An Ocean Outlaw: a story of adventure, etc

Front matter

AN OCEAN OUTLAW By HUGH ST. LEGEE. Crown Svo. Cloth elegant. Illustrated. As. Sou'wester and Sword. A Story of Struggle by Sea and Land. "As racy a tale of the sea and war adventure aa we have met with for some time. There is no attempt at fine writing; it is from first to last a plain-sailing, straightforward narrative, alive with incident and character, and stamped with a veracity that suggests actual experience by the author us the things he describes. . . . Altogether it seems the sort of book that boys will revel in." — A theniv.nm. " Books as good-humoured, as good-natured, as vivacious, as full of animal spirit as Sou'wester and Sword are hard to find." — National Observer. Crown Svo, Cloth elegant. Illustrated. Us. ** Hallowe'en" Ahoy! Or, Lost on the Crozet Islands. "Ono of the best stories of seafaring life and adventure which have appeared this season.

It contains a capital 'foc's'le' ghost and a thrilling shipwreck. No boy who begins it but will wish to join the Britannia long before he finishes these delightful pages."— Academy. London : BLACKIE & SON, Limited, 50 Old Bailey, E.C. MJJI17 SUDDENLY JIMMY YELLED: "THE BOATS ARE CASTING OFF!" AN OCEAN OUTLAW A STORY OF ADVENTURE IN THE GOOD SHIP MARGARET BY HUGH ST. LEGER Author of "Sou'wester and Sword". "Hallowe'en Ahoy I" &e. WITH SIX ILLUSTRjiTlONS BY WILLIAM RAINEY, R.I. LONDON BLACKIE & SON, Limited, 50 OLD BAILEY, E.C. GLASGOW AND DUBLIN CONTENTS. CHAP. Page I. Introduces Two Skippers, 9 II. To Sea in a Hurry, 20 III. Harpooning a Porpoise, 32 IV. Pounding the Cape, 43 V. Thrashing to Windward, 51 VI. A Ship on Fire, 62 VII. Foul Play! 78 VIII. The Castaways! 89 IX. A Hand-to-hand Fight, 99 X. Cut Adrift by the Mutineers, 115 XI.

Jimmy gets a Eope's-ending, 126 XII. Thousands of Pounds! 139 XIII. Jimmy and Fred have a Yarn, 148 XIV. The Recapturing of the Barque, 161 XV. A Scrimmage in the Dark, 174 XVI. The Pirate's Parchment, 1S5 XVII. The MuTiNEfiRSyARE Marooned, 199 XVIII. In Search of Plan^Island, 213 XIX. In Captain Frapp's Parlour, 233 XX. Jimmy Finds the Gold, VI CONTENTS. CHAP. PaS° XXI. The Jewelled Skeleton, ... 249 XXII. Capsized! 258 XXIII. Ready for Action 267 XXIV. Up Goes the Jolly Roger, 274 XXV. The Sinking of the Barque, 283 XXVI. Jimmt Spikes the Bow-gun, 295 XXVII. Retribution ILLUSTRATIONS. Page Suddenly Jimmy yelled: "The boats are casting off!" Frontispiece. 288 Fred has a Shot at the Porpoises, 37 Captain Friend, armed with a Capstan Bar, dashes into the Fight, Ill "Jimmy dodged the blow, and at the same instant pulled the trigger," 166 "Next one for slaughter," said Whale as he and Jimmy entered, 208 Jimmy and his Friends discover the Jewelled Skeleton, A STORY OF ADVENTURE IN THE GOOD SHIP MARGARET.

Chapter II. To Sea In

A HURRY. DICK," said Captain Frapp, "sit with me a spell before you turns in. I want comforting. I feel like a glass before a hurricane — down — down. Just think of the Margaret a-sailing without me." " I've 'sperienced the same feeling, captain, when I had to knock off the sea; not that I was reverse to a warm corner by a fire ashore, but I didn't like the feeling of being done with." "Done with! who's done with? Not me, Dick; I'll back myself to shin up a royal truck or haul out a reef earing with any man afloat. No, Dick, I ain't done with, I'm only in dry dock refitting." " No, captain, I don't say as how you're done with, I only said as how I felt when I was. I'm an older man than you, captain." "Dick, you were right; I am done with, but I don't like being told so. You were right, I'm only a hulk, and will soon be broken up.

