the appearance of captain shuffles on deck produced a decided sensation among the officers, some of whom believed that the mutineers would be dragged from the mess-rooms by the adult forward officers, and tied up to the rigging. the decided character of the principal certainly pointed to the most decided measures. something terrible was to be expected, and the young gentlemen were astonished when mr. lowington came on deck, immediately after the captain, seated himself with the arbuckles, and began to converse with them as pleasantly as though no mutiny had ever been dreamed of.

the captain called the officers around him, and all of them eagerly obeyed the summons.

"we are going to sea immediately," said he, with none of the anxiety which was visible in his face before. "as we are short-handed, i have a favor to ask. those below the rank of lieutenant, who are willing to serve as seamen until the discipline of the ship can be restored, will signify it by walking over to the starboard side."

all below the grade indicated, with a single exception, promptly marched over to the other side of the ship. the four lieutenants stepped out of the way, so that the single dissenter might stand alone. it is hardly necessary to say that perth was the person who was so largely in the minority among the officers.

"you decline to serve with the other masters?" said shuffles.

"i prefer to be excused. i have had considerable experience as a seaman, and would like a little more as an officer," replied perth, politely.

"we shall dispense with the services of all the officers except the lieutenants," added the captain. "there will be nothing for you to do, but you shall not be compelled to serve as a seaman."

"permit me to take his place," interposed gordon, the senior past officer.

"thank you, gordon," replied shuffles.

"please enroll me also as a seaman," added haven, good-naturedly.

"and me also," laughed paul.

"i suggest that the past officers take the places of the second, third, and fourth lieutenants, who shall do duty as seamen," said leavitt, the second officer.

"by all means," added foster, the third.

"with all my heart," followed prescott, the fourth.

the captain adopted this suggestion, and gordon, as second lieutenant, was sent off to the josephine in the second cutter, which was pulled by three masters and the three midshipmen. when it was ready to leave, mr. lowington stepped into the boat, for he desired to satisfy himself that the crew of the consort were not also demoralized. haven in the third cutter, with a volunteer crew, left the ship to procure a tug-steamer. peaks, bitts, leach, and the head steward had been privately requested to be on deck, in case any unexpected demonstration was made by the mutineers.

in the steerage everything was very quiet. the sensation below was decidedly superior to that on deck. the rebels were patiently waiting to be called upon for an explanation of their remarkable conduct. probably none of them even noticed that the grating had been put upon the main hatch by the cautious peaks, to prevent them from leaving the steerage. the boatswain's call had sounded twice, and they supposed the faculty of the academy were consulting upon the proper measures to be taken. most of them believed that they would be invited on deck, where the principal would "preach" to them, as usual, and thus afford them an opportunity to state their grievances. perhaps, with the exception of the runaways, they were willing to return to their duty after they had recorded their protest. the principal still purposed to let them wait.

the third cutter, all of whose volunteer crew wore shoulder-straps, came up to the gangway of the josephine, which, like the ship, was all ready to weigh anchor.

"you come with a very nobby crew," said mr. fluxion, as the principal stepped upon the deck of the consort.

"the ship is in a state of mutiny," replied mr. lowington, with a smile upon his face, which softened the astounding declaration.

"mutiny!" exclaimed mr. fluxion.

"precisely so. we called all hands to weigh anchor, and less than thirty answered to the summons. we learned from them that the rest of the crew refused to do duty till their grievances were heard. do you know of anything of this kind on board of your vessel?"

"we haven't called all hands yet, for we don't begin to get under way till the ship mans the capstan. it is possible that we shall have the same difficulty."

"let your captain get under way at once, for the ship will be towed out. if your crew is all right, i should like to transfer a few seamen to the ship, for we are rather short-handed," added the principal.

mr. fluxion called captain terrill, and the order was given to pipe all hands. as the boatswain's whistle sounded, the principal and the vice-principal descended to the cabin. mr. lowington had begun to explain his method of dealing with the difficulty, when a messenger from the captain reported that twelve seamen refused to answer the summons.

"ascertain who they are, and get under way without disturbing them," said the principal, after the messenger had retired.

