The Castaways Read online

  Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

  The Castaways, by Harry Collingwood.

  ________________________________________________________________________A very nice book by this prolific writer of adventures at sea. Not toolong, and fully recommended.

  As usual with this author, this book makes a nice audiobook.

  I just wonder what made him use this title, as there are so many bookswith the same title, and I would not have said that there were anycastaway situations in this book, but perhaps this is because the bookdidn't go in quite the direction that the author intended when hestarted to write it!

  ________________________________________________________________________THE CASTAWAYS, BY HARRY COLLINGWOOD.

  CHAPTER ONE.

  MISS ONSLOW.

  It was on a wet, dreary, dismal afternoon, toward the end of October18--, that I found myself _en route_ for Gravesend, to join the clippership _City of Cawnpore_, in the capacity of cuddy passenger, bound forCalcutta.

  The wind was blowing strong from the south-east, and came sweepingalong, charged with frequent heavy rain squalls that dashed fiercelyagainst the carriage windows, while the atmosphere was a mere dingy,brownish grey expanse of shapeless vapour, so all-pervading that it shutout not only the entire firmament but also a very considerable portionof the landscape.

  There had been a time, not so very long ago--while I was hunting slaverson the West Coast, grilling under a scorching African sun day after dayand month after month, with pitiless monotony--when the mererecollection of such weather as this had made me long for a taste of itas a priceless luxury; but now, after some five months' experience ofthe execrable British climate, I folded my cloak more closely about me,as I gazed through the carriage windows at the rain-blurred landscape,and blessed the physician who was sending me southward in search ofwarmth and sunshine and the strong salt breeze once more.

  For it was in pursuit of renewed health and strength that I was about toundertake the voyage; a spell of over two years of hard, uninterruptedservice upon the Coast--during which a more than average allowance ofwounds and fever had fallen to my share--had compelled me to invalidhome; and now, with my wounds healed, the fever banished from my system,and in possession of a snug little, recently-acquired competence thatrendered it unnecessary for me to follow the sea as a profession, I--Charles Conyers, R.N., aged twenty-seven--was, by the fiat of my medicaladviser, about to seek, on the broad ocean, that life-giving tonic whichis unobtainable elsewhere, and which was all that I now needed toentirely reinvigorate my constitution and complete my restoration toperfect health.

  Upon my arrival at Gravesend I was glad to find that the rain hadceased, for the moment, although the sky still looked full of it. Itherefore lost no time in making my way down to the river, where Iforthwith engaged a waterman to convey me, and the few light articles Ihad brought with me, off to the ship.

  The _City of Cawnpore_ was a brand-new iron ship, of some twelve hundredtons register, modelled like a frigate, full-rigged, and as handsome acraft in every respect as I had ever seen. I had seen her before, ofcourse, in the Docks, when I had gone down to inspect her and choose mycabin; but she was then less than half loaded; her decks were dirty andlumbered up with bales and cases of cargo; her jib-booms were rigged in,and her topgallant-masts down on deck; and altogether she was lookingher worst; while now, lying well out toward the middle of the stream asshe was, she looked a perfect picture, as she lay with her bows pointingdown-stream, straining lightly at her cable upon the last of theflood-tide, loaded down just sufficiently, as it seemed, to put her intoperfect sailing trim, her black hull with its painted ports showing upin strong contrast to the peasoup-coloured flood upon which she rode,her lofty masts stayed to a hair, and all accurately parallel, gleaminglike ruddy gold against the dingy murk of the wild-looking sky. Heryards were all squared with the nicest precision, and the newcream-white canvas snugly furled upon them and the booms; the red ensignstreamed from the gaff-end; and the burgee, or house flag--a red star ina white diamond upon a blue field--cut with a swallow tail in thepresent instance to indicate that her skipper was the commodore of thefleet--fluttered at the main-royal-masthead.

