TOWN SEND B FLAX) Y
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 GIFT OF 
 Commodore Byron McCandless
 
 WAIF-O-THE-SEA
 
 He expected any moment to see a black face out-thrust from 
 the open window 
 
 [Page 39]
 
 WAIF-O-THE-SEA 
 
 A Romance of the Great Deep 
 
 BY 
 
 CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY 
 
 Author of that Group of Island Stories, to wit: 
 
 The Island of Regeneration, Tht Island of Surprise, 
 
 The Island of the Stairs, and Other Novels of the 
 
 South Seas, Including By the World Forgot 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY 
 
 J. ALLEN ST. JOHN 
 
 CHICAGO 
 A. C. McCLURG & CO. 
 
 1918
 
 Copyright 
 
 A. C. McClurg & Co. 
 1918 
 
 Published October, 1918 
 Copyrighted in Great Britain
 
 ALBERT E. SMITH 
 
 Good Fighter and Good Friend 
 Companion in many a bold venture 
 
 I dedicate this story 
 
 Confident that the many generations of the hardy 
 
 seamen of the Cinque Ports he numbers in 
 
 his ancestry will make him love the 
 
 sound of the sea in it, as 
 
 I do myself. 
 
 957359
 
 PREFACE 
 
 THIS story lies between two truths. As I look at 
 that statement, whose form and substance are alike 
 unpremeditated I do assure you, it appears to me that 
 I am jesting with my readers and myself. To the 
 obvious double entendre I will not plead guilty, since I 
 did not intend it. 
 
 What I mean is that the account of the mutiny on 
 the Sharon with which the story begins is literally true. 
 Strange as it may seem, difficult as it may be to believe, 
 it all really happened, only it was another ship. 
 
 Equally true is the account of the amazing adventure 
 of the admiral in cutting out the Esmeralda, the very 
 identical name of that ship by the way, with which the 
 novel ends. Now you see what I really meant. 
 
 Also characterized by the same scrupulous adherence, 
 to fact are old Broadrib's reminiscences of his famous 
 commander. In life the veteran harpooner would cer 
 tainly have embellished his yarns a bit. I have re 
 strained him, even at the risk of failing to draw a real 
 sailor, to the truth. 
 
 As for the rest of the romance it is not difficult to 
 parallel it in the actual experiences of the time. And I 
 hope the reader may be willing to endorse that Italian 
 proverb which runs, 
 
 Si non e ver e ben trovato. 
 
 And perhaps after he gets to know Audrey, that
 
 Preface 
 
 Waif-o-the-Sea, as I know her now, to say nothing of 
 Captain Clough, the admiral and the harpooner, he or 
 she may wish to hear more of their adventures. 
 Romance did not end with their marriage. Other 
 things happened to them and perhaps I shall chronicle 
 more of their adventures in some future volume. 
 
 C. T. B. 
 The Hemlocks, Park Hill, 
 
 Yonkers, N. Y., April, 1918.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Sharon Loses Her Captain .... I 
 Mr. Clough Will Not Abandon the Ship or 
 
 the Boy II 
 
 III The Young Mate Chases the Ship ... 26 
 
 IV The Fight in the Dark 37 
 
 V The Mate's Discovery 49 
 
 VI In the Grip of the Storm 55 
 
 VII The Making of a Boy 68 
 
 VIII Away for Valparaiso 78 
 
 IX A Kiss in the Dark 92 
 
 X Old Broadrib Spins a Yarn 105 
 
 XI The Harpooner Helps Out 121 
 
 XII The Wreck of the San Martin 130 
 
 XIII How the Admiral Got Elected 143 
 
 XIV The Second Mutiny on the Sharon . . . 153 
 XV The Esmeralda Takes a Prize 161 
 
 XVI Spanish Honor Is Upheld 174 
 
 XVII A Half Way Success 187 
 
 XVIII Brave but a Woman 200 
 
 XIX The Admiral Suggests the Easiest Way . . 206 
 
 XX Audrey Makes Good Her Defense . . . 225 
 
 XXI A Promise Broken to the Hope .... 233 
 
 XXII Bold Preparations 241 
 
 XXIII Love of Man and Love of Woman . . . 257 
 
 XXIV No Cause for Complacency 267 
 
 XXV The Admiral's Amazing Exploit .... 275 
 
 XXVI Cutting Out the Sharon 289 
 
 XXVII With Fair Wind for Home 300
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 He expected any moment to see a black face out-thrust from 
 
 the open window Frontispiece 
 
 Broadrib was made of tough stuff and had plenty of fight 
 
 in him 160 
 
 The admiral in person led the charge 284
 
 WAIF-O-THE-SEA 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE SHARON LOSES HER CAPTAIN 
 
 " ~D EY," shouted the captain. 
 
 JA. The boy had been lounging over the wheel. 
 The ship needed but little watching in the light, fitful air 
 prevailing. A light touch on the spokes from time to 
 time kept her head before it as she lazily drifted for 
 ward through the long smooth rollers. Of course, if 
 there had been any sea running or any wind blowing the 
 slender, rather delicate youngster alone would scarcely 
 have been equal to the task of steering the big whaler, 
 although in point of knowledge Rey McRae, the cap 
 tain's nephew, was as good a sailor as there was on the 
 ship. He never discussed his age, but he had the 
 appearance of a fourteen-year-old lad, with the wit and 
 wisdom of more years than that. 
 
 A year and a half had passed since the fine new 
 whaler, Sharon, had cleared from New Bedford for a 
 cruise in the South Pacific after sperm, and the time 
 had been very advantageously employed by the am 
 bitious boy, especially since he had enjoyed the especial 
 attention and the able teaching of Mr. Benjamin 
 Clough, the young third mate. 
 
 Although there was no occasion for it, the captain's
 
 IVaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 voice rang very sharp. Captain Howes Norris, of 
 Holmes Hole, was possessed of a rough tongue. He 
 had a habit of brusque, peremptory, exacerbating 
 speech, much to the irritation of his men and with 
 serious results to himself, as we shall see. 
 
 As the call came to him from abreast of the fore 
 mast whither the captain had gone Rey straightened up 
 at once. He had learned that it was always well to be 
 on the alert when the captain spoke, albeit the ship 
 master was his sole and only relation and guardian. 
 
 "Sir?" he answered promptly with the official for 
 mality of the ship's routine. 
 
 "Take a turn with a rope about the wheel to keep 
 it steady, and jump aloft to the main to'gall'nt yard 
 and keep your eye on those boats. It's growing rather 
 hazy to wind'ard. I don't want to lose sight of them." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir," answered the boy, rapidly lashing 
 the wheel lightly and then springing into the main rig 
 ging, up which he ran with the agility of a cat. 
 
 There was no smarter light yardman on the ship 
 than Rey McRae. There his slight build stood him in 
 good stead. Disdaining the lubber's hole, he scrambled 
 over the futtock shrouds and soon the rigging that led 
 to the crosstrees of the main topmast was shaking under 
 his flying feet. So long as he was not mastheaded for 
 punishment a common enough practice in those days 
 Rey always enjoyed being aloft. He possessed a 
 cool head, an unerring foot, and a stout heart. He 
 swung himself up on the topgallant yard, clasped the 
 royal mast with his left hand and shading his bright 
 eyes with his hand, stared up to windward.
 
 The Sharon Loses Her Captain 3 
 
 "See anything of them?" shouted the captain from 
 the weather side of the forecastle. 
 
 " Yes, sir, see 'em plain," answered the boy promptly. 
 
 "Well?" came from the deck. 
 
 " The mate's boat's fast to a big whale and they are 
 towing her back toward the ship." 
 
 "And the other boat?" 
 
 "She's going to help Mr. Brace tow, I think, sir." 
 
 From his lofty position on the main topgallant yard, 
 the youngster could see over and through the light haze 
 spreading over the sea which rather obscured the view 
 from the deck. The sky was still clear above, but on 
 the horizon it was thickening a little, and before he 
 went forward Captain Norris had noticed that the 
 glass was falling rather rapidly. 
 
 "That's good," said the captain. "Lay down from 
 aloft now and take the wheel again." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir," answered the boy. 
 
 He stood up on the yard and reached out for the 
 main royal back-stay. He disdained, as slow and un- 
 seamanlike, the ordinary method of descending from 
 his dizzy perch by means of the shrouds. He purposed 
 to slide down the back-stay to the deck in short order. 
 
 As he leaned over and grasped the back-stay pre 
 paratory to stepping off the yard and clasping his legs 
 around it for his long slide, he stopped a moment for 
 a glance at the deck beneath him. 
 
 There were but four men on the Sharon's deck. The 
 captain, who had left the forecastle but who had not 
 returned to the quarter deck, had stopped on his way 
 aft Just forward of the try-pots he had climbed up
 
 JVaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 on the starboard rail, steadying himself to the slow roll 
 of the whaler by a hand on the after swifter of the fore 
 shrouds. The captain, the other men on the deck, with 
 the boy aloft, were the only human beings left on the 
 ship; even the cook had gone in the mate's boat. The 
 three other men were natives of the South Seas. They 
 were extreme types of the Papuan or Negroid Islanders 
 of the South Pacific ; very black, very stupid, very brutal, 
 and very strong. Their ugly countenances indicated 
 savage ferocity, and although they had come from a 
 Micronesian island of the Kingsmill group, they were 
 of the lowest Melanesian type. Among the many 
 Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands were some hybrids, 
 of a very mixed breed indeed. Sometimes the brown 
 skinned, better featured, better formed, high grade 
 Polynesian or Micronesian type predominated; some 
 times, as in this instance, the reverse was the case. 
 There were, it was evident, not three worse men in 
 appearance, or character, in the Pacific, afloat or 
 ashore. 
 
 Finding his ship becoming short handed after a 
 chapter of accidents and mischances, Captain Norris 
 had of necessity taken the first men that offered. In 
 deed, it had been difficult to get anybody at all in those 
 then unfrequented seas. Therein he had made a serious 
 mistake, for these black villains were poor sailors 
 nothing could ever teach these Melanesians the way 
 of a ship, and except where brute strength could be 
 unskilfully applied they were utterly worthless. Too 
 late was it discovered that they could not be taught to 
 steer and that nothing on earth, neither threat, nor
 
 The Sharon Loses Her Captain 5 
 
 appeal, nor command would induce them to go aloft. 
 They could haul away lustily at a sheet or a halliard, 
 and one of them at least had learned to pull an oar 
 after a fashion, but that was all. They could neither 
 hand, nor reef, nor steer. 
 
 It would not have been safe to leave the Sharon, 
 which was a big ship for her day, of seven hundred tons 
 and upwards, under the care of three savages, a boy 
 and the captain had not the weather been so mild, the 
 wind so light, and the sea so smooth. 
 
 When she cleared from New Bedford it had been 
 with the shouts of the admiring populace of the little 
 seaport town and many good wishes for " greasy luck," 
 as the sailors' phrase went. Those wishes had been 
 wonderfully fulfilled in the year and a half of her cruis 
 ing in the South Seas. For nearly every barrel of the 
 three thousand or more on board was filled with whale 
 oil, the best sperm oil at that, and the hold was crowded 
 with the by-products of the whale fishery, so called, in 
 cluding some huge lumps of priceless ambergris they 
 had chanced upon. 
 
 Captain Norris intended to discharge the islanders 
 at some convenient island which he might pass, make 
 his way to the west coast of South America, replenish 
 provisions and water, recruit a crew if possible, and 
 then sail for home. 
 
 That afternoon a school of sperm whales had been 
 sighted and he had put over two boats, all that his 
 short-handed condition would warrant him manning, 
 in order, if possible, to fill the very last receptacles still 
 remaining empty on the ship. They had got one big
 
 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 bull whale, which was now lashed along the port side, 
 and had gone back for another. When these two had 
 been tried out it would be square away for South 
 America, then around the Horn for home. 
 
 Everybody left on the ship was in good spirits. For 
 one reason, the original crew of twenty-nine men all 
 told, including Captain Norris at one end of the articles 
 and his nephew Rey at the other, had been reduced to 
 eleven white men and six natives, two splendid Poly 
 nesians, and the four Kingsmillers. Ten of the sailors, 
 irked by the captain's iron hardness, deserted the ship 
 at Ascension Island in the Caroline group. The natives, 
 who were not averse to having such an addition to their 
 population, had concealed them, and Norris, although 
 he searched diligently, had been unable to find them. 
 Of the nineteen other white men, six had lost their lives 
 in the dangers incident to attacking sperm whales, one 
 had been left at Valparaiso ill, another had deserted 
 the ship at Rio de Janeiro. 
 
 Of course, the heirs of those who had died on the 
 cruise in the line of duty would be entitled to their full 
 "lay," or share of the proceeds of the sale of the tak 
 ings of the cruise. Whalemen were paid that way. 
 They got a small salary and a share, or "lay" in pro 
 portion to their rank and rating in the ship, so that a 
 whaling cruise was always a speculative proposition for 
 all hands; a successful voyage meant good pay even 
 for the ship's boy; an unsuccessful one brought even 
 the captain little or nothing. 
 
 The deserters had, on the contrary, forfeited all 
 claim to their share, which would make the portion of
 
 The Sharon Loses Her Captain 7 
 
 those who had remained true to the ship, the larger. 
 Of course the smaller the crew the harder the work, 
 but after that day there would be no more whaling in 
 the full ship and the men aboard could sail her home on 
 a pinch. 
 
 Norris was a just man, a strict, hard disciplinarian, 
 but he was not cruel and he was both a splendid seaman 
 and an accomplished whaler. He had also something 
 of the white man's arrogance toward the black or the 
 brown man, which he was at little pains to conceal. 
 After discovering the ineptitude, inefficiency and gen 
 eral worthlessness of the Kingsmill Islanders, he had 
 borne hardly on them with a reckless disregard of con 
 sequences. He despised them, treated them little bet 
 ter than dogs, and they hated him as much as they 
 feared him. It had not seemed to him to be dangerous 
 to trust himself and the boy alone on the ship with these 
 savages. He had probably never given a thought to 
 any possible peril to himself or his nephew. If any 
 body had mentioned the risk he ran, he probably would 
 have answered that he could handle all three of them 
 himself. As a matter of fact, while the islanders were 
 not and never would be seamen, they were as strong 
 as bulls and they were not restrained by any scruples of 
 any sort. 
 
 Seeing the captain, whom they hated, alone on the 
 ship, the boats being now far away, without considering 
 that a day of reckoning would certainly come, the sav 
 ages decided to take advantage of the situation to wreak 
 their vengeance upon the man. Indeed, taking their 
 cue from Captain Norris, nearly everybody on the ship
 
 8 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 treated them with contempt, a contempt which per 
 haps a sailor feels for inefficiency more than any other 
 man, since the lives of all in a sailing ship depend upon 
 the united ability and experience of the officers and crew 
 more than in any other occupation. 
 
 Before he swung himself off the yard to descend the 
 boy stared down at the deck a moment. Aft the ship 
 was deserted, forward the captain stood. On the lee 
 side, he saw the three islanders in a group. 
 
 The ship was saturated with whale oil, although Nor- 
 ris was a man who believed in cleanliness and carried 
 his beliefs almost to an unwarranted limit, which was 
 the greatest cause for grievance the sailors had with 
 him. He was constantly trying to eradicate the evi 
 dences of their profession which impregnated the tim 
 bers; the men were continually scrubbing decks, yet the 
 Sharon looked exactly what she was a whaler reeking 
 with oil. Everything hull, rigging, masts, yards, 
 sails was permeated with whale oil and smelled of 
 it vilely. 
 
 Mr. Clough, the third mate, who had served as a 
 midshipman on a United States man-of-war in the late 
 struggle with England and had there acquired a love 
 for the spick-and-span neatness of the man-of-war's- 
 man, also hated the inevitable greasiness of the whaler. 
 And as Rey McRae swore by Mr. Clough, he experi 
 enced a little disgust at what he saw below him that 
 afternoon. With a feeling of relief he looked away 
 to the blue sea stretching unbrokenly on every hand, its 
 rolling surface beginning to ripple in the slowly rising 
 breeze. That moment of abstraction had the most dire
 
 The Sharon Loses Her Captain 9 
 
 consequences, for when he turned his face to the deck 
 again preparatory to descending, what he saw fairly 
 froze his blood. Yet he was not so paralyzed with 
 alarm as to be unable to make a sound, for he yelled 
 loudly, if incoherently, with all his might in spite of his 
 terror. 
 
 Such a shriek as that coming down from aloft startled 
 the captain. He half turned, but it was too late. The 
 biggest Melanesian, armed with a whaling spade, was 
 right at the captain's back. Now a whaling spade is a 
 long-handled implement that looks not unlike a common 
 garden spade except its curved cutting or thrusting 
 edge is sharp as a razor. It is a terrible weapon in a 
 strong hand. The islanders were not good sailors, but 
 they were experts in the use of any throwing or thrust 
 ing weapons, such as lance or spear. 
 
 Rey saw the flash of light on the polished weapon 
 as the islander leaped up and lunged viciously at the 
 captain. The thrust was delivered with terrific force 
 and the edge caught the officer on the side of the neck. 
 Captain Norris never lifted a hand, he never said a 
 word or made a sound. The thrust was too quick, too 
 sudden, too desperate. It is doubtful if he realized 
 anything. 
 
 Rey closed his eyes for a second and when he opened 
 them the captain was not there. His head almost sev 
 ered from his body, Captain Norris had been driven 
 overboard by the force of the blow. The islander, wav 
 ing the bloody spade in his hands, was shouting madly, 
 The other two were joining in a wild dance on the 
 deck. So furious had been the blow that there was
 
 io Walf-o-the-Sea 
 
 not even a blood spot on the rail where the captain 
 had stood. 
 
 For a moment Rey could scarcely believe that any 
 thing had happened. Except for the blood-stained 
 spade and the shouting of the islanders he might have 
 thought that he had dreamed it all. 
 
 Casting a glance to windward, however, he detected 
 a dark body sinking out of sight as the ship slowly 
 surged forward. The next instant, with a shudder, he 
 recognized the black fin of a shark cutting the water. 
 His uncle had been good to him, in the main, in a rough- 
 and-ready sort of a way; he had been Key's only rela 
 tive and the boy was faint and sick with horror at the 
 thought of his dreadful fate.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 MR. CLOUGH WILL NOT ABANDON THE SHIP OR THE BOY 
 
 THIS awful tragedy had happened in much less time 
 than it takes to tell it. Rey stood with his feet on 
 the yard and his hand still clasping the stay. He 
 trembled so with nervousness that he could scarcely 
 keep his footing. He fought desperately against an 
 overwhelming faintness. After that first cry he was as 
 incapable of speech as of action. One of the islanders 
 just then looked aloft and caught sight of him. He 
 spoke to the others. They immediately stopped their 
 dancing and shouting and stared up at him. One of the 
 trio seized a harpoon and hurled it at the lad. Of 
 course, it did not rise much higher than the main top 
 far beneath him before it clattered to the deck. The 
 boy was in no danger from that sort of weapon. They 
 tried again. While the second shook his fist at him, the 
 third man snatched a free belaying pin from the nearest 
 life rail and threw it upward, but as before, unavail- 
 ingly. Although he had given it a tremendous heave 
 with his powerful black arm, it just touched the cross- 
 trees below Rey's feet and fell harmlessly back to the 
 deck. 
 
 No man had ever seen one of the islanders aloft, but 
 that they might try to ascend the rigging and get him 
 was, of course, possible. Would they make the attempt ?
 
 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 If so, what could he do? How could he escape? The 
 appalled boy stared at them with a sickening anxiety 
 and a growing apprehension, but after consulting to 
 gether for a moment they separated. Evidently they 
 had no present intention of climbing the rigging to get 
 at him. Greatly relieved for the moment, Rey neverthe 
 less watched them closely as they ran about the ship, 
 fearful lest they might change their minds and try to 
 take or kill him. It came to him at last to his great 
 relief that they regarded him as a negligible quantity. 
 Stupid as they were they knew he would have to come 
 down from aloft for food and drink sooner or later, for 
 if he did not he would grow so weak from hunger and 
 exposure he would fall to the deck. He was only a 
 boy anyway, and they had no fear of him or any antici 
 pation that he would attack them. 
 
 Meanwhile they realized, of course, that the boats 
 would soon be returning. Indeed, the slight mist had 
 been lifted by a growing breeze to starboard and the 
 boats were now in plain sight from the deck, though still 
 a long way off. Rey divined that the savage mutineers 
 were preparing to receive them. It was about one bell 
 in the first dog watch, or half past four in the afternoon, 
 and the season was early October, so that the day was 
 already drawing to its close. 
 
 Uncertain for a moment as to what he ought to do, 
 Rey continued to follow their movements, getting his 
 nerve back in a measure as he realized that he was in 
 no immediate danger. Their purpose was plain enough. 
 They had gathered up all the Whaling implements on 
 the ship, lancts, spears, harpoons, axes, together with
 
 Clouyk Will Not Abandon Ship or Boy 13 
 
 billets of wood and other missiles, and these they piled 
 in convenient places forward and aft and along the bul 
 warks, or rails, so as to be ready for an attack by at 
 tempted boarding from the boats. As they did so, they 
 kept up a great clatter in their own tongue with which 
 Rey was entirely unfamiliar. In fact, so was everyone 
 on the ship, communication with them being by signs 
 and a few words, mostly profanity, which they had 
 picked up from other whalers, except in the case of that 
 one of them who was with the boats, and who could 
 speak a little broken English. 
 
 The inaction was paralyzing to the boy. After he 
 found that he himself was unmolested, it presently oc 
 curred to him that he ought to do something to warn the 
 boats. They were still distant about a league from the 
 ship, which they were approaching very slowly on ac 
 count of the dead weight of the big whale they were 
 towing, and Rey decided that they ought to be sum 
 moned back at once and at the same time warned if it 
 were possible. 
 
 Neither of the three royals had been set, and as the 
 surest way of attracting attention and showing that 
 something was wrong, Rey decided to cut the main top 
 gallant halliards and let the yard fall on the crosstrees. 
 He accordingly dropped down to the crosstrees himself, 
 drew his sheath knife and cut the halliards. The yard 
 came down with a run, the sail flopping and bellying out 
 under the light breeze, making a great showing. 
 
 That would be seen, of course, from the boats, and 
 any sailor would know that it was a sign that something 
 was wrong unless the halliards had carried away because
 
 14 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 they were defective and the officers of the ship would 
 know that they were not. The yard made some noise 
 as it fell, and the lazy flapping of the sail attracted the 
 gaze for a moment of the men on the deck, but they 
 paid no attention to it. It meant nothing to them. The 
 boy noticed that they had stripped off their shirts and 
 trousers and were busy streaking themselves with red 
 paint which they had obtained in the storeroom. 
 
 Standing on the crosstrees Rey tried hard to think if 
 there was anything else he could do. Happening to 
 glance aft he caught sight of the ensign hanging quietly 
 from the gaff of the spanker. If he could only get the 
 flag ! Captain Norris was very proud of his nationality 
 and he generally had a small flag flying even at sea. It 
 was easy enough to get into the mizzen top. Of course, 
 the mizzen top would be much more accessible to the 
 savages, being so much nearer to the deck than the main 
 topmast crosstrees, but Rey decided the risk was worth 
 the attempt. He remembered that not one of these 
 islanders had ever been aloft and he did not think one 
 of them would dare to try it now. 
 
 He could easily gain the mizzen topgallant yard by 
 means of the mizzen topmast stay which, since the miz 
 zen topmast was so much lower than the main, ran 
 almost level between the two masts, the ascent from the 
 main top being but a slight one, easily managed by any 
 active boy. 
 
 Clasping his legs around the stay, quickly and quietly 
 he climbed up hand over hand to the mizzen topmast. 
 He did this, of course, without making any noise, and he 
 gained the crosstrees entirely unobserved. The next
 
 Clough Will Not Abandon Ship or Boy 15 
 
 move was much easier. He only had to drop down to 
 the end of the spanker gaff by means of the peak hal 
 liards, which held up the outer end of the spar, detach 
 the flag, slide down the gaff to the mast, and climb up 
 into the mizzen top by means of the throat halliards. 
 
 There was not a surer footed, clearer headed person 
 on the ship than the boy. He would not have hesitated 
 a second about such an achievement under ordinary cir 
 cumstances, but with these bloodthirsty savages on the 
 deck, it was quite another matter. However, he had 
 come so far that he determined to go through the affair 
 to the end. 
 
 He slid down the peak halliards to the boom, clasped 
 his legs around it, cut the halliards to which the colors 
 were bent, and seized the flag. Unfortunately, as he cut 
 the flag halliards they fell to the deck and one of the 
 islanders, happening to pass beneath, was struck on the 
 shoulder by the falling line. He looked up and saw the 
 boy. Of course, he did not for a moment understand 
 what he was about or why he was in that position. But 
 that made no difference. 
 
 Fortunately, he had no missile in his hand. It was the 
 same savage who had used the whaling spade with such 
 terrible effect on the poor captain and he still carried 
 that weapon. With an acuteness for which he could 
 have scarcely been given credit, he saw that the gaff, or 
 boom, to which the boy clung was steadied by two ropes 
 called vangs which led to either side of the ship. 
 
 Now Rey had not waited for anything. As soon as 
 he got the flag in his hand he started down the boom 
 toward the mast. He saw the islander perfectly. The
 
 1 6 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 man's eyes followed the vang or stay down to the deck. 
 He turned instantly and raised his spade. Rey knew 
 what that meant. One vang or both being cut, the gaff 
 would swing around wildly. 
 
 He was still about midway of the gaff. He had a few 
 seconds to get to the mast. Somehow or other, hold 
 ing the flag in his teeth, he got to his feet, and just as 
 the whaling spade cut the vang and the boom gave a 
 lurch, the boy clasped the peak halliards and slipped 
 into the mizzen shrouds. The man who had cut the 
 vang yelled as he did so, and he was instantly joined by 
 the other two natives. One of them had an axe. He 
 hurled it at the boy with terrific force and accurate aim. 
 Some good angel just then caused Rey to move aside 
 as he climbed to the top, this time through the lubber's 
 hole for safety, and the blade only grazed his shoulder 
 instead of hitting him fairly in the back of the neck, 
 which would have meant his instant death. 
 
 The wound made by the axe was neither dangerous 
 nor very deep, but it was painful and it bled profusely as 
 he gained the shelter of the mizzen top. At the moment 
 it only added a stimulus to the boy's energy if he needed 
 any. His one thought was to get back to the main top, 
 which was high and afforded him more safety than the 
 mizzen; the latter being the shortest mast, the top was 
 dangerously near the raised poop deck. 
 
 The savages were grouped aft staring and yelling. 
 Then Rey resorted to a trick. He thrust his cap over 
 the rail on the end of a belaying pin which he found in 
 the top. It was instantly greeted with a shower of 
 missiles. This kept the savages aft, for they expected
 
 dough Will Not Abandon Ship or Boy 17 
 
 dumbly to see him again. While they were watching 
 he had scrambled up to the crosstrees, and when they 
 next caught sight of him, he was half way down the miz- 
 zen topmast stay which he had before ascended, and he 
 was sliding down that stay for dear life the flag in his 
 teeth. It was an easy thing for a well person, but for a 
 frightened boy who had had the life almost scared out 
 of him and who was bleeding from a wound in the left 
 shoulder, it was a terrible undertaking. But desperate 
 fear lent him a strength of which adverse conditions 
 had sought to deprive him. 
 
 Although the savages ran forward and the air was 
 filled with missiles, one of which, a beef bone, struck 
 him on the back and bruised him but did not cause him 
 to lose his hold, he gained the main top, panting, ex 
 hausted, bleeding, but otherwise unhurt. To clamber 
 up to the main royal masthead and set the flag, Union 
 down, was the work of a few moments. Then he slid 
 down the mast to the crosstrees. He sat down on the 
 topgallant yard, resting on the cap, clasped his legs 
 around the mast, and sought with his neckerchief to 
 bind up his wounded shoulder. It was almost an im 
 possibility. 
 
 Fortunately, no artery had been cut and after a time, 
 largely because he sat with his hand pressed against it, 
 the wound stopped bleeding, but it rendered him quite 
 helpless. His arm was stiff, it pained him frightfully, 
 and he was so dizzy and giddy that it was with difficulty 
 that he maintained his position on the yard. 
 
 The flag, Union down, always a signal of distress, 
 told the men in the boats that something serious had
 
 1 8 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 happened. They buoyed the whale, cast off the lines 
 by which they were towing him, and drove the whale- 
 boats rapidly toward the ship. The boats were rather 
 short-handed, too, since the ship's complement had 
 been so depleted by accident and desertion, but their 
 crews made up in energy for what they lacked in 
 numbers. 
 
 They approached the ship from slightly forward of 
 the beam. The savages on the deck manifested an un 
 usual degree of craft, for they crouched beneath the 
 rail and gave no sign of their presence. 
 
 Feeling that he could hold on for but a little time 
 longer, the boy was almost at the end of his resources. 
 But he summoned his strength, and as the boats came 
 within hailing distance he shouted a warning. 
 
 " Mr. Brace," he called. The first and second mates 
 were New Bedford men, brothers, named Thomas and 
 Nathan Brace respectively. Mr. Ben Clough, the third 
 mate, was in the mate's boat forward. " Boat ahoy," 
 shouted the boy again. 
 
 He thought he was shouting loudly, but the sound of 
 his voice was singularly faint and weak. Yet in the 
 light air they heard him distinctly enough. 
 
 "What is it? What has happened?" answered the 
 mate. 
 
 "The savages have arisen and murdered the captain. 
 They are in possession of the ship." 
 
 Without orders the men had stopped rowing at the 
 sound of the first hail, but the boats had enough momen 
 tum to drive them ahead and they were now quite near 
 the ship.
 
 Glough Will Not Abandon Ship or Boy 19 
 
 As the boy's voice died away, the three Papuans sud 
 denly sprang up on the rail. They were armed with 
 whaling spades, lances, or hatchets, according to their 
 fancy. 
 
 "Hold water!" shouted Mate Brace in the nearest 
 boat. "Backwater hard! Stern all!" 
 
 The boat's way was checked as the men dug their 
 oars in deep and then she was driven slowly astern as 
 they backed hard. One of the men in the mate's 
 boat was the fourth islander, a man called Billy. The 
 sailors, finding it impossible to pronounce the names of 
 the islanders, had named them in accordance with their 
 fancy. 
 
 'You, Billy," said the mate pointing, "what do they 
 say?" 
 
 Now Billy was more intelligent than the rest and 
 knew more English. That was one reason why he had 
 been distinguished by being permitted to pull an oar. 
 He turned his head and shouted out something at his 
 fellow-countrymen. A perfect torrent of words was 
 poured out upon him. So soon as he could make him 
 self heard, Billy turned to the mate. 
 
 ' They got ship. Kill you. Same bad captain." 
 
 The islanders burst forth again. 
 
 "What now?" asked Mr. Brace as the tumult sub 
 sided. 
 
 "Want me come." 
 
 At that Mr. Clough picked up a harpoon and pointed 
 it directly at the man's back. His meaning was per 
 fectly obvious. Any treachery on Billy's part would 
 be checked by a thrust of that weapon. The savage
 
 2O Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 shook his head. A cry of rage broke from the men on 
 the ship and the next instant one of them hurled an axe 
 over the waters with such force and skill that but for the 
 fact that Billy saw it coming over his shoulder and 
 ducked, it would have killed him. As it was, it struck 
 the side of the boat, making a large gash extending 
 down nearly to the water's edge. 
 
 The men needed no urging to put distance between 
 them and the ship after that Before they got the boat 
 moving, however, Mr. Clough stood up in the fore 
 sheets and threw his harpoon with all his force and skill. 
 The distance was too great and the harpoon, making a 
 graceful curve in the air, struck the side of the ship 
 below the rail. It stuck there quivering. The natives 
 yelled derisively. 
 
 "If you will put me a little nearer, Mate," said Mr. 
 Clough fiercely, " I will put a harpoon through one 
 of them." 
 
 " It is not to be thought of," said Brace, turning very 
 pale. " If that axe had gone a foot lower, it would 
 have gone through the bottom of the boat and she 
 would have sunk." 
 
 By this time the two boats had got a safe distance 
 from the ship. The air still continued light and the 
 ship wabbled along, backing and filling, coming to and 
 falling off in aimless, erratic fashion, making no way ex 
 cept a slow drift to leeward through the water. One 
 of the mutineers had cast off or cut the wheel lashing, 
 and the ship was under no control at all. 
 
 " I guess there is no doubt about the captain being 
 dead," said the second mate to his brother, as the two
 
 Clough Will Not Abandon Ship or Boy 21 
 
 boats came to rest again, "therefore, you are in com 
 mand, Tom." 
 
 Now Thomas Brace was undoubtedly in command, 
 but he was plainly unequal to the situation. Ordinarily 
 brave enough, the sight of those bloodthirsty, red- 
 streaked savages, who had now stripped themselves 
 except for breech cloths, and who were evidently 
 drunk with blood, appalled him. As a matter of 
 fact, counting out the fourth Kingsmiller and the 
 two Polynesians, there were but nine white men in the 
 two boats. 
 
 "There is nothing to do," said Mr. Clough at last, 
 seeing nobody else suggested anything, " but to row up 
 to the ship on each side, board her, and take a chance." 
 
 " I would rather abandon her," said the second mate, 
 who was as timid as the first, apparently. " We are only 
 five days from Christmas Island, where we " 
 
 "Are you going to abandon a ship crammed to the 
 hatches with sperm oil, an' worth thousands of dollars, 
 to three savages, South Sea Island dogs?" in great 
 surprise interrupted a veteran harpooner, a big sturdy 
 Englishman named Broadrib, a general favorite with 
 all hands, and who presumed on his station to express 
 his views frankly. 
 
 "To say nothing of the boy up there," added Mr. 
 Clough, sharing the old harpooner's disgust and amaze 
 ment. 
 
 "He is safe enough, now," answered the mate. 
 " Nat one of those fellow's could be driven above die 
 sheer poles" the first ratlines or crosspieceis on the 
 shrouds "to save his life."
 
 22 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 "Aye, he is safe enough now, but hunger, and thirst, 
 and exposure will get him." 
 
 "Since you are in favor of taking the ship, Mr. 
 Clough, I will give you one boat," answered the mate 
 sharply. " My brother and I will take the other. We 
 will take into our boat the three islanders, while you 
 and Broadrib, and any of the remaining men can try 
 your plan." 
 
 Mr. Clough shot a look of contempt at the cowardly 
 mates. 
 
 " Very well," he said, " I will do it." 
 
 " I'm with you, Mr. Clough," said the harpooner. 
 
 "Well, you can't count on me," said one of the other 
 sailors. " If the other mates are goin' to stay here, I 
 am goin' to stay here, too." 
 
 The men were good men, but naturally they took their 
 cue from their new commander and his first subordinate. 
 The argument was fast and furious, but nothing could 
 budge the mates. 
 
 " I'll tell you what I'll do," said Mr. Clough at last, 
 in deep disgust. " I'll board her single-handed." He 
 turned to the mate. " I want to talk to the boy again. 
 I will take all the risk. I will stand up for'ard here and 
 if anybody gets hit, it will be I." 
 
 " I tell you I " began the mate. 
 
 "We can't stay out here forever, and we can't 
 abandon that ship," said Mr. Clough decisively. " I 
 couldn't go back home and face our New Bedford 
 people after that, and as for telling our people that we 
 left a boy alone with those " 
 
 " Give way, men, easy," said the mate reluctantly.
 
 dough Will Not Abandon Ship or Boy 23 
 
 The boat approached the ship again. 
 
 " Rey, ahoy, Rey ! Main topmast crosstrees, there ! " 
 shouted Mr. Clough, standing up. 
 
 Rey was pretty far gone by this time. He was cling 
 ing to his perch in grim determination. But the voice of 
 the man he admired aroused him. 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir," shouted the lad. 
 
 " My boy, we are not going to leave you," returned 
 the third mate. We are going to get the ship back 
 somehow. You can help us. Climb over to the fore 
 mast and cut the fore royal stay. It will drop into the 
 water and as soon as it is dark, I will try to board the 
 ship by means of it and " 
 
 " I can't do it, Mr. Clough," answered Rey despair 
 ingly. 
 
 "You must," insisted the mate, eagerly, "it's the 
 only way, my lad." 
 
 Of course, the savages on deck heard the conversa 
 tion, but they knew no English, and although the 
 islander in the boat understood something of what was 
 purposed, and opened his mouth to speak, the seaman 
 who sat in front of him hit him a clip on the head with 
 his clenched fist which silenced him. 
 
 The mutineers crowded the rail, but made no effort 
 to throw anything. The mate had stopped the boat 
 just as far away as it was possible for Mr. Clough to 
 hear. It was growing dark, too, and their aim would 
 not have been certain, and they needed the weapons. At 
 any rate, whatever the reason, they did not offer to 
 molest the mate who stood up in the bow of the whale- 
 boat.
 
 24 Watf-o-the-Sea 
 
 " Rcy, you must try it," he repeated. " They won't 
 go aloft. They won't hurt you." 
 
 " It isn't that," answered the boy. " I'm not afraid. 
 But when I was on the gaff end to get the flag, one of 
 them cut me with an axe. I have lost the use of my left 
 arm. I can't hold on here very long. If you don't come 
 soon, I am a goner." 
 
 "Now, you hold on for your life, lad," said Mr. 
 Clough, disappointed and alarmed for the lad's safety, 
 for he was very fond of Rey. "We will get aboard 
 some way. Don't give up. Keep up your courage." 
 
 By this time the sun had set, and darkness was spread 
 ing over the sea. Mr. Clough's brilliant plan had been 
 entirely practicable, but the utter inability of Rey Mc- 
 Rae to carry out his part of it, rendered it necessary for 
 him to think of something else. 
 
 The boats drew off. The forlorn and unfortunate 
 Rey watched them until they were gray specks in the 
 dark water. He felt dreadfully weak and sick. Finally, 
 he decided he could not keep his position on the cross- 
 trees any longer. He had unlimited confidence in the 
 ability of Mr. Clough, but he would have to get some 
 place where he could lie down if he was not to lose his 
 hold and fall to the deck. 
 
 The broad main top lay below him invitingly. Of 
 course, it was dangerous. There was a possibility that 
 the savages in their desire to get him, might manage to 
 climb to the top, although they could not get to the 
 crosstrees; but the boy had no choice. He waited until 
 it was completely dark. Then he slid quietly down from 
 the crosstrees until he reached the top. Without mak-
 
 Clough Will Not Abandon Ship or Boy 25 
 
 ing a sound, he laid himself down, pillowed his head on 
 a coil of rope with his face close to the lubber's hole so 
 that he could look down without turning his head, and 
 waited. 
 
 How long he waited, he could not tell. Perhaps, in 
 spite of his anxiety, he fell asleep. At any rate, he was 
 suddenly aroused by a tremendous racket aft in the 
 cabin. He sat up, and although his shoulder was stiff 
 and pained him frightfully, he got on his feet, clung to 
 the rail of the top, and peered down to the deck, which 
 he could dimly distinguish in the darkness. There was 
 no moon, but the stars cast a faint light.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE YOUNG MATE CHASES THE SHIP 
 
 THE argument in the boats had been fast and furi 
 ous. Of course, there need have been no debate 
 at all, if the mate on whom the command had devolved 
 had been a man of resolution, and determination, and 
 decision. He would have outlined a plan of action 
 promptly, and the rest of his men would have fallen 
 in with it at once. But he could not make up his mind 
 as to the right course to be pursued. He was actually 
 overcome with the sudden horror, and save for the 
 futile suggestions he had made earlier in the evening, he 
 could contribute little or nothing to the settlement of 
 the question. Not to mince matters, he was in the grip 
 of a panic. He could face the dangers of the sea, and 
 the perils of his hazardous profession well enough, but 
 this savage and brutal murder appalled and unnerved 
 him. His brother, the second mate, was in little better 
 case, and some of the crew naturally took their cue from 
 these two officers, one of whom had now become the 
 captain of the ship he was afraid to board. The 
 Polynesians and the remaining Kingsmill Islander 
 counted for nothing, or worse than nothing. Under 
 the unusual and extraordinary conditions, some of the 
 older seamen, especially the only harpooner left of the 
 original crew, the veteran English sailor, Broadribi
 
 The Young Mate Chases the Ship 27 
 
 felt themselves entitled to join in the heated discus 
 sion. The chief advocate of prompt, bold, decisive 
 action was the youngest of the officers, and the one of 
 lowest rank. 
 
 In times of that sort of stress and strain, and under 
 circumstances fraught with such danger, natural qual 
 ities of leadership usually determine who shall take 
 charge. No braver man than Benjamin Clough, the 
 third mate, ever walked a deck or set a course. Clough 
 had been a passed midshipman on the Essex six 
 years before, when she fought her famous battle in the 
 harbor of Valparaiso against the Phoebe and the 
 Cherub. He had been trained in the best school for 
 seamen and fighting men afloat, the American Navy, 
 in the last war with England. He had given up his 
 naval connection after peace had been declared, had 
 entered the merchant service, and had risen at the age 
 of twenty to the position of third officer on the Sharon. 
 He was now approaching his twenty-fourth year. And 
 that he had been appointed to that important position 
 on so fine a ship at so early an age was an evidence of 
 his character and characteristics. 
 
 The mettle of the man was seen in his first proposi 
 tion. If Rey McRae had been able to gain the fore top 
 and thence had climbed up to the fore royal masthead, 
 and had cut the fore royal stay, it would have fallen, in 
 all probability, into the water from the end of the fly 
 ing jib boom. Mr. Clough had intended to wait until 
 dark, drift down across the bows of the ship in the 
 whale-boat, drop overboard, catch the stay, climb up it, 
 make his way on board by way of the head booms, and
 
 28 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 then be governed by circumstances in his attack. But 
 that plan, of course, had to be abandoned when the 
 boy's wounds made it impossible for him to do his part. 
 Some other way had to be devised. The young mate's 
 thoughts naturally went toward the after part of the 
 ship, since the possibility of boarding her forward was 
 eliminated. 
 
 As is usual in such ships, a Jacob's ladder, which 
 is a rope ladder with wooden rungs, hung from the 
 stern. If he could get hold of that, he could climb 
 into the ship through the after-cabin windows. He 
 proposed that in the course of the discussion between 
 the two boats which had drawn away out of sight 
 and out of hearing from the ship in the growing 
 darkness. 
 
 The savages aboard the Sharon had not sense enough 
 to light any lamps or lanterns, but the men in the boats 
 were near enough to see her dark outlines against the 
 stars, as she backed and filled in the fitful breeze which, 
 fortunately, still continued light, although there was a 
 threatening cloud-bank on the horizon. The two Brace 
 brothers were still determined upon abandoning the 
 ship and making the best of their way to the nearest 
 islands, about forty leagues to the eastward, and thence 
 northeasterly to the Hawaiian Islands, Which lay about 
 two hundred leagues farther on. 
 
 " It's too dangerous, I tell you," urged the mate. 
 " We're only nine white men and three natives ; four of 
 us have got to watch these savages in the boats; that 
 leaves but five for boarding. It can't be done." 
 
 "We're practically unarmed save for dtir knives,"
 
 The Young Mate Chases the Ship 29 
 
 eagerly chimed in the second mate, conveniently 
 oblivious to the remaining harpoons and lances in the 
 boats, " and what show would we have with those blood 
 thirsty madmen if we tried to board her ? " 
 
 " They'd cut us down before ever one of us set foot 
 on deck," continued the first officer, who had completely 
 lost his head. 
 
 " It's a pity, of course, but the best thing for us to 
 do is to give her up and make the best of our way to 
 Christmas Island," urged the second officer. 
 
 But Clough swore by all that was holy that he 
 would not give up the ship, and more than that, that he 
 would not abandon the boy. 
 
 " Be reasonable, man. He is probably dead by this 
 time," urged the cowardly mate. 
 
 "Well, if he is done for, it will be another score 
 against those murderous savages," bitterly returned 
 the other, who was not at all willing to be reasonable, 
 according to the mate's ideas of reason. " Captain 
 Norris placed that boy under my charge. He told me 
 to teach him seamanship and navigation. I like the 
 lad, and by God, I'll not desert him." 
 
 "But if he is dead?" 
 
 " If he is dead I will avenge him, and I want to tell 
 you, Tom Brace," he continued abruptly, throwing 
 discipline and sailorly subordination to the winds in his 
 anger, " that if you sail away and leave that boy, you're 
 a damned coward. They will think worse of you down 
 East than they did of old Floyd Ireson. You remem 
 ber how the women of Marblehead tarred and feathered 
 him for much the same sort of conduct. And how you
 
 30 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 will settle with your conscience for it, I can't see," he 
 added, in a stubborn contempt, which he was at no 
 pains to conceal. 
 
 "You are not the keeper of my conscience, Mr. 
 Clough," returned Brace, with great asperity, yet rather 
 weakly, for he could not escape the conviction that the 
 rebuke was merited. 
 
 " No, I am not," was the scornful, insubordinate 
 answer. "It seems to me that would be too small a 
 job for any full-grown man." 
 
 "And I'll have you know that I am in command of 
 the ship now that poor Captain Norris is gone," 
 blustered the mate. 
 
 " Very well ; if you won't exercise your command, I 
 will. Here, lads." He stood up in the boat and faced 
 the other boat, which was close by. " We aren't going 
 to lose so fine a ship as that, are we?" 
 
 " No, sir," answered Broadrib promptly. " I'm with 
 you for tryin' it." 
 
 Two other seamen made the same reply. 
 
 "And what kind of sailormen would we be if we left 
 a boy, and as good and plucky a boy as young Rey Mc- 
 Rae, to be butchered by those mutinous brutes?" con 
 tinued Mr. Clough earnestly. 
 
 Again a little chorus of approval came from the three 
 who had spoken before. 
 
 " I utterly refuse," said the mate angrily, " to sanc 
 tion an attack upon the ship." 
 
 " I will hold you to your first proposition then," said 
 Mr. Clough coolly. "Take everybody that doesn't 
 want to join me into your boat, including the natives,
 
 The Young Mate Chases the Ship 31 
 
 and let everybody that will volunteer go with me in the 
 other." 
 
 The mate started to say something further, but 
 Clough, at the end of his patience, turned on him, shak 
 ing his fist at him. 
 
 " Refuse at your peril," he roared. " If we ever get 
 out of this, the whole of New Bedford is going to hear 
 how you and your cowardly brother have behaved. 
 Oh, yes, you can put me in irons if we ever get back 
 aboard ship, but you can't do it here, and you can't 
 silence me anywhere unless you kill me," continued the 
 other vehemently. Then, not giving the mate time to 
 reply, he turned to the men. " Who will go with me? " 
 
 " It is a foolhardy, dangerous experiment," shouted 
 the younger Brace looking toward the men in the boats. 
 
 " That is the reason I am asking for volunteers," re 
 turned Clough. 
 
 " You are taking your lives in your hands," persisted 
 the mate. " Those savages are crazy. They will " 
 
 "Does anyone volunteer?" 
 
 " Count me with you, sir," said old Broadrib, lifting 
 up his hand. 
 
 "And me!" "And me!" answered two younger 
 sailors. 
 
 The rest, good enough men, but intimidated and un 
 nerved by the mate's remarks, said nothing. 
 
 " Four of us will be enough, since nobody else offers," 
 said Mr. Clough. " Here, we'll take the second mate's 
 boat. That's the smaller of the two." 
 
 It so happened that the two seamen who had volun 
 teered were already in the second mate's boat. The
 
 32 IVaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 two whale-boats were floating side by side and Clough 
 promptly picked up the boat hook, fastened it on the 
 bow of the other boat and drew them close together 
 without troubling himself for the permission or sanction 
 of anyone. 
 
 " Look out for your oars, men," he said to the men 
 as the two boats swung together side by side. " Now 
 the rest of you cowards tumble out of that boat and 
 give her to the men who aren't afraid." 
 
 The second mate started to protest, but old Broadrib, 
 who was the biggest man on the ship, rose from his 
 seat, stepped over into the other boat, told the Poly 
 nesian to get out, which he did without any hesitation, 
 and the majority of that boat's crew now being on the 
 side of Mr. Clough, Nathan Brace concluded that the 
 best thing for him to do would be to accept the situation. 
 Accordingly he stepped over into his brother Tom's boat. 
 
 " Come on, Mr. Clough, git aboard," said the har- 
 pooner, and the next minute the two boats separated. 
 
 "We will show a light from the ship when we suc 
 ceed," said Clough. "And when you see it, it will 
 be safe for you cowards to come alongside." 
 
 " I can't stand this," suddenly burst out a young sea 
 man left in the mate's boat. " Let me go with you, Mr. 
 Clough." 
 
 " I'll go too," cried another, thoroughly ashamed of 
 the craven part he had played. 
 
 "And I," said a third. 
 
 " It does you credit, lads, even though it comes late," 
 said Clough. " But just stay in your boat and we'll do 
 the work for you. I am glad you showed some spirit
 
 The Young Mate Chases the Ship 33 
 
 even if late. Now get out the oars. You sit to star 
 board, Broadrib. You are big enough to pull against 
 the other two. I'll steer. Give way gently." 
 
 In a short time under the lusty strokes of the men 
 they had pulled some distance from the other boat and 
 correspondingly nearer the ship. 
 
 "What's your plan, Mr. Clough, if I may make so 
 bold as to ask?" said old Broadrib as the young mate 
 gave orders to cease rowing. 
 
 " I think if we can get aboard by stratagem that will 
 be the best way. If those savages are on the lookout, 
 and we have no reason to suppose they are not, they 
 would see the boat before we could reach the ship. We 
 will go as near as we can without being observed, and 
 then I will slip overboard, swim astern, catch hold of 
 the Jacob's ladder, climb up, and get into the cabin. 
 Once aboard I will be governed by circumstances. I 
 have no doubt I can barricade the cabin and attract 
 their attention to it, and while they are engaged with 
 me, you can board by way of the main chains, or 
 through the gangway, and take them in the rear. Under 
 stand?" 
 
 " Perfectly, sir," said old Broadrib. 
 
 "And you other lads?" 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir." 
 
 "Well, then, give way again, but slowly. Easy, 
 lads, easy," continued the mate as they approached 
 nearer the ship. 
 
 He did not draw very near, because if he were discov 
 ered it would be fatal. What he was about to do was 
 an undertaking filled with great risks. For one thing,
 
 34 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 there were apt to be sharks about. There was always 
 a chance that one might seize him. If he were seen 
 from the ship the three men would certainly strive to 
 prevent him boarding her. They could easily kill him 
 while he was in the water, or when he was scrambling 
 up the ladder. Still, there was no other way. To have 
 attempted to board her openly by the main chains would 
 have been difficult unless both boats tried it, one on 
 each side. It was possible to get aboard the ship that 
 way, but it would mean a lot of noise and a fight either 
 on the rail or the open deck. Through the cabin was 
 the safest, most promising way. 
 
 The ship was only two degrees north of the line by 
 the last observation. The water was warm and pleas 
 ant. Clough stripped himself to his white undershirt 
 and drawers, slung his sheath knife around his neck and 
 slipped into the water. He struck out boldly, although 
 he swam noiselessly and with little splashing. 
 
 Just as he had congratulated himself that a few more 
 strokes would bring him within reach of the Jacob's 
 ladder, a sudden shift of the wind whirled the Sharon 
 away from him. Of course, having no hand at the helm, 
 she was under no control at all. As she swung about 
 her sails filled and she moved rapidly away. Mr. 
 Clough was one of the best swimmers in New England, 
 which was as fortunate as it was unusual for a sailor, 
 some of whom never learn to swim, though their whole 
 lives are passed at sea; for by a tantalizing series of 
 shifts and changes of the variable breeze he was actually 
 much over one hour in the water before he finally got 
 his hand on the Jacob's ladder.
 
 The Young Mate Chases the Ship 35 
 
 He had two motives for his persistency, either of 
 them powerful enough to account for his dogged perse 
 verance. The first was his professional pride; he would 
 by no means give up the ship, allow himself to be beaten 
 by those mutinous and murdering savages. The second 
 was his great and to himself somewhat inexplicable 
 liking for Rey McRae. He had never before realized 
 how fond he had grown of the bright and handsome 
 lad. He would save him from Captain Norris' dread 
 ful fate at whatever cost. So he had continued the 
 unequal battle one single man in a mighty waste of 
 sea, pursuing a great and masterless ship, one little bit 
 of human flotsam kept afloat by courage begot of pride 
 and affection! 
 
 Some of this time he was so near the erratic ship that 
 anyone looking over the bulwarks or rail would infalli 
 bly have seen him. At such moments he did not dare 
 even to take a stroke, but resorted to treading water. 
 Sometimes he floated, but only when he was some dis 
 tance away, for his white-clad body in the black waters 
 would easily have been detected. Fortunately, he met 
 with no shark while he fought indomitably. 
 
 He had given the men in the boat strict orders to 
 keep the ship in sight, but to wait a signal or a call before 
 trying to board. They did not know whether he had 
 got aboard or not, but old Broadrib was a man used to 
 obeying orders, so he possessed his soul in patience, 
 although it was terribly hard. He surmised, in fact, 
 that the constant shifting of the position of the ship 
 had rendered it difficult for Mr. Clough to get aboard. 
 He felt no apprehensions, however, for his fate, for he
 
 36 JVaif-0-the-Sea 
 
 knew he was one of the best swimmers of the crew and 
 he believed that sooner or later he would make it. Of 
 course, the officer might have been seized with a cramp, 
 or caught by a shark, but in that case the men in the 
 boat would certainly have heard a cry for help. 
 
 They sat quietly in the boat, waiting and listening 
 with all their ears. They gave the boat just enough 
 way to keep at a right distance from the erratic ship, 
 whose bulk and top-hamper they could make out against 
 the stars. Incidentally, they heard and saw nothing of 
 the other boat. They wondered if she had not deserted 
 them, deeming it useless to linger near the ship any 
 longer. They judged it to be about an hour and a half 
 after Mr. Clough's departure before they heard faintly 
 some kind of a sound coming from the stern of the ship, 
 which in its drifting course happened to be nearer them 
 than at any time before. They decided it could only 
 come from the mate, who must have got aboard and 
 fallen foul of one of the savages. Glad of any excuse 
 for action, they bent eagerly to their oars, therefore, 
 and the light whale-boat was soon leaping over the 
 black water toward the big ship.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE FIGHT IN THE DARK 
 
 THE hour and a half that the mate had spent in the 
 water was the longest he ever passed in his life. 
 He was consumed with maddening anxiety. Several 
 times he had almost made the capricious ship, only to see 
 her fall off and fade away from him. He wondered if he 
 would ever succeed in reaching her. Sometimes he 
 thought that he would better abandon the attempt in 
 that way, swim back to the boat and boldly row along 
 side the ship and board her openly at whatever risk of 
 detection and possible, nay, certain, opposition. He had 
 to dismiss those fleeting thoughts, however, when he 
 discovered that he had completely lost the bearings of 
 his boat. He could not see her from the surface of the 
 water. He had no idea where she was. It was the ship 
 or nothing. Well, he was rather glad on the whole that 
 no alternative presented itself. Desperately he renewed 
 his pursuit of the Sharon. As he struck out bravely 
 again and again he resolved that he would not be beaten 
 by all the winds that blew upon the broad Pacific Ocean 1 
 He swore he'd rather die himself than give up. 
 
