, lightly. "those fellows can either borrow, or go with the lambs."

the knights of the red cross, afterwards of the golden fleece, had written to their fathers, asking them for remittances to be sent to paris, where, after sailing around to marseilles in the josephine, and going the rest of the way by railroad, they were to get their letters. most of their parents had complied with the request, but two or three of them had taken the precaution to inform the principal of the fact, and the bills had been cashed, the proceeds being placed to the credit of the students in whose favor they had been drawn. as long as the boys wrote home, the fathers and mothers seldom communicated with the principal. most of the rogues had been informed in their letters from home that the money wanted had been remitted, and awaited their order in paris. the runaways, therefore, would be in funds sufficient for their stolen excursion as soon as they could reach their destination. the only thing that disturbed them was the difficulty of obtaining enough in the beginning to pay their railroad fare to paris.

while little was instructing greenway in the programme for the future, the crew of the third cutter were called away, and the conference was abruptly closed. the purport of the letter which the officer in charge of the boat bore to the principal, was, that mr. fluxion did not desire to leave the consort for his visit to marseilles until the close of the week. howe was perhaps nearer the truth than he really believed when he declared that mr. lowington would not dare to leave the runaways on board of either vessel in charge of any other person than the vice-principal. he had been strongly inclined to grant the petition of shuffles in their favor; but when it was almost proved that the party were the cause of all the confusion which had occurred on board of the ship during the afternoon, that they were in a mutinous frame of mind, he was not willing to encourage their insubordination. he was much disturbed by the difficult problem thus thrust upon him. dr. carboy, the professor of natural philosophy and chemistry, who had spent several years in germany, had volunteered to take charge of the runaways, and he seemed to be the only person who was available for this duty. he was no sailor, and only a fair disciplinarian, and mr. lowington had not entire confidence in his ability to manage thirty of the wildest boys in the squadron—discontented under the punishment to which they were subjected.

though everything was orderly on board of the ship, there was a great deal of suppressed excitement, not to say indignation, for the crew did not like the idea of keeping watch and reefing topsails, instead of voyaging down the beautiful rhine. the movement looked like a punishment, and many of the crew felt themselves to be entirely innocent of the blunders and failures made in handling the ship. they had done their best, and thought it was not fair to punish the innocent with the guilty. doubtless it was not fair; but it was a question which related to the discipline of the crew, as a whole, and not a dozen of those who had made the mischief could be identified, even by the seamen who had worked in the rigging with them, much less by the officers.

the mischief-makers themselves did all they could to foment this spirit of discontent among those who were ordinarily well disposed. they assumed the responsibility of declaring that the trip into germany had been indefinitely postponed. probably, with the self-conceit incident to human nature, they really believed they were no worse than the best of the crew, and they desired to involve all their shipmates in the odium of the insubordination which had taken place.

"no rhine, except pork rind," said little, as he met raymond in the waist, after the latter had expressed his dissatisfaction at the new order of things.

"do you think so?" asked raymond, who had read enough of the splendid scenery of the rhine to make him very anxious to see it.

"a fellow that isn't blind can see—can't he?—if he opens his eyes," demanded little. "what did the new captain do this afternoon, the very minute the crew were dismissed from their stations?"

"i don't know. what did he do?" inquired raymond, curiously.

"didn't he rush down into the main cabin? didn't he have a long talk with lowington? then, wasn't the signal for sailing hoisted at once? i tell you this is all shuffles's doings."

"why should shuffles want to go to sea any more than the rest of us?" asked raymond.

"why should he? isn't he the captain of the ship now? doesn't he want to try on his new authority, and see how it fits? don't he want to punish the crew because they didn't drill well this afternoon? i believe you are a little deaf in one eye, raymond, or else you can't hear in the other. it's all as plain as the figure-head on a french frigate," continued little, with enthusiasm enough to convince any dissatisfied seaman.

"perhaps it is as you say."

"i know it is."

"the drill was very bad. every fellow knows that."

"what if it was? whose fault was it?"

"i don't know whose fault it was; but everything went wrong, and i suppose the new captain is not satisfied with the state of discipline on board. i should not be, if i were he."

"two of your little lambs are cooped up in their state-rooms now for disobedience of orders."

"who are they?"

"hunter and hyde."

"two of the best fellows in the ship—never got a black mark in their lives," said raymond.

"o, well! the new captain will put you pious fellows through a course of sprouts that will open your eyes. shuffles is a liar and a hypocrite. he has his reward, while an honest fellow, like me, will stick to his bunk in the steerage till the end of the cruise."

"i don't believe shuffles is a liar, or a hypocrite. you don't like him because he broke up your cruise in the josephine."

"that's not the reason. i am willing to obey the orders of all the officers, but i don't like to see the crowd punished for nothing," replied little, leading the auditor back to the original topic.

raymond was not yet a good subject for the mischief-maker to work upon, though, like a majority of the crew, he was dissatisfied with the change in the programme. going to sea meant strict discipline; and after making up their minds to have a good time on shore, it was not pleasant to think of hard work and hard study for the next week or two.

the arrival of the arbuckles

the arrival of the arbuckles.—page 52.