  "She's a pretty ship, sir; a very pretty ship; as handsome a vessel asI've ever see'd a lyin' off this here town," remarked the waterman whowas pulling me off to her, noting perhaps the admiration in my gaze."And she's a good staunch ship, too; well built, well found, and wellmanned--the owners of them `red star' liners won't have nothin' lessthan the very best of everything in their ships and aboard of 'em--and Ihopes your honour'll have a very pleasant voyage, I'm sure. You oughtto, for there's some uncommon nice people goin' out in her; I took threeof 'em off myself in this here very same boat 'bout a hour ago. And oneof 'em--ah, she _is_ a beauty, she is, and no mistake! handsome as ahangel; and such eyes--why, sir, they're that bright and they sparklesto that extent that you won't want no stars not so long as she's ondeck."

  "Indeed," answered I, with languid interest, yet glad nevertheless tolearn that there was to be at least one individual of agreeablepersonality on board. Then, as we drew up toward the accommodationladder, I continued: "Back your starboard oar; pull port; way enough!Lay in your oars and look out for the line that they are about to heaveto you!"

  "Ay, ay, sir," answered the fellow, as he proceeded with slowdeliberation but a great show of alacrity to obey my injunctions. "Dashmy buttons," he continued, "if I didn't think as you'd seen a ship aforeto-day, and knowed the stem from the starn of her. Says I to myself,when I seen the way that you took hold of them yoke-lines, and theknowin' cock of your heye as you runned it over this here vessel's hulland spars and her riggin'--`this here gent as I've a got hold of is asailor, he is, and as sich he'll know what a hard life of it we porewatermen has; and I shouldn't wonder but what--knowin' the hardness ofthe life--he'll'--thank'ee, sir; I wishes you a wery pleasant voyage,with all my 'eart, sir. Take hold, steward; these is all the things thegent has brought along of 'im."

  I was received at the gangway by a fine sailorly-looking man, somethirty-five years of age, and of about middle height, sturdily built,and with a frank, alert, pleasant expression of face, who introducedhimself to me as the chief mate--Murgatroyd by name--following up hisself-introduction with the information that Captain Dacre had not yetcome down from town, but might be expected on board in time for dinner.

  It was just beginning to rain rather sharply again, or I should havebeen disposed to remain on deck for a while and improve my acquaintancewith this genial-looking sailor; as it was, I merely paused beside himlong enough to note that the deck between the foremast and the mainmastseemed to be crowded with rough, round-backed, awkward-looking men,having the appearance of navvies or something of that kind; also thatthe main hatch was partially closed by a grating through an aperture inwhich, at the after port angle of the hatchway, other men of a like sortwere passing up and down by means of a ladder. The mate caught myinquiring glance as it wandered over the rough-looking crowd, andreplied to it by remarking:

  "Miners, and such-like--a hundred and twenty of 'em--going out todevelop a new mine somewhere up among the Himalayas, so I'm told.Rather a tough lot, by the look of 'em, Mr Conyers; but I'll take carethat they don't annoy the cuddy passengers; and they'll soon shake downwhen once we're at sea."

  "No doubt," I replied. "Poor fellows! they appear to be indifferentenough to the idea of leaving their native land; but how many of them, Iwonder, will live to return to it. Steward," I continued, as I turnedaway to follow the man who was carrying my hand baggage below for me,"is there anyone in the same cabin with me?"

  "No, sir; you've got it all to yourself, sir," was the reply. "Therewas a young gent," he continued--"one of a family of six as was goin'ou
t with us--who was to have been put in along with you, sir; but thefather have been took suddenly ill, so they're none of 'em going.Consequence is that we've only got thirty cuddy passengers aboard,instead of thirty-six, which is our full complement. Your trunks isunder the bottom berth, sir, and I've unstrapped 'em. Anything more Ican do for you, sir?"

  I replied in the negative, thanking the man for his attention; and then,as he closed the cabin-door behind him, I seated myself upon a sofa andlooked round at the snug and roomy apartment which, if all went well, Iwas to occupy during the voyage of the ship to India and back.