 A mist was stealing over the heavens again, blotting 
 out the stars so that amid all the shifts and changes he 
 had made in pursuing the ship, he lost all sense of direc 
 tion. Sometimes as she glided, ghostlike, silently away 
 
 37
 
 38 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 from him, he had difficulty in keeping her in view in the 
 growing obscurity and thickening haze. Two or three 
 times he was tempted to hail the ship in the hope of 
 getting an answer from the boy. But of course that 
 would have been fatal to his purpose of concealment 
 and his design of surprise, so he kept grimly silent, 
 although consumed with apprehension, while he pur 
 sued the fleeting, wayward vessel. 
 
 If there had been an observer, it would have been a 
 curious spectacle, a half naked man swimming in the 
 center of the Pacific Ocean after a huge uncontroled 
 ship. Never had the Sharon behaved so erratically. It 
 was maddening. Just when he thought he had her, she 
 would be whisked out of his reach as if some gigantic 
 hand were moving her away on purpose to tantalize 
 him. 
 
 His inability only made him the more determined. 
 He set his teeth and swore that he would get to that ship 
 if he had to swim after her to the South American coast, 
 toward which she was, generally speaking, heading and 
 drifting. 
 
 After a while he disregarded his former precautions 
 and seeing a chance, struck out boldly. He half 
 expected that he would have no better fortune than 
 before, but for a wonder the wind held steady and the 
 ship did also. He got alongside just abaft the main 
 chains. Throwing prudence to the wind in his despera 
 tion, he swam aft toward the Jacob's ladder hanging 
 astern and in a few moments he reached up and clutched 
 the lowest rung. 
 
 Victory so far! He had no idea how tired and
 
 The Fight in the Dark 39 
 
 exhausted he had become, for his anxiety had added to 
 the weariness induced by his great and long-continued 
 physical exertions, until he tried to draw himself up out 
 of the water. It was almost an impossible task. Never 
 theless, he had not gone that far and he had not battled 
 that long to give up then. 
 
 He hung on like grim death, perseveringly struggling 
 until finally by a last superhuman effort he managed to 
 drag himself up on the ladder. He swung there, pant 
 ing and exhausted, for a little space to rest and to 
 summon his strength for what might be before him. 
 
 As he swung gently to and fro he peered up past the 
 open stern cabin window expecting any moment to see 
 a black face out-thrust from it against the faint stars 
 overhead, to hear a yell, to feel the descending lance or 
 spade or axe or whatever it might be. But the black 
 opening of the window remained as it was. Glancing 
 up farther along the stern of the ship, he saw that the 
 rail above was untenanted. 
 
 With a prayer that he might be given strength to go 
 through with his task, at last he began slowly to climb 
 the ladder. Presently he got his hand on the port sill. 
 The next moment he crawled through the opening, 
 stepped cautiously over the transom and stood on the 
 deck at last. He had moved with catlike softness and 
 had made no sound. It was as black as midnight inside 
 the cabin, but he knew perfectly well where he was and 
 in what direction to go. He was in the captain's cabin, 
 and although it was a place to which the third mate 
 infrequently resorted, still he had been in it before and 
 he realized his whereabouts. He hesitated for a
 
 40 IVaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 moment, uncertain as to whether to try to light a lan 
 tern or not. He knew there were weapons somewhere 
 in the captain's cabin, but to strike a light with flint and 
 steel would inevitably betray him if anyone were in the 
 main cabin forward of this. Besides he did not know 
 where these things were. The pistols would probably 
 be locked up, it would take some time to find them, he 
 might have to break a number of locks to get at them. 
 The better plan would be to seek to surprise the savages 
 and make shift with what weapons he had. 
 
 Detaching his sheath knife from its laniard and 
 baring the blade he stepped across the stateroom and 
 softly opened the door into the main cabin. He stopped 
 a moment to listen, knife uplifted. There was not a 
 sound on the ship save the creaking of the timbers, the 
 flapping of the sails, and the wash of the water as she 
 lifted to the seas and swung to and fro as the canvas 
 filled and emptied. He could see through the open door 
 in the break of the poop deck a faint grayness, but 
 nothing else. 
 
 As he stepped cautiously toward the entrance, his 
 outstretched foot came in sudden contact with some 
 thing soft and warm a human body! Whose? He 
 was enlightened on the instant for what he had stepped 
 on was very much alive. It appeared that one of the 
 islanders had come aft into the cabin, had lain down on 
 the floor, and had gone to sleep after gorging himself 
 from cabin stores. 
 
 The touch of the third mate's bare foot instantly 
 aroused the South Sea Islander, who slept lightly like all 
 savages. He scrambled to his feet with amazing swift-
 
 The Fight in the Dark 41 
 
 ness, and as he did so, threw Mr. Clough off his balance. 
 The latter did not fall, but he came near it, and before 
 he recovered himself and could strike with his knife, 
 the savage with a yell like a bull of Bashan closed with 
 him. 
 
 Now Clough was a strong young man, but he had 
 been over an hour and a half in the water, swimming 
 hard; he was greatly exhausted, and had enjoyed no 
 time to recover his strength; furthermore, he was taken 
 at a disadvantage, and he was engaged with a man who 
 weighed at least fifty pounds more than he, in the prime 
 of life and who had been passing the day in idleness. 
 It was a most unequal combat, but the mate fully real 
 ized that the fate of the men in the boats, the fate of 
 the boy on the crosstrees, and the fate of the ship, to 
 say nothing of his own life, depended upon him. [Those 
 thoughts nerved his arm and quickened his heart. 
 
 With a sudden and fleeting recognition of the fact 
 that there was something to be said for the contention 
 of the Brace brothers as to the dangers of the attempt, 
 Mr. Clough struggled with the islander with all his 
 might and in silence. He had no breath to waste in 
 useless yelling. Of course, the brown man had no skill 
 in wrestling, but he had succeeded in getting a terrible 
 grip on the staggering white man and he hung on to him 
 like a boa constrictor. Would brute force and rage 
 anJ that awful grip overcome skill and determination? 
 
 The two reeled about the cabin in the darkness, crash 
 ing against transoms, doors, tables. Neither was at 
 first able to get the mastery of the other. Of course, 
 the savage did not know with whom he was fighting and
 
 42 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 could not realize, if he had known, how his antagonist 
 happened to be there. He was fighting, however, in 
 stinctively like an animal and roaring like one. 
 
 Mr. Clough, caught in that strangle hold though he 
 was, strove desperately to free his arm so as to be 
 able to make use of his knife. Unfortunately, the hand 
 which held the knife had been pinned against his side 
 by the clasp of the black man's arms. The mate had 
 fought silently and with a complete realization of the 
 situation. But 'as the struggle proceeded and as he 
 realized that they were making a great noise anyway, 
 he raised his voice and shouted mightily hoping that 
 Broadrib might be near enough to the ship to hear and 
 come to his rescue, else it would finally go hard with him. 
 
 Meanwhile, Clough continually strove to get his 
 arm free so he could strike with his knife. The islander 
 was fighting like a beast, trying to bite him like an ani 
 mal. Indeed, once he did get his teeth into the mate's 
 shoulder, but the American writhed himself free and 
 fought on with desperation. 
 
 It was that cry and the noise they made fighting 
 around the cabin which awoke Rey McRae in the top. 
 He, too, had acquired the sailor's faculty of awaken 
 ing with all his senses on the alert. As he got to his 
 feet, forgetting in his excitement the stiffness and sore 
 ness of his shoulder and arm, he naturally peered down 
 toward the after part of the ship whence the sounds 
 came, wondering for the moment what was happening. 
 He was not the only person on the ship who heard the 
 shouts of the mate. The other two islanders, also filled 
 to repletion with food, had gone heavily to sleep in such
 
 The Fight in the Dark 43 
 
 different parts of the Sharon as they fancied. The 
 noise awakened first one and then the other. The first 
 one awake stood bewildered for a few moments until 
 he found that the sound came from the after cabin. 
 Then he started slowly and presently came stumbling 
 aft toward the cabin door. The mate's cry gave him 
 panic for a moment. His body made a dark blur against 
 the lighter deck planking. The boy could easily make 
 out his figure. 
 
 Rey thought quickly. He realized of course, that 
 somebody, and he was sure he recognized the tones of 
 the voice shouting for help, had boarded the Sharon 
 by the stern. He could see that there were but two 
 men on deck and he knew that whoever had boarded 
 her must be fighting the third savage in the cabin. If 
 the other two joined forces with that man, that would 
 be the end of the man in the cabin. 
 
 What could he do? A huge treble-sheaved spare top- 
 block lay in the top. He had noticed it when he came 
 down and had thought then that it might prove handy 
 as a weapon if the savages attempted to rush the top. 
 He had cast it loose for that purpose. It lay ready to 
 his hand. The boy had been trained in a good school; 
 to think was to act. He seized the topblock and lifted 
 it above his head in spite of the pain that the move 
 ment gave him. He had to use two hands to do it, it 
 was so big and heavy. Just as the first savage stooped 
 toward the door at the break of the poop Rey threw 
 the block mightily. He used such force that the strain 
 tore open the wound in his shoulder. But his aim was 
 pferfect. The Bfock struck the islander on the sfdc of
 
 44 Walf-o-the-Sea 
 
 the head and knocked him down. He fell across the 
 doorway and lay motionless. 
 
 Meanwhile the tumult in the cabin had continued, the 
 shouts of the white man being half drowned by the 
 yells of the islander; but now one voice suddenly 
 stopped. Clough had wrenched his right hand free 
 at last; he had struck desperately with his knife, and 
 the islander had gone to his account. The next moment 
 Key McRae, still clinging to the rail of the top, glimpsed 
 a white, ghostly looking figure coming out through the 
 cabin door. 
 
 "Look out I" he shouted at the top of his voice. 
 " There is another one ! Look out 1 " 
 
 But the third islander who had stopped at the body 
 of the second had no stomach for a further fight. He 
 stood in uncertain terror for a moment, and then as 
 Clough leaped at him he turned and ran forward, disap 
 pearing in the darkness. The next moment the whale- 
 boat came grinding alongside to starboard and a few 
 seconds thereafter Broadrib sprang over the rail by 
 way of the main chains. 
 
 "Mr. Clough!" he shouted. 
 
 "All right," answered the mate cheerily. 
 
 " It was a long wait, sir." 
 
 "Yes, I just got aboard." 
 
 "An' the Injuns?" asked the harpooner, giving the 
 men the common name by which they were described. 
 
 " One of them is dead in the cabin, one is here and 
 the third has gone forward." 
 
 "An' the lad, sir." 
 
 " He hailed me from the top a moment ago, wiarn-
 
 The Fight in the Dark 45 
 
 ing me, and I think that he probably saved my life by it. 
 Wait," said the mate, breaking off. "Ahoy the top," 
 he shouted. " Rey, where are you?" 
 
 But no answer came to the hail. 
 
 " I guess we better make a light, sir," said old Broad- 
 rib, "then we can see where we stand." 
 
 "Good," said Clough. 
 
 "There ought to be some fire for'ard still, an' I'll 
 have a lantern aglow in a jiffy," answered the harpooner, 
 turning forward. 
 
 "Take care of yourself. There is a third savage 
 loose on the ship." 
 
 " Is he in the galley? " asked the harpooner, referring 
 to the kitchen, which was a built-up house on the deck 
 forward of the main mast near the try-pots. 
 
 "No, he went clear for'ard." 
 
 " I'll watch out for him, sir," answered Broadrib, 
 moving away. 
 
 Mr. Clough, still in a fever of anxiety as he sought 
 to recover breath and strength again, for the battle in 
 the dark had taxed him to the uttermost, heard him 
 moving about among the pots and pans. Presently he 
 came aft carrying a ship's lantern lighted. Meanwhile 
 the mate had called to the two remaining men in the 
 boat to come aboard, which they hastened to do. 
 
 By the time the old seaman got back to the quarter 
 deck, there were four men on the deck of the Sharon, 
 with a lantern. 
 
 "Shall we show the light to the other boat, sir?" 
 asked the harpooner. 
 
 "Yes, presently, of course," answered Clough.
 
 46 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 "Two of you bring up the dead body of the man from 
 the cabin and lay him on the deck. Meanwhile let us 
 see what is the matter with this one." He bent over him 
 and turned him over. "Stone dead!" he said. "I 
 wonder " 
 
 "This is what done it, sir," answered one of the sail 
 ors named Rice, who had taken the lantern. 
 
 He picked up a huge topblock which had rolled to 
 leeward. 
 
 14 The boy must have throwed it from the top," said 
 Storey, the other one. 
 
 "Aye," said the mate. " Main top there," he yelled 
 again, and as no answer came, he added with growing 
 alarm: " Rice, jump up there and see what has become 
 of the boy. He may need help. You go with him, 
 Storey," he said to the other man. " Bear a hand, lads. 
 Now show the lantern over the side as a signal to the 
 other boat, Broadrib." 
 
 While the harpooner who had just dragged the other 
 dead islander from the cabin swung his lantern vigor 
 ously at either gangway, Rice and Storey clambered up 
 the main top. 
 
 " Boy's here, sir, but he has fainted or is dead," 
 hailed one of the men. 
 
 " There's a tackle up there, isn't there, or a top- 
 burton ? " answered Clough promptly, but with a sudden 
 sinking of the heart. 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 " Bend him on to it and send him down, gently," 
 ordered the mate. "I hope to heaven he isn't dead," 
 he said, as the men having speedily and skilfully obeyed
 
 The Fight in the Dark 47 
 
 his orders, he caught the lad, and eased him to the 
 deck. A brief inspection indicated that the boy had 
 only fainted. ; ' You keep watch here a moment or two, 
 Broadrib," said the mate, picking up the boy. "I'll 
 take him to my cabin. I will get some dry clothes on 
 myself and see what's the matter with Rey. Remember, 
 there is one islander loose on the ship. The other boat 
 will probably be alongside in a few minutes and then 
 we will make a search for him." 
 
 But Mr. Clough was gone much longer than he antici 
 pated. Some ten or fifteen minutes had elapsed before 
 he again came out on deck, now completely clothed in 
 a dry uniform. He had brought a sou'wester and a 
 heavy oilskin coat with him, sensing as a true seaman 
 some sort of a change in the weather. 
 
 The men had now lighted the lanterns that were 
 fastened to the break of the poop, as well as the binnacle 
 lamp, and these with that held by Broadrib plainly 
 revealed the mate's face to the three waiting seamen. 
 They could not fail to note its look of amazement, not 
 to say complete bewilderment mingled with a certain 
 dismay or alarm; the frank and open young man not 
 being skilled in concealing his feelings. Broadrib, the 
 senior of the three and a privileged character, pre 
 sumed to question his superior. 
 
 "Good God, Mr. Clough, sir, what's the matter?" 
 
 " Why, nothing er I've had a shock, I'll admit." 
 
 "Is it young Rey, sir?" broke in Rice. 
 
 " I hope there ain't nothin' serious the matter with 
 him, sir," chimed in Storey. 
 
 "No, he's right enough," answered the mate
 
 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 promptly, " save for a rather deep cut in his shoulder 
 and some loss of blood you see, it's er the ship 
 _ an d 
 
 Every man there was weatherwise enough to recog 
 nize the situation and in their sensing of danger, instinc 
 tive with a seaman, dough's lame explanation passed 
 without further comment or notice. Old Broadrib, 
 indeed, realized that the mate had not committed 
 himself at all, but he said nothing. There were other 
 things of more pressing importance for their consider 
 ation anyway. The explanation of the mate's dismay 
 could, nay must, wait.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE MATE'S DISCOVERY 
 
 WHEN Mr. Clough had carried the unconscious 
 Rey into the main cabin he had laid him gently 
 down on one of the transoms and finding flint, steel, 
 and tinder box at hand, seen easily by the light thrown 
 within the door from the lantern at the break of the 
 poop which one of the men had just lighted, he lighted 
 the swinging oil lamp and turned to examine the lad 
 more carefully than he had been able to do heretofore. 
 
 Rey had not yet recovered consciousness. He lay 
 just as the mate had placed him, apparently utterly 
 collapsed, his head thrown back, his eyes closed, his 
 face under his bright hair deathly white, every muscle 
 relaxed. Mr. Clough bent over him in great anxiety. 
 The boy was breathing faintly, that was plain enough to 
 the mate's searching glance. There was a dark red 
 stain on his shirt at his shoulder, his left shoulder for 
 tunately, the mate noticed. His shirt was open at the 
 throat. He was lightly clad for the tropic weather, 
 and had gone aloft without his jacket. The light fell 
 fairly upon him from the hanging lamp and the mate 
 noticed that the blood-stain at the shoulder was grow 
 ing larger. The blood was flowing from an open wound. 
 It must be stanched and the wound dressed at once. 
 
 Without ceremony the mate lifted the boy up, his 
 
 49
 
 50 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 fingers sought the opening in the shirt. He tore it down 
 the front and then ripped it sideways to expose the 
 shoulder. He had worked rapidly if somewhat mechan 
 ically, trusting to his sense of touch it was no great 
 matter to tear open a boy's shirt his eyes meanwhile 
 roving the cabin for the pitcher of water that usually 
 sat upon the table in its cradle in fair weather, but which 
 he and the struggling Papuan had tumbled to the deck 
 during their battle in the cabin. 
 
 Suddenly he stopped and remained motionless in 
 bewildered surprise. Then he withdrew his hand with a 
 quick movement, lowered his still unconscious burden 
 to the transom and bent over him in an amazement that 
 was almost a panic. The young mate's weather-beaten 
 countenance had been a little pale from his previous 
 exertions. It suddenly crimsoned through its tan. He 
 stared down at the other occupant of the cabin. He 
 caught a glimpse of a slender neck, the whiter by con 
 trast with the brown of wind and sun of the youthful 
 face above it. The open shirt disclosed more than a 
 skin of dazzling whiteness. He sensed a growing curve, 
 a little trim up-springing of the breast, a maiden shrine, 
 so unwittingly profaned. In a word the person before 
 him was a girl a woman ! 
 
 dough's first motion did credit to his manhood. 
 He carefully drew the torn edges of the shirt together 
 over the breast of his companion. Then he turned 
 quickly to the cabin door and closed it, thrusting home 
 the bolt lest someone should blunder in and surprise 
 the secret which he felt no liberty as yet to reveal. Then 
 he lifted the slight form of the girl up and carried her
 
 The Mate's Discovery 
 
 into her own cabin. Next he fetched water and, after 
 carefully turning down the torn shirt at the transverse 
 rip, washed the poor little hurt shoulder for so he 
 now phrased it to himself, sex making all the difference. 
 
 With a gentle tenderness scarcely to be expected 
 from one who had just fought the ocean with mighty 
 arm and brought the savage islander to death, he 
 anointed and bandaged the wound, then he forced a 
 drop or two of spirits and water between the girl's lips, 
 at the same time laving her temples. He was rewarded 
 by seeing her eyes open presently. 
 
 She stared up at him bending over her at first uncom- 
 prehendingly. Then her hand went to her shoulder. 
 Next she sat up in her berth, and as the torn shirt started 
 to fall away she caught it together with her hand in 
 frantic instinctive gesture. 
 
 Her face flamed with sudden red. Her eyes filled. 
 She forgot the horrors of the last few hours to which 
 she had been a witness. She did not give a thought to 
 the peril she had just gone through, the dangers that 
 had menaced her faded out of her recollection, even the 
 anxiety she had felt for the mate was unheeded. The 
 consciousness of the wound in her shoulder left her in 
 the face of the demand of a greater crisis. The boy 
 that had been a girl, suddenly became a woman. Her 
 modesty was to the fore. Nothing else mattered for 
 the moment. There, in that small cabin, in that small 
 ship, blood-stained, tragedy-burdened, .and even yet 
 facing one of the greatest perils of the deep, in the 
 lonely waste of the great Pacific the girl that had 
 been a boy became a woman.
 
 52 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 And womanlike, with beating heart and flaming 
 cheek she looked at the man and wondered. 
 
 For his part he, too, wondered and he, too, forgot. 
 He could for the moment recall nothing but that she 
 was a woman. All his thoughts were of the great dis 
 covery he had just made. In that same cabin, ship, and 
 sea, with the same peril threatening, he was conscious 
 of her sex first of all. 
 
 She broke the silence first. 
 
 "You know?" she whispered. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 Her hand went to her face at that. Unthinkingly she 
 forgot what chanced when she no longer held the 
 remains of her torn garment. Ben Clough was only a 
 young merchant sailor, a junior officer in a hard rough 
 service. But he had good blood in him. He looked 
 quickly away. The sound of her low sob moved him to 
 the depths. 
 
 " Forgive me," he said with averted glance. " I had 
 no idea. I wanted to stanch the flow of blood from 
 your shoulder." 
 
 "I understand," answered the girl in low tones to 
 match his own. 
 
 " How do you feel now, Rey ? Is that your name ? " 
 
 " My name is Audrey, and I feel well enough. Did 
 that savage hurt you, Mr. Clough ? " 
 
 " No. But I'd have been killed if you had not heaved 
 that topblock on the other. I owe my life to you." 
 
 " It's nothing. We'll all owe our lives to you." 
 
 Mr. Clough nodded. The fact was obvious, why 
 make any bones about acknowledging it.
 
 The Mate's Discovery 53 
 
 " I must go to my cabin now for a change of clothes " 
 for the first time he was aware that his present 
 attire was hardly suited to an interview with a 
 woman "the ship and the other boat need looking 
 after." 
 
 He turned away in awkward embarrassment. 
 
 "Wait," cried the girl. "Please. You won't tell 
 the others yet?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 " How many men are aboard now? " 
 
 "Four all told." 
 
 " I'll dress and come out to give you what help I 
 can," she said as he turned away. 
 
 He nodded again. He knew she could not be of much 
 service, but she could do something, hold the wheel 
 steady perhaps even if she were wounded. And she 
 thrilled to the thought that he accepted her offer of 
 service just as he would if she had been the boy he and 
 all the others had fancied her. 
 
 The mate's bandaging had been skilful indeed. It 
 could not be improved upon. He had put something 
 healing in the open wound besides water evidently. It 
 felt much better. She found she could even use that left 
 arm a little, awkward and painful as the effort was. 
 She got up, put on another shirt, and eVtn managed to 
 get into her pea-jacket. 
 
 A knock on the door interrupted her. She opened it. 
 There stood Mr. Clough now fully dressed. He had 
 some ship's bread and a slice of cold ham in his hands. 
 
 " Eat," said he. " You'll need your strength. Please 
 don't come out on detk until I tfdl ytfu. One of the
 
 54 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 savages is still aboard and I'd rather you'd stay snug 
 in here until " 
 
 She nodded. The whole situation indicated the 
 changed relationship. Before she would have waited 
 upon him. Before he would have ordered instead of 
 requested her. Yes, she was a woman! He knew it, 
 realized it. That made all the difference in the world. 
 She smiled. And then she set to work on the provisions 
 with a zest, waiting the summons she knew would come, 
 with an eagerness she was at no pains to disguise. 
 
 No wonder Mr. Clough looked thoughtful and a 
 little appalled when he confronted the men. 
 
 There was a woman aboard the ship where no 
 woman had a right to be ! 
 
 And yet the young mate was glad she was there, for 
 he knew instantly that she meant a great deal to him 
 now. Even when he thought her a boy he had liked her 
 extremely, better than anyone he knew, and now
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 IN THE GRIP OF THE STORM 
 
 IT WAS well that Clough had not lingered in the 
 cabin any longer, for old Broadrib, dismissing 
 the previous affair from his mind, began again, with 
 even greater anxiety in his voice after that first ex 
 clamation of surprise at the mate's appearance. 
 
 " I was just comin' aft to call you, sir." 
 
 Clough realized instantly why Broadrib had been 
 so desirous of summoning him and what he feared. 
 Like every other sailor, so soon as he came out on 
 deck he had cast a glance to windward and then he had 
 rapidly swept the whole sky with his vision. What he 
 saw was not reassuring. There was not a single star 
 visible. It was as black as Egypt. What little wind 
 there had been before had almost died away. Blaming 
 himself for not having looked at the barometer before, 
 although it could reveal little more than his weather 
 sense told him, he seized Broadrib's lantern and 
 inspected the glass. It had fallen low indeed. Mr. 
 Clough knew at once what was toward. 
 
 That haze had grown thicker. One of those sudden 
 and it might be tremendous storms of the tropics was 
 at hand. Like all good sailors, Clough acted with 
 dazzling promptness. 
 
 "The other boat?" he cried. 
 
 II
 
 56 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 "Haven't seen it, sir." 
 
 "Have you shown a light?" 
 
 "Half a dozen times." 
 
 "Both sides?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "There is wind in that sky, Broadrib," said the 
 mate. 
 
 " I'm much mistook if there ain't a lot of it, too," 
 answered the harpooner. 
 
 " We'll have to get the canvas off the ship." 
 
 " With but four hands, sir ? " exclaimed old Broadrib. 
 
 "Exactly. Rice, jump aloft and furl the mizzen 
 to'gall'nt s'l. Broadrib, you are the biggest and strong 
 est of us all, you try the main to'gall'nt. Storey, you'll 
 take the fore to'gall'nt " 
 
 "And how about that Injun for'ard, sir?" 
 
 "Jump aloft, you two men," answered Clough after 
 a second's pause. " I'll go for'ard with Storey and 
 get him. Once you two get in the shrouds you are safe." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir," cried the two men, springing into the 
 rigging and racing up it to perform their appointed 
 tasks. 
 
 " Bear a hand," shouted Clough as he and Storey 
 ran forward after casting off the halliards and sheets 
 of the sails mentioned and easing down the yards. " We 
 aren't going to have much leeway." 
 
 As he spoke a blinding flash of lightning shot down 
 from the zenith and was followed a few seconds later 
 by a terrific clap of thunder. The lightning did one 
 thing. It discovered to the mate the third islander 
 crouching between the knightheads forward. He had a
 
 In the Grip of the Storm 57 
 
 whaling lance in his hand and with a yell he hurled it 
 at the two seamen. Clough, who was in advance, 
 dropped to the deck and Storey sprang aside. The 
 lance buried itself in the planks of the waist abaft them. 
 The next moment the mate was on him. The now 
 badly frightened savage was taken at a disadvantage. 
 Before he could make a move Clough struck him, 
 and Storey grabbed at him. The islander, instead of 
 closing, wrenched himself away from Storey and in 
 panic terror sprang up on the rail, and as the two men 
 leaped at him he jumped or fell overboard. 
 
 " That's the end of him," said Clough grimly. " Up 
 aloft with you, Storey, and take in the fore to'gall'nt s'l. 
 I'll tend the sheets and halliards. Quick, for God's 
 sake, man. Look at that." 
 
 That was another flash of lightning and another peal 
 of thunder. It was followed presently by a hail from 
 Broadrib. 
 
 "On deck there I" 
 
 " What is it, Broadrib ? " answered the mate, running 
 aft toward the wheel. 
 
 " I seed the boat in that flash." 
 
 "Where away?" 
 
 " She looks to be about a mile broad off the starboard 
 bow, sir." 
 
 " What were they doing? " 
 
 " Rowin' like mad toward us. The first flash must 
 have showed us to 'em." 
 
 "The Braces are a pair of cowards," muttered 
 Clough to himself as he seized the wheel. " But there 
 are good men in that boat. I wish we had them here.
 
 58 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Bear a hand, lads," he shouted. " If we can get fore 
 and mizzen tops'ls off her we'll have a bit better 
 chance." 
 
 He could tell from the feel of the wheel that the 
 ship was lying motionless or slowly drifting through 
 the water. She had no steerage way. 
 
 "All ready with the mizzen to'gall'nt s'l," cried 
 Rice suddenly. 
 
 He had the smallest sail and the shortest distance 
 to go. Broadrib had the heaviest task, but the sail 
 had already been spilled by the boy hours before and 
 he presently signified that he, too, had finished. Storey, 
 beginning later and with a heavier sail than Rice, had 
 not yet completed his arduous task. 
 
 " Lay down from aloft, Broadrib," shouted the mate. 
 "We'll all tackle the mizzen tops'l. The boy er 
 is hurt, but I'll call him and " 
 
 "I am still good for something, Mr. Clough," said 
 Rey at that moment. She had been waiting at the 
 cabin door for her summons. 
 
 The thunder and the lightning and that sense of 
 peril which, even though so young and a woman, she 
 was yet sailor enough to feel, had brought her out on 
 deck. 
 
 " I am not good for much, but anyway I can steer 
 in this light wind with one hand." 
 
 Really Rey felt very much refreshed. The food she 
 had eaten, the dressing of her wound, and, above all. 
 the relief in her mind from the anxieties which had 
 nearly wrecked her, made her another woman. And 
 even the fact that the mate had discovered her sex, with
 
 In the Grip of the Storm 59 
 
 all the possibilities of the situation, had contributed to 
 her new peace of mind. Rey was very fond of the mate, 
 with a liking which the other had fancied was only boy 
 ish, but which was really of quite another sort indeed. 
 Under other circumstances Clough would have sent 
 her below again at once, but now her help would be 
 invaluable, not so much for what she could do her 
 self, but because she could stand by the wheel, especially 
 since the ship was nearly motionless, and thus enable 
 Clough to go aloft and add his strength to that of 
 the other three men. 
 
 "Good lad!" he began using the old address from 
 force of habit. "Take the wheel," he continued, with 
 out further parley. " Stand by for orders from me. 
 She's barely got steerage way now. For'ard there ! " 
 
 "Aye, Aye, sir." 
 
 "Got that to'gall'nt s'l stowed, Storey?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 " Come along, Broadrib," said Clough, springing 
 into the mizzen top, where Rice already awaited them. 
 
 Meanwhile, Storey, having laid down from aloft, in 
 obedience to orders, settled away the mizzen topsail 
 halliards, cast off the sheets and then, by Mr. dough's 
 direction, went forward again and did the same thing 
 for the fore topsail halliards and sheets. He did more, 
 he put forth valiant efforts on the mizzen topsail clew 
 lines and so assisted to haul the sail up to the yards. 
 
 Meanwhile the three men, Broadrib taking the bunt, 
 and Rice and the mate each one of the yard arms, made 
 shift to furl the mizzen topsail. The thunder and the 
 lightning, now continuous, stimulated them to quick,
 
 60 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 desperate work, if they had needed any urging other 
 than the sense of their terrible peril. There was no 
 wind as yet Casting anxious glances up to starboard 
 from time to time, they could see the other boat re 
 vealed by the lightning. She was nearer now. The 
 men were bending to the oars and pulling like mad 
 men. They realized that if they did not get aboard 
 the ship before the storm broke, they would be doomed. 
 The men on the ship realized it, too. But there was 
 nothing they could do to help, because the Sharon had 
 as yet no steerage way. Key's job was an easy one 
 so far. 
 
 Presently, having made all snug in the mizzen topsail, 
 the three men dropped down to the deck again. 
 
 "Rice," said Clough, "brail in the spanker and 
 settle away the halliards and then clap tackles on the 
 fore and main clew garnets all ready for us. Storey, 
 you and Broadrib and I will tackle the fore tops'l." 
 
 " The yard's down on the cap, sir, and I've got the 
 clew lines hauled out," said Storey. 
 
 "Well done," said the mate, starting forward. 
 
 " Mr. Clough," interrupted Audrey, shuddering a 
 little at the sight as revealed by the lighting, now more 
 frequent, "these dead bodies here?" 
 
 "Heave them overboard, Broadrib," said the mate, 
 and, without ceremony, the big harpooner picked them 
 up one at a time, and dropped them over the rail. 
 
 "How do you feel, youngster," asked Clough, 
 who could not for the life of him, use any other address. 
 
 "All right so far," answered the girl cheerfully 
 enough.
 
 In the Grip of the Storm 6 1 
 
 Then the mate ran forward and soon joined his com 
 rades on the fore topsail yard. This was a sail almost 
 twice as big as the mizzen topsail. It was a terrific job 
 for three men, even three of the best, as those were, 
 but they finally got it furled after a fashion, the gaskets 
 were well knotted, and a furling line was passed about 
 it to make it secure. Then the three tired men lay down 
 on deck. There was yet no rest for them. 
 
 Sail on the ship had now been reduced to the main 
 topsail, the head sails and the courses, which were hang 
 ing in the brails. Rice, by means of a block and tackle 
 and with some assistance from Rey, had effected the 
 task of brailing them up. They next lowered the head 
 sails, except the staysail, but they had not time to stow 
 them. 
 
 " Men," said Mr. Clough, stopping and wiping the 
 sweat from his face, his breath coming short, his chest 
 heaving from the tremendous exertions they had gone 
 through with, "we'd be safer if we could get a reef in 
 that main tops'l." 
 
 "Anything, you says, we'll try, sir," said old Broad- 
 rib, who seemed made of iron. 
 
 Rice and Storey, younger men and slighter build, 
 were almost exhausted, but they straightened up and 
 declared they also were ready. 
 
 "That boat will be alongside in five minutes, sir," 
 said Broadrib, "an' if we can wait until then " 
 
 But as he spoke, every man on the ship realized that 
 all the grace they were to be allowed had been granted 
 them, and there was to be no five minutes, no one 
 minute even. With a sound like a gigantic sigh, a
 
 6 2 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 sudden puff of wind filled the sails. It died away in a 
 second, it came stronger the next moment, and then, 
 with a scream like that of all the lost spirits of 
 creation since the world began, the tempest broke 
 upon them. 
 
 "Hard down with the helm, Key," yelled Mr. 
 Clough. " Down with it 1 Down with it," he shouted, 
 as the Sharon began to pay off. "Jump over to the 
 lee braces, you men. Brace up, brace sharp up," he 
 shouted, and then, seeing Rey struggling desperately 
 with one arm to put the helm down and force the ship 
 up into the wind, so that she would not fall into the 
 trough of the sea, while Broadrib and the other two 
 men sprang to their places, the mate himself leaped to 
 the wheel. 
 
 He had to use all his strength, and force, and skill, 
 and determination, to hold her up. For with a second 
 onslaught, to which the terrific outburst of a moment 
 since seemed mere child's play, the full fury of the 
 sudden tempest was hurled upon them. The thunder 
 and lightning were continuous. 
 
 The other whale-boat was now close aboard. Five 
 more minutes four three two one even, and 
 they might have gained the ship. Now it had become 
 as impossible for them to board the Sharon as it would 
 have been to row up Niagara Falls. Indeed, they had 
 lost control of the boat, and the girl who had run up 
 to windward at Clough's orders, saw it overturned 
 in the gigantic seas. The lightning revealed to her a 
 mass of tossing heads and arms and oars, and then 
 nothing 1
 
 In the Grip of the Storm 63 
 
 "She's gone," she turned, and shouted down the 
 wind between her hands. 
 
 Mr. Clough nodded. He knew, of course, that no 
 boat could survive. He had other things to think of 
 then. The ship was heeling over on her beam ends, 
 until the water was being forced in through the lee scup 
 pers. The yards were now braced sharp up, the lee 
 braces hauled flat aft, they had done all that man could 
 do. Stop. There was one thing. 
 
 "That whale alongside," said Broadrib, climbing 
 aft and shouting into Mr. Clough's ear. 
 
 " Cut it adrift," said the mate. " It is an awful drag 
 on us and she steers badly enough as it is." 
 
 Broadrib needed no further order. With a whaling 
 spade, which he found in the lee scuppers, where it had 
 been left by the islanders, he cut the lashings, and the 
 whale drifted away. The ship, considerably eased 
 thereby, righted, came to the wind and made a little 
 better weather of it on a more even keel. Still, the 
 relief was not great. At a sign from the mate, Storey 
 and Rice came aft and one relieved him at the wheel. 
 Beckoning Broadrib, he climbed up to windward, where 
 the girl clung to the rail by the weather mizzen shrouds. 
 
 " She'll never stand the canvas that is on her long," 
 roared the mate. 
 
 "No," said the harpooneer. 
 
 The next instant, with a report like a cannon, the 
 main sail, which had been flapping furiously, tore away, 
 and after threshing about wildly, with the block swing 
 ing, so that no man could go near it, it finally was 
 ripped from the yard and whirled away by the wind,
 
 64 JVaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 showing for a moment like a great cloud against the 
 blackness. The fore sail followed suit a short time 
 after. This perceptibly eased the ship. 
 
 " If we had had a chance to reef that main tops'l," said 
 Clough, " we would have been all right." 
 
 "We're all right yet, sir," answered the harpooner, 
 " if it doesn't blow harder." 
 
 The mate tried to glance to windward, but the 
 force of the tempest was so great, that he could scarcely 
 hold his head up to it, and in the black darkness there 
 was little to see except the white wave-tops whipped 
 into fine wind-driven spray, that cut like needles when 
 it slashed across the face. 
 
 The big main topmast was bending and buckling 
 like a coach whip. It seemed to the two men that the 
 wind was coming stronger. It was a stout, honest, 
 New England spar and the sail was made of the best 
 canvas that could be woven. The owners had spared 
 nothing in fitting out the Sharon with everything neces 
 sary, but it was not in wood and canvas and hemp and 
 rope and iron, to stand against such a storm as that. 
 Mast and sail did nobly. They resisted pressure 
 greater than their fashioners would have deemed pos 
 sible, but the end finally came. 
 
 With a mighty crash the main topmast went by the 
 board and thundered alongside. The great spar and 
 sail threshed to and fro and presently the mizzen top 
 mast and the fore topmast went down in the wreck. 
 The fore staysail forward being now the only sail set, 
 the ship's head payed off and she went drifting before 
 the wind. The sail held nobly.
 
 In the Grip of the Storm 65 
 
 " We've got to clear away that wreck," shouted Mr. 
 dough in Broadrib's ear. "Those spars battering 
 alongside will spring a butt and we'll founder." 
 
 Broadrib nodded. He got three axes. At a sign 
 from the mate, Rice went back to the wheel and re 
 lieved Storey. The three other men went aloft. The 
 mate to the fore top, Broadrib to the main, Rice to the 
 mizzen. Working desperately, they managed at last 
 to cut away the rigging and the spars fell, drifted and 
 dragged or were swept clear by the seas. The loss of 
 all the top-hamper relieved the ship immensely. The 
 spanker had blown out of the brails and there was 
 nothing they could do but drift before the wind under 
 the storm staysail. 
 
 No one left the deck during the night. But by after 
 noon of the next day the sudden tropic storm had nearly 
 blown itself out. The sun broke through the clouds 
 to lighten a bright and sparkling, if wildly heaving sea. 
 The wind had died to a fresh breeze, but the waves 
 would run high for a long time. The ship itself was 
 sound so far as the hull was concerned, later on the 
 well and the pumps told them that, but aloft and along 
 the crushed and battered rails she looked a helpless 
 ruin as she rose and fell in the tremendous waves which 
 had been raised by the terrific tempest and which con 
 tinued their mad tumbling long after the force of the 
 wind had spent itself. She seemed a wreck; masts, 
 yards, sails, head booms, boats, lee rails everything 
 above the tops, gone! 
 
 It was with white, haggard, drawn faces that the men 
 confronted each other. Poor Rey was more weary
 
 66 Walf-o-the-Sea 
 
 than any of them. She had pluckily stuck to her post 
 and done what she could. Now she was in a state of 
 utter collapse. Clough had nothing but praise for her. 
 
 "We're better than a thousand dead men yet," he 
 said cheerily, as Broadrib, having carefully sounded 
 the well, reported the ship fairly dry. " The storm has 
 blown itself out. The worst has happened to us. We'll 
 get something to eat. The lad, here, to whom under 
 God the salvation of the ship is due, I take it, for if he 
 hadn't knocked that Indian down with that topblock, 
 he would have got me, and the rest of you would have 
 been out there with the other whale-boat, must have 
 something hot. Then he must go below and take a 
 long sleep. After we get some food, we'll consult 
 together what's to be done and make a beginning when 
 we've had some rest and got freshened up a bit. Can 
 any of you cook?" 
 
 " I can make shift at it, I guess, sir," said Rice. 
 
 "Go ahead, then. Go down into the cabin. You 
 will find our stores in the lazaret. We'll eat the best 
 we've got on the ship," said Mr. Clough, carefully 
 assisting Audrey below as he spoke. 
 
 Poor Rey was all in. The bandages that the mate 
 had put on her shoulder had held, however, even in the 
 involuntary uses to which she had put her arm. In 
 spite of her overwhelming exhaustion, Clough was 
 confident, that after a good rest and something to eat, 
 the girl would be all right. After she had enjoyed 
 her share of the meal Rice soon had ready, she 
 tumbled into her berth and knew no more for the next 
 twelve hours. She had always been a good sleeper,
 
 In the Grip of the Storm 67 
 
 but she had never slept so hard and so restfully in all 
 her life as during that day. The mate had been kind 
 to her. He had praised her. He was a good man, 
 and true. She had indeed done her part. She was 
 glad now, that he knew. 
 
 And after doing what was immediately necessary to 
 the ship the others turned in also, relieving one another 
 at the wheel until all were rested and refreshed.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE MAKING OF A BOY 
 
 THERE was, of course, much still to be done to get 
 the ship in workable trim the next morning, de 
 spite what they had accomplished, but before he devoted 
 himself to the completion of that formidable task, 
 Clough interviewed the young woman whom fate had 
 thrown upon his hands. He was not repining against 
 his fortunes on the contrary! The more he thought 
 of the situation, the better he liked it, and the greater 
 his prospective enjoyment and satisfaction became. 
 
 Reflecting that the girl had enjoyed a good, long 
 sleep and that the open cut in her shoulder would need 
 looking after and redressing, however delicate the 
 task, and realizing that she could by no means compass 
 it herself, he made up his mind as to what was required 
 of him, and sometime after daybreak, he knocked upon 
 the door of her cabin. 
 
 When she answered his call, he suggested that she 
 get up at once, as he had much to do and he wished to 
 redress her wound and make her comfortable for the 
 day, before he essayed the harder tasks. 
 
 She assented instantly, promising to be ready for him 
 in a few moments. Then he went out on deck again 
 for a moment and was pleased to find every promise of 
 fine, fair days in the look of sky and sea. The men were 
 
 61
 
 The Making of a Boy 69 
 
 already astir and anxious for breakfast. The mate 
 brought out some cabin stores, which he gave to Rice, 
 with instructions for him to prepare the morning meal 
 at once. After directing Broadrib and Storey to make 
 a general inspection of the ship, including sounding the 
 well again, and be ready to report to him later, he 
 reentered the cabin. 
 
 Audrey McRae was waiting for him. She was 
 dressed as usual, like a young sailor lad, but she had 
 folded back her loose shirt so as to bare the wounded 
 shoulder. She faced the mate bravely and he devoted 
 himself to his somewhat delicate task with the same 
 courage. Not the most veteran practitioner of medi 
 cine could have been more impersonally professional 
 in his treatment than the young sailor. 
 
 Yet, to touch the white and dainty skin of the girl's 
 shoulder gave him a thrill which he had never imagined 
 he could experience. Indeed, of the two, he was by 
 far the more agitated. Color came and went in his 
 cheeks in a way that would not have been unbecoming 
 in the girl herself. His voice and his hands trembled 
 not a little, though he strove valiantly to control them 
 both. He centered his gaze upon his task, scarcely 
 daring to look at her till it was completed. 
 
 She, on the contrary, took advantage of his confu 
 sion, to study him as openly, as deeply. That very 
 nervousness was an evidence of what he thought of 
 her, a tribute to the feelings evoked by his realization 
 of her sex and her presence aboard the ship. And she 
 delighted in it. As a boy, she had not seemed especially 
 precocious in seamanship and sea lore for her age;
 
 jo Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 but as a woman she was far in advance of it, apparently 
 So she studied him intently and with growing pleasure 
 during the whole undertaking. 
 
 The fact that her secret was discovered and con 
 cealment was no longer either possible or necessary, 
 added to her calmness and satisfaction. Dressed as a 
 boy, considered as a boy, treated as a boy, she had 
 hitherto in some measure at least thought as a boy 
 and acted as one. Now that the mate knew she was a 
 woman, a change, subtle but perceptible, had come 
 over her. Clothes did not make the difference they 
 once had done. She now thought as a woman; not so 
 much so as she would later, but still with an already 
 marked difference. Her anomalous relation to the mate 
 suddenly became definite. She realized that fully, 
 though he as yet did not completely apprehend it. 
 To him she was still half boy, to herself she was alto 
 gether woman; and what was more decisive, he was 
 no longer half friend, instructor, superior, companion. 
 He was altogether man, who was to be what? 
 
 For the rest she held her garment drawn tightly 
 across her breast and submitted quietly to his minis 
 trations, until he had completed the dressing. The 
 wound was healing rapidly, no inflammation had set 
 in, and in a few days she would be completely well. 
 The mate's treatment had been simple, but good. She 
 found time to wonder a little at the exceeding gentle 
 ness and delicacy with which the rough-handed seaman 
 handled her still tender shoulder, as well as at his skill 
 with the bandaging. 
 
 Finally he heaved a long sigh compounded of re-
 
 The Making of a Boy 71 
 
 lief and regret and declared that he could do no 
 more. And for that, in spite of his nervousness, he 
 was very sorry. He helped her on with her light pea- 
 jacket, lest she might take cold in the wound, and waited 
 until she had buttoned her shirt at the neck. She picked 
 up her black silk neckerchief thereafter and handed it 
 to him. He tied it for her with extra care, lingering 
 as much as he dared over the duty she had devolved 
 upon him. He wanted to kiss the face, upturned 
 toward him so fascinatingly, but he did not dare. 
 
 The day before he would unceremoniously have set 
 the boy at any seaman's task suited to his years and 
 strength, but now he felt that he could not have issued 
 an order to the girl to save his life. Things were dif 
 ferent. There had been a reversal of their relative 
 situations. The big, powerful sailor was quite pre 
 pared to take the orders he could not give. Yet, to 
 all outward intents and purposes, Rey looked exactly 
 as she had looked throughout the cruise a handsome, 
 slender, slightly undersized boy, smiling at him with 
 her bright blue eyes. She was dressed like any and 
 every other sailor lad, and, but for her unusual good 
 looks, appeared to be. what she purported to be a 
 saucy boy! Yet, the loose, flowing white trousers, the 
 short blue jacket, the laced cap covering her short, 
 unmanageable golden curls, the flowing tie, her coquet 
 tish air spoke woman nay, cried it aloud. The mate 
 wondered how he could have been so blind. And now 
 many things that had puzzled him, were plain. 
 
 He had yet to hear her story. She was willing to 
 tell it, indeed, anxious to do so; to set herself right
 
 72 Watf-o-the-Sea 
 
 with this man. And during the pauses for rest in the 
 arduous days that followed, she related it, bit by bit, 
 until he knew it all. 
 
 For the present he decided, finding her cheerfully 
 acquiescent in any of his decisions, that nothing was 
 to be said to the men aboard. At the proper time they 
 must be told, but until that time came, it would be better 
 to say nothing. And thus her story ran: 
 
 Captain Norris, instead of being alone in the world, 
 as everybody aboard ship at least had believed, had 
 been blessed with a young and charming sister. The 
 captain, as was not unusual with shipmasters, men 
 whose lightest word was law in their ships, had been 
 conjugated in the imperative mood. His sister, Audrey 
 Norris, shared his imperialism. There had been fre 
 quent clashes of will between them, culminating, ac 
 cording to the story Audrey McRae told Mr. Clough, 
 in an open rupture between the brother and sister over 
 the latter's marriage. 
 
 The lucky man was not the one selected by her 
 brother as a suitable husband for the lovely but self- 
 willed girl. She had taken advantage of the captain's 
 absence on a voyage to China, to marry the man of 
 her choice. 
 
 When Captain Norris returned and learned what 
 she had done, he had refused to see his sister. He even 
 declined to read her letters. The break between them 
 was final and not to be bridged over by any effort on 
 the sister's part. Audrey McRae went her way and 
 Captain Norris his, each believing the separation was 
 forever.
 
 The Making of a Boy 73 
 
 Fate, however, ordered things otherwise. On re 
 turning from his last whaling cruise in the Pacific, 
 Captain Norris found awaiting him a letter from a 
 firm of attorneys with whose names he was unfamiliar. 
 The ship's agent who delivered it, told him that it had 
 arrived only the day before. 
 
 Captain Norris opened it unsuspiciously and was 
 shocked to find that it announced, in precise legal ver 
 biage, the death of his sister. It appeared that she 
 had been for some years a widow and had been left 
 in very reduced circumstances after the death of her 
 husband. She had, however, left a legacy to the cap 
 tain. A letter to him from her, which the lawyers 
 begged leave to enclose, would put the captain in full 
 possession of all the facts. 
 
 It was with mingled feelings, indeed, that Captain 
 Norris opened the last letter from his sister, with whom 
 he had held no communications for so many years. 
 
 Audrey had the letter in her possession, she had 
 read it many times. She fetched it from her ditty box 
 and let the mate read it for himself. It was short, but 
 pregnant with meaning and with a pathetic appeal which 
 would have softened a heart of stone. And for all his 
 hardness, Captain Norris was touched by it. 
 
 With faltering hand and in broken words, his sister 
 told him that things had gone ill with her since her 
 husband's death. She touched briefly upon her strug 
 gles and sufferings. Being warned by her medical 
 attendant, that her days were numbered, she accepted 
 the situation with the courage of the Norris family; 
 without repining, she addressed herself to the principal
 
 74 JVaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 matter in hand. She begged the captain, whose for 
 giveness and love she had long craved in vain, to think 
 kindly of her in his heart after she had gone. And, as 
 evidence of his willingness to cherish her memory, she 
 solemnly enjoined him to charge himself with the care 
 of her only child, Rey, who would be left otherwise, 
 entirely unprovided for. 
 
 The writing grew fainter, the words more broken, 
 obviously, the pauses between sentences and phrases 
 had lengthened. The strength had gone out of the 
 poor woman. She could write no more. She had just 
 managed to scrawl her name beneath this heartfelt 
 appeal. 
 
 Captain Norris acted promptly. The next day found 
 him in the little Long Island town where his sister 
 had died. He had been too late for the funeral. 
 He had gone direct to the mean little house at which 
 the letter had been written and had knocked on the 
 door. 
 
 Audrey herself, then a young girl just past seven 
 teen, had answered his summons. She told Clough how 
 the weather-beaten old sea captain had stared at her as 
 if he had seen a ghost from her indisputable likeness 
 to her mother, doubtless ! She showed Clough her 
 mother's miniature in confirmation of that. 
 
 Captain Norris asked her if she could tell him of 
 the whereabouts of a young lad of about her age, who 
 answered to the name of Rey McRae. 
 
 "I am Rey McRae," she had replied, simply and 
 directly. 
 
 "But you are a girl!" exclaimed the astonished
 
 The Making of a Boy 75 
 
 captain, starting back in amazement, almost as if he 
 would fain refuse to credit the obvious. 
 
 " Most certainly. And why, may I ask, did you 
 think otherwise?" had been her answer. 
 
 "Your mother's letter " he began, holding it out. 
 
 She recognized it at once. Indeed, she had assisted 
 and supported her mother when she had written it. 
 She was familiar with the contents. 
 
 " She would have written more clearly, but her 
 strength failed " said the girl, choking back a sob. 
 
 The explanation was adequate. The captain stared 
 at her in growing anxiety, which found words at last. 
 
 " What on earth am I to do with you, a girl ! " he 
 exclaimed. 
 
 "You are my mother's brother? My uncle?" she 
 had asked. 
 
 "I am." 
 
 " She left me to your care? " 
 
 "She did." 
 
 "Do you forgive my mother? Are you sorry you 
 left her to die alone?" she demanded, with a certain 
 passionate intensity, otherwise she would have none of 
 his aid or care. 
 
 The captain had grown older. He had been much 
 alone, after the necessary habit of shipmasters. He 
 had thought deeply of late upon the broken relations 
 between himself and his sister, his only relative, and 
 he had come to a certain conclusion on the voyage which 
 had just ended. 
 
 " Deeply do I regret our differences, my child," he 
 began. " I had made up my mind to seek your mother
 
 76 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 on my return from this present cruise and ask her for 
 giveness. This letter told me it was too late," he con 
 cluded sadly. 
 
 Hard, stern, unyielding, imperious, Captain Norris 
 might be, no one would hesitate to accept his lightest 
 assurance. The girl found his words to ring so true, 
 that she came nearer to him, laid her hand upon his 
 arm in youthful and innocent trust and looked up at him. 
 
 " It would have made my mother so happy to have 
 known that," she said simply, and then, after a pause 
 she added, "and perhaps she knows now." 
 
 " I hope so," was the captain's reply. " And I mean 
 to make what reparation I can, by fulfilling her last 
 request and looking after you." 
 
 Captain Norris was an undemonstrative man, not 
 used to the society of girls or women. Yet, he put his 
 arm around her waist, awkwardly, to be sure and then 
 he bent and kissed her head, with unwonted tenderness, 
 while she sobbed her grief away on his broad breast. 
 Presently she dried her tears and looked up at him. 
 
 ''You find it difficult to know what to do with me 
 because I am a girl?" she began. 
 
 " Yes, it does make it a bit awkward, but we'll find 
 some way to care for you when I am at sea." 
 
 " How long are you gone ? " 
 
 " Two or three years on a whaling cruise, sometimes 
 longer." 
 
 "Take me with you," she pleaded. "I am a good 
 sailor, never ill. I can handle a boat. I can " 
 
 "A girl, a woman aboard ship. A female alone 
 with a lot of "
 
 The Making of a Boy 77 
 
 " But I could go as a boy," she persisted. " I've 
 often gone cruising with my father. He freighted 
 on the Sound and then I always wore a boy's clothes. 
 That's the reason my hair is cut short. Wait " 
 
 She ran away, leaving the captain almost in a daze, 
 which was by no means cleared up when she presented 
 herself to him in the clothes she had afterward worn 
 for over a year in the whaler. 
 
 A smile came across his grim features at the met 
 amorphosis. She looked a veritable boy indeed, though 
 added years would naturally make the disguise more 
 difficult to sustain. 
 
 " I don't want to lose you, my only relative in the 
 world, now that I've just found you," she declared. 
 
 "And you, don't you want me a little Uncle?" 
 
 Yes, he suddenly discovered that he wanted her very 
 much. And that was the way Rey found herself signed 
 to the whaler's articles as ship's boy; and, as an especial 
 protege of the captain, with a berth aft in the cabin. 
 
 Mr. Clough found it a marvelous story indeed. He 
 was very fond of hearing it. He never exhausted its 
 details. He had her tell it to him, over and over again 
 in the long watches they stood together in the days that 
 followed. He was eager for every detail of that past 
 life of the woman so strangely committed to him.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 AWAY FOR VALPARAISO 
 
 AFTER two days of the hardest work, that any 
 of the four men had ever put in which is say 
 ing a good deal, for they were all seamen, accustomed 
 to arduous toil they at last got the Sharon into some 
 sort of shape, with which they had perforce to be 
 satisfied. They cut away all the wreckage, spliced 
 the parted standing rigging, rerove the running gear, 
 and out of a spare lower studding sail boom, had man 
 aged to rig a jury, or temporary, main topmast. They 
 had used the flying jib boom for a jury main topsail 
 yard. With plenty of spare sails in the sail room 
 for the Sharon was well provided and had lost few 
 heretofore they bent new courses, new spanker and 
 jib, and used a main topgallant sail for a new main 
 topsail. 
 
 Of course, this was a very small spread of canvas 
 for so big a ship, but it was sufficient to send her along 
 at a fairly good rate, heavily laden as she was. It also 
 enabled them to control her motion, even to lay a course 
 by the wind if they so desired and it became necessary, 
 and it was about as much canvas as they could by any 
 possibility have handled indeed more, unless they 
 had plenty of time for work at the braces. 
 
