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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ea9133c --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #61064 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61064) diff --git a/old/61064-h.zip b/old/61064-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ecd4b4d..0000000 --- a/old/61064-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/61064-h/61064-h.htm b/old/61064-h/61064-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 9717a49..0000000 --- a/old/61064-h/61064-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4777 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> -<head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" /> -<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Cadet of the Black Star Line, by Ralph Delahaye Paine</title> - <style type="text/css"> - - p { margin-top: .75em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .75em; - } - - p.bold {text-align: center; font-weight: bold;} - p.bold2 {text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: 150%;} - - h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; - } - h1 span, h2 span { display: block; text-align: center; } - #id1 { font-size: smaller } - - - hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; - } - - body{margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; - } - - table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; border-collapse: collapse; border: none; text-align: right;} - - .pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; - text-indent: 0px; - } /* page numbers */ - - .center {text-align: center;} - .smaller {font-size: smaller;} - .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - .space-above {margin-top: 3em;} - .right {text-align: right;} - .left {text-align: left;} - .s4 {display: inline; margin-left: 4em;} - - .poem {display: inline-block; text-align: left;} - .poem br {display: none;} - .poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} - .poem div {margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} - - hr.full { width: 100%; - margin-top: 3em; - margin-bottom: 0em; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - height: 4px; - border-width: 4px 0 0 0; /* remove all borders except the top one */ - border-style: solid; - border-color: #000000; - clear: both; } - </style> -</head> -<body> -<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Cadet of the Black Star Line, by Ralph -Delahaye Paine, Illustrated by George Varian</h1> -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no -restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: A Cadet of the Black Star Line</p> -<p>Author: Ralph Delahaye Paine</p> -<p>Release Date: December 31, 2019 [eBook #61064]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A CADET OF THE BLACK STAR LINE***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4>E-text prepared by Martin Pettit<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (<a href="https://archive.org">https://archive.org</a>)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - <a href="https://archive.org/details/cadetofblackstar00painiala"> - https://archive.org/details/cadetofblackstar00painiala</a> - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<div class="center"><a name="cover.jpg" id="cover.jpg"></a><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="cover" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<h1>A CADET OF THE BLACK<br /> STAR LINE</h1> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/ad.jpg" alt="book list" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><a name="i004.jpg" id="i004.jpg"></a><img src="images/i004.jpg" alt="She can't last much longer" /></div> - -<p class="bold">"She can't last much longer. Lay into it, my buckos!" [Page 22]</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/title.jpg" alt="title page" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<p class="bold2">A CADET OF THE<br />BLACK STAR LINE</p> - -<p class="bold space-above">By</p> - -<p class="bold2">RALPH D. PAINE</p> - -<p class="bold">Author of "College Years," "The Head Coach,"<br /> -"The Fugitive Freshman," etc.</p> - -<p class="bold space-above">ILLUSTRATED BY<br />GEORGE VARIAN</p> - -<p class="bold space-above">NEW YORK<br />CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS<br />1922</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1910, by</span><br /> -CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS<br />———<br />Printed in the United States of America</p> - -<div class="center space-above"><img src="images/logo.jpg" alt="logo" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - -<table summary="CONTENTS"> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><span class="smaller">Chapter</span></td> - <td><span class="smaller">Page</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>I. </td> - <td class="left">Oil Upon the Waters</td> - <td><a href="#Page_3">3</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>II. </td> - <td class="left">The Sea Waifs</td> - <td><a href="#Page_23">23</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>III. </td> - <td class="left">The Fire-Room Gang</td> - <td><a href="#Page_43">43</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>IV. </td> - <td class="left">Mr. Cochran's Temper</td> - <td><a href="#Page_63">63</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>V. </td> - <td class="left">Mid Fog and Ice</td> - <td><a href="#Page_83">83</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VI. </td> - <td class="left">The Missing Boat</td> - <td><a href="#Page_102">102</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VII. </td> - <td class="left">The Bonds of Sympathy</td> - <td><a href="#Page_121">121</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VIII. </td> - <td class="left">Yankee Topsails</td> - <td><a href="#Page_140">140</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>IX. </td> - <td class="left">Captain Bracewell's Ship </td> - <td><a href="#Page_161">161</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>X. </td> - <td class="left">The Call of Duty</td> - <td><a href="#Page_179">179</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<h2>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - -<table summary="ILLUSTRATIONS"> - <tr> - <td class="left">"She can't last much longer. Lay into it, my buckos!"</td> - <td><a href="#i004.jpg"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td><span class="smaller">Facing<br />Page</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">Some one was kneeling on his chest, with a choking grip on his neck</td> - <td><a href="#i061.jpg">50</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">It was easy work to get alongside and pass them a line</td> - <td><a href="#i123.jpg">110</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">David gazed down at the white deck of the <i>Sea Witch</i></td> - <td><a href="#i209.jpg">194</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">A CADET OF THE BLACK<br /> STAR LINE</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">A CADET OF THE BLACK<br /> STAR LINE</p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER I</span> <span class="smaller">OIL UPON THE WATERS</span></h2> - -<p>The strength of fifteen thousand horses was driving the great Black -Star liner <i>Roanoke</i> across the Atlantic toward New York. Her promenade -decks, as long as a city block, swarmed with cabin passengers, while -below them a thousand immigrants enjoyed the salty wind that swept -around the bow. Far above these noisy throngs towered the liner's -bridge as a little world set apart by itself. Full seventy feet from -the sea this airy platform spanned the ship, so remote that the -talk and laughter of the decks came to it only as a low murmur. The -passengers were forbidden to climb to the bridge, and they seldom -thought of the quiet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> men in blue who, two at a time, were always -pacing that canvas-screened pathway to guide the <i>Roanoke</i> to port.</p> - -<p>Midway of the bridge was the wheel-house, in which a rugged -quartermaster seemed to be playing with the spokes set round a small -brass rim while he kept his eyes on the swaying compass card before -him. The huge liner responded like a well-bitted horse to the touch of -the bridle rein, for the power of steam had been set at work to move -the ponderous rudder, an eighth of a mile away.</p> - -<p>A lad of seventeen years was cleaning the brasswork in the wheel-house. -Trimly clad in blue, his taut jersey was lettered across the chest -with the word CADET. When in a cheerful mood he was as wholesome and -sailorly a youngster to look at as you could have found afloat, but -now he was plainly discontented with his task as with sullen frown and -peevish haste he finished rubbing the speaking-tubes with cotton waste. -Then as he caught up his kit he burst out:</p> - -<p>"If my seafaring father could have lived to watch me at this fool kind -of work, he'd have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> been disgusted. I might better be a bell-boy in a -hotel ashore at double the wages."</p> - -<p>The quartermaster uneasily shifted his grip on the wheel and growled:</p> - -<p>"The old man's on the bridge. No talkin' in here. Go below and tell -your troubles to your little playmates, sonny."</p> - -<p>Young David Downes went slowly down the stairway that led to the boat -deck, but his loafing gait was quickened by a strong voice in his ear:</p> - -<p>"Step lively, there. Another soft-baked landsman that has made up his -mind to quit us, eh?"</p> - -<p>The youth flushed as he flattened himself against the deck house to -make room for the captain of the liner who had shrewdly read the -cadet's thoughts. As he swung into the doorway of his room the brown -and bearded commander flung back with a contemptuous snort: "Like all -the rest of them—<i>no good</i>!"</p> - -<p>It was the first time that Captain Thrasher had thought it worth while -to speak to the humble cadet who was beneath notice among the four -hundred men that made up the crew of the <i>Roanoke</i>. From afar, David -had viewed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> this deep-water despot with awe and dislike, thinking him -as brutal as he was overbearing. Even now, as he scurried past the -captain's room, he heard him say to one of the officers:</p> - -<p>"Take the irons off the worthless hounds, and if they refuse duty again -I will come down to the fire room and make them fit for the hospital."</p> - -<p>The cadet shook his fist at the captain's door and moved on to join -his companions in the fore part of the ship. He was in open rebellion -against the life he had chosen only a month before. Bereft of his -parents, he had lived with an uncle in New York while he plodded -through his grammar-school years, after which he was turned out to -shift for himself. He had found a place as a "strong and willing boy" -in a wholesale dry-goods store, but his early boyhood memories recalled -a father at sea in command of a stately square-rigger, and the love -of the calling was in his blood. There were almost no more blue-water -Yankee sailing ships and sailors, however, and small chance for an -ambitious American boy afloat.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span></p> - -<p>Restlessly haunting the wharves in his leisure hours, David had -happened to discover that the famous Black Star Line steamers were -compelled by act of Congress to carry a certain number of apprentices -or "cadets," to be trained until they were fit for berths as junior -officers. The news had fired him with eagerness for one of these -appointments. But for weeks he faced the cruel placard on the door of -the marine superintendent's office:</p> - -<p class="center">NO CADETS WANTED TO-DAY</p> - -<p>At last, and he could hardly believe his eyes, when he hurried down -from the Broadway store during the noon hour, the sign had been changed -to read:</p> - -<p class="center">TWO CADETS WANTED</p> - -<p>Partly because he was the son of a ship-master and partly because of -his frank and manly bearing, David Downes was asked for his references, -and a few days later he received orders to join the <i>Roanoke</i> over the -heads of thirty-odd applicants. Now he was completing his first round -voyage and, alas! he had almost<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> decided to forsake the sea. He was -ready to talk about his grievances with the four other cadets of his -watch whom he found in their tiny mess room up under the bow.</p> - -<p>"I just heard the old man threaten to half kill a couple of firemen," -angrily cried David. "He is a great big bully. Why, my father commanded -a vessel for thirty years without ever striking a seaman. Mighty little -I'll ever learn about real seafaring aboard this marine hotel. All you -have to do is head her for her port and the engines do the rest. Yet -the captain thinks he's a little tin god in brass buttons and gold -braid."</p> - -<p>An older cadet, who was in his second year aboard the liner, eyed the -heated youngster with a grim smile, but only observed:</p> - -<p>"You must stay in steam if you want to make a living at sea, Davy. And -as for Captain Stephen Thrasher—well, you'll know more after a few -voyages."</p> - -<p>A chubby, rosy lad dangled his short legs from a bunk and grinned -approval of David's mutiny as he broke in:</p> - -<p>"There won't be any more voyages for <i>this</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> bold sailor boy. Acting as -chambermaid for paint and brasswork doesn't fill me with any wild love -for the romance of the sea. We were led aboard under false pretences, -hey, David?"</p> - -<p>"Me, too," put in another cadet. "I'm going to make three hops down the -gangway as soon as we tie up in New York."</p> - -<p>"So I am the only cadet in this watch with sand enough to stick it -out," said their elder. "You <i>are</i> a mushy lot, you are. I'm going on -deck to find a <i>man</i> to talk to."</p> - -<p>As the door slammed behind him, David Downes moodily observed:</p> - -<p>"He has no ambition, that's what's the matter with <i>him</i>." But after -a while David grew tired of the chatter and horse-play of the mess -room and went on deck to think over the problem he must work out for -himself. Was it lack of "sand" that made him ready to quit the calling -he had longed for all his life? Would he not regret the chance after he -had thrown it away? But the life around him was nothing at all like the -pictures of his dreams, and he was too much of a boy to look beyond the -present. His ideas of the sea were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> colored through and through by the -memories of his father's career. He had come to hate this ugly steel -monster crammed with coal and engines, which ate up her three thousand -miles like an express train.</p> - -<p>As he leaned against the rail, staring sadly out to sea, the sunlight -flashed into snowy whiteness the distant royals and top-gallant sails -of a square-rigger beating to the westward under a foreign flag. The -boy's eyes filled with tears of genuine homesickness. Yonder was a -ship worthy of the name, such as he longed to be in, but there was no -place in her kind for him or his countrymen. A brown paw smote David's -shoulder, and he turned to see the German bos'n. The cadet brushed a -hand across his eyes, ashamed of his emotion, but the kind-hearted old -seaman chuckled:</p> - -<p>"Vat is it, Mister Downes? You vas sore on the skipper and the ship, -so?"</p> - -<p>David answered with a little break in his voice:</p> - -<p>"It is all so different from what I expected, Peter."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You stay mit us maybe a dozen or six voyages," returned the other, -"and you guess again, boy. I did not t'ink you vas a quitter."</p> - -<p>"But this isn't like going to sea at all," protested David.</p> - -<p>"You mean it ist not a big man's work?" shouted the bos'n. "Mein Gott, -boy, it vas full up mit splendid kinds of seamanship, what that old -bundle of sticks and canvas out yonder never heard about. I know. I vas -in sailin' vessels twenty years."</p> - -<p>The bos'n waved a scornful hand at the passing ship. But David could -not be convinced by empty words, and long after the bos'n had left him, -he wistfully watched the square-rigger slide under the horizon, like a -speck of drifting cloud.</p> - -<p>There had been bright skies and smooth seas during the outward passage -to Dover and Antwerp, and although the season was early spring the -<i>Roanoke</i> had reached mid-ocean on her return voyage before the smiling -weather shifted. When David was roused out to stand his four-hour -watch at midnight, the liner was plunging into head seas which broke -over the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> forward deck and were swept aft by a gale that hurled the -spray against her bridge like rain. The cadet had to fight his way to -the boat deck to report to the chief officer. Climbing to the bridge -he found Captain Thrasher clinging to the railing, a huge and uncouth -figure in dripping oil-skins. It was impossible to see overside in the -inky darkness, while the clamor of wind and sea and the pelting fury of -spray made speech impossible.</p> - -<p>The cadet crouched in the lee of the wheel-house while the night -dragged on, now and then scrambling below on errands of duty until four -o'clock sounded on the ship's bell. Then he went below, drenched and -shivering, to lie awake for some time and feel the great ship rear and -tremble to the shock of the charging seas.</p> - -<p>When he went on deck in daylight, he was amazed to find the <i>Roanoke</i> -making no more than half speed against the storm. The white-crested -combers were towering higher than her sides, and as he started to -cross the well deck a wall of green water crashed over the bow, picked -him up, and tossed him against a hatch,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> where he clung bruised and -strangling until the torrent passed. It was the sturdy bos'n who -crawled forward and fetched the boy away from the ring-bolt to which he -was hanging like a barnacle. As soon as he had gained shelter, David -gasped:</p> - -<p>"Did you ever see a storm as bad as this, Peter?"</p> - -<p>"It is a smart gale of wind," spluttered the bos'n, "and two of our -boats vas washed away like they vas chips already. But maybe she get -worse by night."</p> - -<p>On his reeling bridge Captain Thrasher still held his post, after an -all-night vigil. The cadet was cheered at the sight of this grim and -silent figure, no longer a "fair-weather sailor," but the master of the -liner, doing his duty as it came to him, braced to meet any crisis. The -men were going about their work as usual, and David began cleaning the -salt-stained brass in the wheel-house.</p> - -<p>When he looked out again, the chief officer was waving his arm toward -the dim, gray skyline, and at sight of David he beckoned the lad to -fetch him his marine glasses. Captain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> Thrasher also clawed his way to -the windward side of the bridge and stared hard at the sea. The two men -shouted in each other's ears, then resumed their careful scrutiny of -the tempest-torn ocean in which David could see nothing but the racing -billows. Presently the chief officer shook his head and folded his arms -as if there was nothing more to be said or done.</p> - -<p>After a while David made out a brown patch of something which was -tossed into view for an instant and then vanished as if it would never -come up again. If it were a wreck it seemed impossible that any one -could be left alive in such weather as this. As the <i>Roanoke</i> forged -slowly ahead, the drifting object grew more distinct. With a pair of -glasses from the rack in the wheel-house, David fancied he could make -out some kind of a signal streaming from the splintered stump of a -mast. Captain Thrasher was pulling at his brown beard with nervous -hands, but he did not stir from his place on the bridge. Presently he -asked David to call the third officer. There was a consultation, and -fragments of speech were blown<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> to the cadet's eager ears: "No use in -trying to get a boat out.... God help the poor souls ... she'll founder -before night...."</p> - -<p>Could it be that the liner would make no effort to rescue the crew of -this sinking vessel, thought David. Was this the kind of seamanship -a man learned in steamers? He hated Captain Thrasher with sudden, -white-hot anger. He was only a youngster, but he was ready to risk his -life, just as his father would have done before him. And still the -liner struggled on her course without sign of veering toward the wreck -whose deck seemed level with the sea.</p> - -<p>The forlorn hulk was dropping astern when Captain Thrasher buffeted -his way to the wheel-house and stood by a speaking-tube. As if he were -working out some difficult problem with himself, he hesitated, and said -aloud:</p> - -<p>"It is the only chance. But I'm afraid the vessel yonder can't live -long enough to let me try it."</p> - -<p>The orders he sent below had to do with tanks, valves, pipes, and -strainers. David could not make head or tail of it. What had the -engineer's department to do with saving<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> life in time of shipwreck? -Stout-hearted sailors and a life-boat were needed to show what -Anglo-Saxon courage meant. The cadet ran to the side and looked back -at the wreck. He was sure that he could make out two or three people -on top of her after deck house, and others clustered far forward. They -might be dead for all he knew, but the pitiful distress signal beckoned -to the liner as if it were a spoken message. When David went off watch -he found a group of cadets as angry and impatient as himself.</p> - -<p>"He ought to have sent a boat away two hours ago," cried one.</p> - -<p>"I'd volunteer in a minute," exclaimed another. "The old man's lost his -nerve."</p> - -<p>The bos'n was passing and halted to roar:</p> - -<p>"Hold your tongues, you know-noddings, you. A boat would be smashed -against our side like egg-shells and lose all our people. If the wedder -don't moderate pretty quick, it vas good-by and Davy Jones's locker for -them poor fellers."</p> - -<p>But the cadets soon saw that Captain Thrasher was not running away from -the wreck, even though he was not trying to send aid. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> <i>Roanoke</i> -was hovering to leeward as if waiting for something to happen. It -was heart-breaking to watch the last hours of the doomed vessel. At -last Captain Thrasher was ready to try his own way of sending help. -The oldest cadet who was in charge of the signal locker came on deck -with an armful of bunting. One by one he bent the bright flags to a -halliard; they crept aloft, broke out of stops, and snapped in the -wind. David, who had studied the international code in spare hours, was -able to read the message:</p> - -<blockquote><p><i>Will stand by to give you assistance.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>Only the iron discipline that ruled the liner from bridge to fire room -kept the cadets from cheering. David expected to see a boat dropped -from the lofty davits, but there were no signs of activity along the -liner's streaming decks. It looked as if Captain Thrasher would let -those helpless people drown before his eyes.</p> - -<p>After a little the <i>Roanoke</i> began to swing very slowly off her course. -Then as the seas began to smash against her weather side, she rolled -until it seemed as if her funnels must be jerked out by the roots. -Inch by inch, however, she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> crept onward along the arc of a mile-wide -circle of which the wreck was the centre. Even now David did not at -all understand what the captain was trying to do. The great circle had -been half-way covered before the cadet happened to notice that a band -of smoother water was stretching to leeward of the steamer, and that as -if by a miracle the huge combers were ceasing to break. An eddying gust -brought him a strong smell of oil, and he went to the rail and stared -down at the sea. The <i>Roanoke</i> heaved up her black side until he saw -smears of a yellow liquid trickle from several pipes, and spread out -over the frothing billows in shimmering sheets.</p> - -<p>Slowly the <i>Roanoke</i> plunged and rolled on her circular course until -she had ringed the wreck with a streak of oily calm. But still no -efforts were made to attempt a rescue. The night was not far off. -The gray sky was dusky and the horizon was shutting down nearer and -nearer in mist and murk. Once more the liner swung her head around as -if to steer a smaller circle about the helpless craft. In an agony -of impatience David was praying that she might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> stay afloat a little -longer. Clear around this second and smaller circuit the liner wallowed -until two rings of oil-streaked calm were wrapped around the wreck. Now -surely, Captain Thrasher would risk sending a boat. But the bearded -commander gave no orders and only shook his head now and then, as if -arguing with himself.</p> - -<p>Then for the third and last time the <i>Roanoke</i> began to weave a -path around the water-logged hulk, which was so close at hand that -the castaways could be counted. One, two, three aft, and three more -sprawled up in the bow. One or two of them were waving their arms in -feeble signals for help. A great sea washed over them, and one vanished -forever. It was cruel beyond words for those who were left alone to -have to watch the liner circle them time after time.</p> - -<p>The stormy twilight was deepening into night when this third or inner -circle was completed. The onset of the seas was somewhat broken when -it met the outside ring of oil. Then rushing onward, the diminished -breakers came to the second protecting streak and their menace<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> was -still further lessened. Once more the sea moved on to attack the wreck, -and coming to the third floating barrier the combers toppled over in -harmless surf, such as that which washes the beach on a summer day when -the wind is off shore.</p> - -<p>It was possible now for the first time to launch a boat from the lee -side of the liner, if the help so carefully and shrewdly planned had -not come too late. Landlubber though he was, and convinced beforehand -that there was no room for seamanship aboard a steamer, David Downes -began to perceive the fact that Captain Thrasher knew how to meet -problems which would have baffled a seaman of the old school. But even -while the third officer was calling the men to one of the leeward -boats, the sodden wreck dove from view and rose so sluggishly that it -was plain to see her life was nearly done. The hearts of those who -looked at her almost ceased to beat. It could not be that she was going -to drown with help so near. As the shadows deepened across the leaden -sea, David forgot that he was only a cadet, forgot the discipline that -had taught him to think only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> of his own duties, and rushing toward the -boat he called to the third officer:</p> - -<p>"Oh, Mr. Briggs, can't I have an oar? I can pull a man's weight in the -boat. Please let me go with you."</p> - -<p>The ruddy mate spun on his heel and glared at the boy as if about to -knock him down. Just then a Norwegian seaman hung back, muttering to -himself as if not at all anxious to join this forlorn hope. The mate -glanced from him to the flushed face and quivering lip of the stalwart -lad. Mr. Briggs was an American, and in this moment blood was thicker -than water.</p> - -<p>"Pile in amidships," said he. "You are my kind, youngster."</p> - -<p>Mr. Briggs shoved the Norwegian headlong, and David leaped into the -boat just as the creaking falls began to lower her from the davits. The -boat swung between sea and sky as the liner rolled far down to leeward -and back again. Then in a smother of broken water the stout life-boat -met the rising sea, the automatic tackle set her free, and she was -shoved away in the nick of time to escape being shattered against the -steamer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p> - -<p>As the seven seamen and the cadet tugged madly at the sweeps and the -boat climbed the slope of a green swell, Mr. Briggs shouted:</p> - -<p>"She can't last much longer. Lay into it, my buckos. Give it to her. -There's a woman on board, God bless her. I can see her skirt. No, it's -a little girl. She's lashed aft with the skipper. Now break your backs. -H-e-a-v-e a-l-l!"</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER II</span> <span class="smaller">THE SEA WAIFS</span></h2> - -<p>As the liner's life-boat drew nearer the foundering hulk, the men -at the oars could see how fearful was the plight of the handful of -survivors. The arms of a gray-haired man were clasped around a slip of -a girl, whose long, fair hair whipped in the wind like seaweed. They -were bound fast to a jagged bit of the mizzen-mast and appeared to be -lifeless. Far forward amid a tangle of rigging and broken spars, three -seamen sprawled upon the forecastle head. If any of them were alive, -they were too far gone to help save themselves.</p> - -<p>Just beyond the innermost ring of oil-streaked sea there was a patch of -quiet water, and as the boat hovered on the greasy swells, the third -officer called to his men:</p> - -<p>"One of us must swim aboard with a line."</p> - -<p>The excited cadet, straining at his sweep,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> yelled back that he was -ready to try it, but the officer gruffly replied:</p> - -<p>"This is a man's job. Bos'n, you sung out next. Over you go."</p> - -<p>The bos'n was already knotting the end of a heaving line around his -waist, and without a word he tossed the end to the officer in the -stern. David Downes bent to his oar again with bitter disappointment in -his dripping face. He was a strong swimmer and not afraid of the task, -for this was the kind of sea life he had fondly pictured for himself. -But he had to watch the bos'n battle hand-over-hand toward the wreck, -the line trailing in his wake. Then a sea picked up the swimmer and -flung him on the broken deck that was awash with the sea. Those in -the boat feared that he had been killed or crippled by the shock, and -waited tensely until his hoarse shout came back to them. They could see -him creeping on hands and knees across the poop, now and then halting -to grasp a block or rope's end until he could shake himself clear of -the seas that buried him.</p> - -<p>At length he gained the cabin roof, and his shadowy figure toiled -desperately while he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> wrenched the little girl from the arms of her -protector and tied the line about her. The life-boat was warily steered -under the stern as the bos'n staggered to the bulwark with his burden. -With a warning cry he swung her clear. A white-backed wave caught her -up and bore her swiftly toward the boat as if she were cradled. Two -seamen grasped her as she was swept past them and lifted her over the -gunwale.</p> - -<p>Again the bos'n shouted, and the master of the vessel was heaved -overboard and rescued with the same deft quickness. Mr. Briggs rejoiced -to find that both had life in them, and forced stimulants between their -locked and pallid lips, while his men rowed toward the bow of the -wreck. The three survivors still left on board could no longer be seen -in the gray darkness.</p> - -<p>David Downes, fairly beside himself with pity and with anger at the sea -which must surely swallow the wreck before daylight could come again, -had tied the end of a second line around his middle while the boat was -waiting under the stern. Now, as the mate hesitated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> whether to attempt -another rescue, the cadet called out:</p> - -<p>"It's my turn next, sir. I know I can make it. Oh, won't you let me -try?"</p> - -<p>"Shut your mouth and sit still," hotly returned Mr. Briggs.</p> - -<p>He had no more than spoken when David jumped overboard and began to -swim with confident stroke toward the vague outlines of the vessel's -bow. The whistle of the liner was bellowing a recall, and her signal -lamps twinkled their urgent message from aloft. It was plain to read -that Captain Thrasher was troubled about the safety of his boat's crew, -but they doggedly hung to their station.</p> - -<p>As for David, his strength was almost spent before he was able to fetch -alongside his goal. He had never fought for his life in water like this -which clubbed and choked him. By great good luck he was tossed close to -a broken gap in the vessel's waist, and gained a foothold after barking -his hands and knees. Half stunned, he groped his way forward until a -feeble cry for help from the gloom nerved him to a supreme effort. He -found the man whose<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> voice had guided him, and was trying to pull him -toward the side when the wreck seemed to drop from under their feet. -Then David felt the bow rise, rearing higher and higher, until it hung -for a moment and descended in a long, sickening swoop as if it were -heading straight for the bottom. There was barely time to make fast a -bight of the line under the sailor's shoulders before, clinging to each -other, the two were washed out to sea.</p> - -<p>The men in the boat discerned the wild plunge of the sinking craft, and -guessing that she was in the last throes, they hauled on the line with -might and main. Their double burden was dragged clear, just as the bark -rose once more as if doing her best to make a brave finish of it, and -a few moments later there was nothing but seething water where she had -been.</p> - -<p>When David came to himself he was slumped on the bottom boards beside -the groaning seaman he had saved. They were close to the <i>Roanoke</i> -and her passengers were cheering from the promenade deck. It was a -dangerous task to hoist the boat up the liner's side, but cool-headed -seamanship accomplished it without<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> mishap. Several stewards and the -ship's doctor were waiting to care for the rescued, and as David limped -forward he caught a glimpse of the slender girl being borne toward the -staterooms of the second cabin.</p> - -<p>Men and women passengers hurried after the cadet, for the bos'n had -lost no time in telling the story, winding up with the verdict:</p> - -<p>"A cadet vas good for somethings if you give him a chance."</p> - -<p>Wobbly and water-logged, David dodged the ovation and steered for his -bunk as fast as he was able. The other cadets of his watch shook his -hand and slapped him on the back until he feebly cried for mercy, and -brought him enough hot coffee and food to stock a schooner's galley.</p> - -<p>"There will be speeches in the first cabin saloon, and the hat passed -for the heroes, and maybe a medal for your manly little chest," said -one of the boys. "You are a lucky pup. How did you get a chance to kick -up such a fuss?"</p> - -<p>David was proud that he had been able to play a part in a deed of -real seafaring, such as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> he had thought was no longer to be found -in steamers. He had changed his mind. He was going to stick by the -<i>Roanoke</i> and Captain Thrasher, by Jove, and with swelling heart he -answered:</p> - -<p>"I just did it, that's all, without waiting for orders. I tell you, -fellows, that's the kind of thing that makes going to sea worth while, -even in a tea-kettle."</p> - -<p>"You did it without orders?" echoed the oldest cadet with a whistle of -surprise. "Um-m-m! wait till the old man gets after you. You may wish -you hadn't."</p> - -<p>"What! When I saved a man's life in the dark from a vessel that went -down under us? I did my duty, that is all there is to it."</p> - -<p>"It wasn't discipline. It was plain foolishness," was the unwelcome -reply. "I am mighty well pleased with you myself, but—well, there's no -use spoiling your fun."</p> - -<p>Next day the <i>Roanoke</i> was steaming full speed ahead toward the -Newfoundland banks, the storm left far behind her. David Downes, every -muscle stiff and sore, went on duty, still hoping that his deed would -be applauded by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> the ship's officers. While he scoured, cleaned, -and trotted this way and that at the beck and call of the bos'n, a -bebuttoned small boy in a bob-tailed jacket hailed him with this brief -message:</p> - -<p>"<i>He</i> wants to see you in his room, right away."</p> - -<p>The cadet followed the captain's cabin boy in some fear and trembling. -He found the sea lord of the <i>Roanoke</i> stretched in an arm-chair, while -a steward was cutting his shoes from his feet with a sailor's knife. -The captain tried to hide the pitiable condition of his swollen feet -as if ashamed of being caught in such a plight, and grumbled to the -steward:</p> - -<p>"Thirty-six hours on the bridge ought not to do that. But those shoes -never did fit me."</p> - -<p>To David he exclaimed more severely:</p> - -<p>"So you are the cadet that jumped overboard without orders. Don't do it -again. If you are going to sail with us next voyage, the watch officer -will see that you have no shore leave in New York. You will be on duty -at the gangway while the ship is in port. What kind of a vessel would -this be if all hands did as they pleased?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></p> - -<p>Standing very stiffly in the middle of the cabin, David chewed his lip -to hold back his grief and anger. Overnight he had come to love the sea -and to feel that he was ready to work and wait for the slow process -of promotion. But this punishment fairly crushed him. He could only -stammer:</p> - -<p>"I did the best I could to be of service, sir."</p> - -<p>The captain's stern face softened a trifle and there was a kindly gleam -in his gray eye as he said:</p> - -<p>"I put Mr. Briggs in charge of the boat, not you. That is all now. Hold -on a minute. I hope you are going to sail with us next voyage."</p> - -<p>The cadet tried to speak but the words would not come, and he hurried -on deck. After the first shock he found himself repeating the captain's -final words:</p> - -<p>"I hope you are going to sail with us next voyage."</p> - -<p>Said David to himself a little more cheerfully:</p> - -<p>"That means he wants me to stay with him. It is a whole lot for him to -say, and more than he ever told the other fellows. Maybe I did wrong, -but I'm glad of it."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p> - -<p>He would have been in a happier frame of mind could he have overheard -Captain Thrasher say to Mr. Briggs after the boy had gone forward:</p> - -<p>"I don't want the silly passengers to spoil the boy with a lot of -heroics. He has the right stuff in him. He is worth hammering into -shape. I guess I knocked some of the hero nonsense out of his noddle, -and now I want you to work him hard and watch how he takes his -medicine."</p> - -<p>As soon as he was again off watch, David was very anxious to go in -search of the castaways, but he was forbidden to be on the passenger -deck except when sent there. The captain's steward had told him that -the captain of the lost bark, the <i>Pilgrim</i>, was able to lie in a -steamer chair on deck, but that the little girl could not leave her -berth. The bos'n was quick to read the lad's anxiety to know more about -these two survivors, and craftily suggested in passing:</p> - -<p>"Mebbe I could use one more hand mit the awnings on the promenade deck, -eh?"</p> - -<p>David was more than willing, and as he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> busied himself with stays and -lashings he cast his eye aft until he could see the gray-haired skipper -of the <i>Pilgrim</i> huddled limply in a chair, a forlorn picture of misery -and weakness. David managed to work his way nearer until he was able to -greet the haggard, brooding ship-master who was dwelling more with his -great loss than with his wonderful escape, as he tremulously muttered -in response:</p> - -<p>"Ten good men and a fine vessel gone. My mate and four hands went when -the masts fell. The others were caught forrud. And all I owned went -with her, all but my little Margaret. If it wasn't for her I'd wish I -was with the <i>Pilgrim</i>."</p> - -<p>"Is she coming around all right?" asked David, eagerly. "We were afraid -we were too late."</p> - -<p>"She's too weak to talk much, but she smiled at me," and the -ship-master's seamed face suddenly became radiant. "So you were in the -boat. It was a fine bit of work, and your skipper ought to be proud of -you, and proud of himself. That three-ringed oil circus he invented was -new to me. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span></p> - -<p>The cadet grinned at thought of Captain Thrasher's "pride" in him, -but said nothing about his own part in the rescue and inquired in an -anxious tone:</p> - -<p>"Does the doctor think she will be able to walk ashore? Had you been -dismasted and awash very long?"</p> - -<p>"Two days," was the slow reply. "But I don't want to think of it now. -My mind kind of breaks away from its moorings when I try to talk about -it, and my head feels awful queer. John Bracewell is my name. I live -in Brooklyn when ashore. You must come over and see us when I feel -livelier."</p> - -<p>"But about the little girl," persisted David. "Is she your -granddaughter?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, my only one, and all I have to tie to. My boy was lost at sea and -his wife with him. And she is all there is left. She's sailed with me -since she was ten years old. She's most thirteen now, and I never lost -a man or a spar before."</p> - -<p>The broken ship-master fell to brooding again, and there was so much -grief in his tired eyes and uncertain voice that David forbore to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> -ask him any more questions. When he went forward again, David sought -the forecastle to learn what he could about the lone seaman of the -<i>Pilgrim's</i> crew. A group of <i>Roanoke</i> hands were listening to the -story of the loss of the bark as told by the battered man with bandaged -head and one arm in a sling who sat propped in a spare bunk. The cadets -were forbidden to loaf in the forecastle, and after a word or two David -lingered in the doorway, where he could hear the sailor's voice rise -and fall in such fragments of his tale as these:</p> - -<p>"Broke his heart in two to lose her ... American-built bark of the good -old times, the <i>Pilgrim</i> was ... me the only Yankee seaman aboard, too -... I'll ship out of New York in one of these tin pots, I guess.... No, -the old man ain't likely to find another ship.... He's down and out.... -I'm sorry for him and the little girl. She's all right, she is."</p> - -<p>The <i>Roanoke</i> was nearing port at a twenty-knot gait, and the cadets -were hard at work helping to make the great ship spick and span for -her stately entry at New York. Now and then David Downes found an -errand to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> second cabin deck, hoping to find Captain Bracewell's -granddaughter strong enough to leave her room. But he had to content -himself with talking to the master of the <i>Pilgrim</i>, who was like a -man benumbed in mind and body. He was all adrift and the future was -black with doubts and fears. He had lived and toiled and dared in his -lost bark for twenty years. David could understand something of his -emotions. His father had been one of this race of old-fashioned seamen, -and the boy could recall his sorrow at seeing the American sailing -ships vanish one by one from the seas they had ruled. Captain Bracewell -was fit for many active years afloat, but he was too old to begin at -the foot of the ladder in steam vessels, and there was the slenderest -hope of his finding a command in the kind of a ship he had lost.</p> - -<p>These thoughts haunted David and troubled his sleep. But he did not -realize how much he was taking the tragedy to heart until the afternoon -of the last day out. He was overjoyed to see the "little girl" snuggled -in a chair beside her grandfather. She was so slight and delicate by -contrast with the ship-master's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> rugged bulk that she looked like a -drooping white flower nestled against a rock. But her eyes were brave -and her smile was bright, as her grandfather called out:</p> - -<p>"David Downes, ahoy! Here's my Margaret that wants to know the fine big -boy I've been telling her so much about."</p> - -<p>Boy and girl gazed at each other with frank interest and curiosity. -Even before David had a chance to know her, he felt as if he were her -big brother standing ready to help her in any time of need. Margaret -was the first to speak:</p> - -<p>"I wish I could have seen you swimming off to the poor old <i>Pilgrim</i>. -Oh, but that was splendid."</p> - -<p>David blushed and made haste to say:</p> - -<p>"I haven't had a chance to do anything for you aboard ship. I wish I -could hear how you are after you get ashore."</p> - -<p>"You are coming over to see us before you sail, aren't you?" spoke up -Captain Bracewell, with a trace of his old hearty manner.</p> - -<p>"I'd be awful glad to," David began, and then he remembered that if he -intended sticking to the <i>Roanoke</i> he must stay aboard as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> punishment -for trying to do his duty. So he finished very lamely. "I—I can't see -you in port this time."</p> - -<p>Margaret looked so disappointed that he stumbled through an excuse -which did not mean much of anything. He had made up his mind to stay -in the ship as a cadet, even though he was forbidden to be a hero. He -realized, for one thing, how ashamed he would be to let these two know -that he had almost decided to quit the sea. He had played a man's part -and the call of the deep water had a new meaning. But it would never do -to let Margaret know that his part in the <i>Pilgrim</i> rescue had got him -into trouble with his captain.</p> - -<p>David was called away from his friends, and did not see them again -until evening. A concert was held in the first-class dining saloon, and -the president of a great corporation, a famous author, and a clergyman -of renown made speeches in praise of the heroism of the <i>Roanoke's</i> -boat crew. Then the prima donna of a grand-opera company volunteered -to collect a fund which should be divided among the heroes and the -castaways. She returned from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> her quest through the crowded saloon with -a heaping basket of bank-notes and coin. There was more applause when -Captain Bracewell was led forward, much against his will. But instead -of the expected thanks for the generous gift, he squared his slouching -shoulders and standing as if he were on his own quarter-deck, his deep -voice rang out with its old-time resonance:</p> - -<p>"You mean well, ladies and gentlemen, but my little girl and I don't -want your charity. I expect to get back my health and strength, and I'm -not ready for Sailor's Snug Harbor yet. We thank you just the same, -though, but there's those that need it worse."</p> - -<p>David Downes was outside, peering through an open port, for he knew -that the concert was no place for a <i>Roanoke</i> "hero." He could not hear -all that the captain of the <i>Pilgrim</i> had to say, but the ship-master's -manner told the story. The cadet had a glimpse of Margaret sitting -in a far corner of the great room. She clapped her hands when -her grandfather was done speaking, and there was the same proud -independence in the poise of her head. David<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> sighed, and as he turned -away bumped into the lone seaman of the <i>Pilgrim</i> who had been gazing -over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>"He's a good skipper," said the sailor. "But he's an old fool. He's -goin' to need that cash, and need it bad. All he ever saved at sea his -friends took away from him ashore. My daddy and him was raised in the -same town, and I know all about him."</p> - -<p>"Do you mean they'll have to depend on his getting to sea again?" asked -David.</p> - -<p>"That's about the size of it. He's worked for wages all his life, and -knowin' no more about shore-goin' folks and ways than a baby, he never -risked a dollar that he didn't lose. Here's hopin' he lands a better -berth than he lost."</p> - -<p>"Aye, aye," said David.</p> - -<p>Next morning the <i>Roanoke</i> steamed through the Narrows with her band -playing, colors flying from every mast, and her passengers gay in their -best shore-going clothes. David had no chance to look for Captain -Bracewell and Margaret. It was sad to think of them amid this jubilant -company which had scattered its wealth over Europe with lavish hand. -The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> contrast touched David even more as he watched Captain Thrasher -give orders for swinging the huge steamer into her landing. With voice -no louder than if he were talking across a dinner table, the master of -the liner waved away the tugs that swarmed out to help him, and with -flawless judgment turned the six hundred feet of vibrant steel hull -almost in its own length and laid her alongside her pier as delicately -as a fisherman handles a dory. The strength of fifteen thousand horses -and the minds of four hundred men, alert and instantly obedient, did -the will of this calm man on the bridge. David thrilled at the sight, -and thought of Captain Bracewell, as fine a seaman in his way, but -belonging to another era of the ocean.</p> - -<p>The cadet was on duty at the gangway when the happy passengers streamed -ashore to meet the flocks of waiting friends. The decks were almost -deserted when the skipper of the <i>Pilgrim</i> and Margaret came along very -slowly. David ran to help them. They were grateful and glad to see -him, but the "little girl," could not hide her disappointment that her -boy hero<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> was not coming to see them before he sailed. She could not -understand his refusal, and when she tried to thank him for what he -had done for them, there were tears in her eyes. Her grandfather had -fallen back into the hopeless depression of his first day aboard. Weak -and unnerved as he was, it seemed to frighten him to face the great and -roaring city, in which he was only a stranded ship-master without a -ship.</p> - -<p>David tried to be cheery at parting, but his voice was unsteady as he -said:</p> - -<p>"I'll see you both again, as soon as ever I can get ashore. And you -must write to me, won't you?"</p> - -<p>Margaret's last words were:</p> - -<p>"You will always find us together, David Downes. And we'll think of you -every day and pray for you at sea."</p> - -<p>They went slowly down the gangway and were lost in the crowd on the -pier. The cadet stood looking after them and said to himself:</p> - -<p>"I can never be really happy till he has another ship. But what in the -world can I do about it?"</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER III</span> <span class="smaller">THE FIRE-ROOM GANG</span></h2> - -<p>Cadet David Downes was on watch with the fourth officer of the -<i>Roanoke</i> at the forward gangway. It was their duty, while the liner -lay at her pier in New York, to see that nobody came on board except on -the ship's business, and to prevent attempts at smuggling by the crew. -David had heard nothing from Captain Bracewell and Margaret since they -went ashore three days before. They had taken such a strong hold on his -affection and sympathy that he was wondering how it fared with these -friends of his, when a quartermaster, returning from an evening visit -to the offices ashore, handed the cadet two letters from the bundle of -ship's mail.</p> - -<p>One envelope was bordered with black and he opened it first. The letter -told him of the sudden death of his uncle, who had gone to live in a -Western city. This guardian had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> shown little fondness for and interest -in the motherless boy, and David felt more surprise than grief. But -the loss made him think himself left so wholly alone that it seemed as -if all his shore moorings were cut. More than ever he longed for some -place to call home, and for people who would be glad to see him come -back from the sea. It was with a new interest, therefore, that he read -his other letter, which was signed in a very precise hand, "Margaret -Hale Bracewell." In it the "little girl" told him:</p> - -<blockquote><p><span class="smcap">Dear David Downes</span>:</p> - -<p>Grandfather wants me to write you that we are as well as could -be expected and hoping very much to see you. We are boarding in -the house with an old shipmate, Mr. Abel Becket, who used to sail -with us. When are you coming to see us? I am most as well as ever. -We have not found a ship, but Grandfather is looking round and -maybe we will have good news for you next voyage. He tries to be -cheerful, but is very restless and worried. I wish we were in -steam instead of sail, don't you? Good luck, and I am</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Your Sincere and Respectful Friend</span>.