"that's a novel way to deal with a mutiny," added mr. fluxion, who was always in favor of decisive measures.

mr. lowington stated his views fully, and explained his plan. though the vice-principal did not agree with him in regard to his corrective measures, he consented to adopt them. when they went on deck, the captain handed mr. fluxion a list of the names of the josephine's mutineers. they were the twelve runaways who had been transferred to the consort. little had succeeded in inducing them to engage in the plot, but the rest of the crew would not follow their vicious example, even with the assurance that the mutiny was general on board of the ship. under these circumstances, none of the crew of the josephine could be spared for service in the young america, and the boat returned without them. the principal decided that the ship could be handled with the available force, which might include a portion of the cooks and stewards, some of whom were sailors.

the tug-boat had come alongside when the cutter reached the ship. in order to give any rebel, who had repented, an opportunity to return to his duty, the grating was removed from the main hatch, and the boatswain again called all hands to weigh anchor. only two of them, however, answered the call. the capstan was manned by the faithful thirty, reënforced by the officers and the men on board. a long hawser had been passed from the bow to the steamer, and as soon as the anchor was up to the hawse-hole, the signal was given to go ahead. the josephine followed as promptly as though every seaman on board performed his duty, though the sails were not set with the usual precision. the little squadron went off to the north-west, carrying its double mutiny with it.

as soon as the ship began to move, after the anchor was secured, the officers devoted themselves to the duty of stationing the crew. they were divided into two watches, and their places for making and taking in sail, reefing and tacking, were assigned to them. as the officers who had volunteered to serve before the mast were thorough seamen, the task was speedily accomplished. there were no "green hands" to be favored, for every one was competent to hand, reef, and steer. by the time the squadron was well in the offing, the ship's company was in condition to make sail. about ten miles outside of the harbor, the steamer was discharged.

"all hands, make sail, ahoy!" shouted the boatswain; and every officer and seaman sprang to his station.

lieutenants, masters, midshipmen, and pursers mingled with the seamen, and the work was done with promptness and precision. topsails, top-gallant-sails, and courses were set, and with the wind abeam, the ship went off to the north-west as comfortably as though no mutiny had distracted her routine. when everything was made snug for a night at sea, the roll was called, and the names of the mutineers checked on the list.

"young gentleman," said mr. lowington, while the faithful were still assembled in the waist, "i regret that so many of your companions have resorted to a silly and stupid expedient to redress real or imaginary grievances. mutiny is never respectable, under any circumstances; and i wish to draw a sharp line between those who do their duty and those who do not. i desire that none of you hold any communication whatever with the mutineers. be dignified and gentlemanly, but avoid them. give them no information in regard to what transpires on deck. i request you to do this. i do not give you any order to that effect.

"none of the mutineers will be allowed to come on deck, and i shall have some means of distinguishing the faithful from the unfaithful."

"will you allow me to furnish a badge for each of the faithful?" asked grace arbuckle, who stood near the principal, and was deeply interested in the proceedings.

"certainly, miss arbuckle; and i am sure the young gentlemen will set an additional value upon the decoration if it is bestowed by you," replied mr. lowington, as gallantly as though he had been a much younger man.

"thank you, sir," answered grace, blushing at the compliment.

"miss arbuckle will give a badge to each of you," continued the principal to the faithful few.

the crew on deck applauded lustily.

"it will be a white ribbon on the left breast," said grace.

"a white ribbon on the left breast," repeated mr. lowington, as grace hastened to the cabin to procure the materials for the decoration. "i learn that those who refused to answer the boatswain's call, expected to be asked for an explanation of their conduct. i cannot make terms with mutineers. i should have proceeded in a different manner if i had not believed there was a misunderstanding. i am willing to explain for your benefit, but not for those below. do you understand?"

"ay, ay, sir!" shouted the students.

"with a promise on your part to keep your own counsels, i will explain. those of you who will agree not to communicate anything i may say to the mutineers will signify it by going abaft the mizzen-mast on the quarter-deck. those who decline to agree to these terms will remain in the waist."

every officer, including perth, and every seaman, promptly marched to the quarter-deck.

"at the wheel, do you agree to the terms?" said the principal, addressing the quarter-master and seaman who were steering.

"yes, sir," replied both.

"mr. peaks, you will see that no one is at the ladder of the main hatch," continued the principal, turning to the adult boatswain.

"ay, ay, sir," replied peaks, who soon reported that all the mutineers were still in the mess-rooms.

"now, young gentlemen, i am told it is generally believed in the steerage that the trip down the rhine has been abandoned; that the ship is bound to belfast to convey our good friends to their home. this is a mistake, and probably the one which made the mischief in part. i have no idea of going to belfast, and no idea of abandoning the excursion into germany."

the boys applauded with a zeal which indicated how satisfactory the intelligence was to them.

