WHEN Captain Rich and the starboard watch had gone below, the third mate went aloft and seated himself on the cross-trees, to watch for the shores of Nantucket. For two hours he remained on his perch, straining his eyes in every direction, but without discovering the wished-for land; and finally, becoming weary of his watch, and being fully satisfied that Captain Rich would never reach his destination as long as he held that course, he descended to the deck and joined Tom, who was walking about, with his hands in his pockets. At this moment, he became aware that some exciting question was being discussed by the boys in the forecastle, and presently the watch came aft in a body, with Harry Green at their head.
“See here, fellows,” said Harry; “if you can tell us where we are going, we’d like to have you do it?”
“Why, we’re bound for Nantucket,” said Tom.
“Well, when will we get there?” asked Harry. “The amount of it is, fellows, we believe that Rich doesn’t understand his business. He has made a great mistake. If our calculations are correct, Nantucket is a long way behind us. What do you think about it, Johnny?”
The third mate had never hinted his suspicions to any of the crew, for he thought that if their skipper was really out of his reckoning, some of the “old sailors” would not be long in finding it out. Besides, he was well enough acquainted with Rich to know that he would be angry when he learned that his crew doubted his ability as a navigator; and that, being commander of the vessel, he would insist that he had a right to do as he pleased. This, Johnny knew, would bring on a mutiny, Captain Rich would be relieved of the command, and thus the object of the cruise would be defeated. Rich had his friends, who would sympathize with him, and, as long as one half of the crew cherished unkind feelings toward the other half, no one on board could enjoy himself. The third mate had thought the matter over, and it had been his desire to keep out of trouble as long as possible.
“Come, now, Harding,” said Harry; “let’s hear what you have to say about this matter. Isn’t there something wrong?”
“I think there is,” replied Johnny. “As near as I can judge, we are at least two hundred miles from land.”
“Two hundred miles!” repeated one of the crew, turning as pale as a sheet; “and in this small vessel. Let’s turn round and go back, fellows!”
“And more than that,” continued the third mate, “we are bound, not for Nantucket, but for Hayti, or some other outlandish port.”
“You don’t say so!” exclaimed several of the crew, in alarm.
“O, now, we don’t want to go to Hayti,” drawled Tom, though, to save his life, he could not have told in what part of the world that island was situated.
“Of course I am not positive of it,” said Johnny; “but I am certain of one thing, and that is, we are leaving Nantucket behind as fast as we can.”
“Now, fellows,” said Harry, turning to the watch, who were intensely excited, “that shows that I was right when I said Rich didn’t know what he was about.”
Every one of the crew had great confidence in Johnny; and there were some among them who believed that, had the officers been selected according to their merits, the third mate would have held the position of captain, while Rich would have been nothing more than a foremast hand. The “landlubbers,” especially, looked upon Johnny as one of the best sailors in existence, for he had managed the sloop during the pursuit; and when they found that he, too, believed that their ignorant skipper was taking them straight out to sea, they were greatly frightened. No doubt, like the mariners of old, they imagined that a multitude of dangers brooded over the great waters, and that all who ventured out of sight of land were doomed to destruction. But the uneasiness was not confined to these alone, for even the “old sailors” were very far from being pleased with their situation. The simple fact of being out of sight of land, however, had no terrors for them. So long as there was a clear sky above them, a smooth sea beneath, plenty of water and provisions on board, and the captain could tell exactly where they were, it made little difference to them how far they were from land. They had joined the expedition on purpose to enjoy themselves, and they could do that at sea as well as on shore. But, under the existing circumstances, having no confidence in their captain, they did not feel altogether safe.
“Well,” said Harry Green, at length, “we ought to call up the other fellows, and talk this matter over with them. I am in favor of relieving Rich, and giving the command to some one who understands his business.”
“That’s my idea exactly,” exclaimed Tom. “I never did believe that Rich was the man for that place. Now, tell me where you want to go, and I’ll take care of you.”
“You!” exclaimed several of the boys; “who asked you to take care of us?”
“Why, if Rich is relieved, the command falls on the next highest officer, don’t it?” demanded Tom.
“Not always,” said Harry. “You will do very well for a mate, Newcombe; but I, for one, don’t think we should gain any thing by making you captain. It’s my opinion that Johnny will get that position.”
“O, now, I won’t stand that!” drawled Tom, who had suddenly made up his mind that he was just the one to take command of the sloop. “I like Johnny well enough, but it isn’t right that he should be put over me. I ought to be master of this ship.”
“I don’t want the position,” said Johnny. “I came here to have some fun; and as long as I can enjoy myself, and know that I am safe, it makes no difference to me whether I am a foremast hand or an officer.”