</p></blockquote> - -<p>David smiled at the "we" of this stanch partnership of the <i>Pilgrim</i>, -and as soon as he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> was off watch he wrote a long reply, in which he -told Margaret that his uncle's death made him feel as if he kind of -belonged to their little family, for he had nobody else to care for -and be of service to. Once or twice he thought of asking permission to -leave the ship long enough to run over to Brooklyn, but new notions -of discipline had been pounded into him by the events of the homeward -voyage, and he decided to take his detention on board as part of the -routine which made good sailors "in steam."</p> - -<p>Two nights before sailing he happened to be left alone at the gangway, -for the watch officer had been called to another part of the ship. A -drizzling fog filled the harbor, and the arc lights on the pier were -no more than vague blobs of sickly yellow. The cadet's attention was -roused by a confused noise of shouting, singing, and swearing out -toward the end of the pier shed. After making sure that the racket -did not come from the ship he concluded that a riotous lot of Belgian -firemen and roustabouts were making merry. When the watch officer -returned, the cadet reported the unseemly noise.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span></p> - -<p>A few minutes later a louder clamor arose, as if the revellers had -fallen to fighting among themselves. Then a quartermaster came running -forward from the after gangway.</p> - -<p>"Dose firemen vill kill each odder," he reported. "They tries to come -aboard ship and I can't stop 'em."</p> - -<p>The officer told David to stay at his post, and hurried aft in the wake -of the quartermaster. The cadet could hear seamen running from the -other side of the ship to re-enforce the peace party, and presently one -of them dashed up the pier as if to call the police patrol boat, which -lay at the next dock. The cadet had seen enough of the fire-room force, -a hundred and fifty strong, to know that the coal-passers and firemen -were as brutal and disorderly men ashore as could be found in the slums -of a great seaport. But such an uproar as this right alongside the ship -was out of the ordinary.</p> - -<p>While the cadet listened uneasily to the distant riot, his alert ears -caught the sound of a splash, as if some heavy object had been dropped -from a lower deck. On the chance that one of the crew might have fallen -over, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> ran to the other side and looked down at the fog-wreathed -space of water between the liner and the next pier. He could see -nothing and heard no cries for help. A little later there came faintly -to his ears a second splash. It somehow disquieted him. The galley -force was asleep. Nothing was thrown overboard from the kitchens at -this time of night and the ash-hoists were never dumped in port.</p> - -<p>Firemen sometimes deserted ship, but no deserter would be foolish -enough to swim for it in the icy water of early spring. David dared not -leave his gangway more than a minute or two at a time. He wanted very -much to know what was going on overside in this mysterious fashion, but -there was no one in hailing distance, and the watch officer, judging by -the noise in the pier, had his hands full.</p> - -<p>David had quick hearing, and in the still, fog-bound night small sounds -travelled far. Presently he fancied he heard words of hushed talk, and -a new noise as if an oar had been let fall against a thwart. It was his -business to see that the ship was kept clear of strangers, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> without -knowing quite why, he felt sure that something wrong was going on. -Finally, when he could stand the suspense no longer, he tiptoed across -the deck, moved aft until he was amidships between the saloon deck -houses, and crouched on a bench against the rail.</p> - -<p>Cautiously poking his head over, he could dimly discern the outline -of a small boat riding close to the ship as if she were waiting for -something. She was hovering under one of the lower ports, which had -been left open to resume coaling at daylight. Two or three men were -moving like dark blots in the little craft. Presently a bulky object -loomed above their heads and slowly descended. As if suddenly alarmed, -the boat did not wait for it, but shot out in the stream, and there -was the quick "lap, lap" of muffled oars. It was not long before the -boat stole back, however, and seemed to be trying to pick up something -adrift.</p> - -<p>David did not know what to do. He guessed that this might be some kind -of a bold smuggling enterprise, but it seemed hardly possible that -anybody would risk capture in this rash and wholesale way. He was -afraid of being laughed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> at for his pains if he should raise an alarm. -He really knew so little of this vast and complex structure called a -steamship that almost any surprising performance might happen among her -eight decks. It was duty to report this singular visit, however, and -the officers could do the rest.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="i061.jpg" id="i061.jpg"></a><img src="images/i061.jpg" alt="Some one was kneeling on his chest" /></div> - -<p class="bold">Some one was kneeling on his chest, with a choking grip on his neck.</p> - -<p>He rose from his seat and turned to recross the deck, when he was -tripped and thrown on his back so suddenly that there was no time to -cry out before some one was kneeling on his chest, with a choking -grip on his neck. His eyes fairly popping from his head, David could -only gurgle, while he tried to free himself from this attack. The man -above him wore the uniform of a <i>Roanoke</i> seaman, this much the cadet -could make out, but the shadowy face so close to his own was that of -a stranger. He was saying something, but the lad was too dazed to -understand it. At length the repetition of two or three phrases beat a -slow way into David's brain:</p> - -<p>"Forget it. Forget it. It'll be worth your while. You get your piece of -it. Forget it, or overboard you go, with your head stove in."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span></p> - -<p>Forget what? It was like a bad dream without head or tail, that -such a thing could happen on the deck of a liner in port. Twisting -desperately, for he was both quick and strong, David managed to sink -his teeth in the arm nearest him. The grip on his throat weakened and -he yelled with a volume of sound of which the whistle of a harbor -tug might have been proud. The assailant pulled himself free, kicked -savagely at the boy's head, missed it, and closed with him again as if -trying to heave him overboard. But he had caught a Tartar, and David -shouted lustily while he fought.</p> - -<p>It was Captain Thrasher who came most unexpectedly to the rescue. He -was on his way back from an after-theatre supper party ashore, and he -launched his two hundred and thirty pounds of seasoned brawn and muscle -at the intruder before the pair had heard him coming. Then his great -voice boomed from one end of the ship to the other:</p> - -<p>"On deck! Bring a pair of irons! Are all hands asleep? What's all this -devil's business?"</p> - -<p>The watch officer came running up with a quartermaster and two seamen. -Without <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span>waiting for explanations they fell upon the captive whom -Captain Thrasher had tucked under one arm, and handcuffed him in a -twinkling. Swift to get at the heart of a matter, the captain snapped -at David:</p> - -<p>"How did it happen? Anybody with him? I know the face of that dirty -murdering scoundrel."</p> - -<p>"I was just going to report a boat alongside," gasped David.</p> - -<p>Captain Thrasher sprang to the rail. The fog had begun to lift, and a -black blotch was moving out toward the middle of the river.</p> - -<p>"After 'em, Mr. Enos," roared the captain to the fourth officer. "Jump -for the police patrol. It's the Antwerp tobacco smuggling gang. I -thought we were rid of 'em."</p> - -<p>The officer took to his heels, and in a surprisingly short time the -captain saw a launch dart out from the pier beyond the <i>Roanoke</i>, her -engines "chug chugging" at top speed. Making a trumpet of his hands, -Captain Thrasher shouted:</p> - -<p>"I just now lost sight of them, but the boat<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> was headed for the -Hoboken shore. They can't get away if you look sharp."</p> - -<p>Then the captain ordered his men to lock the captive in the ship's -prison until the police came back. The chief officer was roused out -and told to search the ship and to put double watches on the decks and -gangways. Having taken steps to get at the bottom of the mischief, -Captain Thrasher fairly picked up David and lugged him to his cabin. -Dumping the lad on a divan, the master of the liner pawed him over from -head to foot to make sure no bones were broken, and then remarked with -great severity:</p> - -<p>"You are more trouble than all my people put together. Disobeying -orders again?"</p> - -<p>"I guess I was, sir," faltered the cadet. "Mr. Enos told me not to -budge from the gangway, and I went over to see what was going on."</p> - -<p>"What was it? Speak up. I won't bite you," growled the captain. David -told him in detail all that happened, but he did not have the wit -to put two and two together. This was left for the big man with the -wrathful gray eye, who fairly exploded:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Mr. Enos is a good seaman, but his brain needs oiling. It is all as -plain as the nose on your face. That row on the dock was all a blind, -put up by two or three of those fire-room blackguards from Antwerp, who -stand in with the gang of tobacco smugglers. They figured it out that -all hands on deck would be pulled over to the port side and kept there -by their infernal row, while their pals dumped the tobacco out of the -starboard side. It was hidden in the coal bunkers, wrapped in rubber -bags. And because the police patrol boat berths close by us, they even -decoyed the whole squad away for a little while. Oh, Mr. Enos, but you -<i>were</i> soft and easy."</p> - -<p>The captain was not addressing David so much as the world in general, -but the cadet could not help asking:</p> - -<p>"How about the man that jumped on top of me?"</p> - -<p>"He was one of them, the head pirate of the lot," said the captain. "He -sneaked up from below as soon as the coast was clear, to signal his -mates if anybody caught them at work with the boat."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was worth being choked and thumped a little to be here in the -captain's cabin, thought David, and to be taken into the confidence of -the great man. The guest risked another question:</p> - -<p>"Did they ever try it before, sir?"</p> - -<p>"Every ship in the line has had trouble for years with these -tobacco-running firemen. But this is the biggest thing they ever -tried. Do you expect me to sit here yarning all night with a tuppenny -cadet? Go to your bunk and report to me in the morning. You are a -young nuisance, but you can go ashore to-morrow night, if you want to. -Punishment orders are suspended. Get along with you."</p> - -<p>David turned in with his mind sadly puzzled. One thing at least was -certain. There was more in the life of a cadet than cleaning paint and -brass, but was he always going to be in hot water for doing the right -thing at the wrong time? Before he went to sleep he heard the police -launch return, and stepped on deck long enough to see four prisoners -hauled on to the landing stage.</p> - -<p>When David went on duty next morning he noticed a little group of -ill-favored and <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span>unkempt-looking men talking together on the end of -the pier. One of them made a slight gesture, and the others turned and -stared toward the cadet. Then they moved toward the street without -trying to get aboard ship. Mr. Enos called David aft and told him:</p> - -<p>"The police are watching that bunch of thugs. Two of them used to be in -our fire room. All four ought to be in jail. They had something to do -with the ruction last night, but they can't be identified. The bos'n -tells me he thinks they got wind that you were the lad who spoiled the -game for their pals. If you go ashore after dark, keep a sharp eye out. -They'd love to catch you up a dark street."</p> - -<p>David looked solemn at this, but it was too much like playing -theatricals to let himself believe that he was in any kind of danger -along the water front of New York. It was early evening before he was -free to get into his one suit of shore-going clothes and head for -Brooklyn to look for his friends, Captain Bracewell and Margaret. The -bridge cars were blockaded by an accident, and after fidgeting for -half an hour David decided to walk across.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> There was more delay on -the other side in trying to find the right street, and it was getting -toward nine o'clock before he rang the bell of a small brick house -in a solid block of them so much alike that they suggested a row of -red pigeon-holes. A sturdy man with hair and mustache redder than his -house front opened the door, and to David's rather breathless inquiry -answered in a tone of dismay:</p> - -<p>"Why, Captain John and the little girl left here this very afternoon. -Bless my soul, are you the lad from the <i>Roanoke</i> they think so much -of? Come aboard and sit down. No, they ain't coming back that I know -of. My name is Abel Becket and I'm glad to meet you."</p> - -<p>David followed Mr. Becket into the parlor, feeling as if the world had -been turned upside down. The sympathetic sailor man hastened to add:</p> - -<p>"They didn't expect to see you this voyage and they was all broke up -about it. The old man is kind of flighty and I couldn't ha' held him -here with a hawser. They could have berthed here a month of Sundays, -for he has been like a daddy to me."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span></p> - -<p>"But where did they go?" implored David.</p> - -<p>"All I know is," said Mr. Becket, rubbing his chin, "that the old -man came home this noon mighty glum and fretty after visitin' some -ship-brokers' offices. He told me that he heard how an old ship of his, -the <i>Gleaner</i>, had been cut down to a coal-barge. He was mighty fond of -her, and it upset him bad. And I think he was sort of hopin' to get her -again. Then he said he was going to move over to New York to be close -to the shipping offices in case anything turned up, and with that him -and Margaret packed up and away they flew."</p> - -<p>"But why didn't they stay here with you, Mr. Becket? I can't understand -it."</p> - -<p>Mr. Becket laid a large hand on David's knee and exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Captain John is a sudden and a funny man. For one thing, I suspicion -he was afraid of being stranded, and that I'd offer to lend him money -or something like that. He is that touchy about taking favors from -anybody that it's plumb unnatural. I'm worried that he will go all to -pieces if he don't get afloat again. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> wish I could drag him back here -so as to look after him."</p> - -<p>"And how about Margaret?" David asked.</p> - -<p>"Oh, she's feelin' fairly chirpy, and she went off with granddaddy as -proud and cocksure as if they were expectin' to be offered command of a -liner to-morrow."</p> - -<p>Despite Mr. Becket's explanations, the flight of Captain Bracewell -remained a good deal of a mystery to David. He could not bear to think -of them adrift in New York, and he declared with decision:</p> - -<p>"If you will give me their address, I'll look them up to-night."</p> - -<p>"Bless my stars and buttons, I'll go along with you and make my own -mind easy," announced Mr. Becket. "I won't sleep sound unless I know -how they're fixed. I'm so used to thinkin' of Cap'n John as fit and -ready to ride out any weather, that I don't realize he's so broke up -and helpless. And I've got to go to sea before long."</p> - -<p>The twisted streets of old Greenwich village in down-town New York -proved to be a puzzle to this pair of nautical explorers, partly -because<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> Mr. Becket had so much confidence in his ability to steer a -straight course to Captain Bracewell's new quarters that he positively -refused to ask his bearings of policemen or wayfarers. After they had -lost themselves several times, the red-headed pilot of the expedition -announced with an air of certainty:</p> - -<p>"It's here or hereabouts. I saw the name of the street on a corner sign -three or four years ago, and my memory is a wonder."</p> - -<p>This was more cheering than definite, and David meekly suggested that -he inquire at the next corner store.</p> - -<p>"Do you think I'm scuppered yet?" snorted Mr. Becket. "Not a bit of it. -Bear off to starboard at the next turn."</p> - -<p>But once again they fetched up all standing, and Mr. Becket was obliged -to confess as he meditated with hands in his pockets:</p> - -<p>"They've gone and moved the street. That's what they've done. It's a -trick they have in New York."</p> - -<p>"You wait here and I'll go back to the cigar store around the last -corner," volunteered David.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Becket was left to shout his protests while David ran up the dark -and narrow street. But the cigar store was not where he expected to -find it, and certain that it must be in the next block beyond, he -hurried on. Two crooked streets joined in the shape of the letter Y at -the second corner, and the cadet failed to notice which of these two -courses he had traversed with Mr. Becket. Without knowing it, David -began to head into a district filled with sailors' drinking places -and cheap eating-houses. As soon as he was sure that the street was -unfamiliar he slowed his pace, looked around him, and not wishing to -enter a saloon, went over to a gaudily placarded "oyster house."</p> - -<p>There were screens in front of the tables, and finding no one behind -the cigar-counter David started for the rear of the room. Three -rough-looking men jumped up from a table littered with bottles, and one -of them cried out with an oath:</p> - -<p>"It's the very kid himself. Leave him to me."</p> - -<p>David dodged a chair that was flung at him like lightning, and fled -for the street amid a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> shower of dishes and bottles. He had recognized -the unlovely face of the man who yelled at him as that of one of the -<i>Roanoke</i> firemen who had stared at him from the pier in the morning. -He knew he could expect no mercy at the hands of these ruffians.</p> - -<p>The three men were at his heels as he blindly doubled the nearest -corner, hoping that Mr. Becket might hear his shouts for help. But -the silent, shadowy street gave back only the echoes of his own voice -and the sound of furious running. The fugitive had lost all sense of -direction. He was still stiff from the bruising ordeal of the <i>Pilgrim</i> -wreck, and his legs felt benumbed, while the panting firemen seemed to -be overhauling him inch by inch. One of them whipped out a revolver and -fired. The whine of the bullet past his head made David leap aside, -stumble, and lose ground. Were there no policemen in New York? It was -beyond belief, thought David, that a man could be hunted for his life -through the streets of a great city.</p> - -<p>Far away David heard the rapping of nightsticks against the pavement. -Help was coming,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> but it might be too late, and where, oh where, was -Mr. Becket? To be stamped on, kicked, and crippled by the boots of -these ruffians—this was how they fought, David knew, and this was what -he feared.</p> - -<p>Two of his pursuers were lagging, but the pounding footfalls of the -third were coming nearer and nearer. The street into which he had now -come was lined with warehouses, their iron doors bolted, their windows -dark. There was no refuge here. He must gain the water front, whose -lights beckoned him like beacons. Then, as he tried to clear the curb, -he tripped and fell headlong. He heard a shout of savage joy almost in -his ear, just before his head crashed against an iron awning post. A -blinding shower of stars filled his eyes, and David sprawled senseless -where he fell.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER IV</span> <span class="smaller">MR. COCHRAN'S TEMPER</span></h2> - -<p>David Downes stared at the ceiling, blinked at the long windows, and -squirmed until he saw a sweet-faced woman smiling at him from the -doorway. She wore a blue dress and white apron, but she was not a -<i>Roanoke</i> stewardess nor was this place anything like the bunk-room on -shipboard. The cadet put his hands to his head and discovered that it -was wrapped in bandages. Then memory began to come back, at first in -scattered bits. He had been running through dark and empty streets. Men -were after him. How many of his bones had they broken? He raised his -knees very carefully and wiggled his toes. He was sound, then, except -for his head. Oh, yes, he had banged against something frightfully hard -when he fell. But why was he not aboard the <i>Roanoke</i>? She sailed at -eight o'clock in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> morning. He tried in vain to sit up, and called -to the nurse:</p> - -<p>"What time is it, ma'am? Tell me, quick!"</p> - -<p>"Just past noon, and you have been sleeping beautifully," said she. -"The doctor says you can sit up to-morrow and be out in three or four -days more."</p> - -<p>"Oh! oh! my ship has sailed without me," groaned David, hiding his face -in his hands. "And Captain Thrasher will think I have quit him. He knew -I had a notion of staying ashore."</p> - -<p>"You must be quiet and not fret," chided the nurse. "You got a nasty -bump, that would have broken any ordinary head."</p> - -<p>"But didn't you send word to the ship?" he implored. "You don't know -what it means to me."</p> - -<p>"You had not come to, when you were brought in, foolish boy, and there -were no addresses in your pockets."</p> - -<p>"But the captain probably signed on another cadet to take my place, -first thing this morning," quavered the patient, "and—and I—I'm -adrift and dis—disgraced."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span></p> - -<p>The nurse was called into the hall and presently returned with the -message:</p> - -<p>"A red-headed sailor man insists upon seeing you. If you are very good -you may talk to him five minutes, but no more visitors until to-morrow, -understand?"</p> - -<p>The anxious face of Mr. Becket was framed in the doorway, and at a -nod from the nurse he crossed the room with gingerly tread and patted -David's cheek, as he exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Imagine my feelin's when I read about it in a newspaper, first -thing this morning. They didn't know your name, but I figured it out -quicker'n scat. You must think I'm the dickens of a shipmate in foul -weather, hey, boy?"</p> - -<p>"You couldn't help it, Mr. Becket, and I'm tickled to death to see you. -Please tell me what happened to me. I feel as if I was somebody else."</p> - -<p>"Well, it was quick work, by what I read," began Mr. Becket. "And as -close a shave as there ever was. Accordin' to reports, you, being a -well-dressed and unknown young stranger, was rescued from a gang of -drunken<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> roustabouts by two policemen, a big red automobile, and a -prominent citizen whose name was withheld at his request, as the bright -reporter puts it. The machine was coming under full power from a late -ferry, and making a short cut to Broadway. It must have bowled around -the corner, close hauled, just as you landed on your beam ends, and it -scattered the enemy like a bum-shell. They never had a chance to see -it coming. The skipper of the gasolene liner, he being the aforesaid -prominent citizen, hopped out to pick you up, and had you aboard just -as the police came up. So you came to the hospital in the big red -wagon, the gentleman taking a fancy to your face, as far as I can make -out. And so you've been turned into a regular mystery that ought to be -in a book."</p> - -<p>"But did you find Captain Bracewell?" was David's next spoken thought.</p> - -<p>"Of course I did, after I got tired waitin' for you," and Mr. Becket's -tone was aggrieved. "It was mistrustin' my judgment that landed you -in a hospital. Captain John and Margaret will be over to pay their -respects<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> as soon as the doctors will let 'em pass the hospital -gangway. I just came from telling them about you."</p> - -<p>But David's mind had harked back to his own ship, and his face was so -troubled and despairing that Mr. Becket tugged at his red mustache and -waited in a gloomy silence.</p> - -<p>"I've lost my ship," said David at length. "Captain Bracewell and I are -on the beach together."</p> - -<p>"Why didn't I think to telephone the dock as soon as I guessed it in -the newspaper?" mourned Mr. Becket, beating his head with his fists. -"But Captain Thrasher or some of 'em aboard will read it."</p> - -<p>"They won't know it's me," wailed David. "All I can do now is to report -to the dock as soon as I can, but I am afraid it will do no good."</p> - -<p>The boy's distress was so moving that Mr. Becket had to look out of the -window to hide his own woe. Then he spun around and announced with a -shout that brought nurses and orderlies hurrying from the near-by wards:</p> - -<p>"I have it, my boy. Abel Becket's intellect is on the mend. Send old -Thrasher a <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span>wireless, do you hear? Get the hospital folks to sign it."</p> - -<p>With that Mr. Becket jerked a roll of bills from his waistcoat and -demanded a telegraph blank with so commanding an air that an orderly -rushed for the office. The sailor-man and David put their heads -together and composed this message to the <i>Roanoke</i>, which was speeding -hull down and under, far beyond Sandy Hook:</p> - -<blockquote><p><i>Cadet Downes hurt on shore leave. Unable report because -senseless. Anxious to rejoin ship.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>"No, that doesn't sound right," objected David. "He thinks I have no -sense anyhow. I can just hear him saying that he isn't in the least -surprised. Try it again, Mr. Becket."</p> - -<p>"Time is up," put in the nurse. "And I ought to have cut it shorter, -with your friend bellowing at you as if he were in a storm at sea."</p> - -<p>Mr. Becket looked repentant, as he whispered to David:</p> - -<p>"Sit tight and keep your nerve. I'll get the wireless off all -shipshape. Good-by, and God bless you."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span></p> - -<p>The patient soon fell asleep. It was late in the afternoon when he -awoke, hungry and refreshed. The nurse informed him:</p> - -<p>"A dear old man and a sweet mite of a girl called to ask after you, and -I told them to come back in the morning and they might see you. Mr. -Cochran had you put in this private room and left orders that you were -to be made as comfortable as possible. So we will have to stretch the -rules a bit, I suppose, and let your friends call out of visiting hours -to-morrow."</p> - -<p>David asked who the mysterious Mr. Cochran might be, but he could -learn nothing from the nurse, except that he was the wealthy gentleman -who had brought him to the hospital in his automobile. David tried to -be patient overnight, and was mightily cheered by the arrival of a -wireless message, which read:</p> - -<blockquote><p class="right"><i>S.S. Roanoke. At sea.</i></p> - -<p><i>Have cadet repaired in first-class shape to join ship next -voyage. He is a nuisance.</i></p> - -<p class="right"><i>Thrasher, Master.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>The news that he still belonged in the liner braced David like a strong -tonic. What did a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> cracked head-piece amount to now? Being called a -nuisance only made him smile. It was Captain Thrasher's way of trying -to cover every kindly deed he did. Next forenoon he was rereading this -message for something like the tenth time when Captain Bracewell was -shown into the room. Margaret followed rather timidly, as if she feared -to find her hero in fragments. The skipper looked even older than when -he had left the <i>Roanoke</i>, but the "little girl" looked more like a -June rose than a white violet, so swiftly had her sparkling color -returned. She had both her hands around one of David's as she cried:</p> - -<p>"Are you always going to get banged up, you poor sailor boy? And we -were to blame for it again, weren't we?"</p> - -<p>"You had no business to run away from me," returned the beaming -patient. "The worst of it was that I almost lost my own ship."</p> - -<p>These were thoughtless words said in fun, but they stung Captain -Bracewell with remembrance of his own misfortune, and he stood staring -beyond David with troubled eye.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> Margaret was quick to read his -unhappiness, and brought him to himself with a fluttering caress. The -derelict shipmaster smiled, and said to David:</p> - -<p>"Glad to find you doing so well, boy. You just take it that you are one -of our family while you are ashore. There is an extra room in our—in -our—" He hesitated, and a bit of color came into his leathery cheek as -he finished: "We can find a room for you close by us."</p> - -<p>"He means that just now we can't afford to hire more than three rooms -to live in," explained Margaret without embarrassment. "But it will be -different when we get our ship."</p> - -<p>They chatted for a few minutes longer and David promised to find a -room as near them as he could, while he waited for the return of the -<i>Roanoke</i>. It was easy to see that they wanted to take care of him, -but, for his own part, he felt a kind of guardian care for the welfare -of the two "Pilgrims," and he was very glad of the chance to be with -them at a time when Captain Bracewell was so pitifully unlike his -reliant self. After they had gone, David fell<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> to wondering anew about -this unknown Mr. Cochran who had so lavishly befriended him. It was -enough to make even a sound head ache, and when the nurse brought his -dinner, David begged her:</p> - -<p>"If you don't tell me something more about Mr. Cochran, I'll blow up."</p> - -<p>"He telephoned about you this morning," she answered, "and wanted to -call, but you had visitors enough. The doctors have told him who you -are, of course, and he seemed very much interested. He said he would -bring his son to see you this afternoon. No, not another word. What -must you be when you are well and sound? I'd sooner take care of a -young cyclone."</p> - -<p>Some time later the motherly nurse came in to say, with an air of -excitement that she could not hide:</p> - -<p>"Mr. Cochran and his boy to see you. <i>It is the great Stanley P. -Cochran.</i> I knew him from his pictures in the newspapers and magazines."</p> - -<p>The portly gentleman with the bald brow, gold-rimmed glasses, and -close-cropped gray<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> mustache who entered the room with quick step -looked oddly familiar to David. Why, of course, he had seen his -portrait and his name as the head of a great Trust, and a director in -railroads, banks, and corporations by the dozen. He spoke with curt, -clean-clipped emphasis, as if his minutes were dollars:</p> - -<p>"Pretty fit for a lad that looked as dead as a mackerel when I picked -him up. Sailors have no business ashore, but they are hard to kill. -Lucky I was so late in getting back from my country place the other -night. Wish I'd run over the scoundrels, but the police got two of -them. This is my boy, Arthur."</p> - -<p>The delicate-looking lad, who had been hanging back, shook hands with -David and smiled with such an air of shy friendliness and admiration -that David liked him on the spot. He looked to be a year or two younger -than the strapping cadet, and lacked the hale and rugged aspect of -which his illness had not robbed him. Mr. Cochran resumed, as if -expecting no reply:</p> - -<p>"I liked your looks and there was no sense in waiting for the -confounded ambulance. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> told them to treat you right. If they haven't, -I'll get after the hospital, doctors, nurses, and all. When I found out -that you were a cadet from the <i>Roanoke</i>, my boy had to come along. He -is crazy about ships and sailors. Reads all the sea stories he can lay -his hands on. Well, I must be off. Arthur, you may stay, but not long, -mind you."</p> - -<p>Mr. Stanley P. Cochran clapped on his silk hat and vanished as if he -had dropped through a trap-door. His son said to David, with his shy -smile:</p> - -<p>"He is the best father that ever was, but he never has time to stay -anywhere. I wish you would tell me all about your scrape. It sounds -terribly interesting. Will it make your head hurt?"</p> - -<p>The cadet had forgotten all about that hard and damaged head of his, -and he plunged into the heart of his adventure without bringing in -Captain Bracewell and Margaret. Their fortunes were too personal and -intimate to be lugged out for the diversion of strangers. Arthur -Cochran followed the flight from the sailors' eating-house with the -most breathless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> attention, and when David wound up with his head -against the iron post and a ship's fireman about to kick his brains -out, his audience sighed:</p> - -<p>"Is that all? Things <i>never</i> happen to me. I am not very strong, you -know, and they sort of coddle me, and trot me around to health resorts -like a set of china done up in cotton. It makes me tired. Tell me all -about being a cadet."</p> - -<p>David fairly ached to spin the yarn of the <i>Pilgrim</i> wreck, but the -cruel nurse cut the visit short, and Arthur Cochran had to depart with -the assurance that he would come back next day "to hear the rest of it."</p> - -<p>He was true to his word and found David so much stronger that the -unruly patient was sitting up in bed and loudly demanding his clothes. -It was the patient's turn to ask questions this time, and he was eager -to know all about the occupations of a millionaire's son. The heir of -the Cochran fortune had to do most of the talking. David demanded to -know all about his automobiles, his horses, and his yacht, his trips -to Florida and California, his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> private tutors, and his several homes -among which he flitted to and fro like an uneasy bird. Before they -realized how time had fled Mr. Cochran came to take Arthur home. The -Trust magnate was in his usual hurry, and he volleyed these commands as -if argument were out of the question:</p> - -<p>"I have looked you up, Downes. The Black Star office speaks very well -of you. Also the store in which you used to work. I sent a man out this -morning. My boy has taken a great fancy to you. He seldom finds a boy -he likes. I think it might do him good to have you around. I have told -the people here that you are to be moved to my house to-night. You will -stay there until you feel all right. If you wear well, and you are as -capable as you look, I shall find something better for you to do than -this dog's life at sea. Come along, Arthur. You shall see David this -evening."</p> - -<p>David's head was in a whirl. A gentleman who belonged in the "Arabian -Nights" was bent upon kidnapping him. It seemed as rash to question the -orders of this lordly parent as to disobey Captain Thrasher, but there<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> -was a look of stubborn resolution in the suntanned jaw of the young -sailor and he was not to be so easily driven. He wavered in silence -for a minute or two while Mr. Stanley P. Cochran eyed him with rising -impatience. Visions of an enchanted land of wealth and pleasure danced -before David's eyes, but even more clearly he saw the appealing figures -of Captain Bracewell and Margaret. They needed him and he had promised -to go to them. He looked up and shook his head as he said with much -feeling:</p> - -<p>"I don't know what makes you so good to me, sir. I never heard anything -like it. But I can't accept your invitation. I can never thank you -enough, but I belong somewhere else."</p> - -<p>"You have no kinfolk here. I found out all that," exclaimed Mr. Cochran -with a very red face. "Why can't you do as I tell you? Of course you -can. Not another word! Come along, Arthur."</p> - -<p>"I mean it," cried David. "I promised to stay with friends I met on -shipboard."</p> - -<p>He wanted to tell him about these friends, but the manner of Mr. -Cochran stifled <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span>explanation. The magnate was not used to such -astonishing rebellion, and it galled him the more because he felt that -he was stooping to do an uncommonly good deed.</p> - -<p>"I seldom urge any one to enter my home," said he. "Nor will I waste -words with a boy I picked off the streets; no, not even to humor my own -son's fancies. Yes, or no!"</p> - -<p>"<i>No</i>, it is," answered David, "but you mustn't be angry about it. You -don't understand it at all. Give me a chance to tell you why."</p> - -<p>Arthur tried to put in an anxious plea, but his father brushed him -aside with the gesture of a Napoleon. "I never spoil an act of charity, -Arthur," said the captain of industry. "The lad shall stay in the -hospital until he is able to shift for himself, and I will pay his -bills. But nothing more! He is ungrateful and contrary. Come along, -Arthur."</p> - -<p>David's wrath had risen to match the mood of the hot-tempered Mr. -Stanley P. Cochran.</p> - -<p>"I will get out of here to-night," cried the cadet. "And I'll pay you -back every cent it has cost you as soon as I can save it out of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> my -wages. Good-by, Arthur. I am just as grateful as I can be, don't forget -that."</p> - -<p>Arthur had little time to express his surprise and sorrow, for his -domineering parent was towing him down the hall under full steam. -David was left to puzzle his wits over his first acquaintance with a -millionaire. Of one thing he was sure. He must leave the hospital and -have done with Mr. Stanley P. Cochran's singular charity as soon as -ever the doctor would let him. But when he tried to rise, his head -was very dizzy and his legs were oddly weak. To make his way alone to -Captain Bracewell's lodgings was a task beyond his strength to attempt. -He must wait another day, and fretting at the thought of Mr. Cochran's -hasty misjudgments, the cadet's night was restless and slightly fevered.</p> - -<p>Although Arthur Cochran sent him a cheery message by telephone next -morning, it hurt David to know that the boy had been forbidden to visit -him again. He longed for the sight of a friendly face, and his joy was -beyond words when the flaming thatch of Mr. Becket burst upon his sight -and dispelled the gloom like the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> sun breaking through a cloud. David -at once began to tell the wonderful tale of Mr. Stanley P. Cochran -before the seafarer could edge in a word. The listener chewed the ends -of his mustache for a while, and then his chin dropped and his mouth -stayed open in sheerest amazement. Before David had reached the climax, -Mr. Becket broke in:</p> - -<p>"<i>Mr. Stanley P. Cochran</i> asked you to bunk in his house, to be -mess-mates with him and his only boy? Pro-dig-io-ou-s! I'd let any gang -of roustabouts knock my head off, close behind the ears, for a gorgeous -chance like that. You are the makin's of a first-class sailor, Davy, -because you are so many kinds of a stark, starin' fool ashore."</p> - -<p>"But I had to look after the 'Pilgrims,'" protested David.</p> - -<p>"You aren't in shape to look after yourself, you poor idiot," cried Mr. -Becket. "You ought to see yourself in the glass, with your head all -tied in a sling. You look after anybody? Shucks! You turned down Mr. -Stanley P. Cochran? Why, he would ha' made you for life. Oh, my! Oh, -my!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span></p> - -<p>"But I couldn't feel right if I didn't stand by Captain John and -Margaret, Mr. Becket. I'll never be happy till he gets another ship."</p> - -<p>Mr. Becket buried his face in a pillow and appeared to be wrapped in -hopeless dejection. When his florid countenance emerged from its total -eclipse he groaned twice, heaved a sigh that fairly shook him, and -glared at David with speechless reproach.</p> - -<p>"What in the world has happened to you now?" peevishly quoth the -patient. "You don't come into this. And I haven't done anything to be -sorry for."</p> - -<p>"I hadn't ought to tell you, Davy, and you sick in bed," confessed -the dismal Mr. Becket. "It's rubbin' it in too hard. Mr. Stanley P. -Cochran has just bought out the Columbia sugar refineries, hook, line, -and sinker. I read it in the <i>Shipping Gazette</i> last week. And that -included the whole fleet of square-rigged ships that fetches their -cargoes from the Far East. He controls 'em all now, does Stanley P. -Cochran."</p> - -<p>"You mean that I might have helped to get a ship for Captain John?" -David piteously appealed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Easy as robbin' a sailor," solemnly answered Mr. Becket. "That boy of -his can have anything on earth, up to a herd of white elephants, for -the simple askin'. And you could ha' had anything you wanted through -the young hopeful. It was a direct act of Providence that you had to go -and monkey with."</p> - -<p>David was in the torments of regret. Yes, Arthur Cochran was just the -kind of a boy to feel an affectionate interest in the fortunes of -Captain John and Margaret, once he had a chance to know them. But the -opportunity was past and dead. Mr. Becket looked a little less hopeless -as he exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Is it too late to patch it up? Can't we charter a hack and overhaul -Stanley P. and tell him the prodigal is ashamed of the error of his -ways?"</p> - -<p>"He is not that kind," said David. "He will never speak to me again. I -jolted his pride and he is done with me for good. Oh, but I did try to -do what was right. And I've done wrong to my best and dearest friends."</p> - -<p>"I begin to think you were born to trouble as the sparks fly upward," -was Mr. Becket's dreary comment.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER V</span> <span class="smaller">MID FOG AND ICE</span></h2> - -<p>A year had passed since David Downes lay grieving in the hospital -over the great chance he had let slip to help mend the fortunes of -Captain Bracewell and Margaret. The cadet no longer dreamed of giving -up his life's work on the sea. He had sailed twelve voyages in the -<i>Roanoke</i>, which every month ploughed her stately way across the -Atlantic and return, through six thousand miles of hazards. Cadets had -come and gone. Few of them who sought to make their careers in this -way had the grit and patience to endure the machine-like routine in -which advancement lay years and years ahead. But David had begun to -understand the meaning of this slow process by which his mind was being -taught to act with sure judgment, and he saw how very much there was to -learn and suffer before a man could win the mastery of the sea.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p> - -<p>Because he was strong, quick, and obedient, the navigating officers -took a genuine interest in his welfare. They had begun to teach him -the uses of their instruments and books. He knew the language of the -fluttering signal flags by day and the sputtering Coston lights and -winking lamps by night. The taffrail log and the Thompson sounding -machine were no longer blind mysteries, and much of his leisure was -spent in the chart room. The bos'n taught him what few tricks of -old-fashioned seamanship were left to learn in a vessel whose spars -were no more than cargo derricks. The cadet had begun to know the -liner, the vast and intricate organization, whose ever-throbbing life -extended through eight stories that were like so many hotels, machine -shops, and factories. And he realized what it must mean to be that calm -and ever-ready man in the captain's cabin, whose mind was in touch with -every one of these myriad activities by night and day.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile David had become more and more fond of and intimate with his -sea waifs of the <i>Pilgrim</i>. Every time the <i>Roanoke</i> wove her way back -to New York, like a giant shuttle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> plying over a vast blue carpet, -the cadet was with Margaret and her grandfather as often as he was -allowed ashore. Captain Bracewell had not found the ship for which he -yearned, but his former owners had given him a berth as stevedore on -their wharf, and in faithful drudgery he earned a living and a home for -Margaret.</p> - -<p>He had never become his old self again. He was like one of the splendid -square-rigged ships which had been degraded to spend its last days as -a coal barge. But he had learned to keep his sorrows and regrets to -himself, and, gray-haired hero that he was, lived and toiled for the -"little girl," who was the one anchor to hold him from drifting on the -lee shore of a broken and useless old age.</p> - -<p>David Downes had grown very close to the ship-master's heart. His -young strength and his hope and pride in his calling were like a fresh -sea-breeze. Nor did anything have quite as much power to kindle Captain -Bracewell's emotions as David's confidence that somehow and some day -the message would come that a master was needed on the quarter-deck of -some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> fine deep-water sailing ship. Even the bos'n of the <i>Roanoke</i>, to -whom David had told his dreams, took a lively interest in the matter -and went so far as to declare:</p> - -<p>"The very first Christmas what I makes my fortunes I vill put a -four-masted Yankee ship in your stockings, boy, mit stores and crew -ready for sea, and this granddaddy of yours walkin' up and down the -poop, so?"</p> - -<p>When the <i>Roanoke</i> was ordered into dry-dock at Southampton, at the end -of David's first year in her, she missed a voyage and the cadet had -to be content with letters from his friends in New York. In the first -packet of mail was a surprising lot of news from Margaret, which read -as follows:</p> - -<blockquote><p> -<span class="smcap">Dear Brother Davy</span>:</p> - -<p>It is awful lonesome without you for seven whole weeks. -Grandfather misses you more than he thinks he lets me see, and -he is almost as fidgety as when we landed from the dear old -<i>Pilgrim</i>. Mr. Becket is in port and is the cheerfulest of us -all though he ought to be the saddest. After being chief officer -in that coastwise steamer for three years, he was silly enough -to play a joke on his skipper in <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span>Charleston last week. And, of -course, the old man found it out. Mr. Becket is a perfect dear, -but he hasn't much sense when he gets one of his fits of the -do-funnies. The captain was in a barber shop ashore, getting his -whiskers cut off for the summer season. And Mr. Becket paid two -hackmen to walk in as if they just happened there, and begin to -talk to each other about the fire on the wharves. Of course, the -captain pricked up his ears, and then one of the men said:</p> - -<p>"They tell me it blazed up just like an explosion and is right -smack alongside the <i>Chesapeake</i>."</p> - -<p>That was Mr. Becket's steamer, you know. One side of the captain's -whiskers was off and the other wasn't, and he made a jump from the -chair, took one of the hackmen by the neck, shoved him through -the door, and threw him up on the box of his carriage. Then the -captain hopped inside and told the man to drive to the wharf like -fury. Of course, the hackman had not expected to be caught this -way, but he had to go or else the captain would have broken his -neck for him, at least that is what he said he would do.</p> - -<p>And when they got to the wharf the captain flew out of the cab and -down to his ship. The deck was full of passengers and they laughed -till they cried, for the captain must have been a <i>sight</i> with -only half his whiskers on. Mr.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> Becket says they were a fathom -long, but he is a terrible exaggerator, as you know. Then the -captain ran back after the hackman and caught him and scared him -so that he told on Mr. Becket. Wasn't it a shame? Anyhow, he was -a horrid captain to his officers and Mr. Becket says he is going -to wait for the ship you expect to build for grandfather and me. -Write soon and come home as quick as you can to</p> - -<p>Your Most Affectionate Little Sister,</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Margaret</span>.</p></blockquote> - -<p>David tore open an envelope that bore the marks of Mr. Becket's -ponderous fist, hoping for more light on this family tragedy. The -luckless mate had no more to say, however, than this:</p> - -<blockquote><p><span class="smcap">Dear Davy</span>:</p> - -<p>Do you need a strong and willing seaman in your gilt-edged packet? -The coasting trade don't agree with my delicate health. I have -left the <i>Chesapeake</i> owing to one of them cruel misunderstandings -that makes a sailor's life as uncertain as the lilies of the -field which are skylarkin' to-day and are cut down and perisheth -to-morrow. It is too painful to bother your tender young feelings -with. Hold on, I don't think I want to ship with you. Your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> -skipper wears a fine crop of tan whiskers. They would be sure to -fill me with sad and tormentin' memories. All's well, and they -can't keep a good man down. Your shipmate,</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Abel Y. Becket</span>.</p></blockquote> - -<p>David read the letter to the bos'n, expecting sympathy, but that -hard-hearted mariner laughed boisterously, and said:</p> - -<p>"He got vat was comin' to him, the red-headed old sundowner. I know -that Becket man. I wish he shipped as a seaman mit me. I make him yump -mit a rope's end. He, ho, ho!—the old man mit his whiskers carried -away on the port side. I give a month's wages to see him."</p> - -<p>David grew a little hot at such callous treatment of a friend in -distress, but could not help smiling as the bos'n trudged off about his -work, wagging his head and muttering:</p> - -<p>"Mit his whiskers under jury-rig. The red-headed old sundowner! He <i>is</i> -a rascal, is that Becket man!"</p> - -<p>"I am going to find out whether this line needs any more junior -officers," sighed David to himself. "It seems as if all my family<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> is -hoodooed about keeping their berths afloat. I wish I was big enough to -spank Mr. Abel Y. Becket."</p> - -<p>A few days after this the <i>Roanoke</i> was ready for sea and all hands -resumed their routine duties. The liner slid out into Southampton -Water, and swung up Channel toward the North Sea and Antwerp to pick up -her passengers and cargo for the homeward voyage. Clean and tuned up -after her overhauling, the crack ship of the Black Star Line was fit -for a record run across the Atlantic.</p> - -<p>Nor had Captain Thrasher ever felt more pride and confidence in the -power, speed, and seaworthiness of the <i>Roanoke</i> than when he dropped -the Dutch pilot off Flushing a few days later and signalled "full speed -ahead," with Sandy Hook a week away and waiting wives and sweethearts -"hauling on the towline." Nor were any of the passengers who flocked -along the rail in cheerful groups more eager to get home to their own -than the stalwart cadet who tramped the boat deck and watched the -Channel shipping sweep past like a panorama. An older cadet, with whom -David<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> had formed a fast sea friendship, listened with kindly interest -to his hopes and anxiety that all was well with Captain John and -Margaret. In David's thoughts the "little girl" was still the helpless -child of the <i>Pilgrim</i>, who needed the constant and protecting care of -a big brother. Margaret was fourteen now, on the threshold of her fair -girlhood, but in her devotion to David there was no sentiment, save -that of a sister's trusting and adoring affection.</p> - -<p>Captain Thrasher had come to know these friends of David's through -their occasional visits on board, when the ship was in port, and his -manner toward them was always most cordial. Now and then he unbent a -trifle at sea and asked David if Captain Bracewell had found another -ship. David was not frightened, therefore, when the master of the liner -beckoned him, while passing down from the bridge to supper. The cadet -followed the bulky, resolute figure in blue into the sacred precincts -of the captain's quarters, and stood silent, cap in hand. In his -eyes, Captain Stephen Thrasher was the most enviable man alive, far -outshining presidents and kings.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span></p> - -<p>Perhaps because he had been longer away from his home than usual and -was thinking of his own lads in school, the masterful captain of the -liner addressed David almost as if he were a friend:</p> - -<p>"Are you getting on all right, my boy? Do you peg away at your books -off watch?