Do you know, Dick, to morrow is the boy's birthday? He is twelve years old; did you know it?" " I should have been blind if I hadn't, considering as he's been superintending the duff-making for the last two days, sir. He says you promised that he should go to sea when he was thirteen." " He'll probably have to go before that. Now, fill up your glass and we'll drink the boy's health, and a good voyage to the Margaret. She ought to be lucky sailing on the lad's birthday." " She ought, captain ; so I drinks to Master Thomas Frapp, and success to the Margaret." Hardly had old Dick finished his toast, when he observed Captain Frapp turn very pale. "It's coming on again, Dick! I'm going! Do as I tell you. Fetch the doctor, and then take the boy to the docks. You'll catch the Margaret at the pierhead if you're sharp.

Tell Gammoning that I'm gone, and he must look after the boy. Hurry up, lad, I'm near foundering ! " "Ay, ay!" said old Dick, who hurried off to obey the skipper's orders. He did not wait to put on hat or monkey jacket, so he was at the doctor's place in a brace of shakes, and having delivered his message, hurried back to the house. Captain Frapp was lying on the floor at full length breathing heavily, but still conscious. Dick placed a cushion under his head. "Get the boy, and take him aboard," gasped the captain. "Ay, ay, sir!" " Master Thomas," said Dick, as he shook the lad, who was slumbering quietly. " Here ! rouse up ! It's your watch on deck. The skipper says as how you're to join the Margaret, and there ain't no time to lose, so jump into your dudds, sonny, and come with me." Master Thomas Frapp was much confused at being thus rudely wakened, but he obeyed, and was soon dressed.

Dick in the meantime had done up a bundle of clothes, and the two went downstairs. "I must say good-bye to father," said the boy, as Dick was about to hurry him out of the front door, not wishing him to see the skipper lest he should be alarmed. "Wait here, sonny, I'll ax the captain. Will you see the lad, sir?" he asked, putting his head in at the door. "Yes, bring him in, I must kiss him again; but hoist me on to the chair. I'll pull myself together." Master Thomas entered the room. "Come here, lad, give me a buss!" said his father huskily. " You see I'm giving you a birthday present. You shall go to sea." " Thank you, father," answered the boy, putting his arms round the Captain's neck and kissing him. " God bless you, lad ; be good for my sake. Now, off you go or you'll lose the ship. God bless you."

The tears started in the boy's eyes, and to prevent his father from seeing them he hurried from the room. "You know your instructions, Dick," said the skipper huskily. "I does, sir; " Tell Gammoning to make a sailor of him. He must bring him up hard, Dick ; he must bring him up hard." " Ay, ay, sir, I'll see to it." As the two emerged into the wet street they met the doctor. "I'm glad you've come, sir; go in. I'm feared the skipper is in a bad way. Pull him through, sir, if you can, sir." " I'll do my best," said the doctor. " Where are you taking the boy?" "To sea, sir. He's a bit young, but we wants no orphans ashore; the skipper don't approve of it. The doctor entered the house, and Dick and the boy started on their trudge to the docks. Master Thomas Frapp did not quite understand why he was called upon to take this sudden departure.

He would have been delighted had he known beforehand that he was going to sea, but to be rudely wakened from his sleep, and only allowed time to take a hurried farewell of his father, to whom he was devotedly attached, seemed to him strange. And though his eyes were pretty full of sleep and rather dazzled by the light when he entered the room, he had noticed that his father's usually bronzed face was of an ashy hue; and though he was too young to understand much about illness and death, yet the almost momentary glance he got filled him with a dread foreboding that all was not right. The two walked on for some distance in silence, the boy holding Dick's hand. But the more he ruminated over this flit the more uneasy he became. " Dick," he inquired, "why couldn't father tell me be fore that I was going to sea with Captain Gammoning?"