“Then you pass the command to me, don’t you, Harding?” asked Tom, eagerly.
“No he don’t!” shouted several of the boys. “We have something to say about that!”
“We don’t want to raise any fuss now,” said Harry; “but the majority always rules, and Newcombe would give in if he wasn’t such a bull-headed rascal.”
“O, now, look here!” whined the first mate. “I want you to stop calling me a bull-headed rascal. I won’t give in an inch. I ought to be captain of this vessel. I have friends in the starboard watch who will stand by me.”
“Let’s call the other watch up, and hear what they have to say about it,” said Johnny.
“I am in for that,” said another, who was one of Rich’s friends. “I call it a mean trick to run a man down behind his back. You ought to give him a chance to defend himself.”
Some of the boys, accordingly, went into the cabin to arouse their slumbering companions, and presently the watch came on deck, rubbing their eyes and yawning, and acting altogether as if they were very sleepy.
“What’s the matter?” asked captain Rich, appearing at the head of the companion way with his boots in his hand. “Any thing wrong?”
Harry Green, who acted as spokesman for the malcontents, stated the cause of the trouble, and ended by informing Rich that it was the opinion of the majority of the boys in the port watch that the safety of the sloop, and all on board, demanded that there should be a change of commanders. The boys in the starboard watch were greatly excited and alarmed by the intelligence that they had already passed Nantucket, and were steering toward the West Indies; and some of them declared that Rich ought to have known better than to accept so responsible a situation, when he knew that he was not able to fill it. This was instantly resisted by Rich’s friends, who affirmed, that if their favorite could not be trusted, there was not a boy on board who could be depended upon.
“It’s easy enough to find fault, fellows,” said Rich; “but if you know so much more than I do, why don’t you take this business off my hands?”
“That’s just what we are going to do,” replied Harry, bluntly. “We intend to appoint another captain. Boys, I propose that Johnny Harding be—”
“Hold on,” interrupted Johnny. “I move that Rich be allowed to retain his office, on condition that he puts the Swallow about, and takes us back to Nantucket.”
“We’re going there now,” said the captain, decidedly. “And I won’t put the sloop about. As long as I am master of the Swallow, I shall do as I please; and, whenever you get tired of me, you can appoint another captain very easily. But I tell you beforehand, that you won’t make any thing by it. You ought to try and keep on good terms with every one on board.”
While this conversation was going on, Miller and two or three of his friends had been busy with the crew, urging them to make Tom captain; and, when Rich ceased speaking, one of them proposed the name of the first mate, which was received with such long cries of—“Hurrah for Newcombe! he’s the man!” that it made Johnny’s friends look rather blank. But when Harry Green requested all the boys who voted for Tom to walk over to the port side of the sloop, it was found that there were but six of them.
“Now,” exclaimed Harry, “all who are in favor of Johnny Harding being captain of this vessel, step over to the starboard side.”
Nine boys obeyed the order, and Tom was beaten.
“O, now, I won’t stand it!” drawled Tom, who was so vexed and disappointed that it was all he could do to choke back his tears. “I am the highest officer in our society, and the first mate of this vessel, and you ought to make me captain. If you don’t give me that position, I’ll refuse to do duty.”
“It’s too late now!” replied one of the boys. “Harding is elected.”
“Then you may appoint another first mate,” said Tom, who was determined to “rule or ruin;” “and you needn’t ask me to perform any work, for I won’t do it.”
“You might as well appoint a second mate also, while you are about it,” said Miller, who thought it best to follow Tom’s example. “Rich and Newcombe are my friends, and I don’t care about serving under any one else. If you can’t trust them, you can’t trust any boy on board.”
“Do as you please, fellows,” said Harry. “We don’t want you to have any hard feelings about what we have done; but, if you don’t want any thing more to do with us, we can get along without you.”
“Can you?” exclaimed Tom, suddenly. “We’ll see whether you can or not. I’ve got an idea, and I’ll show you—”
Here Tom was interrupted by a significant look from Miller. He was about to say, “I’ll show you a trick you never thought of,” but he understood the look Miller gave him, and he left the sentence unfinished.
“What will you show us, Newcombe?” asked one of the crew.
“O, nothing,” was the answer. “I didn’t mean any thing.”
But a good many of the boys doubted this. Some of them were well enough acquainted with Tom to be well aware that the simple fact of his having an “idea,” was a sufficient reason why they should keep a close watch on all his movements; and this they resolved to do.
“Look out for Newcombe, now,” whispered Harry Green. “He’s got an idea, and, when he gets that way, he’s dangerous.”