 She was a queer-looking ship when they got through 
 
 78
 
 Away for Valparaiso 79 
 
 with her, with patched-up makeshift braces, stays and 
 running and standing rigging, but to a sailor's eye, it 
 all showed skill, resourcefulness, and determination. 
 A good deal of the heavy work had been done the first 
 day, while Audrey rested, by Clough's strict orders. 
 As one man had to be constantly at the wheel, her 
 absence was a great deprivation to them, but Clough 
 would not hear of her doing anything, despite all her 
 pleading. The mate said rightly that the safety 
 of the ship, and their being on her, was due to 
 Rey, for if she had not made that lucky throw of the 
 block from the main top, he would have been killed, 
 and the others would never have been able to board 
 her. What their fate would have been in an open boat, 
 in that wild white squall, they had only to look back to 
 the picture of the other whale-boat, capsized, its crew 
 struggling vainly in the vast seas, fully to comprehend. 
 
 None of the others, indeed, wished to disturb the 
 boy. Old Broadrib, who was as big as his name, sup 
 plemented his undoubted skill by a giant's strength. 
 Rice and Storey made up in zeal for their lack of a 
 similar physique, and Mr. Clough, with the intuitive 
 knowledge and resourcefulness of a born seaman, was 
 more than equal in value to Broadrib. 
 
 Thereafter they got along faster; for one reason, 
 they had enjoyed a good sleep during the night in their 
 watch or watches below, and for another, Rey was 
 feeling so much better that she insisted on taking the 
 wheel. Her wounded shoulder still prevented her 
 from doing any hard work, to which, indeed, she would 
 have been unequal, but in the light breeze prevailing,
 
 80 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 for both wind and sea had fortunately died down 
 the wind almost as quickly as it had risen, and the sea, 
 after a day she could, without difficulty, manage to 
 control the ship's course, especially as the Sharon was 
 under such short canvas and steered easily always. 
 
 The evening of the second day found them with 
 every conceivable task completed. Where the fore 
 and main topmasts had gone overboard, a great hole 
 had been broken in the bulwarks. They had even 
 mended that, Clough having some skill with the car 
 penter's tools. They were well pleased with their work. 
 Indeed, they had got along so much better than they 
 had expected, that they were fairly overjoyed. 
 
 No attempt had been made to settle on any future 
 course in view of the pressing nature of present de 
 mands, and after supper a much better supper than 
 the seamen were accustomed to, for Rice with Clough's 
 permission had continued to prepare their meals from 
 the abundant cabin stores they all came aft for a 
 smoke and sat down around the wheel to talk over the 
 situation. 
 
 Naturally, Mr. Clough, being the only remaining 
 officer, took the lead. Under ordinary conditions no 
 officer would have summoned a ship's crew into counsel 
 as to what to do and where to go, but the circumstances 
 were extraordinary. While it would be possible for the 
 four men and Rey to work the big ship into harbor 
 if nothing happened, it would be a tremendous task 
 which would call upon every ounce of their strength, 
 all possible skill and unbounded devotion, and which 
 would be difficult if not impossible in case of any mis-
 
 Away for Valparaiso 81 
 
 hap or misfortune. For instance, they could scarcely 
 get the sails off the ship again, and a hard gale would 
 render their position most precarious. 
 
 A brand new ship when she cleared from New Bed 
 ford, the Sharon had stood up under the strains and 
 stresses and batterings of wind and seas remarkably 
 well. They sounded the well every hour and discov 
 ered nothing but the natural seepage; bilge water being 
 always to be met with in a wooden ship. They were 
 greatly relieved to find she was tight and without a 
 leak. If they could bring her into port she would be 
 worth thousands of dollars to each one of them. 
 Clough was not quite clear as to what the marine law 
 of salvage was or even how far the action of the two 
 mates and those of the crew who had refused to attempt 
 to recapture the ship would effect their share of the 
 "lay," but he was pretty sure that they had forfeited 
 it. The rewards, therefore, would be great if they 
 could bring the ship home, and the honor would be 
 even greater. 
 
 The firm that owned the Sharon was liberal and 
 progressive. Mr. Clough was certain that if he saved 
 her he could get a ship of his own for the next cruise 
 and he was fully qualified for so important a command. 
 Circumstances had suddenly made that more desirable 
 than ever. In his secret heart the young man was begin 
 ning to plan for two ! 
 
 It would advance Audrey's fortunes too, for as she 
 was undoubtedly Captain Norris' only heir, her share 
 of the value of the ship and cargo, to say nothing of 
 a possible salvage claim, would be very considerable.
 
 82 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Clough felt bound to obtain as much for her as he could. 
 
 " Mates," said the young officer, "you have all stood 
 by me and the Sharon loyally. You have shown your 
 selves men of courage and grit and fine seamen, willing 
 to work, and that I appreciate, and that the owners 
 of the ship, if we can bring her in, are certain to 
 appreciate also. If it hadn't been for you, Rey, we 
 couldn't have got the ship, and if Broadrib and Rice 
 and Storey hadn't boarded her just when they did, I 
 guess even your courage and resourcefulness, my 
 my boy, wouldn't have staved off the end. As third 
 officer of the ship, of course, I am now in command, 
 the captain and the two mates being lost, and I should 
 have a perfect right to decide on our future course 
 without consulting you or anybody, in which event I 
 know that you would give me loyal support and obe 
 dience. But the circumstances are peculiar. I want 
 your counsel and advice. You know perfectly well 
 that this ship is loaded to her capacity with sperm, 
 ambergris and whale bone and that her cargo is worth 
 thousands of dollars. She doesn't look very pretty 
 now," he continued, removing his pipe and glancing 
 aloft at the shattered masts and at the makeshift main 
 topmast, "but as a ship she is worth a hundred wrecks. 
 I am not sure about the law, but I think we will all 
 be entitled to salvage, if we bring her in, and our " lay " 
 will be enormous. For the men who deserted her will 
 have lost their shares. She ought to give each one of 
 us a fair start toward a fortune if we can ever get her 
 back to old New Bedford town." 
 
 "You're right there, Mr. Clough," said old Broad-
 
 Away for Valparaiso 83 
 
 rib. "An' we're wishful an' anxious to do everythin' 
 we kin to sail her back. In course, we'll obey your 
 orders without questions, carry out your directions to 
 the best of our ability. Am I right, mates?" 
 
 " Right you are," said Rice heartily. 
 
 " I agree with that," added Storey. 
 
 " Well, then, the first thing to be done is to choose 
 and set the watches. I'll appoint Broadrib, here, mate. 
 I am captain. I'll take the starboard watch, and you, 
 Broadrib, the port watch. The four of us will be on 
 deck all the time during the day, but we'll keep regular 
 watches at night." 
 
 "How about me, sir," piped up Audrey demurely. 
 
 "Well, Rey," said Clough, smiling at her eager 
 ness, "you can be on deck all the day with the rest of 
 us, but at night you'll turn in, at least until that shoulder 
 of yours gets completely well anyway, or unless we 
 need you on account of some emergency." 
 
 " I'd like to be in a regular watch and do my regular 
 turn, sir," protested the girl, whose spirit was high, 
 indeed. 
 
 But Captain Clough shook his head. 
 
 " You won't be forgot or overlooked," he answered. 
 "It was your readiness that saved my life. If that 
 brute had got down into that cabin it would have been 
 the end of me. And I shan't forget your pluck and 
 seamanship in fetching that ensign from the spanker 
 gaff and bending it on to the main royal masthead. 
 We saw the main to'gall'nt s'l on the crosstrees, but 
 that didn't worry us much, although we did take it as 
 some sort of a signal. But when the flag went up,
 
 84 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Union down, we knew there was trouble. Now, Broad- 
 rib, take your choice of the men for your watch." 
 
 " Rice and Storey is both good men," said old Broad- 
 rib, looking at them reflectively. " I can't choose be 
 tween 'em. I'd jest as leave have one as t'other, an' 
 I wouldn't want to hurt the feelin's of one man by 
 takin' the other." 
 
 "Here," said Clough, taking a coin from his pocket. 
 "Heads you get Rice; tails you get Storey." 
 
 He spun the coin in the air, caught it and exhibited it. 
 
 "Tails it is." 
 
 "Storey, you're in my watch," said the old har- 
 pooner. 
 
 " Rice, you're in mine," chimed in the new captain. 
 
 " First time I ever got put in a watch by spinnin' a 
 coin," laughed Rice. 
 
 "Well, that matter's settled then," said Clough. 
 "The next thing is what our course will be. What do 
 you think about it?" 
 
 "Well, I takes it," answered old Broadrib after a 
 moment of reflection, " that the best thing \ve can dp 
 is to make the South American coast somewheres an' 
 perhaps ship a hand or two to help us work the old 
 hooker 'round the Horn an' back to New Bedford 
 again." 
 
 "Aye, you're right there," returned Clough. 
 
 "But what part of the South American coast, sir?" 
 asked Rice. 
 
 "Why, I takes it, the farther south we goes, the 
 better," answered Broadrib. 
 
 "You mean " asked Storey.
 
 Away for Valparaiso 85 
 
 "Valparaiso," said Clough, who evidently agreed 
 with the harpooner. 
 
 "Right-o," said Broadrib. "You can't go farther 
 south than Valparaiso. There ain't no harbor, nor no 
 chance of pickin' up anybody any place else." 
 
 "We might fetch away for Callao, Peru, sir. I 
 believe it would be shorter, wouldn't it?" asked Rice. 
 
 "Yes," answered Clough, "it certainly would be 
 shorter, but we would have to beat up a large part 
 of the way, and while we can sail by the wind if we 
 have to, even under our present rig, it would be mighty 
 slow progress we would make and " 
 
 " Besides which," said Broadrib, " Callao is still a 
 Spanish port unless them Chileans an' Peruvians have 
 drove 'em out sence we left New Bedford, which ain't 
 likely." 
 
 " I think not," said Clough. 
 
 " Them Spaniards ain't any too well affected toward 
 the United States. They think it's your example that 
 has set these South Americans off," continued the big 
 Englishman. 
 
 " While at Valparaiso," continued Clough, " we are 
 sure of getting friendly treatment. Besides following 
 that course, we'll catch the northeast trade winds pres 
 ently and that ought to send us along at a great rate." 
 
 "There's some speed in the old bucket yet," said 
 Storey. He rose, stepped over to the rail and looked 
 critically down at the water. " I should say she was 
 making all of five knots now in this light breeze." 
 
 "Yes, and she'll do better than that if the wind 
 comes stronger, which I hopes it will," said Broadrib.
 
 86 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 " Don't hope it will come very much stronger," said 
 Clough, u for if it blew too hard, we would be up 
 against it, certain. Well, then, Valparaiso it is. I 
 thought of that myself, but I am glad you three arrived 
 at the same conclusion. In fact, I worked out the 
 course when I took a shot at the sun this noon and 
 well, Valparaiso is right over our bowsprit now." 
 
 "About how many leagues away do you make it, 
 Cap'n Clough?" 
 
 "About eighteen hundred," answered Clough 
 promptly. " I measured it off on the chart, and that 
 is about what it shows." 
 
 "And say we average about five knots and a half 
 an hour. How long do you think it will take us to get 
 there?" 
 
 " Well, five and a half knots an hour, which I think 
 is rather high, is one hundred and thirty-two miles, or 
 forty-four leagues a day, and that divided into eighteen 
 hundred is about forty days. Add a week or so for 
 leeway and head winds, or calms; say eight weeks. 
 
 "That'll be about it," said Broadrib, who was 
 entirely unable to follow the mate's mental figuring, 
 but who was greatly impressed by it. 
 
 "Have we food and water enough, sir?" asked 
 Storey. 
 
 "Plenty," said Clough. "We are provisioned for 
 thirty men and we only have four men and a a 
 boy to provide for." 
 
 'You kin count that boy a man when it comes to 
 stowin' away his share of the grub," observed Broadrib. 
 
 "Yes, I expect so," laughed Clough at Key's
 
 Away for Valparaiso 87 
 
 indignant look, Broadrib speaking not from any obser 
 vation, but theoretically and without authority. 
 
 " Which I've stopped my growth for some time," 
 answered the harpooner, "but I find it is good for me, 
 too. An' good for the rest of us, hey, mates?" 
 
 "You bet it is," said Storey. "It'll be pretty hard 
 to go back to ship's fare after eating cabin fare." 
 
 " I guess the cabin's stores will last us all right," 
 said Captain Clough. " You see there were four officers 
 of us aft and Rey, and there are no more on the ship 
 now. Do any of you know anybody in Valparaiso? 
 I wish we had stopped there when we came up, but 
 Captain Norris was so anxious to get his irons into 
 the big fish that he passed it by." 
 
 " I know one man there. Leastways, he was there 
 when I left England, an' I come straight to the States 
 from Hull in a packet." 
 
 "How did you happen to get on the Sharon, you 
 being a Britisher, Broadrib?" asked Clough. 
 
 "Well, sir, Captain Howes Norris' grandmother 
 was an English woman. She lived in Hull. I had 
 met up with him once when he was visitin' her as a 
 youngster. He kind a took to me, an' he told me if 
 I ever wanted a ship an' he had one I could get a berth 
 with him. So when I landed in the United States I 
 drifted up to New Bedford an', as luck would have it, 
 found Captain Norris then ready to sail with the 
 Sharon, an' signed on. He was glad enough to have 
 me, sence I had been in these waters afore. In fact, I 
 once made a cruise on a whaler called the Seringap- 
 atam."
 
 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 " Why, by George 1 " exclaimed Clough, " I remem 
 ber that whaler. We captured her when I was a 
 midshipman in the navy on the Essex, on Commo 
 dore Porter's famous cruise." 
 
 "You sartin did that," said old Broadrib. "But I 
 never knowed you'd been on the Essex, sir." 
 
 ; 'Yes, but I didn't happen to be one of the prize 
 crew of the Seringapatam, else we would have met each 
 other. I was on the Essex, Junior, afterward, but I 
 was on the frigate herself when she was attacked by 
 the Phoebe and the Cherub" 
 
 "I was ashore, a prisoner on parole, but I seed it 
 all. It certainly was a great fight," said Broadrib. 
 
 '' Yes, your ships caught us at a disadvantage. They 
 were a heavy overmatch to us, but, though we were 
 beaten, we were not disgraced." 
 
 "That you weren't," said the harpooner, "an' I 
 admits the disadvantage. But you see Cap'n Hillyar 
 was sent out to git you, an' git you he did. You'd 
 played hob with our whalin' interests in the South Seas, 
 an' sence the war ended your ships has been crowdin' 
 ourn mighty hard in huntin' the big fish," continued 
 the Englishman, giving the common sailor name to the 
 whale, which, of course, is not a fish at all. 
 
 "Well, we won't bear any malice on that account," 
 said Clough. " Our countries are at peace now, and 
 I hope they will always remain so." 
 
 "That's me, too," said the big Englishman. 
 'You were saying that you knew someone in Valpa 
 raiso, Mr. Broadrib," began Key, who had listened 
 with deep interest.
 
 Away for Valparaiso 
 
 "Mister Broadrib ! " laughed the seaman. 
 
 "Yes, certainly," answered the other. "Aren't you 
 the second officer of the ship now?" 
 
 " Lord love you, lad, I'm jest plain old Bill Broadrib, 
 same's I was afore. Don't go to misterin' me. There 
 ain't no misters on this ship 'cept Mr. Clough, Cap'n 
 Clough, if you please, youngster," said old Broadrib. 
 
 "Who is it that you know in Valparaiso? Anybody 
 of importance?" asked Clough, smiling at the turn of 
 the conversation. 
 
 " Well, I should say he is of importance," said the 
 sailor. 
 
 "And how do you happen to know him?" asked 
 the mate, or the captain, rather, to give him his new 
 and undoubted rank, wondering that a plain seaman 
 like Broadrib should know anyone of importance. 
 
 "I fought under him for four years; that is to say, 
 I was bo's'n's mate on a brig he commanded, an' when 
 he went from one vessel to another, he thought enough 
 of me to take me with him. I'd have been with him 
 yet if he hadn't been kicked out of the British Navy." 
 
 "You mean " 
 
 " I mean Lord Cochrane, the Earl of Dundonald." * 
 
 1 Thomas, Lord Cochrane, tenth Earl of Dundonald (b. 1775- d. 
 1860), was one of the most gallant and successful sea officers of the 
 English Navy, or of any other navy. His wonderful exploits and in 
 ventions were so many and so varied as to give him a unique place in 
 naval history. Unfortunately, h,e mingled in politics, was elected to 
 parliament, became involved in conflicts with the party in power, 
 charged his commanding officer, Admiral Lord Gambier, with neg 
 ligence and cowardice, became involved in financial difficulties through 
 speculation, was made a scapegoat by political enemies and was im 
 prisoned, disgraced and finally dismissed from the British Navy. 
 Thereafter, he took service successfully with Chile, when it was fight 
 ing for its independence against Spain; with Brazil, when it was fight-
 
 90 Walf-o-the-Sea 
 
 "I did hear that he had been made an admiral in 
 the Chilean Navy," observed Captain Clough. 
 
 " You're right, sir. I was hopin' you'd touch at Val 
 paraiso an' I could git my discharge from the Sharon 
 an' ship with him. If there's goin' to be any fightin' 
 on the South American coast, I know that that big red 
 headed earl is bound to be in it. I'm an old man, an' 
 I've served under some great seamen in my day, an' 
 I've been in some tidy battles, but I ain't had my belly 
 full of fightin' yet. Why, in so far as he could oblige 
 a common sailor like me, I'm sartin he'd do anything 
 for me, so if we gits to Valparaiso an' he is there, our 
 course'll be easy." 
 
 "Broadrib," said Clough gravely,, "what you say 
 is very interesting, and I have no doubt Lord Cochrane, 
 or the Earl of Dundonald, to give him his latest title, 
 will give us a helping hand for your sake, but unless 
 I can get some mighty good men to take your place, 
 and I would need about four I think, I would feel 
 mighty sorry to lose you." 
 
 "You ain't goin' to lose me, Cap'n Clough," said 
 the old sailor heartily. " I could ask for my discharge 
 from a stout ship with a full crew, but I ain't one that's 
 goin' to desart a ship in this yere situation, nor a man 
 that's really saved my life an' the lives of these other 
 youngsters here by his courage an' darin.' I'll stay 
 
 ing to free itself from Portugal ; and with Greece struggling with 
 Turkey. In after years he was fully exonerated from all the charges 
 against him and was restored to the English Navy with every possible 
 honor and promotion. His services under all four flags were most 
 distinguished. He was the greatest of sailors of fortune and only lacked 
 opportunity to have made a name for himself worthy to be placed 
 alongside that of Drake, Blake or Nelson. C. T. B.
 
 Away for Valparaiso 91 
 
 with you till you gits to New Bedford if we don' git 
 wrecked on the way. Then I'll contrive some way to 
 get back to the admiral, if he is still flyin' his flag 
 afloat." 
 
 "Good," said Captain Clough, rising. "Rice and 
 I will take the first watch." He pulled out his silver 
 timepiece. " It's eight bells now," he continued. ; ' You 
 and Storey turn in and we'll call you at midnight. You 
 go too, Rey. Tomorrow night we'll get a chance to 
 hear some stories of those fighting days of yours with 
 that admiral, Broadrib. I have heard some people 
 say he was the strangest character that ever sailed a 
 ship." 
 
 "You're right there, Cap'n Clough," said the old 
 harpooner, rising to his feet. " I kin tell you some 
 things that'll make you laugh fit to start a butt in your 
 midship plankin' about the time when me an' him was 
 fighting the Spaniards an' the French an' " 
 
 " Well, we'll look forward to that in the second dog 
 watch tomorrow. Good night." 
 
 " Good night, sir. Come along, Storey," said the 
 old seaman, turning to go forward. 
 
 " We'll all bunk aft in the cabin for the rest of this 
 cruise," said the young captain. " Broadrib, you take 
 the mate's room; Storey, you can have mine; Rice, 
 you can take the second mate's; I'll take the captain's, 
 and Rey, you can bunk in your own just as you have. 
 We'll call you at midnight, men."
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 A KISS IN THE DARK 
 
 THE young captain elected to take the wheel him 
 self for the first night watch, sending Rice for 
 ward to the forecastle to keep a bright lookout and 
 be in readiness for any demand. The wind being on 
 the quarter and the ship under short canvas, she 
 steered easily. Barring a touch of the helm now and 
 then, Clough had little to do. He stood easily, grasp 
 ing a spoke with one hand, leaning over the wheel, his 
 eyes glancing at the compass from time to time to see 
 that the Sharon kept her course. 
 
 The night was quiet, cloudless, the sky brilliant with 
 the bright stars of the south latitudes. The breeze 
 was moderate, just fresh enough to dispel the lingering 
 heat of the recent day, and give a fairly good way to 
 the ship, to say nothing of contributing to the comfort 
 of her watch of two, tired out by the hard work of 
 the long, hot day in that tropic weather. 
 
 The new captain's thoughts covered a wide range. 
 There was the ship. Well did he realize the difficult, 
 not to say dangerous, nature of the task that lay before 
 him. Broadrib was a man of vast and varied expe 
 rience, to be sure; he more nearly than any other under 
 stood the magnitude of their undertaking. Rice and 
 Storey were good seamen, intelligent and capable be- 
 
 92
 
 A Kiss in the Dark 93 
 
 yond their station doubtless, but happy-go-lucky sailors, 
 young enough not to look very far into the future or 
 to care very much what it might demand of them. 
 
 For the rest there was Rey and she was a woman. 
 For the moment she bulked larger and more important 
 in his eyes than the great whaler with her thousands 
 of barrels of the richest sperm oil and her other valu 
 able cargo of whalebone and ambergris. 
 
 Captain Clough began to speculate a little wildly 
 about her; to see visions and to dream dreams around 
 the girl. If he succeeded in bringing the Sharon back 
 to New Bedford it would mean riches, according to 
 the modest standards of those days, for him, and for 
 Rey. And it would certainly get him a ship to com 
 mand, with all the potentialities of that position. 
 
 His thoughts took another turn. Audrey was un 
 doubtedly Captain Norris' only heir. The captain had 
 been a saver rather than a spender. Clough never 
 doubted but that a tidy bit of property in one shape 
 or another awaited the girl's claiming at New Bedford. 
 She was of age now, having long since passed her eigh 
 teenth birthday, and could enter into immediate and 
 undisputed possession so soon as he had brought her 
 home. 
 
 This reflection, however, did not give him the un 
 alloyed satisfaction of his former thoughts. He him 
 self had saved but little, and although his lay of the 
 cruise and whatever salvage he could claim would 
 amount to more than he could have hoped to accumu 
 late in a long time, it would not make him financially 
 a match for the heiress of Captain Howes Norris. In
 
 94 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 other respects the match, upon which his heart had been 
 set ever since his discovery of her sex, would not be 
 an unequal one. 
 
 Benjamin Clough came of an old and substantial 
 New England family of great respectability. Many 
 of his forebears had followed the sea, and some of 
 them had acquired riches in pursuit of that profession. 
 But the war of 1812 and some bad speculations there 
 after had reduced that branch to which Clough be 
 longed almost to poverty. Forced by the paucity of 
 his financial resources, and entirely dependent upon his 
 own labors for a livelihood, he had given up his prom 
 ising career as a naval officer and entered the mer 
 chant marine. Therein his rise had been rapid. If 
 he succeeded in bringing the Sharon home, and if he 
 were rewarded therefor with a ship, he would have 
 reached command rank at the early age of twenty-four; 
 and aided by a little good fortune he might hope to 
 go far. Eventually he might properly aspire to Audrey 
 McRae's hand but not yet 
 
 He felt that honor demanded that he keep his pas 
 sion to himself. And yet that very passion urged him 
 to speak out. It was an intolerable situation, espe 
 cially for a man of his decided temperament. But one 
 ray of comfort could he see. If he could not in honor 
 declare himself to her, no one else could, at least not 
 so long as they were on the ship together. He had 
 the field to himself. Nor did he have any idea as to 
 the young woman's feelings toward him. 
 
 It had not taken a second for that kindly, protecting, 
 proprietary liking he had entertained for the young
 
 A Kiss in the Dark 95 
 
 lad, who had been thrown so much in his company as 
 a boy, to develop into something warmer and more 
 devoted, when he discovered the truth. But whether 
 or not she still cherished for him no more than a boy's 
 frank admiration and devotion for a young man who 
 had been kind to him, he could not tell. He wasn't 
 skilled in dealing with women at best, and he was com 
 pletely at sea as to her regard for him. He was a 
 modest man where women were concerned, for all he 
 had plenty of that calm assurance so necessary to com 
 mand upon the sea, and without which no great sailor 
 ever was. 
 
 Audrey McRae had dutifully gone to her cabin like 
 the rest at the order of the new captain. She had 
 undressed and had regularly turned in, but she had 
 been unable to sleep. After a time she got out of her 
 berth and tiptoed to the door of her room, which she 
 opened with due caution. As she listened she heard 
 above the creaking and groaning of the timber, inva 
 riable accompaniment to the movement of a wooden 
 ship in the waters, the deep breathing of Storey and 
 the heavy snoring of the old harpooner, which told 
 her they were both in a sound sleep. She knew that 
 Captain Clough would be at the helm alone and Rice 
 would naturally stand his watch forward on the fore 
 castle, quite out of sight in the darkness from the man 
 at the wheel. 
 
 A daring design came into her mind therefor, and 
 she at once proceeded to carry it out. The huge old- 
 fashioned sea chest lashed to ring bolts in her cabin 
 contained much more even than a well-appointed young
 
 96 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 sailor's outfit. She laughed to herself as she rum 
 maged among its contents until she came upon what 
 she wanted. Thereafter she was busy for some time 
 before the small mirror fixed to the bulkhead of her 
 cabin and which she illuminated by a candle lantern 
 which was part of her cabin furniture an unusual 
 privilege extended her by her uncle. 
 
 When she had finished her self-appointed task, she 
 tiptoed again through the main cabin into the captain's 
 vacant room, and took thence from a hook to which 
 it hung in his armoire, or wardrobe, a capacious boat 
 cloak, which she threw around her shoulders. Then 
 with the same caution and skill she noiselessly passed 
 through the main cabin once more and slipped out on 
 deck, having disturbed nobody. 
 
 Captain Clough was endowed by nature with un 
 usually keen faculties, which had been much enhanced 
 by constant usage, but he was so deeply engrossed in his 
 thoughts that he did not hear her light footfall on 
 the deck abaft him. She realized that she was as yet 
 undetected, and she paused accordingly in the deeper 
 shadow cast by the break of the poop, to study him 
 unobserved. 
 
 If the young man who was a prey to reflections at 
 once bitter and sweet could have enjoyed a fair sight 
 of the girl he loved, his anxieties would have been 
 dispelled as if by magic. Her presence unsuspected, 
 she allowed herself to give vent to her feelings so far 
 as was possible without betraying her presence. Her 
 breath came much quicker, her young and still some 
 what immature breast rose and fell more rapidly, her
 
 'A Kiss in the Dark 97 
 
 lips parted a little, her eyes shone in the darkness like 
 the stars in the black canopy of the sky overhead. 
 " Beauty's ensign" was in truth advanced in her cheeks. 
 There could be no doubt that she loved him not with 
 the admiration and loyalty of a boy, but with a woman's 
 deeper and more ardent feeling. 
 
 His vagrant, unconsidered, hastily withdrawn touch 
 upon her when she lay senseless in his arms in the cabin 
 had awakened even in her unconscious self, feelings 
 and emotions with which she had long suspected she 
 had become possessed, but which she had never allowed 
 herself to realize. A boy she had appeared, as a boy 
 she had been treated; he and everyone had believed 
 her so to be, and a boy she had determined to remain 
 until the end of the cruise. 
 
 But she had awakened with the young officer 
 bending over her in amazement, almost terror to a 
 sudden realization that, so far at least as he was con 
 cerned, the masquerade was over. She had awakened 
 to more than that. She knew at once that she loved 
 him not as a boy but as a woman. No thought of any 
 disparity in rank or fortune entered her mind to disturb 
 her. She was his if he wanted her. But did he want 
 her? That was a perturbing question. 
 
 He had liked her extremely as a boy. His treat 
 ment of her as a woman had been unexceptionable, 
 too unexceptionable almost. Something had to be 
 done to clear up the situation. She felt that some 
 how the initiative must come from her. So she 
 had made her plan that night and was now about 
 to try it.
 
 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 It was a luxury to stand unobserved and dwell upon 
 him with her glance, to feel his nearness, to be con 
 scious, himself not so, of a beloved presence in that 
 heavenly night. Yet she must move to break the spell 
 to continue it? The next few moments would deter 
 mine. She glided forward and touched him lightly on 
 the arm. 
 
 In the dim light cast by the binnacle lamp, helped 
 by the faint illumination from the stars overhead, the 
 captain became aware of her presence. He could even 
 make out her smiling lips, her bright eyes. For the 
 rest she was shrouded in the boat cloak which envel 
 oped her from head to foot. 
 
 "You," he whispered, recovering himself and glad 
 in his surprise. "Why are you not asleep?" 
 
 "I couldn't sleep. I came on deck to talk to you." 
 
 There was a pause at this, ominous to the girl. 
 Clough could not trust himself to speak. It was so 
 sudden and he was so unprepared. 
 
 "Don't you want me?" she whispered softly, half 
 turning away in great disappointment after waiting in 
 vain for his word. 
 
 "Want you!" exclaimed the young man softly, but 
 with a sudden vehemence which set her heart bounding 
 again. "O Rey, Miss, I mean you can't think how 
 much I do want you." 
 
 She was still turning as if minded to return to the 
 cabin despite his words. He reached out and caught 
 hold of the boat cloak. With a quick movement she 
 released it, stepped clear of its folds, leaving it in his 
 grasp. There was light enough to see her. In his
 
 'A Kiss in the Dark 99 
 
 surprise the young officer let go the wheel a cardinal 
 sin in a seaman and stood staring. For it was not 
 Rey, the young lad who confronted him on the deck 
 in that heavenly night on that quiet ship, but Audrey, 
 the young woman, clothed in a dress proper to her sex, 
 which she had carefully preserved in her chest, for 
 what emergency she had not known. 
 
 " Good God ! " exclaimed the captain, not in the 
 least irreverently. " I never thought to see you so." 
 
 "And why not?" 
 
 "There is no reason, of course, but " 
 
 "Don't you like me this way?" She asked in 
 pretty coquetry, turning about slowly the while as if 
 to give him the benefit of a view of her from every 
 angle. 
 
 "Aft there! Is anything wrong, sir" came a rough 
 hail from the forecastle. 
 
 "No, why do you ask?" answered the captain, who 
 very well knew what was wrong. 
 
 He seized the wheel again, revolved it rapidly, with 
 his eyes on the compass card, while Audrey hastily 
 picked up the cloak, wrapped it around her and made 
 ready for flight. 
 
 " Ship's head falling off, sir," answered Rice. 
 
 " I must have nodded over the wheel," replied 
 Clough readily. 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir. Shall I come aft and relieve you 
 for a trick?" 
 
 " No. I'm all right now. Stay where you are and 
 keep a bright lookout ahead." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir."
 
 iioo Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 "That was a near thing," said the captain, turning 
 to the girl, who again laid aside the cloak. "You 
 actually made me let go the wheel!" 
 
 "You didn't say whether you liked me this way, 
 or not," she persisted, determined to get an answer. 
 
 "Like you? That way and every way, Rey Miss 
 I mean," was his ready and fervent answer. 
 
 "Well, then, why are you so formal with me?" 
 
 "Formal?" 
 
 " You call me ' Miss ' and you treat me so differently. 
 Why not Rey before the others and Audrey when we 
 are alone?" 
 
 " But you were a boy before " 
 
 "What difference does that make?" 
 
 "All the difference in the world. You are not a 
 boy but a woman, my former captain's niece, almost 
 his daughter, part owner of this ship " 
 
 "I wish I had stayed a boy then," she interrupted. 
 " We were such good friends. You seemed to like me 
 so much and I was so proud and glad, but now " 
 
 "It's not that I like you less, Miss Audrey" 
 there was a sufficient pause between the two words to 
 give her pleasure "now that you are a woman, but 
 things are so different." 
 
 "Why are they?" she asked, coming very near him. 
 
 "Because I you oh, don't tempt me," he 
 pleaded, desperately, trying to turn his head away, or 
 to withdraw from her, an impossible task because she 
 had caught him between the forward and after wheels 
 of the steering gear, the Sharon being provided with 
 a double wheel.
 
 A Kiss in the Dark 101 
 
 "Tempt you to what?" she asked with charming 
 archness. She could not feel strange with this young 
 man with whom she had lived in such pleasant asso 
 ciation and intimacy in the narrow confines of a ship 
 for so long a time. 
 
 Captain Clough stared at her, wishful to answer, 
 yet afraid. He would never have believed that clothes 
 could make so great a difference in a human being. 
 He had not given any particular thought to Key's 
 appearance while he believed her a boy, save to note 
 that she was an unusually good-looking lad, albeit a 
 rather delicate one. But then, in that lonely hour, in 
 that soft southern night, Audrey McRae appeared to 
 him, and would have looked so to almost any man, too 
 beautiful for words. She had not lost the feminine 
 art of adorning herself to the best advantage with the 
 means at hand through long disuse of it. And she 
 had the greatest interest then to make the most of 
 the undoubted charm she possessed. She was not a 
 small woman; she looked larger and more splendid 
 in her woman's garb than as a boy. It flashed into 
 Clough's mind that she would be an ideal wife for a 
 sailor. 
 
 In everything she was different from what she had 
 been. True, her hair, beautifully golden and curly, 
 was still short, but a ribbon about it added the feminine 
 touch. Her dress was cut rather low at the neck, and 
 although the opening was partly filled by a bit of lace 
 and linen, he could still see the dazzling whiteness that 
 had aroused his admiration when he had so uncere 
 moniously profaned its sanctity, albeit so ignorantly
 
 IO2 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 and innocently, a few days since. The dress had color, 
 blue, he decided, swiftly appraising her in the starlight, 
 which hid so much and suggested so much. Happening 
 to glance down at her feet, he noticed that the plain, sub 
 stantial buckled shoe she wore habitually had been dis 
 carded for foolish feminine slippers, small enough to 
 be in good proportion to her figure, if not so small as 
 the infatuated man fancied them. Daylight would 
 have shown much that was lacking in the dress accord 
 ing to the strict canons of the fashions of the day. 
 For instance, Audrey had not been able to reencompass 
 herself in stays, having moved freely so long without 
 them. Also she had become larger in the waist and 
 chest in her boylike liberty. It had been a work of 
 difficulty for her to get into the outgrown frock and 
 fasten it upon her person. She would have given up 
 the attempt had not so much, as she fancied, been at 
 stake. 
 
 The young man did not answer her question. She 
 was a determined young woman, else she had never 
 forced her uncle to receive her aboard the ship and 
 sanction her disguise. When the silence, which she 
 found as delicious as he found it unbearable, had con 
 tinued as long as she thought proper, she repeated her 
 question insistently. 
 
 "Tempt you to what?" 
 
 And it was not so much her words as her manner 
 of innocent abandon after all she was very young 
 and frank and inexperienced, as well as very much in 
 love with the man for whom she could entertain as 
 much respect as feeling which broke down his self-
 
 A Kiss in the Dark 103 
 
 control. She moved nearer to him, having fairly caught 
 him, so that escape there was none, unless he roughly 
 thrust her aside. She smiled at him; she laid her firm, 
 boyish hand on his arm again. She was suddenly 
 become irresistible. Benjamin Clough could struggle 
 no longer. In his turn he moved a step to meet her. 
 He had been clinging, as ship to sheet anchor, to the 
 wheel with both hands. He released one spoke and 
 freed one arm, and laid his hand on her shoulder. She 
 did not resent it or shrink back on the contrary! 
 
 " Tempt me to tell you I love you I O 
 Audrey " 
 
 "But do you?" 
 
 " From the moment you awoke in my arms and I 
 knew you were a woman." 
 
 " I'm so glad," said the girl simply. " I wanted to 
 hear you say that. I was afraid you didn't. Thank 
 you so much," she added quaintly, and then 
 
 Well, when the young man came to his senses she 
 was gone. He was alone upon the quarter deck. But 
 he could still feel the pressure of her lips upon his own, 
 for she had boldly and suddenly kissed him, and then, 
 before he could catch her in his arms and press her 
 to his heart, she had fled. But she had kissed him. 
 The woman he loved had volunteered that exquisite 
 caress. Life, the ship, the sea, the world, would never 
 be the same to him. His impulse had been to let go 
 the wheel and follow her. He resisted that. In the 
 first place it was his duty to remain at that wheel; in 
 the second place he felt that the command of the affair 
 between them had been lodged where it ought to be,
 
 104 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 in the woman's hands. He would leave the future 
 ordering of their lives to her now that he had con 
 fessed that he loved her, and now that her kiss had 
 told him so much as to her own response. 
 
 It was a happy young officer indeed who hung over 
 the wheel for the remainder of his watch in that divine 
 night in the South Seas. A difficult task to bring the 
 Sharon and her now doubly precious cargo safe home? 
 Nonsense ! He could have carried the ship to the stars 
 themselves, alone, unaided, if she would only come 
 forth and kiss him again!
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 OLD BROADRIB SPINS A YARN 
 
 SAILORS are usually light-hearted, care-free, happy- 
 go-lucky people. The trade wind held fair, the 
 breeze was brisk, the ship moved along easily, there 
 were no clouds upon the horizon, all hands were in a 
 cheerful mood. There was little work to do in 
 fact, nothing at all except tend the braces and steer the 
 ship and provide the fare. What might loom in the 
 future gave nobody any great amount of concern. 
 
 Captain Clough was young, the girl he loved had 
 kissed him, and although since that delectable night 
 he had not been able to secure any private conversation 
 with her, so charmingly elusive had she proved, he 
 knew that sooner or later he would enjoy another 
 opportunity. So he bided his time contentedly enough, 
 hugging his secret, and sometimes surprising a glance 
 from her eye that told him many pleasant things. Yet 
 that he could not see her alone kept him in a state of 
 anxiety and anticipation not so enjoyable to him as 
 to her. 
 
 The men were well fed and better lodged than ever 
 before. They really were enjoying themselves hugely 
 on the voyage. They had not the slightest suspicion 
 of the sex of Rey, and as for her, she was having the 
 time of her life. 
 
 105
 
 io6 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 She found it delicious to tantalize the young man 
 who had domineered over her so long, albeit he had 
 never exerted his authority unpleasantly. She was 
 young enough to be full of fun, and she found the 
 amazing situation most agreeable to her vanity and 
 to her affection. She had Clough's secret as he had 
 her secret, but he did not have her not yet. She 
 bent all her energies to avoiding any secret interview 
 at which she might lose her vantage, and sometimes 
 she nearly drove the young officer crazy. 
 
 The sailors were good men and true. The two young 
 down-Easterners were men of unusual intelligence. 
 Old Broadrib, originally from a rough class not quite 
 so high socially and intellectually, had been softened 
 and mellowed by his long association with the others. 
 They lived aft in the cabin in a certain equality, but 
 they did not take advantage of that fact by any undue 
 familiarity or disrespect. It would have been idle and 
 foolish for Clough to have maintained the reserve or 
 to have assumed the privileges of a full-fledged captain 
 under the circumstances, and he had too much good 
 sense to attempt that. 
 
 It was the habit of the little party to get together 
 around the wheel after supper to beguile the last hour 
 of the dog watch with pleasant conversation as they 
 smoked their pipes all but Rey preparatory to set 
 ting the watch for the night and turning in. 
 
 "So you see," concluded Clough one pleasant even 
 ing, after a long and vivid account of the famous battle 
 in which the Essex had been destroyed, " I know Val 
 paraiso harbor pretty well. I have sailed in it and I
 
 Old Broadrib Spins a Yarn 107 
 
 have swam in it. I will never forget the looks of it 
 after that battle between the Essex and the Phoebe, 
 to say nothing of the Cherub. It is not likely to fade 
 out of my memory, boy though I was at the time." 
 
 " That's a great yarn o' your'n, Cap'n Clough," ob 
 served Broadrib. " It was certainly one great, fine battle. 
 I was a prisoner ashore, an' perhaps I could see it better 
 than you people who were in the thick of the fightin'." 
 
 "And we would have won it, too," said Clough, 
 " if Captain Hillyar hadn't taken us at such a disad 
 vantage." 
 
 "Well, sir, I don't know about that, savin' your 
 presence," said Broadrib warmly, if respectfully. 
 "The Phoebe was a smart ship, an' Cap'n Hillyar was 
 a fine officer, to say nothing of the Cherub." 
 
 " We beat you most every time we fought with you 
 in the war of 1812," put in Audrey. 
 
 " Not allus, not allus," returned old Broadrib. 
 " Remember the Chesapeake and the Shannon." 
 
 'Yes, but Captain Lawrence's ship wasn't " 
 
 " Steady, steady," said Clough, interposing to calm 
 the troubled waters. " It is all over now. We are 
 all good friends, especially on this ship. Remember 
 we're of the same blood and " 
 
 " Right you are, Cap'n Clough," said old Broadrib 
 heartily. " I believe you people once fought the 
 Frenchies, didn't you?" 
 
 ; ' Yes, we had a little mix-up a score of years back, 
 about 1800." 
 
 "An' of course you came off first best?" 
 
 " I believe so. My father was a shipmate of old
 
 io8 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Commodore Truxtun's. He knew John Barry well, 
 and he had even seen the great Paul Jones when he 
 was a boy." 
 
 "Well, then, we kin talk about fightin' the French 
 without hurtin' nobody's feelin's, can't we?" 
 
 " I guess so," laughed the young captain. " By the 
 way, Broadrib, you were going to tell us about that 
 red-headed admiral friend of yours." 
 
 " So I was," said the old man, knocking the ashes 
 out of his pipe as he settled himself for a long yarn. 
 
 "I have heard something about him," remarked 
 Rice, as Broadrib looked meditatively up toward the 
 sky, as if to collect his thoughts. 
 
 " So have I," chimed in Storey. 
 
 " I guess everybody has," added Clough. 
 
 "I haven't," said Audrey. 
 
 " Well, you're a leetle too young yet, but you're goin' 
 to hear about him now, my iad," said old Broadrib, 
 who was very fond of Rey, as they all were. " It 
 wasn't so many years ago when I was made bo's'n's 
 mate of a leetle brig-o'-war called the Speedy. She 
 warn't well named either, for she was a stiff old tub, 
 an' almighty slow. The only way you could git any 
 speed out of her was to clap on sail until her canvas was 
 like to jerk the masts out of her. Her armament was 
 nothin' but popguns, her cap'n was a young leftenant 
 named Cochrane, Thomas Cochrane. He was a lord, 
 too, an' now he's by way of bein* an earl, the Earl of 
 Dundonald they calls him, but to the old salts who 
 served under him he'll always be Lord Cochrane. I 
 remembers him well. He was a great, tall, lanky sort
 
 Old Broadrib Spins a Yarn 109 
 
 of a man with a shock of fiery red hair that no paint, 
 or grease, or powder could ever slick down; an' a 
 mighty handsome face, with a big nose an' a pair of 
 piercin' gray eyes. He was strong as a bull, too. An' 
 the best seaman I ever sailed with .savin' your pres 
 ence, Cap'n Clough. He was so tall that when he 
 stood up in his cabin he had to take the deck skylight 
 off to git head room ! Why, sir, an' mates, I've actually 
 seed him a shavin' hisself in the mornin', layin' his hot 
 water basin on the deck, him a standin' in the cabin 
 starin' over the hatchway into a lookin' glass which 
 he propped up agin the coamings. It was a funny 
 sight. The brig was a triflin' affair." 
 
 "What sort of a battery did she carry?" asked 
 Clough. 
 
 " Fourteen four-pound guns, sir. Seven of 'em to 
 a broadside," answered the harpooner. "I've often 
 heerd the red-headed fire eater say he could stow away 
 a whole broadside in the tail pockets of his coat, an' 
 I guess he could fourteen pounds in each pocket, 
 though it would make settin' down difficult! I think 
 they give him the brig to get rid of him. He was 
 allus gittin' into trouble. He was a hard man to 
 handle. No cap'n wanted him on his ship. He had 
 too many ideas of his own which didn't take with older 
 officers, an' I guess he was inclined to be insubordinate 
 an' hard to control. He had a fierce temper, too, 
 'specially when he was crossed, which was never done 
 by nobody on' the brig no, sir, not if you know'd him 
 like we did ! But he treated his officers an' men fine. 
 He knew jest how to handle 'em, an' he hadn't been
 
 HO Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 on board the Speedy a week afore we was ready to 
 do anythin' for him, to go anywhere with him. We 
 jest worshiped him. He was hot-headed an' peppery, 
 too. Never hesitated to speak his mind free; an' that 
 ingenious! Lord! I remembers one day we was 
 cruisin' off the harbor of Palamos, an' we'd jest bin 
 combin' the Spanish coast, capturin' coaster after 
 coaster, an' ship after ship. Why, every man's pockets 
 was fairly bustin' with prize money. I don't know 
 how he done it, but he seemed to git more speed out 
 of the tub than anyone else who'd ever tried her. He'd 
 carry sail in a half gale of wind till the masts was 
 snappin' an' bendin' like coach whips, but nothin' ever 
 give 'way. Well, where was I ? " 
 
 "You were off the harbor of Palamos, Mate," 
 answered Storey. 
 
 "Aye, aye, so I was. We'd been goin' up an' down 
 the coast, enterin' harbors, cuttin' out boats, an' actin' 
 as impident an' free like as if we was backed up by 
 the ships of the line. There was three or four Spanish 
 cruisers lyin' at anchor there, an' they'd heerd about 
 the Speedy, an' they rather suspicioned that we was 
 her," continued the old man, with his usual disregard 
 of grammar. " We wasn't showin' no flag, of course, 
 an' by an' by they decided they'd send a frigate out 
 to look us over, so a big whale of a ship called the 
 Gamo " 
 
 "How did you find out her name, Mr. Broadrib?" 
 asked Audrey. 
 
 "We took her arterwards," answered the old har- 
 pooner, chuckling at the recollection. " She made sail,
 
 Old Broadrib Spins a Yarn ill 
 
 slipped her moorin's, an' came out to investigate us. 
 Well, we was pretty well loaded. We had been takin' 
 a lot of prizes, an' had a good many prisoners aboard, 
 an' a lot of stuff from vessels that had been driv ashore 
 an' wrecked, an' we couldn't make no speed at all. 
 Besides, I'd often heerd the cap'n say the thing he 
 hated most of all was to run away from the enemy. 
 He decided on a bold course. He says to his young 
 leftenant fine young fellow, too 'I guess we'll 
 just stand in and see what this Spanish frigate wants 
 of us.' 
 
 1 ' Surely, m'lord,' says Mr. Parker, the young first 
 luff I was standin' right aft at the con, an' heerd 
 the whole conversation 'you ain't intendin' to fight 
 a ship of thirty guns with this brig? ' 
 
 ' ' Oh, I don't know,' says Cochrane kinder keerless- 
 like, ' a stout English brig like this ought to be a match 
 for any kind of a Spanish frigate afloat.' 
 
 ' ' Oh, yes, m'lord,' returned the leftenant, quite sar 
 castic, ' I suppose seven four-pound guns in broadside 
 is a pretty fair match for a dozen long twelves, to say 
 nothin' of a few eighteens an' sixes, an' mebbe a 
 twenty-four-pounder.' 
 
 "With that his lordship looks at the leftenant an' 
 laughs. 
 
 "'I guess you're right,' he says, most cheerful, 'buf 
 what can I do? Would you have me strike the flag?' 
 
 " ' Never,' says the leftenant. 
 
 ' ' An' yet they'd sink us with a broadside,' says 
 m'lord. 
 
 " ' Quite so,' says the leftenant.
 
 112 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 'Therefore, I'll have to try a trick,' says m'lord. 
 
 " ' A trick it will be,' says the leftenant. 
 
 " With that I busts out laughin', an' Lord Cochrane 
 he shoots a glance at me an' says, most stern an' fierce, 
 * What in blank are you laughin' at, you old shellback? ' 
 
 " ' I'm jest thinkin' how mad them Spaniards will 
 be when you play that there trick on them, m'lord,' 
 says I. 
 
 " ' What trick? ' says my lord. 
 
 "Lord love your honor,' says I, 'how should I 
 know what trick you are goin' to play on 'em. But 
 knowin' your lordship as I does, I knows it'll be a 
 good one.' 
 
 " 'You see/ says m'lord, turnin' to Leftenant Parker. 
 ' How could I give up the brig an' disapp'int men like 
 old Broadrib, who trusts me? Now, Mr. Parker, you 
 jest send someone below and fish up that Danish quar 
 termaster we took out of that last Spanish ship where 
 he had been made prisoner, an',' he says, 'git me his 
 uniform from off him. Broadrib,' he says, as the 
 leftenant turns away, 'do you know the Danish flag?' 
 
 '"Not me, sir,' says I. 
 
 "Well, he walked up to the flag locker and pulled 
 out a flag. 
 
 "'That'll be it,' he says. 'You bend that on to 
 the halliards, an' when I gives the order, h'ist away.' 
 
 "An' then he called a young seaman and says, 'See 
 that yeller pennant there?' 
 
 " 'Yes, yer honor,' says the young seaman, which his 
 name was Higgs, I well remembers. 
 
 "'Well,' he says, 'Higgs' he knowed everybody
 
 Old Broadrib Spins a Yarn 113 
 
 on board, of course. That was part of his power. He 
 could call us all by name. He says, 'Well, Higgs, 
 when I gives the word, you h'ist that yeller flag at 
 the main.' 
 
 " 'Aye, aye, m'lord,' says Higgs, him an' me gittin' 
 the flags bent on proper. 
 
 " Pretty soon Leftenant Parker come back with the 
 Danish quartermaster, half naked an' protestin' violent. 
 
 " ' Now, Mr. Parker,' says Lord Cochrane, grinnin' 
 at the Dane, ' gimme that man's uniform.' 
 
 "With that he grabs it an' dives below, after tellin' 
 someone to cover up the Dane till he'd got through 
 with the uniform, an' pretty soon he comes out with 
 the Danish uniform on. You could laugh with the 
 cap'n, but it wasn't safe to laugh at him. But I nearly 
 bust agin when I saw him, an' so did lots of others, 
 only we didn't let him see us, not by no means, for 
 the Dane was a smallish man, an' fat, an' his uniform 
 wasn't built for a man like his lordship, though he'd 
 got into it somehow. 
 
 " 'Tight fit,' he says to the leftenant, grinnin' at him 
 as he spoke. 
 
 '"Yes, sir, but it sets off your figure fine,' was Mr. 
 Parker's reply, which he done it without crackin' a 
 smile or turnin' a hair, though I never seed how he 
 could. 
 
 "His lordship shot a glance at him, but Mr. Parker 
 kep' as solemn as a church, an' so the cap'n walked 
 for'ard. He finds it pretty hard goin', too, his breeches 
 bein' so tight. Well, he takes his stand by the gang 
 way, an' he brings the Dane with him, dressed decent
 
 H4 Walf-o-the-Sea 
 
 an' proper now; leastwise covered with a boat cloak. 
 Then he orders Mr. Parker to heave to the brig. 
 When the Spanish frigate got near us she hove to her 
 self, up to wind'ard of us, an' dropped a boat over 
 board which was rowed down to investigate. Jest as 
 soon as they come within hailin' distance, Cap'n Coch- 
 rane he leaned over an' whispered to the Dane. I 
 never seed a man's face change so quick as his'n did. 
 He laughed all over hisself. He'd been starin' at the 
 frigate, feelin' pretty gloomy at the prospeck of bein' 
 back in a Spanish prison agin, but he hollered out, half 
 in Danish, half in Spanish. 
 
 111 Boat ahoy!' 
 
 '"Ahoy the brig!' the boat officer calls back in 
 Spanish, tellin' his men to lay on their oars." 
 
 "Do you know Spanish, Broadrib?" asked Clough. 
 
 "Well, I've picked up enough of it to tell what's 
 bein' said gener'ly," answered old Broadrib. ''You 
 see, I larned it in that war. I understood all that 
 passed." 
 
 " Heave ahead then." 
 
 '"Have you got a doctor you can lend us?' cries 
 the Dane, Lord Cochrane standin' ostentatious an' 
 leanin' lazylike over the rail so they could easy see 
 his uniform. 
 
 '"What do you want a doctor for?' 
 
 '"We're a Danish brig from Algiers, an' we've 
 got smallpox aboard.' 
 
 " 'H'ist away,' says Lord Cochrane to me an' Higgs 
 at that, an' the next minute the Danish flag was broke 
 out at the gaff, an' the yeller flag went up on the main.
 
 Old Broadrlb Spins a Yarn 115 
 
 "'Smallpox!' yelled the Spanish officer. 'Back 
 water, hard,' he cried, not givin' anyone time to say 
 no more. ' Stern all,' he added. When he'd got 
 further away, he sings out, ' Git out of here quick. 
 You can't come in this harbor.' 
 
 "'Where'll we go to?' asked the Dane. 
 
 " ' I don't care where you go so long as you don't 
 come here.' 
 
 "'We've got to go somewheres,' shouted the Dane 
 back at him, Cochrane prompting him all the time. 
 ' We'll come into the harbor ! ' 
 
 " But the leftenant didn't wait no longer. He rowed 
 back as if the devil was after him, scrambled up the 
 side of his frigate, an' reported to his cap'n. Then, 
 jest for devilment, Lord Cochrane swung our main 
 yard, got the brig before the wind, an' headed in to 
 the harbor. That convinced 'em of the truth of what 
 he said. The frigate acted promptly. She fired a shot 
 across our bows, an' then we put up the helm and swung 
 out of the harbor, Danish flag at gaff an' yeller flag 
 still flyin' at main. Then they turned about, claps on 
 all sail, an' beat back as if she was afraid of ketchin' 
 it from us. Well, sir, when our cap'n stepped out of 
 the gangway with the Dane, the whole crew bust into 
 a wild roar of laughter. We couldn't help it. 
 
 "'What the blazes are you laughin' at?' yelled his 
 lordship, his face flushin' until it was almost the color 
 of his hair. 
 
 " As usual, I was nearest to him, an' I had to answer. 
 
 '"We was jest laughin' at how you fooled them 
 dumb heads of Spaniards, m'lord,' says I.
 
 Ii6 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 ' ' Oh,' says he, ' I thought mebbe you was laughin' 
 at me in this uniform.' 
 
 "With that he took a long step aft and slit his 
 breeches from clew to earing, they was that tight for 
 him. He turned around quick an' faced the roarin' 
 crew. The laughin' stopped as quick as it had begun. 
 
 "'Umph,' said his lordship, gravelike, 'joke's over.' 
 
 "With that he struts in his cabin, and we waits until 
 he is safe there an' then we busts out laughin' agin." 
 
 "That certainly was a good trick, Mate," said Rice, 
 from his position at the wheel. 
 