" Seeing I ain't the skipper, sonny, I can't tell you ; but the orders now is that you has to sail." " Yes, I know, but I believe there's something wrong. Why was the doctor going in?" " Didn't ax him. Mayhap he was going to have a crack along with the old man.1 But ain't it your birthday, sonny, and don't the skipper like to give you little surprises? In my opinion it is a queer sort of birthday present to give a son — a-sending him off to sea in the middle of the night, — but you axed to go, and the old man, you see, has let you." "Oh, I don't mind going to sea, Dick, you know I don't; but I'm sure there's something wrong with father. Isn't there?" " By the time you've made a voyage with Captain Gammoning, you'll have been taught not to ax no questions when you receives an order, sonny. Your orders is to join the Margaret.

If you don't want to, I'll just 'bout ship and we'll go back again." Here Dick came to a stand-still. " Shall we go about, sonny ? Say the word and round we go. I'll just snug my canvas first, for the skipper, your father, won't be over-politeful if we does; but I'll chance that if you is determined not to obey orders." " Go on, Dick, I don't want to go back ; but for all you say I believe there's something wrong." " Mayhap there is, mayhap there isn't, sonny ; but 1 Old man, sea slang for captain. you hurts my feelings axing all these questions, after all the edication I've given you as to how you've got to obey orders. Jump at the sound of the word ; that is, if ever you wants to make a sailor." "I won't say anything more, Dick," said the boy, somewhat hurt at the way his old friend spoke.

" Right, sonny, always obey. I wish I was a-coming along with you, but I'm too antiquated. But you'll always remember, even when you get to be a skipper, that it was old Dick Grains as first taught you how to make an eye-splice, and know the difference between a reef-knot and a granny." " I will, Dick," said the boy, squeezing the old salt's hand. " I'll always think of you." "And always do your duty like the son of your father, who, if he ain't a sailor, ain't nothing." " I'll do my best, Dick. How much further have we to go? I don't know this way." "'Tain't much further, lad. I thought you was a bit mystified. I'm taking you a short cut; we ain't got much time, and the vessel may have hauled out already, so we may have to make what we calls a pier head jump for it." They soon arrived at the dock wall, and walked alongside it until they came to a small gate.

Before this gate Dick stopped, and giving it two or three kicks he waited for an answer. "They sleep pretty sound, lad, inside the docks. They calls themselves watchmen or policemen, but they always takes a thundering lot of waking of a night-time." " I hear someone coming, Dick." " Yes, so there is, lad. I thought I should have had to kick away till my boots became misfits, but they is awake for a wonder." "What do you want?" said the surly voice of a sleepy policeman as he unlocked the gate. " We wants the barque Margaret. Has she hauled out yet?" " She's in the basin; but you can't come in this way, you must go round to the main gate." " Can't do it, we shall miss her. I have an important message from the owners to the captain." " I can't help that; you must go round to the main gate." " No time for that, chum.

We must get in this way. This young gentleman is a first-class passenger; he must get aboard. So catch hold of my hand, Mr. Policeman; there's something aburning my fingers." Master Thomas Frapp saw the policeman catch hold of Dick's hand with alacrity. " Ah, that's better; it don't burn now. Come along, >■> sonny. " You'll find her in the basin if you hurry up," said the policeman, as he let them through the gate; " though I've no right to let you through this way." "That's what the almighty dollar can do, lad: make a man disobey his orders. I hope you'll never do the like," said Dick, as they hurried along the quays. The boy was now full of excitement as they passed along the long rows of vessels which loomed up gloomily in the faint light of the dock lamps. " I sees her," said Dick, as they got clear of some tall warehouses ; " I sees her.

We must run or we'll be too late. Come along, lad!" They arrived just in time to jump aboard on to the poop. The next minute the tug had hold of the Mar garet, and was towing her down the river. " I told you it would be a pier-head jump, and so it was. You stop here, lad, whilst I go and look for Captain Gammoning. I hears his voice. It will be a bit of a surprise for him when he sees me. You go down into the cabin and wait till we comes for you." Tom reluctantly made his way below, as he was desirous of seeing the sights in the river in spite of the rain and cold wind; but he did not like to hurt his old friend's feelings by disobeying him, so down he went. " Captain Gammoning," said Dick, when he got up to the skipper, who was standing alongside the pilot at the break of the poop, "Captain Gammoning, I have a message for you."