  The room was some ten feet long, by eight feet wide, and seven feet highto the underside of the beams. It was set athwartships, instead of foreand aft as was at that period more frequently the fashion; and it wasfurnished with two bunks, or beds, one over the other, built against thebulkhead that divided the cabin from that next it. The lower bunk was"made up" with bed, bedding, and pillows complete, ready for occupation;but the upper bunk, not being required, had been denuded of its bedding,leaving only the open framework of the bottom, which was folded back andsecured against the bulkhead, out of the way, thus leaving plenty of airspace above me when I should be turned in. At the foot of the bunksthere was a nice deep, double chest of drawers, surmounted by anornamental rack-work arrangement containing a brace of water-bottles,with tumblers to match, together with vacant spaces for the reception ofsuch matters as brushes and combs, razor-cases, and other odds and ends.Then there was a wash-stand, with a toilet-glass above it, and acupboard beneath the basin containing two large metal ewers of freshwater; and alongside the wash-stand hung a couple of large, soft towels.There was a fine big bull's eye in the deck overhead, and a circularport in the ship's side, big enough for me to have crept through withsome effort, had I so wished, the copper frame of which was glazed withplate glass a full inch thick. Beneath this port was the short sofa,upholstered in black horsehair, upon which I sat; and, screwed to theship's side in such a position as to be well out of the way, yet capableof pretty completely illuminating the cabin, was a handsome littlesilver-plated lamp, already lighted, hung in gimbals and surmounted by afrosted glass globe very prettily chased with a pattern of flowers andleaves and birds. The bulkheads were painted a dainty cream colour,with gilt mouldings; a heavy curtain of rich material screened the door;and the deck of the cabin was covered with a thick, handsome carpet."What a contrast," thought I, "to my miserable, stuffy little dog-holeof a cabin aboard the old _Hebe_!" And I sat there so long, meditatingupon the times that were gone, and the scenes of the past, that I lostall consciousness of my surroundings, and was only awakened from mybrown study--or was it a quiet little nap?--by the loud clanging of thefirst dinner bell. Thus admonished, I went to work with a will to getinto my dress clothes--for those were the days when such garments were_de rigueur_ aboard all liners of any pretensions--and was quite readyto make my way to the saloon when the second and final summons to dinnerpealed forth.

  The cuddy, or main saloon of the ship, was on deck, under the full poop,while the sleeping accommodation was below; consequently by the timethat I had reached the vestibule upon which the cuddy doors opened, Ifound myself in the midst of quite a little crowd of more or lesswell-dressed people who were jostling each other in a gentle, well-bredsort of way in their eagerness to get into the saloon. They were mostlysilent, as is the way of the English among strangers, but a few, hereand there, who seemed to have already made each other's acquaintance,passed the usual inane remarks about the absurdly inconvenientarrangements generally of the ship. Some half a dozen stewards wereshowing the passengers to their places at table, as they passed inthrough the doorways; and upon my entrance I was at once pounced upon byone of the aforesaid stewards, who, in semi-confidential tones,remarked:

  "This way, if you please, sir. It's Cap'n Dacre's orders that you wasto be seated close alongside of him."

  As I followed the man down the length of the roomy, handsome apartment,I could scarcely realise that it was the same that I had seen when theship lay loading in the dock. Then, the deck (or floor, as a landsmanwould call it) was carpetless, the tables, chairs, sofas, lamps, andwalls of the cabin were draped in brown holland, to protect them fromthe all-penetrating dust and dirt that is always flying about, more orless, during the handling of cargo, and the room was lighted only by theskylights; now, I found myself in a scene as brilliant, after its ownfashion, as that afforded by the dining-room of a first-class hotel.The saloon was of the full width of the ship, and some forty feet longby about eight feet high; the sides and the ceiling were panelled, andpainted in cream, light blue, and gold; and it was furnished with threetables--one on either side of the cabin, running fore-and-aft, with agood wide gangway between, and one athwartships and abaft the other two,with seats on the after side of it only, so that no one was called uponto turn his or her back upon those sitting at the other two tables. Thetables were gleaming with snow-white napery, crystal, and silver; andwere further adorned with handsome flowering plants in painted chinabowls, placed at frequent intervals; the deck was covered with a carpetin which one's feet sank ankle deep; the sofas were upholstered instamped purple velvet; and the whole scene was illuminated by the softyet brilliant light of three clusters of three lamps each suspended overthe centres of the several tables. Abaft the aftermost table I caught aglimpse of a piano, open, with some sheets of music upon it, as thoughsomeone had already been trying the tone of the instrument.