"there comes the commodore's barge," continued little, as he pointed to the boat, which was rapidly approaching the ship. "the arbuckles are on board, with all their trunks. what do you think of that, raymond?"

the mischief-maker looked triumphant. the pile of baggage in the boat seemed to furnish sufficient testimony to clinch the argument he had used.

"that looks like a long cruise, certainly. i suppose they are going with us," replied raymond, with a sorrowful and disappointed look.

"to be sure they are. in my opinion we are going to sail for belfast, to convey the arbuckles home. you won't see any rhine, except a pork rind, on this cruise. if the fellows have any spunk at all, they won't stand this thing."

"stand it! what can they do?" asked raymond, who really believed the crew to be unfairly treated.

"don't you know what they can do? who works the ship?"

"we do, of course."

"who would work her if we did not?"

"well, i suppose she would not be worked at all," replied raymond, smiling.

"then, if all the fellows respectfully refuse to man the capstan, or to unloose a sail, till they have their rights, who will get the ship under way?"

"we are not going to do anything of that sort," answered raymond, rather indignantly. "it would be mutiny."

"you needn't call it by that name, if you don't wish to. lowington promised the fellows a trip down the rhine. now, because the new captain could not handle the ship, we are to be sent off to sea. if the fellows had any grit at all in their bones, they would show lowington that they are not slaves to him, or any other man."

"i think we won't talk any more about that," said raymond, as he moved off, for the bold speech of the mischief-maker alarmed him, and caused him to realize that he was listening to one of the ringleaders of the runaways.

the commodore's barge came up to the gangway. the ladies were assisted up the steps, and the trunks hoisted on board and stowed away in the after cabin. the two state-rooms, which had been built for the use of the commodore and the past officers, were appropriated to their use.

if raymond, and such as he, were not willing to listen to the mutinous counsels of the runaways, he was not the less dissatisfied and discontented. the arrival of the arbuckles, with their baggage, indicated that the trip to the rhine had been abandoned. perhaps the well-disposed students could have submitted to this disappointment, if it had not been inflicted upon them as a punishment. it seemed to them that they were to suffer for a whim of shuffles. the runaways had taken pains to disseminate this idea among the crew, as they had also succeeded in involving the whole of them in the mischief which induced the principal to go to sea that night.

all over the deck and throughout the steerage, the boys were grumbling and growling like regular old salts, whose prerogative it is to find fault. when howe and spencer returned in the barge, they readily perceived the state of feeling on board. little told them what he had said and done, and convinced them that the whole crew were ripe for a strike. the entire ship's company were discussing their grievances, and even a large portion of the officers were dissatisfied. very likely the sudden elevation of shuffles had created a feeling of jealousy in the minds of a portion of them.

the mischief-makers were prompt in taking advantage of this state of feeling in the crew. they fanned the flame of discontent, and it was not difficult to convince their shipmates that they were very hardly used; that the new captain was imposing a heavy burden upon them. some of the best disposed of them were in favor of waiting upon the principal, and representing their view of the case to him; but the more impetuous ones laughed at this plan. shuffles was the principal's pet, and he would support his protégé against everybody else on board. the students talked as boys talk, and acted as boys act. at that moment shuffles was the most unpopular fellow on board, for it was understood that he had proposed and advocated the obnoxious measure. the ship's company were willing to believe that mr. lowington had yielded his assent to please the new captain, rather than because he deemed it necessary to go to sea himself.

by the time the first cutter returned, a large majority of the students had decided that something should be done. they could not agree upon the precise step to be taken. some advocated a protest, others a respectful refusal to do duty; and a few went in for a square mutiny. the provisions were transferred from the cutter to the ship, and the boat was hoisted up before the perplexing question could be settled.

"after supper, let every fellow go to his mess-room. don't answer the boatswain's call to weigh anchor," said raymond, who had made considerable progress in rebellion since his conversation with little.

"ay, ay! that's the talk!" responded half a dozen of the group, who had been anxiously discussing the question.

"no, no!" added half a dozen others.

"why not?" demanded raymond of the opponents of the plan.

"because the arbuckles are on board, for one reason, and because it will be mutiny, for the second," said tremere, who volunteered to be spokesman for the opposition. "mr. arbuckle has taken us through switzerland, and paid all the bills, and has invited us to another excursion on the same terms. now, when he comes on board with his family, to take a little sail with us, we refuse to do duty. it looks like contempt and ingratitude to him."

"it has nothing to do with him," replied raymond, warmly. "here is the whole matter in a nutshell. mr. arbuckle invited us to take a trip into germany, and mr. lowington promised that we should go. then, because we don't drill quite as well as the new captain wishes, he insists upon going to sea. the cruise down the rhine is given up, and we are to carry the arbuckles to belfast."

"who says we are going to belfast?" demanded tremere.

"all the fellows say so."

"that doesn't prove that we are going there. i go for obeying orders, wherever we go."

"no, no!" replied a dozen of the group.

"we don't intend to do anything wicked," said raymond. "when the boatswain calls, we don't answer—that's all. then the officers will want to know what the matter is, and we shall have a chance to explain our position. when we get fair play, we shall be all right, and return to duty."

the group separated, and while the ship's company were waiting for the supper call, those in favor of the strike used all their influence to carry their measure, while those who were opposed to it remained passive.