Charley Laurel: A Story of Adventure by Sea and Land

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

  ON STILTS.

  I felt very sorry at the thought of leaving Miss Kitty, and would gladlyhave remained with her and Mr and Mrs Newton, but Dick would not hearof my doing so; and Captain Renton insisted that I should return homewith him, and go to school and obtain that instruction which I certainlygreatly required.

  "We will take good care of the young lady, Charley," said Mr Newton;"and should you meet with Mr Falconer, tell him that she is still aswell cared for as at first."

  Once more the _Phoebe_ was at sea. Captain Renton gave me a berth inhis cabin, and took so much pains to instruct me, that before the voyagewas over I had made good progress in various branches of knowledge.

  "Why, Charley," said Dick, who was proud of the information I displayed,"you have become quite a scholar. Should not be surprised to hear ofyour bearing up to be a judge, or a bishop, or a big-wig of some sort."

  "No, no, Dick," I answered; "my only wish is to be a sailor, though Iown I should like to be a captain some day or other, though, of course,I must study to become that."

  "No fear of you, if you go on as you have begun," remarked Dick, gazingapprovingly at me.

  We were about the latitude of Madeira, when one morning we sighted aship standing to the south'ard. As the day drew on, just as we wereclose to her, it fell calm, and she made a signal that she would sendletters on board us to carry home. A boat put off from her, and camealongside. The second mate of the ship came on deck with the letters.

  "Captain Falconer, of the _Harmony_, begs that you will post these onyour arrival in England," he said, presenting them to Captain Renton, bywhose side I was standing.

  "Captain Falconer!" I exclaimed, turning eagerly to my captain. "May Igo on board and see him, sir? I cannot help thinking that he was themate of the _Dolphin_, who saved that young lady from the savages."

  Captain Renton at once ordered a boat to be lowered, to carry me onboard the _Harmony_, letting Dick accompany me. Dick, who pulled thestroke-oar, gave way with a will, for he felt as eager as I was aboutthe matter. We were soon alongside, and without waiting for the mate,who commanded the boat, I scrambled on board, followed by Dick. There,to my great delight, I saw Mr Falconer. He did not recognise me, aswithout ceremony I hurried aft, but when he saw Dick, he started, andthen looked inquiringly at me.

  "What, are you Dick Driver?" he exclaimed, as Dick, not forgetting hismanners, touched his hat to him.

  "Yes, sir. I am myself, and I am right glad to see you alive and well;and this is Charley Laurel, who, may be, you remember."

  "Indeed I do," said Mr Falconer, shaking me warmly by the hand, andinviting us down in his cabin. "I feared that you had been both killedby the savages."

  I briefly narrated how we had escaped, and when I told him that we hadvisited Mr Newton, and left Miss Kitty well, only a few months before,I judged by the agitation and interest he showed that she had notmisplaced her confidence in him.

  "I am bound out to the South Seas, where I have hitherto in vainattempted to go," he observed. "As soon as I reached England, Iobtained a berth on board a ship bound for the Pacific, but she wasunhappily wrecked not far from Cape Horn. I, with some of the crew whohad reached the land, was taken off by a homeward-bound ship, in which Ireturned to England. I should immediately have again sailed, buthearing that my father was ill, I went to visit him. I had thehappiness of being reconciled to him before he died, when I found myselfthe possessor of a small fortune. It is not, however, sufficient toenable me to live without a profession, and through the recommendationof the late captain of the _Harmony_, which her owners were about tosend again to the Pacific, I obtained command of her, and trust beforelong of again having the happiness of seeing Miss Raglan."

  "I am sure, sir, she will be very glad to see you," I could not helpsaying; and I told him that none of his letters had been received.

  Captain Falconer kept me on board all day, and nearly the whole time wasspent by him in asking me questions, and hearing all I could tell himabout Miss Kitty. In the evening, he sent me and Dick back to the_Phoebe_ in one of the _Harmony's_ boats.

  Next morning a westerly breeze sprang up, and the two ships stood ontheir respective courses.

  After this we had a quick run to England, and, arriving in the Thames,Captain Renton took me with him to the owners, Messrs. Dear and Ashe, towhom he gave an account of my adventures. Mr Dear, the head of thefirm, was a mild-looking pleasant old gentleman. He called me into hisroom, and asked me a number of questions, and then desired CaptainRenton to send Dick Driver next day up to the office.

  "If you can spare the lad, I will take him home with me, as Mrs Dearwill like to see him," he observed.

  "I intended to have taken you to my house, Charley," said CaptainRenton, as he wished me good-bye, "but I am sure it will be to youradvantage to accept Mr Dear's invitation."

  In the afternoon, I drove out with Mr Dear to his country house, in theneighbourhood of London. It appeared to me a perfect palace. I hadnever before since I could recollect been in any house larger than MrNewton's cottage.

  Mrs Dear, a very kind lady, soon made me feel perfectly at home.

  "We are much interested in you, Charley," she said, "and Mr Dear willdo his best to discover your relations in the West Indies. In the meantime we think you will benefit by going to school."

  I was very sorry to leave Captain Renton, but said I was ready to dowhatever she and Mr Dear thought best.

  The next evening, when Mr Dear returned, he said that he could notascertain from Dick Driver the name of the island from which I had beentaken away. At the same time he observed: "I conclude that I shall beable to learn at the Admiralty what place it was the _Laurel_ and herconsorts attacked."

  I spent a couple of weeks with my new friends before they found a schoolto which I could be sent. Captain Renton, accompanied by Dick, came outto see me. Dick had agreed to sail again in the _Phoebe_, and promisedthat, on his return, he would not fail to pay me a visit. He lookedvery downcast.

