it was impossible for the advocates of the mutiny to determine what success had attended their efforts, when the crew were piped to supper. howe and little were delighted to find the work in which they were interested progressing so finely. nearly the whole crew were arrayed against the new captain, and in half an hour the grand explosion would take place. not more than twenty of the students were expected to respond to the boatswain's call to get under way, and it would be impossible to go to sea. the seamen went below at the supper call, but most of them were too much excited to eat their usual allowance.
the officers, who were to take their supper at a later hour, were all on deck. paul kendall was seated by the side of grace arbuckle, enjoying a pleasant chat, while her father and mother were in conversation with the principal. captain shuffles was planking the deck, apparently engaged in deep thought. possibly the events of the afternoon disturbed him, for he had already received a hint that the ship's company were much dissatisfied at the idea of going to sea. he could not see why they should be. if the crew did their duty, and everything worked well, the squadron would proceed immediately to brest, and the cruise need not last more than two days. he knew the programme himself, but he forgot that it was the policy of the principal to keep the destination of the ship a secret, as a general rule, until she was out of sight of land. the arbuckles had brought their baggage with them, because the party was to proceed to brest, and would not return to havre.
popularity is certainly a very insecure possession; for, three weeks before, shuffles had been the favorite of the whole ship's company. now, he was the most unpopular person on board; partly, it is true, because he was misunderstood. both officers and seamen regarded him as the cause of the present movement. most of them believed, or at least feared, that the trip to the rhine had been abandoned, and that the new captain was responsible for this change in the programme. they concluded that he preferred to exercise his new authority, to roaming on shore, where he was, practically, no more than any other student. it was true that shuffles had suggested to the principal the idea of going to sea, as a measure for perfecting the discipline of the crew. mr. lowington had permitted the captain to fight his own battle with the crew, and he fully believed that a little sea service was necessary, after the disorder and insubordination which had prevailed in the ship during the drill. some of those who complained the loudest had permitted their love of fun to get the better of their discretion, and had joined in the disorder which prevailed during the drill. many well-disposed boys had assisted the conspirators against the peace of the ship by joining in what appeared to them to be but a mere frolic, while it was, in fact, an organized attempt to make mischief. they had encouraged the spirit of insubordination, without supposing they were engaged in anything more than a mere lark, involuntary on their part, and suggested only by the circumstances of the moment.
from the captain's stand-point, the confusion had a very grave aspect; while from that of the seamen, it was a matter of trivial consequence. the commander was mortified to find the discipline so weak; and he could have no confidence in himself or his crew until his orders were promptly obeyed. he was thinking only of the welfare of the ship and her crew. he had no intention of punishing the students, when he suggested the plan of going to sea,—only of perfecting the discipline. it seemed to him just as though three weeks on shore had demoralized the ship's company. though he was now aware that the runaways had done what they could to make trouble, the confusion seemed to be too extensive to be accounted for by their agency. two of the best boys on board had been sent to the mainmast for disobedience; and it was clear that the runaways had not produced all the trouble.
the commodore fully sustained him, and believed that it was best for the ship to go to sea. if the students had forgotten the ropes, or were so much embarrassed in their new stations, that they could not set a sail or get up the anchor without making a mess of it, the ship ought to go to sea. on the return of the excursionists from germany, it might be necessary to put to sea without an hour's delay, as the principal had suggested. shipwreck and disaster might follow if the crew were not in working order. it was a plain case to the captain.
paul kendall had explained the situation to the arbuckles as mildly as he could. he had told them that the seamen were a little disorderly, and that it was necessary to have them in perfect discipline before they went to germany. without intending to do so, he had produced the impression on their minds, that the trip would be given up unless the boys performed their duty to the entire satisfaction of the principal. in talking with the officers, they had expressed their fear that the proposed excursion would not take place. perhaps the guests were not far from right; for certainly the students would not be allowed to step on shore if the discipline of the ship was not satisfactory. miss grace was sadly disturbed at the thought of depriving the students of the pleasure of seeing the rhine, its wonders and its beauties.
"why, i thought your crew were in perfect discipline, captain—no, i mean commodore—kendall," said she, as they sat upon the quarter-deck, discussing the great question of the hour.
"they are, generally," replied paul. "but you know we are a little world by ourselves, and we have our troubles just like other people. it will be all right, i hope, in a day or two. the students get a little wild sometimes."
"captain shuffles is such a noble fellow, i should think they would all wish to do their best. i'm sure i should, if i were a sailor in your ship."