 " Trick ! " said Broadrib, meditatively. " Why that 
 man was chock-a-block with tricks. I remembers once 
 a shore party of us was holdin' a castle a year or two 
 arter, when we'd been promoted to a handy frigate 
 called the Pallas. It was at a place called Rojas. The 
 French was assaultin' it. The fortunes of war had 
 changed an' we was now friends with the Spaniards 
 and fightin' with 'em instead of agin 'em. They'd have 
 give up the castle long since, but Lord Cochrane, he 
 said he'd hold it an' he was doin' it too. They had 
 give him this frigate after he had captured the Gamo, 
 an' we landed some broadside guns an' was defendin' 
 the place in true seamanlike fashion, but the French 
 had bigger guns than we had an' more of 'em, an' 
 finally they put a hole in our broadside. The place 
 where they had knocked out the wall was right over 
 the floor which covered the hold, the cellar, I think 
 they called it, an' his lordship had us chop away the 
 floor. Then we took some long planks and greased 
 'em an' we leaned 'em up against the hole that had
 
 Old Broadrib Spins a Yarn 117 
 
 been made in our broadside wall, so that they lead 
 from the breach to the cellar, which was a stout place 
 dug out of rock, an' there wasn't no way out of it 
 'cept a ladder, which we barricaded an' covered with 
 a bulkhead of heavy timber. We'd have plugged up 
 the hole they had made in our broadside only we wasn't 
 any of us stone masons. At any rate, one night the 
 French came chargin' up in spite of all we could do, 
 an' dumb through that hole, yellin' like mad, only to 
 strike them planks which led down almost like the 
 shrouds of a ship's masts. They had been well slushed, 
 too, an' they was as slippery as ice. I never will forget 
 it. We let 'em come. We didn't even fire on 'em. His 
 lordship said it would be a pity to kill 'em. We'd git 
 'em anyway. They jest slid down them planks as soon 
 as they boarded us, an' afore they knowed it there was 
 about fifty of 'em below in the cellar, an' there they 
 stayed ! They couldn't git out neither." 
 
 "Well, what happened then?" asked Rey, amid a 
 general burst of laughter. 
 
 " They brought up more troops an' knocked more 
 holes in the tower with their guns, an' his lordship 
 decided we had better git back to our ship, so we all 
 filed out, chargin' the French that was between us an' 
 the beach in a seamanlike manner, an' cleared 'em away. 
 Then we made for the boats which the ship had sent 
 off, havin' been signaled to afore. I remembers I was 
 one of the fust to reach the boats an' Lord Cochrane 
 was at the other end of the colyum, which was most 
 proper, him bein' the cap'n, an' me nothin' but a 
 bo's'n's mate. He had a little midshipman with him,
 
 Il8 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 named Marryatt. 1 We was runnin' like mad. We 
 was so tired of bein' cooped up in a stone house that 
 we was glad to be in the air agin, an' layin' a course 
 for our ship. But m'lord was walkin' calm an' stately. 
 He was too proud to run, an' the marines that had been 
 sent off from the ship was draw'd up on the shore 
 blazin' away at the Frenchies who was crowdin' arter 
 our men, but not comin' too close. They was all firin' 
 like mad, too. Mr. Marryatt, who was a great favor 
 ite with everybody on board, told the warrant officers 
 in the steerage that night what happened, an', of course, 
 it leaked out all over the ship. It seems that he was 
 Cap'n Cochrane's pusonal aide an', in course, he had 
 to stay by him. But as the firin' got so hot, he finally 
 touches his cap an' he says: 
 
 " ' Please, sir, I'm only a midshipman. While a 
 cap'n, of course, can't run, a boy kin, an' if you don't 
 mind, sir, an' have nothin' special for me to do, I'll 
 cut away an' join the men at the boats.' 
 
 "'Ah,' says the cap'n, smilin' down at the lad, 'are 
 you there, Mr. Marryatt?' 
 
 "'Yes, sir, which I don't want to be,' answers the 
 boy. 
 
 " ' Mr. Marryatt,' says the cap'n, cool enough in 
 spite of the bullets skinnin' about 'em, ' I am, as you 
 say, the cap'n of the ship. My life is of great impor 
 tance to the ship an' the crew. If I was killed it would 
 be difficult to replace me at present. You, sir, on the 
 contrary, are only a midshipman an' are of no impor 
 tance whatsoever. If you was shot, I could replace 
 
 1 Afterwards the famous Captain Marryatt, author of many inter 
 esting stories of the sea.
 
 Old Broadrib Spins a Yarn 119 
 
 you with a hundred others. Therefore, you will not 
 only not run to the boats with the rest, but you will 
 take your position directly behind me to pertect me 
 from any chance shot an' you may feel greatly honored 
 by the responsibility thus thrust upon you.' ' 
 
 The listening men burst into a perfect roar of 
 laughter at this. 
 
 " And what did he do ? " asked Captain Clough when 
 he could get his breath. 
 
 "What could he do, sir? He got behind the cap'n, 
 accordin' to order, an' they marched down the beach as 
 solemn as if they was attendin' the drorin' room of the 
 king. Indeed, it seemed to us who was awatchin' of 
 'em that we never seed his lordship walkin' so slow. 
 He was jest givin' Mr. Marryatt a lesson, you see. 
 Mr. Marryatt was a little feller an' didn't come much 
 higher than his lordship's belt, so that he weren't of 
 much use as a pertection noway. It seemed to us 'bout 
 an hour afore them two got to the boats, an' I never 
 seed a reefer so relieved as that one was as he tumbled 
 into the first one. The bullets was spinnin' around all 
 of us, but Lord Cochrane was just bustin' with laughter 
 as we rowed off to the ship. Every once and a while 
 he would address that little youngster as ' My per- 
 tector,' which made him turn as red as a beet." 
 
 ''You said you captured the Gamo, that Spanish 
 frigate," asked Clough. 
 
 "Yes, sir, we did." 
 
 " Tell us about that." 
 
 "Gladly, sir," answered Broadrib, "but it is a long 
 yarn, sir, an' perhaps "
 
 I2O Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 "Well, perhaps we had better have it some other 
 night," said the young captain. 
 
 He hauled out his watch again, rose up, knocked the 
 ashes out of his pipe, stretched himself. 
 
 " It will soon be eight bells," he said. " Time to set 
 the watch. Er, Rey," he began with elaborate care 
 lessness as the group broke up, " don't you want to 
 stand part of my watch with me?" 
 
 " Not tonight, sir," answered the girl promptly, with 
 so impudent an air that Clough wanted to shake her. 
 " I'm quite tired and as you've not put me in either 
 watch I think I'll turn in early." 
 
 Her manner was intensely provoking. She would 
 never have dared to answer so if the others had been 
 within earshot, of course. 
 
 "But if I order you to stand the watch with me?" 
 said the captain, savagely. 
 
 "Oh, of course, if you order me if you want to 
 punish me " 
 
 " Punish you ! Damn it, go below, sir, Miss, I 
 mean," roared Clough. 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir. According to order," replied the 
 other, going aft whistling. She whistled very well for 
 a girl, too. Eight bells striking, Clough seized the 
 wheel in exasperation, vowing that he had never met 
 so disagreeable a person in his life.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE HARPOONER HELPS OUT 
 
 BUT if Audrey did not seem disposed to share the 
 captain's watch he was not left to stand it alone 
 because of that. For old Broadrib presently came from 
 the cabin, pipe in hand. The veteran harpooner 
 lounged forward until he came abreast the wheel. 
 
 "A fine night, Cap'n Clough," he observed, after a 
 meditative glance up to windward, and a long luxurious 
 draw at his pipe. 
 
 "Aye, so it is. The breeze holds well. We're mak 
 ing better way of it," answered Clough. 
 
 "At this rate 'twon't be long afore we makes a 
 land-fall or raises the lights of Valparaiso," assented 
 the sailor. He stepped across the deck, leaned over the 
 weather rail and cast a glance alongside. "All of six 
 knots, I'd say, sir," he added. 
 
 "That or better. She steers less easily, too," 
 answered the other, giving the Sharon an extra spoke 
 or two of weather helm. " If we could only set more 
 sail it would shove her along at a better rate. I confess 
 I'll feel easier when the anchor's down." 
 
 "An' me too, sir. But we're better off with no more 
 spread of canvas, I takes it. What's already drorin' 
 would be a heavy job for four men an' a boy to handle 
 should it come in to blow agin." 
 
 xai
 
 122 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 ''Yes, you're right, of course. But why don't you 
 turn in?" 
 
 "Ain't sleepy, sir. I'll go to my bunk presently," he 
 replied, staring up to windward. 
 
 " Suit yourself, Broadrib." 
 
 " Thankee, sir. Meanwhile, I'll go for'ard an' have 
 a bit of a gam with Rice, sir." 
 
 The old man rolled forward along the waist in true 
 seaman's fashion and presently brought up on the top 
 gallant forecastle. The sound of his voice was lost in 
 the sing of the wind through the top-hamper, and the 
 swash of the waves ahead and alongside, as the good 
 ship butted into them. 
 
 Captain Clough resumed his interrupted reverie only 
 to have it broken once more, but not until perhaps half 
 an hour had passed. 
 
 Audrey had repented herself of her capriciousness. 
 Having every night in, standing no watch, she did not 
 require every available moment of the night for her 
 rest and sleep. In pity for her lover and to delight 
 herself, perhaps to justify her insubordination of the 
 past few days by emphasizing the fact that she was girl 
 and not boy, she had once more donned her only dress, 
 and suddenly appeared beside him. 
 
 Now, the young officer was so delighted to see her, 
 and in that guise, that, for the moment, he quite forgot 
 that Broadrib was, as it were, loose upon the deck and 
 might appear at any moment. Ready enough with 
 speech on occasion, Captain Clough could only stare 
 at her for the moment 
 
 "Oh dear," she began, in mock dismay, "you are
 
 The Harpooner Helps Out 123 
 
 the quietest man with a woman ! I thought you'd be so 
 glad to see me you'd " 
 
 " I am. I will," interrupted the man eagerly, finding 
 voice at last. 
 
 " That's better. I was so sorry for you. You looked 
 so sad when I disobeyed you that I do you like 
 me again in this dress?" she explained and questioned 
 in a breath. 
 
 " Of course." 
 
 "As much as before?" 
 
 "More." 
 
 "And am I forgiven?" 
 
 '' You will be if you " The young captain paused. 
 He was going to do a bolder thing, at least so it 
 appeared to him, than he had ever done before, not 
 even when he had boarded the Sharon. He hesitated, 
 however, and as usual it was the woman who could not 
 stand the pause. 
 
 "Yes, if?" she quoted. 
 
 " If you will kiss me, as you did the other night," 
 he forced himself to reply, at the same time stretching 
 out his free arm to catch her. 
 
 She easily evaded him and she was sailor enough to 
 know that in such a breeze as then prevailed he did not 
 dare let go the wheel. So she did not move very far 
 away, and he was quick to notice that she did not seem 
 displeased rather the reverse. 
 
 Now these were pre-Victorian times and, according 
 to the fictional chronicles of the period, the lovely and 
 artless female for so they would have described 
 her would never have suffered such bold and ardent
 
 124 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 wooing without fainting away! Indeed, by such stand 
 ards she ought to have died rather than to have put 
 herself in such a position a woman, young, unmar 
 ried, unchaperoned, alone on a ship filled with men ! 
 Horrors! Shades of Fanny Burney and Fenimore 
 Cooper! It was unthinkable ! Yet there she was. 
 
 Truth to tell, Audrey liked the situation. She en 
 joyed the horror. She thrilled to the opportunity 
 presented to her. She reveled in the occurrence. She 
 had no mind for flight. She blushed, doubtless, but the 
 night hid the betraying color in her cheeks and her 
 blushes did not matter. So many things are permissible 
 in the half light that cannot be managed in the broad 
 day, fortunately. 
 
 The new moon was already a-sky, light from it, faint 
 yet greater than that cast by the stars, illumined softly 
 and mysteriously her graceful, charming figure. If 
 she stood with her slippered feet somewhat wide apart 
 and her arms akimbo, balancing to the roll of the ship 
 like a true sailor, the young captain saw naught amiss 
 in that. It was a proper position to assume upon an 
 uneasy ship, for man or woman. 
 
 "Why should I kiss you again?" she breathed 
 softly. 
 
 "Because I I " he faltered. 
 
 "Well?" she helped him on. 
 
 "Because I love you, Miss Rey Audrey," he 
 said at last. 
 
 "That's a reason for you to kiss me, perhaps, but 
 not for me to " was her counter. 
 
 " Because you love me, then," he interposed with
 
 The Harpooner Helps Out 125 
 
 growing assurance, now quite carried away by his own 
 courage. 
 
 He had made the plunge and, so far as he could see, 
 with good hope for himself. Indeed, Audrey had 
 moved a little nearer to him at the thrilling declaration 
 of a monent ago. It was the first time anybody had 
 ever said such things to her. 
 
 She was not quite ready to surrender, however. 
 Temporizing was such a delicious pastime it seemed; 
 anticipation appeared to hold joys of its own of which 
 she had not dreamed. What realization might be not 
 even that dainty and hasty caress she had volunteered 
 to bestow upon him before could tell her. 
 
 "But do I love you?" she asked, meditatively, as if 
 discussing an entirely impersonal question. 
 
 "Don't you? O Audrey!" he began in a sudden 
 and very real alarm. 
 
 And then it happened. An unexpected roll of the 
 ship or an involuntary movement of the girl toward 
 the man, or her seizure by his outreached arm, or all 
 three, which was more probable, and she found herself 
 in his arms, or arm, rather, since he did not even then 
 let go the wheel. 
 
 One arm was sufficient, however, since she resisted 
 not. For he drew her to him. The beat of heart met 
 the beat of heart. The moonlight fell faintly upon her 
 face, slightly upturned she had pity upon him, being 
 but one-armed for the moment he had to depend upon 
 her and then he kissed her. 
 
 Quite a different thing, this caress, from that hasty 
 touch of lips upon the memory of which they both had
 
 1 26 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 lived until that more halcyon hour. And unrestricted 
 and unrestrained, for Audrey saw no reason for with 
 drawal or denial, he kissed her again and again, eyes, 
 lips, and finally her bended head. He whispered words, 
 incoherent, broken, meaningless to anyone but she in 
 that hallowed ocean night, when love came in all its 
 splendor and passion to them both in the South Pacific 
 Seas. 
 
 Pity that such things last so short a time, that such 
 moments of rapture should be so fleeting, that when 
 heart would fain speak to heart uninterruptedly some 
 discordant voice must dispel the joy. 
 
 "My God! Cap'n Clough, sir," burst out the deep, 
 gruff tones of a thoroughly shocked and greatly scan 
 dalized old seaman. "Wot in 'ell's the meanin' of 
 this? An' who in the name of God is this bloody 
 feemale?" 
 
 Broadrib, without the slightest intention of surprising 
 his young commander, and certainly with no expecta 
 tion of seeing the picture now presented to him, having 
 finished his pipe and chat with Rice had rolled aft with 
 the quiet catlike tread of the true old salt, to exchange a 
 word or two with his captain in passing and then to turn 
 in for the balance of the watch. 
 
 At the first word of the harpooner Audrey gave 
 forth a little scream and strove to run. But Clough 
 held her close. 
 
 " Come here, Broadrib," he said, and not until the 
 bewildered and astonished sailor was close at hand did 
 the captain release the girl. 
 
 "Take a near look at the lady, Broadrib," he began
 
 The Harpooner Helps Out 127 
 
 as the other stopped and stared. " Don't you recognize 
 her?" 
 
 " May I be keel hauled if 'tain't the lad ! Youngster, 
 what in 'ell do you mean by this maskeradin' like a gal? 
 An' you a boy, kissin' the cap'nl" bursts out the thor 
 oughly aroused old seaman. 
 
 "But I'm not a boy, Mr. Broadrib," protested 
 Audrey, swiftly. 
 
 "Ain't you young Rey McRae, Cap'n Norris' 
 nevvy?" 
 
 'Yes and no, I 
 
 "Am I awake or dreamin'? How can you be both 
 one an' t'other?" 
 
 "I'll explain," said Captain Clough. "This is Miss 
 Audrey McRae, whom you know as Rey, the ship's 
 boy, only she's a woman." 
 
 "An' allus has been?" asked the veteran, stub 
 bornly. 
 
 "Always," answered Audrey herself, smiling up at 
 Broadrib. " It's this way. I'm really Captain Norris' 
 niece. He shipped me as a boy because a girl on ship 
 board, you know " 
 
 "Aye, that I do, a whaler full of rough men ain't no 
 proper place for a young and lovely feemale woman 
 like you if so be you ain't playin' no tricks on an old 
 man." 
 
 " I'm not. Captain Norris knew that as well as you. 
 The only way he could take me with him was as a boy." 
 
 " I see. How long have you knowed this Cap'n 
 Clough?" 
 
 " Only since the night of the mutiny."
 
 128 Walf-o-the-Sea 
 
 " Didn't I make a pretty good boy ? " asked Audrey. 
 
 " None better, Missy," was the hearty answer of the 
 harpooner, a an' yet you makes a better girl, I do 
 believe. Sink me if I don't" 
 
 "I agree with you, Broadrib, and I don't mind tell 
 ing you that Miss McRae is going to be my wife as 
 soon as we fall in with a chaplain or a minister to splice 
 us," said Clough, decidedly. 
 
 "Pretty quick work, ain't it, sir?" asked the old 
 man, amazed at this further turn of the affair. 
 
 " I never said so," cried out the girl. 
 
 "But ain't it true, Rey, Miss, I mean? Oh good 
 Lord!" 
 
 " Call me Rey, just as you did before, Mr. 
 Broadrib." 
 
 "It can't be done, Miss." 
 
 " You haven't answered his question, Audrey," urged 
 the captain. 
 
 ' 'Tain't none of my business, Miss, in course," began 
 the sailor after a pause, which for the nonce Audrey 
 did not seem inclined to break, "but if you ain't you'd 
 ought to be arter wot I seen a moment since." 
 
 " I am. We are," said Audrey, promptly, where 
 upon the captain, undeterred by the presence of the 
 sailor, kissed her again. 
 
 "That's as it should be," observed Broadrib. "I 
 makes no doubt your uncle would have approved, too, 
 for a finer young man, an' a primer officer, I ain't never 
 sailed under, not even Lord Cochrane hisself. An' I 
 can't say no more than that, Miss an' Sir." 
 
 And as this sounded like a benediction, the old man
 
 The Harpooner Helps Out 129 
 
 rolled aft, leaving the lovers to a watch full of happi 
 ness together. 
 
 " That there boy a feemale ! " he muttered. " Now 
 there'll be the devil to pay aboard ship afore we makes 
 a landfall," he added under his breath as he entered 
 the cabin, without in the least meaning to reflect unpleas 
 antly on anybody and not realizing that he spoke as a 
 prophet. 
 
 In the morning Rice and Storey were told the great 
 secret. Their astonishment was ludicrous. They could 
 not credit the tale until Audrey put on the dress she 
 had worn and appeared among them as a woman indeed. 
 Then they saw and believed. 
 
 Thenceforward Audrey discarded her boy's uniform 
 and habitually wore her proper clothes. She started 
 making some others to replenish her wardrobe, not 
 having lost her skill with the needle by her long mas 
 querade. Rice and Storey were good men and true. 
 They easily accommodated themselves to the new 
 demands of the situation, and they treated the young 
 woman with all the respect due to her station and to 
 the fact that she was their admired young captain's 
 promised wife.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE SAN MARTIN 
 
 BROADRIB'S promised yarn of the capture of the 
 Gamo was not told the next night. For that day 
 a change had come over the condition of the Sharon 
 and her little crew, and one not altogether for the 
 better. About one bell in the first dog watch, which 
 would be half after four o'clock in the afternoon, Rice, 
 aloft on the improvised fore topsail yard for a final 
 survey of the ocean before night fell, was astonished 
 when into the field of vision of the ship's glass he car 
 ried swept the hull of a vessel. 
 
 " Sail ho ! " he shouted at the top of his lungs. 
 
 All hands were on deck busied with various tasks, 
 except Storey, whose turn it was to do the cooking, 
 and even he came running from the galley as he heard 
 the cry. 
 
 "Where away?" called out Clough in reply. 
 
 " Dead ahead, sir." 
 
 Old Broadrib, on the forecastle, shaded his eyes 
 and stared over the bows, but could see nothing. 
 
 "Can you make it out?" asked the captain. 
 
 "Yes, sir. It's a dismasted ship," answered Rice. 
 "At least she's got the stump of a mast standing aft 
 with some kind of a flag flying from it." 
 
 "You say she's dead ahead?" 
 
 130
 
 The Wreck of the San Martin 131 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Very well," cried Clough. "You can lay down 
 from aloft." 
 
 In his excitement and hurry, Rice came sliding down 
 one of the back-stays, disdaining the standing rigging, 
 but he could add nothing to his previous account. 
 
 "Could you see it with the naked eye?" 
 
 "Just barely make it out, sir, after I had located it 
 through the glass." 
 
 "Broadrib." 
 
 "Sir?" 
 
 " Keep a sharp lookout for'ard and report as soon 
 as you catch sight of the wreck." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir." 
 
 There was nothing to be done, of course, but keep 
 on. There was little they could have done anyway, 
 but nothing was needed since the wreck was dead 
 ahead of them. The ship was carrying all the sail 
 they could possibly set upon her. She moved along 
 fairly rapidly, considering the diminished canvas 
 spread, before the brisk northeast trade, through the 
 rather heavy sea running, and in half an hour old Broad- 
 rib hailed from the forecastle. 
 
 " I can make her out now, sir," he said. 
 
 Rice took the helm. Captain Clough seized the 
 glass and, followed by Audrey, ran along the gangway 
 to the forecastle, climbed up on the knightheads and 
 focussed the telescope on the vessel, which he could just 
 see dimly in the growing dusk. She was, he at once 
 discovered, the wreck of a large brig. She had been 
 battered up severely in some storm. A splintered fore-
 
 132 Walf-o-the-Sea 
 
 mast rose a few feet above the deck. Her head booms 
 were gone, her rails, and bulwarks smashed, her boat 
 davits were empty, but the stump of her main mast, 
 which had carried away just below the top, was still 
 standing, and from it a flag fluttered. She was still too 
 far off for him easily to make out the flag, but after 
 staring hard at it for a while through the glass Clough 
 decided it was the red, white, and blue flag of the new 
 Republic of Chile with its single star. There was neither 
 time nor necessity for much speculation, for at the rate 
 the ship was moving toward the wreck, which lay roll 
 ing helplessly in the trough of the seas, they would 
 soon be alongside. Captain Clough consulted with the 
 harpooner. 
 
 " It'll be almost more than we can do to back our 
 main yard and heave the ship to," he said gloomily to 
 the big seaman. 
 
 "We can't never do it at all unless we takes that 
 jury main tops'l off of her. Mebbe we won't have to. 
 Mebbe there ain't nobody aboard the wreck," replied 
 the other. 
 
 " Take a look yourself," said Captain Clough, hand 
 ing him the glass. 
 
 The old man focussed it rapidly and viewed the 
 wreck long and carefully. He shut the glass to with 
 a snap and handed it back. 
 
 " We've got to git that yard around somehow, sir," 
 he said decidedly. "There must be a score or more of 
 human bein's on her decks. An' by her looks she won't 
 last long." 
 
 "Aye, we must," said Captain Clough. " Rey," he
 
 The Wreck of the San Martin 133 
 
 added abruptly, quite forgetting when any emergency 
 arose that she was no longer a boy. 
 
 "Yes, sir?" was the ready answer. 
 
 " Go aft and take the wheel. Keep her just as she 
 is until I sing out, then ease her helm down. Tell Rice 
 and Storey to come for'ard. We'll settle away the 
 halliards and clew up our main tops'l, pass a furling 
 line around it and let her hang. I guess she'll stand 
 that, Broadrib?" 
 
 " I think she will, sir." 
 
 "Then all hands will get hold of the main brace 
 and when the time comes we'll heave her to." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir," answered Rey as Clough turned to 
 her again, lifting her skirts, which, truth to tell, she 
 often found embarrassing after the greater freedom 
 of trousers, to which she had become accustomed, 
 and running aft to deliver the message and take 
 the wheel. 
 
 Rice and Storey sprang aloft while Broadrib slacked 
 off the improvised tops'l halliards. Then he and the 
 captain clewed the sail up and the yard down. Next 
 they clapped a big watch-tackle on the weather-main 
 brace and when the two seamen reached the deck again 
 the main sheet and lee braces were slacked off, the yard 
 swung and the tack boarded. 
 
 Of necessity they had to work slowly because they 
 were so short-handed, but by the time they were well 
 abreast of the brig the Sharon was fairly hove to and 
 her progress stopped. They could see the wreck plainly 
 now. Her decks, which were almost awash, were 
 crowded with excited men, who stretched out appealing
 
 134 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 hands to the Sharon and called piteously in Spanish for 
 help. There must have been fifty of them. Captain 
 Clough did not view the prospect altogether cheerfully. 
 Fifty Chileans on the decks of the Sharon would crowd 
 her fearfully, especially as every available space below 
 was filled with oil casks. Nor did he entirely trust the 
 South Americans. Still, the men on the brig were in a 
 desperate condition. Their vessel itself was a com 
 plete wreck. She sat low in the water and from the 
 sluggishness of her lift to the seas she was already half 
 full and probably leaking like a sieve. Humanity de 
 manded that he receive them aboard the whaler. 
 
 Having got the ship hove to, Clough leaped up on 
 the lee rail and hailed. 
 
 "Brig ahoy!" he shouted. 
 
 Instantly from the brig there arose such a confused 
 clatter, such a medley of shouts and cries, as to be utterly 
 unintelligible. The American looked around at his 
 own little band of tried and true followers in deep dis 
 gust at the scene on the other vessel. 
 
 "Did you ever hear anything like that?" he ex 
 claimed. Then he hollowed his hands trumpetwise and 
 shouted: " Does anybody aboard you speak English?" 
 
 One man, an officer evidently by his dress, de 
 tached himself from the crowd on the deck of the brig, 
 approached the broken rail, leaped up on it, steadied 
 there by others who stood around him, and answered. 
 
 " I spik a leetle," he shouted, stilling the tumult on 
 the deck of the brig with his hand. 
 
 "What brig is that?" 
 
 "It is a buque de guerra a ship of war Senor,
 
 The Wreck of the San Martin 135 
 
 de la Republica de Chile. We are naufraaio, what you 
 call him, wreck? We have nothing to eat. No water, 
 nada, nada, nada!" he went on in his broken Spanish- 
 English, " Comprende, Senorf Nothing." 
 
 "Very good," answered Clough, meaning that he 
 understood. " I'll take you aboard. Have you a boat 
 left?" 
 
 "Not one," shouted the man. "All lost. For el 
 amor de Dios, Sehor, ayudenos help us." 
 
 Captain Clough nodded. Every boat on the Sharon 
 had been lost at sea or smashed by the gale except a 
 small dingey that hung astern. 
 
 "Broadrib," he said, "you and Rice take the dingey 
 and bring the captain of that brig and that English 
 speaking person off her." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir," answered Broadrib, touching his cap 
 and running aft, followed by the two men. 
 
 " Rey, you and I will keep ship." Captain Clough 
 then turned toward the brig again and cried out, 
 " We've lost all our boats but one. We're sending 
 it off to bring the captain of the brig and anybody who 
 can speak English aboard. You understand?" 
 
 "Si, si f Sehor," shouted the Spaniard. 
 
 He turned and evidently translated Clough's con 
 versation, for a perfect tempest of yells and cries, not 
 apparently intended to express gratitude, broke from 
 the panic-stricken men on the wrecked brig. Indeed, 
 their plight was a desperate one. The Americans 
 doubted if the brig would float four hours. The Chil 
 eans had not a boat and apparently no means of making 
 rafts. Unless the Sharon had arrived when she did
 
 136 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 their certain fate would have been a watery grave when 
 the brig foundered. 
 
 Now, Rey, by the young captain's explicit order, had 
 remained at the wheel, fortunately. The high bulwarks 
 along the quarter deck of the whaler completely hid her 
 from the observation of the men aboard the wreck, 
 especially as the latter had lost all her top-hamper and 
 lay so low in the water. Clough now turned to her. 
 
 "Audrey," he said, emphatically, "go to your cabin 
 and put on your boy's rig. Men, you understand, no 
 mention of Miss McRae's sex to anyone. Treat her 
 just like the boy you thought her. I would not trust 
 those fellows with a woman further than I could see 
 them." 
 
 " I understand," said Audrey, a little uneasily, for 
 this was the first time she had felt any apprehension 
 on the score of sex. 
 
 Broadrib answered for the rest as she ran aft: 
 
 "We knows, sir. They shan't larn the truth from 
 us an' they shan't no harm come to the little lady while 
 we're alive, neither." 
 
 The captain, highly approving these sentiments, now 
 summoned Storey from the galley to take the wheel, 
 whereupon Audrey at once ran to her cabin and shifted 
 nervously into her former jaunty rig. It was too bad, 
 she thought, just as she had begun to get used to being 
 a girl she had to turn herself back into a boy again. 
 
 Working smartly meanwhile, Broadrib and Rice 
 lowered the dingey, manned the oars and rowed toward 
 the other ship. 
 
 " Mr. Broadrib," shouted the captain as the dingey
 
 The Wreck of the San Martin 137 
 
 rounded the stern of the Sharon and came into view 
 between the two vessels. 
 
 "Sir?" 
 
 " Don't go too near that brig. From the looks of 
 those fellows they would all try to get in the boat 
 at once and swamp you. Just lay off a convenient dis 
 tance. You understand?" 
 
 "Yes, sir. Give way, Rice." 
 
 Again Captain Clough hailed the brig. 
 
 " I have told my boat not to board you. Get your 
 men back from the rail, leaving only the captain and 
 the man who can speak English. They can come aboard 
 here and then we'll consult as to what's best to be done. 
 Understand?" 
 
 "Si" answered the man again. 
 
 He turned and spoke to the crew. His words were 
 received with a passionate outburst of protest, but one 
 man, who seemed to be in command, suddenly stepped 
 to the rail and addressed the men, who sullenly gave 
 back. 
 
 By this time the dingey was close to the brig. Broad- 
 rib turned her about till she presented her stern to the 
 wreck. The captain seized one of the ropes dangling 
 from the fife rail and rapidly let himself down into the 
 boat, where he was at once followed by the man who 
 had spoken English. 
 
 " Get clear of her quick, Broadrib," shouted Clough, 
 seeing the men on deck making a rush toward the rail. 
 
 The harpooner was on the alert and just as soon as 
 he got the two men aboard the dingey he shoved his 
 boat clear and with Rice pulled manfully away. A howl
 
 138 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 of fear and rage arose from the decks of the brig. Poor 
 sailors at best, having little confidence in their officers 
 and being of the excitable Latin temperament, they 
 fancied they were to be abandoned. As no one left 
 aboard could speak English apparently, there was no 
 use in hailing them, so Clough stepped to the gangway 
 to receive his new visitors. The first man who came 
 up was evidently, from his uniform, the captain of the 
 brig. The next man was evidently an under officer, or 
 lieutenant. The captain of the brig, who spoke no 
 English, saluted and then placed his hand upon his 
 heart and bowed profoundly. The next man burst 
 forth in a torrent of speech, half English, half Spanish. 
 
 "Easy, easy," interrupted the American. "Tell me 
 a straight story. What's the name of your brig? " 
 
 "El 'San Martin' de la armade, Chilena, Senor, of 
 the navee of Chile. You spik Spanish? " 
 
 11 Mighty little. We'll have to get along in English." 
 
 " I can make shift to translate a Spanish word now 
 and then, sir," said old Broadrib, joining them, ready 
 for further orders. 
 
 "Very well, we'll manage between us." 
 
 "There was ver' bad storm, now four days," con 
 tinued the man slowly. " The excellent Capitan Gutier 
 rez" here the captain bowed again profoundly 
 "do ver' much to save el bergantin, pero but it is 
 iiaufragado, wrecked it makes water by the bottom 
 ver' quick and can float leetle more. The half of our 
 men were lost in the sea. We have nothing to eat or 
 drink. For the love of God, Senor " 
 
 "That's all right," said Clough. "We'll take you
 
 The Wreck of the San Martin 139 
 
 aboard, although we went through the same sort of a 
 storm and got pretty well knocked up, as you see. Now 
 the question is how to get you aboard. All my crew 
 have been lost except those you see and all my boats are 
 gone. You can take the dingey and bring your men off. 
 You had better be quick about it, too, because it doesn't 
 look as if the brig would float very long." 
 
 The lieutenant translated rapidly to the captain. He 
 seemed to be something of a seaman and he nodded in 
 quick comprehension. He spoke to the lieutenant and 
 said that he himself would take charge of the boat if 
 the American captain would lend him two men for the 
 first trip. Thereafter he would have the boat rowed 
 by his own crew. Of course, Mr. Clough acceded to 
 this request. 
 
 " Broadrib, you and Rice take the boat back. Rey, 
 you stand by the helm again. Remember what I said," 
 he added as the girl in her jaunty boy's rig came on deck 
 again. " Storey, you'd better get ready to feed those 
 people. There must be fifty of them at least. Give 
 them some hot soup and hardtack the first thing. It's 
 lucky we filled the scuttle-butt this morning. I'll put 
 a guard over that so they won't drink themselves to 
 death when they come. Meanwhile, take this lieutenant 
 for'ard and give him something to eat and drink. He'll 
 help us to handle the rest." 
 
 It was with great difficulty that their captain could 
 restrain the frightened men on the brig. They would 
 have piled overboard in swarms at once and have 
 swamped the dingey, so great was their terror, but he 
 showed himself a good manager and a good com-
 
 140 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 mander, and having filled the dingey to her capacity 
 she was rowed back to the ship; the men boarded her, 
 something to eat and drink was passed down to the 
 captain, and Broadrib and Rice, volunteering for some 
 other trips, many others were successively brought 
 aboard. 
 
 They were exhausted with fear, loss of sleep, expo 
 sure, hunger, and thirst. Captain Clough had got Cap 
 tain Norris' pistols and given one to Storey and kept 
 one himself, bestowing a small one of his own on 
 Audrey. Storey kept them out of the galley and he 
 kept them away from the scuttle-butt, for if the ship 
 wrecked, maddened crew had gorged themselves with 
 food and drink there would have been terrible conse 
 quences. As it was, each man finally received a pan 
 nikin of water, a bowl of soup, and a supply of hard 
 bread, and then was told by the lieutenant, who was of 
 great assistance, to lie down on the deck and rest. 
 
 By this time night had fallen, but there was a long 
 twilight and the work of transshipping the crew of the 
 brig proceeded rapidly. After a time, seeing that the 
 men of the brig were too weak to do any effective 
 rowing and that his own men were tired out, Captain 
 Clough called Broadrib and Rice aboard, bidding the 
 harpooner watch out for Rey, and with the English- 
 speaking lieutenant taking the place of the Chilean 
 captain at the tiller of the dingey, Captain Clough and 
 Storey did the rowing for the remainder of the trans 
 shipment. 
 
 Just before it became completely dark every man 
 had been taken off the wreck and fed. As Captain
 
 The Wreck of the San Martin 141 
 
 Clough was about to invite the Chilean captain and the 
 other officers, of whom three had survived, including 
 the English-speaking one, into the cabin for a consulta 
 tion, a cry from Rey, who had bravely kept the wheel 
 the whole time, attracted the attention of everyone on 
 the ship. The crew of the brig had been rescued just 
 in time, for as they scrambled to leeward for a last look 
 at her, they saw her dip her nose in the water, her stern 
 rose in the air and she went down slowly, her flag still 
 fluttering from the stump of the main mast. 
 
 "You save us at the last minute, Sefior," said the 
 lieutenant, whose name was Miguel de la Paz. 
 
 " I am glad we were so fortunate as to do so," an 
 swered Captain Clough. "Now, if you gentlemen 
 will step below to the cabin we'll talk over what's to 
 be done. Mr. Broadrib." 
 
 "Sir?" 
 
 He handed him the pistol he had carried. 
 
 "You'll take the deck until I return. Sefior de la 
 Paz, will you tell Captain Gutierrez to make his men 
 stay for'ard while we talk, and bid one of your lieuten 
 ants stay with them?" 
 
 Captain Gutierrez nodded as the words were inter 
 preted. He spoke a few sharp words to the crew and 
 a few quieter ones to a young officer, who saluted, and 
 then the remaining officers of the brig, with Captain 
 Clough, approached the companionway leading down 
 to the cabin. 
 
 " Storey, you relieve Rey at the wheel. Rey, come 
 with me. I may need you," said Clough, as he started 
 below.
 
 142 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 He did not intend to let Audrey out of his sight if he 
 could help it while he had all these uncertain quantities 
 aboard.
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 HOW THE ADMIRAL GOT ELECTED 
 
 LANDLUBBERS say a short horse is soon curried; 
 sailors, a small sail is soon furled. The conference 
 in the cabin was brief. Captain Gutierrez was greatly 
 delighted when he learned that the Sharon was bound 
 for Valparaiso. Through Lieutenant de la Paz he 
 courteously expressed himself as most grateful to his 
 rescuers and declared himself ready to do anything to 
 facilitate the working of the ship. 
 
 Captain Clough arranged to take Broadrib into his 
 own cabin, which was provided with a spare bunk, Rice 
 and Storey doubled up, Rey was left undisturbed in her 
 own room next to the captain's much to the subse 
 quent surprise of the Chilean, who saw no reason why 
 a boy should enjoy such a privilege which left three 
 berths available for Captain Gutierrez and the three 
 lieutenants. The other commissioned officers of the 
 brig had been lost in the wreck. It was arranged that 
 Captain Guetierrez and Lieutenant de la Paz should 
 share Captain dough's watch and that the two other 
 lieutenants, whose names were Lopez and Calderon, 
 should be apportioned to that of Mr. Broadrib. Storey 
 and Rice were to stay aft with the Americans, one in 
 each watch. 
 
 The working of the ship and the cooking of the meals
 
 144 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 were to be done by the Spanish crew. Captain Gutierrez 
 in writing expressly waived any claim whatsoever to 
 salvage for assisting in working the Sharon to port. 
 Indeed, he said that his government would probably 
 liberally reward the Americans for having rescued him 
 and his. 
 
 The warrant officers of the brig and some of her 
 older seamen would be berthed in the forecastle. The 
 rest of the Chileans would have to take their chances on 
 deck, although by doubling up, as one watch was always 
 on and one off at night, quarters below might be man 
 aged for many of them. 
 
 The five American and the four Chilean officers 
 would live off the cabin stores, the rest of the crew off 
 the ship's stores. 
 
 These points having been settled, the officers repaired 
 to the deck. Storey and Rice were summoned in con 
 sultation and the whole matter explained to them and 
 Broadrib. 
 
 "So I'm sort of a quarter-deck officer, am I?" said 
 Rice. 
 
 "We both are," said Storey. 
 
 "Yes," said Clough. "I don't altogether trust 
 these foreigners and I think it just as well that we 
 should all stay together aft and that we should all be 
 armed. There are several pistols below which belonged 
 to the mates and I shall give each man a weapon, and 
 Rey one also. We are not to let these Chileans get out 
 of hand for a minute. None of them must come aft 
 here on the quarter deck except to perform some neces 
 sary evolution."
 
 How the Admiral Got Elected 145 
 
 " What's goin' to be our position with regard to these 
 yere Chilean officers?" asked old Broadrib. 
 
 "They are under our command absolutely," an 
 swered Captain Clough. "You will give your orders 
 to them in your watch I find Lieutenant Calderon 
 also speaks a little English and they in turn will trans 
 mit those orders to the crew. Now let's get to work 
 and divide the men into watches and make ready for 
 the night." 
 
 Captain Gutierrez accordingly assembled his men, 
 explained to them the arrangements that had been made 
 and divided them into watches. The main yard was 
 swung, the main topsail was set and the Sharon laid on 
 her course again. 
 
 The Chileans were so grateful at being rescued, they 
 had gone through so much, that they were extremely 
 willing to do anything. The watch off eagerly sought 
 rest in the forecastle, or where they could, and as there 
 was nothing to be done, those on watch found sheltered 
 spots on the deck and tried to get a little sleep. 
 
 " I have the first watch," said Captain Clough. 
 " Broadrib, you and Storey go below and turn in." 
 
 The night passed uneventfully. The next day, 
 encouraged by this reinforcement to his crew, which 
 now made such work possible, Captain Clough impro 
 vised fore and mizzen topmasts out of the last remain 
 ing spare spars and with some boat masts, which were 
 stowed amidships, and two royal yards spliced together, 
 added to the sail spread and in the fine breeze prevailing 
 materially increased the sailing rate of the ship. 
 
 The Chileans worked with a will now that their
 
 146 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 anxieties were relieved. They seemed to be a cheerful, 
 active set of men, although they were clumsy and unskil 
 ful in their seamanship. That did not matter so much 
 with experts like Clough and Broadrib to direct them. 
 
 There was not much to do on the ship. There was 
 plenty of provision. Captain Clough allowed it to be 
 served out unstintedly, so the new crew of the whaler 
 was very contented. As only two of the officers could 
 speak English, and as none of the Americans save old 
 Broadrib knew any Spanish, conversation was more or 
 less limited. 
 
 That evening, however, in the second dog watch, the 
 five Americans got together aft, smoking, and the four 
 Chilean officers joined them. 
 
 "May be we are what you say? luckee to be 
 overhauled by el almirante," said Lieutenant de la Paz, 
 "before we get near Valparaiso." 
 
 "What admiral?" asked Captain Clough, who rec 
 ognized the Spanish title. 
 
 "Almirante Cochrane, the noble Dundonald." 
 
 "Do you know him, Senor?" broke in Broadrib. 
 
 The Spaniard threw up his hands. 
 
 " All South America know him. Why you ask? " 
 
 " I sailed with him in England." 
 
 "Ees it possible?" 
 
 "Yes, I was his fav'rite warrant officer," said old 
 Broadrib. " I think there was nothin' he'd do for any 
 sailor he wouldn't a done for me." 
 
 "He is marvelous," said the Chilean. "He capture 
 the port of Valdivia with nothing at all. Nadaf I 
 was there. We sail up the river. We took fort after
 
 How the Admiral Got Elected 147 
 
 fort. We land. We all did mos' valiantly, but with 
 el almirante always in the lead. We capture sheep 
 after sheep. It was wonderful. And his own frigate, 
 the O'Higgins, made so much water that el almirante 
 himself had to repair it with his own hands so that it 
 still float. We not know how to build sheeps, only to 
 fight them," said the young man. 
 
 " I seen him do things single-handed myself," said 
 old Broadrib. " Why, we was layin' off Basque Roads, 
 in France, you know, blockadin' a big French fleet that 
 was perfected by a boom an' forts an' guard-boats, an' 
 heaven only knows what. Lord Cochrane decided he'd 
 blow up the boom with an explosion vessel, la'nch a lot 
 of fire ships agin' 'em an' burn up some of 'em. Nobody 
 thought he could do it. They all laughed at him when 
 he urged it on 'em." 
 
 "And did he? " asked Audrey, who was feeling very 
 comfortable and happy, no one having the least suspi 
 cion about her, apparently. 
 
 "He sartain did. He was on the Imperieuse then, 
 an' a mighty smart frigate she was, too. He took a lot 
 of bullies from the crew, manned a powder vessel, sailed 
 her up to the boom, touched her off, jumped into the 
 boat an' rowed away like mad. We didn't git very far 
 off when she let go. Lord love ye, it was as if the whole 
 earth had blowed up." 
 
 "What happened then?" asked the Chilean lieu 
 tenant. 
 
 " It tore the boom to pieces." 
 
 "And then?" 
 
 " Well, then he cast off the fire ships an' when the
 
 148 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Frenchies seed 'em comin' in they thought the devil was 
 loose ! For, not content with takin' in a powder vessel, 
 his lordship must needs go hisself on the first fire ship, 
 which 'tain't a pleasant thing to be aboard of on a hot 
 night, as I kin testify, for he kep' me with him all the 
 time, although I wasn't wishful to hazard my life like 
 his'n, being a common sailor an' havin' only one " 
 
 " And how many do you think Lord Cochrane has ? " 
 asked Clough laughingly. 
 
 "He allus acted like he had a dozen," answered the 
 old sailor gravely. 
 
 " He act the same with us, too," said Senor de la Paz, 
 who was listening with the most concentrated attention, 
 so as not to lose any of the fascinating yarn. 
 
 "That's the way he allus acts," returned the har- 
 pooner, pleased at such confirmation. "Well, when 
 them there big French ships-o'-the-line seen them fire 
 ships blazin' like furnaces driftin' down on 'em with 
 the wind an' tide, they cut cables an' run." 
 
 "Did any of them catch afire?" asked Rice. 
 
 " Not one. Only the fire ships burned theirselves to 
 the water's edge an' sunk. But they'd done their part. 
 They scared the Frenchies so bad that when the day 
 broke there was a dozen of 'em ashore." 
 
 " What happened then ? " asked Storey. 
 
 "Why, Lord Cochrane took the Imperieuse in an 
 opened fire on 'em." 
 
 "Where was the rest of the fleet?" 
 
 " Ca'mly standin' on an' off about two leagues to sea 
 ward. If they'd come in we'd have ended that there 
 French fleet right then an' there, but there was bad
 
 How the Admiral Got Elected 149 
 
 blood between Cap'n Cochrane an' the admiral in com 
 mand, which his name was Gambier. He was by way 
 of bein' a lord, too, an' a mighty strange kind of a man 
 for a sea officer. He was always distributin' tracks to 
 the seamen." 
 
 "Tracks?" asked Storey. 
 
 "Yes, little papers full of Bible stories an' good 
 advice, you know." 
 
 "You mean 'tracts,'" said Captain Clough. 
 
 "That's what I said, ain't it?" 
 
 "Of course, heave ahead." 
 
 "Well, his lordship never did git along with nobody 
 who was over him, but as I've said, them as was under 
 him allus loved him. For that admiral stayed out in 
 the offin', refusin' to send in a single capital ship. But 
 that didn't make no difference to our red-headed fire 
 eater. He actually went in alone an' engaged them 
 French ships-o'-the-line. To be sure, they was took 
 at a disadvantage, them bein' stranded on shoals or 
 actually ashore an' not bein' able to use their batteries 
 well. It was too much for English blood to stand an' 
 finally some of the other frigates got permission of the 
 admiral to come in an' they lent some help. We did 
 destroy two or three great Frenchmen with their help 
 an' we druv the rest futher into the harbor. They was 
 no use thereafter in that war. But we could have got 
 'em all if it hadn't been for the admiral. Lord Coch 
 rane, he was that mad that him an' the admiral got 
 mixed up in a parliamentary row, charges was made an' 
 the admiral was tried. Finally the party in power to 
 which the admiral belonged felt that they had to stand
 
 150 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 by him an' they dismissed Lord Cochrane from the 
 British Navy. Oh, he had an awful time. He was in 
 prison an' " 
 
 " Yes, I heard something about it," said Clough. 
 
 "He was the funniest man ever an' most free an' 
 easy with his jaw-tackle," said Broadrib, laughing. 
 " Why I once heerd him tell about the time he fust stood 
 for parliament. It was a placed called Honiton. His 
 lordship didn't do much campaigning though he's a 
 great speech maker, too. There ain't many men that 
 can heave a finer line of talk aboard an enemy than he 
 kin, an' 'tain't all sailors' lingo neither. Why, sirs, when 
 he gits up to speechify in parliament the whole country 
 wants to hear him. Well, he didn't do much talkin' 
 'bout this election, but arter it was over an' they found 
 he'd only got ten votes, he sent for the ten men that had 
 voted for him an' he give 'em the finest dinner he could 
 buy. There was a scuttle-butt of champagne, I heerd, 
 so's everybody could drink his fill. An' then he gives 
 each man ten guineas, too, 'cause he said the other side 
 was givin' bribes an' as these men had enough courage 
 not to accept bribes an' voted for him without money 
 an' without price them was his very words he 
 thought they should be rewarded." 
 
 "That was a funny thing to do," said Clough. 
 
 " Wait till you heers the rest of it," said old Broadrib. 
 
 " I not know el almirante was such a politico," said 
 Lieutenant de la Paz. "Will you wait a minute? I 
 will tell my captain this incident in his life." 
 
 "Heave ahead," said Broadrib, puffing away at his 
 pipe. " The rest of the story'll keep."
 
 How the Admiral Got Elected 151 
 
 Rapidly Lieutenant de la Paz explained to Captain 
 Gutierrez the trend of the conversation. The Chilean 
 was more of a politician than a sailor and he listened 
 with deep interest. When the lieutenant had stopped, 
 he made an observation of his own. 
 
 " What's he saying? " asked Clough. 
 
 "He say he think it is a strange thing for a man to 
 pay people after he is defeated. He think it better if 
 he had spent his money before." 
 
 " That's the way it's gener'ly done," said Rice. 
 
 "Jest you wait, gents," said old Broadrib, know 
 ingly. " Well, sirs, it happened that about a year after 
 parliament was dissolved an' there was a new election, 
 Lord Cochrane stood agin for Honiton an' this time 
 all hands voted for him. He was elected unanimous." 
 
 "Well, then what happened?" asked Clough. 
 
 " Nothin, nothin' at all. After he was elected they 
 all come around and asked him for ten guineas a man 
 an' another dinner. He turned on 'em most contemp 
 tuous, askin' whether they'd voted for him for prin 
 ciple or jest for the money. The whole town was 
 howlin' with rage 'cause they had refused good money 
 offered by t'other side in expectation he would do some- 
 thin' handsome, as he'd done afore. But he said it 
 was a question of principle with him. He said he could 
 reward virtue, but nothin' else." 
 
 "And didn't they get a thing?" asked Rey, as the 
 whole party burst into laughter, in which even Captain 
 Gutierrez and his officers joined, after being told the 
 incident by Senor de la Paz. 
 
 "Yes, they did. His lordship was finally prevailed
 
 152 JVaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 upon to give 'em a dinner. He unwisely left the orderin' 
 of the dinner to someone else, an' he was sent a bill 
 for one thousand pounds, which he refused to pay, an' 
 that got him in jail agin." 
 
 ; ' You were going to tell us about the capture of the 
 Gamo" said Clough, as the merriment died away. 
 
 "That will have to be for another night," said old 
 Broadrib solemnly. "Time to set the watches, sir," 
 he added, as one of the hands forward struck the bell 
 eight times, man-of-war custom and routine having been 
 instituted after the reception of the Chileans on board. 
 
 There was no more yarn telling on the forecastle 
 for a week or so. Nasty weather set in, rainy, chilly, 
 and with the wind blowing in squalls which made it nec 
 essary for them to watch the weak-sparred ship closely. 
 The Americans did not altogether trust the Chileans, 
 and they were of course on deck most of the time. 
 Audrey stuck closely to the captain, who watched over 
 her with a solicitude that might have betrayed the secret 
 if the girl had not so perfectly played her part.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE SECOND MUTINY ON THE SHARON 
 
 THERE was no denying it. A state of friction had 
 grown up during the fortnight since they had been 
 received on the Sharon between the Chileans and the 
 Americans. The feeling of gratitude of the one to the 
 other had more or less disappeared. The good living 
 and comparatively idle life for there were no guns 
 for drill, no sails to be set, in short nothing at all for 
 so many men to do on the whaler, and Clough had 
 directed the ship's stores to be served out most gen 
 erously to his unwelcome guests had put the Chileans 
 in fine condition for any venture. 
 
 Captain Gutierrez did not enjoy that position of 
 subordination to a young man half his age, as was 
 Captain Clough, to which ill fortune had assigned him. 
 Although the Americans were unusually circumspect 
 in their conduct, little causes of difference arose with 
 growing frequency, some inevitable irritation devel 
 oped, and but for Captain Clough's stern determination 
 that there should be no break, serious difficulties might 
 have developed between the two races aboard the 
 whaler. 
 
 He was heartily sick of this obnoxious addition to 
 his command, and he wished that he had never seen 
 them or that in some way he could be rid of them. 
 
 153
 
 154 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 He determined that if he came across a Chilean war 
 ship and there were a number of them cruising along 
 the South American coast he would insist upon the 
 immediate transshipment to her of every foreigner 
 aboard his vessel. 
 
 Meanwhile he carefully totaled up the cost of daily 
 food and added it to a bill of expenditures which he 
 intended to render to the Chilean government. The 
 food, by the way, was much better than that served in 
 the Chilean Navy, and the fortunate South Americans 
 enjoyed it hugely. 
 
 One morning when the observation Captain Clough 
 had taken the day before indicated he was within a few 
 weeks' sail of Valparaiso, one of the Chilean lookouts 
 who was constantly aloft reported a sail. The Chileans 
 were very indifferent seamen and most negligent look 
 outs. The sail should have been reported long before 
 it was and, as a consequence, soon after attention was 
 called to it the vessel was visible from the deck. 
 
 The Pacific is a vast ocean, and was then largely 
 untraversed, save by foreign whaling ships, which were 
 not apt to be met with in those latitudes at that season 
 of the year. The coastwise trade had been swept out 
 of existence between the cruisers of the rebellious col 
 onists and the war ships of the King of Spain. Indeed, 
 the latter were few and far between and mostly re 
 mained snug in the harbors, so enterprising were the 
 Chileans and so well handled their sea forces under 
 Admiral Cochrane. 
 
 Consequently, when the reported sail appeared to 
 be a large full-rigged ship, a great amount of curiosity
 
 The Second Mutiny on the Sharon 
 
 and interest was at once aroused aboard the Sharon. 
 As a neutral vessel belonging to a friendly power which 
 had taken neither side in the war raging between the 
 South Americans and the Spaniards, the Sharon had 
 nothing to fear from either side. So Captain Clough 
 steadily held his course. 
 
 The whaler, as usual, was running free with a quar 
 tering wind, while the stranger was braced sharp up on 
 the port tack. She had been far to leeward, that is, off 
 the starboard bow, when she had been sighted. The 
 two ships, therefore, if they continued their present 
 courses, would probably pass within hailing distance 
 of each other. 
 
 As they drew closer together and as the hull of the 
 stranger rose from the water, it was seen that she was 
 a heavy ship of war. The size of her topsails, the 
 breadth of her yards, and the height of her masts con 
 firmed the Sharon's people in that conclusion. That 
 she was a large frigate was certain. If the Chileans 
 had been better seamen they might have recognized 
 her; that is, they would have known certainly whether 
 she was one of their own ships or not. 
 
 At first sight they concluded that she was. Her 
 colors were flying at the gaff end, but she was too far 
 away to distinguish what they were. Captain Gutier 
 rez and his officers gathered in a little group on the 
 poop deck of the Sharon, and borrowing a glass, or 
 telescope, from Captain Clough, they surveyed her long 
 and carefully in turn, talking among themselves in 
 Spanish the while, with great volubility and animation. 
 
 The five Americans had made some little progress in.
 
 156 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Spanish that was about all they had to do and 
 the Spanish officers had picked up a smattering of Eng 
 lish. Broadrib was the most proficient of all in Span 
 ish, because of his previous knowledge; next to him 
 came Rey, who was the youngest, and therefore learned 
 the quickest. But neither of these two, nor all the rest 
 of them together, could follow the rapid conversation 
 of the Spaniards. 
 
 Captain Clough looked from the approaching ship, 
 now in plain view even to the naked eye, to the group 
 of Spanish officers, who were growing more and more 
 excited. His suspicions were aroused and he wondered 
 what they were planning. Well, he would never give up 
 his ship without a fight for her. The excitement, he 
 observed, was presently communicated to the men of the 
 crew who were swarming along the rail, staring at the 
 ship, and gesticulating and gabbling in a disorderly way, 
 which quite disgusted the cooler and more collected 
 Americans. 
 
 Finally Captain Gutierrez and Lieutenant de la Paz 
 turned to the Americans. 
 
 "We think," said Sefior de la Paz, "that sheep is 
 Spanish. Look." 
 
 He handed the glass to the American. 
 
 "It certainly is the Spanish flag," said Captain 
 Clough, after a long scrutiny. 
 
 "And it is a buque de guerra" 
 
 "A man-of-war for certain." 
 
