Puslapio vaizdai
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got sixpence. game?" he asked. I'll look out; I'd it for nothing!"

What's

"Of course have done

the wardroom officers who were travelling "third." On arrival at Victoria we took a hansom to the Trocadero, and, after a

Dead loss of nine pounds to couple of cocktails, went up

me!

I said, "I'll let you know by four o'clock if the bargain holds," and he agreed.

Then I shot off to the postoffice, and sent a "reply paid " wire to R.

"Re offer, will arrange weekend for £12, 10s. Do you concur?"

stairs to dine, with the 'Power of the Purse' strong upon us.

It was a wonderful meal. We were the only people in the room who were not dressed, but that didn't worry us at all, though our "dog-robber " suits were excessively dingy.

One item I remember was a bottle of "Veuve Clicquot,"

The reply came back: costing 25s. When we ordered "Agreed."

Rmust have been amused to receive next morning my indignant letter scorning his bribe.

N- did the week-end duties, and after a fortnight's leave I returned to the ship, received my cheque, gave him nine pounds, and retained the remaining three pounds ten.

I was a mere novice at double-dealing, and somehow the glamour of my first bit of brokerage seemed to fade a little as soon as I had pocketed the cash; in fact, I felt most uncomfortable about the whole thing, so to ease my conscience I invited N to spend an evening in London with me at my expense. He had the grace to warn me that it might prove rather a costly affair, but I said that I didn't mind what happened so long as I spent my share of the "swag." Alas, there proved to be no difficulty about that!

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cigars and liqueurs the waiter became a little anxious about his bill, and, to my disgust, my money having run out, we had to break into N's store, which wasn't in the bargain.

The next extravagance was two seats at a certain musical comedy, for which, of course, my guest had to pay. We had some difficulty in persuading the authorities to admit us in shady looking clothes. However, they didn't want a scene, and we took our seats unopposed.

Feeling somewhat pot-valiant after his unusually good dinner, N- sent round a faked card asking one of the stars to join us in a small supper-party afterwards. To our great surprise, a little pink note came back smelling most romantically of scent, inside of which was written, "Dear Commander N- thanks ever so much. Shall we say 11.45 at the stagedoor?"

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saying, "I really can't be much too thoroughly to listen bothered with these blinkin' to wisdom, and his revolting women.' companions were all very hostile to me.

I was deeply impressed; it showed a grandeur of character in N- which I had little suspected. As a matter of fact, he had still enough sense left to remember the last train to Chatham.

On leaving the theatre we paid a visit to a certain lounge in the neighbourhood, feeling that now we really were seeing life with the lid off. The brilliantly-lit room, with its marble-topped tables crowded with men and women of all nations, and the reek of patchouli, spirits and cigars, was all most exciting to our unsophisticated youth.

A seedy-looking man, with oily black hair, greeted us warmly, and introduced us to his friends. They had, it appeared, an insatiable craving for "port and brandy," a craving which the generous Nwas only too glad to appease.

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As a matter of fact we had all night leave, or I would have removed him by force. I, at all events, had to catch the train, as I was absolutely penniless, so I made a hurried exodus into the street, pursued by female cheers, which hurt my young self-consciousness terribly. I made good time to Victoria Station vid Piccadilly and St James' Park. I often had to run to catch the Chatham train, as I seldom had enough cash for a cab or a bus. I just caught the train, and persuaded the guard to hold on for three minutes, as a very distinguished officer had sent me down to reserve a seat for him.

The guard pursed his lips as he looked at his watch.

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We're five minutes late already," he said; "can't 'old on no longer," waved his flag, and the long train gave two or three "buckets," and then started to sidle out of the station.

Our little circle of acquaintances grew with great rapidity, and we were joined by several women, who graciously accepted a little green mint" for the Simultaneously from the far sake of their health. I began end of the station came a series to get seriously alarmed. N of piercing yells, and there under normal conditions was sadly weak in his dealings with the "fair," and after such an evening as this I feared the worst for him and for the gold in his pockets.

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In vain I besought him to come away and catch his train -we only had twenty minutes, -but he was enjoying himself

appeared the small round figure of the "distinguished officer" bounding along the platform at breakneck speed, brandishing a bottle.

The ticket-collector tried to hold the barrier, but wisely stepped back as an upper-cut with the bottle just missed his chin. After all, railway bye

laws do not apply to super- not having the wherewithal to

men.

I was standing on the footboard with the carriage-door open, yelling at N to hurry up. His sprint was just in time, and he collapsed as he reached me, losing his hat and bursting his bottle as he did so.

There were several anxious moments as his feet dragged along the flags, when I was not sure whether one or both of us would be left at Victoria, but by a great effort I gathered him all in before the train had run past the end of the raised platform.