" Why, Dick, what's up ? What brings you aboard? Nothing wrong, I hope. When did you come?" " All as wrong as a cargo of coolies with the cholera, and I came aboard just now over the taffrail. What's more, the boy is aboard along with me." "He's not dead?" said the skipper, as his thoughts flew back to his promise to Captain Frapp. "No, sir, he ain't dead; leastways he worn't when I left him, though he said he was a-dying, and who am I to say he ain't? I've sailed with him a good many years, and he never made a mistake, and I don't see why he should now; though if he do get better I sha'n't blame him, for a man don't always speak the truth when he's ashore." "Never mind that, Dick; but what's wrong with him?" " Why, sir, after you had left, him and me sits down in his state-room, as it were, and we gets cracking on about you and the voyage, and such like, when he gets took bad, and he says to me, ' Dick Grains, I'm done, I'm dying.

Go and fetch the doctor, and then take the boy aboard the Margaret, and tell Gammoning (he didn't say Captain, so I doesn't), and tell Gammoning to look after him, and make a sailor of him;' and he says as how you knew his wishes, and you're to bring him up hard, sir, you're to bring him up hard. Them were the last words he says to me." " And do you think he's as bad as he thinks he is, Dick?" " Well, sir, he says he's a-dying, and as I says afore I never knowed him to make a mistake. But if he has in this case, you can't blame him. It's the shore air, sir. It don't suit men as have been brought up at sea; there ain't room enough to breathe like, with all them houses round, and a man must say something or he'd bust. No, sir, I don't think he's dying; I think he was only ventilating hisself, though I don't like to think of him making a mistake."

" Well, Dick, we must go and have a look at the boy. Does he know anything about it?" "There's very little he don't know, sir — he's got his eyes about him; but he thinks his father has sent him away to sea as a birthday present, though I ain't sure he hasn't smelt a rat." " Well, Master Thomas, so you've come to sail with me after all," said Captain Gammoning, as he and Dick entered the cabin and caught sight of young Frapp, who had seated himself on the table, and was eating a ship's biscuit. "Don't he go for them pantiles, sir?" said Dick. " What's bred in the bone! — you know the old saying; but I lay he don't take so kindly to hard tack in a month's time; he'll be trying to get round the cook for a piece of duff, I know." "What traps did he bring with him?" inquired the skipper. " Only a few done up in a handkerchief, sir. Cap tain Frapp said as how you was to supply him out of the slop chest."

"Yes, I'll do that; but you had better turn in, lad, and finish your snooze. You can have my bunk till morning." "I'm not tired, sir; let me go on deck," said Tom. " No, no, lad, you had better turn in." " Beg pardin, sir, for interfering with you aboard of your own ship, but you remember what Captain Frapp said — 'Bring him up hard, sir, bring him up hard,' and 'put him in the forecastle', sir; them was the orders." "Ay, ay, Dick; he's not my boy. I'll do as his father wants." So young Thomas, having been supplied with an oilskin coat, was sent on deck, whilst Dick was given a tot of rum. When the vessel arrived off Gravesend a boat came alongside, and old Dick Grains, having taken a rough but affectionate farewell of his charge, got into her and was pulled ashore. Master Thomas Frapp was in due course supplied with a good rig -out of clothes, and was sent to be°in his sea life in the forecastle with the rating on the ship's articles as "boy", and to do the humble though necessary work of "Jimmy Ducks"; whose duty is not only to dance attendance on sailors in the forecastle and the officers in the cabin, but to look after, clean, and feed all the live-stock, which in a vessel like the Margaret consisted only of a couple of pigs, and a few dozen fowls.

Had Captain Gammoning had his own way, he would have brought him up in the cabin, but his orders were to bring him up hard, so he had no option but to make him begin life in the humble capacity of " Jimmy Ducks ".