"certainly the discipline of the ship needs improving, but i was satisfied that two or three days' service at sea would restore it to its former standard. if the squadron remains at havre during our absence, both vessels must go into the docks, which involves considerable expense. i therefore purposed to make a harbor at brest, and go from there to the rhine. for this reason the baggage of our friends was brought on board. that is really all that need be said. are you satisfied?"

"ay, ay, sir!" shouted the crowd.

"but remember that this explanation is made for your benefit, and not for that of the students in the steerage. they have chosen their own remedy, and they must abide the issue. you are now dismissed."

"not yet, if you please, mr. lowington," interposed grace, who had stationed herself, with her mother on the port side of the mizzen-mast. "if the young gentlemen will pass this way, they shall be decorated with the white ribbon of the order of the faithful."

"the order of the faithful!" exclaimed mr. lowington, laughing, while all the students applauded. "you will pass forward on the port side of the mizzen-mast, and be initiated into the order of the faithful."

"i shall join that order," said commodore kendall, as he placed himself in the single line formed by the boys.

"let the flag-officer go first," added some of the students, dragging paul to the head of the column.

"commodore kendall, you are received into the order of the faithful," said grace, as she pinned upon the left breast of his coat the white ribbon, which was doubled, so that the two ends hung down.

"thank you, miss arbuckle. i will endeavor to be faithful," replied the flag-officer, as he touched his cap to the fair initiator.

captain shuffles followed him, and in half an hour the entire party were duly initiated and decorated. as fast as mrs. arbuckle could cut off and double the ribbons, grace adjusted them. she explained that she had purchased a large quantity of narrow white and blue ribbon in paris to make trimmings for a dress; and when the principal had spoken of a distinguishing mark for those who did their duty, it had suggested to her the white ribbon of the order of the faithful. she was delighted to have her idea so well received.

"we have had some secret societies on board this ship," laughed paul kendall, after he had received his decoration. "i move you we form another—the order of the faithful."

"we have already taken the obligation," added shuffles.

"and we have been initiated by miss arbuckle," said gordon.

the suggestion was received with favor, though rather as a pleasantry than as a serious matter; and, after the faithful had all marched by the mizzen-mast, the subject was again taken up in the waist.

"i move you that commodore kendall be chosen grand commander of the order of the faithful," said shuffles.

"i beg you will excuse me. i couldn't walk if i had to carry around with me such a magnificent title as that," replied paul, shrugging his shoulders like a frenchman. "i suggest that miss grace arbuckle be the chief of the order, and that no one be admitted unless initiated by her. as she is the founder of the order, it is fair that she should be its head."

"good!" shouted several of the officers and seamen.

"what shall her title be?" added shuffles.

"queen," replied gordon.

"no; that's too commonplace," answered haven.

"what shall it be, then?"

"something outlandish, just for the fun of the thing," said haven, who was not a very warm advocate of secret societies.

"the amazon," suggested one of the seamen.

"o, no! don't call her an amazon," protested paul. "it would be a libel upon her."

"the queen of the fairies."

"we are not fairies," objected haven.

"she is one, at any rate."

"call her the empress."

"simply the president."

"no; the directress."

the question seemed to be a trying one; and one after another suggested titles which were satisfactory to no one but the proposers.

"how will the protectress do?" inquired shuffles.

"rather formidable and commonplace," replied haven. "make it the grand protectress, and i am with you."

"i like protectress," added paul kendall.

"so do i," said half a dozen others.

"grand protectress is better," persisted haven, who could not help making a burlesque of the affair.

"grand protectress!" shouted a dozen others, who believed in high-sounding titles.

"put it to vote," suggested shuffles.

"ay, ay! put it to vote."

"those in favor of grand protectress say, ay," continued haven.

"ay!" responded a large number.

"opposed."

"no."

"the ayes have it. grand protectress it is."

"i move you that commodore kendall and captain shuffles be a committee to wait upon miss arbuckle, and inform her that she has been unanimously chosen grand protectress of the order of the faithful. those in favor say, ay; those opposed, no. it is a vote."

the committee went to the quarter-deck, where grace and her mother were conversing with mr. lowington. paul, who was by seniority the spokesman, touched his cap, and looked as dignified as though he had been the minister plenipotentiary of one of the great powers.

"miss arbuckle, i have the honor—and i should do injustice to my own feelings if i did not add, the pleasure—to inform you, that you have been unanimously chosen grand protectress of the order of the faithful."

"the what?" asked grace.

the principal, usually very solemn and dignified, laughed heartily.