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. The chief officer thinks I have a turn for navigation. That -is, sir, he said that whatever once got inside my thick head was pretty -sure to stick there."</p> - -<p>Captain Thrasher chuckled, and looked the boy over from head to foot -before he resumed:</p> - -<p>"How is that stranded friend of yours, Captain Bracewell and his pretty -granddaughter?"</p> - -<p>"They are well, sir, but Mr. Becket has lost his—his—" David bit -his tongue. He had almost said too much. The captain did not know Mr. -Becket from a marline-spike, and his affairs must not be dragged in -unless asked for. But Captain Thrasher showed no interest in whatever -it was that Mr. Becket had lost, and abruptly ended the interview with:</p> - -<p>"You will be put on the ship's papers as an able seaman next voyage. -But you will berth<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> with the cadets, understand? Don't thank me. You -have earned promotion. That's all. You are a nuisance. Get out."</p> - -<p>David saluted, and his radiant face expressed his thanks which -the captain had forbidden him to put in words. Once on deck, the -new-fledged able seaman danced a shuffle and cracked his heels -together. His wages would be doubled, and he had left one round of -the long ladder behind him. For the next three days he went about -his duties in a kind of blissful trance, but he was none the less -determined to earn another step in promotion hour by hour, one task at -a time, done as well and faithfully as he knew how.</p> - -<p>The voyage which had begun so brightly was fated to test the mettle, -not only of David Downes, but of every man of the ship's company. -The fog, which shut down on the third day like a gray curtain, made -navigation a perilous game of hide and seek. Captain Thrasher took -his post on the bridge, to stay there until the fog should clear. Far -down in the clanging engine rooms the chief engineer and his army of -toilers were alert to respond to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> signals on the instant. The safety of -thousands of lives and millions of property was in their keeping also. -They were like bold and resourceful pygmies among the mighty monsters -of clanging steel which they were ready to tame and check at the call -from above.</p> - -<p>Through a long night the <i>Roanoke</i> groped her way over a shrouded sea -on which the fog hung so thick that the ghostly figures on the bridge -could not see the bow of their own ship. It was no better when daylight -wiped the blackness from the fog. The steamer was wrapped in a blind -world in which there was no sound except the bellowing of the automatic -whistle.</p> - -<p>David had seen Captain Thrasher pick his sure way through days and -nights of such weather as this, but now the master appeared to be more -cautious and absorbed in his great responsibility than ever before. -Some unusual strain and uneasiness were picking at his nerves, and his -officers were aware of it, but they kept their thoughts to themselves. -Nor would David have guessed the truth so soon had not Captain -Thrasher tossed away a wireless message slip<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> instead of tearing it -up. David caught it as it fluttered past the wheel-house and began to -read without thinking it to be more than a greeting from some passing -vessel. Beneath the figures of latitude and longitude was written:</p> - -<blockquote><p class="right">S.S. <i>Hanoverian</i>.</p> - -<p>Dense fog clearing. Many large icebergs in sight just to the -northward of us. Most unusual southerly ice drift directly in -west-bound track. If you are in fog advise great caution. Please -repeat warning to any other vessels behind you.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Greenfelt</span>, <i>Master</i>.</p></blockquote> - -<p>David let the bit of paper blow overside and slipped into the chart -room to calculate the position of the <i>Hanoverian</i>. The chart showed -him that she was a hundred and fifty miles west and considerably to -the southward of the <i>Roanoke</i> when the message was sent. When David -returned to the deck an officer was already making reports of the -temperature of the water, and Captain Thrasher was standing with head -cocked and a hand at his ear, listening, on the chance that the clamor -of the fog-whistle might fling back a telltale echo from some hidden -mountain of ice that lay in ambush.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span></p> - -<p>Before long David was ordered to stand by the wireless operator's room -and fetch to the bridge any messages that might leap from his rattling, -sparking instruments. But the <i>Roanoke</i> was left to work out her fate -alone. Even the <i>Hanoverian</i>, having picked up her speed with clearing -weather, had hurried beyond calling distance of the slow-creeping Black -Star liner.</p> - -<p>The second night of the fog stole softly around the ship. As the chill -and dripping air changed from pearly gray to starless gloom, the hoarse -and frequent whistle seemed to be appealing for guidance on this -sightless sea. Bridge, deck, and engine room were unceasingly vigilant. -Their first warning of deadly peril came when a blast from the whistle -was hurled back in a volley of echoes from somewhere dead ahead. -Captain Thrasher leaped to the engine-room indicator and signalled full -speed astern, with both screws.</p> - -<p>The <i>Roanoke</i> shook herself as if her rivets were pulling out, as the -engines strove to hold her back, but the momentum of the vast bulk -could not be checked on the instant. Then there came a far more violent -shock, a grinding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> roar, and the sound of rending steel and timber. -Every man on deck was pitched off his feet. The stricken steamer listed -heavily to port and then slowly righted, as the masses of ice dislodged -from the berg by the collision slid off her fore deck.</p> - -<p>What Captain Thrasher most dreaded had come to pass. In spite of his -utmost care his ship had crashed into the ice that lay hidden in the -fog and night. But every man of his crew knew that if his ship should -go down, he was ready to go down with her. He stood on his bridge -without sign of alarm or excitement, shouting swift, clean-cut orders. -Before the steamer had ceased to grind against the pale and ghastly -ice that towered above her, the water-tight doors in the scores of -bulkheads were being closed by men who knew their stations in such a -time as this.</p> - -<p>Stewards were hastening among the cabin passengers to quiet their -panic. Down in the steerage quarters hundreds of hysterical immigrants -were running to and fro with prayers and screams, but a squad of -hard-fisted seamen soon herded them like sheep and threatened death to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> -any who should try to force a way to the boat deck. The chief officer -and the carpenters were forward with lanterns, and other men were in -the holds seeking to find how much damage had been done.</p> - -<p>The order came from the bridge for the boat crews to stand by, ready to -abandon ship if need be. David took his station as he had been taught -to do in the boat drill of voyage after voyage. It was very hard to -wait in the darkness, but, far more than the cadet knew, his year of -training under the relentless rule of the captain's discipline had been -fitting him for the test.</p> - -<p>The decks had begun to slope downward toward the bow. The forward -compartments were filling, and the fate of the <i>Roanoke</i> hung on the -strength of the collision bulkhead just aft of the wound the ice had -made. David heard the chief officer sing out to the bridge:</p> - -<p>"She's flooded to the first bulkhead, sir, but I think she will stay -afloat. Will you come and see for yourself? The whole bow of her is -stove in below the water line."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span></p> - -<p>The <i>Roanoke</i> was slowly moving astern to try to go clear of the -iceberg against which the long swells could be heard breaking as on -a rock-bound beach. It seemed an eternity to David before Captain -Thrasher returned to the bridge and shouted to an officer:</p> - -<p>"Tell the people below we are in no danger before daylight. Better put -it stronger than that. Tell them we will make port."</p> - -<p>Up in the darkness they listened to the frantic cheers that rose from -cabins and steerage, but the passengers had not heard the captain's -grim comment to himself:</p> - -<p>"If it comes on to blow, there may be another story to tell."</p> - -<p>When daylight came the liner made an astonishing sea picture. The fog -had lifted a little and the sombre sea was visible for a few lengths -away. The steamer's bow was gone. In its place was a jagged cavern of -twisted, crumpled steel, into which the waves washed and broke with -the sound of distant thunder. The captain dared risk no more pressure -against his straining bulkhead which kept the vessel afloat, and the -<i>Roanoke</i> lay motionless, while<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> all hands that could be mustered for -the work were bracing the inside of the bulkhead with timbers and piles -of heavy cargo. There could be no driving the ship ahead against the -tremendous weight of the sea until this task was done.</p> - -<p>The barometer had risen overnight and the liner's chances were slightly -more hopeful. Her wireless instrument was chattering to the world -beyond the sky line that she was in sore straits, but if any steamers -passed within unseen hailing distance they were not equipped to talk -through the air. The <i>Roanoke</i> was left to make the best of her plight.</p> - -<p>David Downes had little thought for the fears of the passengers. His -confidence in Captain Thrasher was supreme, and he knew that if it -should come to the worst, the boats would be got away with orderly -promptness. As for the crew, David hoped there might be room for him, -and there was a lump in his throat and his breath seemed choked when he -thought of being left to struggle and drown, but he felt himself to be -a full-fledged American seaman, and he was proud of it. Whatever fate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> -might befall Captain Thrasher was good enough for him.</p> - -<p>David was musing in this fashion as he hastened with urgent orders -between the fore-hold and the bridge. On one of these trips he found -the captain and the senior second officer poring over one of the yellow -sheets on which the wireless messages were written.</p> - -<p>"Some vessel is within helping distance," thought David, with a thrill -of joy, and lingered, hoping to hear the good news.</p> - -<p>Presently the captain went to his room, and the officer, taking pity on -the youngster's open curiosity, confided:</p> - -<p>"Here <i>is</i> a pretty kettle of fish. Those people are asking us to come -to <i>their</i> assistance. That's the way it goes. Disasters always run -in twos and threes. We can't make head or tail of the message except -'<i>Help</i>' and '<i>No hope of gaining control.</i>' It sounds like fire, to me."</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VI</span> <span class="smaller">THE MISSING BOAT</span></h2> - -<p>There was nothing to be done except to wait for another wireless call -for help from the unseen vessel in distress. The first message included -some figures which seemed like a frantic attempt to give the latitude -and longitude of the stranger, but they were as puzzling as the rest of -it.</p> - -<p>"That wireless operator must be rattled, whoever he is," said one of -the liner's officers. "Maybe his coat-tails are on fire."</p> - -<p>Beckoning David to follow him to the chart room he added, with a -gesture of dismay:</p> - -<p>"Here <i>we</i> are, and I'm blessed if <i>his</i> figures don't put him -somewhere in the middle of Canada, high and dry on a mountain range. As -if we didn't have troubles enough!"</p> - -<p>Captain Thrasher was irritable for the first time in this ill-fated -voyage of the <i>Roanoke</i>, as he exclaimed from the bridge:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I can't go in search of the confounded lunatic even if he is afire. -What right has he to ask help of me when my bows are caved in like an -old hat, with no chance at all of getting under way before night, and -my ship half full of water? I'm trying to find help myself."</p> - -<p>It was perhaps a half hour later when another message came winging -its way through space. Captain Thrasher read it aloud, with frowning -earnestness:</p> - -<blockquote><p><i>Fire spreading aft. Must abandon ship before long. Lives in -danger. Help! Help!</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>The figures of latitude and longitude were repeated at the end of the -message, and the previous mistakes corrected. The chart showed that the -burning vessel lay about forty miles to the south-east of the helpless -<i>Roanoke</i>.</p> - -<p>"Why doesn't he say who and what he is?" growled Captain Thrasher. "If -he is a big passenger steamer he <i>is</i> in a bad fix and no mistake. Tell -the operator to ask him more about it, quick. And tell him we are in -no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> shape to go after him. My own people have to come first."</p> - -<p>Captain Thrasher was more anxious than surprised. He had long since -learned that nothing was too improbable to happen at sea, and he took -it almost as a matter of course that collision and fire should occur -fifty miles apart in the same twenty-four hours. It went sorely against -his training to leave these other victims of disaster to shift for -themselves, and he walked the bridge with restless tread until a third -message was brought to him. It read:</p> - -<blockquote><p><i>Yacht "Restless." New York for Cherbourg. Owner on board. This -may be last message. No hope of saving vessel. For God's sake pick -us up.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>"I have seen that steamer somewhere in port," said Captain Thrasher. -"She must carry a crew of forty or fifty men. Well, I can't pick 'em up -if the gilt-edged owner sends me a million dollars by wireless. Give -them our position again and tell them we will keep a sharp lookout for -their boats till nightfall and maybe longer."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p> - -<p>As if in answer to the captain's words a final call came from the -<i>Restless</i>:</p> - -<blockquote><p><i>Owner give you million dollars to come at once. Good-by. I'm off.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>"He's a cheerful sport, that wireless gentleman," observed Captain -Thrasher. "But I wonder if he got our position. I'm afraid not. I pray -the good Lord their boats got away in time."</p> - -<p>While the liner was by no means out of danger, the situation of the -<i>Restless</i> people fairly tore at the captain's heartstrings. He was not -a man to confess himself beaten in any crisis without trying to find a -way out. He pored over the charts, studied the weather signs, tugged at -his beard, and muttered savagely to himself. But he did not decide to -act until the fog had vanished before a pleasant breeze in the early -afternoon. The sun came out and the sea danced blue to the far horizon.</p> - -<p>Then the captain delivered his orders with stern directness. Calling -the third officer, he said:</p> - -<p>"Mr. Briggs, you will take the number three boat and stand about -fifteen miles to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> the sou'-east. If the <i>Restless</i> boats are heading -for us, you should be able to pick them up before nightfall and show -them the way. Otherwise they may miss us. I shall expect you aboard by -nine o'clock, at the latest. Watch for our rockets."</p> - -<p>Mr. Briggs saluted, and mustered his crew. David Downes belonged in the -number three boat, and Mr. Briggs grinned as the lad hurried up. He -had not forgotten the trip to the wreck of the <i>Pilgrim</i>. As the boat -was lowered, Captain Thrasher gazed grimly overside, realizing that he -might need all his men and boats before night. But he had staked his -judgment on being able to keep the liner afloat, and he was ready to -face results without flinching.</p> - -<p>The breeze dimpled the lazy swells and sail was hoisted in the boat. -The men lounged on the thwarts while the stout craft bore away to the -southward, and David fell to thinking of that other rescue during his -first voyage. This was like a summer pleasure cruise with no danger -in sight. Mr. Briggs at the tiller took a different view, which was -colored by his arduous years at sea.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span></p> - -<p>"There's nothing as bad as fire," said he, as if talking to himself. "A -crew thinks it can master it until it is too late to get away in any -kind of shape. I was in a bark that burned and my boat was adrift a -week, without food or water to speak of. We never thought of quitting -ship till the decks blew up and we had to go overboard, head first."</p> - -<p>"This wireless is like talkin' to the bloomin' ghosts of dead men," -muttered an English seaman. "You cawn't make me believe there's any -burnin' vessel out 'ere till I sees it. We might as well go chasin' a -bad dream, that's wot it is."</p> - -<p>The crew became silent, while the boat hissed through the long seas, -and the black hull of the <i>Roanoke</i> dropped lower and lower behind -them. Wireless telegraphy was too recent an aid to sea-faring to seem -real to these simple sailors; this was the first time its workings had -touched their lives, and they were not ready to take the burning yacht -on faith unseen.</p> - -<p>After three hours had slid past Mr. Briggs began to sweep the sea with -his glasses, <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span>standing in the stern-sheets, with the tiller between -his knees. He had run down his fifteen miles of southing, but the blue -horizon line was without a speck to mar it.</p> - -<p>He decided to risk stretching his orders a bit by keeping on his course -for another hour or so. The breeze still held and he could stand back -for the <i>Roanoke</i> with free sheets and oars out. He knew that if the -boats of the <i>Restless</i> should drift beyond the steamer lanes or -trans-Atlantic routes, days and even weeks might pass without their -being sighted or picked up.</p> - -<p>The perplexed officer was on the point of giving up the search when his -keen eye caught sight of a faint smudge between sea and sky. It looked -like a tiny fragment of cloud, but it might be smoke. He ordered his -men to their oars, and the boat increased her speed.</p> - -<p>"If it is a steamer's smoke she may have rescued them," said he; "if -not, it may be the yacht, still afloat."</p> - -<p>The ashen-colored smudge of smoke grew in size as they steered toward -it until it became a trailing banner.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span></p> - -<p>"No funnels could make all that mess," shouted Mr. Briggs, as he -flourished his glasses. "That is the bonfire, and it must be pretty -near the end of it. I'm surprised that she's stayed afloat this long."</p> - -<p>He was a good prophet, for while he stared, the smoke suddenly spread -skyward like a huge fan, hung for a moment, and then vanished, except -for tattered fringes of vapor that drifted slowly to leeward.</p> - -<p>"That's the end of her," cried Mr. Briggs. "She blew up and sank with -one big puff. Her boats ought to be sighted before long."</p> - -<p>There was no more thought of returning to the <i>Roanoke</i> empty-handed. -The men rowed like mad, as if they were matched in a race for life, not -realizing that the smoke had been sighted a good ten miles away. It -was near sunset when Mr. Briggs had a glimpse of a white dot far ahead -which he took to be a boat. As they pulled nearer, he saw that it was -a life-raft covered with men who were paddling with oars and bits of -plank. It was easy work to get alongside and pass them a line in such -calm weather as this.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="i123.jpg" id="i123.jpg"></a><img src="images/i123.jpg" alt="It was easy work to get alongside" /></div> - -<p class="bold">It was easy work to get alongside and pass them a line.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span></p> - -<p>The grimy, blistered men who cheered as the boat prepared to take them -aboard had no belongings to hamper the transfer. Some of them were half -naked and it was plain to read that they had left their vessel in the -most desperate haste, after fighting fire to the last moment. First -over the gunwale was a very stout derelict in dripping blue trousers, -who puffed like a porpoise as he sputtered:</p> - -<p>"Can't swim a stroke, but floated like a cork. How's that? Me the -owner? Not on your life. I'm the wireless juggler that sent you the -holler for help. No more life on the ocean wave for Willie. I've been -eating smoke and spitting cinders since yesterday."</p> - -<p>While this undismayed survivor babbled on as if his tongue were hung in -the middle, David was trying to drag from the raft a ragged man who lay -limp and face downward. The task was too heavy for his strength, and -with great difficulty two pairs of arms heaved and lifted until they -rolled their burden inboard. Without pausing to look him over, David -lent a hand elsewhere until the <i>Restless</i> party, twenty strong, was -stowed aboard and the life-raft cast adrift.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span></p> - -<p>Most of them were able to sit up and talk. The man who seemed to be -worst off was the first one who had been helped aboard by David. The -late chief officer of the yacht made his way toward this huddled and -senseless figure and called to Mr. Briggs:</p> - -<p>"Here's the owner, all in a heap. Looks like his heart has gone back on -him, for he wasn't in the water more than five minutes."</p> - -<p>As he lay propped against a thwart the owner's back was toward David -at his oar. The cadet had no idea that he had ever clapped eyes on him -before, and he listened with eager interest to the answers which the -other men gave to Mr. Briggs's questions.</p> - -<p>"The rest of us are in two boats, somewhere to the eastward, sir," they -explained. "No, there was nobody left on board. The way it was, the -captain and them others was fightin' the fire aft, and they got cut -off from us who was driven clear up into the bows of her before we got -through. She was just a solid blaze amidships, understand, and there -was no getting back to each other. The other crowd stood it as long -as they could, and then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> when it was take to the water or be frizzled -where they stood, they pitched the boats over and got away. The fog -hadn't begun to lift then. They were going to lay by and wait for us, -but the blazin' heat below set her engines goin' in a kind of dying -flurry and she ran a while before she stopped for good. We couldn't -get below to stop her, and we couldn't go overboard for fear of bein' -chewed up by the screw, and so there we stuck up forward till we could -get the raft over. The two boats lost us in the fog, and you know the -rest of it."</p> - -<p>"The owner's boy was with the captain's crowd aft. Mr. Cochran put him -in the skipper's charge when things looked desperate," explained the -mate of the <i>Restless</i>. "When Mr. Cochran got separated from the lad -and couldn't get aft to him, and saw him drift out of sight in the fog, -he just threw up his hands and went clean off his head."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Cochran! The owner's boy!" gasped David Downes. He leaned over and -raised the pallid face of the owner of the <i>Restless</i>. Yes, although -sadly changed, it was the once pompous and lordly man of millions -who had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> rescued, befriended, and then forsaken him in New York. And -Arthur, the slim, delicate lad with the shy, confiding smile who had -been so fond of the cadet—poor lad, he was adrift in an open boat -beyond help from the <i>Roanoke's</i> boat. David forgot all the resentment -he had cherished against the father, as he tried to heave him into a -more comfortable position and anxiously searched his face for signs of -life.</p> - -<p>"He was a fine boy. Heart as big as a cork fender," said a <i>Restless</i> -seaman. "God bring him safe to port, say I. Will we be after goin' in -search of the boats, do you know?"</p> - -<p>Mr. Briggs shook his head reluctantly. He must return to the <i>Roanoke</i> -with all haste.</p> - -<p>"We have done all we can," he answered slowly. "Our own ship needs -us, and we are lucky to have done this much. It is awful tough on Mr. -Cochran, I know, to leave his boy adrift, but we wouldn't have one -chance in a million of finding them to-night."</p> - -<p>These words seemed to awaken the dulled understanding of the father. He -roused from his stupor and hoarsely quavered:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Where is Arthur? Leave the boy adrift? What did I hear? What do you -mean? There's some mistake. Look for him till you find him, I tell you. -Oh, my boy, my boy, I never meant to forsake you."</p> - -<p>David patted him on the shoulder and wiped the clammy face with the -sleeve of his jersey. The great man was no more than a sodden lump -of sorrowing humanity, crushed and useless, and David wished that he -might somehow comfort him. Mr. Cochran had fallen back speechless and -exhausted, and he did not come to himself again until the boat was well -on her way toward the <i>Roanoke</i>. His wits were clearing, and with a -trace of his old domineering manner he addressed Mr. Briggs:</p> - -<p>"Keep up the search until you find him, my man. Ten thousand dollars -for you and your men if you give me back my boy."</p> - -<p>"We have been headed the other way for an hour," replied the third -officer, with pity in his voice. "I am obeying my orders. That is all I -can do."</p> - -<p>"What? You have abandoned the yacht's boats?" Mr. Cochran almost -screamed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> "Turn about with you, instantly. Don't you understand? I'll -make every man of you rich for life."</p> - -<p>He tried to struggle to his feet, but muscular hands gripped his -heaving shoulders and he fell back lamenting:</p> - -<p>"The hardship will kill him. What shall I say to his mother? Oh, what -shall I tell her?"</p> - -<p>It was the first time that David had heard Arthur's mother mentioned. -He felt a deeper pang at the thought of her. But, alas, Mr. Stanley P. -Cochran had to learn in this cruel hour that his millions could not buy -a way through all difficulties. He fell to abusing the chief engineer -of the <i>Restless</i>, who crouched in front of him.</p> - -<p>"You let the yacht run away from them," he stormed. "Why didn't you -stop your engines, you worthless, cowardly scoundrel?"</p> - -<p>The engineer raised a pair of hands which were raw with burns, and felt -of his blistered face. With unexpected patience he responded:</p> - -<p>"I was the last man to come on deck. I cooked the hide off me to leave -things right below. Heaven only knows what started her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> up again. There -was no getting down there again, you know that."</p> - -<p>The owner once more fell to mourning.</p> - -<p>"How can I show my face anywhere? I am saved and Arthur is lost. Why -couldn't it have been the other way?"</p> - -<p>"He was takin' the lad abroad for a vacation trip," explained a harsh -voice in David's ear. "The sea voyage was for the lad's health, and -the old man was coaxed into pryin' himself loose from his business for -once. <i>We're</i> sorry it <i>wasn't</i> the swelled-up money-grubbin' swine -that went adrift instead of his boy."</p> - -<p>Other men of the <i>Restless</i> grunted approval of their comrade's -verdict. But David had glimpsed a new side of Mr. Cochran's nature. He -would indeed have sacrificed himself to save his son. The truth of it -was in his trembling voice, in the very pose of his drooping shoulders. -It was hard to believe that this was the father who had fairly dragged -his son away from David in the room of the hospital in New York. As Mr. -Cochran began to pull himself out of his collapse, he managed to twist -around so that he was looking up into David's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> face, which was in the -light thrown by a boat-lantern. For several minutes the father stared -at the tanned young seaman, as if bewildered and groping in his memory. -Then he burst out with a kind of surprised snarl:</p> - -<p>"It's the boy that had no manners or decency, the young cub that made -me sick of him. What are you doing here, alive and well, with my son -lost and dying out yonder, lost at sea? How can such things be?"</p> - -<p>"I helped pick you up at any rate," faltered David, taken all aback. -"And I'd gladly stay out here a week to help you find Arthur."</p> - -<p>"<i>You</i> safe and well!" repeated Mr. Cochran, "and my Arthur abandoned. -It's all a nightmare. It must be that."</p> - -<p>His anger veered against Mr. Briggs, and he bombarded him with threats, -bribes, and pleadings, until the rockets from the <i>Roanoke</i> soared into -the clear night and the yacht's people shouted at the welcome sight. -Then Mr. Cochran clutched at a new hope. He declared that he would buy -the ship if only he might persuade the captain to search for the lost -boat until he found it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span></p> - -<p>The liner was almost ready to limp on her way when the boat rejoined -her. Repairs had been made with better success than Captain Thrasher -hoped for. His anxious scrutiny convinced him that, with fair weather, -his shattered bow could withstand the sea, and he had determined -to proceed very slowly on his course toward New York. He had been -in wireless communication with two steamers, one of which stood by -until dusk, when the liner sent word that she would not transfer her -people. The captain had also told them to look out for the boats from -the burning yacht. This news was carried to Mr. Cochran, who feebly -tottered forward in breathless haste to find the commander. David saw -the bedraggled magnate swaying against the door of the captain's room -as he begged:</p> - -<p>"But I'll reimburse the company. I don't care what it costs. What if -it does cost you your position? I'll pay you double the salary to do -nothing for the rest of your life. It's my only boy, Captain. Your ship -won't run any risk."</p> - -<p>The voice of Captain Thrasher rose in response:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I have said my last word. Do you think I'll stake the lives of two -thousand people against one or twenty? Go below and get some rest. I -can't talk to you to-night."</p> - -<p>When David went aft in the late evening with the fourth officer to set -the log over the stern, the liner was vibrating to the steady thrust of -her engines, and her broad wake foamed white in the starlit darkness. -Against the rail beside them leaned a portly man, his face hidden in -the shadows. He was gazing toward the southward over the ocean which -rolled away in mystery, vast and obscure.</p> - -<p>David answered, "Ay, ay, sir," in reply to an order, and the man at the -rail turned at sound of the lad's voice. As the mate raised his lantern -to read the log-dial, Mr. Cochran exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"It's you again, is it? I am sorry I spoke to you as I did to-day. I -am grateful for your part in saving me and my men, and I was out of my -head, I guess."</p> - -<p>This strangely softened mood was new to David, but his sympathetic -heart was quick to meet it, and to let bygones be bygones.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I wish I could help you, sir," he returned. "But I am just chockfull -of hope that we will hear from Arthur. He may be picked up before we -are landed. We'll have him back again. You can bet your life on that."</p> - -<p>The father gazed again across the darkened sea. He was leaving his only -son behind him, and all the pride of wealth and self and power had been -stripped from him. All he could think of to say as he shook hands with -David was:</p> - -<p>"Arthur was very fond of you, and I am sorry that I came between you two."</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VII</span> <span class="smaller">THE BONDS OF SYMPATHY</span></h2> - -<p>The Black Star Line wharf in North River was crowded with cheering -men, women, and children. Their fluttering handkerchiefs looked like a -sudden flurry of snow. The roar of steam whistles from a hundred harbor -craft rose above the din on the wharf. Past the Battery was creeping a -sea-stained liner, her great steel prow so crushed and battered that -the thousands who watched her wondered how she could have been kept -afloat. The news of her coming had been sent by wireless, and a fleet -of the company's tugs had hurried to sea to meet her.</p> - -<p>The kinfolk and friends of those on board had been kept in a state -of panicky alarm, day after day, by the flaring newspaper head-lines -which sent the <i>Roanoke</i> to the bottom and raised her again, in hourly -"extras."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span></p> - -<p>The band on the promenade deck was lustily playing "home again, home -again, from a foreign shore," as the tugs poked their noses against the -black side of the ocean cripple and began to nudge her into her berth. -David Downes was looking for friends on the wharf, but he scanned the -masses of upturned faces in vain, until the bos'n prodded him in the -ribs, and said:</p> - -<p>"Cast your eye on the end of the pier, boy. I see a red spot. It vas -Becket or else there is a fire just broke out. Nobody has as red-headed -a head as that crazy feller."</p> - -<p>Sure enough, there was Mr. Becket, waving his arms like a wild man; -beside him was the tall figure of Captain Bracewell; and between them -a slip of a girl was dancing up and down in her efforts to get a clear -view of the ship. David's eyes filled as he swung his cap above his -head. There were his "dearest folks," as he called them, and he was -as rich in welcomes as any of the passengers who were making so much -joyful noise along the decks below. Bless them, what news had they? -Was Mr. Becket still stranded, and was there any hope<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> of a ship for -Captain John? The long voyage of disaster and adventure seemed like a -dream. David Downes, able seaman, was come back to his own.</p> - -<p>The gangways were lowered, and the passengers streamed ashore, telling -their stories at the top of their voices, as they flew into the arms -of their friends. David went below to find Mr. Cochran, who had found -no joy in this homecoming and deliverance from the sea. He was hanging -back to let the crowd pass ashore, and he looked very forlorn and -lonely. Gentlemen high in the world of finance, and managers of his -great interests had flocked aboard to greet him and to offer their aid -and sympathy. But he had begged to be left alone, and, oddly enough, -his heavy face lighted for the first time when David found him. They -had seen little of each other since the <i>Roanoke</i> resumed her voyage. -David had been doing a double trick of duty, and the millionaire was so -racked in body and mind that he was seldom on deck. But in their few -meetings Mr. Cochran had been almost pathetically friendly of manner, -as if he were trying to make amends because of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> his boy's fondness -for the sailor lad. Now when the parting hour came Mr. Cochran seemed -genuinely affected. His wonted abruptness of speech had been assumed -again, and he carried himself with an air of frowning dignity, but he -took one of David's hard hands between both his own as he said:</p> - -<p>"He talked a great deal about you, and you must come and see me and -talk to me about him. You won't refuse this time, will you? His—his -mother will be delighted to see you."</p> - -<p>David made haste to reply:</p> - -<p>"Of course I will and thank you, sir. And you will send me any news of -Arthur as quick as you can, please promise me that."</p> - -<p>Mr. Cochran nodded, and David hesitated, as if he had something else -on his mind. He was thinking that it might do Mr. Cochran good to know -his "dearest folks" in such a time as this, but he dared stay away no -longer from the crowded gangway, so he said good-by to the man whose -path had so strangely crossed his own again.</p> - -<p>Soon there appeared on the landing stage the brilliant beacon of hair -which topped the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> robust Mr. Becket as he skilfully piloted Margaret -through the confusion. It was hard work for David to keep from rushing -to meet them half-way, but he remembered the discipline expected of an -able seaman. Mr. Becket was first to reach him, and he proceeded to -thump David's chest and pound his back with the exhortation:</p> - -<p>"All sound and fit for duty? The collision didn't stave you in -anywheres?"</p> - -<p>Margaret was able to greet her "big brother" only by shoving Mr. Becket -out of the way with all her might.</p> - -<p>"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, abusing David as if you weren't a -bit glad to see him," she cried. "Oh, but we are glad to see you, and -are you all right, and are you coming home to supper with us? I don't -believe I've slept a wink this week, have I, grandfather?"</p> - -<p>Captain John was meekly waiting for a chance to make his presence -known. He clapped his hands on David's shoulders and his honest eyes -glowed with pride and affection as he exclaimed:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span></p> - -<p>"We feel quite set up that you belong to us, Davy. Here you go picking -up more mariners in distress. We've heard all about it."</p> - -<p>"We can talk it all over to-night," said David, shaking hands all round -again. "I am on watch now and I mustn't neglect my duty even for you."</p> - -<p>His boyish manner was so very serious that Mr. Becket went off into -a series of explosive chuckles, from which he was diverted by the -appearance of the bos'n who declared in the most threatening voice:</p> - -<p>"The red-headed loafer again? I vill protect my whiskers mit my life. -Get ashore mit you, you terrible Becket man, or I vill vash you down -mit the fire-hose."</p> - -<p>Mr. Becket was not in the least alarmed, and after a harmless exchange -of blood-thirsty threats, he followed Captain John and Margaret down -the gangway.</p> - -<p>Later in the day the chief officer told David that as soon as her cargo -was discharged, the <i>Roanoke</i> would go to Philadelphia for temporary -repairs, which might take a month or more. The captain had left word -that David<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> could have a week's shore leave and then rejoin the ship -at Philadelphia. The news sounded too good to be true, and as soon -as he was relieved from duty, David fairly ran ashore with a canvas -bag of clothes under his arm. He made all speed to the tiny flat in -which Margaret was keeping house for Captain John. Mr. Becket had been -invited for supper, and he was boiling with eagerness to ask David a -question which had been disturbing him all day long.</p> - -<p>"Did you say anything to Mr. Stanley P. Cochran about vessels? You know -what I mean. I didn't say a word to Captain John, for I don't want to -get him stirred up with false alarms."</p> - -<p>They had met in the outer hall, and Mr. Becket softly closed the door -behind him, for his stage-whispers carried far.</p> - -<p>"Of course I didn't," responded David, "with his boy adrift and his -heart broken clean in two. It was a silly notion of yours to begin -with."</p> - -<p>"Well, you needn't bite my head off," growled Mr. Becket, as they -shouldered their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> way into the tiny living room. Margaret called -blithely from the birdcage of a kitchen.</p> - -<p>"Do keep Mr. Becket away from here, Davy. Every time he turns around or -takes a long breath, he breaks a dish or upsets something. He ought to -live out-doors."</p> - -<p>Captain John was beaming a welcome as he hauled David by the collar to -a seat on the sofa beside him, and declared:</p> - -<p>"You'd be a mate next year if you had chosen sail instead of steam, you -strapping big lump of a lad. You are the kind of Yankee sailor they -used to breed in my early days at sea. How many years more do you serve -in your old machine shop before you get your papers?"</p> - -<p>"Three or four," cheerfully replied David. "And even then I won't be -fit to be left in charge of the ship for a minute. A fourth officer is -mighty small potatoes in my trade."</p> - -<p>"I was master of a deep-water ship when I was twenty-one," said Captain -John. "Ah, those days are gone. Tell us all about this boy that was -lost with the yacht."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span></p> - -<p>"He isn't lost," stoutly returned David. "With good weather they will -be picked up. I'm sure of it."</p> - -<p>"The sea is very cruel, Davy," murmured the skipper, and his face -clouded with sad memories of his boy lost with Margaret's mother. The -"little girl" peered anxiously from the kitchen door and tried to shift -the topic to happier themes:</p> - -<p>"Just think what Davy's been through all in one year, and he lives to -tell it, so let's enjoy him while we can. We mustn't even mention the -whiskers of Mr. Becket's skipper and his awful tale of woe."</p> - -<p>"There's a master wanted in a Jamaica fruiter," observed Mr. Becket. -"But my old skipper is trying to do me with the owners. However, they -can't keep a good man down, and you will stand by your friends, blow -high, blow low, won't you, Davy?"</p> - -<p>Supper was on the table and Margaret waited on her hungry crew with -pretty anxiety to play well her part in this festal reunion. She -consented to sit down with them when it came to serving the apple -pie which she herself had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> made. Mr. Becket demanded Captain John's -old-fashioned quadrant with which to measure off the exact number of -degrees of pie each was entitled to, and nearly upset the table before -this mathematical problem was adjusted. In the midst of the excitement -the door-bell buzzed. Mr. Becket sprang to the speaking-tube as if he -were in a wheel-house and shouted:</p> - -<p>"Below there. What's wanted?"</p> - -<p>While he cocked his head to listen, his face began to express the most -intense amazement, and his reply was absurdly meek, as he cried:</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. Very good, sir. The dickens it is. Two flights up, and don't -break your precious neck on the dark landings, sir."</p> - -<p>Turning to the puzzled listeners, Mr. Becket explained in a flurried -tone:</p> - -<p>"It is Mr. Stanley P. Cochran, no less, and none other. Now what <i>do</i> -you think of that?"</p> - -<p>Margaret whisked off her apron and began to clear away the dishes, pie -and all, but Captain John stopped her with:</p> - -<p>"Stay as you are, girlie. Nobody's ashamed of sitting down to a square -meal. Mr. Cochran is just a poor, grieving daddy, that's all."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Oh, maybe he has good news for Davy," cried Margaret. "You run out and -meet him, David."</p> - -<p>Mr. Cochran entered the door a moment later, with the air of an -intruder. He hesitated in the doorway of the crowded little room and -fumbled with his hat.</p> - -<p>"Plenty of room at the table," said Captain John, rising and holding -out his hand. "Becket, you hang yourself out on the fire-escape and -make room for Mr. Cochran. Margaret, a plate and another cup of coffee."</p> - -<p>"These are my best friends, Mr. Cochran," put in David, presenting them -by name. "We have sort of adopted each other all round."</p> - -<p>Mr. Cochran sank into a chair, while Margaret timidly asked him:</p> - -<p>"Will you have a piece of my apple pie, sir? These sailor men seem to -like it."</p> - -<p>"It is simply grand," rumbled Mr. Becket from the window.</p> - -<p>The visitor looked about him. Something in the homely cheer and -affection of this atmosphere seemed to touch his emotions. His<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> eyes -were moist and his voice was not quite steady as he thanked Margaret -and then said to David:</p> - -<p>"You are lucky to have such friends, and they have made no mistake in -you. I went down to the ship to find you and the bos'n sent me here. -I—I was asked to come, and——"</p> - -<p>He hesitated, bit his lip, and waited, as if trying to keep his voice -under better control.</p> - -<p>"Is there any news?" asked David.</p> - -<p>"Not yet. But his mother wants you to come up and see her this evening. -She asked me to find you. Of course I came. It seems that our boy took -it more to heart than I had any idea of—when I disappointed him about -your coming to visit him last year. He told his mother—but he didn't -say very much to me. And he has had so few boy friends."</p> - -<p>It was pitiful to hear this pleading, remorseful speech from such a man -as Stanley P. Cochran had always been. Captain John's kindly face was -twitching, while he murmured, as if talking to himself:</p> - -<p>"I once had an only son."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Of course I'll go with you," said David, as he rose from the table. -"You will excuse me, won't you, folks?"</p> - -<p>There was so much hearty sympathy in their response that Mr. Cochran -smiled a little wistfully, as if he wished to stay longer in this -simple, genuine circle of friends. They were not awed by his name, they -did not cringe before his wealth, and they seemed to have found the -secret of contentment, in what, to him, seemed like dire poverty. He -could pour out his heart about his boy to people like these, and they -would understand.</p> - -<p>"I hate to take you away," he said at length. "But his mother will be -waiting for us."</p> - -<p>"Don't you stay here a minute longer, Davy," urged Margaret. "And be -just as cheerful as you can. We are all praying for your son, Mr. -Cochran, and we know that he will come back to you."</p> - -<p>The millionaire wavered and picked up the cup of coffee with a sheepish -air.</p> - -<p>"I haven't eaten a bite to-day," said he. "But the smell of things here -makes me hungry, I really believe."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span></p> - -<p>"A bit of that chicken salad, and a chop, and a section of our peerless -apple pie will make a new man of you," spoke up the half-hidden Mr. -Becket, who was feeling more at ease. The guest seemed grateful for -this sound advice, and appeared to relish his hasty meal. Before he -finished he said, not at all as if he were doing a favor, but as one -friend to another:</p> - -<p>"Captain Bracewell, I wish you and your charming granddaughter and Mr. -Becket and David Downes would do me the pleasure of dining at my house -some night this week. Arthur's mother and I find it very lonesome, and -it will help to keep her from brooding."</p> - -<p>Captain John was too used to being a master among men to be at all -agitated by this unexpected invitation, but Margaret fluttered between -dining-room and kitchen in much excitement. Mr. Becket was stricken -dumb and could only make signals of distress.</p> - -<p>"I will answer for us all," returned Captain John. "If it will cheer up -you and your wife to see us plain seafaring folks, we will accept, with -hearty thanks."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Cochran expressed his gratitude, as if they were doing him a -kindness, and departed, with David in his wake. As these two rolled up -town in the millionaire's automobile, Mr. Cochran observed, after a -long silence:</p> - -<p>"I like those friends of yours. I wish I could have known them before. -Arthur would enjoy them."</p> - -<p>It was on the tip of David's tongue to tell him that these were the -people whom he had preferred to see on that day a year ago when Mr. -Cochran had flown into a rage and cast him off. But this was no time -to recall old misunderstandings. All David could do was to wait in -patience, and hope that Mr. Cochran might discover what a splendid man -Captain John was, and take an interest in him on his own account.</p> - -<p>The automobile halted in front of a huge stone mansion in upper -Fifth Avenue. It looked more like a castle than a home. The immense -tapestry-hung parlors, past which David was led, were silent and -cheerless. Captain John's flat was far more cheery and livable than -these<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> gloomy apartments, thought David, as he followed his host up the -echoing marble staircase to the second story.</p> - -<p>Presently they came to a smaller room which looked as if people really -lived in it. A slender woman in black rose from a divan to greet them. -In her smile there was the timid, tremulous sweetness which had made -her boy so attractive to David on first acquaintance. There could have -been little in common between her and the hard, domineering father -until a great grief bridged the gulf that had grown between them. Even -now, she looked at Mr. Cochran with an appealing glance, as if waiting -for him to speak. David wanted to pick her up in his strong young arms -and comfort her.</p> - -<p>"So this is the boy that Arthur said he wished he could be like," were -her first words, as she looked up at David's brown face and well-set -shoulders. "Why, you are not a boy. You are a man."</p> - -<p>"I've grown a lot in the last year, and sea life agrees with me," -laughed David, with a blush at her frank admiration.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That is what the doctors told Mr. Cochran when he planned the trip -abroad for Arthur, in the yacht," sighed the mother. "He did not ask me -to go, because I am such a wretched sailor, I suppose. I expected to -join them later in the south of France."</p> - -<p>"It is a good deal better for a man's health when he has to work his -way," explained David. "Sitting under a yacht's awning all day isn't -a bit like having your regular watches to stand in all weathers. When -Arthur comes home you will find him fit as a fiddle. Being adrift for a -few days will do him good."</p> - -<p>"How awful!" exclaimed Mrs. Cochran, nervously clasping her hands. "Why -I have done almost nothing except carry out the doctors' orders for his -health since he was a baby."</p> - -<p>"That may be partly the trouble, mother," remarked Mr. Cochran. "I'd -give half I own to see him looking like this big lad here. I met some -of his friends to-night. They are coming up to see you soon. You can't -help liking them. They are the kind we used to know down East, ages and -ages ago, 'when we were so happy and so poor.'"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span></p> - -<p>"If they are anything like David Downes, I know I shall be fond of -them," smiled the mother.</p> - -<p>Then she fell to telling David all about Arthur's boyhood, and her -fond interest in every detail of her son's affairs found such a ready -and warm-hearted listener that Mr. Cochran stole away, and left them -sitting side by side on the divan. Little by little David's confidence -in Arthur's safety began to reassure the tormented mother. The sailor -talked to her of the sea with a knowledge born of his experience and -of the bright hopefulness of youth. Quite naturally he drifted into -telling her about the wreck of the <i>Pilgrim</i>, to show how there was -chance of escape in the most desperate disaster. Her mother's heart -was drawn to the picture of Margaret, as David painted it, in words of -loving loyalty and admiration.</p> - -<p>"You are like a fresh breeze blowing from a big, fine, wholesome world -that we seem to have been shut off from," she cried, as she looked at -him with affectionate eyes. "I do believe that Arthur will be brought -home to us."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span></p> - -<p>They heard a telephone bell ring in another room. The mother's face -became white and tense, and she grasped David's hand and held it fast. -There might be some tidings. After minutes that seemed like hours Mr. -Cochran entered the room with dragging step and bowed shoulders. He -spoke very slowly, as if reluctant to repeat the message which had come -to him.</p> - -<p>"It was a telegram, mother," said he. "One of the <i>Restless</i> boats was -picked up at sea—empty. A Cunarder reported it by wireless."</p> - -<p>Mrs. Cochran swayed against David, who pulled himself together, and his -voice rang out with vibrant conviction:</p> - -<p>"It doesn't mean what you think it does. Ten to one some vessel picked -them up and cast the boat adrift. And the chances are still even that -Arthur was in the other boat. Now is the time to sit tight and hold -your nerve."</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VIII</span> <span class="smaller">YANKEE TOPSAILS</span></h2> - -<p>A weary week passed, without tidings of the castaways of the -<i>Restless</i>. Arthur Cochran's mother lost heart, and refused to be -comforted. She seemed to be letting go her hold on life, and her -husband, as if seeking to atone for the years in which he had allowed -his worldly interests to absorb his time and thought, was seldom away -from her. His devotion was tender and whole-hearted. The visit of the -Bracewell household had been postponed. Mrs. Cochran was too ill to -leave her room, and even David had to be denied the pleasure of seeing -her again, much as she longed to talk to him about her beloved son.