  Conducted by the steward, I presently found myself installed in a chair,between two ladies, one of whom was seated alongside the skipper, on hisright. This lady was young--apparently about twenty-one or twenty-twoyears of age, above medium height--if one could form a correct judgmentof her stature as she sat at the table--a rich and brilliant brunette,crowned with a wealth of most beautiful and luxuriant golden-chestnuthair, and altogether the most perfectly lovely creature that I had everbeheld. I felt certain, the moment my eyes rested upon her, that shemust certainly be the subject of my friend the waterman's enthusiasticeulogies. The other lady--she who occupied the seat on my right--wasstout, elderly, grey-haired, and very richly attired in brocade andlace, with a profusion of jewellery about her. She was alsoloud-voiced, for as I passed behind her toward my seat she shouted tothe elderly, military-looking man on her right:

  "Now, Pat, don't ye attempt to argue wid me; I shall be ill to-morrow,no matther what I ait, or don't ait; so I shall take a good dinner andinjoy mesilf while I can!"

  Captain Dacre--a very fine-looking, handsome, whitehaired man, attiredin a fairly close imitation of a naval captain's uniform, and looking athorough sailor all over--was already seated; but upon seeing me herose, stretched out his hand, and remarked:

  "Lieutenant Conyers, I presume? Welcome, sir, aboard the _City ofCawnpore_; and I hope that when next you see Gravesend you will havefully recovered the health and strength you are going to sea to lookfor. It is not often, Mr Conyers, that I have a brother sailor upon mypassenger list, so when I am so fortunate I make the most of him byproviding him--as in your case--with a berth at the table as nearlyalongside me as possible. Allow me to make you known to yourneighbours. Miss Onslow, permit me to introduce Lieutenant Conyers ofour Royal Navy. Lady O'Brien--General Sir Patrick O'Brien--LieutenantConyers."

  Miss Onslow--the beauty on my left--acknowledged the introduction with avery queenly and distant bow; Lady O'Brien looked me keenly in the eyesfor an instant, and then shook hands with me very heartily; and thegeneral murmured something about being glad to make my acquaintance, andforthwith addressed himself with avidity to the plate of soup which oneof the stewards placed before him.

  Presently, having finished his soup, the general leaned forward andstared hard at me for a moment. Then he remarked:

  "Excuse me, Conyers--it is no use being formal, when we are about to becooped up together on board ship for the next two months, is it?--areyou the man that got so shockingly hacked about at the capture of thatpiratical slaver, the-
-the--hang it all, I've forgotten her name now?"

  "If you refer to the _Preciosa_, I must plead guilty to the softimpeachment," answered I.

  "Ah!" he exclaimed, "hang me if I didn't think so when I heard yourname, and saw that scar across your forehead. Wonderfully plucky thingto do, sir; as plucky a thing, I think, as I ever heard of! I must getyou to tell me all about it, some time or another--here, steward, hangit all, man, this sherry is corked! Bring me another bottle!"

  I am rather a shy man, and this sudden identification of me inconnection with an affair that I had already grown heartily tired ofhearing referred to, and that I fondly hoped would now be speedilyforgotten by my friends, was distinctly disconcerting; I thereforeseized upon the opportunity afforded me by the mishap to the general'ssherry to divert the conversation into another channel, by turning to mylovely left-hand neighbour with the inquiry:

  "Is this your first experience of shipboard, Miss Onslow?"