 " Precisamente! Now we must fly." 
 
 "Why should we fly?" asked Captain Clough, in 
 great surprise.
 
 The Second Mutiny on the Sharon 157 
 
 "They will come up to us. They will capture us. 
 We will be taken to Espana, to the prisons. You know 
 it not. It is terrible." 
 
 "I don't see why they should overhaul us. Have 
 your men get away from that rail. Let them stow them 
 selves below in the forecastle or aft in the cabin, if 
 needs be. Let not one appear upon the decks of the 
 ship but her proper crew of Americans. If she speaks 
 to us, we'll tell them what we are and that will be all," 
 he replied confidently. 
 
 " You know not the Spaniard. He will come up to 
 the sheep. He will send his boat aboard. We shall be 
 discover. We shall be made prisoners at once. We 
 are rebel, maybe we hang. We must fly." 
 
 " Well, I'd like to know how you expect us to fly, 
 as you say?" asked Clough contemptuously. "We are 
 running free now. That is our best point of sailing 
 with this rig." 
 
 "You must put up the helm," insisted the Chilean 
 brokenly, at least that is what Captain Clough under 
 stood him to say. " Bring the wind directly aft, put 
 the head of the sheep to the southward, so," he pointed 
 away as if to explain his words; "we shall then pass 
 out of hail." 
 
 "And what will he think when he sees us change our 
 course without any reason?" asked Captain Clough 
 stubbornly, with growing anger at the presumption of 
 any man trying to dictate to him on his own quarter 
 deck. " He will certainly be of the opinion that we are 
 trying to avoid him and that will bring him down on us 
 the sooner."
 
 158 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 " If we start now," urged DC la Paz most vehemently, 
 "maybe we get away. That sheep there it is cov 
 ered with canvas, but it sails slow. I think it is the Span 
 ish frigate, Esmeralda. Her bottom is very sutio it 
 have many plants of the sea on it. We can make it. 
 The men are ready. Give the order." 
 
 " I'm hanged if I do," said Clough indignantly. " This 
 is an American ship pursuing her lawful course on the 
 high seas. The Spanish frigate yonder has nothing to 
 do with us. If her captain boards us, he does it at 
 his peril. I won't shift the helm an inch or permit a 
 brace to be touched." De la Paz opened his mouth for 
 further argument. "That will do," said Captain 
 Clough shortly. "You understand I am in command 
 of this ship, and I hold my course." 
 
 "But, Senor " 
 
 " Silence 1 " shouted the American fiercely, his pa 
 tience quite exhausted. "And tell your men to get 
 for'ard," he added, waving his hand toward the crew, 
 which had suddenly massed in the gangways around 
 Lopez and Calderon, who had joined them by their 
 captain's orders. 
 
 Now it so happened that Broadrib and Rey had gone 
 forward to look at the approaching stranger, leaving 
 Rice and Storey with Captain Clough. As soon as the 
 two men heard his words, they sprang to his side and 
 presented a united front toward the enemy. Things 
 looked very serious. Captain Clough raised his voice. 
 
 "Broadrib," he shouted loudly, "lay aft here, you 
 and Rey. Shake a leg." 
 
 There was that in the captain's tone that apprised
 
 The Second Mutiny on the Sharon 159 
 
 the experienced old seaman that something was wrong, 
 and he and the girl at once turned to obey. They had 
 not gone a dozen steps, when three of the Chileans 
 sprang on the harpooner from behind and beat him to 
 the deck, while another one struck Rey a cowardly blow 
 on the head. There was a tremendous confused scuffle 
 abreast the foremast in the starboard gangway, for 
 Broadrib was made of tough stuff and had plenty of 
 fight in him yet. 
 
 "Unhand those men," cried Captain Clough pas 
 sionately, his heart in his mouth for the girl, and for the 
 old sailor, too. He whipped out his pistol, cocked, and 
 presented it. " Gangway there ! Come on, men ! " he 
 shouted, as followed by the other seamen, who also 
 drew their weapons, he rushed at the mass of Chileans, 
 determined to effect a rescue. 
 
 The men sullenly opened a way before his advance, 
 not liking the looks of the Americans, especially as they 
 had their weapons out and ready. It would have been 
 better, perhaps, if they had all remained on the quar 
 ter deck, for the instant they passed, at a signal from 
 Captain Gutierrez, some of the Chileans, led by two of 
 the lieutenants, leaped upon them from behind. Clough 
 shot one, Rice got another, but Storey's pistol was 
 knocked from his hand, and the next instant a free-for- 
 all fight raged in the starboard gangway. 
 
 In spite of the strenuous resistance of Broadrib, he 
 had been at last secured. A spare rope had been passed 
 around him, and he was tightly lashed hand and foot. 
 Audrey lay on the deck with her eyes closed, apparently 
 senseless, having rolled into the scuppers, so that she
 
 160 JVaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 had not been trampled upon. At least, she made no 
 movement, and as she was supposed to be only a boy, 
 and not a very vigorous one at that, none of the muti- 
 ne*ers paid any attention to her. She was not even 
 bound. 
 
 Forty-odd men were too much for the three remain 
 ing Americans, even though the forty were Chileans, 
 unaccustomed to rough and tumble fighting, and Cap 
 tain Clough and the two seamen were soon bound and 
 helpless like the old harpooner. Storey had an ugly 
 gash on his head which bled profusely, but the others 
 were only battered, bruised, and shaken. 
 
 The four bound men were roughly flung down on the 
 gratings amidships, where the boom-boats had been 
 stowed and left to their own devices. Rey was brutally 
 dragged to the side of Rice and left there also. Her 
 eyes still remained closed, and she looked as if she had 
 not recovered consciousness. Captain Gutierrez im 
 mediately assumed command. The two Chilean sailors, 
 who had been shot dead in the brawl, were unceremoni 
 ously dropped overboard without prayer or service. 
 The helm of the whaler was put up, the braces tended, 
 and the ship got before the wind. The course of the 
 Sharon was now altered until it paralleled that of the 
 Spanish ship, the direction of sailing of the two ships 
 being now nearly opposite. 
 
 At the same time a large American flag was bent on 
 the gaff halliards, and the ensign flapped briskly out in 
 the fresh breeze then blowing.
 
 Broadrib was made of tough stuff and had plenty of fight in him
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE ESMERALDA TAKES A PRIZE 
 
 NOW the Spanish frigate had so far pursued the 
 even tenor of her way, apparently without notic 
 ing the Sharon. Perhaps the whaler might have been 
 permitted to pass without being spoken to, although her 
 condition was certain to attract attention; but the 
 change in her course, the obvious intention on the part 
 of the American to avoid being hailed, and to get out 
 of the way, her evident purpose of running from the 
 Spaniard, aroused the interest of the frigate's officers 
 and people. 
 
 Captain Gutierrez, studying the situation through 
 the glass, could see movements of men upon her decks. 
 Something was about to happen. Suddenly a cloud of 
 smoke darted out and arose upward from the port bow 
 of the Spanish ship, followed presently by the dull roar 
 of a gun. What was wanted was quite evident. The 
 Spaniard desired speech with the stranger. Some ex 
 planation of her changed course was to be required. 
 Captain Clough and the rest, who saw everything that 
 passed, were filled with a certain savage joy. The advice 
 of the American seaman had been entirely correct. If 
 they had stood on, in all probability any intercourse 
 would have been characterized by a simple exchange of 
 sea courtesy, a polite inquiry on the part of the Span- 
 
 " 161
 
 1 62 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 iard, whose curiosity would be aroused by the condition 
 of the whaler, as to what was the trouble ; an adequate 
 answer from the American, an offer of assistance pos 
 sibly, a declination, a waving of flags, and that would 
 have been all. 
 
 Now, by their stupidity, the Chileans had played 
 directly into the hands of the Spaniards. Captain 
 Gutierrez, visibly excited more than ever by this blank 
 shot, now harangued the crew who had come aboard 
 without any arms. There were a good many whaling 
 implements left on the Sharon, however. The men 
 eagerly seized them, under direction of their officers. 
 Those who were not lucky enough to possess themselves 
 of such weapons took marlinspikes and belaying pins. 
 And all were stationed at the rails in readiness for ac 
 tion. They were obviously getting ready to receive 
 boarders with a warm resistance. They did not lack 
 courage apparently. It was madness, of course, but 
 they actually seemed to be contemplating resistance. 
 Otherwise no attention was paid to the signal of the 
 frigate. 
 
 The Spaniard, seeing that the Sharon still held her 
 course, now fired a shotted gun. He meant business, 
 and did not allow his authority to be flouted. The 
 ball ricochetted along the water in front of the bows 
 of the whaler, which, as before, paid no attention, still 
 running off before the wind. 
 
 " The next one'll be into us," growled the disgusted 
 Clough. 
 
 "Yes," said old Broadrib. "I suppose afore we 
 gits through, this vessel'll be knocked to pieces with all
 
 The "Esmeralda Takes a Prize .163 
 
 her wallyble cargo an' all we've done will count for 
 nothin'." 
 
 "I don't know as to that," said Clough. "The 
 Spaniards can see that she is apt to be a rich prize," 
 he went on bitterly. " They will spare us if they can." 
 
 "Look, sir," said Rice. 
 
 "They are coming about," said Captain Clough, as 
 the helm of the frigate was put down, and she shot up 
 into the wind, her head sails shaking. " We're in for 
 it now," he added, as the Spanish ship finally came to 
 on the other tack. 
 
 She had been badly handled, but in the breeze that 
 was blowing, even indifferent seamen could scarcely 
 miss stays. She was now heading once more at right 
 angles to the course of the Sharon. Captain Gutierrez 
 now shifted his helm, hauled in the braces, and brought 
 the wind abeam again, but the maneuver was unavail 
 ing. The other ship sailed two feet to the Sharon's 
 one. 
 
 The Spaniard, more easily handled by her full crew, 
 in almost less time than it takes to tell it, was close 
 aboard the Sharon. A figure jumped up on the taff- 
 rail of the big frigate, which loomed tremendously 
 above them, and hailed in Spanish. The man spoke 
 slowly, in order that his voice might carry. 
 
 "What's he saying?" asked Clough. 
 
 "He says heave her to, or he'll smash us with a 
 broadside," answered the old harpooner. "I suppose 
 he wonders what these blame fools will do." 
 
 The fools referred to were brave enough. There 
 was no lack of courage in the Chileans, but they were
 
 164 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 now so obviously and completely at the mercy of the 
 frigate that there was nothing left them but compliance. 
 One broadside would have sunk the hapless whaler. 
 Captain Gutierrez reluctantly gave the necessary orders. 
 His crew dropped their weapons, and with obvious dis 
 relish, set about obeying them. 
 
 " Don't try to back that main yard," shouted Captain 
 Clough, seeing the men running to the braces, " without 
 taking that tops'l off of her." 
 
 As usual, nobody paid any attention to him, and, 
 indeed, he spoke hurriedly and in English, and the sul 
 len men braced aback the main yard as ordered. As the 
 weak jury topmast felt the force of the wind, the make 
 shift spar carried away with a crash. However, nobody 
 paid much attention to it in the confusion, and the Sharon 
 was finally clumsily hove to. 
 
 Meanwhile, the Spaniard had lowered a large cutter 
 filled with armed men. As she was rowed over to the 
 Sharon, Captain Clough requested Rice, if he could, to 
 ascertain the condition of Audrey, who had been lying 
 perfectly still next the sailor. Wonderful to relate, 
 when Rice spoke, the girl answered. 
 
 " I am only shamming," she whispered. " I thought 
 maybe if I pretended to be dead they would let me 
 alone, and you see they have. I'm not lashed. Wait, 
 I'll free you all." 
 
 By this time every Chilean on the whaler had crowded 
 to the rail, and was staring down at the cutter, so that 
 nobody was observing the prisoners. When Rice told 
 Clough what Audrey had said, the captain told him to 
 ask her if she still had her knife. Receiving an affirma-
 
 The E/smeralda Takes a Prize 165 
 
 tive answer, Clough directed her to cut the lashings that 
 bound the four Americans. This the girl proceeded to 
 do in rapid succession, since nobody was paying the least 
 attention to them, all eyes being fixed on the approach 
 ing Spanish cutter. 
 
 Quickly divesting themselves of their lashings once 
 they were cut, Captain Clough and the three men got to 
 their feet. They were weaponless, but they were free. 
 Before they could decide on what to do, a hail came 
 from the Spanish boat. 
 
 "What ship is that and where bound? Why did 
 you change your course?" 
 
 "This is the American sheep Sharon, which go to 
 take the whales," answered Serior de la Paz, speaking 
 broken English, in an attempt to deceive the Spaniards. 
 "We changed the course because we wanted to," he 
 finished in Spanish, thoughtlessly. 
 
 "Well, this is His Most Catholic Majesty's frigate 
 Esmeralda. I am ordered to bring your captain aboard 
 the ship," answered the boat officer in Spanish also. 
 
 " My captain say he will not come," answered De la 
 Paz in English again. 
 
 The suspicions of the Spanish officer had been aroused 
 by the whole proceeding. At this instant a diversion 
 was created. Captain Clough, taking a sudden resolu 
 tion, ran to the rail, shouldering away from it several 
 of the astonished Chileans. 
 
 "I am an American," he said. "This is my ship. 
 She has been seized by Chileans." 
 
 He got no further, for the Chilean officers dragged 
 him down, but before they could wreak their vengeance
 
 1 66 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 upon him, the Spanish boat shot alongside the ship at 
 the starboard gangway. 
 
 " Board her, men," shouted the Spanish officer, and 
 in a second a swarm of armed Spanish seamen came 
 clambering up the side battens, while some leaped for 
 the main chains. 
 
 The gangway was filled with Chileans brandishing 
 weapons, and boarding might have been difficult had 
 not old Broadrib and Rice suddenly attacked the men 
 in the gangway from behind. Into the skirmish Audrey 
 McRae also plunged, belaboring the nearest man with 
 a marlinspike picked up from the deck. Storey, with 
 the best will in the world, was too weak to do anything 
 from the loss of blood he had sustained. 
 
 The Chileans, thus unexpectedly attacked in the rear, 
 gave way, and in a moment the Spanish officer, who 
 spoke a little English, inquired of Captain Clough the 
 meaning of the strange situation. The American told 
 him, as well as he could, and willingly consented to 
 accompany the Spanish officer to the frigate. 
 
 Leaving a junior lieutenant in command of the 
 Sharon, the Spanish officer and Captain Clough, who, 
 as usual, took Audrey with him, were rowed back to 
 the frigate. The interview between the American and 
 the captain of the frigate was most unsatisfactory to 
 the former. This Spanish officer spoke English fluently, 
 and he had no difficulty in making himself understood. 
 Captain Clough rapidly related their sighting of the 
 wreck of the San Martin, his rescue of the Chilean 
 crew, the foundering of the brig, the sighting of the 
 Esmeralda, his cowardly seizure by the Chileans and
 
 The Esmeralda Takes a Prize 167 
 
 the ruse of the youngest member of his crew, by which 
 he and the men had got free at the opportune moment. 
 Then he formally claimed the ship as his own, offering 
 to give up the Chileans, who had certainly forfeited any 
 right to the protection of the American flag by their 
 conduct, and desired permission to go on his way re 
 joicing. 
 
 "As to that, Senor," said the Spaniard, courteously 
 but firmly, " I cannot grant your request. Without in 
 the least disputing what you say, the circumstances, as 
 they appear to me at present, are like this: I over 
 haul a ship on the high seas under suspicious circum 
 stances, evidently trying to run away from me. Al 
 though she flies the American flag, I find her in posses 
 sion of a crew of Chilean rebels, headed by a Captain 
 Gutierrez, who is one of the most noted and successful 
 commanders in the rebel navy. The ship is his when 
 we capture her. She, therefore, becomes the lawful 
 prize of the King of Spain." 
 
 " But I tell you the ship is mine." 
 
 " Doubtless. No one will dispute your original 
 claim, Senor, and doubtless when you make proper 
 representations to the Chilean government, provided 
 it can survive, they will reimburse you for the ship and 
 probably pay, in addition, heavy damages, but under 
 the circumstances, the ship having been in the posses 
 sion of the Chileans " 
 
 " I demand, in the name of the United States, that 
 you give her up to me." 
 
 u It is a demand which I cannot entertain," answered 
 the Spaniard coolly.
 
 1 68 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Captain Clough stared at him in deep disgust, for he 
 instinctively realized that he would get no satisfaction 
 out of the unstable and struggling government of Chile, 
 if indeed it did succeed in the revolution. It looked to 
 him as if he had lost everything by a chapter of 
 unpreventable accidents. 
 
 " I trust, Serior, that you see the inevitableness of my 
 duty which, however distasteful to me and I assure 
 you my appreciation of your bravery, your skill, and 
 courage but intensifies my regret I must carry out. I 
 am afraid that you have lost your ship. I can only 
 hope that you can secure some indemnity from the so- 
 called Chilean government." 
 
 " Senor," abruptly said Captain Clough, his face dark 
 with rage, " I will lay this matter before the first 
 United States representative or ship of war that I 
 come across. Yonder ship is mine. She is under the 
 American flag now. The mere fact that a lot of muti 
 neers took her from me, men whose lives I had saved, 
 doesn't give you any valid claim to her whatsoever, 
 according to my view, and I repeat my demand that 
 you give her back to me." 
 
 "The demand is again refused," answered the 
 Spaniard. u Come, sir, we have parleyed enough. I 
 have taken the ship, and I do not intend to give her up. 
 She is of value?" 
 
 " Find out for yourself," blurted out the American. 
 "Will you put me back on the ship?" 
 
 "By no means," said the Spaniard. "You are too 
 valuable a man to be left on the prize." 
 
 " You don't mean to make a prisoner of me ? "
 
 The Esmeralda Takes a Prize 169 
 
 " Certainly not. There is no war between your 
 country and mine. I beg you to accept the hospitality 
 of the Esmeralda until we reach Callao." 
 
 " And my men ? " 
 
 " They shall be brought to this ship, where they shall 
 be treated as well as we can manage, Senor." 
 
 There was nothing for Captain Clough to do, ap 
 parently, but to accept the situation, although it must 
 be admitted he did it with very bad grace. 
 
 "You may return," said the captain presently, "and 
 pack up your personal belongings. And have your 
 men do the same. Then you will be brought back to 
 the Esmeralda, and I will provide you with suitable 
 quarters in accordance with your rank, and every atten 
 tion shall be paid you until we land at Callao, whither 
 we are bound. Upon our arrival, I will at once set you 
 ashore. Meanwhile, anything I can do to alleviate this 
 misfortune, I shall be glad to do," he continued, with 
 most gracious urbanity. 
 
 Thus it was that Captain Clough and Audrey McRae, 
 and the three men found themselves semi-prisoners on 
 board the Spanish frigate, Esmeralda, Captain Bal- 
 damero Cueto headed for Callao, far to the northward 
 of Valparaiso, a port to which they had not the faint 
 est desire to repair. Their ship had been taken from 
 them and all their daring and skill had brought them 
 to nothing but this sorry pass. 
 
 Captain Clough did have some satisfaction, however. 
 When he went back to the ship to get his belongings, he 
 took occasion to go up to Captain Gutierrez, who was 
 standing moodily staring at the Spanish frigate. The
 
 170 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 infuriated American slapped him in the face and then, 
 when the captain's hand went to the sheath from which 
 his sword had been taken, Clough leaped on him. Be 
 fore the Spaniards could separate the two men, the 
 young American officer had the satisfaction of ad 
 ministering a sound beating to the Chilean. 
 
 "You'll answer to me for this," screamed the cap 
 tain, Lieutenant de la Paz translating, " if we ever 
 get free." 
 
 " Tell him that if we ever do get free, and I meet 
 him again, I'll beat him again," said the American. 
 "You are a crowd of traitorous ingrates. I save you 
 and now you lose me my ship by your eternal fool 
 ishness." 
 
 This terminated the interview. The captain of the 
 frigate put a heavy prize crew on board the Sharon. 
 From spare spars of his own, the whaler was partially 
 reequipped, and the two ships proceeded at their best 
 speed northward toward Peru. The Chileans who 
 had been captured on the Sharon, were treated with 
 the utmost rigor. No distinction was made between 
 officers and men. They were all forced below, being 
 regarded as rebels and traitors. And they might ex 
 pect a short shrift, indeed, at Callao, if they ever arrived 
 there. 
 
 Captain Clough and the Americans, on the contrary, 
 were the recipients qf every courtesy. 
 
 When it came to providing them quarters, a difficulty 
 at once arose. The Esmeralda happened to be short 
 of deck officers, and two spare cabins in the wardroom 
 were allotted to the Americans. Broadrib and Rice
 
 The Esmeralda Takes a Prize 171 
 
 occupied one, Storey was quartered with the junior 
 lieutenant, and Captain Cueto, commenting upon Cap 
 tain dough's obvious fondness for the boy, Rey, ex 
 pressed the hope that under the circumstances the 
 American would be willing to share the other cabin 
 with the youngster. Promptly checking an involuntary 
 protest from Audrey, Clough at once agreed to the 
 suggestion. 
 
 It was a natural, and indeed an inevitable proposal, 
 the more necessary, according to Captain Cueto, be 
 cause the spare cabin in his own quarters was, un 
 fortunately, undergoing extensive alterations to fit it for 
 use by a civil functionary he was to receive at Callao, and 
 take back to Spain. It was a terrible position in which 
 the young American was thus involved, but there was ab 
 solutely no escape from it. To disclose the fact that the 
 seeming boy was in truth a woman, was impossible 
 under the circumstances. There would have been no 
 possibility of assuring her the respect so necessary to 
 her comfort and well being. The secret had to be kept. 
 It was with a heavy heart, albeit a wildly beating one, 
 that Clough followed Audrey into the small confines 
 of the cabin allotted them. They confronted each 
 other, color fading out of the girl's face, leaving it 
 white and cold, while the blood crimsoned Captain 
 Clough's weather-beaten cheeks. 
 
 "Oh, what is to be done now?" whispered Audrey, 
 shooting a terrified glance at the sailor. " Why did you 
 stop me a moment ago ? Now it's too late ! " 
 
 "Audrey," answered the other desperately, "There 
 is no way out of it. I can't let that Spaniard know you
 
 172 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 are a woman. I don't like his looks, anyway. I don't 
 know what might happen." 
 
 "But we can't live here in this little cabin to 
 gether " 
 
 "We must and we can," answered the American 
 firmly. "There are two berths. You will take either 
 of them. We will use the blankets of the other for a 
 curtain. I will sleep on the deck here. I will turn in 
 after you do, and turn out before you are awake. You 
 must trust me. There is no other way." 
 
 " Be it so," answered the young woman quickly, after 
 a moment's thought. "As you say, there is no other 
 way. I will trust you. I do. See, this will prove it." 
 
 And as she spoke, she slipped close to him and freely 
 kissed him as she had that night at the wheel. Clough 
 understood perfectly that if she were not entirely sure 
 of herself and him, she would never have ventured upon 
 the caress in such circumstances. And the privilege in 
 creased the obligation. He was in every way bound. 
 He made a good beginning in that he did not clasp her 
 in his arms, as he might have done. When she drew 
 away, he answered simply, 
 
 " O, Audrey, that makes it harder, but it also makes 
 it certain." 
 
 The girl nodded, comprehending fully his meaning. 
 
 "You will tell the others how it is?" she asked. " I 
 couldn't bear to have them think " 
 
 "They are true men," said Captain Clough, "they 
 could not be brought to think evil of you, dearest 
 Audrey, whatever opinion they might hold of me." 
 
 Thus the difficult matter was arranged, and the dis-
 
 The Esmeralda Takes a Prize 173 
 
 covery, with all its possible consequences, staved off, for 
 the present, at any rate. 
 
 Aside from the fact that they were, in a measure, 
 prisoners, and that they had lost their ship, their lot was 
 fairly comfortable, but the Americans were like 
 smouldering volcanoes. Every time they looked ahead 
 at the Sharon, lumbering along with the Esmeralda 
 convoying her under shortened canvas, their rage grew 
 greater. They matured plan after plan for recaptur 
 ing her, every one of which was more futile than the one 
 which preceded it. 
 
 The Esmeralda was a large ship with a full crew; 
 she had put forty men on the whaler. The five Ameri 
 cans were helpless, would have been helpless even if 
 they had been aboard the Sharon. That did not make 
 them any the less angry, but Captain Clough prevailed 
 upon them to dissemble their hatred and rage, and they 
 at least appeared to be outwardly contented. 
 
 As for himself, he faithfully adhered to his plan, but 
 naturally, during the day, he was thrown more intimately 
 in the society of Audrey in the little stateroom than he 
 had been on the Sharon, and with every passing hour 
 his passion deepened. The new intimacy had its effect 
 upon her also. For one thing, it rendered her charm 
 ing and evasive coquetry impossible. For how could 
 one coquet in a small cabin like that they occupied to 
 gether, under such circumstances and conditions. She 
 surrendered her conduct to her heart completely, and 
 showed that she loved him with an intensity of feeling 
 that matched his own.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 SPANISH HONOR IS UPHELD 
 
 OBSERVATIONS one day indicated that the Es- 
 meralda and her prize had arrived within thirty 
 leagues of the harbor of Callao, on the coast of Peru, 
 and that at the six-knot rate of sailing they were making, 
 the next twelve hours or so would see them safely in the 
 harbor. 
 
 Save for a few whalers, they had not raised a sail in 
 the long cruise since the capture of the Sharon. The 
 ocean had been swept clean of Spanish commerce by the 
 Chileans, and that new republic had not yet developed 
 any considerable sea trade of its own. It was suspected 
 by the Spaniard, however, that Admiral Cochrane, with 
 a squadron, was off the coast somewhere. Hence the 
 bright outlook that had been kept, for the Spaniards 
 feared Lord Dundonald as much as they hated him. 
 
 It was about two bells in the second dog watch, or 
 five o'clock in the afternoon, when a sail, which had been 
 reported some two hours earlier, had risen far enough 
 above the horizon to disclose the fact that she was a 
 large ship, standing in toward the coast. Two other 
 sails had been sighted later, far astern of the first one, 
 and the new arrivals appeared to be sailing in company, 
 They were men-of-war, undoubtedly. 
 
 That could only mean one thing. The Spanish naval 
 
 174
 
 Spanish Honoris Upheld 17$ 
 
 force, with the exception of the Esmeralda, had been 
 eliminated by a succession of brilliant exploits on the part 
 of the Chileans, mostly engineered and directed by the 
 great Earl of Dundonald in person. 
 
 The Spaniards had scrutinized the approaching ships 
 with great care, and had finally decided that they be 
 longed to Admiral Cochrane's cruising squadron. The 
 Spanish captain was brave enough and he was a man of 
 some skill in seamanship. The strangers were still far 
 out of gun-shot range. The wind was light, and it was 
 probable nay, certain that darkness would cover 
 the sea long before the newcomers got within range. 
 
 If he had been alone, he would have put up his helm 
 and made a quick run for the harbor. But he had his 
 prize to look out for. He knew now how valuable she 
 was. He believed he had a clear case in law and abun 
 dant justification in marine ethics for seizing the Shtron. 
 He did not want to lose her. Prizes had been few and 
 far between for the Spanish Navy during the South 
 American Revolution, and they were not lightly to be 
 given up. He decided on the bold course of running 
 down toward the stranger, intending to keep safely out 
 of range of the leading ship for which, by the way, it 
 was quite obvious his own was a good match, both in 
 sailing and for fighting, and while he drew their atten 
 tion to himself, give the deep laden, sluggish prize, a 
 chance to escape. 
 
 Fortunately, the smaller ships of Cochrane's squad 
 ron, if it were indeed his, had been so far outsailed by 
 his flagship as to be negligible in any calculations of 
 possible danger Captain Cueto might make. Conse-
 
 176 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 quently, the call of all hands was presently succeeded by 
 the beat to quarters, alike in every navy on the seas, in 
 its thrilling cadences. 
 
 Audrey McRae had never sailed on a man-of- 
 war, but Captain Clough had seen naval service, and 
 so also had Broadrib, while Rice and Storey had cruised 
 in letters-of-marque, or privateers. These worthy sea 
 men heard the rattling of the drums which, of course, 
 they recognized with mingled feelings. It brought back 
 old times, when they had fought under their respective 
 flags against one another, or against the French or 
 Spanish, as the case might be. It quickened their pulses 
 and caused their hearts to beat faster as the drums 
 rolled the familiar call throughout the ship, and the 
 men ran eagerly to their appointed battle stations, cast 
 ing loose and providing the guns, sanding the decks, 
 belting on their cutlasses and pistols, donning boarding 
 caps of steel, and seizing their pikes and other weap 
 ons, while the marines and topmen looked to their small 
 arms. 
 
 They did not comport themselves like an American 
 or English crew. There was much confusion, little 
 order, and great noise. Things moved slowly in spite 
 of much apparent hurry. It was with the utmost diffi 
 culty that the officers finally got the men at their sta 
 tions in the batteries, tops, and on deck, and quieted 
 them down. 
 
 The five Americans grouped themselves aft on the 
 quarter deck, just forward of the mizzen mast, taking 
 care to keep out of everybody's way. The captain of the 
 ship saw them there, but made no effort to send them
 
 Spanish Honor Is Upheld 177 
 
 below or otherwise interfere with their liberty. And 
 they were left in this position of vantage, interested 
 spectators of all that transpired. Captain Clough did 
 suggest that Audrey go below to the safety of the cable 
 tiers, but the girl met the suggestion with withering con 
 tempt. The sympathies of the Americans were entirely 
 with the Chileans. They hoped for the capture of the 
 frigate and the recapture of the prize so unlawfully 
 seized. 
 
 When some measure of quiet had been restored, the 
 captain deemed it proper, in accordance with the cus 
 tom of his country, which was indeed quite general then 
 and thereafter, to address his crew. 
 
 "My brave men," he began, "yonder are the ships 
 of the enemy. We are but one. They are three. Yet 
 loyalty to our gracious King, to the great traditions of 
 the navy of Spain, and to our manhood, as officers and 
 seamen, demands that we have a nearer look at them in 
 the hope that we may strike a blow for our flag, and 
 also insure the escape of our valuable prize, in the pro 
 ceeds of which we shall all share. I am sure that you 
 will do your full duty if we should come to an exchange 
 of shots, and therefore I have called you to your quar 
 ters, confident that you will support Spanish honor with 
 Spanish arms." 
 
 "Viva Espana! V'wa el Rey! Hurrah for Spain! 
 Long live the King! " shouted the Spanish sailors heart 
 ily enough, their imaginations quickened by the clever 
 suggestion of profit in the prize, which was enough to 
 enthuse men so miserably paid originally, and so shame 
 lessly robbed continuously.
 
 178 JPaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Most of them had never been in action at all, knew 
 little about it, and were still far enough away for the 
 danger not to appear very imminent. The cheering, 
 therefore, was spontaneous and hearty. It did not 
 sound like cheering to the Americans. It was more like 
 yelling, and they listened to the speech of the captain, 
 which was delivered very floridly, with some little 
 amusement and some little disgust. 
 
 Old Broadrib stepped to the side of the ship and 
 expectorated violently into the sea to relieve his feelings, 
 remarking, when he came back, 
 
 "Well, if they gits under Lord Cochrane's broad 
 sides, they'll pipe a different tune, I'm thinkinV 
 
 Meanwhile, the captain continued to give orders. 
 The sail trimmers went to the braces, the helm was put 
 up, and the ship, which had been hard up on the wind : 
 fell away on a course which would permit her, if both 
 vessels stood on as they were, to pass ahead, and prob 
 ably just out of range of the leading enemy which flew 
 Cochrane's flag. Signals had been made to the whaler, 
 and under every stitch of canvas she could bear, she 
 bore up on her course for the harbor. The starboard 
 battery of the Esmeralda was now manned, and the final 
 preparations were made for action, again with more 
 noise and confusion. 
 
 "We didn't do it like that on the old Essex" said 
 Captain Clough to the others. "We scarcely made a 
 sound. But here! Did you ever hear such a racket, 
 Broadrib?" 
 
 " Never in my life, sir. Which we did it the same 
 as you in the British Navy. I was light yardman on
 
 Spanish Honor Is Upheld 179 
 
 the Victory at Trafalgar an' we was that still when we 
 was a leadin' down on the French line that you could 
 hear every word Lord Nelson said. We all wanted to 
 hear him, too. I was stationed aft on the quarter deck 
 as a sail trimmer. I well remember that 'ere signal 
 that he had bent on an' set." 
 
 "You mean " 
 
 "'England expects every man to do his duty' ," re 
 turned the sailor simply. "Sink me, but he was a 
 fighter, that little man. He wasn't half the size of 
 Lord Cochrane, but he was as brave as a lion. I never 
 seed such grievin' as when he was shot. They treated 
 him different from Lord Cochrane, an 1 yet I always 
 believe that if they'd have give my old cap'n half a 
 chance he'd have been as great a man as Admiral Nel 
 son. I must tell you 'bout that battle some day," con 
 tinued the old seaman. " When we got through it, we 
 was well nigh a wreck, but you'd ought to've seen the 
 French ships we'd pounded. Why, sir, when we 
 smashed through their line we emptied our whole 
 broadside into the French admiral's stern an' fairly 
 tore it to pieces, an' then we turned loose on t'other side 
 into the next ship. I disremembers its name. I never 
 seed guns sarved faster than on that day." 
 
 "Well, we served them right rapidly on the Essex 
 down there at Valparaiso." 
 
 "Yes, sir, you did, you did that," said old Broadrib 
 ungrudgingly. " You made a fine fight, you Americans. 
 It was as hot there in its way as in Trafalgar Bay." 
 
 "I never knew you had been on the Victory with 
 Lord Nelson," observed Audrey.
 
 180 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 " Lord love you, child, there's a lot of places I've 
 been you never knowed of, an' some you ain't goin' to 
 know of neither," muttered the old man, laughing 
 rather grimly. 
 
 Just here a midshipman came up, and with the cap 
 tain's compliments, requested the Americans to cease 
 talking so loud, as it disturbed him. 
 
 " Pretty cheeky," muttered Captain Clough in his 
 beard, "with all that chattering going on forward." 
 
 But, of course, there was nothing for it but to comply 
 with the request or command. It seems that the Spanish 
 captain had caught the words "Trafalgar" and "Nel 
 son," and as that was a great defeat for Spanish arms, 
 he did not relish any discussion of it before what might 
 be a fierce battle, from the Spanish point of view. 
 
 There was no doubt about the character of the 
 strangers now, for they all broke out Chilean flags at 
 their mastheads. In answer to this display, the captain 
 ordered the Spanish flag hoisted, and the two self-con 
 fessed enemies approached each other rapidly. 
 
 Now the O'Higgins, named after the President of 
 Chile, which was the flagship of Admiral Cochrane, was 
 old and leaky, with a very foul bottom. The other 
 ships were not in much better case. As bad a sailor 
 as the Spaniard was, she easily had the heels of the en 
 tire Chilean squadron. That the latter was in such 
 bad condition was not due to any slackness or negligence 
 of the admiral's, but to the wretched inefficiency of the 
 Chilean naval administration, to the scarcity of docks, 
 and the prime necessity for keeping the force constantly 
 at sea in whatever condition.
 
 Spanish Honor Is Upheld 181 
 
 The Esmeralda gone, the whole coast would be 
 clear of Spanish cruisers, and until more were sent 
 from Spain, Chile would have a chance to refit her 
 ships, but not until then would it be prudent to lay 
 up the Chilean squadron. Lord Cochrane resorted 
 to every expedient known to the nicest art of sea 
 manship, of which he was master in the fullest 
 measure, to accelerate the speed of his old frigate. 
 Tackles were clapped on the sheets and halliards which 
 were bowsed taut until the sails were set as flat as 
 boards. By means of whips and buckets on the yard 
 arms, they were wetted down from royals to courses to 
 make them hold more wind. Every stitch of canvas 
 was set, of course, including such studding sails as could 
 be carried. And while by these and other expedients, he 
 added perhaps half a knot to the way of the ship in the 
 pleasant air then blowing, the Spanish frigate still re 
 tained her sailing superiority, which her crew, after 
 some moments of anxiety, realized with much inward 
 satisfaction which, as usual, they expressed volubly un 
 til commanded to be silent. 
 
 The four American sailors and the girl watched the 
 two ships approach with the greatest interest and ex 
 citement. 
 
 "What wouldn't I give," said old Broadrib in a 
 whisper, " to be aboard that ship with my old cap'n." 
 
 " Well," said Clough, " I would like to be aboard 
 her myself, but this ship has the heels of her. There's 
 no doubt about that." 
 
 " I would rather be aboard the Sharon," said Rice. 
 
 "And so would I," added Storey.
 
 i8a Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 "That, of course," admitted Captain Clough. 
 
 "Why can't we get aboard that ship, Captain 
 Clough?" suggested Audrey, pointing aft to the vainly 
 pursuing Chilean frigate. 
 
 "And how would you go about it, my child?" asked 
 Broadrib, carefully lowering his deep voice so as not 
 to draw the attention of the Spanish captain upon him. 
 
 "Why, take one of the boats from this ship tonight 
 and row down to her," answered the girl simply. 
 
 Old Broadrib at once exploded with laughter in his 
 big hand, but Captain Clough looked suddenly in 
 terested. 
 
 "There's something in what she says," he remarked. 
 " Maybe we can steal a boat and slip away." 
 
 " What'd be the objek of it?" asked Broadrib. 
 
 "Well," returned Clough, "we've got a pretty good 
 idea that the Spaniards will never give up the Sharon. 
 Of course, we could report the matter to our govern 
 ment, but it is a long way to Washington, and it would 
 be a long time before they would answer. If we could 
 get back our ship and get away with her without report 
 ing to anybody, it would be the quickest and the cheapest 
 method of settling our difficulties, wouldn't it? " 
 
 " Right you are, sir," replied old Broadrib, upon 
 whom light was dawning. " I begins to see what 
 you mean. 'Cause it stands to reason that unless he's 
 changed mightily from what he was when I knowed 
 him, Lord Cochrane yonder ain't goin' to rest until he's 
 got this ship. Why, it was a bigger job takin' out the 
 Gamo, which I ain't never told you that yarn yet, but if 
 he done that, he kin do this. An' inasmuch as we rescued
 
 Spanish Honor Is Upheld 183 
 
 them fellers of his'n from the San Martin, he is apt to 
 deal generously with us should he capture the Esmeralda 
 an' retake the Sharon." 
 
 "Of course," said Captain Clough, "the Earl of 
 Dundonald to give him his proper, though unfamiliar 
 title is a gentleman, and has been trained in the best 
 traditions of the English Navy. When he learns that 
 we have been unjustly deprived of our ship, he will be 
 anxious to help us get it back without making any bones 
 about it or claiming any salvage or anything of the 
 kind, I think." 
 
 " I'm sure of it, too, sir," assented the old harpooner 
 heartily. " I makes no doubt on it at all, 'specially 
 when he larns that the chief owner is a girl to delight a 
 sailor's heart, like this 'un." 
 
 "Well, then, let's steal a boat and get away when it 
 is dark, and tell him our story," urged Audrey, not 
 concealing her pleasure at the old man's praise, which 
 she was glad Captain Clough had heard. 
 
 " That's a good deal easier said than done, Audrey," 
 answered Clough quickly to the excited young woman. 
 " But we will look into it. You three wait here," he 
 continued. " Broadrib and I will stroll quietly aft and 
 take a look at the dingey hanging over the stern. If 
 there is a way to lower it, without being noticed, I be 
 lieve I will try it if the opportunity presents itself. We 
 mustn't risk you, though." 
 
 "Well, I'm with you, Cap'n Clough," said Broad- 
 rib, interrupting a protest from Rey. 
 
 "And so are we all, sir," said the two sailors. 
 
 By this time the two big ships were much nearer to-
 
 184 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 gather. The Spanish captain was getting rather un 
 easy. The nearer he got to the Chilean admiral, the 
 more he remembered the latter's characteristics, and 
 the blacker and fiercer the great Scotsman loomed be 
 fore his imagination. The possibilities of an unexpected 
 catastrophe in conflict with El Diabolo, came more and 
 more vividly before him. 
 
 Suddenly he gave an order to one of his aides. The 
 young midshipman saluted, disappeared below, and ran 
 along the gangway to the lieutenant in command of the 
 forward division of guns. The men had been loung 
 ing around in very unseamanlike ways, but at a sharp 
 word of command, they got to their positions awk 
 wardly, the guns were trained, the gun captains seized 
 the lock strings, and at another word of command, the 
 four guns of the forward division on the main deck 
 crashed out in unison. 
 
 Then everybody on the spar deck, in defiance of 
 drill and discipline, crowded to the lee rail to watch 
 the effect of the discharge. The shots fell far ahead 
 of the O'Higgins, and after skipping along the water, 
 disappeared beneath the sea. 
 
 "Why, he isn't within a half a mile of gun-shot 
 range," said Rice, with deep disgust. " Look, Storey ! " 
 
 But some contagion of excitement suddenly possessed 
 the Spaniards, and giving their guns greater elevation, 
 division after division, in accordance with Captain 
 Cueto's permission, fired in the direction of the O'Hig 
 gins. Even the lighter spar-deck guns, perfectly use 
 less except at close range, added their quota to the con 
 fusion and din. Lord Cochrane, of course, made no
 
 Spanish Honor Is Upheld 185 
 
 reply. It was entirely foolish to waste powder and shot 
 in bombarding the sea. But once having started the 
 firing, nothing appeared to be able to stop the Spaniards, 
 and they swept on in a cloud of smoke, pouring a rapid 
 and entirely harmless fire into the surrounding atmos 
 phere. 
 
 By this time the sun had set, and as there was no 
 moon, darkness was already stealing over the sea. 
 After fifteen minutes of this futile firing, to which, as 
 has been noted, no reply whatever was made by the 
 Chilean ship, the order to cease firing was given, and 
 after some confusion and irregular shooting, it was 
 obeyed. 
 
 As the smoke blew away, they saw through the gather 
 ing twilight, the O'Higgins apparently unharmed. She 
 was nearer than before, much nearer, in fact, but still 
 not within range. The officers of the Spanish frigate 
 professed to discover all kinds of damage that had been 
 done by their fire, as they ogled the Chilean through 
 their night glasses, but Captain Clough declared to the 
 others that she was unharmed. 
 
 "Why, none of them shots fell within a cable's 
 length of her," added old Broadrib, in deep disgust. 
 
 " My brave men," said the captain once more, ad 
 dressing the crew, " you have nobly supported the honor 
 of Spain. In the face of a vastly superior force, you 
 have dashed gallantly at the enemy. You have ex 
 changed broadsides with them," continued that worthy 
 officer, who perhaps, fancied that what he said was 
 true. "You have inflicted great damage upon them 
 and have sustained none yourself. It is a glorious day
 
 1 86 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 for Spanish arms. His Majesty, the King, shall hear 
 how nobly you have comported yourselves. Your ac 
 tion has also insured the safety of your rich prize, which 
 is lost in the darkness. And now, having thus abun 
 dantly proved your courage, we can honorably retire 
 before the more powerful enemy." 
 
 This enthusing address was received with frantic 
 cheers. The men evidently considered themselves 
 heroes. Iturbe, the senior lieutenant, passing by, re 
 marked to Captain Clough: 
 
 "You see now, gentlemen, how the brave Spaniards 
 comport themselves under fire. It is not with brutal 
 fists and hard heads that we excel, but in courage and 
 honor." 
 
 The captain now called to his first lieutenant, and 
 that executive officer, having received instructions, 
 secured the batteries, dismissed the men from their 
 quarters, braced up the yards, put the helm down, and 
 the Esmeralda soon came by the wind again, sailing 
 directly away from the Chileans on her course for 
 Callao. As Captain Cueto had said, the Sharon was 
 out of sight in the darkness, and it did not appear likely 
 that the slow-moving Chilean squadron could overhaul 
 her before she dropped anchor in the harbor of Callao.
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 A HALF WAY SUCCESS 
 
 BY THIS time, nothing could be seen of the Sharon 
 in the darkness. Her prize master had had the 
 wit to put out all his lights as he slipped away. Satisfied 
 that he still had the heels of the O'Higgins, Admiral 
 Cochrane's flagship, the Esmeralda, made a great dis 
 play of her own lights, and as there was nothing what 
 ever to be gained by concealment, the running lights 
 of the O'Higgins were presently visible from the deck 
 of the Spaniard. 
 
 By the time the Esmeralda had come by the wind, and 
 got on her course again, it had grown completely dark. 
 The Spanish captain ordered wine to be served to all 
 hands before the watches were set, and the watch below 
 was piped to its supper. There was a great deal of con 
 fusion on the deck, a good deal of crowding to the 
 waist where the wine was served, even the officers look 
 ing on with amused interest at the undisciplined jollifica 
 tion. Captain Clough and Broadrib, who had pre 
 viously carefully, if rapidly, examined the ropes and 
 gripes securing the dingey on the stern, the smallest boat 
 of the ship, took advantage of the situation despite the 
 desperate risk to cast off the gripes and slack away the 
 falls a little so that the dingey swung half way between 
 the stern and the water ready for a quick drop. The 
 
 187
 
 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 other three Americans meanwhile crowded around them 
 and covered them from sight as if staring after the 
 pursuing ships. They also saw to it that the plug was in 
 the hole made to let out the rain while she hung to her 
 davits, and that the dingey was provided with oars. 
 
 She was a light boat and the four Americans even 
 without Audrey to steer could easily manage her in 
 such weather. There would be little or no risk in the 
 light air then blowing and the smooth sea consequent 
 upon. But no matter what the risk they were now fully 
 determined upon escape if it were possible. 
 
 They had barely completed their preparations when 
 they observed the captain coming aft. To break away 
 from the taffrail upon which they had been leaning and 
 advance to intercept him was the work of an instant. 
 
 "A warm engagement, Senores," said Captain Cueto 
 taking off his gold-laced cap and wiping the perspiration 
 from his brow. 
 
 "Very hot, sir," said Clough coolly, whereat old 
 Broadrib had to put his hand to his mouth to keep from 
 exploding again, and Audrey had a desperate struggle 
 to prevent a snicker from escaping. 
 
 "You saw how fearlessly we advanced against such 
 a superior force and the smartness with which we en 
 gaged?" 
 
 " I certainly did , sir," said Clough most heartily. He 
 had no desire on earth to vex the Spanish captain, on 
 the contrary. "Your fire was magnificent, so rapid, 
 so continuous, so " 
 
 "Do you think we did any damage?" interrupted 
 the eager Spaniard.
 
 A Half Way Success 
 
 "How can anyone doubt it, Senor," answered 
 Clough speciously, "when it so overwhelmed the 
 enemy that he was unable to make any return to it 
 at all?" 
 
 " I noticed that," said the gratified captain. 
 
 " Of course, we all noticed it. Didn't we, ship 
 mates?" 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir, that we did," came from the Amer 
 icans, who had followed with keen appreciation their 
 young officer's diplomatic lead. 
 
 " It was heroic, Senor, " ventured Audrey smiling as 
 if in congratulation. 
 
 "The cowardly Chileans," said the captain grandil 
 oquently, and obviously greatly pleased with the flattery 
 he had evoked, "were probably paralyzed with fear 
 when they saw the approach of my great frigate. I 
 have no doubt that they probably ran below as we 
 opened fire. Yet, I have heard that Almirante Coch- 
 rane was a brave man for an Englishman." 
 
 "Yes, you're right there, sir," said old Broadrib. 
 " For an Englishman, he certainly was a brave man, 
 but of course, when you contrast him with a Spaniard" 
 here Mr. Clough gave him a warning dig in the ribs 
 with his elbow "that don't count for much," gritted 
 out Broadrib in deep disgust; he had intended to say 
 something quite different. 
 
 " I should have liked nothing better than to have 
 come to close quarters with the Chilean pigs and their 
 beef-eating admiral," continued the Spanish captain 
 more and more proud of his extraordinary heroism. 
 " My brave crew were thirsting for blood, but I have a
 
 190 JVaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 higher duty to perform, Sefiores. I will entice them 
 under the guns of the forts at Gallao and then, with my 
 ship, we will destroy them." 
 
 "Quite so," observed Clough cynically. "I think 
 that is just about the way it will happen." 
 
 " It seems to me they are overhauling us, Captain 
 Cueto," maliciously interposed Audrey suddenly. 
 
 "What!" exclaimed the captain instantly swinging 
 about in great alarm and staring aft. " Oh, no, Sefior. 
 We are much the faster ship," he added in great relief. 
 
 His glance had reassured him. The O'Higglns was 
 certainly further away than she had been. 
 
 "Sefiores," he went on complacently, "in honor of 
 this great victory, it would be a great pleasure if you 
 would take supper with me. You, Captain Clough and 
 you Mr. Broadrib and you others as well." 
 
 "Do you mean me, sir, too?" asked Audrey boldly. 
 
 " Certainly, my boy," said the captain with whom 
 she was quite a favorite. 
 
 "We would be delighted, sir," said Captain Clough. 
 
 "Very well. If you will come below to my cabin, 
 I have no doubt that my steward has everything ready." 
 
 The captain turned and led the way, the others fol 
 lowing. 
 
 "We couldn't wish for anything better," whispered 
 Clough who lingered behind to speak to the harpooner 
 privately. 
 
 He rapidly outlined to old Broadrib a brilliant little 
 plan of action. The old man grinned from ear to ear. 
 
 "At tricks," he whispered, " Cap'n Clough, you're 
 almost ekal to Lord Cochrane, hisself, an' I can't say
 
 A Half Way Success 191 
 
 no more'n that. We'll do it. Lemme explain to the 
 men an' the little lady yonder." 
 
 "No, we can't, we might be overheard," answered 
 Clough as he descended the ladder. "Say nothing 
 about it. You and I will be enough. The men are quick 
 witted and will catch on. As for Miss McRae I don't 
 want her to take any risk whatever, and it's not neces 
 sary. Men stand by with your fists, or table knives, or 
 whatever you can grab when the time comes," he whis 
 pered to Storey and Rice as the five entered the captain's 
 cabin. 
 
 Elated by the great victory he had won and the 
 brilliance of his martial exploit, and filled with a pro 
 found consciousness of his high courage and bravery, 
 the captain made a gala occasion of that dinner. The 
 best the ship afforded was set before his five guests and 
 they ate heartily. 
 
 Captain Clough sat on the right side of the captain, 
 Broadrib on the other side, one of the Esmeralda's 
 officers and a midshipman who had, of course, been in 
 vited as was customary, sat next to Captain Clough and 
 Broadrib, Rice and Storey sat next to them while 
 Audrey had a place of her own at the very end of the 
 table. 
 
 Clough and Broadrib had not bargained for the 
 lieutenant and the midshipman but they decided that 
 under the circumstances the plan they had rapidly 
 matured must be carried out nevertheless. 
 
 After the cloth had been removed, cigars and cham 
 pagne in honor of this occasion had been produced and 
 the stewards withdrew. All through the meal, Broad-
 
 192 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 rib who could drink enough liquor to sink a ship with 
 out affecting him, proposed toast after toast to the 
 brave Spanish officers, which they drank with a will. 
 The Americans had, of course, joined in the toasting 
 but taking their cue from Captain Clough, they had 
 merely pretended to sip their glasses while the Span 
 iards drained theirs, and, of course, Audrey did not take 
 anything but water. 
 
 Captain Clough also had lauded Spanish courage 
 and Spanish bravery and seamanship to the skies. The 
 Spanish captain with difficulty restrained himself from 
 embracing the flattering Americans. The uproar and 
 confusion were great. The hilarity and joy were man 
 ifest. At first it had attracted some notice from the 
 officers on deck, but as it continued and as they realized 
 what was toward, they paid no attention to it, which 
 was exactly what Clough had counted upon. Finally 
 old Broadrib arose. 
 
 " I wants to propose a final toast," he said lifting 
 his glass, "to the gallant cap'n of the Esmeralda. I 
 never seed a ship better handled or more boldly carried 
 down to the enemy, or fiercer fought arterwards in all 
 my long seafarin' life, gents, an' I've seed the great 
 Lord Nelson hisself. I makes bold to say that if Cap 
 tain Cueto had been in the Spanish line at Trafalgar 
 we'd have been licked out of our boots, an' I'm proud to 
 have been on his ship even as a peaceful observer on 
 this glorious day," he went on with most egregious 
 flattery which the half drunken Spanish captain swal 
 lowed without even winking. 
 
 "I echo the sentiments of my mate," said Clough
 
 A Half Way Success 193 
 
 instantly rising to his feet. " Gentlemen, up all and let 
 us drink this toast in bumpers." 
 
 The three Spaniards and the five Americans got to 
 their feet; the Spaniards very uncertainly. They had 
 looked on the wine cup not wisely, but too long. The 
 captain at last attained a precarious standing position. 
 He leaned forward uncertainly with his hand on the 
 table and opened his mouth to reply in fitting terms to 
 the compliments. The next minute he found himself in 
 the air. Old Broadrib balling his fist struck him fairly 
 and squarely on the chin. He was lifted up by the force 
 of the blow and then plunged to the deck unconscious. 
 
 Captain Clough without saying a word, grabbed the 
 Spanish lieutenant by the throat. Rice clapped his hand 
 over the mouth of the midshipman just as he opened 
 it to scream. The seizure was effected in an instant. It 
 was a complete success. 
 
 " Storey," said Captain Clough shaking the Spanish 
 lieutenant as he might a rat, " go to the help of Broad- 
 rib." 
 
 " Don't need no help, sir," answered Broadrib pick 
 ing up the Spanish captain who was still incapable of 
 speech. 
 
 He dropped him on a transom where he lay per 
 fectly helpless, gasping. Of course, he would get his 
 voice back as soon as he recovered his consciousness, 
 but they would be away before he could give the alarm 
 if they worked quickly. 
 
 "Unbuckle this officer's belt, Storey," said Clough. 
 
 He released his grip on the man for a minute and as 
 he opened his mouth for air, he shoved a napkin into it.
 
 194 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 The officer's hands were dragged to his sides. Captain 
 Clough clasped the belt about them, drew it tight and 
 buckled it and then shoved him down on another tran 
 som. The helpless midshipman was treated in exactly 
 the same way. 
 
 Meanwhile, by Clough's direction, old Broadrib had 
 gone into the after cabin, the captain's private room, 
 and had got everything ready for lowering the dingey. 
 While they were busy with the two men, the door sud 
 denly opened and in came a steward. Audrey was the 
 one who first saw him. The steward was a full-grown 
 man and the girl could not have managed him alone. 
 She seized him boldly nevertheless before he could open 
 his mouth to yell and the next minute Rice and Storey 
 were on him. They took the precaution after they 
 gagged him and stowed him in a spare stateroom, to 
 lock the door leading out from the cabin where they had 
 dined. Unfortunately, however, the struggle had at 
 tracted attention on deck, and although the men in the 
 cabin did not know it, the officer of the watch had al 
 ready summoned assistance and was approaching the 
 cabin door. 
 
 " Now, men," said Captain Clough in great satis 
 faction, "come on." 
 
 "What about these Spaniards, sir?" asked Rice. 
 
 "Leave them as they are.- They'll be all right 
 presently. Don't hurt them,'' was the answer of the 
 officer. 
 
 He rapidly led the way through the captain's cabin. 
 The three seamen clambered through the stern window 
 into the boat, which was swinging just on a level with
 
 A Half Way Success 195 
 
 the port sill, Broadrib took the yoke lines to steer, Rice 
 and Storey looked out for the falls, Captain Clough and 
 Audrey waited while they lowered the dingey, as silent 
 ly as possible until she was waterborne whereupon Rice 
 and Storey took their places on the thwarts and broke 
 out the oars. 
 