  "We have been together for the best part of ten years, Charley," hesaid, as he wrung my hand, "and if I did not know it was for your good,I could not bear the thoughts of parting from you; but you are in kindhands, and I know it's better for you to remain on shore, and I am notone to stand in your way--I love you too well for that."

  The next day Mr Dear drove me down to a large school at Hammersmith. Iwas introduced to the master, Mr Rushton, a tall gentleman with whitehair, who looked very well able to keep a number of boys in order, andMr Dear gave him a brief account of my history.

  "The lad will do very well," he said, patting me on the head. "I haveboys from all parts of the world, and he will soon find himself at homeamong them."

  As soon as Mr Dear had gone, Mr Rushton, taking me by the hand, led meinto the playground, where upwards of a hundred boys were rushing about,engaged in all sorts of games. He shouted "Fenwick," and a boy of myown age came up. He told the boy that he wished him to look after me,and teach me the ways of the school. Having done this, he re-enteredthe house.

  As soon as the master was gone, I found myself surrounded by a number ofboys, who, having examined me from head to foot, began asking mequestions.

  Though I was ignorant of all their games, and had scarcely heard ofcricket and football, yet I knew a number of things which they did not.

  "Who is your father?" asked one fellow.

  "I don't know," I replied.

  "Who is your mother?" inquired another.

  I gave the same answer, whereon there was a general laugh.

  "Have you many brothers and sisters?"

  "I don't know," I again said.

  "Where were you born?"

  "That's more than I can tell you," I answered, quite quietly, and so Iwent on.

  "I don't think you have got much out of me," I said, at last. "And nowI want to know who among you can box the compass? Can any of you put aship about? Can some one describe the Mar
quesas? or tell me whereTahiti and the Sandwich Islands are to be found?"

  To none of these or similar questions did I receive any replies.

  "Now I find that I have not got much out of you, either," I observed,"so we are pretty equal. Now, you might have answered my questions,though no one, as far as I know, could have answered those you put tome."

  "The young fellow has got his wits about him," observed one of the bigboys; and the others at once seemed inclined to treat me with far morerespect than at first.

  "Now," said I, gaining courage, "I have spent most of my life at sea,where we don't play the games you have on shore, but if any of you willteach me, I shall be very glad to learn them; and perhaps I may show youhow to do a number of things you know nothing about."

  From that day forward I was never bothered by having questions put tome. I soon managed to get hold of a piece of rope, which had lashed upone of the boy's boxes, and began to initiate several who wished tolearn into the mysteries of knotting and splicing. Before long acarpenter came to do some work, and I got him to make me a pair ofstilts. Several of the bigger boys ordered others. I would not usemine till the rest came home. Many then tried to walk about on them.

  "Who are going to try their stilts?" I asked.

  "We want to see you, Laurel, walk on yours," was the answer.

  "No, no; you mount on yours first," I said; and most of them tried toget up, each with the help of two or three fellows who stood round tosupport them. I then brought out mine.

  "Shall we help you?" inquired three or four of the boys, who by thistime were my chief friends and supporters.

  "Thank you," I said, laughing; while the others who were looking onexpected to see me bungle as the rest had been doing. My friendscollected round me and prepared to help me up. I did not undeceivethem, but suddenly jumping on one side I sprang into my stilts.

  "Who's for a race?" I cried out. "Come along; let us start fair."

  We were at one end of the playground, and I began to move backwards andforwards, and in and out among the other fellows. They seemed satisfiedthat I was not going to do much better than they were. Several who hadby this time managed to balance themselves, now formed a line.

  "Away you go," cried one of the big boys, who expected to see me and therest tumble down on our noses.

  Off we started. In an instant I felt as much at home as I had been whenmaking my escape from Motakee's village, and, as might be supposed, awayI went. First one of the boys tumbled down, then another, and another,while I kept ahead, and, reaching the end of the playground, turned backagain, to find all my competitors rubbing their arms and knees, only twoor three having the courage to make an attempt to stand up again ontheir stilts.

  "I don't want to laugh at you," I said, as I came back and stalked inand out among them, looking down with a complacent air from my loftyelevation. "I ought to have told you, perhaps, that I have had someexperience in walking on stilts, though, as I had not used them for manymonths, I did not wish to boast beforehand. You will do as well as Ican in time."

  "I should think you must have had experience," cried out two or three ofthe big fellows; "and probably you can do a good many more things. Weshall be on the watch not to be taken in again."

  Stilt-walking soon became the rage, though I continued to be farsuperior to all my companions. They looked up to me in consequence witheven greater respect than before, and I found my position in the schoolas satisfactory as I could desire. I was able, consequently, to takethe part of many of the weaker or less courageous boys who were bulliedby the rest. Among others, there was a delicate boy called Henri deVillereine, and who, because he spoke with a foreign accent, wasnicknamed Frenchy. Though a year or two my senior, he was not nearly sostrong, and was ill able to defend himself against much smaller boys.He seemed a gentle, well-disposed boy, and when others, on my firstgoing to school, had attacked me, he had always stood aloof. Though Ihad not had much conversation with him, I could not bear to see himbullied.

  One day, when two or three fellows had set upon him, I rushed up to hisassistance, and, without saying a word, knocked over his assailants oneafter the other. He gratefully thanked me, and said he was afraid that,as soon as my back was turned, the fellows would set on him again.

  After this no one ventured to attack Henri de Villereine, and I was themeans of rendering his life at school far pleasanter, poor fellow! thanit had been before. He showed his gratitude by every means in hispower, and as I liked him for his many amiable qualities, we became fastfriends.

  However, I have not space to give an account of my schoolboy days. Iapplied myself diligently to my studies, and while I believe that I wasliked by the boys, I gained credit with the masters, and rose rapidlytowards the head of the school.