  "This will be my third voyage to India, Mr Conyers," she answered, withan air of surprise at my temerity in addressing her, and such proud,stately dignity and lofty condescension that I caught myself thinking:

  "Hillo, Charley, my lad, what sort of craft is this you are exchangingsalutes with? You will have to take care what you are about with her,my fine fellow, or you will be finding that some of her guns areshotted!"

  But I was not to be deterred from making an effort to render myselfagreeable, simply because the manner of the young lady was almostchillingly distant, so I returned:

  "Indeed! then you are quite a seasoned traveller. And how does the seause you? Does it treat you kindly?"

  "If you mean Am I ill at sea? I am glad to say that I am _not_!" shereplied. "I _love_ the sea; but I hate voyaging upon it."

  "That sounds somewhat paradoxical, does it not?" I ventured toinsinuate.

  "Possibly it does," she admitted. "What I mean is that, while I neverenjoy such perfect health anywhere as I do when at sea, and while Ipassionately admire the ever-changing beauty and poetry of the ocean andsky in their varying moods, I find it distinctly irksome and unpleasantto be pent up for months within the narrow confines of a ship, with nopossibility of escape from my surroundings however unpleasant they maybe. There is no privacy, and no change on board a ship; one iscompelled to meet the same people day after day, and to be brought intomore or less intimate contact with them, whether one wishes it or not."

  "That is undoubtedly true," I acknowledged, "so far, at least, asmeeting the same people day after day is concerned. But surely one neednot necessarily be brought into intimate contact with them, unless sominded; it is not difficult to make the average person understand thatanything approaching to intimacy is unwelcome."

  "Is it not?" she retorted drily. "Then I am afraid that my experiencehas been more unfortunate than yours. I have more than once beenobliged to be actually rude to people before. I could succeed inconvincing them that I would prefer not to be on intimate terms withthem."

  And therewith Miss Onslow ever so slightly turned herself away from me,and addressed herself to the contents of her plate with a manner thatseemed indicative of a desire to terminate the conversation.

  I thought that I already began to understand this very charming andinteresting young lady. I had not the remotest idea who or what shewas, beyond the bare fact that her name was Onslow, but her style andher manners--despite her singular hauteur--stamped her unmistakably asone accustomed to move in a high plane of society; that she wasinordinately proud and intensely exclusive was clear, but I had an ideathat this fault--if such it could be considered--was due rather totraining than to any innate imperfection of character; and I couldconceive that--the barrier of her exclusiveness once passed--she mightprove to be winsome and fascinating beyond the power of words toexpress. But I had a suspicion that the man who should be bold enoughto attempt the passage of that barrier would have to face many a rebuff,as well as the very strong probability of ultimate ignominious,irretrievable defeat; and as I was then--and still am, for that matter--a rather sensitive individual, I quickly determined that I at leastwould not dare such a fate. Moreover, I seemed to find in the drift ofwhat she had said--and more particularly in her manner of saying it--ahint that possibly I might be one of those with whom she would prefernot to be on terms of intimacy.

  "Well," thought I, "if that is her wish, it shall certainly begratified; she is a surpassingly beautiful creature, but I can admireand enjoy the contemplation of her beauty, as I would that of some rareand exquisite picture, without obtruding myself offensively upon herattention; and although she has all the appearance of being clever,refined, and possessed of a brilliant intellect, those qualities willhave no irresistible attraction for me if she intends to hide thembehind a cold, haughty, repellant manner." And therewith I dismissedher from my mind, and addressed myself to the skipper, "This new ship ofyours is a magnificent craft, Captain," said I. "I fell incontinentlyin love with her as the waterman was pulling me off alongside. She isfar and away the most handsome ship I have ever set eyes on."

  "Ay," answered Dacre heartily, his whole face kindling with enthusiasm,"she is a beauty, and no mistake. You have some fine, handsome frigatesin the service, Mr Conyers, but I doubt whether the best of them willcompare with the _City of Cawnpore_ for beauty, speed, or seagoingqualities. My word, sir, but it would have done you good to have seenher before she was put into the water. Shapely? shapely is not the wordfor it, she is absolutely beautiful! She is to other craft what,"--herehis eye rested upon Miss Onslow's unconscious face for an instant--"aperfectly lovely woman is to a fat old dowdy. There _is_ only one faultI have to find with her, and that is only a fault in my eyes; there aremany who regard it as a positive and important merit."