"shuffles is a capital fellow," added paul, who was certainly more pleased to praise the commander himself, than to have his fair companion do so.
"i shall never forget his noble conduct on that terrible night when the steamer was burned," said grace, warmly.
"probably none of us will ever forget it. but i am sorry to say that there is a great deal of dissatisfaction with the new captain, just now, even among the officers," added paul.
"i'm very sorry."
"but it is not his fault; really it is not," continued paul, fearing that he had said too much.
"i'm sure it is not," protested grace. "i wonder if i have any influence with the officers."
"i think you have: indeed, i know you have with one of them," replied paul; but he began to choke before he had uttered the last clause of the sentence.
"with one of them?"
"yes, with all of them; but perhaps more with one than with others," stammered paul, studying the seams in the quarter-decks.
"who is he, pray?" asked grace, rather timidly.
"with the commodore," answered he, desperately.
"thank you, commodore kendall. then we will both use our influence to have the captain set right with the officers and the crew."
"well, it is not exactly the right thing for so dignified a personage as the commodore to persuade his inferiors that his views are correct. he issues orders, and others obey them," laughed paul. "but really i cannot, in courtesy, meddle with the discipline of the ship."
"i'm going to meddle with it, if i can do anything to set captain shuffles right," said grace, who was very confident that it was quite impossible for her noble preserver to do, or even think, anything wrong.
"the officers will do their duty, whatever they think," added paul. "in due time they will be satisfied that the captain is right. i fully agree with him, and think that the ship ought to go to sea."
"of course, i expect to find you on the right side, commodore kendall," said grace.
"certainly i'm always on your side," he replied, becoming astonishingly bold for him.
"then we are both on captain shuffles's side. who is the officer standing near us?"
it happened to be master perth; and miss arbuckle called him, intent upon finding some one who was not on the captain's side. paul, however, did not think it was in accordance with the dignity of the commodore of the squadron to listen to any criticism of the captain's action, and he reluctantly left the pleasant seat he occupied by the side of the young lady. if there was any one on board who hated shuffles, perth was he.
"i wanted to get acquainted with you, mr. perth; for it seems to me i have not met you before," she began.
"probably not, miss arbuckle, for i was not one of the party who went to paris and switzerland with you," replied the second master.
"indeed!" exclaimed she, understanding, without further explanation, why he was not one of the party, and that he was one of the runaways, though she could not exactly comprehend how he happened to be an officer if he had been a rebel.
"i had the honor to command the josephine during a portion of the time the ship's company were absent," laughed he, with anything but penitence for his past offences.
"i am very sorry you were not with the others."
"so am i, for one reason—it deprived me of the pleasure of seeing your pretty face for three or four weeks," said perth, lightly.
"perhaps i shall change my mind if i find your absence saved me from such annoyance as i feel at the present moment," replied grace, blushing, and looking much displeased.
"i beg your pardon! i meant no offence," stammered perth.
grace smiled again; for she did not believe he would again venture to indulge in an impudent compliment.
"i am very sorry to learn from what you say that you were one of the runaways," she continued.
"i was one of them—i may say that i was the chief of them," replied perth, without a blush.
"of course you are very sorry for it, and very glad that captain shuffles brought you back."
"that's an open question," laughed perth. "i don't think shuffles made much by what he did. i don't believe any fellow makes anything by being a hypocrite, and selling out his friends."
"i don't think so, either. but you certainly cannot mean to say that captain shuffles is a hypocrite, or that he ever betrayed his friends?"
"i suppose i ought not to say anything to you about it, knowing that he is a strong friend of yours."
"whatever you say, mr. perth, shall not be repeated. i have been told that some of the officers are opposed to the new captain; and i do not see how it can be true, when he is so noble and good."
"noble and good!" ejaculated perth.
"certainly. you know what he did for me on the night the steamer was burned."
"there isn't a fellow on board that would not have given all he had for a chance to do the same thing for you," protested perth.
"but all the students like him."
"i don't believe he has twenty friends in the ship."
"then they do not know him as i do," replied grace, indignantly.
"they know him better than you do. he's smart, and a good officer; but when you have said that, you have said all that can be said," continued perth, bluntly.
"i am sorry to hear you say so," added grace, really grieved, even while she was incredulous. "i am afraid you are prejudiced against him because he broke up your plan to run away with the josephine."