</p> - -<p>The week of shore leave ended and David said good-by to his "dearest -folks" in the tiny flat and posted off to Philadelphia to report on -board the <i>Roanoke</i>. He was glad,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> too, beyond measure, to learn that -Captain Thrasher had been cleared of all blame for the collision, and -would stay in his command.</p> - -<p>"It was vat you call a tight squeak," explained David's faithful -shipmate, the bos'n. "They tells me the Board asks the old man why -don't he get out and push the iceberg to one side, or some such -foolishness. But he proves he was usin' all proper care, and they can't -give him the sack, eh? Mr. Cochran, the moneybags vat we picked up, he -vas very mad mit our old man at first, but he cool down by and by and -see vat a idiot he vas. And he gets some gratitude under his belt, and -puts in a word for the old man, I t'ink. Stanley P. Cochran is very -strong mit the company. He owns much stock."</p> - -<p>So Mr. Cochran had gone out of his way to befriend the captain of the -<i>Roanoke</i>, reflected David. It showed that the great man had a sense -of fair play and square dealing if his eyes were once opened. If there -was only some way to enlist this powerful interest in Captain John's -behalf, without making it seem like asking charity. If Arthur should -be saved<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> from the sea, the way might be found. The master of the -<i>Pilgrim</i> was growing old before his time, while he ate out his heart -in vain hopes. He was proud and independent to a fault, and David knew -he would starve sooner than crowd another man out of his berth. While -in New York David had taken pains to learn that none of the sailing -ships in Mr. Cochran's sugar-carrying trade were without masters, and -for the present he could see no help in that quarter.</p> - -<p>One week followed another, and David found no chance to go to New York -again. One of his letters from Margaret told him:</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Cochran sent for me to go and see her yesterday. Grandfather -took me up and was going to sit on the front steps and wait, but the -servants took him in tow and he was invited up-stairs with me. Mr. -Cochran must have said some nice things about poor little me. She was -very sweet and lovely, but so sad looking. And she wanted to know if -I would show her how to make an apple pie. There are at least twenty -servants in their crew, Davy, and imagine me making apple<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> pies in that -house. What makes such very rich people seem so dreadfully lonesome? -She explained that Arthur's boy friends were all out of town, and that -he didn't have many anyhow.</p> - -<p>"They have sense enough to know that you are a wonderful Big Brother, -which is why I like them. Grandfather told her all sorts of cheerful -yarns about people who were not heard of at sea for weeks and weeks, -and then came into port all safe and smiling. She seemed to have faith -in that simple, quiet way of his, when he leans forward and looks you -straight in the eyes as he talks. She asked him had he given up going -to sea, and he told her yes. And I spoke right up as bold as anything:</p> - -<p>"'It isn't because he wants to, but because sailing ships are so -scarce. He never would have anything to do with steam.'</p> - -<p>"She did not quite understand, but he shut me up before I could tell -her that he was one of the finest ship-masters that ever cracked on -sail in a gale of wind. Won't we see you again before we sail, Davy? -I am sending a box of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> apple pies by express. I made them with my -own fair hands, and one of them is specially for the bos'n, with his -initials on the crust. Mr. Becket says I ought to have put on, 'FOR A -DUTCH HUMBUG.'"</p> - -<p>Davy duly delivered the pie and Mr. Becket's message, and was thanked -for the one and cuffed over the head for the other.</p> - -<p>The <i>Roanoke</i> was almost ready for sea a few days later, when a -telegram came aboard for David. He opened the envelope with stumbling -fingers, fearing something might have happened to his "dearest folks." -The message was from Mr. Cochran, however, and said no more than:</p> - -<blockquote><p>"<i>There may be good news for us. Cannot tell yet. Try to come at -once.</i>"</p></blockquote> - -<p>David showed the message to the chief officer, who advised him to take -it to Captain Thrasher. That august personage said at once:</p> - -<p>"Jump right along with you. Give Mr. Cochran my best regards, and tell -him to send you back as soon as he can."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span></p> - -<p>On the train bound for New York David tried to fathom the meaning of -the uncertain tidings. Either Arthur had been saved or he had not, but -apparently the father was waiting for more information. When David -jumped from the car in the Jersey City station, he was surprised to see -Mr. Cochran waiting for him, with every sign of impatient haste.</p> - -<p>"Come along, youngster," he called at the top of his voice. "I have a -tug with steam up right here by the ferry dock."</p> - -<p>He grasped David's arm and they charged pell-mell through the crowd. -Mr. Cochran had no breath to spare until they had scrambled from the -string-piece of the pier to the deck of a sea-going tug, whose escape -valve was roaring in a cloud of steam. Orders were shouted, a bell -clanged, another jingled, and the tug was racing down the North River -toward the Bay.</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Cochran was not strong enough to come," panted her husband as he -mopped his face. "And we may be disappointed after all. I can't stand -much more of a strain myself. But we shall know in three or four hours, -I hope."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span></p> - -<p>"What—why—how do you know?" stammered David, whose head felt dazed.</p> - -<p>"Only that a tramp steamer arriving this morning reported being -signalled by a sailing ship, the <i>Sea Witch</i>, that she had on board -part of the crew of a yacht. It was blowing hard when the vessels -sighted each other, and the captain of the tramp could not read the -flags distinctly."</p> - -<p>"But where was the <i>Sea Witch</i> when sighted, and whither bound?"</p> - -<p>"Liverpool to New York—a hundred and fifty miles out, twenty-four -hours ago. The wind has shifted to fair for her since midnight, and she -will be in sight of Sandy Hook before dark."</p> - -<p>"Of course Arthur is aboard," cried David, with buoyant faith.</p> - -<p>The father said nothing. Perhaps he was thinking of the sufferings -which had killed so many strong men adrift in open boats. And this -boy of his was a weakling, used to the constant care and luxury -which wealth had lavished on him. David tried to rouse him from his -reflections by saying:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span></p> - -<p>"The <i>Sea Witch</i> is the finest and smartest ship of her class afloat, -sir. She is the largest four-masted sailing ship that flies the -American flag. I'd give a lot to see her."</p> - -<p>"I believe I control some kind of a fleet of barks and ships in -my sugar business," replied Mr. Cochran, "but I haven't paid much -attention to them. Don't believe I ever laid eyes on one of them. But I -don't recall hearing of the <i>Sea Witch</i>."</p> - -<p>"Almost four thousand tons, and sailing mostly to the Orient with case -oil," added David. "I know a man that was in her."</p> - -<p>The tug churned her way through the Narrows and lifted her bow to the -swell of the Bay. Mr. Cochran had become lost in his own thoughts as he -stared from a wheel-house window, while David swapped briny yarns with -the mate.</p> - -<p>"The <i>Sea Witch</i> was spoken three hundred miles out, a week ago," said -the mate. "Then she was blown to sea, and now she's piling in again -with the wind where she wants it."</p> - -<p>The green sea opened ahead, and the tug plunged her guard rail under -as her skipper<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> crowded a good thirteen knots out of her. The Navesink -Highlands became vague and misty over her stern, and still her course -was held toward the east-south-east.</p> - -<p>"The <i>Sea Witch</i> ought to be showing us her royals before long," said -the skipper.</p> - -<p>He had no more than spoken when the mate shouted: "There she is, right -to the minute. A point off the port bow."</p> - -<p>Swiftly the white patch crept above the horizon; sail by sail the -gleaming canvas of the <i>Sea Witch</i> lifted fair and graceful, until her -black hull was visible as a mere dot beneath the immense sweep of her -snowy wings. Every stitch of cloth she could spread was pulling her -homeward. David had been at sea for more than a year without glimpsing -such a noble picture as this. When they had run close enough to make -out the stars and stripes whipping from the mizzen of the <i>Sea Witch</i> -like a tongue of flame, he drew a long breath and felt little chills -run up and down his back. Now he began to understand what the sea and -its ships meant to Captain John Bracewell, ship-master of the old -school.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Cochran had no eyes for the rare beauty of the <i>Sea Witch</i> under -full sail. He was leaning far out of his window, imploring the captain -of the tug to make more speed. When the two vessels were a half mile -apart, a string of signal bunting soared to the tug's mast-head, -announcing: "Wish to speak to you, most important."</p> - -<p>After a little interval, the <i>Sea Witch</i> signalled back:</p> - -<p>"Can't stop. What is your business?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, quit that foolishness," groaned Mr. Cochran, wringing his hands. -"Run alongside and speak her as soon as you can."</p> - -<p>The tug swept round in a foaming arc, and came up on the lee side of -the four-master, which was surging home like a race-horse. A long line -of heads bobbed above the bulwark in the waist of the <i>Sea Witch</i>, and -presently a slim young figure danced up the poop ladder and climbed on -top of the cabin.</p> - -<p>"That looks like him," cried Mr. Cochran, "but he was never as frisky -as that in all his life."</p> - -<p>The excited David thumped the magnate between the shoulders, and -yelled:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Of course it's Arthur. I can make him out as plain as daylight."</p> - -<p>The tug sheered closer and closer at top speed, but she was rapidly -dropping astern of the flying ship. The agile figure on the cabin roof -caught up a speaking-trumpet and piped shrilly:</p> - -<p>"Daddy, ahoy! It's me! How's mother?"</p> - -<p>The father scrambled on deck and bawled with arms outstretched:</p> - -<p>"All well, you little rascal! Are all hands with you?"</p> - -<p>"There they are in the waist. All the men in our boat. Count 'em for -yourself. All present and accounted for, down to the cook's pet monkey. -Anybody lost of your company? And has the other boat been picked up?"</p> - -<p>"We were all saved, thank God. No, the second boat has not been heard -from yet. Here's a youngster who can tell you all about our end of it."</p> - -<p>Arthur failed to recognize at long range the <i>Roanoke</i> cadet whom he -had last seen in bed with a bandaged head. David shouted a <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span>welcome, -but it was lost in the stentorian roar of the captain of the <i>Sea -Witch</i>:</p> - -<p>"I'll lay my main-yard aback and put your lad aboard, Mr. Cochran. I -wouldn't do it for anybody else but his daddy."</p> - -<p>The tug dropped farther astern, and the towering square rigger began to -slacken her rushing speed as her mighty yards were swung round. Then as -she lay at rest, a rope ladder was dropped overside, and young Arthur -Cochran swarmed down it as if he had been the pet monkey saved from the -yacht. A boat from the tug was waiting, and Mr. Cochran, rising in the -stern-sheets, fairly grabbed the boy in his arms and hugged him like a -bear. Arthur struggled to get his breath and sputtered:</p> - -<p>"Tell the <i>Restless</i> men you're glad to see them, father. They were -mighty good to me."</p> - -<p>"I <i>am</i> an unfeeling brute, but I couldn't think of anything else than -getting my hands on you. <i>Sea Witch</i>, ahoy! A glad welcome home to the -<i>Restless</i> captain and his men. Report at my office on landing, and you -won't be sorry that you sailed with me! I feel sure<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> that the rest of -the crew have been saved and will be reported soon."</p> - -<p>As soon as they were aboard the tug, Mr. Cochran began to take stock of -his son and heir. Instead of the wasted invalid he had dreaded to find, -this survivor was tanned, clear-eyed, and vigorous.</p> - -<p>"What kind of a miracle has happened to you?" he asked. "Your mother -won't know you."</p> - -<p>"Plain grub and hard work, I guess," grinned Arthur. "We were adrift -four days, and I got a razor edge on my appetite. Three weeks aboard -the <i>Sea Witch</i> did the rest. The captain said I'd been coddled to -death as soon as he found out who I was, and you bet he kept me busy. -Why, I helped reef the fore-topgallant sail last night."</p> - -<p>Mr. Cochran glanced up at the dizzy yards of the <i>Sea Witch</i> and -shuddered. Then Arthur found time to stare hard at David, who was -tactfully keeping in the background.</p> - -<p>"Well, I'll be jiggered! It's you, is it?" shouted Arthur. "This is -better luck than I counted on. So you two have made it up?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> Fine! -Father was horrid mean to you. I suppose you picked him up at sea. -Rescuing folks seems to be one of your steady habits."</p> - -<p>"You have guessed right," laughed David. "There was more than one sunny -side to the loss of the <i>Restless</i>. It's an ill wind that blows nobody -good."</p> - -<p>While the tug sped toward Sandy Hook, Mr. Cochran and his boy sat in -the skipper's little room abaft the wheel-house and talked to their -heart's content. David was wise enough to leave them alone, and with -peace in his heart he gazed at the <i>Sea Witch</i>, which, scorning a -tow-boat, was driving astern of them. The signal station at Sandy Hook -was told to telegraph the good news ahead, and long before they landed -newsboys were crying "Evening Extras," with the return of Stanley P. -Cochran's son emblazoned in head-lines of blue and red.</p> - -<p>David said good-by at the wharf, but Arthur stoutly refused to let him -go.</p> - -<p>"I haven't had a chance to see you more than a minute," exclaimed the -jubilant castaway. "Hang your old ship! Let her wait.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> Father will -wire the captain for you. Now is the glad time to work Mr. Stanley P. -Cochran for most any old thing."</p> - -<p>"You don't know Captain Stephen Thrasher," said his father. "I tried -to buy him and his ship once. He has asked me to send David back to -the <i>Roanoke</i> as soon as possible, and he meant exactly what he said. -I have learned to let seafaring people have their own way. They are a -terribly obstinate lot," and he winked comically at David.</p> - -<p>No longer afraid of Mr. Cochran's wrath, David told him:</p> - -<p>"I must catch the next train to Philadelphia. Give my love to Mrs. -Cochran, please, and the Bracewells, if you happen to see them."</p> - -<p>"Why, bless me," declared Mr. Cochran, "have you come to New York -without a chance to see your folks? That's absurd. It was very selfish -of me to kidnap you, I'm sure, but there was no one else I wanted to -take out to meet the <i>Sea Witch</i>."</p> - -<p>"Never mind. I can write them before I sail," and with this David -set off for the ferry at a smart trot. When he reported aboard<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> the -<i>Roanoke</i> in the evening, Captain Thrasher was just going ashore.</p> - -<p>"What news?" he halted to ask. "Young Cochran safe in port? Well, well, -I am very thankful to hear it. What ship found them? The <i>Sea Witch</i>? -Why I know her master well. Dried-up little man with a white goatee?"</p> - -<p>This described the man who had shouted orders from the quarter-deck of -the <i>Sea Witch</i>, and David meekly answered, "Yes, sir."</p> - -<p>"Seventy, if he is a day, and tough as a pine knot," concluded Captain -Thrasher. "He was master of a ship when I went to sea as a boy."</p> - -<p>Before David turned in he wrote to Margaret, and wound up with:</p> - -<p>"You never saw such a beautiful ship in your life as the <i>Sea Witch</i>. -Be sure to take Captain John down to see her when she docks. If there -were only really and truly fairies, or if I had a magic wand, I would -wave it around Mr. Cochran's head and ask him to buy the <i>Sea Witch</i> -and put Captain John in her, instead of the frosted old pippin that is -master of her. She almost makes me wish I had not gone into steam. Oh, -if you could have seen her under<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> full sail—but what is the use of my -raving about the <i>Sea Witch</i>? Good-night, and God bless you all."</p> - -<p>The <i>Roanoke</i> was almost ready to proceed straight to Southampton for -a thorough overhauling after the patch-work repairs made to enable her -to cross the Atlantic in safety. There was no excitement about this -kind of a departure, and on the morning of sailing her empty decks made -David feel a little homesick. He was sent ashore with a bundle of the -captain's farewell letters, and on his way back dodged a cab which was -rattling down to the wharf in runaway fashion. A volley of "Whoas" and -"Hullos" came from inside, and wheeling about, David saw the head of -Arthur Cochran poked out of the window.</p> - -<p>"Ahoy, there," he shouted, pushing open the door, and alighting fairly -on top of David before the driver could pull up his sweating steed. -"Father came over on business, and I coaxed him into letting me come -along, on the chance of seeing you."</p> - -<p>"Come aboard," said David, joyfully. "We're ready to cast off, but -there will be a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> few minutes to spare, I guess. You don't look a -shipwrecked sailor, not a little bit."</p> - -<p>"I have met those pals of yours," confided Arthur as they hurried up -the gangway. "And they are just bully, aren't they? They are the real -thing. Mother dotes on the dear little sister, and she <i>is</i> a dear, and -Captain Bracewell is a copper-fastened A1 old-time Yankee sailor, that -you read about in books. Say, but he is a brick, a whole ton of 'em. -And, oh, you will be tickled to death to hear that the other <i>Restless</i> -boat was found by a steamer which carried the men to Liverpool."</p> - -<p>"Good enough," cried David. "That is the bulliest kind of news."</p> - -<p>Elated as he was to learn that all the yacht's crew had been accounted -for, the praise of Margaret made David wince a trifle in spite of -himself. Jealousy had never invaded his feelings toward the "little -sister." He wanted Arthur to like his "dearest folks," but it was not -easy to think of sharing their affection. Beating down this ungenerous -emotion with a very manly spirit, David cordially agreed:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span></p> - -<p>"They are the salt of the earth, Arthur, and I am mighty glad you like -them. They worried themselves almost sick about you. What about Mr. -Becket? Have you met him?"</p> - -<p>"He looked me up yesterday, and was so full of mystery that I couldn't -make head or tail of him. He got almost to the point of telling me -something, and then he sheered off on another tack, rubbed his red -head, sighed, looked out of the window, and muttered something about -guessing he'd have to see you first."</p> - -<p>"Was it anything about Captain Bracewell?"</p> - -<p>"He never got that far. He seemed to be in the last stages of -buck-fever or acute rattles. But he doesn't look like a timid man."</p> - -<p>David was called forward, and while Arthur kicked his heels on a bench -by the gangway, Captain Thrasher happened along, on his way to the -bridge.</p> - -<p>"My father, Mr. Cochran, sends you his warmest regards," said Arthur, -"and wishes you a luckier voyage than the last."</p> - -<p>"So you are the young nine-days' wonder, are you? You look as if sea -life agreed with you."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That's what everybody says, Captain, and I am trying to persuade -mother to let me go for a long voyage. My, but I should like to go out -in the <i>Sea Witch</i> to Japan."</p> - -<p>"No finer sailing vessel afloat," said Captain Thrasher. "How is that -old barnacle that commands her? Bad-tempered as ever?"</p> - -<p>"He is pretty violent," smiled Arthur. "But he is done with the sea. -This was his last voyage. He told me he was going home to Maine as -quick as the Lord would let him, and raise potatoes and cabbages, 'gosh -whang it.' He has been at sea fifty-seven years."</p> - -<p>"Who will take her out?"</p> - -<p>"The mate expects to get her, sir. But he is a pie-faced, wooden-headed -Norwegian, with a thirst for rum. I didn't take to him at all."</p> - -<p>"Too bad to see a Norwegian in command of the finest Yankee ship -afloat," was Captain Thrasher's comment as he went on his way.</p> - -<p>Fifteen minutes passed and David had not returned. It was like hunting -a needle in a hay-stack to look for him, and Arthur fidgeted where he -was until the deck officer warned him that it was time to go ashore. -Then David<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> came running aft, just as the <i>Roanoke</i> blew a long blast -to let all hands know she was ready to cast off.</p> - -<p>"I had to tally a lot of stores that just came aboard for the paint -room," panted David. "It is a shame that I can't hear all about what -happened to you at sea. But I'll be back in a few weeks."</p> - -<p>Arthur shouted his farewells, as he ran to the wharf, while David said -to himself, with sorrowful countenance:</p> - -<p>"And I never got in a word for Captain John."</p> - -<p>He would have been more regretful could he have overheard the news -about the command of the <i>Sea Witch</i> as Arthur had told it to Captain Thrasher.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER IX</span> <span class="smaller">CAPTAIN BRACEWELL'S SHIP</span></h2> - -<p>David had been gone a week, when Arthur Cochran announced to his father:</p> - -<p>"There is no sense in waiting till David, the bold sailor boy, comes -home from sea. I want to ask the Bracewells and Mr. Becket up to -dinner. You postponed it once, before I turned up, and anyhow you owe -them a dinner to square yourself for the apple pie you got away with."</p> - -<p>Since their disaster at sea the domineering manner of Mr. Cochran -toward his son had changed to a relation of good comradeship, in which -Arthur no longer feared and trembled. His timid smile had become frank -and boyish, and he carried himself in a way that made his father proud -of him.</p> - -<p>"By all means," heartily replied Mr. Cochran. "It won't hurt you to -know folks who don't care a rap for your money, and who are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> not -looking for a chance to pull your leg. They preach a healthy gospel by -just living along in their own way."</p> - -<p>Arthur's mother mildly suggested that the dinner await David's return, -but she was routed by the argument:</p> - -<p>"That will be an excuse for another dinner. The more, the merrier."</p> - -<p>Thereupon she offered her services as a partner in his plans, and -between them they devised all manner of novel decorations and -surprises. The thing which pleased them most was a lake of real water -that extended the length of the dining table, and upon which floated -two toy vessels. One of them was the model of a full-rigged sailing -ship, the other of an ocean steamer, with a black star between her -funnels. They were christened the <i>Sea Witch</i> and the <i>Roanoke</i>. For -the bridge of the liner Arthur found a most dashing miniature captain -in blue, who was tagged, in honor of the absent friend, "Captain David -Downes."</p> - -<p>The guests arrived fairly calm, but somewhat awed by their -surroundings. Captain John, in his Sunday black, loomed like a -benevolent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> Viking. His massive, clean-shaven face had lost its sea -tan, but he was as fine a specimen of the American ship-master as could -have been found in his almost vanished generation. Margaret, dressed in -white, with a rose in her fair hair, was winsomely girlish, enjoying -every moment of this red-letter night. Mr. Becket's rolling gait put -the costly bric-a-brac in some danger, and he would insist on making -side remarks to the servants, but Margaret was a skilful pilot, and -steered him in safety to the haven of the dining-room.</p> - -<p>"I don't quite figure out how it all happened," said Captain Bracewell, -from his chair at Mrs. Cochran's right hand, "but we are all glad to be -here, ma'am. Most of us have been saved by the Lord's grace from the -perils of the deep. But the boy who fetched us all together is absent -from us, and I move we drink his health standing."</p> - -<p>While the company toasted the young able seaman of the <i>Roanoke</i>, -Arthur cried:</p> - -<p>"And here's to all ships and sailors, their sisters, sweethearts, and -wives."</p> - -<p>He glanced at Margaret with so mischievous a twinkle in his dancing -eyes that she felt her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> cheek grow hot, for no reason at all, of -course. Mr. Becket made a diversion, however, by pensively observing:</p> - -<p>"There was a black-eyed senorita in Valparaiso. But she hasn't written -me in eleven years, and I couldn't read it if she did. But I hereby -drink to her most hearty."</p> - -<p>Captain Bracewell's bold and resolute manner, which became him so well, -was returning in the enjoyment of this festal occasion. The weary year -of disappointment and failure was forgotten for the time. He seemed to -grow younger as the dinner wore on. Mr. Cochran, who knew men and how -to draw them out, was shrewdly studying this fine figure of a mariner. -There was more behind that square-hewn face than simple honesty and -loyalty. The man of wealth and power had lost some of his former -contempt for those who could not "make money." Perhaps more than he -realized, he had learned new values of men from David Downes. But why -should Captain Bracewell have quit his calling, reflected Mr. Cochran, -while he was still fit for years of command? "He is not a day over -sixty," the host<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> was saying to himself, "and he looks as sturdy as an -oak tree." Mr. Cochran did not know that there had been a kind of blind -conspiracy to hide the truth from him. David had let slip his chance -to confide in Arthur; Captain John would not have dreamed of presuming -on Mr. Cochran's friendship; while Mr. Becket had lost his daring at a -critical moment.</p> - -<p>Their well-meaning secrecy, their fond hopes and wishes, were revealed -without warning, and without any prompting of their own. They were -talking about the two little ships which swam so proudly on the lake -between them. Mock congratulations were showered upon the absurd figure -of a doll, which stood so stiffly on the tiny liner's bridge. Margaret -called out playfully:</p> - -<p>"Why don't you toot your whistle and salute us, Captain Downes? Too -haughty and stuck-up, I suppose, like all you steamer captains."</p> - -<p>"S-s-s-sh. He is on duty," chided Arthur. "No talking on the bridge."</p> - -<p>"He can have his old steamer," flung back Margaret. "I'll take the <i>Sea -Witch</i> yonder, every time. Oh, isn't she just beautiful, even as a -toy?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span></p> - -<p>The blood of a long line of sailor ancestors thrilled in Margaret's -veins, as she clasped her hands and leaned forward to waft her breath -against the white sails of the clipper ship. The <i>Sea Witch</i> dipped to -this fair gale, gathered headway, and furrowed the pond with a wake of -tiny ripples. Her bowsprit pointed straight at Captain Bracewell, and -fanned by the breath of the guests as she passed them, the <i>Sea Witch</i> -glided without swerving from her course to the mossy bank in front of -the captain's plate.</p> - -<p>"But she hasn't any skipper," cried Arthur. "That doll on her -quarter-deck must be the mutton-headed Norwegian mate. Chuck him -overboard, mother. He's no good."</p> - -<p>With a gay laugh, Mrs. Cochran tossed the luckless manikin into the -water, where he sank to the bottom without a struggle, and reposed -against a rock with arms calmly folded across his chest. The heartless -onlookers applauded this tragedy, all save Captain John, who was -looking down at the ship. Perhaps he had a trace of the superstition -which can be found in the hardest-headed seafarer. The <i>Sea Witch</i>, -without a captain, had laid her course for him, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> was waiting on the -shore. This make-believe voyage might be a good omen.</p> - -<p>Arthur had an inspiration, while the attention of the others was -drawn to Captain John and the fairy ship. Springing to his feet, he -flourished his napkin in the air, and shouted:</p> - -<p>"What's the matter with Captain John Bracewell as master of the <i>Sea -Witch</i>? Wouldn't as fine a ship as this persuade you to go to sea -again?"</p> - -<p>Margaret was thrown into confusion, and Mr. Becket was taken all aback, -but Captain John smiled and threw back his shoulders, as he gently -answered:</p> - -<p>"I should like nothing better, but her owners don't see it that way."</p> - -<p>"Who owns the <i>Sea Witch</i>?" spoke up Mr. Cochran.</p> - -<p>"Burgess, Jones & Company. She is the last of their four-masted ships -that were built for the Far Eastern trade," said Captain John.</p> - -<p>"Why, it is plain as the nose on your face," declared the headlong -Arthur, who was taking full command of the situation. "Don't let her be -turned into a coal barge, father. That<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> is what they talk of doing with -her after one more voyage. She can be made to pay her way with your -brains back of her. Buy her to-morrow. I'll get you all the facts and -figures. And one long voyage in her is what I need to make me as husky -as David Downes."</p> - -<p>Matters were moving too fast for the guests. Mr. Becket's face was -fairly purple with suppressed emotions, and he could only pound the -table in a dazed kind of way and mutter:</p> - -<p>"Exactly what I tried to tell him. Exactly it. But I got hung on a dead -centre."</p> - -<p>Captain Bracewell raised his hand to command silence. He was anxious to -pull Mr. Cochran out of an awkward situation, and did his best to make -light of the discussion by saying:</p> - -<p>"It is just a boy's fancy, sir. Don't mind him. He means well. We will -just call it a bit of fun, and forget it. Besides, I'm asking no favors -from anybody."</p> - -<p>Captain John had risen to his feet, and was bending toward his host. -Mr. Cochran looked up with frank admiration at the imposing figure -which faced him, and returned:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Arthur goes off at half-cock a good deal. But there is a grain or two -of sense in him. Suppose we talk this matter over to-morrow, Captain. -I am a business man, and you are pretty solidly ballasted yourself. I -don't want to fling a lot of money into the sea, nor do you wish any -position that comes to you as a whim."</p> - -<p>But Arthur was not ready to dismiss his great idea, until he noticed -that his mother's face was full of suffering and her dear eyes were -moist with tears. He went around to her and kissed her cheek, as he -asked what the trouble might be.</p> - -<p>"I hope you can make Captain Bracewell happy," she whispered. "But I -can't let you go to sea again so soon. You must not leave me now, when -I feel as if you had been given back to me from the grave. You won't -go, will you, if you can feel strong and well at home with us?"</p> - -<p>The boy responded with impulsive tenderness:</p> - -<p>"Not if you feel that way about it, mother. And I am going to stay -strong and fit, anyway. But you will help me to get the <i>Sea Witch</i> for -the captain, won't you?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span></p> - -<p>The father was thinking as he watched them that it was worth a great -deal to have his only son learn lessons of unselfishness; to see him -more absorbed in the welfare of others than in his own interests. Mr. -Becket said to Margaret, in what was meant for a whisper:</p> - -<p>"The lad couldn't know our David very long without getting some of that -help-the-other-fellow spirit. Our boy has always been studying what he -could do for you and Captain John. He even has me on his mind these -days."</p> - -<p>Mr. Becket's whisper was heard the length of the table, and Arthur's -father commented with a smile:</p> - -<p>"I guess you are right, Mr. Becket, but why on earth didn't David let -me know that the captain wanted a ship?"</p> - -<p>"Because you blackguarded and scolded him out of his boots when he -stuck to these friends of his, last year," bravely returned the aroused -Mr. Becket. "And our boy don't crawl on his knees to no millionaires, -potentates, or boojums. That's one reason."</p> - -<p>With tactful desire to restore peace, Mrs. Cochran signalled to a -servant, and a <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span>phonograph hidden in the palms began to play "Nancy -Lee." The <i>Sea Witch</i> was not mentioned again until the guests were -ready to take their leave, when Margaret slipped up to Mrs. Cochran and -confided with fluttering voice:</p> - -<p>"Please don't think we ever hinted the least thing to Mr. Arthur about -our looking for a vessel. It is lovely to know that you think so much -of grandfather. And Mr. Becket and I will try to make him understand -that it was all a joke to-night. I can't bear to think of his taking -it the least bit in earnest. We just can't have him down in the dumps -again."</p> - -<p>"Don't worry, Margaret," Arthur's mother responded, caressing the -girl's shining hair. "Things will work out for the best somehow, for -such a dear, brave child and such a splendid grandfather."</p> - -<p>Captain Bracewell passed a sleepless night, his mind restless with -new-born hopes. It could not be true, it was not even sane to expect -that he might walk the quarter-deck of the <i>Sea Witch</i>, a bigger, -finer ship than he had ever been master of in his prime. And to talk -of buying her as if she were the toy which had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> floated on the dinner -table! It was all stark nonsense, yet his kindled imagination could not -help painting bright pictures. Margaret heard him muttering to himself -in the night watches, and stole to his bedside. The captain put his -arms around the slim figure in white, and drew her to him.</p> - -<p>"I haven't slept a wink, either," she whispered. "You will take me with -you in the <i>Sea Witch</i>, won't you? But we will be so far away from -David."</p> - -<p>Captain John chuckled:</p> - -<p>"Why, you are the girlie who was telling me all the way home that I -must take it as a bit of fun. What has come over you?"</p> - -<p>"I just can't help believing it is going to come true," she answered. -"I guess we are two silly children. But will you try to coax David to -ship with you?"</p> - -<p>"So that is what is keeping you awake," he responded, very tenderly. -"Nothing would be too good for the lad if he were in my vessel, you -know that. But our chickens aren't hatched, and you'd better turn in, -and thank God for all the blessings we have."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span></p> - -<p>Next morning Captain Bracewell trudged off to his gang of longshoremen -on a North River pier. As he turned along the crowded water front, -a four-masted sailing ship was being towed into a berth among the -low-roofed warehouses. He stared with surprise at the rare sight, and -thrilled to note the immense height of her masts and the majestic -spread of her yards. Beside the uncouth ocean steamers, she appeared -queenly beyond words. Without going nearer, Captain Bracewell knew -that this must be the <i>Sea Witch</i>. He fought with his longing to go -aboard and inspect this vessel of his dreams. But deciding that he -ought to make himself no more unhappy than possible, he moved on his -way, now and then turning for another sight of the "grandest Yankee -skysail-yarder afloat."</p> - -<p>A few hours later Arthur Cochran rode down town with his father, -explaining, by the way:</p> - -<p>"The weeks at sea did me lots of good, I'll admit that. But another -reason why I feel so much better is that I have quit worrying about -myself. If you will give me enough to think about, I won't have time -to bother with my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> weak chest and spindle legs. But it is a heap more -important that I get Captain John ready for sea before David comes -home. Wouldn't it be a glorious surprise for him?"</p> - -<p>"Give me time to think it over, Arthur. Maybe Burgess, Jones & Company -will be glad to do me a favor without making it necessary to buy a -ship. Why, I own a fleet of them, come to think of it."</p> - -<p>"But they are not in the same class with the <i>Sea Witch</i>, father, and -I want to own her myself. It is a good way to break me in to business -before I am ready to go to college. Outbound freights have jumped in -the last week and now is the time to buy or charter."</p> - -<p>"I begin to think you are a chip of the old block, my son," said Mr. -Cochran, not at all displeased. "Maybe I can see you through on this -shipping deal. Come to my office at noon, after I have had time to send -a man out to investigate."</p> - -<p>Arthur was not letting the grass grow under his feet. He posted down to -the wharf to find Captain Bracewell, and implored that busy stevedore:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I want all the figures to show the cost of running a four-masted ship, -wages, stores, repairs, and so on. Dig it up in a hurry, please, for -I may be a ship-owner by afternoon. Let your roustabouts have a ten -minutes' rest."</p> - -<p>There was no such thing as heading Arthur off. He volleyed questions -like a rapid-fire gun. No sooner had his flying pencil scrawled the -last row of figures than he fled from the wharf. Noon found him waiting -in the ante-room of his father's private offices, chewing his pencil -stub and scanning many rumpled pages of calculations. Presently a clerk -beckoned him, and the door of the inner office was closed behind the -budding shipping merchant. An hour later he bobbed out with an excited -air and announced to the confidential secretary:</p> - -<p>"Mr. Cochran says to have room number eighteen fitted up as an office, -if you please. I shall use it hereafter. I want the door lettered,</p> - -<p class="center">'ARTHUR L. COCHRAN, SHIP-OWNER.'"</p> - -<p>A messenger found Captain Bracewell eating his dinner at home. Margaret -was trembling as she noticed that the note was written<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> on the office -stationery of Stanley P. Cochran. Her grandfather was outwardly calm, -as he read aloud:</p> - -<blockquote><p><span class="smcap">Captain John Bracewell</span>:</p> - -<p><i>Dear Sir</i>: This is to offer you the command of the ship <i>Sea -Witch</i>, which is now lying at Pier 38, North River, in this port. -If you will accept the position, please call at my office at your -earliest convenience to arrange terms, etc.</p> - -<p class="right">Sincerely yours,<span class="s4"> </span><br /> -<span class="smcap">Arthur L. Cochran</span>, <i>Agent and Owner</i>.</p></blockquote> - -<p>"Listen to that, his daddy all over again," roared the ship-master. "I -shall have to toe the mark now. Well, it's come true. It's come true, -girlie. And our lad David did it all."</p> - -<p>He knelt by the table, as if this were the first thing to be done, and -Margaret was kneeling beside him as he gave thanks to the God in whom -he had put his trust, afloat and ashore.</p> - -<p>"We must send a cablegram to David," quavered Margaret, sobbing for -sheer joy. "And tell him he <i>must</i> sail with us."</p> - -<p class="space-above">Three thousand miles away a lad in sailor blue was mending awnings on a -liner's deck. He did not look happy as he plied the sail-needle <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span>with -vicious jabs, while he thought, half aloud:</p> - -<p>"What is the use of having friends if you can't be of any use to them? -What good have I been to Captain John and Margaret? Always wanting to -help, never doing a thing! I might have got him a ship if I hadn't hung -fire so long. Now it's too late. I wish I had never set eyes on those -Cochrans. I just amused them, because I was a kind of curiosity, I -suppose."</p> - -<p>It was a very different David Downes who whooped like a red Indian -soon after he went off watch. After dancing along the deck with a -cabled message in his fist, he sat down on the edge of his bunk to -think things over. Slowly the fact of Captain John's great good fortune -slipped into the background, and bigger and bigger loomed the certainty -which he could not bear to face.</p> - -<p>"A whole year without seeing Margaret," he said to himself, "for she is -sure to go in the <i>Sea Witch</i>. I never realized what it would mean to -have them go to sea again. They must take me, too; I can't bear to be -left behind. A whole year without Margaret!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then it came over him that he belonged where he had begun, in steam, -in the Atlantic service. He was of a different age and breed of seaman -from Captain John. Their ways must part. But was not any sacrifice -worth while that would give him a chance to sail with Margaret? David -was suddenly brought face to face with a new problem which had come -into his life without his being aware of it. He must fight it out for himself.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER X</span> <span class="smaller">THE CALL OF DUTY</span></h2> - -<p>Captain John Bracewell's deep voice was shouting orders to the tug -which was making fast to haul the deep-laden <i>Sea Witch</i> out from her -wharf. She was ready to begin her long voyage around Cape Horn, and -the trade winds of the Pacific were calling her. In their first hours -aboard, her crew had found that they were in a "smart ship," with a -master who knew his trade. No longer a stranded derelict, but a leader -of men, gravely rejoicing in the strength and beauty of the <i>Sea -Witch</i>, Captain Bracewell looked every inch a proper seaman to command -this queen of the old-time Yankee merchant marine.</p> - -<p>In the spacious after-cabin, bright with the summer sun which flooded -through the open skylights, Margaret was saying almost the last of -her good-bys. Clusters and bouquets<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> of flowers, sent by Mr. Cochran, -senior, made every shelf and corner gay. Mrs. Cochran and he had made -their farewell call and were gone ashore, but Arthur still lingered in -the cabin. Beside him stood able seaman David Downes. The young owner -of the departing ship was saying to the fair-haired girl:</p> - -<p>"I can't stay more than a minute longer. My boat is alongside, and I -must get back to my office. I'd like awfully well to go down the Bay -with you, but—"</p> - -<p>He hesitated, glanced at David and went on with an affectionate smile, -which embraced both his friends:</p> - -<p>"You may not see your big brother for a year, Miss Margaret. He -deserves to have you all to himself to-day."</p> - -<p>"Better change your mind and come back in the tug," said David. "This -is your ship, you know. And Margaret will love to have you."</p> - -<p>She smiled, with lips which slightly trembled, and there was unspoken -sadness in her brave eyes, as she told them:</p> - -<p>"Indeed I want you both until we have to say good-by. And David has not -quite <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span>decided to desert us. I am hoping to persuade him yet that he -belongs in the <i>Sea Witch</i>. We just can't give him up without trying, -to the very last minute. But it is going to make no difference, even if -the seas do roll between us three. We can't forget you for a moment, -either of you. You two have brought us this great gift and blessing—my -two big brothers."</p> - -<p>Arthur's gaze was wistful, but he answered brightly:</p> - -<p>"And your owner is prouder of his master and of you than he is of his -fine ship."</p> - -<p>"Not to overlook the mate," exclaimed a hearty voice behind them, and -Mr. Becket's head blazed grandly in a patch of sunshine, at the foot -of the companion-way. "Beg your pardon, Mr. Cochran, but we are in the -stream and your boatman wants to cast off. Any orders, sir?"</p> - -<p>"I am coming, Mr. Becket. Well, it is good-by, and God bless you, Miss -Margaret, and fair winds to you, and clear skies," said Arthur, as he -clasped her hand for a moment. Then he followed Mr. Becket on deck. -David<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> ran after them, and as he helped his friend overside, Arthur -asked:</p> - -<p>"Is it go or stay, with you? The longer you hang in the wind without -making up your mind, the worse it will be."</p> - -<p>"It's the hardest thing I ever had to decide," replied David. "I sort -of went ahead blind, and didn't know how much this was going to mean to -me."</p> - -<p>"Father and mother and I have begun to find out that you haven't been -thinking of yourself at all, from start to finish," cried Arthur. -"Maybe that is why all your friends like you."</p> - -<p>This unexpected compliment took David aback, and all he could think of -to say in parting was:</p> - -<p>"You'll hear from me by to-morrow. It's all a game of figuring out what -is right to do."</p> - -<p>David watched the boat move shoreward, until it dodged behind a string -of barges, and then he returned to Margaret in the cabin. She made a -gallant effort to face the issue which they had argued over and over -again.</p> - -<p>"It all happened just right that Mr. Becket was willing to come as -mate," she began, "but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> oh, the whole beautiful plan seems so empty -without you, Davy. Why can't you sail with us? Grandfather says he will -make you third mate at the end of this voyage. And you will be just -drudging along in the <i>Roanoke</i> for years and years, before you can get -that far."</p> - -<p>"It is different with Mr. Becket," replied David, with a sigh. "He is -almost fifty years old, and he needs a position. Besides, he stands a -fine chance to be master of the <i>Sea Witch</i> when Captain John retires. -But I am just beginning, and I belong in steam."</p> - -<p>Margaret was unconvinced, as she looked up at him with affectionate -pride.</p> - -<p>"I suppose you know what is best, Davy, and I want you to succeed more -than anything else in the world. Duty is a queer thing anyhow. The -Cochrans think I ought to stay ashore and go to school. But I know -better. There never was a wiser teacher than grandfather, and he needs -me, and school must wait. And you and I could study together, Davy. -Think of the months and months at sea."</p> - -<p>"But it all comes down to this, Margaret. Answer me yes or no. Which -course do you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> want me to take? The one I <i>ought</i> to steer, or the one -I <i>want</i> to follow? There's the whole thing in a nutshell."</p> - -<p>She thought it cruel of him to pin her down to this kind of an answer, -but she met his questions as squarely as Captain John would have done.</p> - -<p>"The course you ought to steer, if you have to take one or the other," -was her verdict.</p> - -<p>"Then I go back to the <i>Roanoke</i>," declared David. "I've been veering -this way and that in my mind, but the things I've learned about duty in -the last year kind of help me to make a good finish of it. I must stick -it out as I started. We sail in the morning, Margaret, and we may pass -you going out. I can read any signals you set, and I'll know they are -meant for me."</p> - -<p>"'Don't forget your dearest folks,' will be what I'm saying to you, -David," she answered, very softly.</p> - -<p>David moved toward the companion-way. He saw how hard it was for -Margaret to keep back her tears, now that the parting was so near.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Don't forget me, little sister," he said, and his voice faltered. -"I'll be waiting for you, forever and ever, amen."</p> - -<p>He meant more than was in his words, for the "little sister" was dearer -to him in this moment than she had ever been before. But he could not -tell her what was in his heart. They went on deck as Captain Bracewell -called out cheerily:</p> - -<p>"I smell a shift of wind. We shall be under sail to-morrow. Why, the -breeze has painted roses in your cheeks already, Margaret. There's -nothing like getting to sea again. How about it, Davy Downes? Shall I -put your name on the ship's papers?"</p> - -<p>"No, sir. I am an able seaman aboard the <i>Roanoke</i>. And I'm sorry that -I put you to the trouble of holding a berth open for me."</p> - -<p>Captain Bracewell looked at the lad with approval, as he rejoined:</p> - -<p>"It isn't always easy to get your true bearings, my boy, and maybe -I did wrong in trying to persuade you to sail with an old fogy like -me. We want you bad, but we're not going to stand in your way, hey, -Margaret?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span></p> - -<p>The "little sister" had nothing more to say. Her bright world was -clouded, and she could not look beyond this hour. It was Mr. Becket who -cheered them with his never-failing good humor. Coming aft for orders, -he stood surveying the silent group as if wondering what misfortune had -happened in his absence.</p> - -<p>"Cheer up, my children," was his exhortation. "You've got what you -wanted, and what more do you want? Why, I didn't look as dismal as -all this when my last skipper chased me ashore, with his one whisker -whistlin' in the wind."</p> - -<p>"David is going to leave us," said Margaret, solemnly.</p> - -<p>"And what would we do with the useless little paint scrubber aboard a -real ship?" exclaimed Mr. Becket. "He's never been aloft in his life."</p> - -<p>"Get forward with you, Mr. Becket," thundered the captain, and the -mate ducked down the ladder, as if he had been shot at. The time was -all too short before the <i>Sea Witch</i> reached an anchorage in the lower -bay. David was ready to leap aboard as the tug came <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span>alongside. He was -through with saying good-bys, and he lingered only long enough to shake -hands all round.</p> - -<p>Margaret and he had tried to console themselves with the thought that -this was not really their last sight of each other. The liner would be -going out in the morning, and then it would be farewell in earnest. -But David was a lonesome and melancholy sailor as he went aboard the -<i>Roanoke</i> that night. The bos'n found him on duty at the gangway, and -took pity on his low spirits.</p> - -<p>"It vas hard to lose friends, but it vas worse to have no friends to -lose, and all hands on deck, from the old man to his sawed-off leetle -cabin-boy knows that you haf been true to your friends and stuck by -your colors, boy. It vill do you no harm. I vas getting old, and there -is gray in my hair, and I vill never be a ship's officer. But if you -does <i>your</i> duty and sticks by your friends you will wear the blue coat -mit the brass stripes on the sleeve, and you will be glad you stayed by -steam."</p> - -<p>"But I always wanted to be the kind of a seaman my father was," -confided David, grateful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> for the cheer of this grizzled shipmate. "And -I've just left that kind of a ship-master and a vessel that made me -sort of choke all up to look at her."</p> - -<p>Next morning came fair and sparkling, with a fresh wind out of the -north-west that set the harbor to dancing. The liner's decks were -crowded with passengers in holiday mood. From her huge funnels poured -clouds of black smoke, to tell the water front that she was eager to be -free and hurrying over seas. Promptly on the stroke of ten, as if she -were moved by clockwork, the decks trembled to the thresh of her giant -screws, hawsers came writhing in to the rattle of donkey-engines fore -and aft, and the black hull of the liner slid slowly past her pier.</p> - -<p>Up in the bow, able seaman David Downes waved his cap to Arthur Cochran -who had come down to see him off. Their friendship had been knit closer -by the sailing of the <i>Sea Witch</i>, and David glowed at the thought of -the message which Mr. Cochran, senior, had sent to the steamer by his -boy:</p> - -<p>"Tell the able seaman that I wasn't as crazy as I seemed when I bought -the <i>Sea Witch</i> <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span>overnight. If he had wanted her for himself it would -have been another matter. But I did it to please him as much as to -please the old skipper and my boy. Tell him he has helped me to know -what friendship means, in a world where I thought that kind of thing -had gone out of style."