“Fellows,” said the new captain, “I don’t like this business. We came out on this cruise to enjoy ourselves, and what has just happened has caused unkind feelings, and will spoil all our sport.”
To the astonishment of all, Rich, who had been seated on the combings of a hatch, whistling to himself, as if he had no interest in what was going on, suddenly sprang to his feet, exclaiming:
“I take back what I said a few moments ago. I am willing that the majority should rule, and, if you want Harding for captain, I have no fault to find. I’ll take my place as a foremast hand; and you, Newcombe and Miller, I want you to do your work just as you did while I was captain.”
The boys listened to this speech in utter amazement. It was not Rich’s disposition to forget a real or an imagined injury, and they could not understand it. They were, however, very much relieved to learn that he was willing to do his duty in any capacity, and there was such apparent sincerity in what he said, that they could not but believe that he was in earnest.
“Well,” drawled Tom, after thinking the matter over, “I’ll obey orders.”
“So will I,” said Miller.
“That’s sensible,” said Harry. “Now we will get along smoothly, as we did before.”
The new captain, believing that every one on board was satisfied with the change, now took charge of the vessel; and, after a short consultation with some of his friends, he surprised Rich by offering him the position of third mate. He did this, not because he believed the late captain to be more worthy of it than any other boy on board, but because he wanted to show him that he appreciated the manner in which Rich had accepted the verdict of his companions.
“I’ll take it,” said the latter, “on the condition that if, at any time, you get tired of me, you will tell me so. I want some fun before I go back to the academy to be put into the guard-house, and I don’t care who is captain.”
This made Johnny hope that, if Rich had ever cherished any ill-will toward any of the crew, he had forgotten it.
But the truth of the matter was, the old captain and his friends were not as well satisfied as they pretended to be. Rich’s pride had been sorely wounded, and he could not bear the thought of taking a subordinate position after once serving as captain. He believed that he was as competent to fill the position as any boy on board, and he determined to make an effort to regain it. Tom was angry because he could not forget that the votes of a majority of the crew had defeated his aspirations for the captaincy; and he hoped that he might find an opportunity to revenge himself on them. Miller, and a few of the foremast hands, were displeased because the claims of their favorites had been disregarded, and they, too, set themselves at work to study up some plan to “get even” with those who had voted to relieve Rich of the command, and make Johnny captain. But the discontented ones were all “deep.” They knew that if they refused to do duty, they would be so closely watched that they could have no opportunity of talking the matter over among themselves; so they concluded that it was best to appear to give way to the majority. This would allay suspicion, and Johnny’s friends, believing that they were satisfied with the change, would take no notice of their movements. This was the way Rich and his friends looked at the matter, and subsequent events proved that they had not been mistaken.
As soon as Captain Harding took command of the Swallow, he put her about, and give out a course which, he imagined, would take them much nearer to Nantucket than the one Rich had given. Every thing appeared to be going on smoothly, the boys all seemed to be enjoying themselves; and when any of them laughed at the idea of finding Nantucket by sailing exactly south from Buzzard’s Bay, Rich always made some good-natured reply, that was very far from being an index of his feelings. The port watch went on at six o’clock in the evening, (the routine on the Swallow was six hours on duty and six hours off,) and when all the starboard watch had gone below, Rich and Tom met in the waist to talk over their plans.
“This is a good joke on me, isn’t it?” asked Rich. “They gave me the captaincy without my asking them for it, and now they kick me out, giving the office to Harding, who knows no more about navigation than I do, and making me third mate. I wonder if they suppose that I am going to stand any such work as that? Not if I know it.”
“I’ve got an idea!” said Tom.
“Out with, it then! I’m listening with all my ears.”
“It is this,” continued the first mate: “I propose that when we get into port, we think up some plan to get Harding and all his friends to leave the boat, and then we’ll take her and go to sea on our own hook.”
“Newcombe, you’re a brick!” exclaimed Rich. “That’s a capital idea. I told them they wouldn’t make any thing by putting Harding in my place, and I think they will find that I told the truth. I hope that we shall reach port soon, for I am anxious to pay these fellows off in their own coin. But, Newcombe, I’ll make a prediction. In less than two days you’ll see trouble on this vessel. I was right, and Johnny is wrong. He is holding her straight out to sea. Before long the provision and water will all be gone, and then we’ll be in a nice fix. They’ll see then who knows the most about navigation.”
The two conspirators spent an hour in discussing the details of their plan; but there was one point they could not decide, and that was, how to manage to induce Johnny and his friends to leave the vessel, in case they succeeded in reaching some port. However, they finally concluded that, in this, they would be governed by circumstances—Tom assuring Rich that when the time for action arrived, he could “make things work all right.” They then separated to explain their plan of operations to their friends.