"he didn't break it up. our fellows disagreed among themselves; that's the reason why we had to come back," explained perth, whose pride did not permit him to acknowledge that he had been beaten by the superior skill and energy of shuffles. "now, all the fellows are on the very verge of mutiny, because he insists upon taking the ship to sea, instead of going down the rhine."
"i'm sure he is doing no more than his duty," persisted grace, stoutly. "it appears that mr. lowington thinks he is right, or he would not send the ship to sea. i am really sorry to hear you speak so unkindly of your captain, for i must say that i cannot believe a word you say about him."
"thank you," replied perth, dryly.
"i think you are sincere in your belief," added she. "paul kendall says that the captain is right."
"well, he is commodore, you know, and must believe everything the principal says," laughed perth. "it is not quite proper for any of us to have opinions of our own, but you see some of us have them."
perth was certainly good-natured, whatever else he was, and as grace said no more, he touched his cap, and passed on. the devoted admirer of shuffles's nobleness and goodness was greatly disconcerted by the blunt statements of the second master, who had declared that the ship's company were almost in a state of mutiny against the captain. she continued her inquiries among other officers; but, though some of them thought it was quite unnecessary to go to sea, they all spoke very handsomely of shuffles. it was plain enough that perth had injured himself more than the object of his calumny, by what he had said.
"are you ready to go to sea, miss arbuckle?" asked the captain, as he came on deck, and touched his cap to her.
"i am quite ready; indeed, i am afraid i am more ready than many others on board of this ship," she replied. "i am sorry to hear that some of the officers and seamen are very much displeased at the idea of going to sea."
"so far as the seamen are concerned, it is their own fault, for they have not done their duty," added the captain.
"not the fault of all of them, i hope."
"not all, certainly; but if they don't know their stations, they must learn them. if you are all ready to go, i think we will be off," said shuffles, as he glanced at his watch. "you will get the ship under way, if you please, mr. goodwin," he added, addressing the first lieutenant, who was standing near him.
"i really hope there will be no trouble, captain shuffles," continued grace.
"there can be no trouble. all sailors grumble, you know, miss arbuckle, and our boys imitate their elders in this respect. they will growl for a while, but just as soon as they work the ship with skill and promptness, we shall put into brest, and make our trip down the rhine. i think we shall not be at sea beyond a couple of days."
"i hope not, for the sake of the crew."
"all hands, weigh anchor, ahoy!" shouted the boatswain, as his sharp pipe rang through the ship.
less than thirty of the seamen answered to the call, and it was apparent that a very large majority of them had chosen to follow the evil counsels of the runaways, or the foolish counsels of other discontented spirits. it was the first time since the ship went into commission that any considerable number of the crew had failed to respond to the call. shuffles was confounded, and the first lieutenant actually turned pale. it looked like such a mutiny as the chain league had planned.
"pipe again," said shuffles, as quietly as he could.
again the boatswain sounded the call, and repeated the order, but with no better success than before. not another seaman appeared upon deck.
"what does this mean?" said the commodore to the captain.
"as near as i can interpret it, the greater part of the crew do not intend to obey orders," replied shuffles.
"it certainly looks so."
"mr. goodwin, will you inquire of those who obeyed the order, whether their shipmates heard the call?" continued the captain, laboring very hard to appear cool and collected, as a commander ought to be in every emergency.
paul kendall's curiosity prompted him to follow the executive officer to the waist, where the seamen who had obeyed the call were waiting for orders. he was unwilling to believe the evidence of his senses, though he knew that there was considerable disaffection on board.
"did the rest of the crew hear the boatswain's pipe?" asked goodwin of the faithful few.
"yes, sir," replied tremere.
"where are they now?"
"in the mess-rooms."
"why don't they obey?"
"they say they don't want to go to sea: they say they haven't done anything to deserve punishment, and they object to being punished," replied the spokesman.
"what do they mean by being punished?" asked the commodore.
"sent to sea. mr. lowington promised us a trip down the rhine; and now that excursion is given up. the fellows say the ship is bound to belfast, to convey the arbuckles home. they say they are willing to do their duty, if they can have fair play."
"what do the seamen intend to do?" asked paul.
"nothing, sir. they say they will give their reasons when called upon."
"probably they will, when called upon," said paul, who had very high ideas of discipline.
the executive officer returned, and explained the situation to the captain. it was impossible to get the ship under way with less than thirty seamen, and he felt that his powers were exhausted. fortunately, mr. lowington, who had heard the boatswain's pipe, came on deck at this critical moment.
