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Page 91
"Contrary to regulation, sir," said Jacobs, respectfully as he touched
his cap to the reckless officer.
"Take yourself off, Jacobs," replied Pelham, coarsely and rudely.
"Yes, sir."
Jacobs did take himself off, and hastened on deck to inform Mr.
Lowington of the conduct of the infatuated officer.
The principal immediately presented himself. Pelham had fully believed,
in his self-willed obstinacy, that he could look Mr. Lowington full in
the face, and impudently defy him. He found that he was mistaken. The
experience of Shuffles in the hands of the boatswain and carpenter would
intrude itself upon him, and he quailed when the principal opened the
door and gazed sternly into his face.
"Smoking, Mr. Pelham?"
"Yes, sir," replied the rebel, with an attempt to be cool and impudent,
which, however, was a signal failure.
"You will put out that cigar, and throw it away."
"I will; I've smoked enough," answered Pelham.
"Your light is burning, contrary to regulation."
"The ship rolls so, I should break my neck without one," replied Pelham,
sourly.
"That is a weak plea for a sailor to make. Mr. Pelham, I confess my
surprise to find one who has done so well engaged in acts of
disobedience."
The reckless officer could make no reply; if the reproof had been given
in presence of others, he would probably have retorted, prompted by a
false, foolish pride to "keep even" with the principal.
"For smoking, you will lose ten marks; for lighting your lamp, ten
more," added the principal.
"You might as well send me into the steerage at once," answered Pelham.
"If either offence is repeated, that will be done. You will put out your
light at once."
The fourth lieutenant obeyed the order because he did not dare to
disobey it; the fear of the muscular boatswain, the irons, and the brig,
rather than that of immediate degradation to the steerage, operating
upon his mind. The principal went on deck; Pelham turned in, and was
soon followed, without a word of comment on the events which had just
transpired, by Goodwin.
The night wore away, the gale increasing in fury, and the rain pouring
in torrents. It was a true taste of a seaman's life to those who were on
deck. At daybreak all hands were called again, to put the third reef in
the topsails. At eight bells the courses were furled. The gale continued
to increase in power during the forenoon, and by noon a tremendous sea
had been stirred up. The ship rolled almost down to her beam ends, and
the crests of the waves seemed to be above the level of the main yard.
In the popular exaggerated language, "the waves ran mountain high,"
which means from twenty to forty feet; perhaps, on this occasion,
twenty-five feet from the trough of the sea to the crest of the billow.
Even this is a great height to be tossed up and down on the water; and
to the boys of the Young America the effect was grand, if not terrific.
The deck was constantly flooded with water; additional life-lines had
been stretched across from rail to rail, and every precaution taken to
insure the safety of the crew.
Study and recitation were impossible, and nothing was attempted of this
kind. The storm was now what could justly be called a heavy gale, and it
was no longer practicable to lay a course. Before eight bells in the
forenoon watch, the royal and top-gallant yards had been sent down, and
the ship was laid to under a close-reefed main-topsail, which the
nautical gentlemen on board regarded as the best for the peculiar
conditions which the Young America presented.
When a ship is laying to, no attention is paid to anything but the
safety of the vessel, the only object being to keep her head up to the
sea. In the gale, the Young America lay with her port bow to the wind,
her hull being at an angle of forty-five degrees, with a line indicating
the direction of the wind. Her topsail yard was braced so that it
pointed directly to the north-east--the quarter from which the gale
blew. The helm was put a-lee just enough to keep her in the position
indicated. She made little or no headway, but rather drifted with the
waves.
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