"grand protectress," replied paul, gravely. "the order has been duly established; and, as you have initiated all the members, it is eminently proper that you should preside over its destinies."

"please to assure the members of the order, that i accept the high position, and that i am very grateful to them for the honor they have done me," answered grace, when she could restrain her laughter so as to speak.

"i am happy to be the bearer of such a pleasant message," said paul, as he bowed and retired.

"grand protectress!" laughed grace, repeating in measured tones her magnificent title.

paul reported the acceptance of the grand protectress; and the society was further organized by the choice of a secretary, whose only duty was to keep a record of the names of the members.

"now, we want a motto," said gordon; "something that will express, in few words, the objects of the society."

"i don't happen to know what the objects of the society are," replied haven; "but i suggest, 'honi soit qui mal y pense.'"

"the queen of england has a mortgage on that motto," said paul. "semper paratus will be better."

"what does it mean?" asked a student.

"some praties," replied a wag.

"let us have a motto in plain english, and one that has not been used by all the engine companies in the united states," added haven.

"semper paratus is good, i think," persisted paul. "always ready to answer the boatswain's call, and always ready to do our duty."

"but it is worn out," protested haven. "i move you we invite the grand protectress to give us a motto."

the motion was carried, and the same committee appointed to make the request. paul led the way to grace again, who was still highly amused at the grand honor which had been conferred upon her.

"the order of the faithful instructs me humbly to petition the grand protectress for a motto suitable to the needs, and expressive of the objects, of the association," said paul.

"o, dear me!" exclaimed grace. "if you ask such things as that of me, i shall not wish to be grand protectress. i think, as your great philosopher said, it will be paying too dear for the whistle. must it be in english, french, latin, or german?"

"that must be left to the discretion of your grand protectresship," answered paul, gravely.

"please to help me, father," said she, appealing to mr. arbuckle.

"whatever the grand protectress vouchsafes to give us shall be cherished by the order," added paul.

mr. arbuckle wrote a sentence on a slip of paper, and handed it to grace.

"ah, here is your motto!" exclaimed she, laughing heartily.

"please to repeat it," said captain shuffles.

"vous ne pouvez pas faire un sifflet de la queue d'un cochon," added grace, reading from the paper, which she handed to paul, choking with mirth.

"thanks, most excellent grand protectress," replied the commodore, who found it very difficult to maintain his gravity.

"it is a literal translation of the english proverb, and perhaps the idea is not expressed in similar phrase in french," said mr. arbuckle; "but i think it will answer very well for a motto."

paul smoothed down his face as well as he could, and conveyed the motto to the assembled order in the waist.

"i have the honor to inform you that the grand protectress has provided a motto," said he.

"what is it?" demanded a dozen.

"it is in french."

"the motto!" called the impatient faithfuls.

"vous ne pouvez pas faire un sifflet de la queue d'un cochon."

only two or three laughed, for only a few were as good french scholars as paul and shuffles.

"what's the english of it?" asked several at the same time.

"you must excuse me, for i do not think it is quite proper to translate the motto," replied paul.

those who understood it enjoyed the joke too much to afford the others any light on the subject. haven was delighted with the motto, and moved that it be accepted. as it had been furnished by the grand protectress, it was unanimously adopted. the weak scholars were very curious to know the meaning of the mystic words. most of them could make out a part of the sentence, but not enough to translate it. the business of the meeting was completed, and the members separated, all of them feeling that the mutiny of the young america was more like a merrymaking than anything else. to be decorated with the white ribbon of the order by a beautiful young lady was a privilege which they appreciated, and all of them were thankful that they had not been led astray by the evil counsels which had prevailed in the steerage.

"if you do not like the motto, i can give you another now," said grace, when paul joined the little party on the quarter-deck.

"the one you gave was unanimously adopted by the order," replied paul.

"was it, really?" asked grace, laughing more heartily than before.

"certainly it was."

"did they understand its meaning?"

"some of them did."

"if you like this one better, it is at your service: 'high aims produce noble deeds.'"

"while i hope we all believe in the english one, i think the members of the order prefer the french one."

"if they are suited, i am," replied grace, cheerfully.

the ship was still going along under easy sail, though the weather promised to be unfavorable before morning. at eight o'clock, the starboard watch, with the first and third lieutenants in charge, took the deck, and the port watch went below. they were to be ready for duty at twelve. everything on deck was as pleasant as a merry-making. none of the passengers were seasick.

everything was not so lovely in the steerage, and it is necessary to go back a few hours in order to ascertain what passed among the mutineers.