He explained that he had been brought down in a growler by five "delightful girls," and that they had, he feared, helped themselves to his money in transit. He then giggled himself to sleep, to my great relief, and the rest of the journey, except for a two-hour delay due to fog, was uneventful.

I had no easy task to rouse Nat Chatham, and when he did wake up, he accused me of stealing his money!

At Chatham Station we found another of our midshipmen, who had been waiting in the ticketoffice from 11 till 3 on the chance of a lift in a cab down to the ship, having spent all his money, and come down, dead-beat, by an earlier train. Luckily a cab had remained, and we three drove slowly down through the freezing fog to the dockyard.

My two cab-mates were asleep as we approached the ship, so,

VOL. CCXV.-NO. MCCCIII.

pay, I cautiously opened the cab-door and ran along the top of the dock-gates for a short cut to the gangway. Unfortunately the gates were open, and I had to retrace my steps and follow the cab. The other two inmates, having noticed my defection, had also left the cab and run for the gangway, saying that I was going to pay. The cabby, being stout and heavily clad, made no attempt to stop them as they sped across the old spars and rusty wires which littered the yard, but concentrated all his efforts

on me.

He left his cab with its steaming horse, and guarded the "bridgehead" or the outboard end of the gangway. I made a dash for it, and swerved at the right moment. The cabby missed his tackle, and, whip in hand, pursued me along the gangway, down two ladders into the midshipman's chestflat. I jumped into a hammock "all standing." It was, unfortunately, occupied, and the sleeping contents fell out and was confronted by a furious cabby, whose ensanguined remarks I could hardly forbear to cheer from the depths of the warm hammock.

Our visitor was eventually ejected by the marine sentry, and I went to my chest to put away my clothes and get out my pyjamas.

The key had disappeared, so I had to force the lock with a bayonet and a belaying-pin, spitefully making as much noise

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as possible to show my disgust with the world in general.

The midshipman who slung over my chest awoke, abused me, and asked what the noise was about. I told him that some abandoned son of Ham had stolen my key, and he said, "Sorry, here it is. I borrowed it to open my chest."

I let go the head lanyard of his hammock, and decanted him on to the cold deck, then turned in myself.

Two hours later, at 6.15 A.M., ten sleepy midshipmen in dirty flannels and sweaters were endeavouring to learn rifle exer

cises under the creaking arclamp on the frozen dock-side.

The cabman was paid his fare with a bonus, and life became normal once more.

Mothers of modern midshipmen need feel no alarm. When there are no games to be played, dancing and "poodle-faking" have largely replaced the more lurid and less reputable amusements of twenty years ago, and now, except on special occasions, such as "Armistice" and "Boat-race nights, the better known wild-oat fields of London are sown by few but the chosen race.

THE LOG OF THE CUTTY SARK.

BY MOIRA O'NEILL.

"THE lives of some ships are as humdrum as those of some men, but certain vessels have adventures which are more romantic and exciting than any invented by the sea novelist, and of these the Cutty Sark is assuredly a most conspicuous example."

So says Mr Basil Lubbock, historian and biographer of many a sailing-ship, and experienced seafarer first of all. He declares the Cutty Sark to be the fastest ship that ever left the ways, and proves it by the evidence of the men who knew and sailed her, supplemented with her records, both by sights and log.

One old seaman of great experience gives in his testimony: "I served on board the Thermopylae on her maiden voyage, 1868-69, when she made the quickest passage ever made between London and Melbourne -sixty days from pilot to pilot, and sixty-one port to port. I also served on board the Ariel, Cutty Sark, James Baines, Lightning, Serica, Taeping, and Loch Torridon, and haven't the slightest hesitation in saying that the Cutty Sark was the swiftest of the lot. No vessel, either steamer or sail, ever passed us all the time I was on her. Having come in contact with a good few, who, like myself, have sailed on

what were considered the crack clippers, both in the Australian and Chinese trade, I never knew one who for a moment ever had the least doubt but that the Cutty Sark was the swiftest ship built or likely to be built."

It should be noted that the writer of this letter had served not only on Cutty Sark's chief rivals in the tea trade, but upon the James Baines and Lightning, Black Ballers celebrated for the largest day's runs ever recorded, and also

on

what was probably the fastest four-mast barque ever launched, the Loch Torridon.

Racing is a passion with the British, and in every age both by land and sea, the conditions change, but the central excitement is the same. "In the days of our fathers a racecourse was made of the mighty ocean itself, with the great capes of the world as rounding marks." This was the annual ship race from China with the first teas of the season. It was the Derby of the seas, or, as the newspapers called it, the "Great Ship Race," on which shipowners wagered fortunes, and the hands before the mast risked their pay. Many a skipper risked his ship, his life, and all, knowing that if he won his reputation in his profession was made for

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