the pleasant rays of the semi-tropical sun so warmed and subsequently melted the varied dispositions of the company on board the summer shelter that in spite of their very different natures they became fused, as it were, into a happy party of friends.
willy croup actually felt as if she were a young woman in a large party of gentlemen with no rivals. she was not young, but many of her youthful qualities still remained with her, and under the influence of her surroundings they all budded out and blossomed bravely. at the end of a day of fine weather there was not a clergyman on board who did not wish that miss croup belonged to his congregation.
as for the members of the synod, there could be no doubt that they were thoroughly enjoying themselves. tired with the long winter's work, and rejoiced, almost amazed, to be so suddenly freed from the cold wintry weather of their homes, all of their spirits rose and most of their hearts were merry.
there were but few gray heads among these clergymen, and the majority of them were under middle age. some of them had been almost strangers to each other when they came on board, but now there were no strangers on the summer shelter. some of them had crossed the atlantic, but not one had ever taken a coastwise voyage on a comparatively small vessel, and although the con[pg 193]sequence of this new experience, their involuntary seclusion of the first days of the trip, and their consequent unconventional and irregular acceptance of mrs. cliff's hospitality, had caused a little stiffness in their demeanor at first, this speedily disappeared, hand in hand with the recollection of that most easily forgotten of human ills which had so rudely interfered with their good manners.
as far as the resources of their portmanteaus would allow, these reverend clergymen dressed themselves simply and in semi-nautical costumes. some played quoits upon the upper deck, in which sport willy joined. others climbed up the shrouds, preferably on the inside,—this method of exercise, although very difficult, being considered safer in case of a sudden lurch of the vessel. and the many other sportive things they did, and the many pleasant anecdotes they told, nearly all relating to the discomfiture of clergymen under various embarrassing circumstances, caused captain burke to say to mrs. cliff that he had never imagined that parsons were such jolly fellows, and so far as he was concerned, he would be glad to take out another party of them.
"but if we do," he said, "i think we'd better ship them on a tug and let them cruise around the lightship for two or three days. then when they hoisted a signal that they were all well on board, we could go out and take them off. in that way, you see, they'd really enjoy a cruise on the summer shelter."
as the sun went down behind the distant coast of florida they were boarded by a negro pilot, and in the morning they awoke to find themselves fast to a[pg 194] pier of the city of nassau, lying white in the early daylight.
there, fastened against the foremast, was a large piece of paper there, fastened against the foremast, was a large piece of paper
the members of the synod had readily agreed to mrs. cliff's plan to leave them at nassau and let them return by a regular passenger steamer, and they all preferred to go by sea to savannah and then to their homes by rail. with expenses paid, none but the most unreasonable of men could have objected to such a plan.
as captain burke announced that he would stop at nassau for a day to take in some fresh stores, especially of fruit and vegetables, and to give mrs. cliff and willy croup an opportunity to see the place, the summer shelter was soon deserted. but in the evening, everybody returned on board, as the company wished to keep together as long as possible, and there would be plenty of time in the morning for the members of the synod to disembark and go to the hotel.
very early in the morning captain burke was aroused by the entrance of the sailing-master, mr. portman, into his state-room. "'morning, sir," said mr. portman. "i want you to come out here and look at something!"
perceiving by the manner and tones of the other that there was something important to be looked at, captain burke jumped up, quickly dressed himself, and went out on deck. there, fastened against the fore-mast, was a large piece of paper on which were written these words:—
"we don't intend to sail on a filibustering cruise. we know what it means when you take on arms in new york, and discharge your respectable passengers in[pg 195] nassau. we don't want nothing to do with your next lot of passengers, and don't intend to get into no scrapes. so good-bye!
(signed) the crew."
"you don't mean to say," cried burke, "that the crew has deserted the vessel?"
"that's what it is, sir," said mr. burdette, the first mate, who had just joined them. "the crew has cleared out to a man! mr. portman and i are left, the engineer's left and his assistant,—they belonged to the yacht and don't have much to do with the crew,—but the rest's all gone! deckhands, stewards, and even the cook. the stewardess must have gone too, for i haven't seen her."
"what's the meaning of all this," shouted burke, his face getting very red. "when did they go, and why did they go?"
"it's the second mate's watch, and he is off with them," said mr. burdette. "i expect he's at the bottom of it. he's a mighty wary fellow. just as like as not he spread the report that we were going on a filibustering expedition to cuba, and the ground for it, in my opinion, is those cases of arms you opened the other day!"
"i think that is it, sir," said mr. portman. "you know there's a rising in cuba, and there was lots of talk about filibustering before we left. i expect the people thought that the ladies were going on shore the same as the parsons."
burke was confounded. he knew not what to say or what to think, but seeing mrs. cliff appearing at the head of the companion-way, he thought it his first duty to go and report the state of affairs to her, which[pg 196] he did. that lady's astonishment and dismay were very great.