Chapter III. Harpooning

A PORPOISE. THE Margaret got a good stiff breeze on the quarter, which soon carried her clear of the Channel and out of the region of gales and sleet into the warm sunshine of the tropics. Master Thomas Frapp took to a sailor's life as naturally as a duck takes to water. The crew of the Margaret numbered fourteen hands all told, made up as follows: Captain Gammoning in command; Mr. Roar all, chief mate; Mr. Jackson, second mate; Chips the carpenter, a cook and steward, and eight able seamen, which, together with young Frapp, made up the four teen. Jimmy Ducks, as Master Frapp was called in the forecastle, soon made friends with the men, but out of the eight hands forrard his great chum was a sea man by name Fred Whale. He was rather a peculiar specimen of humanity, and not overfavoured with out ward personal attractions.

He had a very thick thatch of fiery red hair, a straggly red beard and moustache, and a nose which looked as if it had, at one time or another, received a blow which had spread it over his face. His eyes were his redeeming feature, they were of a dark brown, fine and clear, something like the eyes one sees in a retriever dog, only far more full of fun. Until one got accustomed to Fred Whale, it was difficult to talk to him without laughing, and impos sible to help liking him in spite of his somewhat grotesque appearance, for besides his peculiar-looking head and face, his body was out of the ordinary run. He was nearly as broad as he was long, and scarcely measured five feet from the top of his head to the sole of his foot, but all his limbs seemed bursting with strength, and he would probably have proved as ugly a customer as you could find if it came to a rough and-tumble fight.

Such was the appearance of Jimmy Ducks' especial chum. The rest of the hands were such as are usually (M217) c met with in a merchant vessel — thorough seamen, in veterate growlers, but with no real harm in them. The Margaret was well found in every respect, so the men had to go out of the way to find grievances. Mr. Roarall the mate was a perfect godsend to the port watch.for he himself was the king of growlers — nothing ever appeared to please him. If the weather was fine he growled, if it was bad he growled, if the men were extra smart in executing an order he growled. " Do you think we're aboard a man-of-war?" he roared out, after the watch had put the vessel about without call ing all hands; "you'll wear the ropes out if you works like that." They in their turn growled back ; but in spite of all this there was a good understanding between him and his watch.

He was a smart sailor, and they respected him; they were smart seamen, and he respected them. But growling is as necessary to the British seaman as rice is to a Hindoo. So on the Margaret everyone was fairly contented. The north-east trades were picked up in about 18° N. They were never very strong, but with every stitch of canvas drawing, the smart little barque reeled off the knots merrily, though when they left her, within a degree of the equator, she still had many thousands to do before she reached Calcutta, whither she was bound. Jimmy Ducks had crossed the line five years before when he made the voyage with his father just after his mother's death, so there were no greenhorns to in troduce to Neptune aboard the Margaret. The men were rather disappointed at this, as Jimmy had not let them know he had been to sea before until they had completed all the preparations for carrying out the time-honoured ceremonies, which are generally observed when there are any first voyagers or pas sengers to be introduced to the sea-god.

The Margaret was left becalmed for the first time since leaving England. She lay almost motionless on the glassy sea, her sails hanging idly from the yards, a scorching sun beating down with intense power on her white decks, and making everyone long to plunge into the blue, still waters of the ocean. There was plenty of work to be done, as there always is on every ship. No matter how well she may be found, or in what splendid condition she may leave dock, there is always something wants doing from the time of sailing until coming back into port again. The mate took the opportunity of this calm to set up the rigging both fore and aft. The constant motion of a vessel makes the shrouds and back-stay give, so that several times during a voyage these have to be tautened up, and the finer the weather the easier it is to stay the masts correctly.

The calm had lasted two days, by which time everything aloft was looking so spick and span that the Margaret might easily have been taken for a man-of-war. But calms are very monotonous. A death-like still ness pervades everything, if there is no swell on; a frightful row is produced by the flapping of sails, and creaking and groaning of the timbers as the vessel rolls, if there is. So, from whichever side a dead calm at sea is viewed it is never pleasant. The Margaret hardly moved ten knots during the two days, and everyone was wishing and whistling for a breeze, but there was not the slightest sign of one, not even of a squall, which is so common in those latitudes. A vessel had been reported on the starboard bow, but she was a mere tiny speck, and was no relief to the eye from the glaring expanse of water which stretched all round to the horizon without so much as a ripple to break its monotonous and aggravating smoothness.