 " Come on, sir, with the lady," said Boardrib softly. 
 
 The next minute a terrific uproar was heard from the 
 ship. They had heard a knocking on the outer door 
 as they left the captain's cabin, but of course, had given 
 no heed to it. 
 
 The captain had come to, he had found his voice, he 
 had yelled for help. Into the cabin had burst the officer 
 of the watch and some of the marines of the ship. They 
 were astonished at what they saw. A few words put 
 them in possession of the facts. 
 
 Before Clough and Audrey could move the Spaniards 
 swarmed into the after cabin. Clough shouting to 
 Audrey to escape through the stern window seized a 
 stool and leaped at the group of men. But Audrey did 
 not obey. She was paralyzed with fear for the man she 
 loved. He struck down the nearest man, but the others 
 threw themselves upon him. They crowded between 
 Clough and the woman hiding her from his view. He 
 fought them off gallantly and supposing Audrey had 
 obeyed his orders he took advantage of a lull in the 
 conflict, since no Spaniard cared to risk a broken head 
 and Captain Cueto well in the rear was screaming out 
 orders that the American must be taken alive, to leap on 
 the port sill preparatory to dropping into the boat be 
 low. He had to relinquish his guard to do this and the
 
 196 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 nearest Spaniard a big sergeant of marines seized him 
 to haul him back. 
 
 No one had paid any attention to Audrey, but she 
 saw her lover's peril and boldly threw herself upon the 
 sergeant. She was only a girl. She could do little with 
 the natural members a man would have used. She had 
 one resource, however. In her passionate determina 
 tion to free Captain Clough she bit the big sergeant's 
 hand. 
 
 On the instant Clough recognized her. He had been 
 straining backward from the sergeant. As Audrey's 
 teeth met in the latter's hand he released the American 
 with a violent backward thrust. Clough strove to re 
 tain his position, to clamber back into the cabin, for he 
 would not have deserted the girl for worlds. The 
 effort was vain. Calling out her name, seeing the 
 sergeant tear his hand away and seize the collar of 
 her jacket and shake the poor girl as a cat does a rat, 
 the American fell backward and splashed into the sea. 
 
 Broadrib, who with the others had heard the noise of 
 the brief encounter which was over almost as soon as 
 it had begun, directed that the painter be cast loose, 
 and as the boat whirled away he seized the officer and 
 drew him aboard. 
 
 "My God, sir," he began, "what's happened and 
 where's Miss Audrey? " 
 
 "The cowardly brutes have got her, damn them," 
 answered the enraged lover. " Pull back to the ship 
 men, for God's sake. We can't leave her there alone." 
 
 But old Broadrib shook his head, he signed to Rice 
 and Storey who had bent to their oars.
 
 A Half Way Success 197 
 
 " It's useless, sir. She sails six feet to our one. God 
 knows I'd cheerfully give my life for that little lady. 
 But our only hope now is in Lord Cochrane. He'll git 
 her for us, an' if aught happens to her he'll make them 
 pay dear, sir, an' mates all." 
 
 Captain Clough stared after the rapidly moving 
 frigate. Then he buried his face in his hands and 
 groaned aloud. He could not gainsay the wisdom of 
 the old harpooner. 
 
 The Spaniards on the frigate now burned a flare aft 
 and in its radiance caught sight of the boat. Their 
 stern chasers had been loaded and had not been fired. 
 They hastily primed and pulled the lock strings and two 
 bright flashes of light burst out in the darkness followed 
 by two sharp reports. In their excitement they had not 
 aimed the guns and consequently one shot went wide 
 while the other passed far overhead and fell beyond the 
 dingey. 
 
 Broadrib steering, Rice and Storey at the oars rowed 
 like mad. They were soon out of the light cast by the 
 frigate and although the stern-chase guns continued to 
 fire at them, by Captain Clough's direction they had 
 pulled out of the line of fire and the bullets went harm 
 lessly into the sea as before. Of course, the Spanish 
 ship could have backed its main yard and lowered a 
 couple of cutters and could have searched until the run 
 aways were found and brought back, but Clough had 
 counted on the fact that the Esmeralda would not dare 
 make any such attempt because of the nearness of the 
 Q'Higgins and Admiral Cochrane. 
 
 The Esmeralda had a superiority in sailing, but not
 
 198 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 enough to throw away time and distance in searching for 
 and pursuing the dingey in the black night. The Span 
 ish captain black with rage had to swallow the insult 
 that had been put upon him by these daring Americans. 
 He swore that if he ever got a chance he would wreak 
 full vengeance upon them. Meantime he held one of 
 them and he would begin with the boy. 
 
 The Americans very depressed in spirit pulled away 
 in the direction of the oncoming O'Higgins whose lights 
 were also clearly visible. 
 
 " Come to think of it," said Captain Clough sadly, 
 "this suggestion came from Miss McRae. If we 
 can board the O'Higgins and get back our ship and 
 herself with it, it will all be due to the youngster, as it 
 was before." 
 
 "You kin be sure of one thing, sir an' mates," said 
 old Broadrib, "that if we gits aboard yon ship an' tells 
 Lord Cochrane our story, his lordship will never rest 
 until he captures the Esmeralda an' the Sharon, an' 
 restores the lady to us. Lord, did you ever see anythin' 
 look so foolish as that cap'n did when I was tellin' him 
 he was the greatest seaman that ever sailed the waters, 
 that if he had been at Trafalgar we'd have been licked? 
 Why he swallowed the whole thing down. As a matter 
 of fact, them Spaniards an' Frenchies that day did jest 
 what this one did this day. They fired about half their 
 powder an' ball at our ships afore we got near 'em. We 
 waited an' reserved our fire until we was in the middle 
 of 'em an' then we gave it to 'em. I guess nobody that 
 was there will ever forgit it. We are out of that mess 
 nicely, sirs, an' I've kind of a feelin' we're goin' to git
 
 A Half Way Success 199 
 
 on the O'Higgins an' git back our ship an' the little lady 
 we all loves unharmed. Lord Cochrane is the kind of a 
 man that'll enjoy a yarn like this we've got to spin an' 
 we can depend on him doin' everything for a woman. 
 It's after his own way of doin' business." 
 
 " I hope so," said Clough sadly. " Give way strong, 
 lads. Broadrib lay your course to bring us alongside 
 of that ship yonder. But I'd give all my lay on the 
 Sharon and all I ever expect to be worth to be back on 
 the Esmeralda with the poor girl. I wonder what is 
 happening!" he added desperately. 
 
 This was what was toward. After clearing the cabin 
 of the crew Captain Cueto advanced toward Rey still 
 held by the sergeant. 
 
 " You traitorous, ungrateful young dog," he roared. 
 " I'm glad I've got one of you still. Sergeant, tell the 
 officer of the watch to call all hands to witness punish 
 
 ment." 
 
 "What are you going to do?" faltered the girl, 
 swiftly suspecting what was in the enraged captain's 
 mind. 
 
 " Strip you to the waist, master impudence, and flog 
 you at the gratings before the crew, as you deserve."
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 BRAVE BUT A WOMAN 
 
 AUDREY McRAE was as brave a girl as any that 
 ever drew the breath of life. Naturally of an 
 intrepid disposition, her long career as a boy, the asso 
 ciation on equal terms with the hardy men to whom dan 
 ger in the pursuit of their venturesome calling was an 
 every-day affair, the scenes of bloodshed and peril 
 through which she had passed, all had intensified her 
 native courage. In an ordinary emergency she was al 
 most as fearless as Benjamin Clough, whom she loved. 
 But there was that in Captain Cueto's threat which al 
 most stopped her heart. 
 
 To be paraded, stripped to the waist, before a Span 
 ish crew ! The idea drove the blood to her skin in a 
 mighty wave, whose instant ebb left her paler than the 
 crest where the wave white-waters and breaks. Nor 
 was it of the awful agony of the flogging even in the 
 gentlest hand the cat-o'-nine-tails is no caresser of 
 which she thought, though that might make the most 
 nervously insensible quail. It was not the pain but the 
 shame that left her v/hite and shaken. The threatened 
 affront to her modesty, her womanhood, was that from 
 which she shrank. 
 
 It did not occur to her that she had only to discover 
 her sex to the captain to assure herself an immunity
 
 Brave but a Woman 201 
 
 from the promised flogging. Indeed she realized in 
 stinctively, intuitively, that such a discovery, while it 
 would save her from one peril would expose her to 
 another equally unbearable, unsupportable. 
 
 And that has been the disadvantage of woman in 
 warfare since Tubal Cain forged the sword for his 
 father Lamech. A man has only his life to lose, while 
 many a woman has cursed the fate that spared her life 
 and left her shamed through no fault of her own 
 either. That is one of the reasons why woman can 
 not stand upon an absolute parity with man in the 
 world's battlefields. No matter how high her spirit, 
 how much above proof her courage, how abnormally 
 strong her body, how entire her consecration, she is 
 handicapped for success because she has so much more 
 to lose. 
 
 Poor Audrey did not reason all this out. She simply 
 felt it, and the realization made her helpless. Her 
 tongue clave to the roof of her mouth. She could only 
 stare at the infuriated captain. He made a horrid 
 picture, his mind obscured by rage and hate, his face 
 bloody from blow and fall. No wonder that the girl, 
 all a woman now, despite her jaunty boy's clothes, 
 shrank from him. It was not until the big sergeant re 
 leased her and turned away to deliver his captain's 
 order that she awoke to frantic futile action. In turn 
 she seized the sergeant to delay him and desperately 
 appealed to the captain. 
 
 "No," she pleaded, her voice rising to the shrill 
 cadences of a frightened woman, which would have 
 betrayed her to a man less blinded by his passion than
 
 2O2 JVaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 the captain, "no, you won't do that. You can't do 
 that." 
 
 " Can I not? " was the grim answer. " I am master 
 here. You shall see." 
 
 "But I am only a boy I you could not hurt me 
 you would not " 
 
 "Aye, that I would and gladly, boy though you 
 are." 
 
 "He was man enough to bite through my hand, 
 excellency," growled the sergeant. 
 
 "Quite so. He has tasted blood, the young tiger 
 cub. We'll let a little more of it out of him. Go, 
 Sergeant." 
 
 "Oh, for the love of God, wait," screamed the fran 
 tic girl. " Have mercy. You may seek it yourself some 
 day. Captain Clough will make you pay if you do this, 
 he " 
 
 But the allusion was an unfortunate one. Captain 
 Cueto recalled all he had suffered at the hands of the 
 American. With a Spanish oath he gritted out. 
 
 " I owe that pig of an Americano a score. In part 
 I can pay it on your back." 
 
 " But he will exact fearful vengeance. He loves me." 
 
 " ' Loves you ! ' ' ' repeated the captain, in some sur 
 prise, and then he laughed. " Fool ! " he exclaimed. 
 " Men should love women, not boys. As for his ven 
 geance, you have a proverb I think, ' First catch your 
 hare,' and in Spanish we have a similar one, ' Entrampa 
 primiero su liebre antes que gulsarlo.' But I have 
 trifled too long with a mere boy. I promise myself 
 much pleasure and some alleviation to these hurts to
 
 Brave but a Woman 203 
 
 my pride and my person in seeing you writhe and bleed 
 under the lash." 
 
 He nodded to the sergeant, who at once left the 
 cabin, easily avoiding the girl's effort at holding him. 
 The captain continued, "Your friends will, doubtless, 
 guess what is happening to you; and it will take away 
 some of their joy in their escape." 
 
 The captain now seized a napkin from the table, 
 poured some water upon it and applied it to his bruised 
 and bleeding face. At the same instant the call of the 
 boatswain and his mates was heard echoing above the 
 decks without the cabin as all hands were summoned to 
 witness punishment. The sound aroused the desperate 
 girl to action. The captain's attention to his wounds 
 gave her a half opportunity. She could not fly. She 
 could strike. Quick as thought she seized the heavy 
 broad-bladed carving knife from the table and struck 
 violently at the captain. But for a sudden roll of the 
 ship, which was caught at that instant by a heavier 
 swell, she had killed him. 
 
 As it was he barely evaded the first blow and, al 
 though she struck and thrust at him again and again 
 with the fury of despair as he leaped toward her, he 
 succeeded in seizing her at the expense of but a slight 
 wound. He disdained to call for help to master a 
 slender boy. Audrey, however, was now as mad as the 
 captain. She writhed and struggled in his hands. As 
 supple as an eel she broke away from him. The man 
 grappling for her throat caught the collar of her shirt 
 and as she wrenched herself loose, the stout linen tore 
 from neck to waist.
 
 204 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Captain Cucto stopped dead. He stared at the girl, 
 her womanhood now fully and unmistakably revealed 
 in spite of the quick gesture by which she drew the torn 
 pieces of the rent garment together across her virginal 
 breast, while the color flamed into her cheeks again. 
 
 " A woman ! " exclaimed the captain, harshly. " Dios 
 into, una Mujer!" Then he laughed again and his 
 laughter was more menacing and terrible than had been 
 his threat of bodily violence of the moments before. 
 "A woman!" he repeated, dropping his voice at last 
 
 '' Yes, a woman, you coward. Even you will hardly 
 dare to flog a woman," answered Audrey, with a sudden 
 return of her courage. 
 
 Now that the worst was known she would fight on 
 and in other ways for her womanly heritage. 
 
 "Sefiorita," softly answered Cueto, with an insulting 
 elaboration of courtesy, " if you had only spoken 
 before " 
 
 "The officer of the deck's compliments, excellency," 
 said a midshipman, saluting as he came into the cabin, 
 "the people are mustered, the grating is rigged, the 
 boatswain and his mates are ready for the punishment 
 of the American." 
 
 " Tell him to dismiss the people, pipe down the watch 
 off. I have other plans for the American," was the 
 captain's answer. 
 
 The midshipman cast a curious glance at Audrey, a 
 wondering one at his captain and with the usual " Aye, 
 Aye, sir," of acquiescence he retreated from the cabin. 
 
 "What do you mean to do?" asked Audrey, when 
 they were alone.
 
 Brave but a Woman 205 
 
 " Senorita, there are other ways of punishing women 
 when they are young and charming " he bowed 
 with a manner he thought and meant to be engaging but 
 which Audrey found hideous and appalling. " Though 
 perhaps most women would hardly consider it punish 
 ment to exchange a love like that common American 
 pig's for mine a gentleman of Spain." 
 
 "Do you mean " flamed out the girl. 
 
 'You occupied the same cabin! Indeed, I do him 
 too much honor in proposing to take his mistress for 
 my own." 
 
 There was no mistaking the meaning of that. Audrey 
 slowly drew nearer to him, while he watched her alert 
 and ready. 
 
 "You can't understand a gentleman," she said, with 
 bitter contempt. "He loves me as I love him. We 
 were in that cabin into which you forced us, as brother 
 and sister " 
 
 The Spaniard laughed, but the girl went on, drawing 
 slowly nearer to him as she spoke. 
 
 "We are to be married at the first opportunity 
 and " 
 
 " Not after I have done with you," interrupted the 
 captain. 
 
 And then Audrey, who had trembled and gone white 
 and had begged for her honor before, struck him in the 
 face with all the power of her stout young arm for 
 all she was a woman. 
 
 It was a marvelous transformation.
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE ADMIRAL SUGGESTS THE EASIEST WAY 
 
 NOW the two ships, the Esmeralda and the O'Hig 
 gins, had been sailing in line ahead, that is, the 
 one immediately behind the other on the same course. 
 Consequently it required no hard rowing to bring the 
 Spanish frigate's dingey within hail of the Chilean flag 
 ship. Indeed, about all that was really necessary was 
 for the American oarsmen to keep the small boat from 
 being driven off the course by the send of the rolling sea. 
 
 Although there was no moon the night was bright 
 with stars and Captain Clough, who was an expert 
 helmsman, like all whalemen, so maneuvered the boat 
 that finally she was just in a position to be cleared by 
 the onrushing Chilean ship. It was nice steering indeed 
 and old Broadrib ventured upon a well-deserved com 
 pliment about it, hoping thereby to lighten the terrible 
 sadness and anxiety of the young officer, as the peril of 
 Audrey became more and more apparent to him. 
 
 At the proper time, as the O'Higgins was bearing 
 down upon them, by Clough's direction they all raised 
 their voices and shouted, 
 
 " Ship ahoy I Ahoy, the ship ! " 
 
 And then they let forth a mighty yell for help in 
 unison. Now it was evident to so good a seaman as 
 Admiral Cochrane, that the O'Higgins had no chance 
 
 206
 
 The Admiral Suggests the 'Easiest Way 207 
 
 of catching the Esmeralda unless some accident occurred 
 on the other ship whereby her rate of progress would 
 be diminished, and in the pleasant breeze then prevail 
 ing such a thing as the carrying away of a spar was 
 almost unthinkable, even for such clumsy seamen as 
 manned the other frigate. 
 
 He realized that he could not prevent her from get 
 ting safely into the harbor of Callao before morning. 
 He had held on in pursuit of her, however, because that 
 was the only thing to do and because he was already 
 maturing a plan for her capture. 
 
 In common with the other officers of his ship and 
 his squadron, he had been surprised at the sudden out 
 burst of futile firing from the stern chasers which had 
 been observed a half an hour or so before. Of course, 
 at the distance between the two ships, it was impossible 
 to note the departure of so small a boat as the dingey, 
 and indeed, but for the mighty hail, the O'Higgins 
 might have passed it by in the darkness. But when 
 attention was directed to it by the shouts of the men, 
 it was soon discovered. 
 
 If he had the least chance of overtaking the other 
 ship, the great admiral would not have stopped for 
 anything or anybody. He was the kind of a man who 
 spelled duty with the biggest kind of a "D." Old 
 Broadrib had said that on one occasion a marine had 
 fallen overboard from Cochrane's frigate, in the midst 
 of a howling gale in the Bay of Biscay. The marine 
 was a good swimmer. As he came up he waved his 
 hand eagerly and expectantly at the ship. The young 
 officer of the watch immediately prepared to heave to
 
 2o8 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 the ship and called away a quarter-boat. The men 
 came tumbling aft eager to attempt the rescue of their 
 unfortunate shipmate. The storm was at its height. 
 The sea was rolling tremendously, the waves breaking 
 fiercely. Lord Cochrane, who at once assumed com 
 mand, decided that there was no chance that any boat 
 could live in such a sea and that if he allowed a boat 
 to be lowered, he would be jeopardizing or throwing 
 away the lives of a number of men in a vain effort to 
 save one. To his experienced judgment the hazard 
 was too great for the doubtful end. 
 
 Captain Cochrane sternly ordered the boat kept fast, 
 sent the reluctant men back to their stations and kept the 
 ship on her course. Other captains recognizing such a 
 risk would have made the same decision, but few would 
 have been able to retain the affection of their men after 
 so doing. For men in such a case do not reason clearly ; 
 their sympathies and affections are aroused. They only 
 see a shipmate afloat and no effort made to rescue him. 
 They are prone to blame their captain. 
 
 In the larger quest before him Cochrane would not 
 have hesitated to have sacrificed a small boat and her 
 crew. But there was really no reason why he should 
 not stop, and as the boat had obviously come from the 
 Spanish frigate and as he reasoned that the firing indi 
 cated the deserters were enemies, and as they might 
 have news, he instantly made up his mind to heave to his 
 own ship and take them aboard. 
 
 By the time the O'Higgins had drawn a short dis 
 tance ahead of the dingey, they saw her shoot up into 
 the wind and back her main yard. As she slowly came
 
 The Admiral Suggests the Easiest Way 209 
 
 to rest the dingey drove alongside at the starboard 
 gangway. Lights had been shown to indicate the way, 
 and, Clough in the lead, the Americans filed aboard. 
 The now useless boat was cast adrift as Rice, the last 
 one to leave her, stepped out of her. 
 
 The flag captain, another Englishman named Cros- 
 bie, with a group of Chilean officers, met them at the 
 gangway. He nodded as Captain Clough saluted him 
 and, being a man of few words, simply said, 
 
 " Come aft to the quarter deck." 
 
 The little band of Americans headed by the officers 
 of the Chilean flagship presently ranged themselves 
 before the great seaman whose flag flew at the mizzen 
 of the O'Higgins. Lanterns were at hand and in their 
 light they saw a tall spare man, the redness of whose 
 hair could be noticed beneath his cocked hat, who fixed 
 upon them a pair of fierce, piercing gray eyes which 
 looked at them over a big prominent nose which again 
 rose above a square, determined jaw. On the whole, 
 the effect was one of power, but the strong face was 
 good to look at for its humor and its nobility. 
 
 The lanterns were held high by quartermasters so 
 that all parties to the interview were plainly visible to 
 one another. 
 
 "Who are you, sirs?" asked the great admiral in a 
 clear, strong voice. 
 
 "We are Americans, sir." 
 
 " Beggin' your honor's pardon, one of us is Eng 
 lish," burst out old Broadrib, edging his way into 
 the light. 
 
 "Ah," said his lordship. He fixed a quick glance
 
 2io Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 on the latest speaker. His face broke into the sunniest 
 of smiles. For so grim a countenance it was a trans 
 formation. "As I live," he exclaimed, "if it isn't old 
 Bill Broadrib, my best bo's'n's mate!" 
 
 " Which it's the same, your honor, an' mighty lucky 
 an' glad I am to be aboard your honor's ship again," 
 said Broadrib, grinning from ear to ear. 
 
 "I am glad to recognize an old shipmate and ac 
 quaintance, sir," said the admiral, turning again to 
 Captain Clough. " I beg your pardon for the interrup 
 tion. Will you proceed?" 
 
 "He is well worth recognizing," said Clough, "for 
 a better seaman and a truer heart I never have come 
 
 across." 
 
 "Nor I," assented the admiral. "I am glad to see 
 you, Broadrib. I need a few like you who know the 
 old ways. But you were saying, sir? " he went on, with 
 exquisite courtesy to the American. 
 
 " We are the survivors of the crew of the New Bed 
 ford whaler, Sharon" continued Clough. " You doubt 
 less noticed two ships before the light fell." 
 
 "Yes," said the admiral, "but as one was, I ob 
 served, a merchant ship, I confined my attention to the 
 other. I am not mistaken in thinking she was the 
 Spanish frigate, Esmeralda, am I?" 
 
 " No, your lordship." 
 
 "And you come from her? That firing?" 
 
 "Was directed at us." 
 
 " I see you have a story to tell," said the admiral, 
 pausing a moment. " Perhaps you will come below to 
 my cabin and take a glass of wine with me while I hear
 
 The Admiral Suggests the Easiest Way 211 
 
 what you have to say. I am most interested, sir, in 
 anything that concerns that Spanish ship." 
 
 "We are entirely at your service, sir," said Clough 
 promptly. 
 
 The admiral turned and surveyed the little group of 
 his own officers back of him. 
 
 " Miller," he said to the commander of marines, 
 "will you accompany us, and you, Captain Crosbie?" 
 
 " Gladly, sir," answered both gentlemen, promptly. 
 
 "Any orders before we go below, sir?" added 
 Crosbie. 
 
 " None," said the admiral. " Keep the ship on her 
 course and endeavor not to lose sight of the Esmeralda. 
 Call me when land is sighted in the morning, or if any 
 thing happens. Signal to the rest of the squadron to 
 follow my motions." 
 
 "Very good sir," said Crosbie, saluting and giving 
 the necessary orders to the officer of the watch. 
 
 Presently the admiral, the two officers in the Chilean 
 service, both Englishmen by the way, and the four men 
 from the Sharon entered the spacious cabin of the flag 
 officer. 
 
 The O'Higgins had been captured from the Span 
 iards two years before. She was a sister ship to the 
 Esmeralda. She had been fitted out for a flag like that 
 vessel and the five Americans instantly felt at home in 
 their new surroundings. Wine and biscuit were pro 
 duced. The admiral gracefully drank the health of 
 the newcomers and then asked for their story. 
 
 Rapidly Captain Clough narrated the exciting and 
 dramatic incidents which had made the cruise of the
 
 212 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Sharon so remarkable, the admiral interposing with a 
 shrewd question now and then, answered sometimes by 
 Clough, more rarely by old Broadrib. Rice and Storey 
 kept modestly silent in the background. 
 
 "And so," said Captain Clough, "we decided that 
 our best chance would be to get away from the Esme- 
 ralda and get ourselves picked up by your lordship," 
 
 The admiral roared with laughter as the dinner 
 which had resulted so disastrously for the Spanish cap 
 tain was described to him. 
 
 "Gad! " he exclaimed. "I would like to have been 
 there." 
 
 " That was a trick quite like some of your own, your 
 honor," said old Broadrib. 
 
 " I never did anything better myself," said Lord 
 Cochrane. 
 
 "That is high praise, sir," said Captain Clough, 
 " for Broadrib here has been singing your praises over 
 six thousand leagues of sea." 
 
 "Yes, he and I have been in some tight situations 
 together. You remember that day on the Imperieuse, 
 Broadrib, when we tackled the whole French fleet single- 
 handed in Basque Roads?" 
 
 " Indeed, I does, your honor," laughed the old man. 
 " I've told my shipmates, here, all about it." 
 
 " Do you remember the day we took the Gamo?" 
 
 " Do I," said Broadrib, reddening with pleasure at 
 the notice he was receiving from the great man. " Why, 
 sir, I've been promisin' to spin that yarn to Cap'n 
 Clough an' these shipmates of mine, but I've never had 
 no chance to do it yet."
 
 The Admiral Suggests the Easiest Way 213 
 
 "It isn't much of a yarn," said the admiral. " We 
 ran the Speedy alongside the Spanish frigate and got 
 so close to her that she couldn't fire into us, as we were 
 so small we lay beneath her batteries. She couldn't 
 depress her guns enough. Taking every man but the 
 paymaster, who stood by the wheel, we went aboard the 
 Spaniard and took her out of hand after a smart en 
 counter. That was all." 
 
 In this way did the admiral refer to a most astound 
 ing feat of arms in which the little fourteen-gun brig, 
 Speedy, with a crew of fifty men, captured the thirty- 
 two gun frigate Gamo with a crew of three hundred. 
 The Speedy boldly sailed alongside her big antagonist, 
 as the admiral had said, and her men, with Cochrane 
 in the lead, boarded the Spaniard under cover of the 
 smoke of her own batteries firing uselessly. 
 
 "You forgot one little fact, though, your lordship," 
 said old Broadrib, his sides shaking with merriment 
 at the recollection. 
 
 "What was that?" asked the admiral, smiling remi- 
 niscently himself. 
 
 "Why, you had all us black our faces so when we 
 bust on the Spaniards out of the smoke, they thought 
 we was devils which some of us was." 
 
 " I guess that is one reason why they call his lordship 
 El Diabolo now," said Miller, the fleet marine officer 
 who had already distinguished himself in many of 
 the conflicts between the Chileans and the Spaniards 
 and who had been several times severely wounded, 
 but who always turned up smiling, ready for the next 
 affray.
 
 214 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 " It was hot work for a while, old shipmate," laughed 
 the admiral, with the rest. " But we got her." 
 
 "Your lordship generally gits what you goes after," 
 said old Broadrib. 
 
 "And I'll get the Esmeralda, too," said Cochrane 
 with a sudden grim determination, " if I have to cut 
 her out of Callao harbor from under the batteries of 
 the forts and the guns of all New Spain. She shall not 
 escape me. She is the principal ship left in the Spanish 
 naval establishment and if we can get hold of her, the 
 rest will be easy." 
 
 " I should like to see her captured," said Captain 
 Clough, who had been consumed with anxiety to finish 
 the story and tell the admiral about the loss of the boy, 
 or the woman, but who had not felt that he could inter 
 rupt the great man out of hand, " after the way we were 
 treated; but to be frank, sir, our interest is in regaining 
 my own ship." 
 
 "Naturally," interposed Cochrane. 
 
 "But more than that, the missing member of my 
 crew, sir," continued the American. 
 
 " Oh, the brave boy whom you mentioned ! I do not 
 see him," commented Cochrane, looking past Rice 
 and Storey. " I trust you did not lose him, Captain 
 Clough." 
 
 " I almost wish I had, your lordship," returned the 
 American, encouraged by the sympathetic interest of 
 the Englishman. 
 
 "How's that, sir?" 
 
 " My lord, in the struggle in the cabin, our plans mis 
 carried a little. Help came. I was unfortunately
 
 The Admiral Suggests the Easiest Way 215 
 
 thrown, or fell rather, through the stern port, and the 
 boy was left behind." 
 
 " That's bad," said Cochrane, " but it might be worse. 
 They won't kill him, you know, whatever cruel treat 
 ment they mete out to him. And from what you have 
 said, he's a tough youngster able to take care of him 
 self." 
 
 " I must confess, Admiral, that the boy isn't a boy 
 at all " 
 
 " What, sir ! " exclaimed Cochrane, as clean hearted 
 as he was great, as all sorts of suspicions rushed into 
 his mind. 
 
 " My lord," answered Clough, promptly reading the 
 other man's thoughts, " Miss Audrey McRae is my affi 
 anced wife. She is as sweet and pure as any maid in 
 England." 
 
 "I beg your pardon, my friend," was the instant 
 reply. " This sad news that you tell me makes it the 
 more imperative that we take the Esmeralda at once. 
 And I shall do it, believe me." 
 
 " Thank you, thank you. But meanwhile " 
 
 "The young lady is in God's protection, sir. And 
 with His aid and her own mother-wit we have good 
 warrant in hoping for her safety and speedy restora 
 tion to you. Meanwhile let us concert plans for our 
 attack. You have a double interest and have every 
 right to be consulted. Besides, I shall be glad for your 
 advice, sir." 
 
 "An' if your honor pleases, there ain't no seaman 
 afloat which can give it better, sir," broke in old 
 Broadrib.
 
 216 Walf-o-the-Sea 
 
 The admiral nodded pleasantly at the old man and 
 then turned again to Clough. 
 
 " You say our people on the San Martin caused the 
 loss of your ship to the Esmeralda, Captain Clough?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, and I thought it particularly ungrateful of 
 the Chileans, since we saved their lives from the wreck 
 of the San Martin, to seize our ship, especially as there 
 wasn't the least bit of use in it They hadn't a ghost 
 of a show against the Esmeralda. And if they had 
 held their course she might have passed us by without 
 notice." 
 
 " Hardly likely," observed the admiral. 
 
 " Of course, much can be pardoned in men who are 
 fighting, as it were, with a halter around their necks," 
 interposed Captain Crosbie. 
 
 "The fate of Chilean prisoners is a hard one," said 
 Major Miller. "They treat them like dogs when they 
 don't kill them out of hand." 
 
 "That they do," assented the admiral. "And if I 
 hadn't threatened to hang the Spanish prisoners I have 
 taken " 
 
 "And if you hadn't taken so many, sir," interposed 
 Miller. 
 
 "Yes," said the admiral. "The balance is in our 
 favor. Well, gentlemen," he continued, " although you 
 did receive such hard treatment from the hands of 
 Captain Gutierrez and the men of the San Martin, I 
 think you have come out of it fairly well. I do not 
 think the Spanish captain has any justification in law, 
 international or otherwise, for seizing your ship. She 
 belongs to you and you have first claim to her. It has
 
 The Admiral Suggests the Easiest Way 217 
 
 always been my principle when I had a right to fight 
 for it to the last gasp. And if, in addition to a valuable 
 property right, there is also a woman in great peril to 
 fight for- 
 
 He shut his eyes as he thought for a moment of some 
 great fights he had waged against power and political 
 parties and flagrant abuses in England, and the many 
 times and ways he had fought for the brave woman 
 who loved him and who was indeed worth fighting 
 for. 
 
 "We intend to fight for her and the ship, sir," an 
 swered Captain Clough earnestly, putting the two in 
 their proper relation as he spoke. 
 
 " There are two courses open to you," went on the 
 admiral, who had a habit of settling everything him 
 self in accordance with his own wishes. 
 
 "We would be glad of your lordship's advice and 
 counsel, sir," said Captain Clough. 
 
 "And I give it gladly. The first course is to apply 
 to the representatives of the United States in Lima, the 
 capital of Peru." 
 
 " We had thought of that, sir, but that is a slow and 
 a tedious way." 
 
 " Good. I also distrust the law and lawyers," said 
 the doughty seaman whose experience with both had 
 been bitter. " Besides, I do not know how you would 
 get at them. General San Martin is marching up the 
 coast with an army, and everything is in a state of wild 
 confusion. It would take a long time at best. You 
 know what the law is, especially in Spanish America," 
 he said.
 
 218 Walf-o-the-Sea 
 
 Mr. Clough nodded. He did not really know, but 
 he had heard something about the law's delay, and he 
 had a sailor's distrust of any law but that of the sea. 
 
 "And whatever we might be willing to do about 
 the ship, the lady can't wait. To deliver her at once 
 is imperative," continued the admiral. 
 
 "What is the other course, sir?" Captain Clough 
 asked eagerly. 
 
 "A very simple one," answered Cochrane coolly. 
 " When I go in and cut out the Esmeralda, as I shall 
 surely do, you go in with us and cut out the whaler! 
 Whether Miss McRae's sex has been discovered or 
 not, she will probably be on one ship or the other, in 
 which case one of us will get her." 
 
 " I am afraid that four men, unless Lord Cochrane is 
 one of them, are hardly enough for that, sir," said Cap 
 tain Clough. "Although tnat is exactly the course we 
 should like to pursue." 
 
 " It seems to me," returned the admiral, much 
 pleased at the other's compliment, " that four men such 
 as you have shown yourselves to be are almost equal 
 to anything. But I will grant you that a prize like the 
 Sharon will probably be heavily manned, and in short, 
 I shall have to lend you a boat's crew of my own to 
 back you up." 
 
 " Very good, sir," said Clough. " But suppose they 
 have sent the young lady ashore, your lordship?" 
 
 " In that case, after we cut out the Esmeralda, the 
 town will be at my mercy. I will force her surrender 
 to me, or exchange my prisoners for her, under threat 
 of destroying the port."
 
 The Admiral Suggests the Easiest Way 219 
 
 'You forget the land batteries, sir," observed Cap 
 tain Crosbie. 
 
 " Beggin' your honor's pardon," burst out old Broad- 
 rib, " the Spanish batteries ain't planted that would keep 
 his lordship from helpin' that pretty little lady, or any 
 other feemale in distress." 
 
 ' You see, Crosbie," laughed the admiral, " with men 
 like you and Miller and this old shellback, and our gal 
 lant Americans, one can do anything, defy anybody. 
 Not all the batteries in Spanish America will prevent us 
 getting that brave girl." 
 
 "God bless your lordship," cried Captain Clough, 
 deeply moved by this sincere and heart-felt decision. 
 
 "Of course, you realize that it is my duty to point 
 out to you," continued the admiral, with a gravity and 
 seriousness quite belied by the twinkling of his eyes at 
 the turn of the conversation, " that the proper way to 
 adjust such a difference is to try it out through the 
 Spanish-American admiralty courts and that in taking 
 your ship and incidentally the young lady violently and 
 by force you are in effect, levying war on behalf of the 
 United States against the King of Spain. Doubtless 
 his officers regard Miss McRae as a prisoner of 
 war." 
 
 "That for the King of Spain, beggin' your honor's 
 pardon," interposed old Broadrib. " We've levied war 
 on him an' bigger men than him, afore, your honor an' 
 me." 
 
 Cochrane laughed. 
 
 "This is somewhat different, Broadrib," he said. 
 
 "I recognize what you say," said Captain Clough
 
 220 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 instantly. " Of course, the legal way would be the 
 proper one in the case of the ship if it were only that, 
 but we should be kept around here for months. We 
 would have to pay all kinds of fees and in the end we 
 might not succeed. But by your lordship's favor, Miss 
 McRae makes all the difference in the world. Prisoner 
 of war or not, I mean to have her, or take such venge 
 ance for her if a hair of her head has been hurt, as Spain 
 will not forget." 
 
 "And so do I," cried the admiral, delighted with the 
 other's spirit. 
 
 " Besides all which, the King of Spain levied war on 
 us first and we are only taking back our own." 
 
 "Good," said the admiral. "That's the spirit." 
 
 " May I be permitted to point out to you, sir," began 
 Captain Crosbie rather dryly, " that if we succeed in 
 this rather desperate undertaking your lordship pro 
 poses, our Chileans will have all the trouble of cutting 
 out the whaler without any of the prize money which 
 might rightfully be ours." 
 
 " Captain Crosbie," said Cochrane sharply, " inas 
 much as the misbehavior of the officers and seamen of 
 the Chilean Navy involved this American officer and his 
 men, to say nothing of the little lady in this difficulty, I 
 am of the opinion that the least we can do by way of 
 amends is to help him to get his ship back and to relin 
 quish all claim for prize money of any sort so far as 
 the Sharon is concerned." 
 
 "You will be pleased to remember," said Captain 
 Clough with much spirit, turning to Captain Crosbie, 
 " that we would never have been in this predicament at
 
 The Admiral Suggests the Easiest Way 221 
 
 all if it were not for our humanity toward the crew of 
 one of your own ships." 
 
 " Quite so," said Cochrane in a manner which settled 
 discussion. " Now I am ready to assist you to the ex 
 tent of arming you and giving you a cutter or launch 
 with a full crew of good men and if my Chileans are 
 poor sailors they will fight and you will be permitted 
 to take part in the cutting out expedition on one con 
 dition." 
 
 "What is that, sir?" 
 
 "That you let me have old Broadrib, whose worth 
 and value I know." 
 
 " I know his value, too, sir," said Clough reluctantly. 
 " He's worth more to us than a boat load of ordinary 
 men." 
 
 "Doubtless," continued the admiral. "That's why 
 I want him." 
 
 "An' beggin' your lordship's pardon," said old 
 Broadrib, "but I promised to stay by Cap'n Clough an' 
 my shipmates here till we got back to New Bedford. 
 An' besides, I want to see the lady safe with her ship 
 in harbor." 
 
 " I don't mean to claim you permanently, Broadrib," 
 explained the admiral, "but only for the cutting-out 
 expedition. You see, the brunt of the work will fall 
 upon us who attack the Esmeralda, a desperate under 
 taking, indeed, gentlemen. I have a good crew, but they 
 want leadership, especially in an expedition of this kind. 
 Broadrib here, who has been with me for years under 
 the English flag" the admiral stopped and bit his 
 lip as he thought of his glorious days under that flag
 
 222 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 now forbidden him through no fault of his own " and 
 he would be of the greatest assistance. You will prob 
 ably have a hot engagement on the decks of the Sharon, 
 but I will give you enough men to make victory certain 
 without my old shipmate." 
 
 Captain Clough still hung in the wind. 
 
 " Of course, I have to accede to any conditions you 
 lay down, sir, but " 
 
 " Captain Clough," said the admiral impressively, 
 "we are all Englishmen or Americans here. We speak 
 the same language, live under the same laws, however 
 different our governments may be, and we worship the 
 same God in the same way. Would God there had 
 never been any differences between us. I am alone 
 here with the exception of these two gentlemen and 
 two lieutenants, a midshipman and a few petty officers, 
 and seamen, with four hundred Chileans. The little 
 group of Englishmen and Americans have to do every 
 thing; that is, in the way of skill or training or leader 
 ship. The others will follow bravely enough, splen 
 didly, in fact, but they have to be shown the way. Do 
 you realize what it is to cut out a frigate like the Esme- 
 ralda from under the guns of the forts of Callao, to say 
 nothing of those of the smaller vessels that are in the 
 harbor? Why, sir, the minute she drops anchor they 
 will cram her with soldiers and they will place her where 
 every gun in the harbor bears on her. They know we 
 want her and they know that with me to want is to have. 
 Ordinarily an admiral wouldn't think of leading a boat 
 party in person, but I intend to do it. You can see what 
 stfaits we are in. You've got two good men back of
 
 The Admiral Suggests the ^Easiest Way 223 
 
 you. I can judge from the look of them. You see how 
 it is, Captain Clough. Will you lend me Broadrib for 
 the night in exchange for a cutter and thirty men and a 
 freehand?" 
 
 " Yes, sir," said Clough. " Under the circumstance, 
 I will, although I don't think" he looked admiringly 
 over at the big British sailor "that I am letting him 
 go any too cheap." 
 
 "I'm glad to be rated so high," said old Broadrib. 
 " I'm sorry not to go with you, Cap'n Clough, but his 
 lordship here needs me, an' in course I obeys his lord 
 ship's directions." 
 
 " It is understood, is it not, your lordship," asked 
 Clough, " that if we get safely through this under 
 taking, I am to have Broadrib back for my run home ? " 
 
 ; 'You are," answered Cochrane. "And I'll try to 
 make up a crew for you to enable you to work your 
 ship back to the States." 
 
 " Thank you, sir." 
 
 " In a way you will be a help to me because your 
 attack on the Sharon will be a diversion." 
 
 " And about bringing her out, sir, after we have got 
 her?" 
 
 '' There you are thrown on your own resources," said 
 the admiral. 
 
 " Are you going to bring out the frigate, may I ask ? " 
 
 " I hope to, but before I do I Intend to turn her guns 
 on the other ships in the harbor and the forts and make 
 a big killing of it. Well, it is late. I have no doubt 
 you would like to turn in. Captain Crosbie, will you 
 see that Broadrib is berthed for'ard with the warrant
 
 224 Walf-o-the-Sea 
 
 officers ? And enter him on the books as our boYn tem 
 porarily. The place is vacant, you know. You can 
 take the other two American seamen with you, Broad- 
 rib. Captain Clough, there is a spare berth in my cabin 
 you can have. And so, good night. We shall be off 
 Callao in the morning if the wind holds, and then I 
 hope to make it possible for you to get your promised 
 wife and your ship again."
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 AUDREY MAKES GOOD HER DEFENSE 
 
 AUDREY McRAE had not lived the hard life of 
 the sea, doing a boy's full share of work, almost 
 a man's at times, without developing a power and 
 strength far beyond that of the ordinary woman, and 
 that many a bigger boy might have envied. She was 
 terribly angry and excited when she struck the Spanish 
 captain in the face; she was roused to the utmost in 
 defense of her honor; her resentment was overwhelm 
 ing. Therefore she struck hard and swiftly. 
 
 Captain Cueto was caught unexpectedly. He had 
 become careless since his discovery of her sex. It never 
 occurred to him that he had anything to fear from a 
 young woman. He was unsteady anyway from the 
 manhandling of which he had already been the victim in 
 his cabin. He staggered, fell back, caught the edge of 
 the table, and thus barely saved himself from another 
 bad fall. His weakness or unreadiness gave the girl a 
 few precious moments which she put to instant use. 
 
 There was but one way to flee. To go out on deck 
 would result in her instant seizure by the crew. She 
 turned aft, and before her tormentor could prevent, 
 she had dashed through the open door of the captain's 
 private cabin, which she slammed hastily behind her. 
 The key was on the inside of the lock and she instantly 
 
 235
 
 226 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 turned it. She had not a moment to spare, for the door 
 was scarcely secured before Captain Cueto thrust vio 
 lently against it. The key bolt was a frail barrier or 
 protection. Another moment and the -determined ef 
 forts of the Spaniard would have broken in the door. 
 
 But Audrey's fears and hesitations were gone. No 
 man could have thought more clearly or acted more 
 quickly and decisively. On the desk in the captain's 
 cabin lay an open case of pistols, charged and ready 
 for use. The girl seized one, pointed it at the door and 
 pulled the trigger. 
 
 Fortunately for Captain Cueto he had drawn back 
 from the door for a final rush against it, and the bullet, 
 crashing through the door, whistled by his cheek and 
 buried itself in the forward bulkhead of the cabin. It 
 had its effect, however, for the captain immediately got 
 out of range of any further shots. It gave him an 
 inkling as to the character and spirit of the woman with 
 whom he had presumed to trifle. To do him justice he 
 could not but admire the courage and resolution of the 
 girl, although she had so nearly taken his life. And it 
 made him more determined than ever in his pursuit 
 of her. 
 
 Audrey heard him moving about in the main cabin, 
 and inferred, a little thankfully, it must be admitted, for 
 she was a woman after all, that she had not killed, and 
 probably not even wounded, her enemy. Satisfied that 
 she had no assault to fear for the moment, she sought 
 to barricade the door. All the heavy furniture of the 
 cabin was, of course, screwed to deck and bulkheads, 
 but by means of chairs, a locker door which she pried
 
 Audrey Makes Good Her Defense 227 
 
 off its hinges by using the captain's sword, she did 
 manage to secure the door so that at least it could not 
 be burst open without giving her time to defend it. 
 
 Then she reloaded the discharged pistol, finding the 
 materials in the desk, and examined its fellow in the 
 case to make sure it was also in working order. Next 
 she closed and locked the port shutters to prevent any 
 entrance into the cabin by anyone dropping down from 
 the deck above. Having thus done all possible for her 
 safety with the means at hand and under the condi 
 tions prevailing, she lay down in the berth, intending 
 to rest, but not to sleep. 
 
 Fear and excitement kept her awake for some time, 
 but as nothing happened, she finally fell asleep despite 
 her determination. It was broad daylight when she 
 awoke and opened the port shutters for a look out. 
 Her heart jumped when she saw land off to one side 
 and close at hand. 
 
 There were forts and batteries along the shore, more 
 forts higher up and inland, while all about were the 
 buildings of a fine and extensive old Spanish town. She 
 had never made the port, but she knew, of course, it 
 must be Callao to which the Esmeralda had been head 
 ing. There were many ships in the harbor, some of 
 them obviously vessels of war. 
 
 The way on the Esmeralda was very much checked. 
 She was sailor enough to realize that the frigate was 
 under reduced canvas preparatory to bringing to at her 
 anchorage. She had but little way on, and as she slowly 
 drifted in with the tide, a heavy frigate suddenly came 
 into Audrey's field of vision. From the gaff end of this
 
 228 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 fine vessel of war the Stars and Stripes fluttered out 
 bravely in the fresh breeze of the morning blowing 
 into the harbor. 
 
 Audrey stared at it with a love and longing she had 
 not thought it possible any sight, unless it were her 
 brave and handsome young lover and protector, could 
 arouse. The flag of the United States on one of the 
 ships of war of the Republic! If she could only get 
 aboard that ship she would be safe from Captain Cueto 
 and the whole power of Spain with South America 
 added. Audrey could swim unusually well. For a 
 moment she thought of dropping overboard through 
 the stern window and trying for the frigate, but a sec 
 ond thought convinced her that long before she could 
 get near enough to hail the American ship she would be 
 overhauled and brought back to the Esmeralda. She 
 instinctively realized that the Spanish captain would not 
 be easily balked of his prey, and with a sigh of regret 
 she gave over the half-formed design. 
 
 Still the presence of the frigate gave her a deal of 
 comfort. And she took more comfort in the thought 
 that in all probability her lover had reached the O'Hig- 
 gins long since. She knew him well enough to be sure 
 that he would sooner or later effect her rescue. And 
 from what Broadrib had told them all about Admiral 
 Cochrane, she was equally sure that he would gladly do 
 everything in his power to lend Captain Clough efficient 
 aid. She could count on Broadrib and Rice and Storey 
 also. She well knew the spirit and enterprise in that 
 quartette. 
 
 Her condition, as she reviewed it while the Esme-
 
 Audrey Makes Good Her Defense 229 
 
 ralda slowly drifted in, was by no means hopeless. Her 
 problem was a simple one to hold Captain Cueto at 
 bay until she was rescued or exchanged, or until she 
 could get word to the American captain of the frigate 
 which the movements of the Esmeralda had now caused 
 her to lose sight of. 
 
 She felt certain that she had no danger of any assault 
 to apprehend from the captain in the day time. And 
 she knew that now that he had discovered her sex he 
 would not subject her to the threatened public flogging 
 at least not so long as he had any hope of winning 
 her affections. So her heart was much lighter than it 
 had been. She trusted in God, in Captain Clough, in 
 his three devoted followers, in Admiral Cochrane, in 
 the American ship in the harbor, in her own wit and 
 courage, and in about the order set down. 
 
 She was hungry and very thirsty, but she possessed 
 her soul in what patience she could until the crash 
 of the anchor as it was dropped overboard and the 
 stoppage of the ship as the flukes took ground and 
 the cable was finally checked, told her that one stage 
 of her adventurous cruise was over. As the frigate 
 swung to the tide she caught another glimpse of the 
 American man-of-war, far astern, and then of the bat 
 tered but homely and familiar whaler upon which she 
 had passed through so many adventures and aboard 
 which she had lost her heart. She wished she were 
 back upon the decks of the Sharon once more, her hands 
 on the wheel, Captain Clough giving his orders, and 
 the men busied about their sailors' tasks. 
 
 She had thought it safe to unbarricade the cabin door.
 
 230 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 though she still kept it locked. After the ship came to 
 anchor and had been made snug alow and aloft, she 
 was not surprised to hear a cautious knock on the door 
 and the captain's voice calling her. 
 
 "Seiiorita," he began ingratiatingly in English, of 
 course, " don't fire again. I wish to talk to you. Will 
 you come out?" 
 
 " Speak on," answered Audrey. " I can hear you 
 through the door." 
 
 She seized a pistol as she spoke, and the Spaniard 
 listening could hear her cocking it. 
 
 "You need not fear me, Seiiorita," he continued 
 quickly. 
 
 " I don't," came in swift interruption, but he went on 
 without noticing her interjection. 
 
 " I pledge you my word that no harm is intended 
 you, the word of a Spanish officer and gentleman." 
 
 Now Audrey knew that the captain was the one, 
 but she felt equal assurance that he was not the 
 other. She temporized, therefore, and questioned 
 him further. 
 
 "And after last night, why should I trust your word. 
 Senor?" 
 
 " Last night I was mad. Today I am sane. I want 
 nothing to do with a woman who would return bullets 
 for kisses. I only wish to get you out of my ship in 
 return for your promise to say nothing of our ah 
 little misadventure, when you are safe among your 
 friends." 
 
 Captain Cueto was an excellent actor, especially when 
 it came to deceiving a woman. His words were frank
 
 Audrey Makes Good Her Defense 231 
 
 and satisfactory. He seemed sincere. Still Audrey 
 sought further assurance. 
 
 " What do you mean to do with me ? " she asked. 
 
 " What do you wish me to do ? " 
 
 " Send me back to the Chilean war ship to Captain 
 Clough." 
 
 If Audrey could have seen Captain Cueto's face 
 darken at this, she would have been not a little enlight 
 ened as to his trustworthiness. 
 
 "That is impossible," he answered quickly. 
 
 "Well, then put me aboard that American ship we 
 passed. 
 
 " Gladly. Open the door." 
 
 " On your honor?" 
 
 "On my honor, Senorita; faith of a gentleman of 
 Spain! I shall call away a boat instantly and myself 
 deliver you aboard the American ship." 
 
 Taking the precaution to slip one of the pistols into 
 the inside pocket of her jacket, and having pinned her 
 torn shirt together as well as possible, Audrey now 
 unlocked and opened the door. Captain Cueto had 
 schooled his bruised face into an expression of friend 
 liness and he made no effort to molest her at all. On the 
 contrary, with extreme courtesy he pointed to the cabin 
 door and requested her to go out on deck. When 
 Audrey returned by demanding that he go first, he shot 
 an eloquent look of mingled protest and injured inno 
 cence at her and murmured as he obeyed: 
 
 "Alas, you do not trust me after all, Senorita." 
 
 And decidedly " after all " that was true. 
 
 However, it appeared that the Spaniard really meant
 
 232 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 to play fair. A boat was called away and the girl and 
 the captain took their places in it after it had been 
 brought to the gangway. The big sergeant of marines 
 also went with them, taking his seat in the stern sheets 
 near Audrey by Captain Cueto's direction. 
 
 "You are such an exceedingly spirited and danger 
 ous young lady," said the captain, smiling rather rue 
 fully, " as both the sergeant's hand and my face can tes 
 tify, that it is well to take precautions." 
 
 As the cutter rounded the bows of the Esmeralda, the 
 Sharon, near at hand, and the American frigate, a mile 
 or so beyond, came into view. The captain said some 
 thing to the coxswain of the cutter in his box aft and 
 then turning to Audrey, explained that he had given him 
 an order to steer for the American ship. 
 
 Audrey could scarcely believe in her good fortune. 
 Was she to get out of all her troubles so easily? For 
 the moment she almost felt grateful to the Spanish 
 captain.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 A PROMISE BROKEN TO THE HOPE 
 
 IT WAS not until the cutter swerved to starboard 
 and swung in toward the gangway of the Sharon 
 that Audrey realized the double dealing of her captor. 
 When she exacted his promise to put her aboard the 
 American ship, she referred to the man-of-war, as he 
 very well knew. Too late the girl realized that while 
 he kept the promise to her ear, he intended to break 
 it to her hope. Constructively the Sharon was an Amer 
 ican ship, though in possession, whether lawfully or 
 not, of the Spaniards. And it was by this subterfuge 
 he saved his honor! 
 
 He sustained as best he could Audrey's outspoken 
 contempt, pointing out to her in a vain effort to mitigate 
 her anger that he was literally keeping his word. 
 
 " Senorita," he pleaded, " I can not release you now. 
 But you will be unharmed even if a prisoner on the 
 Sharon. I pledge you my word to that " 
 
 " Your wordl " interposed Audrey hotly, " and what 
 is it worth?" 
 
 " Much. You will be on the American ship, as I 
 promised. I shall keep faith with you. Senorita," he 
 went on in English which was, of course, entirely unin 
 telligible to the boat crew, " I was wrong about you and 
 the Americano. I ask your forgiveness. I prove my
 
 234 - JVaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 honesty in this. I am in love with you. I am an hidalgo 
 of Spain. I would fain win your heart. You can ask 
 me anything " 
 
 "Set me free, then," exclaimed the girl passionately. 
 
 "Anything but that, Senorita," replied the captain 
 with equal intensity. "When I know that you leave 
 your heart with me then you may go, because you will 
 return." 
 
 " Never. American women are not won that way, 
 and every hour of restraint stiffens my resistance and 
 deepens my hatred." 
 
 The Spaniard's dark face crimsoned at these bitter 
 words. He controlled himself as best he could, how 
 ever. 
 
 "We shall see," he replied simply, not seeking to 
 controvert her and adding these words whose undoubted 
 truth, while they failed to move her, made her realize 
 the more the desperate case in which she stood. " Re 
 member, I could set you ashore, turn you adrift, give 
 you over to the tender mercies of Callao. And be well 
 assured of this, that in all Peru the only being who 
 stands between you and you can guess what, Seno 
 rita, is myself." 
 
 The boat being now alongside the whaler in obe 
 dience to his order, Audrey scrambled up the battens 
 to the deck, the captain following her. He thus ad 
 dressed Lieutenant Morelos, who had the deck and 
 was in command of the prize: 
 
 "Senor, you will hold this lady " 
 
 "Lady!" exclaimed Morelos in his astonishment at 
 the unexpected revelation.
 
 A Promise Broken to the Hope 235 
 
 " The boy is become a woman. We were all fooled. 
 But we shall be no longer. I have sent ashore for dress 
 suited to her sex; when it reaches this ship she will dis 
 card these boy's clothes for it." 
 
 ".Never," exclaimed Audrey, who somehow felt 
 more able to face the world and overcome its dangers 
 in the clothes she wore rather than in the unfamiliar 
 gowns of her sex. 
 
 " Lieutenant Morelos, this lady is absolutely in your 
 charge," continued the captain, making no other answer 
 to Audrey's outburst. " She is to have the exclusive 
 use of the captain's cabin. She is to have the freedom 
 of the quarter deck at reasonable hours. You will 
 guard her person carefully, at the same time holding her 
 in the deepest respect. She is " he paused a moment, 
 "my property." 
 