"what are we going to do?" she asked. "and what do you mean by the cases of arms?"
"i'm afraid that was a piece of folly on my part," said burke.
"i didn't know we had arms on board!"
"well, what we have don't amount to much," said burke. "but this was the way of it. after i heard the message from captain horn about the pirates, and everything, and as i didn't know exactly what sort of craft we would meet round about jamaica, i thought we would feel a good deal safer, especially on account of you and miss croup, if we had some firearms aboard. so i put in some repeating rifles and ammunition, and i paid for them out of my own pocket! such things always come in useful, and while i was commanding the vessel on which you were sailing, mrs. cliff, i didn't want to feel that i'd left anything undone which ought to be done. of course, there was no reason to suppose that we would ever have to use them, but i knew i would feel better if i had them. but there was one thing i needn't have done, and that was,—i needn't have opened them, which i did the other day in company with mr. burdette, because i hadn't had time before to examine them, and i wanted to see what they were. some of the crew must have noticed the guns, and as they couldn't think why we wanted them, unless we were going on a filibustering expedition, they got that notion into their heads and so cut the ship. it was easy[pg 197] enough to do it, for we were moored to a pier, and the second mate, whose watch they went away in, was most likely at the head of the whole business!"
"but what are we going to do?" asked mrs. cliff.
"i must get another crew just as soon as i can," said he, "and there isn't a minute to be lost! i was stretching a point when i agreed to stop over a day, but i thought we could afford that and reach kingston as soon as shirley does, but when he gets there with his message to the captain of the dunkery beacon, i want to be on hand. there's no knowing what will have to be done, or what will have to be said. i don't want shirley to think that he's got nobody to stand by him!"
"indeed," said mrs. cliff, "we ought to lose no time, for captain horn may be there. it is a most dreadful misfortune to lose the crew this way! can't you find them again? can't you make them come back?"
"if they don't want to be found," said burke, "it will take a good while to find them. but i'm going on shore this minute, and i wish you would be good enough to tell miss croup and the ministers how matters stand!"
the news of the desertion of the crew when told by mrs. cliff to those of the passengers who had come on deck, and speedily communicated by these to their companions, created a great sensation. willy croup was so affected that she began to cry. "is there any danger?" she said; "and hadn't we better go on shore? suppose some other vessel wanted to come up to this wharf, and we had to move away,—there's nobody to move us![pg 198] and suppose we were to get loose in some way, there's nobody to stop us!"
"you are very practical, miss croup," remarked the reverend mr. hodgson, the youngest clergyman on board. "but i am sure you need not have the least fear. we are moored firm and fast, and i have no doubt captain burke will soon arrive with the necessary men to take you to jamaica."
willy dried her eyes, and then she said, "there's another practical thing i'm thinking of,—there isn't any breakfast, and the cook's gone! but i believe we can arrange that. i could cook the breakfast myself if i had anybody to help me. i'll go speak to mrs. cliff."
mrs. cliff was decidedly of the opinion that they all ought to have breakfast, and that she and willy could at least make coffee, and serve the passengers with bread and butter and preserved meats, but she remarked to mr. hodgson that perhaps the gentlemen would rather go to their hotels and get their breakfast.
"no indeed," said mr. hodgson, a stout, sun-browned fellow, who looked more like a hunter than a clergyman. "we have been talking over the matter, and we are not going to desert you until the new men come. and as to breakfast, here are mr. litchfield and myself ready to serve as stewards, assistants, cooks, or in any culinary capacity. we both have camped out and are not green hands. so you must let us help you, and we shall consider it good fun."
"it will be funny," said willy, "to see a minister[pg 199] cook! so let's go down to the kitchen. i know where it is, for i've been in it!"
"i think, miss croup," said mr. litchfield, a tall young man with black hair and side whiskers, and a good deal of manner, "that you should say galley or caboose, now that we are all nautical together."
"well, i can't cook nautical," said willy, "and i don't intend to try! but i guess you can eat the food if it isn't strictly naval."
in a few minutes the volunteer cooks were all at work, and willy's familiarity with household affairs, even when exhibited under the present novel conditions, shone out brightly. she found some cold boiled potatoes, and soon set mr. hodgson to work frying them. mrs. cliff took the coffee in hand with all her ante-millionnaire skill, and willy skipped from one thing to another, as happy as most people are whose ability has suddenly forced them to the front.