Therefore, on the third morning as the sun rose from his ocean-bed, it was with the utmost joy that a splashing noise was heard under the bow, and a large shoal of porpoises was discerned gambol ling and frolicking round the ship. "Can we have the harpoon, sir?" said Fred Whale to the mate, who was on the poop having his coffee before turning the watch to. "Yes; any fish forrard, or do you want an excuse to waste time?" FRED HAS A SHOT AT THE PORPOISES. " There are porpoises, sir — some fine big ones too." " All right. Go and get a line ready, and I'll fetch the harpoon. The carpenter has got the shaft, I think. Is he up?" "Yes, sir; he's just finished his coffee." "Well, hurry up! One can never tell how long those gentry will stop with you." " Oh ! they seem quite at home, sir. They're hav ing a good time of it; not likely to go away just yet."

The mate went below and presently returned with the harpoon. " Who's going to use it?" he asked. " Whale, you've been on a whaler, haven't you ? If you haven't you ought to have been," said Mr. Roarall, who had come on to the forecastle head. "Yes, sir. I'm told I was born in the trade, and I knows my father was, and that's why my mother called him Whale." " Well, you're the man to strike." The porpoises were darting about in all directions, under and round the bow. It seemed almost a shame to disturb them, they looked so delightfully cool and comfortable as they went through their merry gambols; at least so thought Jimmy Ducks, but not so Fred Whale. He had climbed out to the martingale, where, harpoon in hand, he stood ready to dart it at the first fish which came near enough. He waited for some minutes, but without coming into action.

" Them is cunning," he said. " They keep dodging about, but they takes precious good care to keep out of my reach." "There you are, Fred; right under you." There was a splash as the harpoon shot from Whale's hand. "Missed!" he said disappointedly as he hauled the weapon in. The porpoises did not seem a bit alarmed, but played away quite unconcernedly. " Better luck next time," shouted a seaman called Daniels. " Three tries only, Fred, and then you hands over the weapon to somebody else." "Right you are, Daniels; but I won't miss a second time, I tells you!" Again there was a splash. "Got him!" cried Fred exultantly, and the line to which the harpoon was attached paid out, as much as it could. At the same time the pure transparent water became tinged with blood. "Play with him a bit," shouted Fred.

"Haul in and slack out two or three times. Handsomely now; that's it. He won't get away; he's badly hit; haul him round to the port side. Gently does it. There! he's getting weak! Now then, a running bowline; just pass it over his snout, and we've got him." This was soon done, and in a few minutes a big fat porpoise was landed safely on deck. " Fresh meat for breakfast, chums ! Put him out of mess quick. I ain't got no ill-will again him ; he ain't like a shark." Two more were caught before the shoal made off. So that the watch below when they went to the galley at seven bells to get their coffee, were presented with a plentiful supply of good porpoise steak. During the afternoon black squalls were seen in all directions, but the sea where the Margaret lay was as smooth as glass, except for an occasional cat's-paw which would ruffle it for a few minutes, lifting the light sails, and then dying away.

"All comes to them as knows how to wait. We'll get across the line sometime this side of Christmas, I expect," growled Daniels. "I expect so," replied Fred Whale. "Here comes something, though." " Let go your royal halyards ! " roared the mate. The order was scarcely complied with before a heavy squall of wind burst upon the vessel, filling every sail with a bang, and making her plunge forward like a thing possessed, but it soon died away. It was followed by a terrific rain, such a rain as is only met with in the tropics. This was also of short duration, and passed away leaving everyone soaked, and everything glistening in the rays of the setting sun. " That's a cooler, or as soldiers would call it, a fizzer," laughed Fred Whale, as he surveyed Jimmy Ducks, who was standing looking like a di owned rat, and gasping for breath.