  "And pray what may that be?" I inquired. And, as I asked the question,several of the passengers who had overheard the skipper's remark cranedforward over the table in eager anticipation of his reply.

  "Why, sir," answered Dacre, "she is built of iron instead of good,sound, wholesome heart of oak; that's the fault I find with her. I havenever been shipmates with iron before, and I confess I don't like it.Of course," he continued--judging, perhaps, from some of the passengers'looks that he had said something a trifle indiscreet--"it is onlyprejudice on my part; I can't explain my objection to iron; everybodywho ought to know anything about the matter declares that iron isimmensely strong compared with wood, and I sincerely believe them;still, there the feeling is, and I expect it will take me a month or twoto get over it. You see, I have been brought up and have spent upwardsof forty years of my life in wooden ships, and I suppose I am growing atrifle too old to readily take up newfangled notions."

  "Ah, Captain, I have met with men of your sort before," remarked thegeneral; "you are by no means the first person with a prejudice. Butyou'll get over it, my dear fellow; you'll get over it. And when youhave done so you'll acknowledge that there's nothing like iron forshipbuilding. _Apropos_ of seafaring matters, what sort of a voyage doyou think we shall have?"

  The skipper shrugged his shoulders.

  "Who can tell?" he answered. "Everything depends upon the weather; andwhat is more fickle than that?--outside the limits of the trade-windsand the monsoons, I mean, of course. If we are unlucky enough to meetwith a long spell of calms on the Line--well, that means a long passage.But give me as much wind as I can show all plain sail to, and nofarther for'ard than abeam, and I'll undertake to land you all atCalcutta within sixty days from to-day."

  We were still discussing the probability of the skipper being able tofulfil his promise, when a howling squall swept through the taut riggingand between the masts of the ship, causing the whole fabric to vibratewith a barely perceptible tremor, while the swish and patter of heavyrain resounded upon the glass of the skylights.

  "Whew!" ejaculated the general, "what a lively prospect for to-night!What are we to do after dinner to amuse ourselves; and where are we mento go for our smoke?"

  "I think," sa
id I, "we shall find a very comfortable place for a smokeunder the overhang of the poop. The tide is ebbing strong by this time,so the ship will be riding more or less stern-on to the wind, and weshall find a very satisfactory lee and shelter at the spot that I havenamed."

  "Ay," assented the skipper. "And when you have finished smoking, whatcan you wish for better than this fine saloon, in which to play cards,or read, or even to organise an impromptu concert? There is a capitalpiano abaft there; and I am sure that among so distinguished a companythere must be plenty of good musicians."

  And so indeed it proved; for when, having finished our smoke, thegeneral and some half a dozen more of us returned to the cuddy, we foundthat several of the younger ladies of the party had already producedtheir music, and were doing their best to make the evening passpleasantly for themselves and others. Miss Onslow was one of theexceptions; she had not produced any music, nor, apparently, did sheintend to take anything more than a passive part in the entertainment;indeed it is going almost too far to say even so much as that, for itappeared doubtful whether she even condescended so far as to regardherself as one of the audience; she had provided herself with a book,and had curled herself up comfortably in the corner most distant fromthe piano, and was reading with an air of absorption and interest sopronounced as really to be almost offensive to the performers. Inalmost anyone else the manifestation of so profound an indifference tothe efforts of others to please would have been regarded as anindication of ill-breeding; but in her case--well, she was so regallyand entrancingly lovely that somehow one felt as though her beautyjustified everything, and that it was an act of condescension and afavour that she graced the cuddy with her presence at all. And indeed Iwas very much disposed to think that this was her own view of thematter. Be that as it may, we all spent an exceedingly pleasantevening; and when I turned into my bunk that night I felt very wellsatisfied with the prospects of the voyage before me.