"oh, you ought to see the synod setting the table!" she cried, bursting into the galley. "they're getting things all wrong, but it doesn't matter, and they seem to be enjoying it. now then, mr. litchfield, i think you have cut all the bread that can possibly be eaten!"
mr. burdette had gone on shore with the captain, and mr. portman considered it his duty to remain on deck, but the volunteer corps of cooks and stewards did their work with hearty good-will, and the breakfast would have been the most jolly meal that they had yet enjoyed together if it had not been for the uncertainty and[pg 200] uneasiness naturally occasioned by the desertion of the crew.
it was after ten o'clock when captain burke and mr. burdette returned. "we're in a bad fix," said the former, approaching mrs. cliff, who, with all the passengers, had been standing together watching them come down the pier. "there was a steamer cleared from here the day before yesterday which was short-handed, and seems to have carried off all the available able seamen in the port. but i believe that is all stuff and nonsense! the real fact seems to be,—and mr. burdette and i've agreed on that point,—that the report has got out that we're filibusters, and nobody wants to ship with us! everything looks like it, you see. here we come from new york with a regular lot of passengers, but we've got arms on board, and we drop the passengers here and let them go home some other way, and we sail on, saying we're bound for jamaica—for cuba is a good deal nearer, you know. but the worst thing is this, and i'm bound to tell it so that you can all know how the case stands and take care of yourselves as you think best. there's reason to believe that if the government of this place has not already had its eye on us, it will have its eye on us before very long, and for my part i'd give a good deal of money to be able to get away before they do; but without a crew we can't do it!"
mrs. cliff and burke now retired to consult. "madam," said he, "i'm bound to ask you as owner, what do you think we ought to do? if you take my advice, the first thing to be done is to get rid of the ministers. you can[pg 201] settle with them about their travelling and let them go to their hotels. then perhaps i can rake up a few loafers, landsmen, or anybody who can shovel coal or push on a capstan bar, and by offering them double wages get them to ship with us. once in jamaica, we shall be all right!"
"but don't you think it will be dangerous," said mrs. cliff, "to go around offering extra pay in this way?"
"that may be," he answered, "but what else is there to do?"
at this moment mr. litchfield approached. "madam," said he, "we have been discussing the unfortunate circumstances in which you find yourself placed, and we now ask if you have made any plans in regard to your future action?"
"the circumstances are truly unfortunate," replied mrs. cliff; "for we are anxious to get to jamaica as soon as possible on account of very important business, and i don't see how we are to do it. we have made no plans, except that we feel it will be well for you gentlemen to leave us and go to your hotel, where you can stay until the steamer will sail for savannah day after to-morrow. as for ourselves, we don't know what we are going to do. unless, indeed, some sort of a vessel may be starting for jamaica, and in that case we could leave the summer shelter here and go on her."
"no," said burke, "i thought of that and inquired. nothing will sail under a week, and in that time everybody we want to see may have left jamaica!"
"will you excuse me for a few minutes?" said[pg 202] mr. litchfield, and with that he returned to his companions.
"captain," said willy, "won't you come down and have your breakfast? i don't believe you have eaten a thing, and you look as if you needed it!"
captain burke really did look as if he needed a good many things,—among others, a comb and a brush. his gold-trimmed cap was pushed on the back of his head; his white coat was unbuttoned, and the collar turned in; and his countenance was troubled by the belief that his want of prudence had brought mrs. cliff and her property into a very serious predicament.
"thank you," said he, "but i can't eat. breakfast is the last thing i can think of just now!"
now approached mr. litchfield, followed by all his clerical brethren. "madam," said he, "we have had a final consultation and have come to make a proposition to you and the captain. we do not feel that we would be the kind of men we would like to think we are, if, after all your kindness and great consideration, we should step on shore and continue the very delightful programme you have laid out for us, while you are left in doubt, perplexity, and perhaps danger, on your yacht. there are five of us who feel that they cannot join in the offer which i am about to make to you and the captain, but the rest of us wish most earnestly and heartily to offer you our services—if you think they are worth anything—to work this vessel to jamaica. it is but a trip of a few days i am told, and i have no doubt that we can return to new york from kingston[pg 203] almost as conveniently as we can from here. we can all write home and arrange for any contingencies which may arise on account of the delay in our return. in fact, it will not be difficult for most of us to consider this excursion as a part, or even the whole, of our annual vacation. those of us who can go with you are all able-bodied fellows, and if you say so, captain, we will turn in and go to work this moment. we have not any nautical experience, but we all have powers of observation, and so far as i am able to judge, i believe i can do most of the things i have seen done on this vessel by your common seamen, if that is what you call them!"
mrs. cliff looked at captain burke, and he looked at her. "if it was a sailin'-vessel," he exclaimed, "i'd say she couldn't be worked by parsons, but a steamer's different! by george! madam, let's take them, and get away while we can!"