</p> - -<p>As the <i>Roanoke</i> neared Sandy Hook, David saw far ahead a row of tall -spars astern of a tug. He forgot his work and rushed to the rail. It -was the <i>Sea Witch</i>, and the liner would pass close to her. Soon little -patches of white began to break out among the yards of the ship ahead. -The bos'n stood beside David and growled in his ear:</p> - -<p>"You must not loaf on deck, boy, but maybe a minute won't hurt -nothings. It vas a good sight, that. I know it all. Now I hear the -captain say to the mate, 'Set your jibs.' And next it is, 'Set your -staysails.' And then it is, 'Loose your lower topsails.' Then the mate -vill sing out to the men, 'Haul away the lee sail,' or 'Overhaul the -main-top-gallant bunt-lines.' But I am an old fool and you are a young -loafer. Get along mit you."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span></p> - -<p>As if by magic, the white canvas was spreading higher and higher above -the low hull of the <i>Sea Witch</i>, until her royals seemed like bits of -the clouds that drifted in the blue sky. As David answered a summons -from the bridge, he overheard Captain Thrasher say:</p> - -<p>"Very smartly done. The old man must have shipped a good crew. Wonder -where he got 'em? That's the way Yankee ships used to make sail when I -was a boy."</p> - -<p>David felt a thrill of pride as if he had a personal share in this -welcome praise. The liner was overhauling the <i>Sea Witch</i> hand over -hand. David was straining his eyes to make out the flutter of a skirt -on the quarter-deck. The ship was still too far away, however, and his -attention was caught for a moment by the surprised voice of the bos'n:</p> - -<p>"Holy schmokes, your granddaddy is gettin' up his sky-sails. He vill -give us a race, eh?"</p> - -<p>Sure enough, the sailors of the <i>Sea Witch</i> could be seen working in -mid-air, and presently the tiny squares of canvas gleamed above her -royals. "It is to show this old<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> tea-kettle what a Yankee ship can do," -quoth the bos'n.</p> - -<p>No more stately and beautiful sea picture could be imagined than -the <i>Sea Witch</i>, when Captain Bracewell had put her under this -staggering press of sail. The wind was humming through the stays of the -<i>Roanoke's</i> apologies for masts, and it smote the <i>Sea Witch</i> with a -driving power, which heeled her until the copper of her hull gleamed -like a belt of gold against the white-capped Atlantic.</p> - -<p>David could see Margaret leaning against the weather rail of the poop, -her hair blowing in the jolly wind, as she shaded her eyes and gazed -at the liner's decks. Nor could this daughter of the deep sea have -asked for a more fitting accompaniment for her farewell to David than -the roaring chorus which floated from amidships of the <i>Sea Witch</i>. -Captain Bracewell had bullied and bribed the shipping masters of New -York to find him Yankee seamen. It was a hard task that he set them, -but by hook and crook he had gathered a dozen deep-water "shell-backs" -of the old breed among his thirty foremast hands, and they knew the -old-time <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span>sailors' chanties. Now, as they swayed and hauled on sheets -and braces, their lusty chorus came faint and clear to the liner:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div>"Come all ye young fellows that follow the sea,</div> -<div>With a yeo, ho, blow the man down,</div> -<div>And pray pay attention and listen to me,</div> -<div>Oh, give me some time to blow the man down."</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Soon the chorus changed as the topsail yards were swayed:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div>"We're outward bound this very day,</div> -<div>Good-by, fare you well,</div> -<div>Good-by, fare you well.</div> -<div>We're outward bound this very day,</div> -<div>Hurrah, my boys, we're outward bound."</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>The passengers of the liner were cheering. Here were sights and sounds -which they had read about in romances of the sea. But David was no -longer thinking of the ship yonder. He was blowing kisses to the -"little girl" who had crossed the deck and was standing with one arm -about the captain of the <i>Sea Witch</i>. Over their heads was set a row of -signal flags to speak their parting message:</p> - -<p>"All's well. Love and greetings."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span></p> - -<p>Captain Thrasher turned his whistle valve, and the <i>Roanoke</i> bellowed a -courteous "Good-day to you." Stronger and more musical than before came -the sailors' chorus:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div>"Hurrah, my boys, we're outward bound."</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Captain Thrasher chanced to catch a glimpse of the lad with the radiant -face, who was leaning over the rail of the deck below him. With a -kindly impulse, he sent a boy to call David to the bridge.</p> - -<p>"You can see them a little better here," said the captain. "I take it -that you're pretty sorry to leave those shipmates of yours. Did you -want to go with them?"</p> - -<p>The young able seaman stood very straight, and his square jaw was -firm-set, as he replied:</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. But I decided to stay with you."</p> - -<p>The captain of the liner understood the boy's struggle. He made no -comment, but said to one of his officers:</p> - -<p>"Tell the quartermaster to sheer a little closer to that ship. I may -want to speak her."</p> - -<p>David looked his gratitude, and was on edge with excitement, as he -gazed down at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> white deck of the <i>Sea Witch</i>, and wondered if his -voice could carry that far. Perhaps he might hear Margaret call to him. -She had seen him go to the bridge. Her face was upturned, and she had -picked up a speaking-trumpet.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="i209.jpg" id="i209.jpg"></a><img src="images/i209.jpg" alt="David gazed down at the white deck" /></div> - -<p class="bold">David gazed down at the white deck of the <i>Sea Witch</i>.</p> - -<p>Just then the fourth officer of the <i>Roanoke</i> brushed past David. He -was bare-headed, his coat was torn, and there was blood on his face. He -addressed the captain, as if short of breath:</p> - -<p>"If you please, sir, two of those insane steerage passengers we are -deporting have broken out, and are running amuck below. The rest of the -people are scared clean off their heads, and I want more help to handle -'em."</p> - -<p>The discipline which had become an instinct with Captain Thrasher -caused him to grasp at whatever assistance was nearest to save every -second of time he could. He saw David at his elbow, and snapped at him:</p> - -<p>"Down you go! Jump! I'll send more help in a minute or two."</p> - -<p>David cast one glance at the deck of the <i>Sea Witch</i>. Margaret had -never looked so dear to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> him as now, when she was almost within -speaking distance. The pleading disappointment in David's face was not -unobserved by Captain Thrasher, but his grim features were unmoved as -he repeated, more sharply:</p> - -<p>"Don't stand like a dummy! Below with you!"</p> - -<p>A sweet, shrill hail came from the quarter-deck of the <i>Sea Witch</i>, -"Oh, David, ahoy!"</p> - -<p>David heard it, but he did not turn to look over the side. The doctrine -of duty had never been so hard to swallow, but with his jaw set hard -and his fists shut tight he ran after the fourth officer. A bedlam of -noises came from the steerage quarters, groans and shrieks and prayers. -Re-enforced by two more seamen, the officer and David charged into -the uproar. Three stewards and a quartermaster had pinned the insane -foreigners in a corner, and were trying to put strait-jackets on them. -It was a difficult task, even with more help, and the panic of the -other Hungarians, Russians, and Poles had grown to the size of a riot. -David pitched in with the momentum of a centre-rush, and after several -sharp tussles looked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> around him to find that his doughty comrades had -done their duty well. His impulse was to rush on deck for a sight of -the <i>Sea Witch</i>, but his duty was to await orders.</p> - -<p>"Stand guard over these poor lunatics till you are relieved," grunted -the fourth officer.</p> - -<p>David's face turned very red, he winked hard and tried to hold back the -words that rushed to his lips:</p> - -<p>"But I must go on deck, sir. I—I—" he broke off and steadied himself -with a great effort. Before the amazed officer could reply to this -mutinous outburst David had come to himself. Discipline and duty took -command again, and he added in a tone of appeal:</p> - -<p>"Please forget what I just said, sir. I didn't mean to talk back. Of -course I'll stay."</p> - -<p>The officer cast a sour look at the lad, as if in half a mind to punish -him. Then with a gruff "Keep your tongue in your head next time," he -went away.</p> - -<p>David looked around at the speck of blue ocean which glinted through an -open porthole. Margaret's ship was out there, but he could not see her. -Every moment the liner<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> and the <i>Sea Witch</i> were drawing farther and -farther apart. And Margaret—was she looking for him, trying to send -across the water her message: "Don't forget your dearest folks"?</p> - -<p>The disconsolate David, sulking in the steerage, was not wise enough to -know that in this trying hour he was doing that which would have made -his "dearest folks" happy in this big boy of theirs.</p> - -<p>When at length he climbed on deck, the stately <i>Sea Witch</i> was -hull-down against the blue of the south-western sky. Lower and lower -dropped the pyramid of sail, until a fleck of white hung for an instant -on the horizon line. David rubbed his eyes, and looked again. The <i>Sea -Witch</i> had vanished.</p> - -<p>He turned away and looked up at the bridge of the <i>Roanoke</i>. Captain -Thrasher was pacing his airy pathway, quiet, ready, masterful, while -the strength of fifteen thousand horses drove the Black Star liner -toward her goal. David Dowries was sure in his heart that he had chosen -the right way, although it was the hardest way. As the sun went down, -he gazed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> across the heaving sea where he had last glimpsed the <i>Sea -Witch</i>, and said to himself:</p> - -<p>"What I ought to do, not what I want to do: that is the course Captain -John and Margaret told me to steer. And here is where I belong."</p> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A CADET OF THE BLACK STAR LINE***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 61064-h.htm or 61064-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/1/0/6/61064">http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/0/6/61064</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: A Cadet of the Black Star Line - - -Author: Ralph Delahaye Paine - - - -Release Date: December 31, 2019 [eBook #61064] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A CADET OF THE BLACK STAR LINE*** - - -E-text prepared by Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 61064-h.htm or 61064-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/61064/61064-h/61064-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/61064/61064-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/cadetofblackstar00painiala - - - - - -A CADET OF THE BLACK STAR LINE - - - * * * * * - -THE SCRIBNER SERIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE - -EACH WITH ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR - - -BOOKS FOR BOYS - - -THE MODERN VIKINGS By H. H. Boyesen - -WILL SHAKESPEARE'S LITTLE LAD By Imogen Clark - -THE BOY SCOUT and Other Stories for Boys -STORIES FOR BOYS By Richard Harding Davis - -HANS BRINKER, or The Silver Skates By Mary Mapes Dodge - -THE HOOSIER SCHOOL-BOY By Edward Eggleston - -THE COURT OF KING ARTHUR By William Henry Frost - -WITH LEE IN VIRGINIA -WITH WOLFE IN CANADA -REDSKIN AND COWBOY -UNDER DRAKE'S FLAG, a Tale of the Spanish Main - By G. A. Henty - -AT WAR WITH PONTIAC By Kirk Munroe - -TOMMY TROT'S VISIT TO SANTA CLAUS and -A CAPTURED SANTA CLAUS By Thomas Nelson Page - -THE FULLBACK By Lawrence Perry - -BOYS OF ST. TIMOTHY'S By Arthur Stanwood Pier - -KIDNAPPED -TREASURE ISLAND -BLACK ARROW By Robert Louis Stevenson - -AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS -A JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH -FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON -TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA By Jules Verne - -ON THE OLD KEARSARGE -IN THE WASP'S NEST By Cyrus Townsend Brady - -THE BOY SETTLERS -THE BOYS OF FAIRPORT By Noah Brooks - -THE CONSCRIPT OF ISIS By Erckmann-Chatrian - -A CADET OF THE BLACK STAR LINE -THE STEAM-SHOVEL MAN By Ralph D. Paine - -THE MOUNTAIN DIVIDE By Frank H. Spearman - -THE STRANGE GRAY CANOE By Paul G. Tomlinson - -THE ADVENTURES OF A FRESHMAN By J. L. Williams - -JACK HALL, or, The School Days of an American Boy - By Robert Grant - - -BOOKS FOR GIRLS - - -THE RAIN-COAT GIRL By Jennette Lee - -SMITH COLLEGE STORIES By Josephine Daskam - -ROSEMARY GREENAWAY -ELSIE MARLEY By Joslyn Gray - -THE HALLOWELL PARTNERSHIP By Katharine Holland Brown - -MY WONDERFUL VISIT By Elizabeth Hill - -SARA CREWE, or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's -A FAIR BARBARIAN By Frances Hodgson Burnett - -NEXT-BESTERS By Lulah Ragsdale - - -CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS - - * * * * * - - -[Illustration: "She can't last much longer. Lay into it, my buckos!" - -[Page 22]] - - -A CADET OF THE BLACK STAR LINE - -by - -RALPH D. PAINE - -Author of "College Years," "The Head Coach," -"The Fugitive Freshman," etc. - -Illustrated by George Varian - - - - - - -New York -Charles Scribner's Sons -1922 - -Copyright, 1910, by -Charles Scribner's Sons - -Printed in the United States of America - - -[Illustration: Logo THE SCRIBNER PRESS] - - - - -CONTENTS - -Chapter Page - I. Oil Upon the Waters 3 - - II. The Sea Waifs 23 - - III. The Fire-Room Gang 43 - - IV. Mr. Cochran's Temper 63 - - V. Mid Fog and Ice 83 - - VI. The Missing Boat 102 - - VII. The Bonds of Sympathy 121 - -VIII. Yankee Topsails 140 - - IX. Captain Bracewell's Ship 161 - - X. The Call of Duty 179 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - -"She can't last much longer. Lay into it, my buckos!" _Frontispiece_ - - Facing page - -Some one was kneeling on his chest, with a choking grip on -his neck 50 - -It was easy work to get alongside and pass them a line 110 - -David gazed down at the white deck of the _Sea Witch_ 194 - - - - -A CADET OF THE BLACK STAR LINE - -CHAPTER I - -OIL UPON THE WATERS - - -The strength of fifteen thousand horses was driving the great Black -Star liner _Roanoke_ across the Atlantic toward New York. Her promenade -decks, as long as a city block, swarmed with cabin passengers, while -below them a thousand immigrants enjoyed the salty wind that swept -around the bow. Far above these noisy throngs towered the liner's -bridge as a little world set apart by itself. Full seventy feet from -the sea this airy platform spanned the ship, so remote that the -talk and laughter of the decks came to it only as a low murmur. The -passengers were forbidden to climb to the bridge, and they seldom -thought of the quiet men in blue who, two at a time, were always -pacing that canvas-screened pathway to guide the _Roanoke_ to port. - -Midway of the bridge was the wheel-house, in which a rugged -quartermaster seemed to be playing with the spokes set round a small -brass rim while he kept his eyes on the swaying compass card before -him. The huge liner responded like a well-bitted horse to the touch of -the bridle rein, for the power of steam had been set at work to move -the ponderous rudder, an eighth of a mile away. - -A lad of seventeen years was cleaning the brasswork in the wheel-house. -Trimly clad in blue, his taut jersey was lettered across the chest -with the word CADET. When in a cheerful mood he was as wholesome and -sailorly a youngster to look at as you could have found afloat, but -now he was plainly discontented with his task as with sullen frown and -peevish haste he finished rubbing the speaking-tubes with cotton waste. -Then as he caught up his kit he burst out: - -"If my seafaring father could have lived to watch me at this fool kind -of work, he'd have been disgusted. I might better be a bell-boy in a -hotel ashore at double the wages." - -The quartermaster uneasily shifted his grip on the wheel and growled: - -"The old man's on the bridge. No talkin' in here. Go below and tell -your troubles to your little playmates, sonny." - -Young David Downes went slowly down the stairway that led to the boat -deck, but his loafing gait was quickened by a strong voice in his ear: - -"Step lively, there. Another soft-baked landsman that has made up his -mind to quit us, eh?" - -The youth flushed as he flattened himself against the deck house to -make room for the captain of the liner who had shrewdly read the -cadet's thoughts. As he swung into the doorway of his room the brown -and bearded commander flung back with a contemptuous snort: "Like all -the rest of them--_no good_!" - -It was the first time that Captain Thrasher had thought it worth while -to speak to the humble cadet who was beneath notice among the four -hundred men that made up the crew of the _Roanoke_. From afar, David -had viewed this deep-water despot with awe and dislike, thinking him -as brutal as he was overbearing. Even now, as he scurried past the -captain's room, he heard him say to one of the officers: - -"Take the irons off the worthless hounds, and if they refuse duty again -I will come down to the fire room and make them fit for the hospital." - -The cadet shook his fist at the captain's door and moved on to join -his companions in the fore part of the ship. He was in open rebellion -against the life he had chosen only a month before. Bereft of his -parents, he had lived with an uncle in New York while he plodded -through his grammar-school years, after which he was turned out to -shift for himself. He had found a place as a "strong and willing boy" -in a wholesale dry-goods store, but his early boyhood memories recalled -a father at sea in command of a stately square-rigger, and the love -of the calling was in his blood. There were almost no more blue-water -Yankee sailing ships and sailors, however, and small chance for an -ambitious American boy afloat. - -Restlessly haunting the wharves in his leisure hours, David had -happened to discover that the famous Black Star Line steamers were -compelled by act of Congress to carry a certain number of apprentices -or "cadets," to be trained until they were fit for berths as junior -officers. The news had fired him with eagerness for one of these -appointments. But for weeks he faced the cruel placard on the door of -the marine superintendent's office: - - - NO CADETS WANTED TO-DAY - - -At last, and he could hardly believe his eyes, when he hurried down -from the Broadway store during the noon hour, the sign had been changed -to read: - - - TWO CADETS WANTED - - -Partly because he was the son of a ship-master and partly because of -his frank and manly bearing, David Downes was asked for his references, -and a few days later he received orders to join the _Roanoke_ over the -heads of thirty-odd applicants. Now he was completing his first round -voyage and, alas! he had almost decided to forsake the sea. He was -ready to talk about his grievances with the four other cadets of his -watch whom he found in their tiny mess room up under the bow. - -"I just heard the old man threaten to half kill a couple of firemen," -angrily cried David. "He is a great big bully. Why, my father commanded -a vessel for thirty years without ever striking a seaman. Mighty little -I'll ever learn about real seafaring aboard this marine hotel. All you -have to do is head her for her port and the engines do the rest. Yet -the captain thinks he's a little tin god in brass buttons and gold -braid." - -An older cadet, who was in his second year aboard the liner, eyed the -heated youngster with a grim smile, but only observed: - -"You must stay in steam if you want to make a living at sea, Davy. And -as for Captain Stephen Thrasher--well, you'll know more after a few -voyages." - -A chubby, rosy lad dangled his short legs from a bunk and grinned -approval of David's mutiny as he broke in: - -"There won't be any more voyages for _this_ bold sailor boy. Acting as -chambermaid for paint and brasswork doesn't fill me with any wild love -for the romance of the sea. We were led aboard under false pretences, -hey, David?" - -"Me, too," put in another cadet. "I'm going to make three hops down the -gangway as soon as we tie up in New York." - -"So I am the only cadet in this watch with sand enough to stick it -out," said their elder. "You _are_ a mushy lot, you are. I'm going on -deck to find a _man_ to talk to." - -As the door slammed behind him, David Downes moodily observed: - -"He has no ambition, that's what's the matter with _him_." But after -a while David grew tired of the chatter and horse-play of the mess -room and went on deck to think over the problem he must work out for -himself. Was it lack of "sand" that made him ready to quit the calling -he had longed for all his life? Would he not regret the chance after he -had thrown it away? But the life around him was nothing at all like the -pictures of his dreams, and he was too much of a boy to look beyond the -present. His ideas of the sea were colored through and through by the -memories of his father's career. He had come to hate this ugly steel -monster crammed with coal and engines, which ate up her three thousand -miles like an express train. - -As he leaned against the rail, staring sadly out to sea, the sunlight -flashed into snowy whiteness the distant royals and top-gallant sails -of a square-rigger beating to the westward under a foreign flag. The -boy's eyes filled with tears of genuine homesickness. Yonder was a -ship worthy of the name, such as he longed to be in, but there was no -place in her kind for him or his countrymen. A brown paw smote David's -shoulder, and he turned to see the German bos'n. The cadet brushed a -hand across his eyes, ashamed of his emotion, but the kind-hearted old -seaman chuckled: - -"Vat is it, Mister Downes? You vas sore on the skipper and the ship, -so?" - -David answered with a little break in his voice: - -"It is all so different from what I expected, Peter." - -"You stay mit us maybe a dozen or six voyages," returned the other, -"and you guess again, boy. I did not t'ink you vas a quitter." - -"But this isn't like going to sea at all," protested David. - -"You mean it ist not a big man's work?" shouted the bos'n. "Mein Gott, -boy, it vas full up mit splendid kinds of seamanship, what that old -bundle of sticks and canvas out yonder never heard about. I know. I vas -in sailin' vessels twenty years." - -The bos'n waved a scornful hand at the passing ship. But David could -not be convinced by empty words, and long after the bos'n had left him, -he wistfully watched the square-rigger slide under the horizon, like a -speck of drifting cloud. - -There had been bright skies and smooth seas during the outward passage -to Dover and Antwerp, and although the season was early spring the -_Roanoke_ had reached mid-ocean on her return voyage before the smiling -weather shifted. When David was roused out to stand his four-hour -watch at midnight, the liner was plunging into head seas which broke -over the forward deck and were swept aft by a gale that hurled the -spray against her bridge like rain. The cadet had to fight his way to -the boat deck to report to the chief officer. Climbing to the bridge -he found Captain Thrasher clinging to the railing, a huge and uncouth -figure in dripping oil-skins. It was impossible to see overside in the -inky darkness, while the clamor of wind and sea and the pelting fury of -spray made speech impossible. - -The cadet crouched in the lee of the wheel-house while the night -dragged on, now and then scrambling below on errands of duty until four -o'clock sounded on the ship's bell. Then he went below, drenched and -shivering, to lie awake for some time and feel the great ship rear and -tremble to the shock of the charging seas. - -When he went on deck in daylight, he was amazed to find the _Roanoke_ -making no more than half speed against the storm. The white-crested -combers were towering higher than her sides, and as he started to -cross the well deck a wall of green water crashed over the bow, picked -him up, and tossed him against a hatch, where he clung bruised and -strangling until the torrent passed. It was the sturdy bos'n who -crawled forward and fetched the boy away from the ring-bolt to which he -was hanging like a barnacle. As soon as he had gained shelter, David -gasped: - -"Did you ever see a storm as bad as this, Peter?" - -"It is a smart gale of wind," spluttered the bos'n, "and two of our -boats vas washed away like they vas chips already. But maybe she get -worse by night." - -On his reeling bridge Captain Thrasher still held his post, after an -all-night vigil. The cadet was cheered at the sight of this grim and -silent figure, no longer a "fair-weather sailor," but the master of the -liner, doing his duty as it came to him, braced to meet any crisis. The -men were going about their work as usual, and David began cleaning the -salt-stained brass in the wheel-house. - -When he looked out again, the chief officer was waving his arm toward -the dim, gray skyline, and at sight of David he beckoned the lad to -fetch him his marine glasses. Captain Thrasher also clawed his way to -the windward side of the bridge and stared hard at the sea. The two men -shouted in each other's ears, then resumed their careful scrutiny of -the tempest-torn ocean in which David could see nothing but the racing -billows. Presently the chief officer shook his head and folded his arms -as if there was nothing more to be said or done. - -After a while David made out a brown patch of something which was -tossed into view for an instant and then vanished as if it would never -come up again. If it were a wreck it seemed impossible that any one -could be left alive in such weather as this. As the _Roanoke_ forged -slowly ahead, the drifting object grew more distinct. With a pair of -glasses from the rack in the wheel-house, David fancied he could make -out some kind of a signal streaming from the splintered stump of a -mast. Captain Thrasher was pulling at his brown beard with nervous -hands, but he did not stir from his place on the bridge. Presently he -asked David to call the third officer. There was a consultation, and -fragments of speech were blown to the cadet's eager ears: "No use in -trying to get a boat out.... God help the poor souls ... she'll founder -before night...." - -Could it be that the liner would make no effort to rescue the crew of -this sinking vessel, thought David. Was this the kind of seamanship -a man learned in steamers? He hated Captain Thrasher with sudden, -white-hot anger. He was only a youngster, but he was ready to risk his -life, just as his father would have done before him. And still the -liner struggled on her course without sign of veering toward the wreck -whose deck seemed level with the sea. - -The forlorn hulk was dropping astern when Captain Thrasher buffeted -his way to the wheel-house and stood by a speaking-tube. As if he were -working out some difficult problem with himself, he hesitated, and said -aloud: - -"It is the only chance. But I'm afraid the vessel yonder can't live -long enough to let me try it." - -The orders he sent below had to do with tanks, valves, pipes, and -strainers. David could not make head or tail of it. What had the -engineer's department to do with saving life in time of shipwreck? -Stout-hearted sailors and a life-boat were needed to show what -Anglo-Saxon courage meant. The cadet ran to the side and looked back -at the wreck. He was sure that he could make out two or three people -on top of her after deck house, and others clustered far forward. They -might be dead for all he knew, but the pitiful distress signal beckoned -to the liner as if it were a spoken message. When David went off watch -he found a group of cadets as angry and impatient as himself. - -"He ought to have sent a boat away two hours ago," cried one. - -"I'd volunteer in a minute," exclaimed another. "The old man's lost his -nerve." - -The bos'n was passing and halted to roar: - -"Hold your tongues, you know-noddings, you. A boat would be smashed -against our side like egg-shells and lose all our people. If the wedder -don't moderate pretty quick, it vas good-by and Davy Jones's locker for -them poor fellers." - -But the cadets soon saw that Captain Thrasher was not running away from -the wreck, even though he was not trying to send aid. The _Roanoke_ -was hovering to leeward as if waiting for something to happen. It -was heart-breaking to watch the last hours of the doomed vessel. At -last Captain Thrasher was ready to try his own way of sending help. -The oldest cadet who was in charge of the signal locker came on deck -with an armful of bunting. One by one he bent the bright flags to a -halliard; they crept aloft, broke out of stops, and snapped in the -wind. David, who had studied the international code in spare hours, was -able to read the message: - -_Will stand by to give you assistance._ - -Only the iron discipline that ruled the liner from bridge to fire room -kept the cadets from cheering. David expected to see a boat dropped -from the lofty davits, but there were no signs of activity along the -liner's streaming decks. It looked as if Captain Thrasher would let -those helpless people drown before his eyes. - -After a little the _Roanoke_ began to swing very slowly off her course. -Then as the seas began to smash against her weather side, she rolled -until it seemed as if her funnels must be jerked out by the roots. -Inch by inch, however, she crept onward along the arc of a mile-wide -circle of which the wreck was the centre. Even now David did not at -all understand what the captain was trying to do. The great circle had -been half-way covered before the cadet happened to notice that a band -of smoother water was stretching to leeward of the steamer, and that as -if by a miracle the huge combers were ceasing to break. An eddying gust -brought him a strong smell of oil, and he went to the rail and stared -down at the sea. The _Roanoke_ heaved up her black side until he saw -smears of a yellow liquid trickle from several pipes, and spread out -over the frothing billows in shimmering sheets. - -Slowly the _Roanoke_ plunged and rolled on her circular course until -she had ringed the wreck with a streak of oily calm. But still no -efforts were made to attempt a rescue. The night was not far off. -The gray sky was dusky and the horizon was shutting down nearer and -nearer in mist and murk. Once more the liner swung her head around as -if to steer a smaller circle about the helpless craft. In an agony -of impatience David was praying that she might stay afloat a little -longer. Clear around this second and smaller circuit the liner wallowed -until two rings of oil-streaked calm were wrapped around the wreck. Now -surely, Captain Thrasher would risk sending a boat. But the bearded -commander gave no orders and only shook his head now and then, as if -arguing with himself. - -Then for the third and last time the _Roanoke_ began to weave a -path around the water-logged hulk, which was so close at hand that -the castaways could be counted. One, two, three aft, and three more -sprawled up in the bow. One or two of them were waving their arms in -feeble signals for help. A great sea washed over them, and one vanished -forever. It was cruel beyond words for those who were left alone to -have to watch the liner circle them time after time. - -The stormy twilight was deepening into night when this third or inner -circle was completed. The onset of the seas was somewhat broken when -it met the outside ring of oil. Then rushing onward, the diminished -breakers came to the second protecting streak and their menace was -still further lessened. Once more the sea moved on to attack the wreck, -and coming to the third floating barrier the combers toppled over in -harmless surf, such as that which washes the beach on a summer day when -the wind is off shore. - -It was possible now for the first time to launch a boat from the lee -side of the liner, if the help so carefully and shrewdly planned had -not come too late. Landlubber though he was, and convinced beforehand -that there was no room for seamanship aboard a steamer, David Downes -began to perceive the fact that Captain Thrasher knew how to meet -problems which would have baffled a seaman of the old school. But even -while the third officer was calling the men to one of the leeward -boats, the sodden wreck dove from view and rose so sluggishly that it -was plain to see her life was nearly done. The hearts of those who -looked at her almost ceased to beat. It could not be that she was going -to drown with help so near. As the shadows deepened across the leaden -sea, David forgot that he was only a cadet, forgot the discipline that -had taught him to think only of his own duties, and rushing toward the -boat he called to the third officer: - -"Oh, Mr. Briggs, can't I have an oar? I can pull a man's weight in the -boat. Please let me go with you." - -The ruddy mate spun on his heel and glared at the boy as if about to -knock him down. Just then a Norwegian seaman hung back, muttering to -himself as if not at all anxious to join this forlorn hope. The mate -glanced from him to the flushed face and quivering lip of the stalwart -lad. Mr. Briggs was an American, and in this moment blood was thicker -than water. - -"Pile in amidships," said he. "You are my kind, youngster." - -Mr. Briggs shoved the Norwegian headlong, and David leaped into the -boat just as the creaking falls began to lower her from the davits. The -boat swung between sea and sky as the liner rolled far down to leeward -and back again. Then in a smother of broken water the stout life-boat -met the rising sea, the automatic tackle set her free, and she was -shoved away in the nick of time to escape being shattered against the -steamer. - -As the seven seamen and the cadet tugged madly at the sweeps and the -boat climbed the slope of a green swell, Mr. Briggs shouted: - -"She can't last much longer. Lay into it, my buckos. Give it to her. -There's a woman on board, God bless her. I can see her skirt. No, it's -a little girl. She's lashed aft with the skipper. Now break your backs. -H-e-a-v-e a-l-l!" - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE SEA WAIFS - - -As the liner's life-boat drew nearer the foundering hulk, the men -at the oars could see how fearful was the plight of the handful of -survivors. The arms of a gray-haired man were clasped around a slip of -a girl, whose long, fair hair whipped in the wind like seaweed. They -were bound fast to a jagged bit of the mizzen-mast and appeared to be -lifeless. Far forward amid a tangle of rigging and broken spars, three -seamen sprawled upon the forecastle head. If any of them were alive, -they were too far gone to help save themselves. - -Just beyond the innermost ring of oil-streaked sea there was a patch of -quiet water, and as the boat hovered on the greasy swells, the third -officer called to his men: - -"One of us must swim aboard with a line." - -The excited cadet, straining at his sweep, yelled back that he was -ready to try it, but the officer gruffly replied: - -"This is a man's job. Bos'n, you sung out next. Over you go." - -The bos'n was already knotting the end of a heaving line around his -waist, and without a word he tossed the end to the officer in the -stern. David Downes bent to his oar again with bitter disappointment in -his dripping face. He was a strong swimmer and not afraid of the task, -for this was the kind of sea life he had fondly pictured for himself. -But he had to watch the bos'n battle hand-over-hand toward the wreck, -the line trailing in his wake. Then a sea picked up the swimmer and -flung him on the broken deck that was awash with the sea. Those in -the boat feared that he had been killed or crippled by the shock, and -waited tensely until his hoarse shout came back to them. They could see -him creeping on hands and knees across the poop, now and then halting -to grasp a block or rope's end until he could shake himself clear of -the seas that buried him. - -At length he gained the cabin roof, and his shadowy figure toiled -desperately while he wrenched the little girl from the arms of her -protector and tied the line about her. The life-boat was warily steered -under the stern as the bos'n staggered to the bulwark with his burden. -With a warning cry he swung her clear. A white-backed wave caught her -up and bore her swiftly toward the boat as if she were cradled. Two -seamen grasped her as she was swept past them and lifted her over the -gunwale. - -Again the bos'n shouted, and the master of the vessel was heaved -overboard and rescued with the same deft quickness. Mr. Briggs rejoiced -to find that both had life in them, and forced stimulants between their -locked and pallid lips, while his men rowed toward the bow of the -wreck. The three survivors still left on board could no longer be seen -in the gray darkness. - -David Downes, fairly beside himself with pity and with anger at the sea -which must surely swallow the wreck before daylight could come again, -had tied the end of a second line around his middle while the boat was -waiting under the stern. Now, as the mate hesitated whether to attempt -another rescue, the cadet called out: - -"It's my turn next, sir. I know I can make it. Oh, won't you let me -try?" - -"Shut your mouth and sit still," hotly returned Mr. Briggs. - -He had no more than spoken when David jumped overboard and began to -swim with confident stroke toward the vague outlines of the vessel's -bow. The whistle of the liner was bellowing a recall, and her signal -lamps twinkled their urgent message from aloft. It was plain to read -that Captain Thrasher was troubled about the safety of his boat's crew, -but they doggedly hung to their station. - -As for David, his strength was almost spent before he was able to fetch -alongside his goal. He had never fought for his life in water like this -which clubbed and choked him. By great good luck he was tossed close to -a broken gap in the vessel's waist, and gained a foothold after barking -his hands and knees. Half stunned, he groped his way forward until a -feeble cry for help from the gloom nerved him to a supreme effort. He -found the man whose voice had guided him, and was trying to pull him -toward the side when the wreck seemed to drop from under their feet. -Then David felt the bow rise, rearing higher and higher, until it hung -for a moment and descended in a long, sickening swoop as if it were -heading straight for the bottom. There was barely time to make fast a -bight of the line under the sailor's shoulders before, clinging to each -other, the two were washed out to sea. - -The men in the boat discerned the wild plunge of the sinking craft, and -guessing that she was in the last throes, they hauled on the line with -might and main. Their double burden was dragged clear, just as the bark -rose once more as if doing her best to make a brave finish of it, and -a few moments later there was nothing but seething water where she had -been. - -When David came to himself he was slumped on the bottom boards beside -the groaning seaman he had saved. They were close to the _Roanoke_ -and her passengers were cheering from the promenade deck. It was a -dangerous task to hoist the boat up the liner's side, but cool-headed -seamanship accomplished it without mishap. Several stewards and the -ship's doctor were waiting to care for the rescued, and as David limped -forward he caught a glimpse of the slender girl being borne toward the -staterooms of the second cabin. - -Men and women passengers hurried after the cadet, for the bos'n had -lost no time in telling the story, winding up with the verdict: - -"A cadet vas good for somethings if you give him a chance." - -Wobbly and water-logged, David dodged the ovation and steered for his -bunk as fast as he was able. The other cadets of his watch shook his -hand and slapped him on the back until he feebly cried for mercy, and -brought him enough hot coffee and food to stock a schooner's galley. - -"There will be speeches in the first cabin saloon, and the hat passed -for the heroes, and maybe a medal for your manly little chest," said -one of the boys. "You are a lucky pup. How did you get a chance to kick -up such a fuss?" - -David was proud that he had been able to play a part in a deed of -real seafaring, such as he had thought was no longer to be found -in steamers. He had changed his mind. He was going to stick by the -_Roanoke_ and Captain Thrasher, by Jove, and with swelling heart he -answered: - -"I just did it, that's all, without waiting for orders. I tell you, -fellows, that's the kind of thing that makes going to sea worth while, -even in a tea-kettle." - -"You did it without orders?" echoed the oldest cadet with a whistle of -surprise. "Um-m-m! wait till the old man gets after you. You may wish -you hadn't." - -"What! When I saved a man's life in the dark from a vessel that went -down under us? I did my duty, that is all there is to it." - -"It wasn't discipline. It was plain foolishness," was the unwelcome -reply. "I am mighty well pleased with you myself, but--well, there's no -use spoiling your fun." - -Next day the _Roanoke_ was steaming full speed ahead toward the -Newfoundland banks, the storm left far behind her. David Downes, every -muscle stiff and sore, went on duty, still hoping that his deed would -be applauded by the ship's officers. While he scoured, cleaned, -and trotted this way and that at the beck and call of the bos'n, a -bebuttoned small boy in a bob-tailed jacket hailed him with this brief -message: - -"_He_ wants to see you in his room, right away." - -The cadet followed the captain's cabin boy in some fear and trembling. -He found the sea lord of the _Roanoke_ stretched in an arm-chair, while -a steward was cutting his shoes from his feet with a sailor's knife. -The captain tried to hide the pitiable condition of his swollen feet -as if ashamed of being caught in such a plight, and grumbled to the -steward: - -"Thirty-six hours on the bridge ought not to do that. But those shoes -never did fit me." - -To David he exclaimed more severely: - -"So you are the cadet that jumped overboard without orders. Don't do it -again. If you are going to sail with us next voyage, the watch officer -will see that you have no shore leave in New York. You will be on duty -at the gangway while the ship is in port. What kind of a vessel would -this be if all hands did as they pleased?" - -Standing very stiffly in the middle of the cabin, David chewed his lip -to hold back his grief and anger. Overnight he had come to love the sea -and to feel that he was ready to work and wait for the slow process -of promotion. But this punishment fairly crushed him. He could only -stammer: - -"I did the best I could to be of service, sir." - -The captain's stern face softened a trifle and there was a kindly gleam -in his gray eye as he said: - -"I put Mr. Briggs in charge of the boat, not you. That is all now. Hold -on a minute. I hope you are going to sail with us next voyage." - -The cadet tried to speak but the words would not come, and he hurried -on deck. After the first shock he found himself repeating the captain's -final words: - -"I hope you are going to sail with us next voyage." - -Said David to himself a little more cheerfully: - -"That means he wants me to stay with him. It is a whole lot for him to -say, and more than he ever told the other fellows. Maybe I did wrong, -but I'm glad of it." - -He would have been in a happier frame of mind could he have overheard -Captain Thrasher say to Mr. Briggs after the boy had gone forward: - -"I don't want the silly passengers to spoil the boy with a lot of -heroics. He has the right stuff in him. He is worth hammering into -shape. I guess I knocked some of the hero nonsense out of his noddle, -and now I want you to work him hard and watch how he takes his -medicine." - -As soon as he was again off watch, David was very anxious to go in -search of the castaways, but he was forbidden to be on the passenger -deck except when sent there. The captain's steward had told him that -the captain of the lost bark, the _Pilgrim_, was able to lie in a -steamer chair on deck, but that the little girl could not leave her -berth. The bos'n was quick to read the lad's anxiety to know more about -these two survivors, and craftily suggested in passing: - -"Mebbe I could use one more hand mit the awnings on the promenade deck, -eh?" - -David was more than willing, and as he busied himself with stays and -lashings he cast his eye aft until he could see the gray-haired skipper -of the _Pilgrim_ huddled limply in a chair, a forlorn picture of misery -and weakness. David managed to work his way nearer until he was able to -greet the haggard, brooding ship-master who was dwelling more with his -great loss than with his wonderful escape, as he tremulously muttered -in response: - -"Ten good men and a fine vessel gone. My mate and four hands went when -the masts fell. The others were caught forrud. And all I owned went -with her, all but my little Margaret. If it wasn't for her I'd wish I -was with the _Pilgrim_." - -"Is she coming around all right?" asked David, eagerly. "We were afraid -we were too late." - -"She's too weak to talk much, but she smiled at me," and the -ship-master's seamed face suddenly became radiant. "So you were in the -boat. It was a fine bit of work, and your skipper ought to be proud of -you, and proud of himself. That three-ringed oil circus he invented was -new to me. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart." - -The cadet grinned at thought of Captain Thrasher's "pride" in him, -but said nothing about his own part in the rescue and inquired in an -anxious tone: - -"Does the doctor think she will be able to walk ashore? Had you been -dismasted and awash very long?" - -"Two days," was the slow reply. "But I don't want to think of it now. -My mind kind of breaks away from its moorings when I try to talk about -it, and my head feels awful queer. John Bracewell is my name. I live -in Brooklyn when ashore. You must come over and see us when I feel -livelier." - -"But about the little girl," persisted David. "Is she your -granddaughter?" - -"Yes, my only one, and all I have to tie to. My boy was lost at sea and -his wife with him. And she is all there is left. She's sailed with me -since she was ten years old. She's most thirteen now, and I never lost -a man or a spar before." - -The broken ship-master fell to brooding again, and there was so much -grief in his tired eyes and uncertain voice that David forbore to -ask him any more questions. When he went forward again, David sought -the forecastle to learn what he could about the lone seaman of the -_Pilgrim's_ crew. A group of _Roanoke_ hands were listening to the -story of the loss of the bark as told by the battered man with bandaged -head and one arm in a sling who sat propped in a spare bunk. The cadets -were forbidden to loaf in the forecastle, and after a word or two David -lingered in the doorway, where he could hear the sailor's voice rise -and fall in such fragments of his tale as these: - -"Broke his heart in two to lose her ... American-built bark of the good -old times, the _Pilgrim_ was ... me the only Yankee seaman aboard, too -... I'll ship out of New York in one of these tin pots, I guess.... No, -the old man ain't likely to find another ship.... He's down and out.... -I'm sorry for him and the little girl. She's all right, she is." - -The _Roanoke_ was nearing port at a twenty-knot gait, and the cadets -were hard at work helping to make the great ship spick and span for -her stately entry at New York. Now and then David Downes found an -errand to the second cabin deck, hoping to find Captain Bracewell's -granddaughter strong enough to leave her room. But he had to content -himself with talking to the master of the _Pilgrim_, who was like a -man benumbed in mind and body. He was all adrift and the future was -black with doubts and fears. He had lived and toiled and dared in his -lost bark for twenty years. David could understand something of his -emotions. His father had been one of this race of old-fashioned seamen, -and the boy could recall his sorrow at seeing the American sailing -ships vanish one by one from the seas they had ruled. Captain Bracewell -was fit for many active years afloat, but he was too old to begin at -the foot of the ladder in steam vessels, and there was the slenderest -hope of his finding a command in the kind of a ship he had lost. - -These thoughts haunted David and troubled his sleep. But he did not -realize how much he was taking the tragedy to heart until the afternoon -of the last day out. He was overjoyed to see the "little girl" snuggled -in a chair beside her grandfather. She was so slight and delicate by -contrast with the ship-master's rugged bulk that she looked like a -drooping white flower nestled against a rock. But her eyes were brave -and her smile was bright, as her grandfather called out: - -"David Downes, ahoy! Here's my Margaret that wants to know the fine big -boy I've been telling her so much about." - -Boy and girl gazed at each other with frank interest and curiosity. -Even before David had a chance to know her, he felt as if he were her -big brother standing ready to help her in any time of need. Margaret -was the first to speak: - -"I wish I could have seen you swimming off to the poor old _Pilgrim_. -Oh, but that was splendid." - -David blushed and made haste to say: - -"I haven't had a chance to do anything for you aboard ship. I wish I -could hear how you are after you get ashore." - -"You are coming over to see us before you sail, aren't you?" spoke up -Captain Bracewell, with a trace of his old hearty manner. - -"I'd be awful glad to," David began, and then he remembered that if he -intended sticking to the _Roanoke_ he must stay aboard as punishment -for trying to do his duty. So he finished very lamely. "I--I can't see -you in port this time." - -Margaret looked so disappointed that he stumbled through an excuse -which did not mean much of anything. He had made up his mind to stay -in the ship as a cadet, even though he was forbidden to be a hero. He -realized, for one thing, how ashamed he would be to let these two know -that he had almost decided to quit the sea. He had played a man's part -and the call of the deep water had a new meaning. But it would never do -to let Margaret know that his part in the _Pilgrim_ rescue had got him -into trouble with his captain. - -David was called away from his friends, and did not see them again -until evening. A concert was held in the first-class dining saloon, and -the president of a great corporation, a famous author, and a clergyman -of renown made speeches in praise of the heroism of the _Roanoke's_ -boat crew. Then the prima donna of a grand-opera company volunteered -to collect a fund which should be divided among the heroes and the -castaways. She returned from her quest through the crowded saloon with -a heaping basket of bank-notes and coin. There was more applause when -Captain Bracewell was led forward, much against his will. But instead -of the expected thanks for the generous gift, he squared his slouching -shoulders and standing as if he were on his own quarter-deck, his deep -voice rang out with its old-time resonance: - -"You mean well, ladies and gentlemen, but my little girl and I don't -want your charity. I expect to get back my health and strength, and I'm -not ready for Sailor's Snug Harbor yet. We thank you just the same, -though, but there's those that need it worse." - -David Downes was outside, peering through an open port, for he knew -that the concert was no place for a _Roanoke_ "hero." He could not hear -all that the captain of the _Pilgrim_ had to say, but the ship-master's -manner told the story. The cadet had a glimpse of Margaret sitting -in a far corner of the great room. She clapped her hands when -her grandfather was done speaking, and there was the same proud -independence in the poise of her head. David sighed, and as he turned -away bumped into the lone seaman of the _Pilgrim_ who had been gazing -over his shoulder. - -"He's a good skipper," said the sailor. "But he's an old fool. He's -goin' to need that cash, and need it bad. All he ever saved at sea his -friends took away from him ashore. My daddy and him was raised in the -same town, and I know all about him." - -"Do you mean they'll have to depend on his getting to sea again?" asked -David. - -"That's about the size of it. He's worked for wages all his life, and -knowin' no more about shore-goin' folks and ways than a baby, he never -risked a dollar that he didn't lose. Here's hopin' he lands a better -berth than he lost." - -"Aye, aye," said David. - -Next morning the _Roanoke_ steamed through the Narrows with her band -playing, colors flying from every mast, and her passengers gay in their -best shore-going clothes. David had no chance to look for Captain -Bracewell and Margaret. It was sad to think of them amid this jubilant -company which had scattered its wealth over Europe with lavish hand. -The contrast touched David even more as he watched Captain Thrasher -give orders for swinging the huge steamer into her landing. With voice -no louder than if he were talking across a dinner table, the master of -the liner waved away the tugs that swarmed out to help him, and with -flawless judgment turned the six hundred feet of vibrant steel hull -almost in its own length and laid her alongside her pier as delicately -as a fisherman handles a dory. The strength of fifteen thousand horses -and the minds of four hundred men, alert and instantly obedient, did -the will of this calm man on the bridge. David thrilled at the sight, -and thought of Captain Bracewell, as fine a seaman in his way, but -belonging to another era of the ocean. - -The cadet was on duty at the gangway when the happy passengers streamed -ashore to meet the flocks of waiting friends. The decks were almost -deserted when the skipper of the _Pilgrim_ and Margaret came along very -slowly. David ran to help them. They were grateful and glad to see -him, but the "little girl," could not hide her disappointment that her -boy hero was not coming to see them before he sailed. She could not -understand his refusal, and when she tried to thank him for what he -had done for them, there were tears in her eyes. Her grandfather had -fallen back into the hopeless depression of his first day aboard. Weak -and unnerved as he was, it seemed to frighten him to face the great and -roaring city, in which he was only a stranded ship-master without a -ship. - -David tried to be cheery at parting, but his voice was unsteady as he -said: - -"I'll see you both again, as soon as ever I can get ashore. And you -must write to me, won't you?" - -Margaret's last words were: - -"You will always find us together, David Downes. And we'll think of you -every day and pray for you at sea." - -They went slowly down the gangway and were lost in the crowd on the -pier. The cadet stood looking after them and said to himself: - -"I can never be really happy till he has another ship. But what in the -world can I do about it?" - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE FIRE-ROOM GANG - - -Cadet David Downes was on watch with the fourth officer of the -_Roanoke_ at the forward gangway. It was their duty, while the liner -lay at her pier in New York, to see that nobody came on board except on -the ship's business, and to prevent attempts at smuggling by the crew. -David had heard nothing from Captain Bracewell and Margaret since they -went ashore three days before. They had taken such a strong hold on his -affection and sympathy that he was wondering how it fared with these -friends of his, when a quartermaster, returning from an evening visit -to the offices ashore, handed the cadet two letters from the bundle of -ship's mail. - -One envelope was bordered with black and he opened it first. The letter -told him of the sudden death of his uncle, who had gone to live in a -Western city. This guardian had shown little fondness for and interest -in the motherless boy, and David felt more surprise than grief. But -the loss made him think himself left so wholly alone that it seemed as -if all his shore moorings were cut. More than ever he longed for some -place to call home, and for people who would be glad to see him come -back from the sea. It was with a new interest, therefore, that he read -his other letter, which was signed in a very precise hand, "Margaret -Hale Bracewell." In it the "little girl" told him: - - - DEAR DAVID DOWNES: - - Grandfather wants me to write you that we are as well as could - be expected and hoping very much to see you. We are boarding in - the house with an old shipmate, Mr. Abel Becket, who used to sail - with us. When are you coming to see us? I am most as well as ever. - We have not found a ship, but Grandfather is looking round and - maybe we will have good news for you next voyage. He tries to be - cheerful, but is very restless and worried. I wish we were in - steam instead of sail, don't you? Good luck, and I am - - YOUR SINCERE AND RESPECTFUL FRIEND. - - -David smiled at the "we" of this stanch partnership of the _Pilgrim_, -and as soon as he was off watch he wrote a long reply, in which he -told Margaret that his uncle's death made him feel as if he kind of -belonged to their little family, for he had nobody else to care for -and be of service to. Once or twice he thought of asking permission to -leave the ship long enough to run over to Brooklyn, but new notions -of discipline had been pounded into him by the events of the homeward -voyage, and he decided to take his detention on board as part of the -routine which made good sailors "in steam." - -Two nights before sailing he happened to be left alone at the gangway, -for the watch officer had been called to another part of the ship. A -drizzling fog filled the harbor, and the arc lights on the pier were -no more than vague blobs of sickly yellow. The cadet's attention was -roused by a confused noise of shouting, singing, and swearing out -toward the end of the pier shed. After making sure that the racket -did not come from the ship he concluded that a riotous lot of Belgian -firemen and roustabouts were making merry. When the watch officer -returned, the cadet reported the unseemly noise. - -A few minutes later a louder clamor arose, as if the revellers had -fallen to fighting among themselves. Then a quartermaster came running -forward from the after gangway. - -"Dose firemen vill kill each odder," he reported. "They tries to come -aboard ship and I can't stop 'em." - -The officer told David to stay at his post, and hurried aft in the wake -of the quartermaster. The cadet could hear seamen running from the -other side of the ship to re-enforce the peace party, and presently one -of them dashed up the pier as if to call the police patrol boat, which -lay at the next dock. The cadet had seen enough of the fire-room force, -a hundred and fifty strong, to know that the coal-passers and firemen -were as brutal and disorderly men ashore as could be found in the slums -of a great seaport. But such an uproar as this right alongside the ship -was out of the ordinary. - -While the cadet listened uneasily to the distant riot, his alert ears -caught the sound of a splash, as if some heavy object had been dropped -from a lower deck. On the chance that one of the crew might have fallen -over, he ran to the other side and looked down at the fog-wreathed -space of water between the liner and the next pier. He could see -nothing and heard no cries for help. A little later there came faintly -to his ears a second splash. It somehow disquieted him. The galley -force was asleep. Nothing was thrown overboard from the kitchens at -this time of night and the ash-hoists were never dumped in port. - -Firemen sometimes deserted ship, but no deserter would be foolish -enough to swim for it in the icy water of early spring. David dared not -leave his gangway more than a minute or two at a time. He wanted very -much to know what was going on overside in this mysterious fashion, but -there was no one in hailing distance, and the watch officer, judging by -the noise in the pier, had his hands full. - -David had quick hearing, and in the still, fog-bound night small sounds -travelled far. Presently he fancied he heard words of hushed talk, and -a new noise as if an oar had been let fall against a thwart. It was his -business to see that the ship was kept clear of strangers, and without -knowing quite why, he felt sure that something wrong was going on. -Finally, when he could stand the suspense no longer, he tiptoed across -the deck, moved aft until he was amidships between the saloon deck -houses, and crouched on a bench against the rail. - -Cautiously poking his head over, he could dimly discern the outline -of a small boat riding close to the ship as if she were waiting for -something. She was hovering under one of the lower ports, which had -been left open to resume coaling at daylight. Two or three men were -moving like dark blots in the little craft. Presently a bulky object -loomed above their heads and slowly descended. As if suddenly alarmed, -the boat did not wait for it, but shot out in the stream, and there -was the quick "lap, lap" of muffled oars. It was not long before the -boat stole back, however, and seemed to be trying to pick up something -adrift. - -David did not know what to do. He guessed that this might be some kind -of a bold smuggling enterprise, but it seemed hardly possible that -anybody would risk capture in this rash and wholesale way. He was -afraid of being laughed at for his pains if he should raise an alarm. -He really knew so little of this vast and complex structure called a -steamship that almost any surprising performance might happen among her -eight decks. It was duty to report this singular visit, however, and -the officers could do the rest. - -[Illustration: Some one was kneeling on his chest, with a choking grip -on his neck.] - -He rose from his seat and turned to recross the deck, when he was -tripped and thrown on his back so suddenly that there was no time to -cry out before some one was kneeling on his chest, with a choking -grip on his neck. His eyes fairly popping from his head, David could -only gurgle, while he tried to free himself from this attack. The man -above him wore the uniform of a _Roanoke_ seaman, this much the cadet -could make out, but the shadowy face so close to his own was that of -a stranger. He was saying something, but the lad was too dazed to -understand it. At length the repetition of two or three phrases beat a -slow way into David's brain: - -"Forget it. Forget it. It'll be worth your while. You get your piece of -it. Forget it, or overboard you go, with your head stove in." - -Forget what? It was like a bad dream without head or tail, that -such a thing could happen on the deck of a liner in port. Twisting -desperately, for he was both quick and strong, David managed to sink -his teeth in the arm nearest him. The grip on his throat weakened and -he yelled with a volume of sound of which the whistle of a harbor -tug might have been proud. The assailant pulled himself free, kicked -savagely at the boy's head, missed it, and closed with him again as if -trying to heave him overboard. But he had caught a Tartar, and David -shouted lustily while he fought. - -It was Captain Thrasher who came most unexpectedly to the rescue. He -was on his way back from an after-theatre supper party ashore, and he -launched his two hundred and thirty pounds of seasoned brawn and muscle -at the intruder before the pair had heard him coming. Then his great -voice boomed from one end of the ship to the other: - -"On deck! Bring a pair of irons! Are all hands asleep? What's all this -devil's business?" - -The watch officer came running up with a quartermaster and two seamen. -Without waiting for explanations they fell upon the captive whom -Captain Thrasher had tucked under one arm, and handcuffed him in a -twinkling. Swift to get at the heart of a matter, the captain snapped -at David: - -"How did it happen? Anybody with him? I know the face of that dirty -murdering scoundrel." - -"I was just going to report a boat alongside," gasped David. - -Captain Thrasher sprang to the rail. The fog had begun to lift, and a -black blotch was moving out toward the middle of the river. - -"After 'em, Mr. Enos," roared the captain to the fourth officer. "Jump -for the police patrol. It's the Antwerp tobacco smuggling gang. I -thought we were rid of 'em." - -The officer took to his heels, and in a surprisingly short time the -captain saw a launch dart out from the pier beyond the _Roanoke_, her -engines "chug chugging" at top speed. Making a trumpet of his hands, -Captain Thrasher shouted: - -"I just now lost sight of them, but the boat was headed for the -Hoboken shore. They can't get away if you look sharp." - -Then the captain ordered his men to lock the captive in the ship's -prison until the police came back. The chief officer was roused out -and told to search the ship and to put double watches on the decks and -gangways. Having taken steps to get at the bottom of the mischief, -Captain Thrasher fairly picked up David and lugged him to his cabin. -Dumping the lad on a divan, the master of the liner pawed him over from -head to foot to make sure no bones were broken, and then remarked with -great severity: - -"You are more trouble than all my people put together. Disobeying -orders again?" - -"I guess I was, sir," faltered the cadet. "Mr. Enos told me not to -budge from the gangway, and I went over to see what was going on." - -"What was it? Speak up. I won't bite you," growled the captain. David -told him in detail all that happened, but he did not have the wit -to put two and two together. This was left for the big man with the -wrathful gray eye, who fairly exploded: - -"Mr. Enos is a good seaman, but his brain needs oiling. It is all as -plain as the nose on your face. That row on the dock was all a blind, -put up by two or three of those fire-room blackguards from Antwerp, who -stand in with the gang of tobacco smugglers. They figured it out that -all hands on deck would be pulled over to the port side and kept there -by their infernal row, while their pals dumped the tobacco out of the -starboard side. It was hidden in the coal bunkers, wrapped in rubber -bags. And because the police patrol boat berths close by us, they even -decoyed the whole squad away for a little while. Oh, Mr. Enos, but you -_were_ soft and easy." - -The captain was not addressing David so much as the world in general, -but the cadet could not help asking: - -"How about the man that jumped on top of me?" - -"He was one of them, the head pirate of the lot," said the captain. "He -sneaked up from below as soon as the coast was clear, to signal his -mates if anybody caught them at work with the boat." - -It was worth being choked and thumped a little to be here in the -captain's cabin, thought David, and to be taken into the confidence of -the great man. The guest risked another question: - -"Did they ever try it before, sir?" - -"Every ship in the line has had trouble for years with these -tobacco-running firemen. But this is the biggest thing they ever -tried. Do you expect me to sit here yarning all night with a tuppenny -cadet? Go to your bunk and report to me in the morning. You are a -young nuisance, but you can go ashore to-morrow night, if you want to. -Punishment orders are suspended. Get along with you." - -David turned in with his mind sadly puzzled. One thing at least was -certain. There was more in the life of a cadet than cleaning paint and -brass, but was he always going to be in hot water for doing the right -thing at the wrong time? Before he went to sleep he heard the police -launch return, and stepped on deck long enough to see four prisoners -hauled on to the landing stage. - -When David went on duty next morning he noticed a little group of -ill-favored and unkempt-looking men talking together on the end of -the pier. One of them made a slight gesture, and the others turned and -stared toward the cadet. Then they moved toward the street without -trying to get aboard ship. Mr. Enos called David aft and told him: - -"The police are watching that bunch of thugs. Two of them used to be in -our fire room. All four ought to be in jail. They had something to do -with the ruction last night, but they can't be identified. The bos'n -tells me he thinks they got wind that you were the lad who spoiled the -game for their pals. If you go ashore after dark, keep a sharp eye out. -They'd love to catch you up a dark street." - -David looked solemn at this, but it was too much like playing -theatricals to let himself believe that he was in any kind of danger -along the water front of New York. It was early evening before he was -free to get into his one suit of shore-going clothes and head for -Brooklyn to look for his friends, Captain Bracewell and Margaret. The -bridge cars were blockaded by an accident, and after fidgeting for -half an hour David decided to walk across. There was more delay on -the other side in trying to find the right street, and it was getting -toward nine o'clock before he rang the bell of a small brick house -in a solid block of them so much alike that they suggested a row of -red pigeon-holes. A sturdy man with hair and mustache redder than his -house front opened the door, and to David's rather breathless inquiry -answered in a tone of dismay: - -"Why, Captain John and the little girl left here this very afternoon. -Bless my soul, are you the lad from the _Roanoke_ they think so much -of? Come aboard and sit down. No, they ain't coming back that I know -of. My name is Abel Becket and I'm glad to meet you." - -David followed Mr. Becket into the parlor, feeling as if the world had -been turned upside down. The sympathetic sailor man hastened to add: - -"They didn't expect to see you this voyage and they was all broke up -about it. The old man is kind of flighty and I couldn't ha' held him -here with a hawser. They could have berthed here a month of Sundays, -for he has been like a daddy to me." - -"But where did they go?" implored David. - -"All I know is," said Mr. Becket, rubbing his chin, "that the old -man came home this noon mighty glum and fretty after visitin' some -ship-brokers' offices. He told me that he heard how an old ship of his, -the _Gleaner_, had been cut down to a coal-barge. He was mighty fond of -her, and it upset him bad. And I think he was sort of hopin' to get her -again. Then he said he was going to move over to New York to be close -to the shipping offices in case anything turned up, and with that him -and Margaret packed up and away they flew." - -"But why didn't they stay here with you, Mr. Becket? I can't understand -it." - -Mr. Becket laid a large hand on David's knee and exclaimed: - -"Captain John is a sudden and a funny man. For one thing, I suspicion -he was afraid of being stranded, and that I'd offer to lend him money -or something like that. He is that touchy about taking favors from -anybody that it's plumb unnatural. I'm worried that he will go all to -pieces if he don't get afloat again. I wish I could drag him back here -so as to look after him." - -"And how about Margaret?" David asked. - -"Oh, she's feelin' fairly chirpy, and she went off with granddaddy as -proud and cocksure as if they were expectin' to be offered command of a -liner to-morrow." - -Despite Mr. Becket's explanations, the flight of Captain Bracewell -remained a good deal of a mystery to David. He could not bear to think -of them adrift in New York, and he declared with decision: - -"If you will give me their address, I'll look them up to-night." - -"Bless my stars and buttons, I'll go along with you and make my own -mind easy," announced Mr. Becket. "I won't sleep sound unless I know -how they're fixed. I'm so used to thinkin' of Cap'n John as fit and -ready to ride out any weather, that I don't realize he's so broke up -and helpless. And I've got to go to sea before long." - -The twisted streets of old Greenwich village in down-town New York -proved to be a puzzle to this pair of nautical explorers, partly -because Mr. Becket had so much confidence in his ability to steer a -straight course to Captain Bracewell's new quarters that he positively -refused to ask his bearings of policemen or wayfarers. After they had -lost themselves several times, the red-headed pilot of the expedition -announced with an air of certainty: - -"It's here or hereabouts. I saw the name of the street on a corner sign -three or four years ago, and my memory is a wonder." - -This was more cheering than definite, and David meekly suggested that -he inquire at the next corner store. - -"Do you think I'm scuppered yet?" snorted Mr. Becket. "Not a bit of it. -Bear off to starboard at the next turn." - -But once again they fetched up all standing, and Mr. Becket was obliged -to confess as he meditated with hands in his pockets: - -"They've gone and moved the street. That's what they've done. It's a -trick they have in New York." - -"You wait here and I'll go back to the cigar store around the last -corner," volunteered David. - -Mr. Becket was left to shout his protests while David ran up the dark -and narrow street. But the cigar store was not where he expected to -find it, and certain that it must be in the next block beyond, he -hurried on. Two crooked streets joined in the shape of the letter Y at -the second corner, and the cadet failed to notice which of these two -courses he had traversed with Mr. Becket. Without knowing it, David -began to head into a district filled with sailors' drinking places -and cheap eating-houses. As soon as he was sure that the street was -unfamiliar he slowed his pace, looked around him, and not wishing to -enter a saloon, went over to a gaudily placarded "oyster house." - -There were screens in front of the tables, and finding no one behind -the cigar-counter David started for the rear of the room. Three -rough-looking men jumped up from a table littered with bottles, and one -of them cried out with an oath: - -"It's the very kid himself. Leave him to me." - -David dodged a chair that was flung at him like lightning, and fled -for the street amid a shower of dishes and bottles. He had recognized -the unlovely face of the man who yelled at him as that of one of the -_Roanoke_ firemen who had stared at him from the pier in the morning. -He knew he could expect no mercy at the hands of these ruffians. - -The three men were at his heels as he blindly doubled the nearest -corner, hoping that Mr. Becket might hear his shouts for help. But -the silent, shadowy street gave back only the echoes of his own voice -and the sound of furious running. The fugitive had lost all sense of -direction. He was still stiff from the bruising ordeal of the _Pilgrim_ -wreck, and his legs felt benumbed, while the panting firemen seemed to -be overhauling him inch by inch. One of them whipped out a revolver and -fired. The whine of the bullet past his head made David leap aside, -stumble, and lose ground. Were there no policemen in New York? It was -beyond belief, thought David, that a man could be hunted for his life -through the streets of a great city. - -Far away David heard the rapping of nightsticks against the pavement. -Help was coming, but it might be too late, and where, oh where, was -Mr. Becket? To be stamped on, kicked, and crippled by the boots of -these ruffians--this was how they fought, David knew, and this was what -he feared. - -Two of his pursuers were lagging, but the pounding footfalls of the -third were coming nearer and nearer. The street into which he had now -come was lined with warehouses, their iron doors bolted, their windows -dark. There was no refuge here. He must gain the water front, whose -lights beckoned him like beacons. Then, as he tried to clear the curb, -he tripped and fell headlong. He heard a shout of savage joy almost in -his ear, just before his head crashed against an iron awning post. A -blinding shower of stars filled his eyes, and David sprawled senseless -where he fell. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -MR. COCHRAN'S TEMPER - - -David Downes stared at the ceiling, blinked at the long windows, and -squirmed until he saw a sweet-faced woman smiling at him from the -doorway. She wore a blue dress and white apron, but she was not a -_Roanoke_ stewardess nor was this place anything like the bunk-room on -shipboard. The cadet put his hands to his head and discovered that it -was wrapped in bandages. Then memory began to come back, at first in -scattered bits. He had been running through dark and empty streets. Men -were after him. How many of his bones had they broken? He raised his -knees very carefully and wiggled his toes. He was sound, then, except -for his head. Oh, yes, he had banged against something frightfully hard -when he fell. But why was he not aboard the _Roanoke_? She sailed at -eight o'clock in the morning. He tried in vain to sit up, and called -to the nurse: - -"What time is it, ma'am? Tell me, quick!" - -"Just past noon, and you have been sleeping beautifully," said she. -"The doctor says you can sit up to-morrow and be out in three or four -days more." - -"Oh! oh! my ship has sailed without me," groaned David, hiding his face -in his hands. "And Captain Thrasher will think I have quit him. He knew -I had a notion of staying ashore." - -"You must be quiet and not fret," chided the nurse. "You got a nasty -bump, that would have broken any ordinary head." - -"But didn't you send word to the ship?" he implored. "You don't know -what it means to me." - -"You had not come to, when you were brought in, foolish boy, and there -were no addresses in your pockets." - -"But the captain probably signed on another cadet to take my place, -first thing this morning," quavered the patient, "and--and I--I'm -adrift and dis--disgraced." - -The nurse was called into the hall and presently returned with the -message: - -"A red-headed sailor man insists upon seeing you. If you are very good -you may talk to him five minutes, but no more visitors until to-morrow, -understand?" - -The anxious face of Mr. Becket was framed in the doorway, and at a -nod from the nurse he crossed the room with gingerly tread and patted -David's cheek, as he exclaimed: - -"Imagine my feelin's when I read about it in a newspaper, first -thing this morning. They didn't know your name, but I figured it out -quicker'n scat. You must think I'm the dickens of a shipmate in foul -weather, hey, boy?" - -"You couldn't help it, Mr. Becket, and I'm tickled to death to see you. -Please tell me what happened to me. I feel as if I was somebody else." - -"Well, it was quick work, by what I read," began Mr. Becket. "And as -close a shave as there ever was. Accordin' to reports, you, being a -well-dressed and unknown young stranger, was rescued from a gang of -drunken roustabouts by two policemen, a big red automobile, and a -prominent citizen whose name was withheld at his request, as the bright -reporter puts it. The machine was coming under full power from a late -ferry, and making a short cut to Broadway. It must have bowled around -the corner, close hauled, just as you landed on your beam ends, and it -scattered the enemy like a bum-shell. They never had a chance to see -it coming. The skipper of the gasolene liner, he being the aforesaid -prominent citizen, hopped out to pick you up, and had you aboard just -as the police came up. So you came to the hospital in the big red -wagon, the gentleman taking a fancy to your face, as far as I can make -out. And so you've been turned into a regular mystery that ought to be -in a book." - -"But did you find Captain Bracewell?" was David's next spoken thought. - -"Of course I did, after I got tired waitin' for you," and Mr. Becket's -tone was aggrieved. "It was mistrustin' my judgment that landed you -in a hospital. Captain John and Margaret will be over to pay their -respects as soon as the doctors will let 'em pass the hospital -gangway. I just came from telling them about you." - -But David's mind had harked back to his own ship, and his face was so -troubled and despairing that Mr. Becket tugged at his red mustache and -waited in a gloomy silence. - -"I've lost my ship," said David at length. "Captain Bracewell and I are -on the beach together." - -"Why didn't I think to telephone the dock as soon as I guessed it in -the newspaper?" mourned Mr. Becket, beating his head with his fists. -"But Captain Thrasher or some of 'em aboard will read it." - -"They won't know it's me," wailed David. "All I can do now is to report -to the dock as soon as I can, but I am afraid it will do no good." - -The boy's distress was so moving that Mr. Becket had to look out of the -window to hide his own woe. Then he spun around and announced with a -shout that brought nurses and orderlies hurrying from the near-by wards: - -"I have it, my boy. Abel Becket's intellect is on the mend. Send old -Thrasher a wireless, do you hear? Get the hospital folks to sign it." - -With that Mr. Becket jerked a roll of bills from his waistcoat and -demanded a telegraph blank with so commanding an air that an orderly -rushed for the office. The sailor-man and David put their heads -together and composed this message to the _Roanoke_, which was speeding -hull down and under, far beyond Sandy Hook: - - - _Cadet Downes hurt on shore leave. Unable report because - senseless. Anxious to rejoin ship._ - - -"No, that doesn't sound right," objected David. "He thinks I have no -sense anyhow. I can just hear him saying that he isn't in the least -surprised. Try it again, Mr. Becket." - -"Time is up," put in the nurse. "And I ought to have cut it shorter, -with your friend bellowing at you as if he were in a storm at sea." - -Mr. Becket looked repentant, as he whispered to David: - -"Sit tight and keep your nerve. I'll get the wireless off all -shipshape. Good-by, and God bless you." - -The patient soon fell asleep. It was late in the afternoon when he -awoke, hungry and refreshed. The nurse informed him: - -"A dear old man and a sweet mite of a girl called to ask after you, and -I told them to come back in the morning and they might see you. Mr. -Cochran had you put in this private room and left orders that you were -to be made as comfortable as possible. So we will have to stretch the -rules a bit, I suppose, and let your friends call out of visiting hours -to-morrow." - -David asked who the mysterious Mr. Cochran might be, but he could -learn nothing from the nurse, except that he was the wealthy gentleman -who had brought him to the hospital in his automobile. David tried to -be patient overnight, and was mightily cheered by the arrival of a -wireless message, which read: - - - _S.S. Roanoke. At sea._ - - _Have cadet repaired in first-class shape to join ship next - voyage. He is a nuisance._ - - _Thrasher, Master._ - - -The news that he still belonged in the liner braced David like a strong -tonic. What did a cracked head-piece amount to now? Being called a -nuisance only made him smile. It was Captain Thrasher's way of trying -to cover every kindly deed he did. Next forenoon he was rereading this -message for something like the tenth time when Captain Bracewell was -shown into the room. Margaret followed rather timidly, as if she feared -to find her hero in fragments. The skipper looked even older than when -he had left the _Roanoke_, but the "little girl" looked more like a -June rose than a white violet, so swiftly had her sparkling color -returned. She had both her hands around one of David's as she cried: - -"Are you always going to get banged up, you poor sailor boy? And we -were to blame for it again, weren't we?" - -"You had no business to run away from me," returned the beaming -patient. "The worst of it was that I almost lost my own ship." - -These were thoughtless words said in fun, but they stung Captain -Bracewell with remembrance of his own misfortune, and he stood staring -beyond David with troubled eye. Margaret was quick to read his -unhappiness, and brought him to himself with a fluttering caress. The -derelict shipmaster smiled, and said to David: - -"Glad to find you doing so well, boy. You just take it that you are one -of our family while you are ashore. There is an extra room in our--in -our--" He hesitated, and a bit of color came into his leathery cheek as -he finished: "We can find a room for you close by us." - -"He means that just now we can't afford to hire more than three rooms -to live in," explained Margaret without embarrassment. "But it will be -different when we get our ship." - -They chatted for a few minutes longer and David promised to find a -room as near them as he could, while he waited for the return of the -_Roanoke_. It was easy to see that they wanted to take care of him, -but, for his own part, he felt a kind of guardian care for the welfare -of the two "Pilgrims," and he was very glad of the chance to be with -them at a time when Captain Bracewell was so pitifully unlike his -reliant self. After they had gone, David fell to wondering anew about -this unknown Mr. Cochran who had so lavishly befriended him. It was -enough to make even a sound head ache, and when the nurse brought his -dinner, David begged her: - -"If you don't tell me something more about Mr. Cochran, I'll blow up." - -"He telephoned about you this morning," she answered, "and wanted to -call, but you had visitors enough. The doctors have told him who you -are, of course, and he seemed very much interested. He said he would -bring his son to see you this afternoon. No, not another word. What -must you be when you are well and sound? I'd sooner take care of a -young cyclone." - -Some time later the motherly nurse came in to say, with an air of -excitement that she could not hide: - -"Mr. Cochran and his boy to see you. _It is the great Stanley P. -Cochran._ I knew him from his pictures in the newspapers and magazines." - -The portly gentleman with the bald brow, gold-rimmed glasses, and -close-cropped gray mustache who entered the room with quick step -looked oddly familiar to David. Why, of course, he had seen his -portrait and his name as the head of a great Trust, and a director in -railroads, banks, and corporations by the dozen. He spoke with curt, -clean-clipped emphasis, as if his minutes were dollars: - -"Pretty fit for a lad that looked as dead as a mackerel when I picked -him up. Sailors have no business ashore, but they are hard to kill. -Lucky I was so late in getting back from my country place the other -night. Wish I'd run over the scoundrels, but the police got two of -them. This is my boy, Arthur." - -The delicate-looking lad, who had been hanging back, shook hands with -David and smiled with such an air of shy friendliness and admiration -that David liked him on the spot. He looked to be a year or two younger -than the strapping cadet, and lacked the hale and rugged aspect of -which his illness had not robbed him. Mr. Cochran resumed, as if -expecting no reply: - -"I liked your looks and there was no sense in waiting for the -confounded ambulance. I told them to treat you right. If they haven't, -I'll get after the hospital, doctors, nurses, and all. When I found out -that you were a cadet from the _Roanoke_, my boy had to come along. He -is crazy about ships and sailors. Reads all the sea stories he can lay -his hands on. Well, I must be off. Arthur, you may stay, but not long, -mind you." - -Mr. Stanley P. Cochran clapped on his silk hat and vanished as if he -had dropped through a trap-door. His son said to David, with his shy -smile: - -"He is the best father that ever was, but he never has time to stay -anywhere. I wish you would tell me all about your scrape. It sounds -terribly interesting. Will it make your head hurt?" - -The cadet had forgotten all about that hard and damaged head of his, -and he plunged into the heart of his adventure without bringing in -Captain Bracewell and Margaret. Their fortunes were too personal and -intimate to be lugged out for the diversion of strangers. Arthur -Cochran followed the flight from the sailors' eating-house with the -most breathless attention, and when David wound up with his head -against the iron post and a ship's fireman about to kick his brains -out, his audience sighed: - -"Is that all? Things _never_ happen to me. I am not very strong, you -know, and they sort of coddle me, and trot me around to health resorts -like a set of china done up in cotton. It makes me tired. Tell me all -about being a cadet." - -David fairly ached to spin the yarn of the _Pilgrim_ wreck, but the -cruel nurse cut the visit short, and Arthur Cochran had to depart with -the assurance that he would come back next day "to hear the rest of it." - -He was true to his word and found David so much stronger that the -unruly patient was sitting up in bed and loudly demanding his clothes. -It was the patient's turn to ask questions this time, and he was eager -to know all about the occupations of a millionaire's son. The heir of -the Cochran fortune had to do most of the talking. David demanded to -know all about his automobiles, his horses, and his yacht, his trips -to Florida and California, his private tutors, and his several homes -among which he flitted to and fro like an uneasy bird. Before they -realized how time had fled Mr. Cochran came to take Arthur home. The -Trust magnate was in his usual hurry, and he volleyed these commands as -if argument were out of the question: - -"I have looked you up, Downes. The Black Star office speaks very well -of you. Also the store in which you used to work. I sent a man out this -morning. My boy has taken a great fancy to you. He seldom finds a boy -he likes. I think it might do him good to have you around. I have told -the people here that you are to be moved to my house to-night. You will -stay there until you feel all right. If you wear well, and you are as -capable as you look, I shall find something better for you to do than -this dog's life at sea. Come along, Arthur. You shall see David this -evening." - -David's head was in a whirl. A gentleman who belonged in the "Arabian -Nights" was bent upon kidnapping him. It seemed as rash to question the -orders of this lordly parent as to disobey Captain Thrasher, but there -was a look of stubborn resolution in the suntanned jaw of the young -sailor and he was not to be so easily driven. He wavered in silence -for a minute or two while Mr. Stanley P. Cochran eyed him with rising -impatience. Visions of an enchanted land of wealth and pleasure danced -before David's eyes, but even more clearly he saw the appealing figures -of Captain Bracewell and Margaret. They needed him and he had promised -to go to them. He looked up and shook his head as he said with much -feeling: - -"I don't know what makes you so good to me, sir. I never heard anything -like it. But I can't accept your invitation. I can never thank you -enough, but I belong somewhere else." - -"You have no kinfolk here. I found out all that," exclaimed Mr. Cochran -with a very red face. "Why can't you do as I tell you? Of course you -can. Not another word! Come along, Arthur." - -"I mean it," cried David. "I promised to stay with friends I met on -shipboard." - -He wanted to tell him about these friends, but the manner of Mr. -Cochran stifled explanation. The magnate was not used to such -astonishing rebellion, and it galled him the more because he felt that -he was stooping to do an uncommonly good deed. - -"I seldom urge any one to enter my home," said he. "Nor will I waste -words with a boy I picked off the streets; no, not even to humor my own -son's fancies. Yes, or no!" - -"_No_, it is," answered David, "but you mustn't be angry about it. You -don't understand it at all. Give me a chance to tell you why." - -Arthur tried to put in an anxious plea, but his father brushed him -aside with the gesture of a Napoleon. "I never spoil an act of charity, -Arthur," said the captain of industry. "The lad shall stay in the -hospital until he is able to shift for himself, and I will pay his -bills. But nothing more! He is ungrateful and contrary. Come along, -Arthur." - -David's wrath had risen to match the mood of the hot-tempered Mr. -Stanley P. Cochran. - -"I will get out of here to-night," cried the cadet. "And I'll pay you -back every cent it has cost you as soon as I can save it out of my -wages. Good-by, Arthur. I am just as grateful as I can be, don't forget -that." - -Arthur had little time to express his surprise and sorrow, for his -domineering parent was towing him down the hall under full steam. -David was left to puzzle his wits over his first acquaintance with a -millionaire. Of one thing he was sure. He must leave the hospital and -have done with Mr. Stanley P. Cochran's singular charity as soon as -ever the doctor would let him. But when he tried to rise, his head -was very dizzy and his legs were oddly weak. To make his way alone to -Captain Bracewell's lodgings was a task beyond his strength to attempt. -He must wait another day, and fretting at the thought of Mr. Cochran's -hasty misjudgments, the cadet's night was restless and slightly fevered. - -Although Arthur Cochran sent him a cheery message by telephone next -morning, it hurt David to know that the boy had been forbidden to visit -him again. He longed for the sight of a friendly face, and his joy was -beyond words when the flaming thatch of Mr. Becket burst upon his sight -and dispelled the gloom like the sun breaking through a cloud. David -at once began to tell the wonderful tale of Mr. Stanley P. Cochran -before the seafarer could edge in a word. The listener chewed the ends -of his mustache for a while, and then his chin dropped and his mouth -stayed open in sheerest amazement. Before David had reached the climax, -Mr. Becket broke in: - -"_Mr. Stanley P. Cochran_ asked you to bunk in his house, to be -mess-mates with him and his only boy? Pro-dig-io-ou-s! I'd let any gang -of roustabouts knock my head off, close behind the ears, for a gorgeous -chance like that. You are the makin's of a first-class sailor, Davy, -because you are so many kinds of a stark, starin' fool ashore." - -"But I had to look after the 'Pilgrims,'" protested David. - -"You aren't in shape to look after yourself, you poor idiot," cried Mr. -Becket. "You ought to see yourself in the glass, with your head all -tied in a sling. You look after anybody? Shucks! You turned down Mr. -Stanley P. Cochran? Why, he would ha' made you for life. Oh, my! Oh, -my!" - -"But I couldn't feel right if I didn't stand by Captain John and -Margaret, Mr. Becket. I'll never be happy till he gets another ship." - -Mr. Becket buried his face in a pillow and appeared to be wrapped in -hopeless dejection. When his florid countenance emerged from its total -eclipse he groaned twice, heaved a sigh that fairly shook him, and -glared at David with speechless reproach. - -"What in the world has happened to you now?" peevishly quoth the -patient. "You don't come into this. And I haven't done anything to be -sorry for." - -"I hadn't ought to tell you, Davy, and you sick in bed," confessed -the dismal Mr. Becket. "It's rubbin' it in too hard. Mr. Stanley P. -Cochran has just bought out the Columbia sugar refineries, hook, line, -and sinker. I read it in the _Shipping Gazette_ last week. And that -included the whole fleet of square-rigged ships that fetches their -cargoes from the Far East. He controls 'em all now, does Stanley P. -Cochran." - -"You mean that I might have helped to get a ship for Captain John?" -David piteously appealed. - -"Easy as robbin' a sailor," solemnly answered Mr. Becket. "That boy of -his can have anything on earth, up to a herd of white elephants, for -the simple askin'. And you could ha' had anything you wanted through -the young hopeful. It was a direct act of Providence that you had to go -and monkey with." - -David was in the torments of regret. Yes, Arthur Cochran was just the -kind of a boy to feel an affectionate interest in the fortunes of -Captain John and Margaret, once he had a chance to know them. But the -opportunity was past and dead. Mr. Becket looked a little less hopeless -as he exclaimed: - -"Is it too late to patch it up? Can't we charter a hack and overhaul -Stanley P. and tell him the prodigal is ashamed of the error of his -ways?" - -"He is not that kind," said David. "He will never speak to me again. I -jolted his pride and he is done with me for good. Oh, but I did try to -do what was right. And I've done wrong to my best and dearest friends." - -"I begin to think you were born to trouble as the sparks fly upward," -was Mr. Becket's dreary comment. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -MID FOG AND ICE - - -A year had passed since David Downes lay grieving in the hospital -over the great chance he had let slip to help mend the fortunes of -Captain Bracewell and Margaret. The cadet no longer dreamed of giving -up his life's work on the sea. He had sailed twelve voyages in the -_Roanoke_, which every month ploughed her stately way across the -Atlantic and return, through six thousand miles of hazards. Cadets had -come and gone. Few of them who sought to make their careers in this -way had the grit and patience to endure the machine-like routine in -which advancement lay years and years ahead. But David had begun to -understand the meaning of this slow process by which his mind was being -taught to act with sure judgment, and he saw how very much there was to -learn and suffer before a man could win the mastery of the sea. - -Because he was strong, quick, and obedient, the navigating officers -took a genuine interest in his welfare. They had begun to teach him -the uses of their instruments and books. He knew the language of the -fluttering signal flags by day and the sputtering Coston lights and -winking lamps by night. The taffrail log and the Thompson sounding -machine were no longer blind mysteries, and much of his leisure was -spent in the chart room. The bos'n taught him what few tricks of -old-fashioned seamanship were left to learn in a vessel whose spars -were no more than cargo derricks. The cadet had begun to know the -liner, the vast and intricate organization, whose ever-throbbing life -extended through eight stories that were like so many hotels, machine -shops, and factories. And he realized what it must mean to be that calm -and ever-ready man in the captain's cabin, whose mind was in touch with -every one of these myriad activities by night and day. - -Meanwhile David had become more and more fond of and intimate with his -sea waifs of the _Pilgrim_. Every time the _Roanoke_ wove her way back -to New York, like a giant shuttle plying over a vast blue carpet, -the cadet was with Margaret and her grandfather as often as he was -allowed ashore. Captain Bracewell had not found the ship for which he -yearned, but his former owners had given him a berth as stevedore on -their wharf, and in faithful drudgery he earned a living and a home for -Margaret. - -He had never become his old self again. He was like one of the splendid -square-rigged ships which had been degraded to spend its last days as -a coal barge. But he had learned to keep his sorrows and regrets to -himself, and, gray-haired hero that he was, lived and toiled for the -"little girl," who was the one anchor to hold him from drifting on the -lee shore of a broken and useless old age. - -David Downes had grown very close to the ship-master's heart. His -young strength and his hope and pride in his calling were like a fresh -sea-breeze. Nor did anything have quite as much power to kindle Captain -Bracewell's emotions as David's confidence that somehow and some day -the message would come that a master was needed on the quarter-deck of -some fine deep-water sailing ship. Even the bos'n of the _Roanoke_, to -whom David had told his dreams, took a lively interest in the matter -and went so far as to declare: - -"The very first Christmas what I makes my fortunes I vill put a -four-masted Yankee ship in your stockings, boy, mit stores and crew -ready for sea, and this granddaddy of yours walkin' up and down the -poop, so?" - -When the _Roanoke_ was ordered into dry-dock at Southampton, at the end -of David's first year in her, she missed a voyage and the cadet had -to be content with letters from his friends in New York. In the first -packet of mail was a surprising lot of news from Margaret, which read -as follows: - - - DEAR BROTHER DAVY: - - It is awful lonesome without you for seven whole weeks. - Grandfather misses you more than he thinks he lets me see, and - he is almost as fidgety as when we landed from the dear old - _Pilgrim_. Mr. Becket is in port and is the cheerfulest of us - all though he ought to be the saddest. After being chief officer - in that coastwise steamer for three years, he was silly enough - to play a joke on his skipper in Charleston last week. And, of - course, the old man found it out. Mr. Becket is a perfect dear, - but he hasn't much sense when he gets one of his fits of the - do-funnies. The captain was in a barber shop ashore, getting his - whiskers cut off for the summer season. And Mr. Becket paid two - hackmen to walk in as if they just happened there, and begin to - talk to each other about the fire on the wharves. Of course, the - captain pricked up his ears, and then one of the men said: - - "They tell me it blazed up just like an explosion and is right - smack alongside the _Chesapeake_." - - That was Mr. Becket's steamer, you know. One side of the captain's - whiskers was off and the other wasn't, and he made a jump from the - chair, took one of the hackmen by the neck, shoved him through - the door, and threw him up on the box of his carriage. Then the - captain hopped inside and told the man to drive to the wharf like - fury. Of course, the hackman had not expected to be caught this - way, but he had to go or else the captain would have broken his - neck for him, at least that is what he said he would do. - - And when they got to the wharf the captain flew out of the cab and - down to his ship. The deck was full of passengers and they laughed - till they cried, for the captain must have been a _sight_ with - only half his whiskers on. Mr. Becket says they were a fathom - long, but he is a terrible exaggerator, as you know. Then the - captain ran back after the hackman and caught him and scared him - so that he told on Mr. Becket. Wasn't it a shame? Anyhow, he was - a horrid captain to his officers and Mr. Becket says he is going - to wait for the ship you expect to build for grandfather and me. - Write soon and come home as quick as you can to - - Your Most Affectionate Little Sister, - - MARGARET. - - -David tore open an envelope that bore the marks of Mr. Becket's -ponderous fist, hoping for more light on this family tragedy. The -luckless mate had no more to say, however, than this: - - - DEAR DAVY: - - Do you need a strong and willing seaman in your gilt-edged packet? - The coasting trade don't agree with my delicate health. I have - left the _Chesapeake_ owing to one of them cruel misunderstandings - that makes a sailor's life as uncertain as the lilies of the - field which are skylarkin' to-day and are cut down and perisheth - to-morrow. It is too painful to bother your tender young feelings - with. Hold on, I don't think I want to ship with you. Your - skipper wears a fine crop of tan whiskers. They would be sure to - fill me with sad and tormentin' memories. All's well, and they - can't keep a good man down. Your shipmate, - - ABEL Y. BECKET. - - -David read the letter to the bos'n, expecting sympathy, but that -hard-hearted mariner laughed boisterously, and said: - -"He got vat was comin' to him, the red-headed old sundowner. I know -that Becket man. I wish he shipped as a seaman mit me. I make him yump -mit a rope's end. He, ho, ho!