"didn't i hear the boatswain's pipe?" asked the principal, surprised to find only a few hands in the waist.
"yes, sir; we have called all hands twice, and only about thirty answer the call."
"it was a mistake to call more than once," replied mr. lowington, who did not seem to be taken aback by the astounding intelligence. "what's the matter?"
the captain explained, reporting the statements made by the faithful ones in the waist.
"a mutiny, then—is it?" added the principal, with a smile. "well, i am glad it is no worse."
"the mutineers are willing to explain, when called upon for an explanation," added paul, who was indignant at the conduct of the malcontents.
"we don't usually call for explanations in such cases on board ship," said the principal. "it is plain enough that this is only a second edition of the confusion of this afternoon. the young gentlemen have been listening to evil advice."
"what shall be done, sir?" inquired the captain, rather nervously, in spite of his laborious efforts to keep cool.
"mutiny is mutiny," replied the principal; "but in this case, i think we need not treat it with the severity which prevails in the navy. the students below say, and probably believe, that the excursion to the rhine has been abandoned, and that the ship is bound to belfast. though they are mistaken, we can only tell them so when they return to their duty. we will go to sea, as we intended."
"how can we go to sea with a crew of less than thirty?" asked shuffles.
"keep perfectly calm, captain shuffles. i am willing to grant that, in a man-of-war, with men in a state of mutiny, the case would be a very serious one. i do not so regard it in the present instance, but we will profit by the lesson it may teach. for an officer to permit a sailor to see that he is disconcerted is yielding too much. therefore, young gentlemen, i wish you all to be perfectly composed, whatever happens. this affair is rather ludicrous than otherwise, since the mutineers declare that they are ready to explain when called upon to do so, which is very kind and condescending on their part," the principal proceeded, addressing the officers who had gathered around him for the solution of what seemed to them a very difficult and trying problem.
but they were not permitted to hear the solution, for the principal invited the commodore and the captain into the main cabin, to discuss the matter, desiring, even in the present embarrassing situation, to have everything done in accordance with his ideas of discipline. he meant that the captain should be the apparent, if he could not be the real, manager of the difficult affair.
"how many hands responded to the boatswain's call?" asked the principal, when the party were seated.
"less than thirty," answered shuffles.
"twenty-eight. i had the curiosity to count them," interposed paul.
"twenty-eight," repeated the principal. "very well; we can—"
"i hope you will excuse me, sir," said shuffles, interrupting him. "if this state of thing is caused by any dislike to me, sir, i am willing to resign."
"so far as i know, you have done your duty, shuffles; and to permit you to resign would be to abandon the plan of the academy ship, and acknowledge that discipline is an impracticable thing. you cannot resign."
"many of the fellows dislike me," added the captain.
"that is not your fault, as i understand the matter. that the runaways, who, i suspect, are at the root of this mischief, should be prejudiced against you, was to be expected. if others are also, it is because they are misinformed. you can afford to wait till time justifies your good intentions."
"i am willing to own that i have no desire to resign. i like the place, but i am willing to sacrifice my own wishes for the peace of the ship."
"peace is not to be bought on any such terms. say nothing more about resigning. twenty-eight hands, you say, are ready to obey orders."
"yes, sir."
"on an emergency, the captain and four lieutenants can officer the ship. masters, midshipmen, and pursers must do duty as seamen. they will gladly consent to do so. let it be voluntary on their part. how many will that make?"
"thirty-eight."
"peaks, bitts, and leach will make forty-one. the josephine is fully manned, and can spare us nine more. that will make fifty. if we lay aside the school work, we can sail the ship round the world with that number."
shuffles displayed a smile of satisfaction at this solution.
"but we will procure the services of a tug-boat to tow us to sea, so that there will be no hard work in getting clear of the harbor," added the principal. "send leavitt in the second cutter to the josephine for the extra hands, and let foster go in the third for one of the steam-tugs up by the jetties. above all things, captain shuffles, do not mention your plans to any person."
"i will not, sir," replied shuffles, as he hastened on deck to put in force the solution of the problem.
"what is to be the result of this, mr. lowington?" asked paul.
"i don't know—nothing serious, however. the young gentlemen are waiting very impatiently in their mess-rooms to be called and asked for the explanation, which i doubt not is a very plausible one. let them wait," continued the principal, leading the way to the deck, where he sat down with the arbuckles, and was soon busy in conversation with them, as though nothing had happened.