 Audrey stamped her foot upon the deck in futile and 
 indignant protest. 
 
 " I shall obey your excellency's orders," answered 
 Morelos, bowing. 
 
 " Good. Escort the lady to her cabin and rejoin me 
 here." 
 
 Presently, while Audrey reluctantly followed More 
 los, and Captain Cueto waited idly on the quarter deck 
 of the whaler, the signal midshipman of the prize crew 
 came aft and, respectfully saluting, informed his cap 
 tain that the Esmeralda had signaled a message to 
 him. 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 ' You have guests, excellency ladies." 
 
 " Reply that I shall come aboard in a short time and
 
 236 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 ask them to be good enough to await me," said Cueto, 
 his face darkening again. 
 
 It was apparent that he neither wished for nor re 
 joiced in the presence of these ladies aboard the Esmer- 
 alda at that time, whoever they might be. Indeed, there 
 was no uncertainty in his mind as to their identity. 
 Donna Inez Pacheco and her duenna would certainly 
 come to him at the earliest moment, provided he did 
 not go to her. For Captain Cueto was completely 
 involved in an affair with Donna Inez, a wealthy and 
 beautiful young widow of Peru. He had fallen deeply 
 in love with her, and had been true to her in thought 
 and act until Audrey, so bewitchingly different from all 
 the women he had hitherto met, had crossed his course. 
 And so perhaps he would be when he tired of the Amer 
 ican girl. Captain Cueto had no intention of giving 
 up the ducats of Donna Inez. Marriage with her must 
 not be abandoned. But he was even more ardently 
 determined not to resist his sudden passion for his fas 
 cinating American prisoner. He had a difficult role to 
 play; still, with two ships on which to play it, he thought 
 it not an impossible one. And he might have succeeded 
 despite the odds against him but for treachery on his 
 own ship. 
 
 Lieutenant Suarez, his first officer, was also in love 
 with Donna Inez. He was bitterly jealous of his supe 
 rior, rightly fancying but for the other's higher rank 
 and station that he himself might have had a chance. 
 Neither he nor anyone on the Esmeralda except the 
 captain was aware of the true sex of the seeming boy. 
 He welcomed Donna Inez and her duenna gladly and
 
 A Promise Broken to the Hope 237 
 
 explaining that Captain Cueto had gone to the Ameri 
 can prize with his solitary prisoner, a ship's boy, he 
 offered her the hospitality of the Captain's cabin and 
 sought to entertain her and incidentally kindle her 
 admiration by a vivid, highly colored account of their 
 adventurous course, with, of course, himself in the 
 leading role. 
 
 Meantime, just after the interchange of signals, a 
 shore boat approached the Sharon and there was deliv 
 ered to Captain Cueto a large parcel from the leading 
 dealer in woman's apparel in Callao, which had been 
 assembled and sent off to him in compliance with a 
 message he had sent ashore so soon as the frigate 
 anchored. 
 
 Bidding Morelos keep close watch, the captain went 
 aft into the cabin with the parcel. Audrey, who had 
 been sitting on a transom in the outer cabin, rose as he 
 entered. The captain laid the parcel on the table. 
 
 "These, Senorita," he began, indicating the parcel 
 whose strings he broke, " are a complete outfit for a 
 young lady of your station whom I honor with my affec 
 tion. You will put them on at once and wear them here 
 after. Should anything be lacking, you have only to 
 mention it to Lieutenant Morelos, who will tell me, 
 and I shall see that you get it." 
 
 " I prefer to dress as I am," answered Audrey stub 
 bornly, thrusting away the opened parcel with its rich 
 and brilliant articles of wear. 
 
 " I regret to disregard your preference, Senorita, but 
 it is my wish " 
 
 "I won't do it."
 
 238 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 "You will immediately obey me or I will detail a 
 boatswain and his mates to ah assist you." 
 
 There was no mistaking the captain's determination. 
 He would have his way. It pleased him to play the gal 
 lant in part. Perhaps he hoped to prevail by such arts 
 in the end. But in the beginning it was necessary that 
 he should let the woman see that if he willed he was 
 master. He knew of no better way. 
 
 ; 'You would not submit me to such an indignity," 
 said the girl. 
 
 "Would I not?" He drew out his watch. "If in 
 one minute you are not inside the cabin with those 
 clothes, and if in one minute more you do not pass 
 out to me those you are wearing, I will undertake 
 the duties of a lady's maid myself, with the assis 
 tance of such men of the crew as may be necessary 
 to subdue you." 
 
 This was the real captain speaking, his veneer of 
 courtesy and kindness falling from him. There was 
 no more doubt that he had the will than there was 
 that he had the power. Raging at her impotence, 
 Audrey gave up. She did not wait the expiration 
 of the appointed time. She seized the clothes and 
 fled to the cabin. In a few moments she threw her 
 jacket and trousers through the door. Captain Cueto 
 picked them up, put them in a locker, turned the key, 
 put it in his pocket, laughed triumphantly, and went 
 out on deck. Thence, after repeating his caution to 
 his prize master, he descended to the boat, was rowed 
 to the frigate, and dismissing rather summarily 
 Lieutenant Suarez, who was comporting himself as
 
 A Promise Broken to the Hope 239 
 
 if he owned the ship, he took Donna Inez into 
 his arms. 
 
 He really loved the hot-blooded, fierce-tempered, 
 jealous-hearted Spanish woman. He was genuinely 
 rejoiced to see her again. His kisses lacked nothing 
 that she could wish. In his ardent protestations she 
 found no flaw. Yet at the same time he was thinking 
 of the inaccessible American girl and wondering how 
 she looked in the bewitching dress of a lady of Spain. 
 He almost wished he had stayed a little longer to see 
 the results of his commands. 
 
 Donna Inez stayed to luncheon on the frigate, and 
 then as there was much for Don Baldamero to do in 
 plan and execution for the safety of his ship, he himself 
 took her to shore in his own first cutter, promising to 
 come to her that evening for a longer and happier 
 visit. 
 
 Lieutenant Suarez had also asked and received per 
 mission to spend a few hours ashore. He had just 
 learned something of importance. Captain Cueto had 
 made one mistake. His conversation with Audrey in 
 the cutter had, it is true, been carried on in English, but 
 he had repeatedly addressed her as "Senorita." The 
 boat's crew heard it, and although there had been no 
 communication between the Sharon and the Esmeralda, 
 every seaman on the frigate soon knew that Audrey 
 was a woman. And it was not long before the news 
 reached the officers. Without saying anything to the 
 captain the first lieutenant interrogated the coxswain 
 of the cutter, satisfied himself that the tidings were 
 true, asked for a short shore leave, went off in the cutter
 
 240 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 with the others, communing with himself as to the 
 proper use to make of the facts to the furtherance of 
 his own interests. 
 
 Audrey, dressed in an exquisitely chosen Spanish cos 
 tume the captain's taste was unexceptionable and 
 his direction had been minute came out on deck 
 after her solitary luncheon and caught sight of the 
 captain's boat pulling in toward the landing. She saw 
 that two of the passengers were women and took a 
 little comfort from that fact. She thought surely that 
 if she could only reach a woman with an appeal she 
 would be safe. 
 
 She was still on deck when the captain's boat re 
 turned. He gallantly saluted her. He would fain 
 have boarded the Sharon but he could not then spare 
 the time. There were too many necessary precautions 
 to be taken. The Chilean frigates were still in the 
 offing, slowly beating to and fro across the mouth of 
 the harbor. The risk was too great to warrant any 
 indifference or neglect. He contented himself by hail 
 ing her and bidding her prepare to receive him late that 
 very night. He would stop on his return from the city, 
 where he intended to dine. 
 
 Audrey shuddered at the warning. Instinctively her 
 hand went to the bosom of her dress where, with infi 
 nite difficulty on account of its bulkiness, she had man 
 aged to conceal that loaded pistol she had taken from 
 the captain's case and which he had not yet missed. 
 In it was her only earthly hope.
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 BOLD PREPARATIONS 
 
 AS HAD been foreseen, the O'Higgins failed to 
 overtake the Esmeralda, which with her unlawful 
 prize, had got safely into the Callao harbor. The 
 O'Higgins with the Independenda and the Lautaro, the 
 other two Chilean war ships, established a strict block 
 ade and for the moment the admiral attempted nothing 
 whatever, although the inaction was killing to Captain 
 Clough. Indeed it did not seem possible that even 
 Cochrane's daring and genius could effect anything with 
 the odds so heavily against him. 
 
 The Spanish naval forces in the Pacific had been 
 reduced by capture and shipwreck to three frigates; 
 two of them were small and of no especial importance 
 and they were in harbors farther up the coast. The 
 Esmeralda, however, a new forty-four-gun ship, was a 
 formidable vessel and her existence was a constant 
 menace. If she could be captured, the other Spanish 
 ships and gun-boats could be dealt with easily. They 
 would, in fact, become negligible, and the Chilean 
 armies advancing up the coast to effect the liberation 
 of the province of Peru, would be greatly helped in 
 their endeavor. 
 
 Indeed, the capture of the Esmeralda was vital to 
 the success of the rebellious colonists, and Lord Coch- 
 
 241
 
 242 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 rane was determined to take her. All this quite apart 
 from his gallant desire and determination to restore the 
 brave girl to the young American seaman who continued 
 to please his lordship greatly. The Spaniards were as 
 keenly alive to the importance of retaining the Esme- 
 ralda as their enemies were for taking her. Although 
 no one could see how even the most foolhardy seaman 
 would make any attempt to cut her out under the con 
 ditions prevailing, yet they neglected no precaution 
 whatever. 
 
 Captain Cueto, in the intervals left him between his 
 various and pressing love affairs, showed not a little 
 enterprise and skill. First of all he reinforced his crew 
 by a large contingent of soldiers from the shore. Next 
 he moored his ship with springs on her cables so that 
 she could be swung in any way and her heavy batteries 
 commanded the harbor. Callao, as the last good Span 
 ish port in South America, was heavily fortified. No 
 less than three hundred guns were mounted in forts 
 and batteries, many of which commanded and protected 
 not only the approaches, but the frigate herself. There 
 were thirty small gun-boats in the harbor, each one of 
 which was so placed as to afford additional protection to 
 the Esmeralda. There were a few minor war vessels in 
 the port as well, and they too were manned and armed. 
 A heavy prize crew was placed on the Sharon, whose 
 name had been painted out and whose nationality was 
 carefully disguised from the foreign ships of war. The 
 American frigate, for instance, had not the least suspi 
 cion of the whaler, for her wrecked condition and jury 
 rig made it impossible to identify her without a closer
 
 Bold Preparations 243 
 
 inspection than the Americans had opportunity to 
 make. 
 
 In addition to these obvious arrangements, a great 
 boom of logs chained together and which had been 
 previously prepared for such an emergency was thrown 
 across the channel in front of the Esmeralda to pre 
 vent possible boat attacks. Of course there was an 
 opening in the boom, to permit the passage of friendly 
 craft, but in that opening a Spanish guard-boat with a 
 heavy crew was stationed, and it too could be closed in 
 an emergency. Including the garrison of the forts, the 
 crews of the ships and gun-boats, there were probably 
 ten thousand men under arms in Callao. 
 
 Poor Audrey in her unwonted Spanish dress surveyed 
 these busy preparations with a sinking heart. They 
 seemed to render it so unlikely as to be impossible that 
 her lover would ever rescue her. She could see the 
 Chilean squadron cruising to and fro in blockade across 
 the entrance to the harbor. She was certain that Cap 
 tain Clough was aboard the O'Higgins. She knew that 
 he would never give over the endeavor to rescue her. 
 She realized the value to the Chileans of the Esmeralda, 
 the absolute necessity of her capture. She could esti 
 mate Lord Cochrane's character and enterprise from 
 what Broadrib had told them all in those pleasant and 
 unforgettable hours on the Sharon, on which she was 
 now a lonely prisoner. But the odds were too heavy. 
 With the best will and the most eager desire in the 
 world, both love and courage and high endeavor could 
 not compass such success. 
 
 She thought she would surely have to depend upon
 
 244 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 her own exertions to get aboard the trim built, smart 
 looking American frigate, and hence to her lover's 
 arms again. But though she made many plans none 
 of them was possible of execution in view of the strict 
 watch that was kept over her, though she did have the 
 freedom of the deck and was unmolested, save for Cap 
 tain Cueto's visits, in the cabin. She did not realize 
 that a helper who was neither her lover, nor the Amer 
 ican frigate, but a woman, was close at hand. 
 
 To attack such a force as Audrey noted with dismay 
 was available for the defense of the Esmeralda > Ad 
 miral Cochrane had three ships, all of them leaky and 
 more or less unseaworthy, and, although the O'Higg'ms 
 had been built for a man-of-war and was rated as a 
 fifty-gun frigate, she would have been no match in her 
 present condition, had the men commanding the respect 
 ive ships been equal, for the new Esmeralda alone. 
 
 The Independencia and the Lautaro were converted 
 merchant ships, lightly built, small in size and of neces 
 sity lightly armed. There were not seven hundred and 
 fifty men all told under the admiral's command. Gen 
 eral San Martin, who was invading Peru, was still far 
 away and could render no assistance whatever. 
 
 The precautions they took showed the healthy re 
 spect the Spaniards had for him they called El Diabolo. 
 For no one but a man of incarnate courage, consum 
 mate daring and genius would have thought for a mo 
 ment of cutting out the frigate so protected. Captain 
 Clough would have attempted it, but then he had more 
 powerful motives even than the admiral. And after 
 all, aside from the frantic lover, Admiral Cochrane
 
 Bold Preparations 245 
 
 was the one man who had the desperation to conceive 
 such an undertaking, and the boldness to attempt to 
 carry it out. Under a flag of truce he had sent in chal 
 lenges to the Spanish commander to come out and fight 
 him ship for ship, to which no attention whatsoever had 
 been paid. At the same time he had demanded the 
 return of the boy, Rey McRae, unlawfully detained ; and 
 as before the Spaniard did not even deign to answer. 
 
 With the Admiral's permission, Captain Clough had 
 also taken advantage of the flag to send in word on his 
 own account. He did not challenge Captain Cueto to 
 any bodily encounter. He simply wrote him in terse 
 blunt words that if anything happened to the boy Rey, 
 he, Captain Clough, would kill him, Captain Cueto, if 
 he had to follow him to Spain to do it. And when 
 Broadrib and Rice and Storey learned what their 
 young commander had written they asked the privilege 
 of signing the letter on their own account, which was 
 promptly accorded them. Broadrib indeed wanted to 
 make the threat stronger. 
 
 Captain Clough also wrote a note to Audrey, relating 
 what he had said to the Spaniard, and bidding her keep 
 up her courage. He wrote as if to a boy, on the chance 
 and because of the hope that it had not been discovered 
 that she was a woman. And for that same reason the 
 admiral had done the same thing. 
 
 Captain Cueto laughed contemptuously as he tore 
 up both notes and threw them into the sea. Of course 
 he did not deliver her letter to Audrey, and did not 
 even mention that he had received it when next he saw 
 her to prosecute his odious wooing.
 
 246 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Don Baldamero had, he thought, sufficiently demon 
 strated his own courage in that bloodless battle out of 
 range a few nights before and he did not purpose to 
 risk his ship any closer to the O'Higgins and her 
 doughty commander than he had to. As for the impo 
 tent American, he felt so secure he could snap his fingers 
 at him and his preposterous threat. His trouble came 
 from another quarter. He could not make up his mind 
 what to do with Donna Inez. 
 
 Admiral Cochrane had not expected that his chal 
 lenge would be accepted, so he went on quietly making 
 his preparations, and comforting the American with 
 assurances of ultimate success. To capture the Esme- 
 ralda seemed an impossibility to the Chilean officers 
 of the squadron, and even the English officers every 
 body except the three Americans and old Broadrib, in 
 fact regarded the attempt as so hazardous as to be 
 absurd. One or two of them actually ventured to point 
 out the dangers and even the impossibility to the ad 
 miral, but no one tried that a second time. As Coch 
 rane said, he had been accustomed to achieve the 
 impossible. And a man who had with a single frigate 
 attacked a dozen French ships-of-the-line was not to be 
 halted by all the Spaniards in South America. Captain 
 Clough felt exactly the same way. He was a man after 
 Cochrane's heart and the admiral even sounded him as 
 to the possibility of his entering the Chilean service un 
 der him a suggestion firmly but courteously rejected 
 by Clough. 
 
 Failing to entice the Esmeralda to come out and 
 engage him, Cochrane decided that he would cut her out
 
 Bold Preparations 247 
 
 at her moorings. This could only be done by a boat 
 expedition. It would have to be done at night. Such 
 was the confidence of the Chilean sailors and under 
 officers in their great commander that when he called 
 for volunteers to man the boats on this preposterous 
 adventure, practically the entire crews of the three ships 
 offered themselves. His lordship was thus enabled to 
 pick and choose, and he selected with great care two 
 hundred and forty of the best men, which he purposed 
 to transport in fourteen boats. There was an addi 
 tional boat in the expedition, a launch capable of carry 
 ing thirty or more men. This he gave to Captain 
 Clough according to his promise. 
 
 He appointed the night of November 5, 1820, for 
 the attempt. He gave to Guise, the captain of one of 
 the auxiliaries, the command of one of the divisions of 
 the boats, and to Crosbie, his flag-captain and the com 
 mander of the O'Higgins, the other division. Guise 
 had seven boats, Crosbie six. Admiral Cochrane, with 
 the remaining boat, decided to lead. It was no place 
 for an admiral, of course, hardly a place for a captain. 
 Such expeditions were usually carried out by first lieu 
 tenants, but Cochrane loved to fight. Nothing on earth 
 would have kept him out of it, and he rightly judged 
 that his presence was worth a division. 
 
 Guise had been mutinous and rebellious, Crosbie was 
 not too well affected toward the admiral, of whom they 
 were more or less all jealous, for, having been in the 
 service of Chile before Cochrane came, they resented 
 his appointment to command them; and his lordship was 
 certain that if he wanted the thing well done he would
 
 248 PFaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 have to oversee it himself. Besides, as was said, he 
 entered into the spirit of the amazing adventure with 
 almost boyish zest and joy. 
 
 The first boat of Crosbie's division which was to 
 follow the admiral was under the command of old 
 Broadrib. Following the last boat of Guise's division 
 was the launch commanded by Captain Clough with 
 Rice and Storey and about thirty Chileans. Every man 
 was armed with cutlass and pistol. They were, by Coch- 
 rane's orders, all dressed in white with a broad blue 
 band around the left arm. The whole affair would 
 have to be carried on in the darkness and this would be 
 a means of distinguishing friend from foe. Cochrane 
 himself was dressed just like the rest. 
 
 In order further to deceive the Spaniards, Captain 
 Forster was ordered to take the Independenda and the 
 Lautaro out of sight on the day appointed for the 
 onfall. And early in the afternoon these two ships 
 clapped on a lot of canvas and bore away westward 
 before a fresh breeze as if in pursuit of a sail, leaving 
 the O'Higgins slowly beating to and fro across the 
 entrance. 
 
 The night before all the preparations had been made, 
 boats had been assembled and the cutting out party had 
 been placed on the O'Higgins. To cut out the Esme- 
 ralda would be a most astounding feat of arms, but 
 Admiral Cochrane's far-reaching and audacious plans 
 did not stop there. He had given orders that on no 
 account were the cables of the ship to be cut. After 
 she had been mastered by the Chileans her batteries 
 were to be scaled and she was to open fire upon the
 
 Bold Preparations 249 
 
 gun-boats and other Spanish ships of war and merchant 
 vessels and on the town. The boarders had been care 
 fully instructed as to which guns they were to man and 
 if they were successful in taking the ship they all knew 
 exactly where they were to go and what they were to 
 do. For one thing, the admiral wished to give the 
 Sharon a chance to get out of the harbor, for he never 
 doubted but that Captain Clough would recapture her, 
 any more than he doubted his own success. Indeed, he 
 had become as much interested in the recapture and 
 rescue of the woman as in any other success he might 
 achieve. All men in the cutting out party had been 
 cautioned over and over again to look out for a boy, 
 or a woman, on one or the other of the two ships to be 
 assaulted. 
 
 Not content with the seizure of the Esmeralda, and 
 the escape of the Sharon, Cochrane wanted to make a 
 clean sweep of the harbor. There was another ship 
 at Callao, a Spanish packet which had recently arrived 
 from Mexico, which was reputed to contain one million 
 and a half dollars, which would make a prize decidedly 
 worth capturing. Among the other vessels in the har 
 bor were two frigates ; one, as has been noted, flying the 
 colors of the United States, and the other those of Eng 
 land. The Macedonian, so named in honor of the 
 frigate captured from England by Decatur in the war 
 of 1812, was in the command of Captain John Downes, 
 who had been Commodore Porter's first lieutenant on 
 the famous Essex cruise. The English frigate was 
 called the Hyperion and was commanded by Captain 
 Basil Hall. The English officers, who belonged to the
 
 250 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 political party which had persecuted Lord Cochrane 
 and forced him out of England's service, were friendly 
 to the Spaniards and antagonistic to the Chileans. 
 
 The sympathies of the American captain, on the con 
 trary, although he had fought with England and did 
 not naturally love the English, were with the Chileans, 
 who were striving to establish a republic and escape 
 from the domination of the King of Spain, and conse 
 quently he favored Cochrane also. 
 
 The lieutenant commanding the boat party which 
 carried in Admiral Cochrane's challenge and Captain 
 Clough's letters under the flag of truce and who had 
 incidentally keenly noted all the defensive preparations 
 of the Spaniards which he had reported to the admiral, 
 had met with scant courtesy as he passed close by the 
 Hyperion. The Americans, on the contrary, had spoken 
 with the lieutenant when he pulled around on the side 
 which screened him from the observation of the Span 
 iards and the Chilean officer had learned that arrange 
 ments had been made with the Spanish admiral in case 
 a night engagement became necessary, for the foreign 
 war ships to hoist three lights in a triangle, one at the 
 main royal masthead, the other at the extremities of 
 the main royal yardarms, so that the Spaniards would 
 not fire upon them in the darkness. This was a very 
 valuable piece of information which Lord Cochrane 
 treasured and of which he made good use subsequently. 
 
 The lieutenant had also learned the name of the 
 American frigate and the name of her commander. 
 When he came back the admiral had immediately sum 
 moned Captain Clough to his cabin.
 
 Bold Preparations 251 
 
 " Captain Clough," began the admiral, " I have just 
 learned that one of the foreign war ships in the harbor 
 is an American. The frigate Macedonian, so named, 
 I believe, because of a victory your Commodore Deca- 
 tur won over us in the little unpleasantness not long 
 ago," continued the admiral, making a wry face. " I 
 thought possibly you might know him and " 
 
 " Know him ! " exclaimed Clough. " Why, I served 
 under him as midshipman when when " 
 
 "Ah, when your frigate Essex was captured by our 
 Phoebe, commanded by my own good friend Hillyar? " 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Clough. "Although, of course, you 
 got us at a disadvantage and you had the Cherub with 
 you and " 
 
 "We won't go into that," said his lordship, who 
 knew quite well the truth of the affair, but did not care 
 to talk about it, and as Captain Clough's chances for 
 regaining his ship depended on the continued kindness 
 of the Earl of Dundonald, the American did not at 
 tempt to pursue the conversation further. " What I 
 wanted to point out to you, sir," continued the admiral, 
 " was that possibly you might care to refer your case to 
 Captain Downes who would, I am sure, be glad to make 
 proper representations and secure the release of the 
 lady and perhaps of your ship " 
 
 " I am quite certain, your lordship," interrupted Cap 
 tain Clough, " that Captain Downes would do anything 
 that any seaman could do in behalf of the lady and in 
 behalf of the Sharon, but there is no war between Spain 
 and the United States and the matter would have to be 
 handled by our state department. Jt would be a matter
 
 252 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 of diplomacy. It would take a long time and I believe 
 your lordship's plan is the simplest way." 
 
 " Captain Clough," said his lordship, his eyes gleam 
 ing, "you are a man after my own heart. I have had 
 enough difficulties with law and lawyers to make me 
 hate the thought of them. We men of the sword have 
 a shorter and quicker and better way of settling our 
 differences. You have answered me as a man of spirit. 
 By heaven, sir, as I should expect a man trained in the 
 American Navy to do. You've a small navy, but as an 
 Englishman of the same old stock, I am proud of you. 
 What further preferment there may be for you in your 
 profession I do not know, and these Chileans are broken 
 reeds to lean upon. I have got nothing out of them, 
 but " 
 
 " Glory, your lordship," suggested Captain Clough. 
 
 "Oh, yes," said Cochrane, easily. "I had plenty of 
 that before, but they shall settle with me some day, and 
 if you ever want a friend, if you ever want a position, 
 if you ever want a commission, I desire you to call on 
 me. Oh, I know you are a rabid patriot and I honor 
 you for it, sir, but you never know what might happen. 
 I never thought to take service under an alien flag," 
 went on the admiral, with a tinge of bitterness, " and 
 so my offer stands. After we have cut out the Esme- 
 ralda and brought out the Sharon you can explain mat 
 ters to Captain Downes. I have no doubt there will be 
 ample opportunity." 
 
 " I should be delighted to do so, sir, and I shall feel 
 in duty bound to point out to him that your lordship 
 indicated the proper course to be pursued," said Cap-
 
 Bold Preparations 253 
 
 tain Clough, smiling, "but on my own responsibility I 
 chose the simplest way." 
 
 " Quite so," said Cochrane, smiling in turn and bow 
 ing to indicate that the interview was over. 
 
 Late in the afternoon, the admiral caused the fol 
 lowing proclamation to be read to the crew and volun 
 teers: 
 
 Marines and seamen This night we shall give 
 the enemy a mortal blow. Tomorrow you will present 
 yourself proudly before Callao, and all your comrades 
 will envy your good fortune. One hour of courage 
 and resolution is all that is required for you to triumph. 
 Remember that you have conquered in Valdivia, and 
 have no fear of those who have hitherto fled from you. 
 The value of all the vessels captured in Callao will be 
 yours, and the same reward will be distributed amongst 
 you as has been offered by the Spaniards in Lima to 
 those who should capture any of the Chilean squadron. 
 The moment of glory is approaching. I hope that the 
 Chileans will fight as they have been accustomed to do, 
 and that the English and the Americans will act 
 as they have ever done at home and abroad. Remem 
 ber to look for the American lady and protect her at all 
 hazards. We do not war on women. 
 
 The crew was mustered in the waist and in the gang 
 ways, the officers with the Americans on the quarter 
 deck, while the proclamation was read. 
 
 " It sounds a little bit like Captain Cueto's speech, 
 sir," whispered Rice to Captain Clough. 
 
 "Yes," said Clough, "but this man means business.
 
 254 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Besides, you must remember," he continued, "that he 
 is in command of a Chilean ship and these people expect 
 just that sort of thing." 
 
 That they did expect it and that they welcomed it 
 was evident by the wild burst of cheering that followed 
 the reading of the proclamation. Although it was 
 read in Spanish the Americans were now sufficiently 
 familiar with that language to understand every word 
 of it. 
 
 It also hugely delighted old Broadrib, who as acting 
 boatswain stood to the fore of the crew with his new 
 mates around him. The old man, of course, had been 
 relegated to his proper position on the ship which was 
 that of a warrant officer, as chief among seamen, but he 
 and Captain Clough and the other Americans had en 
 joyed plenty of opportunities to talk things over. 
 
 After the muster was over and the watch was set 
 they again had a chance for a few brief moments of 
 conversation. 
 
 "Well, sir," began the old harpooner, to his young 
 superior, "what did I tell you?" 
 
 "What did you tell us, Broadrib?" asked the Amer 
 ican officer. 
 
 "Why, if you once fell in with Admiral Cochrane 
 we'd git our ship back an' the little lady, an' everythin' 
 would go right." 
 
 "Yes, you did say that." 
 
 " An' didn't I tell you he was a downright fighter, a 
 reg'lar fire eater?" 
 
 "You certainly did. No one but a man of his stamp 
 would think of undertaking such an enterprise as cut-
 
 Bold Preparations 255 
 
 ting out that ship. Look at her. Why, it's foolhardy 
 in the extreme." 
 
 "That's jest it. Lord Cochrane has allus succeeded 
 in doin' the thing that everybody thought was impos 
 sible an' nobody dremp' it could be done." 
 
 " Do you think it can be done ? " 
 
 "Think? I never thinks when his lordship's 
 around," said the old man, "but if you axes my belief, 
 I knows we'll succeed. Tomorrer mornin', if his lord 
 ship's plan is carried out, that harbor will look as if it 
 had been visited by a hurricane. You an' Miss Audrey 
 will be surveyin' it from the decks of the Sharon an' 
 we'll be lookin' at it from what's left of the Esmeralda. 
 That Spanish cap'n is goin' to see a real battle tonight 
 at close enough range for him to do more than smell 
 the smoke an' hear the guns. Trust me." 
 
 "Are you going in his lordship's boat, Broadrib?" 
 asked Storey. 
 
 " No sech luck, but I'm in the boat right next to his'n 
 an' it won't be long afore I'm by his side. I told him 
 he needed a few steady goin' men like me to pertect him 
 in case he got too rash an' wenturesome. I even pree- 
 soomed to remind him that he weren't no young leften- 
 ant no more, but an admiral." 
 
 " What did he say ? " asked Rice. 
 
 " He only laughed and said if I could git ahead of him 
 in boardin' that ship I was welcome to do it." 
 
 "Are you going to try it?" 
 
 " In course, I'll try it, but there's no more chance of 
 gittin' ahead of him than there is of a grampus out- 
 swimmin' a dolphin. Well, sir, here's good luck to us
 
 256 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 all, Cap'n Clough, we for the frigate, you for the 
 whaler, an' all of us for the little lady. If we're lucky, as 
 we must be, you'll see me on board agin an' then it'll be 
 square away for New Bedford an' a weddin' party. But 
 I warns you jest the minute I gits back an' stretches my 
 legs ashore I'm goin' to head for Lord Cochrane again. 
 He says he wants me an' I preesoom he does."
 
 C 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 LOVE OF MAN AND LOVE OF WOMAN 
 
 APTAIN DON BALDAMERO CUETO had 
 
 dined well, and wined moderately. He had en 
 joyed a most satisfactory evening with Donna Inez at 
 her charming villa. And it was with extreme reluctance 
 that he tore himself away from her at the comparatively 
 late hour for the place and period of half after 
 ten. Indeed he had protracted his visit beyond the sanc 
 tion of the proprieties, finding Donna Inez, who was in 
 a melting mood indeed, more fascinating than he had 
 supposed she would prove with his mind so full of his 
 young American captive. 
 
 Yet as he left the door of the stately house upon the 
 hill his mind reverted to Audrey with a new and differ 
 ent emotion. He would finish a delightful evening by 
 paying her a visit later. He meant to be happy with 
 both the objects of his affection. He was in high fettle, 
 counting his success in either field in alternation a trib 
 ute to his finesse and not in the least incompatible with 
 the fine feelings of a man of honor. In that Spaniard's 
 code honor had no function when one dealt with women. 
 Although he loved and intended to marry Donna Inez, 
 that did not in the least restrain him in his projected 
 amour with the fascinatingly different American girl. 
 
 Americans had no honor anyway. Their men were 
 
 257
 
 258 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 pigs, their women were designed to give pleasure for an 
 hour, to be enjoyed, used and cast aside. He had been 
 too forbearing with the girl. The idea of winning her 
 was an absurd one. Why should he wait or hesitate? 
 The wine he had taken had somewhat obscured his 
 judgment and altered his good intentions. With many 
 protestations of his despair at leaving Donna Inez he 
 went languishingly away, until out of her sight. Then 
 he bore himself as jauntily as his condition permitted. 
 
 Fortunately an officer of the Governor's Guard 
 chanced upon him. Captain Cueto reflecting that it 
 was still early and that the night, like art, was long, 
 allowed himself to be prevailed upon to accept an invi 
 tation to a little play with a few choice spirits in a room 
 in the palace. 
 
 There he met his first officer, Lieutenant Suarez. 
 This gentleman had drunk but little, refusing to join his 
 brother officers of the sister service in their deep pota 
 tions, and although he was passionately fond of gaming 
 he had refused to play. He had other ends to serve. 
 
 Greetings being exchanged between the two seamen, 
 Suarez, who had been waiting this opportunity and 
 indeed had cunningly contrived to get his captain 
 brought thither, excused himself on the plea of an un 
 breakable engagement with a lady. After the suggest 
 ive mocking with which this announcement was greeted, 
 Captain Cueto directed his junior to meet him at the 
 boat landing, where the Esmcralda's cutter lay, at half 
 after eleven, when they would go aboard the ship 
 together. 
 
 Lieutenant Suarez presently found himself under
 
 Love of Man and Love of Woman 259 
 
 Donna Inez' chamber window, which opened upon a 
 spacious patio to which he gained access by a heavy 
 bribe to the major-domo, to whom he was indeed well 
 known as a frequent visitor of the house. He had 
 made the arrangements for his admittance secretly 
 earlier in the afternoon. 
 
 It was this same confidential servant, Jose by name, 
 who took a little note up to the gallery and after knock 
 ing at Donna Inez' door, thrust it across the sill and 
 fled. Donna Inez had not yet retired. Her mind was 
 filled with happy dreams of her lover. Captain Cueto 
 was in the prime of life, a handsome man, of rank and 
 station, with a fine figure. She, the widow of a rich 
 merchant of Peru, was choosing wisely and well. It 
 had been as easy as it had been fitting for her to fall in 
 love with the captain. And with every reason to urge 
 her on she had developed a passion for him that com 
 pletely took possession of her. 
 
 From these pleasant imaginations about her future 
 she was aroused by the knock upon the door. She turned 
 and caught sight of the letter on the floor. To pick it 
 up, to open it, to bring it to the candles, to read it, was 
 the task of moments only. This is what she saw: 
 
 One who loves Donna Inez as devotedly as hope 
 lessly, and who would not see her deceived, would fain 
 do her a service. If she will come into the patio she 
 will hear that which she should know and which, if she 
 do not learn it, may break her heart. Fear nothing. 
 Trust the writer, who can only sign himself her 
 
 Devoted Slave.
 
 260 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Donna Inez was no longer an inexperienced girl. 
 Her courage had been always high. She was dowered 
 with all a woman's curiosity. She had been bred in the 
 atmosphere of intrigue. To decide upon her course 
 was the work of another moment. She resumed her 
 mantilla which she had put off, and taking the letter 
 in her hand, went out upon the gallery instantly and at 
 once descended to the garden. She crossed it to where 
 she noticed two figures standing by the fountain in the 
 center of the patio. One of them she recognized at 
 once as Jose, her major-domo. The other man was 
 cloaked and had his hat drawn down over his face. 
 Donna Inez bade Jose step back out of hearing but 
 remain within call, and then questioned the stranger. 
 
 "Are you the author of this note, Serior?" 
 
 Lieutenant Suarez bowed profoundly. 
 
 "Who are you? What is your name?" continued 
 the woman. 
 
 For answer Suarez dropped his cloak, took off his 
 hat, again bowed low before her and stepped nearer to 
 her where the rays from a solitary candle lantern which 
 faintly illuminated the patio and garden fell full upon 
 his face. 
 
 " Lieutenant Suarez ! " exclaimed the lady. " Do you 
 come, then, from Don Baldamero?" 
 
 "Alas, lady," answered the other, with well simu 
 lated melancholy, " rather to warn you against Captain 
 Cueto!" 
 
 "I will not hear " began Donna Inez indig 
 nantly "What is it you would say?" she concluded, 
 suspicion and curiosity getting the better of her.
 
 26 1 
 
 That American on the prize 
 You mean the boy?" 
 Alas, Seriora, that boy is- 
 
 Not, not a woman ? " flashed out Donna Inez, divin 
 ing the meaning of the officer's significant pause. 
 
 Suarez bowed again. 
 
 " It is not true," exclaimed the woman. " I will not 
 believe it. Don Baldamero was here a few moments 
 since. He left me with with " 
 
 " The lady is now on the Sharon, a visit to that vessel 
 tomorrow morning will convince you." 
 
 "Why not tonight?" 
 
 " It might be inconvenient. Captain Cueto goes there 
 tonight." 
 
 "And he is your captain, you are betraying!" ex 
 claimed Donna Inez, changing her speech. " Senor, I 
 cannot believe you." 
 
 " There is something above loyalty to a man, Senora," 
 urged Suarez. 
 
 "And what is that?" 
 
 "Love for a woman," burst out the young officer. 
 " Donna Inez," he continued, throwing himself on his 
 knees before her. " I love you passionately. I can 
 not see you sacrificed to him who uses you for his pur 
 poses while he is madly enamored of this American. 
 Give me the right to protect you. And I shall " 
 
 "And is she very beautiful, this American girl?" 
 
 " She is nothing beside you, beautiful lady. No one 
 could see her in your presence but a mad man, but Don 
 Baldamero " 
 
 "Enough, Senor. You have warned me and al-
 
 262 W aif-o-thc-Sca 
 
 though I can not believe I shall take steps. Now leave 
 me." 
 
 " May I not hope, Donna Inez, that you " 
 
 " If you have told me the truth, Senor, I shall but 
 I can promise nothing. Rise, Sir,' and be gone. Good 
 night." 
 
 Donna Inez could scarcely wait until Jose, whom she 
 summoned by a gesture, had ushered Lieutenant Suarez 
 from the house, to make her plans to combat this re 
 ported dereliction on the part of her lover, which she 
 contemplated with an ever-growing jealousy and fury. 
 If, indeed, the boy were a woman, that fact would 
 alone establish Don Baldamero's unfaithfulness ! What 
 had he to do with other women, anyway? 
 
 Lieutenant Suarez left Donna Inez very unwillingly, 
 yet he thought over the interview with much satisfac 
 tion as he lighted his cigarette, stopped at the inn for a 
 bottle of wine, in which he now felt it safe to indulge 
 while he waited for the hour appointed him to join the 
 captain at the landing. 
 
 Old Jose having locked the outer door found Donna 
 Inez, shrouded in a long cloak, awaiting him in the 
 garden. 
 
 "Jose," she began, "you were in your youth a boat 
 man. You have not forgotten how to handle the 
 oars?" 
 
 " I have not, my lady." 
 
 "Can you lay your hands upon a boat?" 
 
 " In the morning I " 
 
 "Now. At once." 
 
 " It can be done, with money, my lady."
 
 Love of Man and Love of Woman 263 
 
 " I thought of that; here is my purse. Come, let us 
 hasten." 
 
 " Senora," exclaimed the man in amazement. " You 
 can not mean to take a boat, now, at this hour of the 
 night." 
 
 " The night is still. I trust to your skill. There is 
 no danger. Or if there be I fear it not. Let us go." 
 
 " But where, my lady ? " 
 
 "To a ship in the harbor, the American ship taken 
 by the Esmeralda" 
 
 "To the Sharon?" questioned Jose, who had re 
 joiced with all the rest of Callao in the capture and who 
 had ascertained the name of the ship during the day. 
 
 " Exactly. I have pressing need to go aboard her at 
 once." 
 
 " But not in the night, my lady, surely tomorrow 
 morning " 
 
 "Enough," exclaimed Donna Inez, imperiously. 
 "Tonight. Not another word. Open the door at 
 once. Lead on." 
 
 Half an hour later a shore boat, rowed by old Jose, 
 who had apparently forgotten none of his skill and lost 
 little of his strength, approached the Sharon. By direc 
 tion of the muffled woman who sat in the stern sheets of 
 the boat Jose approached the whaler at the stern. 
 Donna Inez knew not a little about ships. Her first 
 husband had owned several. She had made a voyage 
 or two, and her approaching marriage to Captain Cueto, 
 Don Baldamero as she called him, had tended to revive 
 her interest in things nautical. She knew that Jacob's 
 ladders usually hung from the sterns of ships in the
 
 264 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 harbor, and as she wished to board the Sharon if pos 
 sible without observation she was resolved to attempt 
 to reach the cabin that way. She knew of course that 
 the American woman, if indeed Lieutenant Suarez had 
 told the truth, would be quartered there. 
 
 As the boat rapidly approached the big ship Donna 
 Inez told her plans to Jose, completely disregarding his 
 remonstrances. He caught the Jacob's ladder, held it 
 steady while Donna Inez gathered her rather short 
 skirts about her and, leaving her cloak in the boat, 
 climbed up with no little difficulty until she could look 
 within the cabin. She saw in the private cabin nearest 
 her a woman in a costume which for richness and 
 beauty more than matched her own. The woman's 
 back was turned to her. She could not see her face. 
 But what she could see of her figure, the golden crown 
 of short hair that curled beautifully about her slender 
 neck, carried the conviction of youth and grace and 
 beauty to the older woman's heart. She swung on the 
 Jacob's ladder, resisting an overpowering impulse to 
 faint and fall. 
 
 Then the woman within walked out of the private 
 cabin through the door opening into the main cabin and 
 passed out of view of Donna Inez. She had not yet 
 caught a glimpse of her rival's face. The Spanish 
 woman waited a few moments and then drew herself 
 up, put her knee on the port sill and entered the cabin. 
 
 According to her orders, old Jose drew the boat for 
 ward, concealed it under the mizzen chains, belayed the 
 painter, drew the discarded cloak about him and lay 
 down in the stern sheets, thinking to keep awake; but
 
 Love of Man and Love of Woman 265 
 
 he was soon lulled into sound sleep by the gentle move 
 ment of the boat in the small waves cast up by the soft 
 breeze of the balmy summer night. 
 
 And if old Jose had not slept, which was not accord 
 ing to orders, what did happen might not have happened 
 after all. 
 
 Audrey did not dare turn in that night. The cap 
 tain's promise to pay her a late visit drove all desire 
 to sleep from her. She was deathly afraid of him. 
 His suggestive promise had been full of menace. She 
 wandered restlessly about the cabin for a long time, 
 wondering what she would better do, what indeed she 
 could do. And finally came to only one conclusion. 
 She could make a better fight for her life and honor 
 for the two were inextricably bound together, without 
 the latter the former were unthinkable as a boy than 
 as a woman. 
 
 Captain Cueto had hidden away, she knew not where, 
 the suit she had been wearing when she had gone aboard 
 the Esmeralda, and her other good clothing of the same 
 sort had been taken aboard the Spanish frigate in her 
 sea chest with her other belongings. But she had dis 
 covered an old worn-out suit in a locker which no one 
 had thought of sufficient value to appropriate. She 
 would put that on, then with the captain's pistol, her 
 most precious possession, and her sailor's sheath knife, 
 which she found hanging by its laniard from a hook in 
 her former cabin, she would make a last fight for her 
 self and for the happiness of her lover, which was so 
 absolutely dependent upon her fortune. 
 
 She left the door of her cabin slightly ajar as she
 
 266 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 changed her dress, and she did not notice Donna Inez, 
 who had ventured out of the cabin on the opposite side 
 and from a safe concealment behind the door watched 
 the process. 
 
 Donna Inez saw enough. The supposed boy was a 
 women without doubt, and some might think her beau 
 tiful. Donna Inez drew from her great coil of hair as 
 black as her rival's was light a pointed Spanish stiletto. 
 She clenched it in her hands and hesitated whether to 
 rush into the cabin and strike the woman, or to wait 
 until Don Baldamero came aboard and then confront 
 them both.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 NO CAUSE FOR COMPLACENCY 
 
 DON BENITO BALDAMERO PASCUAL DE 
 LOS SANTOS FUENTE-Y-CUETO, to give 
 him his full name, was highly satisfied, even delighted, 
 with his good fortune as he broke away from the gam 
 ing table upon the plea of urgent duty and strolled 
 through the streets of the sleeping town toward the 
 landing. And the causes for his pleasure were easily 
 enumerated. He ran over them rapidly in his mind: 
 
 First, his love affair with Donna Inez was progress 
 ing satisfactorily. Whenever he would he could make 
 the richest widow in Peru and that was saying a 
 good deal his wife. Second, he had just returned 
 from a successful cruise with a rich prize. He would 
 know how to report that fruitless encounter with the 
 Chilean squadron so as to secure promotion and corre 
 sponding glory. He was already a hero in his own 
 eyes and that is the first step to becoming a hero in every 
 body's eyes or the reverse! Third, a girl as differ 
 ent from the Spanish beauty to which he was accustomed 
 was in his complete possession, to have for the taking. 
 
 Fourth, the precautions he had taken to guard the 
 ships, and to keep the two women apart, had been so 
 cunningly devised that no possibility of failure could 
 be discovered. Fifth, and lastly, his pocket was un- 
 
 267
 
 268 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 usually full of coin, for he had been remarkably and 
 unwontedly fortunate in his play that night. 
 
 Certainly fortune smiled upon him. Arrived at the 
 wharf, he found Suarez awaiting him and the boat with 
 its crew at the oars at the foot of the landing stairs 
 leading down to the water's edge. His greeting of his 
 first lieutenant was cheery and cordial to an unusual 
 degree. The joy he took in his rosy reflections, no less 
 than the good wine of which he had partaken without 
 stint, and the effect of which was now quite apparent, 
 had mellowed and softened him to a degree. 
 
 As the two officers embarked, the worthy captain 
 could not refrain from enlarging upon the smiling as 
 pect of fortune. Lieutenant Suarez corroborated every 
 statement or claim made by his commander, and fer 
 vently congratulated him, laughing in his sleeve the 
 while as he thought complacently of the catastrophe 
 which should destroy some of the captain's hopes and 
 which would not be long deferred. Lieutenant Suarez 
 knew the jealous temper of the Spanish women in gen 
 eral and of Donna Inez in particular. He was certain 
 that the explosion, to cause which he had deftly laid 
 the train, would certainly take place in the morning, and 
 it would not surprise him to have it occur that very 
 night. There was no accounting for the actions of a 
 jealous woman. She might even then be on the Sharon 
 they were rapidly approaching. He had dropped a 
 hint in Donna Inez' ear that Captain Cueto intended 
 to visit that ship that very night. It would not be im 
 possible for Donna Inez to be beforehand if she were so 
 minded. At any rate, that night or tomorrow morning
 
 No Cause for Complacency 269 
 
 the trouble would begin, and Lieutenant Suarez prom 
 ised himself much pleasure and not a little ultimate 
 profit from the outcome of the affair. His complacency 
 therefore was quite as great as, if less in evidence than, 
 his captain's as the boat was brought deftly alongside 
 the gangway of the whaler. 
 
 Captain Cueto, directing his junior to repair at once 
 to the Esmeralda and see that a sharp lookout was kept 
 in addition to all the other precautions for her safety, 
 climbed up the battens as nimbly as a younger lover 
 coming to visit his adored one, and disappeared through 
 the gangway. Lieutenant Suarez, fairly chuckling in 
 his satisfaction, was rowed to the Esmeralda, which he 
 reached about a quarter of an hour before midnight. 
 He repeated the captain's warning to the officer of the 
 watch, rather perfunctorily, it must be admitted; went 
 below and turned in to dream of the explosion of the 
 morning without the slightest anticipation of a greater 
 mischance nearer at hand, the results of which he would 
 not be able to enjoy. An alien and disturbing factor 
 to bring to naught all his carefully devised plans was 
 now close by. And neither captain nor lieutenant were 
 to luxuriate long in that hoped-for good fortune. 
 
 As Audrey came out of her berth into the main cabin, 
 Donna Inez swiftly and noiselessly concealed herself 
 in the room she had first entered, the captain's private 
 cabin. The Spanish woman surveyed the restless move 
 ments of the girl, now for all the world a gallant boy, 
 with increasing interest and with no little sinking of the 
 heart. Audrey was so much younger than she, so dif 
 ferent; she was so amazingly attractive even in the
 
 270 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 loose-fitting garments of a young sailor lad that Donna 
 Inez could easily understand her fascination for a man 
 of her lover's type. 
 
 Studying her with the keen scrutiny of a jealous 
 woman, Donna Inez took some comfort from Audrey's 
 actions, which were not at all those of a woman expect 
 ing a lover. On the contrary, if Donna Inez ever saw 
 fear and dread and deadly anxiety evidenced by a 
 woman's look and bearing, she saw it then. Further 
 more, the fact that her lighter rival had put on the 
 clothes of a boy was further evidence that she neither 
 desired nor intended to play the receptive woman to 
 the captain's wooing. 
 
 There was something so strange and inexplicable 
 about it all that Donna Inez finally decided it would be 
 best to wait a little before discovering herself. She 
 had scarcely come to this decision when a well-known 
 voice, easily heard and recognized in the stillness of 
 the night, without the cabin broke in upon her passion 
 ate thoughts and half-formed purposes. It was he, she 
 thought Don Baldamero! Lieutenant Suarez had 
 told her the truth, then. The blood rushed to her heart. 
 She closed her eyes and clenched her dagger. Now 
 she would learn all. Was he unfaithful to her? Did 
 he amuse himself with her while he paid court to this 
 white-faced boy girl woman? 
 
 A fury indeed was Donna Inez behind the door, peer 
 ing through into the great cabin waiting. She clasped 
 her dagger tighter and strove more desperately than 
 ever to control herself that she might see and hear 
 before she acted. Danger, swift, imminent, and ter-
 
 No Cause for Complacency 271 
 
 rible was menacing Captain Cueto, and from more 
 sources than one, that night 
 
 Audrey, quite unconscious that she was not alone in 
 the cabin, heard him also. A spasm of freezing terror 
 that almost stopped her heart was succeeded by a rush 
 of resolution. Her breast throbbed against barrel and 
 butt of the small pistol pressed against her heart by the 
 clothes she wore. Before that virginal shrine should 
 be profaned she would kill Captain Cueto if she were 
 torn to pieces by his men the moment after. She would 
 play the game to the end like a man and not like a 
 woman. She was fighting for all a woman could hold 
 dear, including her right to give herself unspotted from 
 the world to the man she loved. And in her way per 
 haps she was a deadlier foe even than Donna Inez, or 
 Admiral Cochrane, or the Chileans, or Captain Clough, 
 to the unconscious Spaniard so debonairly exchanging 
 the greetings of the night with Morelos, who again had 
 the watch on deck without the cabin. 
 
 Though their thoughts ran like lightning through 
 the minds of the waiting women, the crisis was not de 
 layed. They heard his hand on the door. The next 
 moment it opened. He entered and closed it behind 
 him. 
 
 He was not an unattractive picture in the rich naval 
 uniform of his high rank. His face was flushed, his 
 eyes bright, his voice and footsteps unsteady. But to 
 Audrey, who knew him as Donna Inez could not, since 
 the girl saw him with clear vision while the woman 
 was blinded by her affection, his rather handsome face 
 looked devilish, satyric.
 
 272 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 He smiled as he caught sight of her in the well- 
 lighted cabin and then his countenance altered as he 
 noticed her changed dress. 
 
 "You have disobeyed me," he began severely. "I 
 like not this boy's dress." 
 
 " It was as a boy that you saw me first and to you I 
 shall remain a boy always," she replied. 
 
 "You mean?" 
 
 " I shall not be a woman to you." 
 
 "We shall see," he went on. "You are here alone 
 on a ship that was yours but is now mine. You are in 
 my power. I shall see that you do not avoid me as 
 before. No one will enter here no matter what you do. 
 Will you accept the inevitable and me, or shall I use 
 force?" 
 
 " Have you no woman of your own land the thought 
 of whom might make you respect me ? " asked Audrey, 
 who was standing against the bulkhead just as far from 
 the captain as the size of the cabin permitted. 
 
 And the woman concealed within the berth listened 
 for the answer, hung upon it as she had never thought 
 to wait the sound of human voice in her life. 
 
 " Plenty of women of my own race, of course. I 
 
 shall marry one of them presently, but before I do 
 , n T " 
 
 oU) 1 
 
 He stepped toward her as he spoke. She noticed 
 the unsteadiness of his gait. She smelled the fumes of 
 wine. Perhaps she could measure strength with him. 
 If she could avoid killing him, she would be glad. She 
 was woman enough still to shrink from that save as a 
 last resort. She forced the fighting. She sprang at
 
 No Cause for Complacency 273 
 
 him before he could seize her. She grasped at his 
 throat as she grappled with him. Caught unawares in 
 spite of what he had said about his readiness to deal 
 with her, he staggered back. The table against which 
 he brought up saved him from a fall, gave him a breath 
 ing space. He tore her hands from his throat. He 
 held her off. He was a strong man in the very prime 
 of life. She had miscalculated the effect of his drinking. 
 The struggle tended to sober him. He kept her at 
 arm's length in an iron grasp with his two hands. He 
 laughed at her. 
 
 "So, my little spitfire," he began, "you have some 
 of the passion of the women of my country after all. 
 But I like you the better for it. I love you. Why strug 
 gle further? Come ! you shall be my wife, if you will. 
 How say you? In honor mine?" 
 
 That was the last straw to poor Donna Inez' burden. 
 On the instant she slipped out of the door; soundlessly 
 she moved toward the two, who were still struggling, 
 for Captain Cueto's appeal had only moved Audrey to 
 fight the harder. She must get free now, and draw 
 that pistol and kill him. There was no other way. 
 
 Only, as it was her last resort, she must not make any 
 mistake. She must be free to use the weapon with 
 absolute assurance, so she struggled desperately for 
 release, and neither man nor girl saw the stealthily 
 approaching woman; for Donna Inez, too, must make 
 sure of her aim before she struck. Finally, writhing 
 like a wild cat, Audrey, with torn garments, half exposed 
 to his brutal view, wrenched herself free. She stag 
 gered back and drew the pistol. The light flashed on
 
 274 Walf-o-the-Sea 
 
 the polished steel of the barrel. At the instant Donna 
 Inez stumbled against a pitcher thrown from the table 
 in the struggle. Captain Cueto heard, turned his head 
 to confront the Spanish fury with upraised dagger. 
 
 And as he sprang back he brought Audrey into 
 Donna Inez' field of view. She saw the American girl 
 raise the pistol. Her purpose changed. Love was 
 stronger than jealousy or revenge. 
 
 " Don Baldamero," she cried in terror, dropping the 
 dagger, "you will be killed! " 
 
 As she spoke she sprang forward to cover the cap 
 tain's body and shield him with her own. And at that 
 instant Audrey's finger pressed the trigger. 
 
 None of the people in the cabin in the excitement of 
 the tense moments had been aware of a sudden tumult 
 outside. From that part of the harbor where the 
 Esmeralda lay came shots, and shouts, and cries. On 
 the Sharon the sound of men hastily awakened, running 
 forward, and crying out as they ran also broke the still 
 ness of the ship. 
 
 For the moment Captain Cueto was oblivious to the 
 tumult. He heard only Donna Inez' scream of pain. 
 He saw only her body upon the deck at his feet. He 
 bent over her, truly appalled at this catastrophe as 
 terrible as it was unforeseen. 
 
 As for Audrey, the pistol dropped to the deck. She 
 covered her face with her hands. Nothing could hap 
 pen to her now. She had shot a woman, who lay dead, 
 or dying, perhaps, at her feet. She hid her face in her 
 hands and groaned aloud. She had shot a woman !
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 THE ADMIRAL'S AMAZING EXPLOIT 
 
 THE night was dark and moonless; the sky was 
 slightly overcast. Not a star was seen. Nothing 
 better for their enterprise could have been devised. At 
 four bells in the first night watch, or ten o'clock, the 
 men who had been mustered on the O'Higgins de 
 scended to the boats. 
 