--the old man mit his whiskers carried -away on the port side. I give a month's wages to see him." - -David grew a little hot at such callous treatment of a friend in -distress, but could not help smiling as the bos'n trudged off about his -work, wagging his head and muttering: - -"Mit his whiskers under jury-rig. The red-headed old sundowner! He _is_ -a rascal, is that Becket man!" - -"I am going to find out whether this line needs any more junior -officers," sighed David to himself. "It seems as if all my family is -hoodooed about keeping their berths afloat. I wish I was big enough to -spank Mr. Abel Y. Becket." - -A few days after this the _Roanoke_ was ready for sea and all hands -resumed their routine duties. The liner slid out into Southampton -Water, and swung up Channel toward the North Sea and Antwerp to pick up -her passengers and cargo for the homeward voyage. Clean and tuned up -after her overhauling, the crack ship of the Black Star Line was fit -for a record run across the Atlantic. - -Nor had Captain Thrasher ever felt more pride and confidence in the -power, speed, and seaworthiness of the _Roanoke_ than when he dropped -the Dutch pilot off Flushing a few days later and signalled "full speed -ahead," with Sandy Hook a week away and waiting wives and sweethearts -"hauling on the towline." Nor were any of the passengers who flocked -along the rail in cheerful groups more eager to get home to their own -than the stalwart cadet who tramped the boat deck and watched the -Channel shipping sweep past like a panorama. An older cadet, with whom -David had formed a fast sea friendship, listened with kindly interest -to his hopes and anxiety that all was well with Captain John and -Margaret. In David's thoughts the "little girl" was still the helpless -child of the _Pilgrim_, who needed the constant and protecting care of -a big brother. Margaret was fourteen now, on the threshold of her fair -girlhood, but in her devotion to David there was no sentiment, save -that of a sister's trusting and adoring affection. - -Captain Thrasher had come to know these friends of David's through -their occasional visits on board, when the ship was in port, and his -manner toward them was always most cordial. Now and then he unbent a -trifle at sea and asked David if Captain Bracewell had found another -ship. David was not frightened, therefore, when the master of the liner -beckoned him, while passing down from the bridge to supper. The cadet -followed the bulky, resolute figure in blue into the sacred precincts -of the captain's quarters, and stood silent, cap in hand. In his -eyes, Captain Stephen Thrasher was the most enviable man alive, far -outshining presidents and kings. - -Perhaps because he had been longer away from his home than usual and -was thinking of his own lads in school, the masterful captain of the -liner addressed David almost as if he were a friend: - -"Are you getting on all right, my boy? Do you peg away at your books -off watch?" - -"Yes, sir. The chief officer thinks I have a turn for navigation. That -is, sir, he said that whatever once got inside my thick head was pretty -sure to stick there." - -Captain Thrasher chuckled, and looked the boy over from head to foot -before he resumed: - -"How is that stranded friend of yours, Captain Bracewell and his pretty -granddaughter?" - -"They are well, sir, but Mr. Becket has lost his--his--" David bit -his tongue. He had almost said too much. The captain did not know Mr. -Becket from a marline-spike, and his affairs must not be dragged in -unless asked for. But Captain Thrasher showed no interest in whatever -it was that Mr. Becket had lost, and abruptly ended the interview with: - -"You will be put on the ship's papers as an able seaman next voyage. -But you will berth with the cadets, understand? Don't thank me. You -have earned promotion. That's all. You are a nuisance. Get out." - -David saluted, and his radiant face expressed his thanks which -the captain had forbidden him to put in words. Once on deck, the -new-fledged able seaman danced a shuffle and cracked his heels -together. His wages would be doubled, and he had left one round of -the long ladder behind him. For the next three days he went about -his duties in a kind of blissful trance, but he was none the less -determined to earn another step in promotion hour by hour, one task at -a time, done as well and faithfully as he knew how. - -The voyage which had begun so brightly was fated to test the mettle, -not only of David Downes, but of every man of the ship's company. -The fog, which shut down on the third day like a gray curtain, made -navigation a perilous game of hide and seek. Captain Thrasher took -his post on the bridge, to stay there until the fog should clear. Far -down in the clanging engine rooms the chief engineer and his army of -toilers were alert to respond to signals on the instant. The safety of -thousands of lives and millions of property was in their keeping also. -They were like bold and resourceful pygmies among the mighty monsters -of clanging steel which they were ready to tame and check at the call -from above. - -Through a long night the _Roanoke_ groped her way over a shrouded sea -on which the fog hung so thick that the ghostly figures on the bridge -could not see the bow of their own ship. It was no better when daylight -wiped the blackness from the fog. The steamer was wrapped in a blind -world in which there was no sound except the bellowing of the automatic -whistle. - -David had seen Captain Thrasher pick his sure way through days and -nights of such weather as this, but now the master appeared to be more -cautious and absorbed in his great responsibility than ever before. -Some unusual strain and uneasiness were picking at his nerves, and his -officers were aware of it, but they kept their thoughts to themselves. -Nor would David have guessed the truth so soon had not Captain -Thrasher tossed away a wireless message slip instead of tearing it -up. David caught it as it fluttered past the wheel-house and began to -read without thinking it to be more than a greeting from some passing -vessel. Beneath the figures of latitude and longitude was written: - - - S.S. _Hanoverian_. - - Dense fog clearing. Many large icebergs in sight just to the - northward of us. Most unusual southerly ice drift directly in - west-bound track. If you are in fog advise great caution. Please - repeat warning to any other vessels behind you. - - GREENFELT, _Master_. - - -David let the bit of paper blow overside and slipped into the chart -room to calculate the position of the _Hanoverian_. The chart showed -him that she was a hundred and fifty miles west and considerably to -the southward of the _Roanoke_ when the message was sent. When David -returned to the deck an officer was already making reports of the -temperature of the water, and Captain Thrasher was standing with head -cocked and a hand at his ear, listening, on the chance that the clamor -of the fog-whistle might fling back a telltale echo from some hidden -mountain of ice that lay in ambush. - -Before long David was ordered to stand by the wireless operator's room -and fetch to the bridge any messages that might leap from his rattling, -sparking instruments. But the _Roanoke_ was left to work out her fate -alone. Even the _Hanoverian_, having picked up her speed with clearing -weather, had hurried beyond calling distance of the slow-creeping Black -Star liner. - -The second night of the fog stole softly around the ship. As the chill -and dripping air changed from pearly gray to starless gloom, the hoarse -and frequent whistle seemed to be appealing for guidance on this -sightless sea. Bridge, deck, and engine room were unceasingly vigilant. -Their first warning of deadly peril came when a blast from the whistle -was hurled back in a volley of echoes from somewhere dead ahead. -Captain Thrasher leaped to the engine-room indicator and signalled full -speed astern, with both screws. - -The _Roanoke_ shook herself as if her rivets were pulling out, as the -engines strove to hold her back, but the momentum of the vast bulk -could not be checked on the instant. Then there came a far more violent -shock, a grinding roar, and the sound of rending steel and timber. -Every man on deck was pitched off his feet. The stricken steamer listed -heavily to port and then slowly righted, as the masses of ice dislodged -from the berg by the collision slid off her fore deck. - -What Captain Thrasher most dreaded had come to pass. In spite of his -utmost care his ship had crashed into the ice that lay hidden in the -fog and night. But every man of his crew knew that if his ship should -go down, he was ready to go down with her. He stood on his bridge -without sign of alarm or excitement, shouting swift, clean-cut orders. -Before the steamer had ceased to grind against the pale and ghastly -ice that towered above her, the water-tight doors in the scores of -bulkheads were being closed by men who knew their stations in such a -time as this. - -Stewards were hastening among the cabin passengers to quiet their -panic. Down in the steerage quarters hundreds of hysterical immigrants -were running to and fro with prayers and screams, but a squad of -hard-fisted seamen soon herded them like sheep and threatened death to -any who should try to force a way to the boat deck. The chief officer -and the carpenters were forward with lanterns, and other men were in -the holds seeking to find how much damage had been done. - -The order came from the bridge for the boat crews to stand by, ready to -abandon ship if need be. David took his station as he had been taught -to do in the boat drill of voyage after voyage. It was very hard to -wait in the darkness, but, far more than the cadet knew, his year of -training under the relentless rule of the captain's discipline had been -fitting him for the test. - -The decks had begun to slope downward toward the bow. The forward -compartments were filling, and the fate of the _Roanoke_ hung on the -strength of the collision bulkhead just aft of the wound the ice had -made. David heard the chief officer sing out to the bridge: - -"She's flooded to the first bulkhead, sir, but I think she will stay -afloat. Will you come and see for yourself? The whole bow of her is -stove in below the water line." - -The _Roanoke_ was slowly moving astern to try to go clear of the -iceberg against which the long swells could be heard breaking as on -a rock-bound beach. It seemed an eternity to David before Captain -Thrasher returned to the bridge and shouted to an officer: - -"Tell the people below we are in no danger before daylight. Better put -it stronger than that. Tell them we will make port." - -Up in the darkness they listened to the frantic cheers that rose from -cabins and steerage, but the passengers had not heard the captain's -grim comment to himself: - -"If it comes on to blow, there may be another story to tell." - -When daylight came the liner made an astonishing sea picture. The fog -had lifted a little and the sombre sea was visible for a few lengths -away. The steamer's bow was gone. In its place was a jagged cavern of -twisted, crumpled steel, into which the waves washed and broke with -the sound of distant thunder. The captain dared risk no more pressure -against his straining bulkhead which kept the vessel afloat, and the -_Roanoke_ lay motionless, while all hands that could be mustered for -the work were bracing the inside of the bulkhead with timbers and piles -of heavy cargo. There could be no driving the ship ahead against the -tremendous weight of the sea until this task was done. - -The barometer had risen overnight and the liner's chances were slightly -more hopeful. Her wireless instrument was chattering to the world -beyond the sky line that she was in sore straits, but if any steamers -passed within unseen hailing distance they were not equipped to talk -through the air. The _Roanoke_ was left to make the best of her plight. - -David Downes had little thought for the fears of the passengers. His -confidence in Captain Thrasher was supreme, and he knew that if it -should come to the worst, the boats would be got away with orderly -promptness. As for the crew, David hoped there might be room for him, -and there was a lump in his throat and his breath seemed choked when he -thought of being left to struggle and drown, but he felt himself to be -a full-fledged American seaman, and he was proud of it. Whatever fate -might befall Captain Thrasher was good enough for him. - -David was musing in this fashion as he hastened with urgent orders -between the fore-hold and the bridge. On one of these trips he found -the captain and the senior second officer poring over one of the yellow -sheets on which the wireless messages were written. - -"Some vessel is within helping distance," thought David, with a thrill -of joy, and lingered, hoping to hear the good news. - -Presently the captain went to his room, and the officer, taking pity on -the youngster's open curiosity, confided: - -"Here _is_ a pretty kettle of fish. Those people are asking us to come -to _their_ assistance. That's the way it goes. Disasters always run -in twos and threes. We can't make head or tail of the message except -'_Help_' and '_No hope of gaining control._' It sounds like fire, to -me." - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE MISSING BOAT - - -There was nothing to be done except to wait for another wireless call -for help from the unseen vessel in distress. The first message included -some figures which seemed like a frantic attempt to give the latitude -and longitude of the stranger, but they were as puzzling as the rest of -it. - -"That wireless operator must be rattled, whoever he is," said one of -the liner's officers. "Maybe his coat-tails are on fire." - -Beckoning David to follow him to the chart room he added, with a -gesture of dismay: - -"Here _we_ are, and I'm blessed if _his_ figures don't put him -somewhere in the middle of Canada, high and dry on a mountain range. As -if we didn't have troubles enough!" - -Captain Thrasher was irritable for the first time in this ill-fated -voyage of the _Roanoke_, as he exclaimed from the bridge: - -"I can't go in search of the confounded lunatic even if he is afire. -What right has he to ask help of me when my bows are caved in like an -old hat, with no chance at all of getting under way before night, and -my ship half full of water? I'm trying to find help myself." - -It was perhaps a half hour later when another message came winging -its way through space. Captain Thrasher read it aloud, with frowning -earnestness: - - - _Fire spreading aft. Must abandon ship before long. Lives in - danger. Help! Help!_ - - -The figures of latitude and longitude were repeated at the end of the -message, and the previous mistakes corrected. The chart showed that the -burning vessel lay about forty miles to the south-east of the helpless -_Roanoke_. - -"Why doesn't he say who and what he is?" growled Captain Thrasher. "If -he is a big passenger steamer he _is_ in a bad fix and no mistake. Tell -the operator to ask him more about it, quick. And tell him we are in -no shape to go after him. My own people have to come first." - -Captain Thrasher was more anxious than surprised. He had long since -learned that nothing was too improbable to happen at sea, and he took -it almost as a matter of course that collision and fire should occur -fifty miles apart in the same twenty-four hours. It went sorely against -his training to leave these other victims of disaster to shift for -themselves, and he walked the bridge with restless tread until a third -message was brought to him. It read: - - - _Yacht "Restless." New York for Cherbourg. Owner on board. This - may be last message. No hope of saving vessel. For God's sake pick - us up._ - - -"I have seen that steamer somewhere in port," said Captain Thrasher. -"She must carry a crew of forty or fifty men. Well, I can't pick 'em up -if the gilt-edged owner sends me a million dollars by wireless. Give -them our position again and tell them we will keep a sharp lookout for -their boats till nightfall and maybe longer." - -As if in answer to the captain's words a final call came from the -_Restless_: - - - _Owner give you million dollars to come at once. Good-by. I'm off._ - - -"He's a cheerful sport, that wireless gentleman," observed Captain -Thrasher. "But I wonder if he got our position. I'm afraid not. I pray -the good Lord their boats got away in time." - -While the liner was by no means out of danger, the situation of the -_Restless_ people fairly tore at the captain's heartstrings. He was not -a man to confess himself beaten in any crisis without trying to find a -way out. He pored over the charts, studied the weather signs, tugged at -his beard, and muttered savagely to himself. But he did not decide to -act until the fog had vanished before a pleasant breeze in the early -afternoon. The sun came out and the sea danced blue to the far horizon. - -Then the captain delivered his orders with stern directness. Calling -the third officer, he said: - -"Mr. Briggs, you will take the number three boat and stand about -fifteen miles to the sou'-east. If the _Restless_ boats are heading -for us, you should be able to pick them up before nightfall and show -them the way. Otherwise they may miss us. I shall expect you aboard by -nine o'clock, at the latest. Watch for our rockets." - -Mr. Briggs saluted, and mustered his crew. David Downes belonged in the -number three boat, and Mr. Briggs grinned as the lad hurried up. He -had not forgotten the trip to the wreck of the _Pilgrim_. As the boat -was lowered, Captain Thrasher gazed grimly overside, realizing that he -might need all his men and boats before night. But he had staked his -judgment on being able to keep the liner afloat, and he was ready to -face results without flinching. - -The breeze dimpled the lazy swells and sail was hoisted in the boat. -The men lounged on the thwarts while the stout craft bore away to the -southward, and David fell to thinking of that other rescue during his -first voyage. This was like a summer pleasure cruise with no danger -in sight. Mr. Briggs at the tiller took a different view, which was -colored by his arduous years at sea. - -"There's nothing as bad as fire," said he, as if talking to himself. "A -crew thinks it can master it until it is too late to get away in any -kind of shape. I was in a bark that burned and my boat was adrift a -week, without food or water to speak of. We never thought of quitting -ship till the decks blew up and we had to go overboard, head first." - -"This wireless is like talkin' to the bloomin' ghosts of dead men," -muttered an English seaman. "You cawn't make me believe there's any -burnin' vessel out 'ere till I sees it. We might as well go chasin' a -bad dream, that's wot it is." - -The crew became silent, while the boat hissed through the long seas, -and the black hull of the _Roanoke_ dropped lower and lower behind -them. Wireless telegraphy was too recent an aid to sea-faring to seem -real to these simple sailors; this was the first time its workings had -touched their lives, and they were not ready to take the burning yacht -on faith unseen. - -After three hours had slid past Mr. Briggs began to sweep the sea with -his glasses, standing in the stern-sheets, with the tiller between -his knees. He had run down his fifteen miles of southing, but the blue -horizon line was without a speck to mar it. - -He decided to risk stretching his orders a bit by keeping on his course -for another hour or so. The breeze still held and he could stand back -for the _Roanoke_ with free sheets and oars out. He knew that if the -boats of the _Restless_ should drift beyond the steamer lanes or -trans-Atlantic routes, days and even weeks might pass without their -being sighted or picked up. - -The perplexed officer was on the point of giving up the search when his -keen eye caught sight of a faint smudge between sea and sky. It looked -like a tiny fragment of cloud, but it might be smoke. He ordered his -men to their oars, and the boat increased her speed. - -"If it is a steamer's smoke she may have rescued them," said he; "if -not, it may be the yacht, still afloat." - -The ashen-colored smudge of smoke grew in size as they steered toward -it until it became a trailing banner. - -"No funnels could make all that mess," shouted Mr. Briggs, as he -flourished his glasses. "That is the bonfire, and it must be pretty -near the end of it. I'm surprised that she's stayed afloat this long." - -He was a good prophet, for while he stared, the smoke suddenly spread -skyward like a huge fan, hung for a moment, and then vanished, except -for tattered fringes of vapor that drifted slowly to leeward. - -"That's the end of her," cried Mr. Briggs. "She blew up and sank with -one big puff. Her boats ought to be sighted before long." - -There was no more thought of returning to the _Roanoke_ empty-handed. -The men rowed like mad, as if they were matched in a race for life, not -realizing that the smoke had been sighted a good ten miles away. It -was near sunset when Mr. Briggs had a glimpse of a white dot far ahead -which he took to be a boat. As they pulled nearer, he saw that it was -a life-raft covered with men who were paddling with oars and bits of -plank. It was easy work to get alongside and pass them a line in such -calm weather as this. - -[Illustration: It was easy work to get alongside and pass them a line.] - -The grimy, blistered men who cheered as the boat prepared to take them -aboard had no belongings to hamper the transfer. Some of them were half -naked and it was plain to read that they had left their vessel in the -most desperate haste, after fighting fire to the last moment. First -over the gunwale was a very stout derelict in dripping blue trousers, -who puffed like a porpoise as he sputtered: - -"Can't swim a stroke, but floated like a cork. How's that? Me the -owner? Not on your life. I'm the wireless juggler that sent you the -holler for help. No more life on the ocean wave for Willie. I've been -eating smoke and spitting cinders since yesterday." - -While this undismayed survivor babbled on as if his tongue were hung in -the middle, David was trying to drag from the raft a ragged man who lay -limp and face downward. The task was too heavy for his strength, and -with great difficulty two pairs of arms heaved and lifted until they -rolled their burden inboard. Without pausing to look him over, David -lent a hand elsewhere until the _Restless_ party, twenty strong, was -stowed aboard and the life-raft cast adrift. - -Most of them were able to sit up and talk. The man who seemed to be -worst off was the first one who had been helped aboard by David. The -late chief officer of the yacht made his way toward this huddled and -senseless figure and called to Mr. Briggs: - -"Here's the owner, all in a heap. Looks like his heart has gone back on -him, for he wasn't in the water more than five minutes." - -As he lay propped against a thwart the owner's back was toward David -at his oar. The cadet had no idea that he had ever clapped eyes on him -before, and he listened with eager interest to the answers which the -other men gave to Mr. Briggs's questions. - -"The rest of us are in two boats, somewhere to the eastward, sir," they -explained. "No, there was nobody left on board. The way it was, the -captain and them others was fightin' the fire aft, and they got cut -off from us who was driven clear up into the bows of her before we got -through. She was just a solid blaze amidships, understand, and there -was no getting back to each other. The other crowd stood it as long -as they could, and then when it was take to the water or be frizzled -where they stood, they pitched the boats over and got away. The fog -hadn't begun to lift then. They were going to lay by and wait for us, -but the blazin' heat below set her engines goin' in a kind of dying -flurry and she ran a while before she stopped for good. We couldn't -get below to stop her, and we couldn't go overboard for fear of bein' -chewed up by the screw, and so there we stuck up forward till we could -get the raft over. The two boats lost us in the fog, and you know the -rest of it." - -"The owner's boy was with the captain's crowd aft. Mr. Cochran put him -in the skipper's charge when things looked desperate," explained the -mate of the _Restless_. "When Mr. Cochran got separated from the lad -and couldn't get aft to him, and saw him drift out of sight in the fog, -he just threw up his hands and went clean off his head." - -"Mr. Cochran! The owner's boy!" gasped David Downes. He leaned over and -raised the pallid face of the owner of the _Restless_. Yes, although -sadly changed, it was the once pompous and lordly man of millions -who had rescued, befriended, and then forsaken him in New York. And -Arthur, the slim, delicate lad with the shy, confiding smile who had -been so fond of the cadet--poor lad, he was adrift in an open boat -beyond help from the _Roanoke's_ boat. David forgot all the resentment -he had cherished against the father, as he tried to heave him into a -more comfortable position and anxiously searched his face for signs of -life. - -"He was a fine boy. Heart as big as a cork fender," said a _Restless_ -seaman. "God bring him safe to port, say I. Will we be after goin' in -search of the boats, do you know?" - -Mr. Briggs shook his head reluctantly. He must return to the _Roanoke_ -with all haste. - -"We have done all we can," he answered slowly. "Our own ship needs -us, and we are lucky to have done this much. It is awful tough on Mr. -Cochran, I know, to leave his boy adrift, but we wouldn't have one -chance in a million of finding them to-night." - -These words seemed to awaken the dulled understanding of the father. He -roused from his stupor and hoarsely quavered: - -"Where is Arthur? Leave the boy adrift? What did I hear? What do you -mean? There's some mistake. Look for him till you find him, I tell you. -Oh, my boy, my boy, I never meant to forsake you." - -David patted him on the shoulder and wiped the clammy face with the -sleeve of his jersey. The great man was no more than a sodden lump -of sorrowing humanity, crushed and useless, and David wished that he -might somehow comfort him. Mr. Cochran had fallen back speechless and -exhausted, and he did not come to himself again until the boat was well -on her way toward the _Roanoke_. His wits were clearing, and with a -trace of his old domineering manner he addressed Mr. Briggs: - -"Keep up the search until you find him, my man. Ten thousand dollars -for you and your men if you give me back my boy." - -"We have been headed the other way for an hour," replied the third -officer, with pity in his voice. "I am obeying my orders. That is all I -can do." - -"What? You have abandoned the yacht's boats?" Mr. Cochran almost -screamed. "Turn about with you, instantly. Don't you understand? I'll -make every man of you rich for life." - -He tried to struggle to his feet, but muscular hands gripped his -heaving shoulders and he fell back lamenting: - -"The hardship will kill him. What shall I say to his mother? Oh, what -shall I tell her?" - -It was the first time that David had heard Arthur's mother mentioned. -He felt a deeper pang at the thought of her. But, alas, Mr. Stanley P. -Cochran had to learn in this cruel hour that his millions could not buy -a way through all difficulties. He fell to abusing the chief engineer -of the _Restless_, who crouched in front of him. - -"You let the yacht run away from them," he stormed. "Why didn't you -stop your engines, you worthless, cowardly scoundrel?" - -The engineer raised a pair of hands which were raw with burns, and felt -of his blistered face. With unexpected patience he responded: - -"I was the last man to come on deck. I cooked the hide off me to leave -things right below. Heaven only knows what started her up again. There -was no getting down there again, you know that." - -The owner once more fell to mourning. - -"How can I show my face anywhere? I am saved and Arthur is lost. Why -couldn't it have been the other way?" - -"He was takin' the lad abroad for a vacation trip," explained a harsh -voice in David's ear. "The sea voyage was for the lad's health, and -the old man was coaxed into pryin' himself loose from his business for -once. _We're_ sorry it _wasn't_ the swelled-up money-grubbin' swine -that went adrift instead of his boy." - -Other men of the _Restless_ grunted approval of their comrade's -verdict. But David had glimpsed a new side of Mr. Cochran's nature. He -would indeed have sacrificed himself to save his son. The truth of it -was in his trembling voice, in the very pose of his drooping shoulders. -It was hard to believe that this was the father who had fairly dragged -his son away from David in the room of the hospital in New York. As Mr. -Cochran began to pull himself out of his collapse, he managed to twist -around so that he was looking up into David's face, which was in the -light thrown by a boat-lantern. For several minutes the father stared -at the tanned young seaman, as if bewildered and groping in his memory. -Then he burst out with a kind of surprised snarl: - -"It's the boy that had no manners or decency, the young cub that made -me sick of him. What are you doing here, alive and well, with my son -lost and dying out yonder, lost at sea? How can such things be?" - -"I helped pick you up at any rate," faltered David, taken all aback. -"And I'd gladly stay out here a week to help you find Arthur." - -"_You_ safe and well!" repeated Mr. Cochran, "and my Arthur abandoned. -It's all a nightmare. It must be that." - -His anger veered against Mr. Briggs, and he bombarded him with threats, -bribes, and pleadings, until the rockets from the _Roanoke_ soared into -the clear night and the yacht's people shouted at the welcome sight. -Then Mr. Cochran clutched at a new hope. He declared that he would buy -the ship if only he might persuade the captain to search for the lost -boat until he found it. - -The liner was almost ready to limp on her way when the boat rejoined -her. Repairs had been made with better success than Captain Thrasher -hoped for. His anxious scrutiny convinced him that, with fair weather, -his shattered bow could withstand the sea, and he had determined -to proceed very slowly on his course toward New York. He had been -in wireless communication with two steamers, one of which stood by -until dusk, when the liner sent word that she would not transfer her -people. The captain had also told them to look out for the boats from -the burning yacht. This news was carried to Mr. Cochran, who feebly -tottered forward in breathless haste to find the commander. David saw -the bedraggled magnate swaying against the door of the captain's room -as he begged: - -"But I'll reimburse the company. I don't care what it costs. What if -it does cost you your position? I'll pay you double the salary to do -nothing for the rest of your life. It's my only boy, Captain. Your ship -won't run any risk." - -The voice of Captain Thrasher rose in response: - -"I have said my last word. Do you think I'll stake the lives of two -thousand people against one or twenty? Go below and get some rest. I -can't talk to you to-night." - -When David went aft in the late evening with the fourth officer to set -the log over the stern, the liner was vibrating to the steady thrust of -her engines, and her broad wake foamed white in the starlit darkness. -Against the rail beside them leaned a portly man, his face hidden in -the shadows. He was gazing toward the southward over the ocean which -rolled away in mystery, vast and obscure. - -David answered, "Ay, ay, sir," in reply to an order, and the man at the -rail turned at sound of the lad's voice. As the mate raised his lantern -to read the log-dial, Mr. Cochran exclaimed: - -"It's you again, is it? I am sorry I spoke to you as I did to-day. I -am grateful for your part in saving me and my men, and I was out of my -head, I guess." - -This strangely softened mood was new to David, but his sympathetic -heart was quick to meet it, and to let bygones be bygones. - -"I wish I could help you, sir," he returned. "But I am just chockfull -of hope that we will hear from Arthur. He may be picked up before we -are landed. We'll have him back again. You can bet your life on that." - -The father gazed again across the darkened sea. He was leaving his only -son behind him, and all the pride of wealth and self and power had been -stripped from him. All he could think of to say as he shook hands with -David was: - -"Arthur was very fond of you, and I am sorry that I came between you -two." - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE BONDS OF SYMPATHY - - -The Black Star Line wharf in North River was crowded with cheering -men, women, and children. Their fluttering handkerchiefs looked like a -sudden flurry of snow. The roar of steam whistles from a hundred harbor -craft rose above the din on the wharf. Past the Battery was creeping a -sea-stained liner, her great steel prow so crushed and battered that -the thousands who watched her wondered how she could have been kept -afloat. The news of her coming had been sent by wireless, and a fleet -of the company's tugs had hurried to sea to meet her. - -The kinfolk and friends of those on board had been kept in a state -of panicky alarm, day after day, by the flaring newspaper head-lines -which sent the _Roanoke_ to the bottom and raised her again, in hourly -"extras." - -The band on the promenade deck was lustily playing "home again, home -again, from a foreign shore," as the tugs poked their noses against the -black side of the ocean cripple and began to nudge her into her berth. -David Downes was looking for friends on the wharf, but he scanned the -masses of upturned faces in vain, until the bos'n prodded him in the -ribs, and said: - -"Cast your eye on the end of the pier, boy. I see a red spot. It vas -Becket or else there is a fire just broke out. Nobody has as red-headed -a head as that crazy feller." - -Sure enough, there was Mr. Becket, waving his arms like a wild man; -beside him was the tall figure of Captain Bracewell; and between them -a slip of a girl was dancing up and down in her efforts to get a clear -view of the ship. David's eyes filled as he swung his cap above his -head. There were his "dearest folks," as he called them, and he was -as rich in welcomes as any of the passengers who were making so much -joyful noise along the decks below. Bless them, what news had they? -Was Mr. Becket still stranded, and was there any hope of a ship for -Captain John? The long voyage of disaster and adventure seemed like a -dream. David Downes, able seaman, was come back to his own. - -The gangways were lowered, and the passengers streamed ashore, telling -their stories at the top of their voices, as they flew into the arms -of their friends. David went below to find Mr. Cochran, who had found -no joy in this homecoming and deliverance from the sea. He was hanging -back to let the crowd pass ashore, and he looked very forlorn and -lonely. Gentlemen high in the world of finance, and managers of his -great interests had flocked aboard to greet him and to offer their aid -and sympathy. But he had begged to be left alone, and, oddly enough, -his heavy face lighted for the first time when David found him. They -had seen little of each other since the _Roanoke_ resumed her voyage. -David had been doing a double trick of duty, and the millionaire was so -racked in body and mind that he was seldom on deck. But in their few -meetings Mr. Cochran had been almost pathetically friendly of manner, -as if he were trying to make amends because of his boy's fondness -for the sailor lad. Now when the parting hour came Mr. Cochran seemed -genuinely affected. His wonted abruptness of speech had been assumed -again, and he carried himself with an air of frowning dignity, but he -took one of David's hard hands between both his own as he said: - -"He talked a great deal about you, and you must come and see me and -talk to me about him. You won't refuse this time, will you? His--his -mother will be delighted to see you." - -David made haste to reply: - -"Of course I will and thank you, sir. And you will send me any news of -Arthur as quick as you can, please promise me that." - -Mr. Cochran nodded, and David hesitated, as if he had something else -on his mind. He was thinking that it might do Mr. Cochran good to know -his "dearest folks" in such a time as this, but he dared stay away no -longer from the crowded gangway, so he said good-by to the man whose -path had so strangely crossed his own again. - -Soon there appeared on the landing stage the brilliant beacon of hair -which topped the robust Mr. Becket as he skilfully piloted Margaret -through the confusion. It was hard work for David to keep from rushing -to meet them half-way, but he remembered the discipline expected of an -able seaman. Mr. Becket was first to reach him, and he proceeded to -thump David's chest and pound his back with the exhortation: - -"All sound and fit for duty? The collision didn't stave you in -anywheres?" - -Margaret was able to greet her "big brother" only by shoving Mr. Becket -out of the way with all her might. - -"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, abusing David as if you weren't a -bit glad to see him," she cried. "Oh, but we are glad to see you, and -are you all right, and are you coming home to supper with us? I don't -believe I've slept a wink this week, have I, grandfather?" - -Captain John was meekly waiting for a chance to make his presence -known. He clapped his hands on David's shoulders and his honest eyes -glowed with pride and affection as he exclaimed: - -"We feel quite set up that you belong to us, Davy. Here you go picking -up more mariners in distress. We've heard all about it." - -"We can talk it all over to-night," said David, shaking hands all round -again. "I am on watch now and I mustn't neglect my duty even for you." - -His boyish manner was so very serious that Mr. Becket went off into -a series of explosive chuckles, from which he was diverted by the -appearance of the bos'n who declared in the most threatening voice: - -"The red-headed loafer again? I vill protect my whiskers mit my life. -Get ashore mit you, you terrible Becket man, or I vill vash you down -mit the fire-hose." - -Mr. Becket was not in the least alarmed, and after a harmless exchange -of blood-thirsty threats, he followed Captain John and Margaret down -the gangway. - -Later in the day the chief officer told David that as soon as her cargo -was discharged, the _Roanoke_ would go to Philadelphia for temporary -repairs, which might take a month or more. The captain had left word -that David could have a week's shore leave and then rejoin the ship -at Philadelphia. The news sounded too good to be true, and as soon -as he was relieved from duty, David fairly ran ashore with a canvas -bag of clothes under his arm. He made all speed to the tiny flat in -which Margaret was keeping house for Captain John. Mr. Becket had been -invited for supper, and he was boiling with eagerness to ask David a -question which had been disturbing him all day long. - -"Did you say anything to Mr. Stanley P. Cochran about vessels? You know -what I mean. I didn't say a word to Captain John, for I don't want to -get him stirred up with false alarms." - -They had met in the outer hall, and Mr. Becket softly closed the door -behind him, for his stage-whispers carried far. - -"Of course I didn't," responded David, "with his boy adrift and his -heart broken clean in two. It was a silly notion of yours to begin -with." - -"Well, you needn't bite my head off," growled Mr. Becket, as they -shouldered their way into the tiny living room. Margaret called -blithely from the birdcage of a kitchen. - -"Do keep Mr. Becket away from here, Davy. Every time he turns around or -takes a long breath, he breaks a dish or upsets something. He ought to -live out-doors." - -Captain John was beaming a welcome as he hauled David by the collar to -a seat on the sofa beside him, and declared: - -"You'd be a mate next year if you had chosen sail instead of steam, you -strapping big lump of a lad. You are the kind of Yankee sailor they -used to breed in my early days at sea. How many years more do you serve -in your old machine shop before you get your papers?" - -"Three or four," cheerfully replied David. "And even then I won't be -fit to be left in charge of the ship for a minute. A fourth officer is -mighty small potatoes in my trade." - -"I was master of a deep-water ship when I was twenty-one," said Captain -John. "Ah, those days are gone. Tell us all about this boy that was -lost with the yacht." - -"He isn't lost," stoutly returned David. "With good weather they will -be picked up. I'm sure of it." - -"The sea is very cruel, Davy," murmured the skipper, and his face -clouded with sad memories of his boy lost with Margaret's mother. The -"little girl" peered anxiously from the kitchen door and tried to shift -the topic to happier themes: - -"Just think what Davy's been through all in one year, and he lives to -tell it, so let's enjoy him while we can. We mustn't even mention the -whiskers of Mr. Becket's skipper and his awful tale of woe." - -"There's a master wanted in a Jamaica fruiter," observed Mr. Becket. -"But my old skipper is trying to do me with the owners. However, they -can't keep a good man down, and you will stand by your friends, blow -high, blow low, won't you, Davy?" - -Supper was on the table and Margaret waited on her hungry crew with -pretty anxiety to play well her part in this festal reunion. She -consented to sit down with them when it came to serving the apple -pie which she herself had made. Mr. Becket demanded Captain John's -old-fashioned quadrant with which to measure off the exact number of -degrees of pie each was entitled to, and nearly upset the table before -this mathematical problem was adjusted. In the midst of the excitement -the door-bell buzzed. Mr. Becket sprang to the speaking-tube as if he -were in a wheel-house and shouted: - -"Below there. What's wanted?" - -While he cocked his head to listen, his face began to express the most -intense amazement, and his reply was absurdly meek, as he cried: - -"Yes, sir. Very good, sir. The dickens it is. Two flights up, and don't -break your precious neck on the dark landings, sir." - -Turning to the puzzled listeners, Mr. Becket explained in a flurried -tone: - -"It is Mr. Stanley P. Cochran, no less, and none other. Now what _do_ -you think of that?" - -Margaret whisked off her apron and began to clear away the dishes, pie -and all, but Captain John stopped her with: - -"Stay as you are, girlie. Nobody's ashamed of sitting down to a square -meal. Mr. Cochran is just a poor, grieving daddy, that's all." - -"Oh, maybe he has good news for Davy," cried Margaret. "You run out and -meet him, David." - -Mr. Cochran entered the door a moment later, with the air of an -intruder. He hesitated in the doorway of the crowded little room and -fumbled with his hat. - -"Plenty of room at the table," said Captain John, rising and holding -out his hand. "Becket, you hang yourself out on the fire-escape and -make room for Mr. Cochran. Margaret, a plate and another cup of coffee." - -"These are my best friends, Mr. Cochran," put in David, presenting them -by name. "We have sort of adopted each other all round." - -Mr. Cochran sank into a chair, while Margaret timidly asked him: - -"Will you have a piece of my apple pie, sir? These sailor men seem to -like it." - -"It is simply grand," rumbled Mr. Becket from the window. - -The visitor looked about him. Something in the homely cheer and -affection of this atmosphere seemed to touch his emotions. His eyes -were moist and his voice was not quite steady as he thanked Margaret -and then said to David: - -"You are lucky to have such friends, and they have made no mistake in -you. I went down to the ship to find you and the bos'n sent me here. -I--I was asked to come, and----" - -He hesitated, bit his lip, and waited, as if trying to keep his voice -under better control. - -"Is there any news?" asked David. - -"Not yet. But his mother wants you to come up and see her this evening. -She asked me to find you. Of course I came. It seems that our boy took -it more to heart than I had any idea of--when I disappointed him about -your coming to visit him last year. He told his mother--but he didn't -say very much to me. And he has had so few boy friends." - -It was pitiful to hear this pleading, remorseful speech from such a man -as Stanley P. Cochran had always been. Captain John's kindly face was -twitching, while he murmured, as if talking to himself: - -"I once had an only son." - -"Of course I'll go with you," said David, as he rose from the table. -"You will excuse me, won't you, folks?" - -There was so much hearty sympathy in their response that Mr. Cochran -smiled a little wistfully, as if he wished to stay longer in this -simple, genuine circle of friends. They were not awed by his name, they -did not cringe before his wealth, and they seemed to have found the -secret of contentment, in what, to him, seemed like dire poverty. He -could pour out his heart about his boy to people like these, and they -would understand. - -"I hate to take you away," he said at length. "But his mother will be -waiting for us." - -"Don't you stay here a minute longer, Davy," urged Margaret. "And be -just as cheerful as you can. We are all praying for your son, Mr. -Cochran, and we know that he will come back to you." - -The millionaire wavered and picked up the cup of coffee with a sheepish -air. - -"I haven't eaten a bite to-day," said he. "But the smell of things here -makes me hungry, I really believe." - -"A bit of that chicken salad, and a chop, and a section of our peerless -apple pie will make a new man of you," spoke up the half-hidden Mr. -Becket, who was feeling more at ease. The guest seemed grateful for -this sound advice, and appeared to relish his hasty meal. Before he -finished he said, not at all as if he were doing a favor, but as one -friend to another: - -"Captain Bracewell, I wish you and your charming granddaughter and Mr. -Becket and David Downes would do me the pleasure of dining at my house -some night this week. Arthur's mother and I find it very lonesome, and -it will help to keep her from brooding." - -Captain John was too used to being a master among men to be at all -agitated by this unexpected invitation, but Margaret fluttered between -dining-room and kitchen in much excitement. Mr. Becket was stricken -dumb and could only make signals of distress. - -"I will answer for us all," returned Captain John. "If it will cheer up -you and your wife to see us plain seafaring folks, we will accept, with -hearty thanks." - -Mr. Cochran expressed his gratitude, as if they were doing him a -kindness, and departed, with David in his wake. As these two rolled up -town in the millionaire's automobile, Mr. Cochran observed, after a -long silence: - -"I like those friends of yours. I wish I could have known them before. -Arthur would enjoy them." - -It was on the tip of David's tongue to tell him that these were the -people whom he had preferred to see on that day a year ago when Mr. -Cochran had flown into a rage and cast him off. But this was no time -to recall old misunderstandings. All David could do was to wait in -patience, and hope that Mr. Cochran might discover what a splendid man -Captain John was, and take an interest in him on his own account. - -The automobile halted in front of a huge stone mansion in upper -Fifth Avenue. It looked more like a castle than a home. The immense -tapestry-hung parlors, past which David was led, were silent and -cheerless. Captain John's flat was far more cheery and livable than -these gloomy apartments, thought David, as he followed his host up the -echoing marble staircase to the second story. - -Presently they came to a smaller room which looked as if people really -lived in it. A slender woman in black rose from a divan to greet them. -In her smile there was the timid, tremulous sweetness which had made -her boy so attractive to David on first acquaintance. There could have -been little in common between her and the hard, domineering father -until a great grief bridged the gulf that had grown between them. Even -now, she looked at Mr. Cochran with an appealing glance, as if waiting -for him to speak. David wanted to pick her up in his strong young arms -and comfort her. - -"So this is the boy that Arthur said he wished he could be like," were -her first words, as she looked up at David's brown face and well-set -shoulders. "Why, you are not a boy. You are a man." - -"I've grown a lot in the last year, and sea life agrees with me," -laughed David, with a blush at her frank admiration. - -"That is what the doctors told Mr. Cochran when he planned the trip -abroad for Arthur, in the yacht," sighed the mother. "He did not ask me -to go, because I am such a wretched sailor, I suppose. I expected to -join them later in the south of France." - -"It is a good deal better for a man's health when he has to work his -way," explained David. "Sitting under a yacht's awning all day isn't -a bit like having your regular watches to stand in all weathers. When -Arthur comes home you will find him fit as a fiddle. Being adrift for a -few days will do him good." - -"How awful!" exclaimed Mrs. Cochran, nervously clasping her hands. "Why -I have done almost nothing except carry out the doctors' orders for his -health since he was a baby." - -"That may be partly the trouble, mother," remarked Mr. Cochran. "I'd -give half I own to see him looking like this big lad here. I met some -of his friends to-night. They are coming up to see you soon. You can't -help liking them. They are the kind we used to know down East, ages and -ages ago, 'when we were so happy and so poor.'" - -"If they are anything like David Downes, I know I shall be fond of -them," smiled the mother. - -Then she fell to telling David all about Arthur's boyhood, and her -fond interest in every detail of her son's affairs found such a ready -and warm-hearted listener that Mr. Cochran stole away, and left them -sitting side by side on the divan. Little by little David's confidence -in Arthur's safety began to reassure the tormented mother. The sailor -talked to her of the sea with a knowledge born of his experience and -of the bright hopefulness of youth. Quite naturally he drifted into -telling her about the wreck of the _Pilgrim_, to show how there was -chance of escape in the most desperate disaster. Her mother's heart -was drawn to the picture of Margaret, as David painted it, in words of -loving loyalty and admiration. - -"You are like a fresh breeze blowing from a big, fine, wholesome world -that we seem to have been shut off from," she cried, as she looked at -him with affectionate eyes. "I do believe that Arthur will be brought -home to us." - -They heard a telephone bell ring in another room. The mother's face -became white and tense, and she grasped David's hand and held it fast. -There might be some tidings. After minutes that seemed like hours Mr. -Cochran entered the room with dragging step and bowed shoulders. He -spoke very slowly, as if reluctant to repeat the message which had come -to him. - -"It was a telegram, mother," said he. "One of the _Restless_ boats was -picked up at sea--empty. A Cunarder reported it by wireless." - -Mrs. Cochran swayed against David, who pulled himself together, and his -voice rang out with vibrant conviction: - -"It doesn't mean what you think it does. Ten to one some vessel picked -them up and cast the boat adrift. And the chances are still even that -Arthur was in the other boat. Now is the time to sit tight and hold -your nerve." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -YANKEE TOPSAILS - - -A weary week passed, without tidings of the castaways of the -_Restless_. Arthur Cochran's mother lost heart, and refused to be -comforted. She seemed to be letting go her hold on life, and her -husband, as if seeking to atone for the years in which he had allowed -his worldly interests to absorb his time and thought, was seldom away -from her. His devotion was tender and whole-hearted. The visit of the -Bracewell household had been postponed. Mrs. Cochran was too ill to -leave her room, and even David had to be denied the pleasure of seeing -her again, much as she longed to talk to him about her beloved son. - -The week of shore leave ended and David said good-by to his "dearest -folks" in the tiny flat and posted off to Philadelphia to report on -board the _Roanoke_. He was glad, too, beyond measure, to learn that -Captain Thrasher had been cleared of all blame for the collision, and -would stay in his command. - -"It was vat you call a tight squeak," explained David's faithful -shipmate, the bos'n. "They tells me the Board asks the old man why -don't he get out and push the iceberg to one side, or some such -foolishness. But he proves he was usin' all proper care, and they can't -give him the sack, eh? Mr. Cochran, the moneybags vat we picked up, he -vas very mad mit our old man at first, but he cool down by and by and -see vat a idiot he vas. And he gets some gratitude under his belt, and -puts in a word for the old man, I t'ink. Stanley P. Cochran is very -strong mit the company. He owns much stock." - -So Mr. Cochran had gone out of his way to befriend the captain of the -_Roanoke_, reflected David. It showed that the great man had a sense -of fair play and square dealing if his eyes were once opened. If there -was only some way to enlist this powerful interest in Captain John's -behalf, without making it seem like asking charity. If Arthur should -be saved from the sea, the way might be found. The master of the -_Pilgrim_ was growing old before his time, while he ate out his heart -in vain hopes. He was proud and independent to a fault, and David knew -he would starve sooner than crowd another man out of his berth. While -in New York David had taken pains to learn that none of the sailing -ships in Mr. Cochran's sugar-carrying trade were without masters, and -for the present he could see no help in that quarter. - -One week followed another, and David found no chance to go to New York -again. One of his letters from Margaret told him: - -"Mrs. Cochran sent for me to go and see her yesterday. Grandfather -took me up and was going to sit on the front steps and wait, but the -servants took him in tow and he was invited up-stairs with me. Mr. -Cochran must have said some nice things about poor little me. She was -very sweet and lovely, but so sad looking. And she wanted to know if -I would show her how to make an apple pie. There are at least twenty -servants in their crew, Davy, and imagine me making apple pies in that -house. What makes such very rich people seem so dreadfully lonesome? -She explained that Arthur's boy friends were all out of town, and that -he didn't have many anyhow. - -"They have sense enough to know that you are a wonderful Big Brother, -which is why I like them. Grandfather told her all sorts of cheerful -yarns about people who were not heard of at sea for weeks and weeks, -and then came into port all safe and smiling. She seemed to have faith -in that simple, quiet way of his, when he leans forward and looks you -straight in the eyes as he talks. She asked him had he given up going -to sea, and he told her yes. And I spoke right up as bold as anything: - -"'It isn't because he wants to, but because sailing ships are so -scarce. He never would have anything to do with steam.' - -"She did not quite understand, but he shut me up before I could tell -her that he was one of the finest ship-masters that ever cracked on -sail in a gale of wind. Won't we see you again before we sail, Davy? -I am sending a box of apple pies by express. I made them with my -own fair hands, and one of them is specially for the bos'n, with his -initials on the crust. Mr. Becket says I ought to have put on, 'FOR A -DUTCH HUMBUG.'" - -Davy duly delivered the pie and Mr. Becket's message, and was thanked -for the one and cuffed over the head for the other. - -The _Roanoke_ was almost ready for sea a few days later, when a -telegram came aboard for David. He opened the envelope with stumbling -fingers, fearing something might have happened to his "dearest folks." -The message was from Mr. Cochran, however, and said no more than: - - - "_There may be good news for us. Cannot tell yet. Try to come at - once._" - - -David showed the message to the chief officer, who advised him to take -it to Captain Thrasher. That august personage said at once: - -"Jump right along with you. Give Mr. Cochran my best regards, and tell -him to send you back as soon as he can." - -On the train bound for New York David tried to fathom the meaning of -the uncertain tidings. Either Arthur had been saved or he had not, but -apparently the father was waiting for more information. When David -jumped from the car in the Jersey City station, he was surprised to see -Mr. Cochran waiting for him, with every sign of impatient haste. - -"Come along, youngster," he called at the top of his voice. "I have a -tug with steam up right here by the ferry dock." - -He grasped David's arm and they charged pell-mell through the crowd. -Mr. Cochran had no breath to spare until they had scrambled from the -string-piece of the pier to the deck of a sea-going tug, whose escape -valve was roaring in a cloud of steam. Orders were shouted, a bell -clanged, another jingled, and the tug was racing down the North River -toward the Bay. - -"Mrs. Cochran was not strong enough to come," panted her husband as he -mopped his face. "And we may be disappointed after all. I can't stand -much more of a strain myself. But we shall know in three or four hours, -I hope." - -"What--why--how do you know?" stammered David, whose head felt dazed. - -"Only that a tramp steamer arriving this morning reported being -signalled by a sailing ship, the _Sea Witch_, that she had on board -part of the crew of a yacht. It was blowing hard when the vessels -sighted each other, and the captain of the tramp could not read the -flags distinctly." - -"But where was the _Sea Witch_ when sighted, and whither bound?" - -"Liverpool to New York--a hundred and fifty miles out, twenty-four -hours ago. The wind has shifted to fair for her since midnight, and she -will be in sight of Sandy Hook before dark." - -"Of course Arthur is aboard," cried David, with buoyant faith. - -The father said nothing. Perhaps he was thinking of the sufferings -which had killed so many strong men adrift in open boats. And this -boy of his was a weakling, used to the constant care and luxury -which wealth had lavished on him. David tried to rouse him from his -reflections by saying: - -"The _Sea Witch_ is the finest and smartest ship of her class afloat, -sir. She is the largest four-masted sailing ship that flies the -American flag. I'd give a lot to see her." - -"I believe I control some kind of a fleet of barks and ships in -my sugar business," replied Mr. Cochran, "but I haven't paid much -attention to them. Don't believe I ever laid eyes on one of them. But I -don't recall hearing of the _Sea Witch_." - -"Almost four thousand tons, and sailing mostly to the Orient with case -oil," added David. "I know a man that was in her." - -The tug churned her way through the Narrows and lifted her bow to the -swell of the Bay. Mr. Cochran had become lost in his own thoughts as he -stared from a wheel-house window, while David swapped briny yarns with -the mate. - -"The _Sea Witch_ was spoken three hundred miles out, a week ago," said -the mate. "Then she was blown to sea, and now she's piling in again -with the wind where she wants it." - -The green sea opened ahead, and the tug plunged her guard rail under -as her skipper crowded a good thirteen knots out of her. The Navesink -Highlands became vague and misty over her stern, and still her course -was held toward the east-south-east. - -"The _Sea Witch_ ought to be showing us her royals before long," said -the skipper. - -He had no more than spoken when the mate shouted: "There she is, right -to the minute. A point off the port bow." - -Swiftly the white patch crept above the horizon; sail by sail the -gleaming canvas of the _Sea Witch_ lifted fair and graceful, until her -black hull was visible as a mere dot beneath the immense sweep of her -snowy wings. Every stitch of cloth she could spread was pulling her -homeward. David had been at sea for more than a year without glimpsing -such a noble picture as this. When they had run close enough to make -out the stars and stripes whipping from the mizzen of the _Sea Witch_ -like a tongue of flame, he drew a long breath and felt little chills -run up and down his back. Now he began to understand what the sea and -its ships meant to Captain John Bracewell, ship-master of the old -school. - -Mr. Cochran had no eyes for the rare beauty of the _Sea Witch_ under -full sail. He was leaning far out of his window, imploring the captain -of the tug to make more speed. When the two vessels were a half mile -apart, a string of signal bunting soared to the tug's mast-head, -announcing: "Wish to speak to you, most important." - -After a little interval, the _Sea Witch_ signalled back: - -"Can't stop. What is your business?" - -"Oh, quit that foolishness," groaned Mr. Cochran, wringing his hands. -"Run alongside and speak her as soon as you can." - -The tug swept round in a foaming arc, and came up on the lee side of -the four-master, which was surging home like a race-horse. A long line -of heads bobbed above the bulwark in the waist of the _Sea Witch_, and -presently a slim young figure danced up the poop ladder and climbed on -top of the cabin. - -"That looks like him," cried Mr. Cochran, "but he was never as frisky -as that in all his life." - -The excited David thumped the magnate between the shoulders, and -yelled: - -"Of course it's Arthur. I can make him out as plain as daylight." - -The tug sheered closer and closer at top speed, but she was rapidly -dropping astern of the flying ship. The agile figure on the cabin roof -caught up a speaking-trumpet and piped shrilly: - -"Daddy, ahoy! It's me! How's mother?" - -The father scrambled on deck and bawled with arms outstretched: - -"All well, you little rascal! Are all hands with you?" - -"There they are in the waist. All the men in our boat. Count 'em for -yourself. All present and accounted for, down to the cook's pet monkey. -Anybody lost of your company? And has the other boat been picked up?" - -"We were all saved, thank God. No, the second boat has not been heard -from yet. Here's a youngster who can tell you all about our end of it." - -Arthur failed to recognize at long range the _Roanoke_ cadet whom he -had last seen in bed with a bandaged head. David shouted a welcome, -but it was lost in the stentorian roar of the captain of the _Sea -Witch_: - -"I'll lay my main-yard aback and put your lad aboard, Mr. Cochran. I -wouldn't do it for anybody else but his daddy." - -The tug dropped farther astern, and the towering square rigger began to -slacken her rushing speed as her mighty yards were swung round. Then as -she lay at rest, a rope ladder was dropped overside, and young Arthur -Cochran swarmed down it as if he had been the pet monkey saved from the -yacht. A boat from the tug was waiting, and Mr. Cochran, rising in the -stern-sheets, fairly grabbed the boy in his arms and hugged him like a -bear. Arthur struggled to get his breath and sputtered: - -"Tell the _Restless_ men you're glad to see them, father. They were -mighty good to me." - -"I _am_ an unfeeling brute, but I couldn't think of anything else than -getting my hands on you. _Sea Witch_, ahoy! A glad welcome home to the -_Restless_ captain and his men. Report at my office on landing, and you -won't be sorry that you sailed with me! I feel sure that the rest of -the crew have been saved and will be reported soon." - -As soon as they were aboard the tug, Mr. Cochran began to take stock of -his son and heir. Instead of the wasted invalid he had dreaded to find, -this survivor was tanned, clear-eyed, and vigorous. - -"What kind of a miracle has happened to you?" he asked. "Your mother -won't know you." - -"Plain grub and hard work, I guess," grinned Arthur. "We were adrift -four days, and I got a razor edge on my appetite. Three weeks aboard -the _Sea Witch_ did the rest. The captain said I'd been coddled to -death as soon as he found out who I was, and you bet he kept me busy. -Why, I helped reef the fore-topgallant sail last night." - -Mr. Cochran glanced up at the dizzy yards of the _Sea Witch_ and -shuddered. Then Arthur found time to stare hard at David, who was -tactfully keeping in the background. - -"Well, I'll be jiggered! It's you, is it?" shouted Arthur. "This is -better luck than I counted on. So you two have made it up? Fine! -Father was horrid mean to you. I suppose you picked him up at sea. -Rescuing folks seems to be one of your steady habits." - -"You have guessed right," laughed David. "There was more than one sunny -side to the loss of the _Restless_. It's an ill wind that blows nobody -good." - -While the tug sped toward Sandy Hook, Mr. Cochran and his boy sat in -the skipper's little room abaft the wheel-house and talked to their -heart's content. David was wise enough to leave them alone, and with -peace in his heart he gazed at the _Sea Witch_, which, scorning a -tow-boat, was driving astern of them. The signal station at Sandy Hook -was told to telegraph the good news ahead, and long before they landed -newsboys were crying "Evening Extras," with the return of Stanley P. -Cochran's son emblazoned in head-lines of blue and red. - -David said good-by at the wharf, but Arthur stoutly refused to let him -go. - -"I haven't had a chance to see you more than a minute," exclaimed the -jubilant castaway. "Hang your old ship! Let her wait. Father will -wire the captain for you. Now is the glad time to work Mr. Stanley P. -Cochran for most any old thing." - -"You don't know Captain Stephen Thrasher," said his father. "I tried -to buy him and his ship once. He has asked me to send David back to -the _Roanoke_ as soon as possible, and he meant exactly what he said. -I have learned to let seafaring people have their own way. They are a -terribly obstinate lot," and he winked comically at David. - -No longer afraid of Mr. Cochran's wrath, David told him: - -"I must catch the next train to Philadelphia. Give my love to Mrs. -Cochran, please, and the Bracewells, if you happen to see them." - -"Why, bless me," declared Mr. Cochran, "have you come to New York -without a chance to see your folks? That's absurd. It was very selfish -of me to kidnap you, I'm sure, but there was no one else I wanted to -take out to meet the _Sea Witch_." - -"Never mind. I can write them before I sail," and with this David -set off for the ferry at a smart trot. When he reported aboard the -_Roanoke_ in the evening, Captain Thrasher was just going ashore. - -"What news?" he halted to ask. "Young Cochran safe in port? Well, well, -I am very thankful to hear it. What ship found them? The _Sea Witch_? -Why I know her master well. Dried-up little man with a white goatee?" - -This described the man who had shouted orders from the quarter-deck of -the _Sea Witch_, and David meekly answered, "Yes, sir." - -"Seventy, if he is a day, and tough as a pine knot," concluded Captain -Thrasher. "He was master of a ship when I went to sea as a boy." - -Before David turned in he wrote to Margaret, and wound up with: - -"You never saw such a beautiful ship in your life as the _Sea Witch_. -Be sure to take Captain John down to see her when she docks. If there -were only really and truly fairies, or if I had a magic wand, I would -wave it around Mr. Cochran's head and ask him to buy the _Sea Witch_ -and put Captain John in her, instead of the frosted old pippin that is -master of her. She almost makes me wish I had not gone into steam. Oh, -if you could have seen her under full sail--but what is the use of my -raving about the _Sea Witch_? Good-night, and God bless you all." - -The _Roanoke_ was almost ready to proceed straight to Southampton for -a thorough overhauling after the patch-work repairs made to enable her -to cross the Atlantic in safety. There was no excitement about this -kind of a departure, and on the morning of sailing her empty decks made -David feel a little homesick. He was sent ashore with a bundle of the -captain's farewell letters, and on his way back dodged a cab which was -rattling down to the wharf in runaway fashion. A volley of "Whoas" and -"Hullos" came from inside, and wheeling about, David saw the head of -Arthur Cochran poked out of the window. - -"Ahoy, there," he shouted, pushing open the door, and alighting fairly -on top of David before the driver could pull up his sweating steed. -"Father came over on business, and I coaxed him into letting me come -along, on the chance of seeing you." - -"Come aboard," said David, joyfully. "We're ready to cast off, but -there will be a few minutes to spare, I guess. You don't look a -shipwrecked sailor, not a little bit." - -"I have met those pals of yours," confided Arthur as they hurried up -the gangway. "And they are just bully, aren't they? They are the real -thing. Mother dotes on the dear little sister, and she _is_ a dear, and -Captain Bracewell is a copper-fastened A1 old-time Yankee sailor, that -you read about in books. Say, but he is a brick, a whole ton of 'em. -And, oh, you will be tickled to death to hear that the other _Restless_ -boat was found by a steamer which carried the men to Liverpool." - -"Good enough," cried David. "That is the bulliest kind of news." - -Elated as he was to learn that all the yacht's crew had been accounted -for, the praise of Margaret made David wince a trifle in spite of -himself. Jealousy had never invaded his feelings toward the "little -sister." He wanted Arthur to like his "dearest folks," but it was not -easy to think of sharing their affection. Beating down this ungenerous -emotion with a very manly spirit, David cordially agreed: - -"They are the salt of the earth, Arthur, and I am mighty glad you like -them. They worried themselves almost sick about you. What about Mr. -Becket? Have you met him?" - -"He looked me up yesterday, and was so full of mystery that I couldn't -make head or tail of him. He got almost to the point of telling me -something, and then he sheered off on another tack, rubbed his red -head, sighed, looked out of the window, and muttered something about -guessing he'd have to see you first." - -"Was it anything about Captain Bracewell?" - -"He never got that far. He seemed to be in the last stages of -buck-fever or acute rattles. But he doesn't look like a timid man." - -David was called forward, and while Arthur kicked his heels on a bench -by the gangway, Captain Thrasher happened along, on his way to the -bridge. - -"My father, Mr. Cochran, sends you his warmest regards," said Arthur, -"and wishes you a luckier voyage than the last." - -"So you are the young nine-days' wonder, are you? You look as if sea -life agreed with you." - -"That's what everybody says, Captain, and I am trying to persuade -mother to let me go for a long voyage. My, but I should like to go out -in the _Sea Witch_ to Japan." - -"No finer sailing vessel afloat," said Captain Thrasher. "How is that -old barnacle that commands her? Bad-tempered as ever?" - -"He is pretty violent," smiled Arthur. "But he is done with the sea. -This was his last voyage. He told me he was going home to Maine as -quick as the Lord would let him, and raise potatoes and cabbages, 'gosh -whang it.' He has been at sea fifty-seven years." - -"Who will take her out?" - -"The mate expects to get her, sir. But he is a pie-faced, wooden-headed -Norwegian, with a thirst for rum. I didn't take to him at all." - -"Too bad to see a Norwegian in command of the finest Yankee ship -afloat," was Captain Thrasher's comment as he went on his way. - -Fifteen minutes passed and David had not returned. It was like hunting -a needle in a hay-stack to look for him, and Arthur fidgeted where he -was until the deck officer warned him that it was time to go ashore. -Then David came running aft, just as the _Roanoke_ blew a long blast -to let all hands know she was ready to cast off. - -"I had to tally a lot of stores that just came aboard for the paint -room," panted David. "It is a shame that I can't hear all about what -happened to you at sea. But I'll be back in a few weeks." - -Arthur shouted his farewells, as he ran to the wharf, while David said -to himself, with sorrowful countenance: - -"And I never got in a word for Captain John." - -He would have been more regretful could he have overheard the news -about the command of the _Sea Witch_ as Arthur had told it to Captain -Thrasher. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -CAPTAIN BRACEWELL'S SHIP - - -David had been gone a week, when Arthur Cochran announced to his father: - -"There is no sense in waiting till David, the bold sailor boy, comes -home from sea. I want to ask the Bracewells and Mr. Becket up to -dinner. You postponed it once, before I turned up, and anyhow you owe -them a dinner to square yourself for the apple pie you got away with." - -Since their disaster at sea the domineering manner of Mr. Cochran -toward his son had changed to a relation of good comradeship, in which -Arthur no longer feared and trembled. His timid smile had become frank -and boyish, and he carried himself in a way that made his father proud -of him. - -"By all means," heartily replied Mr. Cochran. "It won't hurt you to -know folks who don't care a rap for your money, and who are not -looking for a chance to pull your leg. They preach a healthy gospel by -just living along in their own way." - -Arthur's mother mildly suggested that the dinner await David's return, -but she was routed by the argument: - -"That will be an excuse for another dinner. The more, the merrier." - -Thereupon she offered her services as a partner in his plans, and -between them they devised all manner of novel decorations and -surprises. The thing which pleased them most was a lake of real water -that extended the length of the dining table, and upon which floated -two toy vessels. One of them was the model of a full-rigged sailing -ship, the other of an ocean steamer, with a black star between her -funnels. They were christened the _Sea Witch_ and the _Roanoke_. For -the bridge of the liner Arthur found a most dashing miniature captain -in blue, who was tagged, in honor of the absent friend, "Captain David -Downes." - -The guests arrived fairly calm, but somewhat awed by their -surroundings. Captain John, in his Sunday black, loomed like a -benevolent Viking. His massive, clean-shaven face had lost its sea -tan, but he was as fine a specimen of the American ship-master as could -have been found in his almost vanished generation. Margaret, dressed in -white, with a rose in her fair hair, was winsomely girlish, enjoying -every moment of this red-letter night. Mr. Becket's rolling gait put -the costly bric-a-brac in some danger, and he would insist on making -side remarks to the servants, but Margaret was a skilful pilot, and -steered him in safety to the haven of the dining-room. - -"I don't quite figure out how it all happened," said Captain Bracewell, -from his chair at Mrs. Cochran's right hand, "but we are all glad to be -here, ma'am. Most of us have been saved by the Lord's grace from the -perils of the deep. But the boy who fetched us all together is absent -from us, and I move we drink his health standing." - -While the company toasted the young able seaman of the _Roanoke_, -Arthur cried: - -"And here's to all ships and sailors, their sisters, sweethearts, and -wives." - -He glanced at Margaret with so mischievous a twinkle in his dancing -eyes that she felt her cheek grow hot, for no reason at all, of -course. Mr. Becket made a diversion, however, by pensively observing: - -"There was a black-eyed senorita in Valparaiso. But she hasn't written -me in eleven years, and I couldn't read it if she did. But I hereby -drink to her most hearty." - -Captain Bracewell's bold and resolute manner, which became him so well, -was returning in the enjoyment of this festal occasion. The weary year -of disappointment and failure was forgotten for the time. He seemed to -grow younger as the dinner wore on. Mr. Cochran, who knew men and how -to draw them out, was shrewdly studying this fine figure of a mariner. -There was more behind that square-hewn face than simple honesty and -loyalty. The man of wealth and power had lost some of his former -contempt for those who could not "make money." Perhaps more than he -realized, he had learned new values of men from David Downes. But why -should Captain Bracewell have quit his calling, reflected Mr. Cochran, -while he was still fit for years of command? "He is not a day over -sixty," the host was saying to himself, "and he looks as sturdy as an -oak tree." Mr. Cochran did not know that there had been a kind of blind -conspiracy to hide the truth from him. David had let slip his chance -to confide in Arthur; Captain John would not have dreamed of presuming -on Mr. Cochran's friendship; while Mr. Becket had lost his daring at a -critical moment. - -Their well-meaning secrecy, their fond hopes and wishes, were revealed -without warning, and without any prompting of their own. They were -talking about the two little ships which swam so proudly on the lake -between them. Mock congratulations were showered upon the absurd figure -of a doll, which stood so stiffly on the tiny liner's bridge. Margaret -called out playfully: - -"Why don't you toot your whistle and salute us, Captain Downes? Too -haughty and stuck-up, I suppose, like all you steamer captains." - -"S-s-s-sh. He is on duty," chided Arthur. "No talking on the bridge." - -"He can have his old steamer," flung back Margaret. "I'll take the _Sea -Witch_ yonder, every time. Oh, isn't she just beautiful, even as a -toy?" - -The blood of a long line of sailor ancestors thrilled in Margaret's -veins, as she clasped her hands and leaned forward to waft her breath -against the white sails of the clipper ship. The _Sea Witch_ dipped to -this fair gale, gathered headway, and furrowed the pond with a wake of -tiny ripples. Her bowsprit pointed straight at Captain Bracewell, and -fanned by the breath of the guests as she passed them, the _Sea Witch_ -glided without swerving from her course to the mossy bank in front of -the captain's plate. - -"But she hasn't any skipper," cried Arthur. "That doll on her -quarter-deck must be the mutton-headed Norwegian mate. Chuck him -overboard, mother. He's no good." - -With a gay laugh, Mrs. Cochran tossed the luckless manikin into the -water, where he sank to the bottom without a struggle, and reposed -against a rock with arms calmly folded across his chest. The heartless -onlookers applauded this tragedy, all save Captain John, who was -looking down at the ship. Perhaps he had a trace of the superstition -which can be found in the hardest-headed seafarer. The _Sea Witch_, -without a captain, had laid her course for him, and was waiting on the -shore. This make-believe voyage might be a good omen. - -Arthur had an inspiration, while the attention of the others was -drawn to Captain John and the fairy ship. Springing to his feet, he -flourished his napkin in the air, and shouted: - -"What's the matter with Captain John Bracewell as master of the _Sea -Witch_? Wouldn't as fine a ship as this persuade you to go to sea -again?" - -Margaret was thrown into confusion, and Mr. Becket was taken all aback, -but Captain John smiled and threw back his shoulders, as he gently -answered: - -"I should like nothing better, but her owners don't see it that way." - -"Who owns the _Sea Witch_?" spoke up Mr. Cochran. - -"Burgess, Jones & Company. She is the last of their four-masted ships -that were built for the Far Eastern trade," said Captain John. - -"Why, it is plain as the nose on your face," declared the headlong -Arthur, who was taking full command of the situation. "Don't let her be -turned into a coal barge, father. That is what they talk of doing with -her after one more voyage. She can be made to pay her way with your -brains back of her. Buy her to-morrow. I'll get you all the facts and -figures. And one long voyage in her is what I need to make me as husky -as David Downes." - -Matters were moving too fast for the guests. Mr. Becket's face was -fairly purple with suppressed emotions, and he could only pound the -table in a dazed kind of way and mutter: - -"Exactly what I tried to tell him. Exactly it. But I got hung on a dead -centre." - -Captain Bracewell raised his hand to command silence. He was anxious to -pull Mr. Cochran out of an awkward situation, and did his best to make -light of the discussion by saying: - -"It is just a boy's fancy, sir. Don't mind him. He means well. We will -just call it a bit of fun, and forget it. Besides, I'm asking no favors -from anybody." - -Captain John had risen to his feet, and was bending toward his host. -Mr. Cochran looked up with frank admiration at the imposing figure -which faced him, and returned: - -"Arthur goes off at half-cock a good deal. But there is a grain or two -of sense in him. Suppose we talk this matter over to-morrow, Captain. -I am a business man, and you are pretty solidly ballasted yourself. I -don't want to fling a lot of money into the sea, nor do you wish any -position that comes to you as a whim." - -But Arthur was not ready to dismiss his great idea, until he noticed -that his mother's face was full of suffering and her dear eyes were -moist with tears. He went around to her and kissed her cheek, as he -asked what the trouble might be. - -"I hope you can make Captain Bracewell happy," she whispered. "But I -can't let you go to sea again so soon. You must not leave me now, when -I feel as if you had been given back to me from the grave. You won't -go, will you, if you can feel strong and well at home with us?" - -The boy responded with impulsive tenderness: - -"Not if you feel that way about it, mother. And I am going to stay -strong and fit, anyway. But you will help me to get the _Sea Witch_ for -the captain, won't you?" - -The father was thinking as he watched them that it was worth a great -deal to have his only son learn lessons of unselfishness; to see him -more absorbed in the welfare of others than in his own interests. Mr. -Becket said to Margaret, in what was meant for a whisper: - -"The lad couldn't know our David very long without getting some of that -help-the-other-fellow spirit. Our boy has always been studying what he -could do for you and Captain John. He even has me on his mind these -days." - -Mr. Becket's whisper was heard the length of the table, and Arthur's -father commented with a smile: - -"I guess you are right, Mr. Becket, but why on earth didn't David let -me know that the captain wanted a ship?" - -"Because you blackguarded and scolded him out of his boots when he -stuck to these friends of his, last year," bravely returned the aroused -Mr. Becket. "And our boy don't crawl on his knees to no millionaires, -potentates, or boojums. That's one reason." - -With tactful desire to restore peace, Mrs. Cochran signalled to a -servant, and a phonograph hidden in the palms began to play "Nancy -Lee." The _Sea Witch_ was not mentioned again until the guests were -ready to take their leave, when Margaret slipped up to Mrs. Cochran and -confided with fluttering voice: - -"Please don't think we ever hinted the least thing to Mr. Arthur about -our looking for a vessel. It is lovely to know that you think so much -of grandfather. And Mr. Becket and I will try to make him understand -that it was all a joke to-night. I can't bear to think of his taking -it the least bit in earnest. We just can't have him down in the dumps -again." - -"Don't worry, Margaret," Arthur's mother responded, caressing the -girl's shining hair. "Things will work out for the best somehow, for -such a dear, brave child and such a splendid grandfather." - -Captain Bracewell passed a sleepless night, his mind restless with -new-born hopes. It could not be true, it was not even sane to expect -that he might walk the quarter-deck of the _Sea Witch_, a bigger, -finer ship than he had ever been master of in his prime. And to talk -of buying her as if she were the toy which had floated on the dinner -table! It was all stark nonsense, yet his kindled imagination could not -help painting bright pictures. Margaret heard him muttering to himself -in the night watches, and stole to his bedside. The captain put his -arms around the slim figure in white, and drew her to him. - -"I haven't slept a wink, either," she whispered. "You will take me with -you in the _Sea Witch_, won't you? But we will be so far away from -David." - -Captain John chuckled: - -"Why, you are the girlie who was telling me all the way home that I -must take it as a bit of fun. What has come over you?" - -"I just can't help believing it is going to come true," she answered. -"I guess we are two silly children. But will you try to coax David to -ship with you?" - -"So that is what is keeping you awake," he responded, very tenderly. -"Nothing would be too good for the lad if he were in my vessel, you -know that. But our chickens aren't hatched, and you'd better turn in, -and thank God for all the blessings we have." - -Next morning Captain Bracewell trudged off to his gang of longshoremen -on a North River pier. As he turned along the crowded water front, -a four-masted sailing ship was being towed into a berth among the -low-roofed warehouses. He stared with surprise at the rare sight, and -thrilled to note the immense height of her masts and the majestic -spread of her yards. Beside the uncouth ocean steamers, she appeared -queenly beyond words. Without going nearer, Captain Bracewell knew -that this must be the _Sea Witch_. He fought with his longing to go -aboard and inspect this vessel of his dreams. But deciding that he -ought to make himself no more unhappy than possible, he moved on his -way, now and then turning for another sight of the "grandest Yankee -skysail-yarder afloat." - -A few hours later Arthur Cochran rode down town with his father, -explaining, by the way: - -"The weeks at sea did me lots of good, I'll admit that. But another -reason why I feel so much better is that I have quit worrying about -myself. If you will give me enough to think about, I won't have time -to bother with my weak chest and spindle legs. But it is a heap more -important that I get Captain John ready for sea before David comes -home. Wouldn't it be a glorious surprise for him?" - -"Give me time to think it over, Arthur. Maybe Burgess, Jones & Company -will be glad to do me a favor without making it necessary to buy a -ship. Why, I own a fleet of them, come to think of it." - -"But they are not in the same class with the _Sea Witch_, father, and -I want to own her myself. It is a good way to break me in to business -before I am ready to go to college. Outbound freights have jumped in -the last week and now is the time to buy or charter." - -"I begin to think you are a chip of the old block, my son," said Mr. -Cochran, not at all displeased. "Maybe I can see you through on this -shipping deal. Come to my office at noon, after I have had time to send -a man out to investigate." - -Arthur was not letting the grass grow under his feet. He posted down to -the wharf to find Captain Bracewell, and implored that busy stevedore: - -"I want all the figures to show the cost of running a four-masted ship, -wages, stores, repairs, and so on. Dig it up in a hurry, please, for -I may be a ship-owner by afternoon. Let your roustabouts have a ten -minutes' rest." - -There was no such thing as heading Arthur off. He volleyed questions -like a rapid-fire gun. No sooner had his flying pencil scrawled the -last row of figures than he fled from the wharf. Noon found him waiting -in the ante-room of his father's private offices, chewing his pencil -stub and scanning many rumpled pages of calculations. Presently a clerk -beckoned him, and the door of the inner office was closed behind the -budding shipping merchant. An hour later he bobbed out with an excited -air and announced to the confidential secretary: - -"Mr. Cochran says to have room number eighteen fitted up as an office, -if you please. I shall use it hereafter. I want the door lettered, - - - 'ARTHUR L. COCHRAN, SHIP-OWNER.'" - - -A messenger found Captain Bracewell eating his dinner at home. Margaret -was trembling as she noticed that the note was written on the office -stationery of Stanley P. Cochran. Her grandfather was outwardly calm, -as he read aloud: - - - CAPTAIN JOHN BRACEWELL: - - _Dear Sir_: This is to offer you the command of the ship _Sea - Witch_, which is now lying at Pier 38, North River, in this port. - If you will accept the position, please call at my office at your - earliest convenience to arrange terms, etc. - - Sincerely yours, - ARTHUR L. COCHRAN, _Agent and Owner_. - - -"Listen to that, his daddy all over again," roared the ship-master. "I -shall have to toe the mark now. Well, it's come true. It's come true, -girlie. And our lad David did it all." - -He knelt by the table, as if this were the first thing to be done, and -Margaret was kneeling beside him as he gave thanks to the God in whom -he had put his trust, afloat and ashore. - -"We must send a cablegram to David," quavered Margaret, sobbing for -sheer joy. "And tell him he _must_ sail with us." - - -Three thousand miles away a lad in sailor blue was mending awnings on a -liner's deck. He did not look happy as he plied the sail-needle with -vicious jabs, while he thought, half aloud: - -"What is the use of having friends if you can't be of any use to them? -What good have I been to Captain John and Margaret? Always wanting to -help, never doing a thing! I might have got him a ship if I hadn't hung -fire so long. Now it's too late. I wish I had never set eyes on those -Cochrans. I just amused them, because I was a kind of curiosity, I -suppose." - -It was a very different David Downes who whooped like a red Indian -soon after he went off watch. After dancing along the deck with a -cabled message in his fist, he sat down on the edge of his bunk to -think things over. Slowly the fact of Captain John's great good fortune -slipped into the background, and bigger and bigger loomed the certainty -which he could not bear to face. - -"A whole year without seeing Margaret," he said to himself, "for she is -sure to go in the _Sea Witch_. I never realized what it would mean to -have them go to sea again. They must take me, too; I can't bear to be -left behind. A whole year without Margaret!" - -Then it came over him that he belonged where he had begun, in steam, -in the Atlantic service. He was of a different age and breed of seaman -from Captain John. Their ways must part. But was not any sacrifice -worth while that would give him a chance to sail with Margaret? David -was suddenly brought face to face with a new problem which had come -into his life without his being aware of it. He must fight it out for -himself. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE CALL OF DUTY - - -Captain John Bracewell's deep voice was shouting orders to the tug -which was making fast to haul the deep-laden _Sea Witch_ out from her -wharf. She was ready to begin her long voyage around Cape Horn, and -the trade winds of the Pacific were calling her. In their first hours -aboard, her crew had found that they were in a "smart ship," with a -master who knew his trade. No longer a stranded derelict, but a leader -of men, gravely rejoicing in the strength and beauty of the _Sea -Witch_, Captain Bracewell looked every inch a proper seaman to command -this queen of the old-time Yankee merchant marine. - -In the spacious after-cabin, bright with the summer sun which flooded -through the open skylights, Margaret was saying almost the last of -her good-bys. Clusters and bouquets of flowers, sent by Mr. Cochran, -senior, made every shelf and corner gay. Mrs. Cochran and he had made -their farewell call and were gone ashore, but Arthur still lingered in -the cabin. Beside him stood able seaman David Downes. The young owner -of the departing ship was saying to the fair-haired girl: - -"I can't stay more than a minute longer. My boat is alongside, and I -must get back to my office. I'd like awfully well to go down the Bay -with you, but--" - -He hesitated, glanced at David and went on with an affectionate smile, -which embraced both his friends: - -"You may not see your big brother for a year, Miss Margaret. He -deserves to have you all to himself to-day." - -"Better change your mind and come back in the tug," said David. "This -is your ship, you know. And Margaret will love to have you." - -She smiled, with lips which slightly trembled, and there was unspoken -sadness in her brave eyes, as she told them: - -"Indeed I want you both until we have to say good-by. And David has not -quite decided to desert us. I am hoping to persuade him yet that he -belongs in the _Sea Witch_. We just can't give him up without trying, -to the very last minute. But it is going to make no difference, even if -the seas do roll between us three. We can't forget you for a moment, -either of you. You two have brought us this great gift and blessing--my -two big brothers." - -Arthur's gaze was wistful, but he answered brightly: - -"And your owner is prouder of his master and of you than he is of his -fine ship." - -"Not to overlook the mate," exclaimed a hearty voice behind them, and -Mr. Becket's head blazed grandly in a patch of sunshine, at the foot -of the companion-way. "Beg your pardon, Mr. Cochran, but we are in the -stream and your boatman wants to cast off. Any orders, sir?" - -"I am coming, Mr. Becket. Well, it is good-by, and God bless you, Miss -Margaret, and fair winds to you, and clear skies," said Arthur, as he -clasped her hand for a moment. Then he followed Mr. Becket on deck. -David ran after them, and as he helped his friend overside, Arthur -asked: - -"Is it go or stay, with you? The longer you hang in the wind without -making up your mind, the worse it will be." - -"It's the hardest thing I ever had to decide," replied David. "I sort -of went ahead blind, and didn't know how much this was going to mean to -me." - -"Father and mother and I have begun to find out that you haven't been -thinking of yourself at all, from start to finish," cried Arthur. -"Maybe that is why all your friends like you." - -This unexpected compliment took David aback, and all he could think of -to say in parting was: - -"You'll hear from me by to-morrow. It's all a game of figuring out what -is right to do." - -David watched the boat move shoreward, until it dodged behind a string -of barges, and then he returned to Margaret in the cabin. She made a -gallant effort to face the issue which they had argued over and over -again. - -"It all happened just right that Mr. Becket was willing to come as -mate," she began, "but oh, the whole beautiful plan seems so empty -without you, Davy. Why can't you sail with us? Grandfather says he will -make you third mate at the end of this voyage. And you will be just -drudging along in the _Roanoke_ for years and years, before you can get -that far." - -"It is different with Mr. Becket," replied David, with a sigh. "He is -almost fifty years old, and he needs a position. Besides, he stands a -fine chance to be master of the _Sea Witch_ when Captain John retires. -But I am just beginning, and I belong in steam." - -Margaret was unconvinced, as she looked up at him with affectionate -pride. - -"I suppose you know what is best, Davy, and I want you to succeed more -than anything else in the world. Duty is a queer thing anyhow. The -Cochrans think I ought to stay ashore and go to school. But I know -better. There never was a wiser teacher than grandfather, and he needs -me, and school must wait. And you and I could study together, Davy. -Think of the months and months at sea." - -"But it all comes down to this, Margaret. Answer me yes or no. Which -course do you want me to take? The one I _ought_ to steer, or the one -I _want_ to follow? There's the whole thing in a nutshell." - -She thought it cruel of him to pin her down to this kind of an answer, -but she met his questions as squarely as Captain John would have done. - -"The course you ought to steer, if you have to take one or the other," -was her verdict. - -"Then I go back to the _Roanoke_," declared David. "I've been veering -this way and that in my mind, but the things I've learned about duty in -the last year kind of help me to make a good finish of it. I must stick -it out as I started. We sail in the morning, Margaret, and we may pass -you going out. I can read any signals you set, and I'll know they are -meant for me." - -"'Don't forget your dearest folks,' will be what I'm saying to you, -David," she answered, very softly. - -David moved toward the companion-way. He saw how hard it was for -Margaret to keep back her tears, now that the parting was so near. - -"Don't forget me, little sister," he said, and his voice faltered. -"I'll be waiting for you, forever and ever, amen." - -He meant more than was in his words, for the "little sister" was dearer -to him in this moment than she had ever been before. But he could not -tell her what was in his heart. They went on deck as Captain Bracewell -called out cheerily: - -"I smell a shift of wind. We shall be under sail to-morrow. Why, the -breeze has painted roses in your cheeks already, Margaret. There's -nothing like getting to sea again. How about it, Davy Downes? Shall I -put your name on the ship's papers?" - -"No, sir. I am an able seaman aboard the _Roanoke_. And I'm sorry that -I put you to the trouble of holding a berth open for me." - -Captain Bracewell looked at the lad with approval, as he rejoined: - -"It isn't always easy to get your true bearings, my boy, and maybe -I did wrong in trying to persuade you to sail with an old fogy like -me. We want you bad, but we're not going to stand in your way, hey, -Margaret?" - -The "little sister" had nothing more to say. Her bright world was -clouded, and she could not look beyond this hour. It was Mr. Becket who -cheered them with his never-failing good humor. Coming aft for orders, -he stood surveying the silent group as if wondering what misfortune had -happened in his absence. - -"Cheer up, my children," was his exhortation. "You've got what you -wanted, and what more do you want? Why, I didn't look as dismal as -all this when my last skipper chased me ashore, with his one whisker -whistlin' in the wind." - -"David is going to leave us," said Margaret, solemnly. - -"And what would we do with the useless little paint scrubber aboard a -real ship?" exclaimed Mr. Becket. "He's never been aloft in his life." - -"Get forward with you, Mr. Becket," thundered the captain, and the -mate ducked down the ladder, as if he had been shot at. The time was -all too short before the _Sea Witch_ reached an anchorage in the lower -bay. David was ready to leap aboard as the tug came alongside. He was -through with saying good-bys, and he lingered only long enough to shake -hands all round. - -Margaret and he had tried to console themselves with the thought that -this was not really their last sight of each other. The liner would be -going out in the morning, and then it would be farewell in earnest. -But David was a lonesome and melancholy sailor as he went aboard the -_Roanoke_ that night. The bos'n found him on duty at the gangway, and -took pity on his low spirits. - -"It vas hard to lose friends, but it vas worse to have no friends to -lose, and all hands on deck, from the old man to his sawed-off leetle -cabin-boy knows that you haf been true to your friends and stuck by -your colors, boy. It vill do you no harm. I vas getting old, and there -is gray in my hair, and I vill never be a ship's officer. But if you -does _your_ duty and sticks by your friends you will wear the blue coat -mit the brass stripes on the sleeve, and you will be glad you stayed by -steam." - -"But I always wanted to be the kind of a seaman my father was," -confided David, grateful for the cheer of this grizzled shipmate. "And -I've just left that kind of a ship-master and a vessel that made me -sort of choke all up to look at her." - -Next morning came fair and sparkling, with a fresh wind out of the -north-west that set the harbor to dancing. The liner's decks were -crowded with passengers in holiday mood. From her huge funnels poured -clouds of black smoke, to tell the water front that she was eager to be -free and hurrying over seas. Promptly on the stroke of ten, as if she -were moved by clockwork, the decks trembled to the thresh of her giant -screws, hawsers came writhing in to the rattle of donkey-engines fore -and aft, and the black hull of the liner slid slowly past her pier. - -Up in the bow, able seaman David Downes waved his cap to Arthur Cochran -who had come down to see him off. Their friendship had been knit closer -by the sailing of the _Sea Witch_, and David glowed at the thought of -the message which Mr. Cochran, senior, had sent to the steamer by his -boy: - -"Tell the able seaman that I wasn't as crazy as I seemed when I bought -the _Sea Witch_ overnight. If he had wanted her for himself it would -have been another matter. But I did it to please him as much as to -please the old skipper and my boy. Tell him he has helped me to know -what friendship means, in a world where I thought that kind of thing -had gone out of style." - -As the _Roanoke_ neared Sandy Hook, David saw far ahead a row of tall -spars astern of a tug. He forgot his work and rushed to the rail. It -was the _Sea Witch_, and the liner would pass close to her. Soon little -patches of white began to break out among the yards of the ship ahead. -The bos'n stood beside David and growled in his ear: - -"You must not loaf on deck, boy, but maybe a minute won't hurt -nothings. It vas a good sight, that. I know it all. Now I hear the -captain say to the mate, 'Set your jibs.' And next it is, 'Set your -staysails.' And then it is, 'Loose your lower topsails.' Then the mate -vill sing out to the men, 'Haul away the lee sail,' or 'Overhaul the -main-top-gallant bunt-lines.' But I am an old fool and you are a young -loafer. Get along mit you." - -As if by magic, the white canvas was spreading higher and higher above -the low hull of the _Sea Witch_, until her royals seemed like bits of -the clouds that drifted in the blue sky. As David answered a summons -from the bridge, he overheard Captain Thrasher say: - -"Very smartly done. The old man must have shipped a good crew. Wonder -where he got 'em? That's the way Yankee ships used to make sail when I -was a boy." - -David felt a thrill of pride as if he had a personal share in this -welcome praise. The liner was overhauling the _Sea Witch_ hand over -hand. David was straining his eyes to make out the flutter of a skirt -on the quarter-deck. The ship was still too far away, however, and his -attention was caught for a moment by the surprised voice of the bos'n: - -"Holy schmokes, your granddaddy is gettin' up his sky-sails. He vill -give us a race, eh?" - -Sure enough, the sailors of the _Sea Witch_ could be seen working in -mid-air, and presently the tiny squares of canvas gleamed above her -royals. "It is to show this old tea-kettle what a Yankee ship can do," -quoth the bos'n. - -No more stately and beautiful sea picture could be imagined than -the _Sea Witch_, when Captain Bracewell had put her under this -staggering press of sail. The wind was humming through the stays of the -_Roanoke's_ apologies for masts, and it smote the _Sea Witch_ with a -driving power, which heeled her until the copper of her hull gleamed -like a belt of gold against the white-capped Atlantic. - -David could see Margaret leaning against the weather rail of the poop, -her hair blowing in the jolly wind, as she shaded her eyes and gazed -at the liner's decks. Nor could this daughter of the deep sea have -asked for a more fitting accompaniment for her farewell to David than -the roaring chorus which floated from amidships of the _Sea Witch_. -Captain Bracewell had bullied and bribed the shipping masters of New -York to find him Yankee seamen. It was a hard task that he set them, -but by hook and crook he had gathered a dozen deep-water "shell-backs" -of the old breed among his thirty foremast hands, and they knew the -old-time sailors' chanties. Now, as they swayed and hauled on sheets -and braces, their lusty chorus came faint and clear to the liner: - - - "Come all ye young fellows that follow the sea, - With a yeo, ho, blow the man down, - And pray pay attention and listen to me, - Oh, give me some time to blow the man down." - - -Soon the chorus changed as the topsail yards were swayed: - - - "We're outward bound this very day, - Good-by, fare you well, - Good-by, fare you well. - We're outward bound this very day, - Hurrah, my boys, we're outward bound." - - -The passengers of the liner were cheering. Here were sights and sounds -which they had read about in romances of the sea. But David was no -longer thinking of the ship yonder. He was blowing kisses to the -"little girl" who had crossed the deck and was standing with one arm -about the captain of the _Sea Witch_. Over their heads was set a row of -signal flags to speak their parting message: - -"All's well. Love and greetings." - -Captain Thrasher turned his whistle valve, and the _Roanoke_ bellowed a -courteous "Good-day to you." Stronger and more musical than before came -the sailors' chorus: - - - "Hurrah, my boys, we're outward bound." - - -Captain Thrasher chanced to catch a glimpse of the lad with the radiant -face, who was leaning over the rail of the deck below him. With a -kindly impulse, he sent a boy to call David to the bridge. - -"You can see them a little better here," said the captain. "I take it -that you're pretty sorry to leave those shipmates of yours. Did you -want to go with them?" - -The young able seaman stood very straight, and his square jaw was -firm-set, as he replied: - -"Yes, sir. But I decided to stay with you." - -The captain of the liner understood the boy's struggle. He made no -comment, but said to one of his officers: - -"Tell the quartermaster to sheer a little closer to that ship. I may -want to speak her." - -David looked his gratitude, and was on edge with excitement, as he -gazed down at the white deck of the _Sea Witch_, and wondered if his -voice could carry that far. Perhaps he might hear Margaret call to him. -She had seen him go to the bridge. Her face was upturned, and she had -picked up a speaking-trumpet. - -[Illustration: David gazed down at the white deck of the _Sea Witch_.] - -Just then the fourth officer of the _Roanoke_ brushed past David. He -was bare-headed, his coat was torn, and there was blood on his face. He -addressed the captain, as if short of breath: - -"If you please, sir, two of those insane steerage passengers we are -deporting have broken out, and are running amuck below. The rest of the -people are scared clean off their heads, and I want more help to handle -'em." - -The discipline which had become an instinct with Captain Thrasher -caused him to grasp at whatever assistance was nearest to save every -second of time he could. He saw David at his elbow, and snapped at him: - -"Down you go! Jump! I'll send more help in a minute or two." - -David cast one glance at the deck of the _Sea Witch_. Margaret had -never looked so dear to him as now, when she was almost within -speaking distance. The pleading disappointment in David's face was not -unobserved by Captain Thrasher, but his grim features were unmoved as -he repeated, more sharply: - -"Don't stand like a dummy! Below with you!" - -A sweet, shrill hail came from the quarter-deck of the _Sea Witch_, -"Oh, David, ahoy!" - -David heard it, but he did not turn to look over the side. The doctrine -of duty had never been so hard to swallow, but with his jaw set hard -and his fists shut tight he ran after the fourth officer. A bedlam of -noises came from the steerage quarters, groans and shrieks and prayers. -Re-enforced by two more seamen, the officer and David charged into -the uproar. Three stewards and a quartermaster had pinned the insane -foreigners in a corner, and were trying to put strait-jackets on them. -It was a difficult task, even with more help, and the panic of the -other Hungarians, Russians, and Poles had grown to the size of a riot. -David pitched in with the momentum of a centre-rush, and after several -sharp tussles looked around him to find that his doughty comrades had -done their duty well. His impulse was to rush on deck for a sight of -the _Sea Witch_, but his duty was to await orders. - -"Stand guard over these poor lunatics till you are relieved," grunted -the fourth officer. - -David's face turned very red, he winked hard and tried to hold back the -words that rushed to his lips: - -"But I must go on deck, sir. I--I--" he broke off and steadied himself -with a great effort. Before the amazed officer could reply to this -mutinous outburst David had come to himself. Discipline and duty took -command again, and he added in a tone of appeal: - -"Please forget what I just said, sir. I didn't mean to talk back. Of -course I'll stay." - -The officer cast a sour look at the lad, as if in half a mind to punish -him. Then with a gruff "Keep your tongue in your head next time," he -went away. - -David looked around at the speck of blue ocean which glinted through an -open porthole. Margaret's ship was out there, but he could not see her. -Every moment the liner and the _Sea Witch_ were drawing farther and -farther apart. And Margaret--was she looking for him, trying to send -across the water her message: "Don't forget your dearest folks"? - -The disconsolate David, sulking in the steerage, was not wise enough to -know that in this trying hour he was doing that which would have made -his "dearest folks" happy in this big boy of theirs. - -When at length he climbed on deck, the stately _Sea Witch_ was -hull-down against the blue of the south-western sky. Lower and lower -dropped the pyramid of sail, until a fleck of white hung for an instant -on the horizon line. David rubbed his eyes, and looked again. The _Sea -Witch_ had vanished. - -He turned away and looked up at the bridge of the _Roanoke_. Captain -Thrasher was pacing his airy pathway, quiet, ready, masterful, while -the strength of fifteen thousand horses drove the Black Star liner -toward her goal. David Dowries was sure in his heart that he had chosen -the right way, although it was the hardest way. As the sun went down, -he gazed across the heaving sea where he had last glimpsed the _Sea -Witch_, and said to himself: - -"What I ought to do, not what I want to do: that is the course Captain -John and Margaret told me to steer. 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