 The oars of all had been muffled by wrapping the 
 rowlocks and the oar handles with cloth, and in half 
 an hour, all the boats having been manned without noise 
 or confusion, the admiral gave the signal for the silent 
 advance. And it is evidence of Cochrane's ascendancy 
 over his men that he not only commanded silence, but he 
 secured it. He led the way in his own barge. With 
 him went three junior officers, two English, one Ameri 
 can, and a number of Chileans, besides the boat's crew, 
 who were, of course, all South Americans. 
 
 The boats proceeded slowly by the admiral's explicit 
 direction, his own boat some distance in the lead. He 
 did not want his men to row hard for the long distance 
 between the blockading station and the anchorage. In 
 the first place, it would tire out the men; in the second 
 place, it would make more noise; in the third place, 
 he himself had something to do before the rest of the 
 boats could do anything. 
 
 275
 
 276 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 He had carefully picked the crew of his barge and 
 he felt supremely confident in his ability to accomplish 
 his own task upon which so much depended. Not a 
 boat showed a light, but they kept near enough together 
 for the rear boat, which was Clough's, to distinguish 
 the boat next ahead, and so on along the line. They 
 rowed in a long column, not in line abreast, because they 
 knew they would have to pass through the narrow open 
 ing in the boom which was only broad enough for one 
 boat at a time. 
 
 They might have blown up that obstruction, of 
 course, but the Esmeralda lay some distance in from 
 the boom, and an explosion would have indicated their 
 presence at once and have subjected them to the fire of 
 every gun on the shore, and of the frigate, and of the 
 gun-boats before they reached their quarry. Such an 
 amazing enterprise was only possible if they could 
 effect a complete surprise, at least at first. 
 
 Telling Captain Crosbie who had command of the 
 first division, to keep the pace he had set, and promising 
 to wait for him at the boom, the admiral presently bade 
 his own oarsmen take up a quicker stroke and put a 
 little more power into it. The O'Higgms had been 
 edged in pretty close to the boom, so that the mile or 
 more intervening between her and the obstruction was 
 soon passed over. 
 
 When he could see the boom because of the waves 
 breaking over it under the force of the tide and the 
 gentle breeze it was just at the height of the flood, 
 by the way, and Cochrane had so timed his advance 
 that he would have the aid of the full ebb to get out of
 
 The Admiral's Amazing Exploit 277 
 
 the harbor when he had done his work he ordered 
 his men to cease rowing and drifted in slowly with the 
 dying flood. 
 
 Now there were lights in the town, in the Spanish 
 forts, on the three ships and on the Esmeralda. Coch- 
 rane had carefully taken his bearings from these. With 
 prescient eye he knew exactly where the opening of 
 the boom was, and he gave explicit directions to the 
 gallant young Chilean midshipman sitting in the cox 
 swain's box handling the tiller. Under Cochrane's 
 instruction the lad, who was a great favorite of the 
 admiral's, had developed into an accomplished young 
 sailor, and he steered the barge perfectly. 
 
 By Cochrane's order the oars of the crew were now 
 noiselessly stowed inboard, every man had his pistol 
 out. Without a sound and without a light or anything 
 else to betray their presence, the barge drifted toward 
 the opening under the momentum given it by the last 
 few extra vigorous strokes. 
 
 There, sure enough, lay the Spanish guard-boat. Her 
 crew had drawn her to one side and tied her up against 
 the boom. They seemed to be asleep. At any rate, 
 they kept negligent watch. Nobody appeared to be 
 moving aboard her. And in fact it was not until the 
 big barge of the admiral glided quietly into the opening 
 and bumped alongside the guard-boat that anybody 
 aboard her realized what was happening. When they 
 did comprehend, it was too late. For they opened 
 their eyes to the fact that they were staring into the 
 muzzles of a score of leveled pistols. 
 
 The admiral remarked in Spanish quickly that if any-
 
 278 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 one uttered a sound or opened his mouth in outcry they 
 would all be shot dead. In their astonishment and sur 
 prise they had neglected to cry out when they might 
 have done so, and now it was too late. El Diabolo, 
 the terrible, was upon them! 
 
 Hastily disarming the Spaniards and piling their 
 weapons in his own boat, Cochrane waited until the 
 first division came up. At the last moment, to pro 
 vide for this very contingency, he had manned the 
 O'Higglns' jolly boat, or dingey, and after it arrived 
 with the other boats, he transshiped the crew of the 
 dingey to the Spanish guard-boat, the dingey was fast 
 ened to the stern of the guard-boat, the Spaniards were 
 forced to take the oars and, covered by the weapons 
 of the dingey's crew, they ignominiously rowed them 
 selves and their amused and triumphant captors back 
 to the O'Higgins in humiliated silence. On their arrival 
 they were made prisoners and stowed below in the 
 hold. 
 
 All this was accomplished without any noise what 
 soever. No alarm of any kind had been given. It was 
 astonishing that the admiral had been able to teach 
 these Chileans to undertake and carry out such enter 
 prises without chattering like a lot of monkeys. No one 
 on Spanish ships or Peruvian shore had the least suspi 
 cion of what had happened or what was toward. 
 
 This having been so successfully attended to, Coch 
 rane now stood up in the stern sheets of the barge and 
 asked quietly of the nearest boat: 
 
 "Are we all here?" 
 
 Word was promptly passed down the line in whis-
 
 The Admiral's Amazing Exploit 279 
 
 pers and a report was soon returned that all boats were 
 present, closed up, and ready. 
 
 "Is the American there also?" asked the admiral. 
 
 Upon receiving assurance as to this, Cochrane or 
 dered the boats under way again and they all rowed 
 silently through the opening in close succession. It was 
 a peculiarity of this dashing seaman that although he 
 believed profoundly in speed and striking the blow 
 promptly, he did not do things in any reckless hurry. 
 
 As the boats passed the now unguarded boom, the 
 order to rest on oars was given and they glided on 
 fanwise into a line abreast with slowly diminishing mo 
 mentum. When all were through and in position. 
 Admiral Cochrane attached himself to Crosbie's divi 
 sion, with which he had decided to attack the Esme- 
 ralda on the starboard side. He commanded Guise to 
 make a detour to attack on the port side, which was the 
 land side, and pointing out for the last time to the 
 American his quarry, the Sharon, he rowed down the 
 line, slowly stopping before each boat to address a few 
 hearty encouraging words to the crews thereof. And it 
 was with the utmost difficulty that the excitable Chileans 
 kept from bursting into wild cheers. 
 
 It was a very dramatic situation, this silent and 
 ghostlike review in the darkness of the night, inside the 
 boom and almost within striking distance of the Esme- 
 ralda and the Sharon, with their still unsuspicious crews. 
 One thing the admiral particularly emphasized was that 
 all hands should look out for the young American 
 woman, who might be dressed as a boy. The men were 
 enjoined on penalty of death to spare her, to spare all
 
 280 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 women, for there might be many frail ones on the ships 
 in the harbor, according to the custom of the day, which 
 was by no means peculiar to Spanish ships, either. 
 
 It was late now, nearly twelve o'clock. In fact, after 
 they got under way they heard the bells of the churches 
 in the city solemnly striking the hour. They heard, 
 nearer at hand, the sharper, quicker, midnight couplets 
 of the bells of the ships also eight bells and all is 
 well! 
 
 "Slowly at first," the commanding officer said, "and 
 then, when we get nearer, put everything in the oars 
 and make a dash for her. Crosbie, I will board at the 
 gangway. Two of your boats board over the bows, the 
 other four at the fore, main, and mizzen chains. Guise, 
 you follow the same plan astern and to port. Captain 
 Clough, you know your own plan. Give way." 
 
 Rowing gently, the fourteen Chilean boats and the 
 launch approached the doomed ships. As they pro 
 ceeded, a gap widened between Crosbie's division and 
 Guise's as the two captains headed in the several direc 
 tions necessary to accomplish their undertaking. Away 
 off to the left the admiral, who was unusually keen 
 sighted, could make out a moving blur, which showed 
 that Clough's boat was also heading for its destination. 
 
 After about five minutes' slow rowing, the excitement 
 of the situation got into the admiral's blood. This was 
 like old times. The fighting game was to be played 
 once more. The Esmeralda was now close at hand. 
 Lights suddenly moved on her deck. A voice hailed. 
 
 "Give way strong!" shouted the admiral loudly, 
 his pulses bounding; for all his age and rank he was
 
 The Admiral's Amazing Exploit 281 
 
 once again the gallant young man of the Speedy. The 
 next second every man bent to the oars. 
 
 The water whitened and splashed over the blades as 
 the big boats jumped through the quiet sea. The barge 
 dashed ahead of the other boats; although all the men 
 in the cutters and launches, especially in Crosbie's own 
 boat the gig, in which old Broadrib pulled a strong 
 stroke oar, put everything they had into the endeavor, 
 they could not keep pace with the picked men of 
 Cochrane. 
 
 The hail from the Esmeralda was repeated. More 
 lights appeared; an alarm was given. The next minute 
 the barge crashed into the side of the frigate. A mus 
 ket shot rang out. More voices were heard on the 
 Esmeralda's decks, more lights appeared. There were 
 sudden commands, cries of alarm. Lieutenant Suarez 
 awoke from his dreams and seized his weapons. What 
 was happening? 
 
 The admiral had gone forward in the barge and as 
 the boat struck the gangway he leaped for the side bat 
 tens. Before anyone else could get out, he was half 
 way up those battens pieces of wood nailed to the 
 side of a ship to permit people to climb to the deck when 
 no ladders were dropped and by the time they got 
 the boat secured, he sprang through the gangway, an 
 opening in the high rail, or bulwark, to admit free 
 passage. 
 
 At him a sentry came running. Cochrane's pistol 
 flashed; its bullet went true, but the momentum of the 
 falling sentry was so great that as he went down he 
 struck the admiral with the butt of his gun. Cochrane
 
 282 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 made a clutch at the rail, but so terrific had been the 
 blow on his chest that he failed to catch it. He could 
 not maintain his balance and he dropped fifteen feet into 
 the boat below. 
 
 Unfortunately he alighted on his back, and one of 
 the tholepins "U "-shaped pieces of iron sticking up 
 on the gunwale of a boat through which the oars were 
 thrust cut through his clothing and pierced his back 
 near the spine, inflicting a terribly painful and somewhat 
 dangerous wound which would have entirely disabled 
 most men. 
 
 In his excitement the admiral scarcely noticed it. 
 Fortunately the men in the boat had broken his fall 
 somewhat, or he might have been impaled. They 
 dragged him to his feet and with a word of encourage 
 ment the intrepid seaman prepared to ascend again. 
 The boat had drifted aft and was now abreast the 
 main chains a broad platform extending outside the 
 ship by which the standing rigging of the main mast 
 was given a wider spread. He jumped to the chains 
 and others sprang with him. One of Crosbie's boats 
 took the place of the admiral's boat at the gangway. 
 The next minute the whole side of the frigate was alive 
 with men climbing up to gain her decks. 
 
 But the Spaniards, to give them credit, had profited 
 by the few moments of alarm. Lieutenant Suarez was 
 a brave man and he had acted instantly upon his realiza 
 tion that his ship was attacked, and his officers, despite 
 the absence of their captain, seconded him well. The 
 decks of the Esmeralda were now filled with men hastily 
 arming themselves. Aft on the quarter deck a company
 
 The Admiral's 'Amazing Exploit 283 
 
 of soldiers, or marines, was hastily formed up for the 
 fight. Crosbie and his men burst on board in the waist. 
 Although several of them were shot down, the rest, 
 cheered on by the admiral, used their pistols with much 
 effect and then fell to with their cutlasses so that they 
 separated the Spaniards and drove them to either end 
 of the ship. Suarez with a number of them retreated 
 across the vessel, and with their backs to the rail, offered 
 a desperate resistance. The next moment Guise with 
 his division fell upon them. 
 
 By this time the Esmeralda was alive with sound, 
 shouts, cheers, shrieks, groans, yells, pistol and musket 
 shots, the smashing and grinding of sword blades, 
 words of command. The noise awoke everybody in 
 the harbor. A gun boomed out from the citadel as a 
 signal, and while the dreadful conflict raged on the 
 decks, the Spanish batteries and gun-boats opened fire. 
 They did not know exactly at what to fire at first, but 
 presently realized in a sort of despairful way that El 
 Diabolo must have somehow got into the harbor and 
 attacked the surprised Esmeralda. 
 
 They therefore fired on the frigate, dealing death and 
 destruction to friend and foe alike. Some of the Span 
 ish officers, half dressed, but armed, had been driven 
 to the forecastle. They made a gallant stand there, and 
 as the crew poured out of the fore scuttle, for a moment 
 things looked encouraging, but Cochrane in person led 
 a charge upon them. 
 
 Old Broadrib had finally got to his commander's side 
 and vainly tried to interpose his body between the fir 
 ing and his lordship. The Spaniards received the rush
 
 284 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 of the Chileans with a volley from their pistols at close 
 range. With a bad bullet wound in his thigh, the 
 admiral, who had exposed himself as recklessly as any 
 junior officer, went smashing down to the decks. The 
 sight of his fall for the ship was now brilliantly 
 lighted with lanterns and flares gave the Spaniards 
 much encouragement. 
 
 Lieutenant Suarez headed a rush of the Spanish 
 after-guard, who had all rallied with him. But Broad- 
 rib, standing across the body of the admiral, yelling 
 like a mad man, received the brunt of the Spanish 
 advance. The next moment Crosbie led his men for 
 ward. A grape shot from the nearest fort at that 
 instant struck Lieutenant Suarez in the arm, broke it, 
 and knocked him over. There was a brief, fierce melee 
 around the foremast and on the forecastle, in which ail 
 the Spaniards were finally shot down, driven below, or 
 .forced overboard, and in this melee poor Suarez was 
 trampled under foot and finally killed a quick and 
 unlooked-for ending to his treacherous schemes and 
 plans. 
 
 Meanwhile the harbor was now ablaze with light and 
 full of sound. Every gun on shore or sea was firing. 
 The two foreign ships of war had hoisted their lights 
 and the Spanish gunners were trying to avoid hitting 
 them, but without much success. They finally cut cables 
 and got under way before the land breeze to get out of 
 range, which added to the bewilderment of the Spanish. 
 
 The Chilean lieutenant who had carried the admiral's 
 challenge and received the information regarding the 
 lights had not forgot the instructions Cochrane had
 
 The admiral in person led the charge
 
 The Admiral's Amazing Exploit 285 
 
 given him, and even before they had got possession of 
 the ship, he raced up to the masthead and hoisted exactly 
 the same signal lights on the Esmeralda. . This confused 
 the Spaniards still more. They were not sure which 
 was the ship at which they were to aim, so they began 
 to fire at all three. The Macedonian and the Hyperion 
 were actually hulled several times before they got 
 beyond gunshot. 
 
 The Esmeralda, however, was not yet in complete 
 possession of the boarding party. The soldiers on the 
 quarter deck had maintained their ranks and presented 
 a firm front to the onfalls of the Chileans. Captain 
 Guise, for all his insubordination, was a man of courage, 
 and as he was senior captain, the command devolved 
 upon him, for Cochrane was now helpless and suffering 
 greatly from his two wounds. He led a charge in per 
 son upon the soldiers. These men, true to the gallant 
 traditions of the Spanish army, refusing to surrender, 
 were cut down to a man. That was the end of all 
 resistance. In fifteen minutes from Admiral Cochrane's 
 first leap at the gangway, the Esmeralda was in the 
 possession of the Chileans! 
 
 Old Broadrib now carried Cochrane into the cap 
 tain's cabin, and the doctor was summoned. The ad 
 miral was nearly speechless from loss of blood and 
 shock and was suffering greatly, but the doctor, who 
 administered restoratives and checked the flow of blood, 
 thought he would certainly recover. 
 
 "Tell Captain Guise," said the admiral, "to keep 
 fast the ship and at once open fire on the forts and 
 other vessels."
 
 286 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Old Broadrib turned to deliver the message, only 
 to find that it was too late. Captain Guise, although 
 he had fought like a hero, had been overwhelmed with 
 the situation, and as he was in technical command upon 
 Cochrane's disablement, he had already ordered the 
 cables of the Esmeralda cut, and her topsails were even 
 then being sheeted home. His only idea was to get out 
 of the harbor with the prize. 
 
 It was too late to carry out the rest of Cochrane's 
 plan. So soon as he knew from the heel and the move 
 ment of the ship that she was under way, the admiral 
 realized that the golden opportunity had gone. He 
 never had liked Guise, and he hated him from that hour, 
 for Cochrane was persuaded that since they had so 
 easily captured the Esmeralda, the rest of his plan 
 could have been as easily carried out. Indeed, he 
 sent Guise back to Valparaiso at the first convenient 
 opportunity and refused to allow him again to sail 
 under his flag. 
 
 The big frigate, a target for all the guns in the har 
 bor, rushed rapidly toward the boom under a freshen 
 ing breeze. Guise, who was a good seaman, had now 
 loosed her courses and had men aloft on the topgallant 
 yards when she struck the boom. He had sent the rest 
 of the men to the batteries and the Esmeralda was 
 exchanging broadside for broadside with forts and ship 
 ping as she rushed away. 
 
 The boom was a stout one, but it had not been de 
 signed to keep out ships, and the stem of the Esmeralda 
 rose up on it, hung there for a moment, and then it 
 parted and she was free.
 
 The Admiral's Amazing Exploit 287 
 
 Morning found them safely outside the harbor and 
 under the lee of the O'Higgins. 
 
 No more astounding feat of arms had ever been at 
 tempted or carried out than that. With fourteen boats 
 and two hundred and forty men armed with cutlasses 
 and pistols, Cochrane had cut out a brand new forty- 
 four-gun frigate with three hundred and sixty picked 
 men aboard her, protected by batteries of three hundred 
 guns aided by thirty gun-boats, two sloops of war, and 
 all manned by ten thousand men ! He had done it with 
 a loss of only eleven killed and thirty wounded, while 
 the loss of the Spaniards was one hundred and sixty 
 killed on the Esmeralda and nobody ever knew how 
 many were wounded and driven overboard. And this 
 says nothing of the loss of men and the damage that 
 was done by the fire of the Esmeralda at ships, forts, 
 and shore as she raced to the sea. She had been struck 
 a good many times by shots from the Spanish batteries, 
 but she had received no damage that could not be re 
 paired and she was soon made entirely seaworthy and 
 taken into the Chilean service. 
 
 Of all Admiral Cochrane's extraordinary and roman 
 tic exploits, this was indeed the greatest and most amaz 
 ing. If it had not been for his two wounds, he would 
 have stayed in the harbor with the Esmeralda and 
 fought the batteries and ships until all the latter at least 
 had been destroyed. 
 
 He was fearfully angry at the failure of Captain 
 Guise to obey his orders that had been given him, and 
 to carry out the plan, but he consoled himself every time 
 he caught a glimpse of the captured Spanish frigate,
 
 288 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 through his cabin windows on the O'Higgins. The 
 surgeons had decided that his wounds, while painful, 
 were not dangerous and that he would not be incapaci 
 tated very long. Such was his indomitable spirit, how 
 ever, that he resumed and continued to exercise the 
 command of the squadron from his cabin, much to the 
 disgust of Guise and Crosbie. 
 
 In only one other thing had he failed. There was no 
 American woman, no girl dressed in boy's clothes, 
 among the unfortunate captives who were overlooked 
 and questioned by old Broadrib in a vain search for 
 Audrey. In their terror and excitement they could tell 
 him nothing, especially as there were no officers of rank 
 among them. The only hope was that she might have 
 been on the Sharon, whose fortunes have yet to be 
 related.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 CUTTING OUT THE SHARON 
 
 WHILE all this had been going on, Captain 
 dough's boat had also been busy. The Ameri 
 cans had been given the last place in the line for a very 
 good reason. 
 
 Admiral Cochrane could only spare him one boat and 
 its complement. The crews of the O'Higgins and her 
 consorts were not large, and the total number aboard 
 the launch was only thirty-six, counting the three people 
 of the Sharon. The admiral and Captain Clough both 
 thought it quite likely that a heavy guard would be 
 placed on the Sharon to protect her. The Sharon lay 
 nearer the shore than the Esmeralda, not, however, 
 directly under the guns of any fort or battery, but 
 nearer certain lights which would render an attacking 
 party more visible to the defenders than in the case of 
 the Esmeralda. A complete surprise could hardly be 
 hoped for, especially as there was but one boat to 
 attack her. 
 
 The battle on the Esmeralda would undoubtedly at 
 tract the attention and arouse the interest of any men 
 on the Sharon. The Sharon was so moored that her 
 bows pointed toward the Esmeralda. Her crew would 
 naturally run forward at the first alarm on the other 
 ship. And this might give the Americans a chance to 
 
 289
 
 290 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 board her aft and gain the decks unobserved, or with 
 out much opposition. For that plan one large boat was 
 less likely to attract attention than several smaller ones. 
 At least that was the way the young captain reasoned. 
 The whole affair had been talked over between the 
 admiral and himself and they were in absolute agree 
 ment. 
 
 Just as soon as the admiral's division pulled away 
 directly for the Esmeralda, Captain Clough, instead of 
 pulling directly for the Sharon, rowed along the boom, 
 which ran parallel to a line between the two ships. His 
 men, like the others, rowed in perfect silence and rather 
 slowly, not leaving the shelter of the boom until they 
 had got well past the whaler lying motionless at her 
 moorings. 
 
 By this means they succeeded in gaining a position 
 directly astern the Sharon just about the time the 
 admiral sought to board the frigate. Their proximity 
 was evidently not suspected by the anchor watch on 
 the whaler, fortunately. Captain Clough therefore 
 ordered his men to lay on their oars and wait, although 
 he was naturally wildly anxious for action. The men in 
 the boat did not know why he stopped and wondered, 
 the Chileans with some suspicions of his courage in 
 their minds ; suspicions which, of course, Rice and Storey 
 did not entertain. The two Americans knew that no 
 more intrepid man sailed the seas than their young com 
 mander, but to the Chileans it looked as if he had sud 
 denly become sick of his job, and they were correspond 
 ingly resentful and depressed. 
 
 It all happened just as the admiral and the captain
 
 Cutting Out the Sharon 291 
 
 had foreseen. When the Esmeralda was boarded and 
 the noise of the battle was heard, lights had appeared 
 on the Sharon, and her crew, summoned by the anchor 
 watch and the shouts of Lieutenant Morelos, came run 
 ning up on deck. Naturally, they pressed forward to 
 see what was happening aboard the frigate. Seeing the 
 after part of the ship deserted, Captain Clough ordered 
 his men to give way gently. After a few easy strokes, 
 he directed them to give way hard. 
 
 Now lights appeared all along the shore. Bonfires, 
 which had been prepared for such an emergency, were 
 kindled, and into the light of them swept the Indepen- 
 dencia's launch, which had been lent to the Americans 
 for the occasion. They were but a few fathoms from 
 the stern of the Sharon at the time. 
 
 The appearance of the boat could mean but one thing 
 to the Spaniards in the nearest battery. They instantly 
 let fly a broadside from the shore. One shot struck the 
 launch, broke an oar, plowed a hole in her, instantly 
 killed the man sitting on the thwart, and wounded the 
 man opposite. It was lucky for the Americans that they 
 were so close to the whaler, for the launch would hardly 
 float five minutes in such a state. The next few seconds 
 carried them out of range of the batteries and under 
 the stern of the Sharon. As the way of the launch was 
 checked, a man rose from a shore boat concealed from 
 the assailants under the quarter, stared a moment, and 
 then shouted loudly in great alarm. The Americans 
 paid no attention to this man. He could do no damage, 
 and they had things of greater moment to occupy their 
 minds.
 
 292 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 Rice, who was steering, put the tiller hard to star 
 board and the boat's head swung to port and she came 
 to rest parallel to the stern. As yet, she had not been 
 noticed by the men on the decks above, who were all 
 forward. The greatest amount of shouting, and yell 
 ing, and confusion was going on forward. The men 
 on the Sharon were getting their .arms and making 
 ready for they knew not what. 
 
 Luckily, the whaler was not directly under the guns 
 of any shore battery, and thus she was, for the time 
 being, safe from heavy shot from the shore, but rifle 
 and musket bullets were hurtling through the air all 
 about her, and she was in the very center of the infernal 
 melee that was being kicked up. This was a good 
 thing, because the crew of the launch inevitably made 
 a good deal of noise in boarding her. 
 
 Captain Clough, with a vivid remembrance of the 
 time that he had done the same thing before, sprang 
 to the Jacob's ladder, scrambled up it, and made for 
 the cabin window, half the Chileans following him. 
 Rice and Storey went up the other Jacob's ladder, but 
 finding the cabin window on their side closed, and the 
 port shutters locked, they kept on until they reached 
 the taffrail, where they soon drew themselves on deck, 
 followed by their men. Both ladders were filled with 
 men, those to starboard making for the cabin, those to 
 port already scrambling over the rail. 
 
 Inside the cabin no one had moved since the alarm on 
 the decks without. Audrey still leaned against the 
 bulkhead. Captain Cueto still knelt by the side of 
 Donna Inez, whose breathing showed that she was
 
 Cutting Out the Sharon 293 
 
 not yet dead at any rate. It was Jose's wild shout of 
 alarm that broke the spell. 
 
 Captain Cueto caught one word, Inglesias! of 
 dreadful purport. The next moment unmistakable 
 sounds convinced him that the ship was attacked by the 
 stern. He did not lack personal courage. He sprang 
 to his feet, whipped out the light dress sword he was 
 wearing, rushed to the door of the berth to starboard, 
 thrusting aside Audrey with his left hand as he burst 
 into the smaller cabin. Captain Clough was already 
 half way in the room. He filled the stern window com 
 pletely, and was clearly seen in the light cast by the lan 
 terns in the main cabin. 
 
 He was at a terrible disadvantage when Captain 
 Cueto, recognizing him, shortened his sword, and with 
 a fierce cry of joy leaped at him to thrust him through. 
 Clough could not strike or parry with his cutlass owing 
 to his constrained position. His pistol hand was free 
 and he hastily raised the weapon and pressed the trig 
 ger, but his aim was hurried and uncertain. Captain 
 Cueto sprang aside. It was a clean miss. Death cer 
 tain and quick was at the point of the Spaniard's shining 
 blade. He drew back for the thrust, and then Audrey, 
 who had come to sudden life at the shot, and had at last 
 followed him into the cabin, seized his arm. She saw 
 her lover's terrible peril, and acted with her usual 
 promptitude and success. 
 
 Captain Cueto's thrust went into the air; he turned 
 and struck Audrey with his fist, and as she fell he faced 
 the raging American, who had gained his footing in the 
 cabin and rushed at him, cutlass in hand.
 
 294 JVaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 The Spaniard was no mean fencer. His light sword 
 was scarcely a match for the broad and heavy blade 
 of the cutlass. Yet he made up in part by his skill for 
 this disadvantage. He retreated to the larger outer 
 cabin where his science and skill would be more easily 
 employed and of better service to him. And as he 
 retreated he called for help. 
 
 But the American officer, jumping over the prostrate 
 body of Audrey, would not be denied. Before the rest 
 of the Chileans had entered the cabin he had beaten 
 down the Spaniard's guard by the impetuosity of his 
 mighty attack. The latter' s sword was broken off at 
 the hilt, and a second later he was driven to his knees 
 by a mighty blow, and fell senseless by the body of 
 Donna Inez. 
 
 The next moment Audrey, who had been helped to 
 her feet by the first of the Chilean boarders, was in 
 Captain Clough's arms. 
 
 "Safe, unharmed?" he cried, straining her to his 
 heart amid the smiles and cheers of his men. 
 
 "Yes, thank God," she answered, her eyes shining, 
 her face aflame. 
 
 He kissed her, tore himself away, and rushed to the 
 cabin door opening on the quarter deck, all, including 
 Audrey herself, following him with glad hearts and high 
 courage, leaving the cabin to the wounded, unconscious 
 Spaniard and the poor Donna Inez, of Peru. 
 
 Now not more than half a dozen of the other party 
 had gained the quarter deck from the poop when they 
 were observed. Every available lantern had been 
 lighted on the ship and the Americans were in plain
 
 Cutting Out the Sharon 295 
 
 view. Lieutenant Morelos recognized the two Ameri 
 cans who had been on the Esmeralda with him. He 
 shouted loudly and his cry was heard on the ship above 
 the noise of the conflict. The astonished Spaniards 
 crowded forward, faced aft. They saw a little group 
 of seamen, cutlass and pistol in hand, by the mizzen 
 mast, and a constant succession of men coming over the 
 break of the poop. Those forward who had weapons 
 discharged them, in their excitement and in the dim light 
 harmlessly, and then, led by the lieutenant, they dashed 
 aft, streaming through the gangways on both sides 
 of the ship. 
 
 Rice and Storey, as brave seamen as ever lived, did 
 not wait to receive the rush. They met it with a rush 
 of their own. Yelling like maniacs, they sprang for 
 ward of the mizzen mast, rushed across the quarter 
 deck, and struck the two crowds of Spaniards just as 
 they came together abaft the main mast. They were 
 followed most gallantly by the Chileans, who showed 
 that night on board the ship the highest kind of des 
 perate, headlong courage. All they needed was good 
 leadership, and they had it on the Sharon as on the 
 Esmeralda. 
 
 They hated the Spaniards with a bitter hatred, and 
 they did not spare. The Spaniards returned the hatred 
 of the Chileans, and they were brave, too. Although 
 Rice, and Storey, and the first four men fairly shoved 
 their pistols in the faces of the Spaniards and crumpled 
 up the front rank of them, the rest came crowding on. 
 There were, apparently, at least fifty of them. 
 
 By this time all of the men forward in the launch
 
 296 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 had gained the deck, bringing Rice and Storey's party up 
 to about twenty. They were all furiously engaged at 
 once; cutting, and slashing, and swearing, and yelling, 
 they swayed back and forth on the deck, but the mass 
 of Spaniards was too great for the twenty boarders long 
 to withstand. They were slowly pushed back. One or 
 two of the Chileans were cut down. All that saved them 
 was the fact that there were so many Spaniards, and 
 they were so crowded together in the gangways that it 
 was difficult for them to use their weapons effectively. 
 They thought they had, however, all the boarders be 
 fore them, and they were confident they could easily 
 overcome these few. 
 
 Rice, and Storey, and their men meanwhile were 
 wondering what had become of Captain Clough and his 
 party. They knew him too thoroughly to question his 
 courage but the rest of the Chileans thought they had 
 been betrayed and being pushed against the starboard 
 rail, they even contemplated jumping overboard to gain 
 the launch astern, which still floated, although it was 
 now awash. 
 
 "We have them! We have them!" shouted the 
 Spanish lieutenant. " Drive the rebel dogs into the 
 water!" 
 
 The next minute a shriek rose from the men in the 
 rear rank, who had been vainly trying to get at the 
 Americans, for the fifteen men under Captain Clough 
 fell upon them. The shriek apprised Lieutenant More- 
 los that something was wrong. He was a man of cour 
 age and resourcefulness, however, and without relax 
 ing the pressure upon Rice, and Storey, and their men,
 
 Cutting Out the Sharon 297 
 
 he ordered his rear rank to face about. Those who 
 had survived the impact of the Americans sought to do 
 so, but Captain Clough pressed his attack home des 
 perately. From probable victors the Spaniards were 
 caught between two forces and faced annihilation. They 
 fought on there was nothing else to do and now 
 with the courage of despair. 
 
 Clough, all of whose skill as a swordsman had come 
 back to him, and whose conduct now won the highest 
 approval of his Chilean auxiliaries, had forced the 
 fighting at the rear of the Spanish line. Rice, and 
 Storey, and their men, animated by the appearance of 
 their comrades, also fought with renewed valor, and 
 when Captain Clough, with a sweeping slash, finally 
 cut down the Spanish lieutenant the surviving men 
 threw down their arms. The thirty-six had boarded 
 and captured the ship despite the fifty defenders. In 
 its way it was as great a feat of arms as the taking of 
 the Esmeralda. 
 
 Of the Spaniards, twenty were dead, or so severely 
 wounded as to be helpless; ten more had received less 
 severe wounds and could move about. There were 
 twenty who were unharmed. Of the attacking party, 
 ten were dead, three severely wounded, among the lat 
 ter being Rice. Storey, and Clough, and Audrey were 
 unharmed. Captain Clough had been grazed by a bul 
 let. Rice's hurt was a deep saber cut in the arm. It 
 had taken the Americans a little longer to capture the 
 Sharon than the admiral had required to take the 
 Esmeralda, and the fighting had been quite as fierce. 
 
 As Clough looked about him, panting from his exer-
 
 298 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 tions, he saw the Esmeralda's topsails fall and the ship 
 slowly move toward the boom and the mouth of the 
 harbor. 
 
 " Storey," he called out. 
 
 "Sir?" 
 
 " Drive these Spaniards down the fore hatch, and put 
 a heavy guard over them." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir." 
 
 " Rey," said Captain Clough, using the old boyish 
 name, and apparently forgetful of her sex, and for the 
 moment of everything but the grave need of the critical 
 hour, "take ten men and jump aloft and loose the 
 mains'l." He turned to a Chilean bo's'n's mate, whose 
 name he had learned. " Manuel," he pointed to the 
 spanker. "Storey," he called as the unwounded Span 
 iards went reluctantly forward, driven by Storey and 
 half a score of men, "loose the heads'ls and fores'l as 
 soon as you get these men under hatches. I will take 
 a look at Rice. Bear a hand all, lively now ! " 
 
 The men ran to their several stations. The Span 
 iards were hustled below; the hatch was clapped to and 
 hastily battened ; the fore and main courses were loosed ; 
 the jib was set; the spanker was hauled out; the moor 
 ing cables ahead and astern were cut, and in a moment 
 the Sharon began to forge ahead. 
 
 As soon as she had steerage way on her, Clough 
 gave the helm to Storey, and after having assured him 
 self that Rice's wound was not fatal, and bidding 
 Audrey, who had come down from aloft to look after 
 him, he ran forward to con the ship. 
 
 The attention of the Spanish batteries was concen-
 
 Cutting Out the Sharon 299 
 
 trated, of course, on the Esmeralda, which was now 
 blazing away with all her guns. For a time the Sharon 
 was not noticed, but just as soon as she swung into the 
 wake of the Esmeralda, and as they saw her dark bulk 
 in the flashing light from the frigate's guns, the Span 
 iards diverted a goodly portion of their fire to her. 
 A good many shots came aboard. Several tore through 
 the fore and main sails ; others went over her ; and if she 
 had had her proper topmasts and yards on her, undoubt 
 edly would have done much damage. But as it was, no 
 shot that struck her was serious, or wounded her in a 
 vital part. Of course, she sailed much more slowly than 
 the Esmeralda and was under fire for a longer time. 
 But by cleverly following the course of the frigate, Cap 
 tain Clough finally brought the whaler through the 
 break she had made in the boom and gradually left the 
 Spanish batteries out of range. 
 
 "Well," he said to Audrey, and Rice, who was lying 
 on the deck after having been made as comfortable as 
 possible, and all the others, " lads, we have got our ship 
 back again. Three cheers ! " 
 
 The four Americans led off with three hearty cheers, 
 Audrey's voice rising above the rest. The Chileans, 
 understanding at last what was toward, joined madly 
 with wild but triumphant yells in the final cheer.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 WITH FAIR WIND FOR HOME 
 
 BY DAYBREAK Captain Clough had the Sharon 
 safely hove to near the O'Higgins. He called 
 away a boat and, leaving Storey in command of the 
 ship, he was rowed to the flagship to make his report 
 and to pay his respects to his benefactor, Audrey 
 accompanying him. 
 
 "Admiral," said Clough, when he was ushered into 
 Lord Cochrane's cabin, u we got our ship, and the young 
 lady, and here she is." 
 
 He moved aside as he spoke, and Audrey, in her 
 jaunty boy's suit, stood forth in full view of the great 
 admiral. She was blushing furiously and wishing with 
 all her heart that she had her own proper clothes on. 
 But there was nothing on the Sharon but the Spanish 
 dress so hateful to her, which she had put off before 
 the scene in the cabin, which she vowed to herself she 
 would not wear again. Her own women's clothes were 
 on the Spanish frigate, if they had not been made away 
 with, and she had nothing else. 
 
 Besides, she had enjoyed little or no time to make 
 any change. As soon as the Sharon had cleared the 
 boom and dropped out of range of the shore batteries, 
 she had gone into the cabin to look after the two pris 
 oners therein. To her great relief she found that her 
 
 300
 
 With Fair Wind for Home 301 
 
 bullet had only grazed Donna Inez' head. Save for the 
 shock, the Spanish lady was all right. And the white 
 bandage she had improvised and tied about her head 
 over her dark locks rather added to than detracted 
 from her appearance. 
 
 Captain Cueto was in much worse case. The heavy 
 blade of the American's cutlass had bitten deep into 
 his shoulder. He had lost much blood, and looked it. 
 Donna Inez had bared his shoulder, stanched the flow, 
 bandaged the wound temporarily, and had assisted him 
 to a berth in the captain's cabin, where Audrey found 
 them. 
 
 Donna Inez had looked at her with great disfavor. 
 She was still jealous, and naturally so. 
 
 " It is the Americana. Shall I leave you to her, Don 
 Baldamero?" she began, withdrawing her hand and 
 moving aside. 
 
 But Captain Cueto caught her hand and held it with a 
 strength unexpected in view of his condition. 
 
 "Wait," he began, "you, Donna Inez, and you, too, 
 Senorita, hear me. I do not know what they will do to 
 me. But I must clear my conscience. My conduct was 
 quite unworthy a gentleman of Spain. I ask your for 
 giveness, Senorita, and yours, beloved Donna Inez. 
 I have lost my ship, and perhaps stand to lose my life. 
 If I can regain your respect, Senorita, and retain your 
 affection, Donna Inez, I can at least die without 
 repining." 
 
 It was a long speech, he had raised himself a little 
 to give emphasis to his confession and apology, and 
 he now fell back exhausted.
 
 302 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 " I forgive you and love you, dear Don Baldamero," 
 said Donna Inez, bending over him. 
 
 "And I will at least do the first after your handsome 
 apology," said Audrey, glad that everything had turned 
 out so well. " If it rests with me, and I think I may 
 speak for Captain Clough, whom I am to marry," she 
 continued with pardonable pride, " I think you can both 
 go free." 
 
 "May Christ and His Holy Mother and all the 
 Saints bless you," cried Donna Inez, as Audrey turned 
 away. 
 
 " I was mad to think for an instant of that pale-faced 
 American," Audrey heard Captain Cueto say, as she 
 left them together. 
 
 It was not flattering to her, but it certainly was pleas 
 ing to poor Donna Inez and Audrey was glad. There 
 was only one man in whose eyes she must appear the 
 most desired of women. She closed the door behind 
 her and the next moment another pair of lovers were 
 together, for Captain Clough came into the main cabin 
 and took her in his arms. He did not leave her in 
 doubt as to what he thought. When coherent speech 
 was possible after those blissful moments alone she told 
 him about the other two and her promise. 
 
 Captain Clough was not in a mood to deny the brave 
 woman, whom he loved and who had twice saved his 
 life in the cabin of that very ship, anything she re 
 quested. He readily agreed to her proposed disposi 
 tion of the prisoners, always provided he received the 
 approval of Admiral Cochrane, under whose command 
 he certainly had placed himself.
 
 With Fair Wind for Home 303 
 
 Indeed it was to tell Audrey they must go aboard the 
 flagship and report at once that he came. 
 
 " In these clothes ! " exclaimed the girl. 
 
 " Lord Cochrane is a sailor and you are a picture to 
 fill a sailor's eye and a sailor's heart. Come as you are. 
 Time enough for dresses later." 
 
 Thus Audrey found herself, blushing, nervous, not 
 a little awed indeed, before the great sailor of fortune. 
 
 In his turn he regarded the extremely boyish young 
 lady with curiosity and interest to which manifest ap 
 proval succeeded. 
 
 " My gallant young American friend," he began at 
 last, addressing Captain Clough, "now that I see the 
 young lady, even in that fetching rig-out, I don't wonder 
 at your anxiety and that you took the bold and quick 
 course. You are unharmed, my child?" 
 
 ' Yes, your lordship, save for a few bruises," an 
 swered Audrey, starting to courtesy like a woman and 
 then remembering and saluting, knuckling her forehead 
 in true seamanlike fashion. 
 
 The admiral laughed kindly and turned to Clough 
 again. 
 
 " I congratulate you on the safety of the lady and 
 your successful seizure of your ship. I knew you would 
 do it, of course. The first thing I asked as the Esme- 
 ralda left the harbor, was whether you were following 
 or not. Were you under fire long? " 
 
 "Longer than I liked, sir," answered Captain 
 Clough. " But no serious damage has been done. None 
 that ship carpenters and riggers cannot repair in a day 
 or two."
 
 304 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 "Tell me about how you took her and what hap 
 pened to the little boy-lady here," said the admiral, 
 whereupon Captain Clough related the details of the 
 adventure, which Audrey, encouraged by the admiral's 
 kindly interest, explained more fully from time to 
 time. 
 
 ''You have a fondness for boarding through stern 
 windows, it seems," said Cochrane, smiling in spite of 
 his weakness and pain. " Well, sir, it was most hand 
 somely done by both of you. Young lady, you are the 
 very wife for a gallant seaman and Captain Clough is 
 to be congratulated. Now as to your losses, sir?" 
 
 "We have lost nine of your Chilean seamen and a 
 bo's'n's mate killed, I am sorry to report, sir, and we 
 have two more severely wounded, with two slightly 
 wounded who will be fit for duty in a few days." 
 
 "And your own men, sir?" 
 
 " One of my men has a sword cut in the arm, not dan 
 gerous. I was grazed by a bullet and that is all." 
 
 " I will send my surgeon off to look at your wounded 
 at once. The dead you had better send here to be 
 buried with our poor fellows." 
 
 " I shall attend to it at once, your lordship." 
 
 Captain Clough saluted, but hung in the wind a 
 moment. Obviously he had something else on his mind 
 and, although the admiral's surgeon came into the cabin 
 where the admiral lay with a warning against a longer 
 continuance of the conversation in his weakened condi 
 tion, Cochrane waved him aside. 
 
 'You had something more to say to me, Captain 
 Clough?" he asked.
 
 With Fair Wind for Home 305 
 
 "Yes, my lord." 
 
 "Speak out, then." 
 
 "It's about that Spanish captain, sir." 
 
 "Ah, I had overlooked him for the moment. Send 
 him aboard at once." 
 
 " Begging your pardon, sir, but Miss McRae, here, 
 promised to to intercede with your lordship for 
 him and the lady." 
 
 "Won't you let them go free, sir?" asked Audrey. 
 "He is sorry and badly wounded, and I almost killed 
 her." 
 
 " My dear young lady," answered the admiral, " I 
 can refuse so brave and splendid a girl nothing. Be 
 sides, Captain Clough, he was in your ship. You cap 
 tured him. He is your prisoner, not mine. I am not 
 supposed to know anything about his disposition. If 
 I make any inquiries it will be too late." 
 
 " I thank your lordship," said Audrey gratefully. 
 
 " Not at all. Now, Doctor, would you mind calling 
 my orderly and bid him tell old Broadrib to come 
 here?" 
 
 In a few moments the old harpooner presented him 
 self. 
 
 "As you see, Broadrib, the young lady is here safe 
 and sound and " 
 
 But Audrey did not wait for the completion of the 
 admiral's sentence. She fairly threw herself into the 
 arms of the delighted old seaman and before he could 
 say a word she kissed his weather-beaten check, she was 
 so glad to see him. The admiral threw back his head 
 for all his weakness and laughed heartily.
 
 306 PTalf-o-the-Sea 
 
 " First time in my life I have envied my chief boat 
 swain's mate," he said presently. 
 
 "Oh, sir," said Audrey, smiling in turn, "if I had 
 not thought you so great " 
 
 " My dear, no man is ever too great to be kissed by a 
 pretty woman, even in boy's clothes." 
 
 Audrey bent over the great seaman, old enough to 
 be her father, indeed, and kissed him unblushingly. 
 
 " Your lor' ship's was the properest," said old Broad- 
 rib, " but mine was the quickest an' most nateral. Miss 
 Audrey, but I'm gladder to see ye alive an' well than 
 to have took the ships." 
 
 "Well, Broadrib," said the admiral, "your ship 
 lies out there. I understand you have agreed to help 
 work her back to New Bedford for Captain Clough." 
 
 " I have, sir, with your lordship's permission an' for 
 the little lady's sake." 
 
 " Tut, tut, man, you need no permission from me." 
 
 " But your lordship bein' a British officer an' my old 
 commander " 
 
 Cochrane shook his head. 
 
 " I am not a British officer any longer." 
 
 ;< Your lordship," said Captain Clough, "while I 
 can hardly spare him I feel in duty bound to say that if 
 you want Broadrib " 
 
 "I want him," said the earl, "and I have no doubt 
 he wants me, but a bargain's a bargain, hey, Master 
 Broadrib?" 
 
 " Yes, your lordship. I feels in duty bound to keep 
 to my word an' help Cap'n Clough work the whaler back 
 to New Bedford for the little lady. Besides which,
 
 With Fair Wind for Home 307 
 
 there will be a bit of salvage, an' a good lay comin' to 
 me when we gits there." 
 
 "You'll get her there, all right," said Cochrane. 
 "Any crew that has gone through all you have and 
 come off first best is able to do anything. Now, Cap 
 tain Clough, I will have my carpenter's gang, poor 
 enough fellows they are but willing, sent off to your 
 ship. If there are any spare spars on the Esmeralda 
 that are useful to you, you can use them to fit out the 
 Sharon. There are four Americans, I find, in our 
 squadron who will, I am sure, be glad to join you and 
 I will give orders for their discharge papers to be made 
 out. You will have to pay them well." 
 
 " I will be glad to do that. I am sure my owners 
 will be glad to deal generously with them." 
 
 " That will give you a crew of nine all told and you 
 ought to be able to work the ship back without any 
 difficulty." 
 
 " I am profoundly grateful to your lordship," said 
 Clough. " You have treated us handsomely." 
 
 "Tut, tut, man," said the admiral. "Blood is 
 thicker than water. The Americans I have had under 
 me have served me well. I am glad of an opportunity 
 to show my appreciation. How are you off for provi 
 sions and water?" 
 
 " Well, sir, I had intended to touch at Valparaiso to 
 replenish." 
 
 "Take my advice," said the admiral earnestly, " and 
 don't do it. There might be a claim for salvage or 
 prize money entertained. The ship might be libeled 
 and seized in spite of my safe conduct. The whole
 
 308 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 proceeding is a bit irregular, you know, and you had 
 better steer clear of that or any other Chilean port. I 
 will fill your water casks and give orders that whatever 
 else you need shall be put aboard from the flagship's 
 stores. Anything else ?" 
 
 "Shall you be sending a boat ashore, sir?" 
 
 "Yes," said the admiral. "I am going to propose 
 an exchange of prisoners. By the way, did you capture 
 any?" 
 
 "We have ten severely wounded aboard us, most 
 of whom will die, I think, and twenty unwounded men 
 and a midshipman." 
 
 " Good ! We'll include those. But did you want to 
 send a message ashore?" 
 
 " I would like very much to have a letter delivered to 
 Captain Downes of the Macedonian" 
 
 " I will see if it can be arranged," said the admiral. 
 "And now, as I am feeling pretty badly, I will ask you 
 to excuse me. Ask the flag captain to step below as you 
 go on deck and I will give him the necessary orders to 
 carry out your needs," said the big-hearted, magnani 
 mous sailor. 
 
 " Before I go, admiral, I want you to give me the 
 permission to distribute the contents of this purse 
 among the men who assisted us in cutting out the 
 Sharon," said Captain Clough. "There is a thousand 
 dollars here that belonged to Captain Norris, which I 
 feel justified in devoting to this purpose." 
 
 " Won't that leave you short of funds ? " 
 
 "No, sin I shall have plenty until I get to New 
 Bedford. Following your advice, I do not intend to
 
 With Fair Wind for Home 309 
 
 touch at a port unless it is absolutely necessary until I 
 get to Buenos Ayres." 
 
 " Very well," said the admiral. " Your own men are 
 still on your ship, are they not? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Remember, I wish to see you again before you 
 take your departure," said the admiral, dismissing them 
 at last. 
 
 In a short time a gang of carpenters, together with 
 the American seamen from the Chilean squadron, who 
 were glad enough of the chance to get back to the 
 United States, came off to the Sharon. Captain Clough 
 promised them double wages and a substantial reward 
 if they made New Bedford safely. One of them, 
 named Woodruff, had been a fourth mate and knew 
 enough of navigation to find his way around in case 
 anything happened to Clough. The captain didn't 
 displace old Broadrib from his position as mate, but he 
 appointed Woodruff second mate, and he and Broad- 
 rib directing, with Storey to assist, the work of refitting 
 the Sharon proceeded merrily. Rice was in a fair way 
 to recover from his wound and Donna Inez and Cap 
 tain Cueto had been freed and sent ashore. 
 
 There were plenty of spare spars in the Esmeralda 
 and after several days of steady work the whaler was 
 in fine condition for her long cruise. Admiral Coch- 
 rane was as good as his word. He provisioned her 
 generously, he filled her water casks and he even sent 
 off a boat load of delicacies for the officers. 
 
 Captain Clough had made glad the hearts of his 
 Chilean shipmates in the adventure by distributing tlis
 
 310 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 thousand dollars among them. They bade him an ad 
 miring good-bye and returned to their ship. All was 
 soon ready for the voyage home. But before they put 
 the Sharon on her course two things happened. First 
 Captain Clough had the satisfaction of receiving a 
 visit from Captain John Downes, his old commander. 
 The noted American naval officer was amazed and de 
 lighted with Audrey, now dressed and, as she fondly 
 hoped, forever in her own proper clothes. Her boxes 
 had been found and she had been busy with her needle 
 while the Sharon was being overhauled. 
 
 "I never dreamed," said that seaman, "that the 
 Sharon was an American ship and that you were cutting 
 her out. I saw, of course, that somebody had taken 
 her and that she was putting for sea. Why didn't you 
 tell me about it, Clough?" 
 
 "Well, sir," answered Captain Clough, "I thought 
 you would have made diplomatic representations and 
 we would have got mixed up in law suits and everything 
 else and, as Admiral Cochrane said, the quickest way 
 was to cut her out." 
 
 "And you thought that of me?" said bluff Captain 
 Downes, in deep disgust at that mistake. " Diplomacy 
 be damned ! If I had known she was an American 
 ship I would have taken her in face of all the Spanish 
 forts on the continent, from the whole Spanish Army 
 and Navy if necessary." 
 
 "I believe you would, sir," assented the other, "but 
 in that case your men would have had a claim 
 on her." 
 
 "Yes, I guess you got her in the best way after all,"
 
 With Fair Wind for Home 311 
 
 admitted Downes. " By the way, could you use two or 
 three more men?" 
 
 "That I could, sir," said Clough. 
 
 " I have two or three that are invalided and want 
 to go home. I think after they get out of these hot 
 latitudes they will be all right. Have you got every 
 thing else you need?" 
 
 " Everything, sir. Admiral Cochrane has been most 
 kind." 
 
 "He is a great fighter," said Downes. "I am glad 
 we never ran up against him in the war of 1812." 
 
 "So am I," said Clough. "And yet Commodore 
 Porter in the Essex, with you to second him, would 
 have " 
 
 " Tut, tut," laughed Downes. " Well, a safe voyage 
 to you. Do you start immediately? " 
 
 "After Miss McRae and I have gone over to pay 
 our respects to the admiral." 
 
 " My boat is alongside," said Captain Downes. " I 
 will take you both over and fetch you back. I would 
 like to call on the admiral myself." 
 
 They found Lord Cochrane much better and sitting 
 up. The three Americans were received in the cabin 
 at once. 
 
 " I am glad to meet you, Captain Downes," said the 
 admiral cordially, after he had greeted Audrey, whom 
 he found more charming than ever. "The informa 
 tion you gave us about the lights was of the utmost 
 value." 
 
 "We are on your side, sir," said Captain Downes, 
 " in fighting against the Spaniards. I wish I could have
 
 312 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 joined in the mix-up myself. Your attack was a sight 
 to stir the blood." 
 
 ; 'You have seen service, I understand?" 
 
 " Yes, a little. I was a member of the Essex crew." 
 
 "Ah, that ship was gallantly fought, sir." 
 
 " Thank you, sir. Will your lordship give me leave ? 
 The cutting out of the Esmeralda was the most extraor 
 dinary exploit that has ever come under my notice. I 
 do not believe any other seaman afloat would have 
 attempted it, and I am sure no other seaman that ever 
 lived could have brought it about." 
 
 "It was a neat bit of work, eh, Downes? And it 
 was a neat bit of work to cut out the Sharon, too, and 
 I trust you have no objection to her departure?" 
 
 " Objection ? " laughed Downes. " I am so glad that 
 the matter was settled as it was that I want to add my 
 thanks to Captain Clough's." 
 
 " Don't mention it," said the admiral, his grim face 
 lighting. " Well, Captain Clough, you have got every 
 thing you need?" 
 
 " Everything but one thing, sir. You have been more 
 than generous. My owners, I am sure, will take proper 
 notice of your lordship's unparalleled consideration 
 and kindness." 
 
 "And what is the one thing you lack, sir?" ques 
 tioned the admiral, with interest. 
 
 " A wife, sir ! " was the amazing answer. 
 
 "A wife?" 
 
 "Yes, your lordship, a wife to accompany me on the 
 long voyage home to New Bedford." 
 
 "Well, by Gad! " exclaimed Cochrane, staring from
 
 With Fair Wind for Home 313 
 
 the smiling young American to the smiling and blush 
 ing Audrey. "A wedding! By all means. And as I 
 am incapacitated by that cursed Spanish bullet, damme 
 (forgive me, little lady), we must have it here. Call 
 my chaplain." 
 
 "Wait, your lordship," interposed Captain Downes, 
 "the chaplain of your flagship is a Chilean, of course. 
 Now, there is on the Macedonian an American chap- 
 plain. With your permission I shall send my boat for 
 him." 
 
 "Have it your way, Downes," heartily said the ad 
 miral at once, " but I must have the privilege of giving 
 away the bride." 
 
 " I shall be glad if your lordship will so honor me." 
 said Audrey, simply, " but before we decide upon this 
 there is one thing more." 
 
 "What is that, Miss Audrey?" 
 
 " I must be married under the American flag, sir." 
 
 " Is that all ! " exclaimed Cochrane, smiling. " Cap 
 tain Downes, have your chaplain fetch over all your 
 spare colors. We'll dress ship and fly the American 
 flag from every masthead." 
 
 Thus the matter was settled. The chaplain of the 
 Macedonian was soon aboard the Chilean flagship. 
 He brought some of her officers with him. The ad 
 miral had invited all his English subordinates into the 
 cabin with some of the high ranking Chilean officers. 
 Old Broadrib, who would fain have given the bride 
 away himself, was there with Storey, Rice bemoaning 
 the wound that prevented his presence. Captain 
 Downes supported his former midshipman as best man.
 
 314 Waif-o-the-Sea 
 
 The admiral toasted the bride in true seamanlike 
 fashion after it was all over, in some rare old Madeira 
 which had made half a dozen voyages with him. 
 
 As he bade his guests good-bye and wished them a 
 safe and prosperous voyage home and through life, he 
 handed Captain Clough a large and heavy parcel. 
 
 " I am glad to have helped you to your ship and wife, 
 sir," he said. " I have had my steward make up a little 
 parcel that I want you to accept with my compliments.' 
 There is something in it for each of you and especially 
 for the bride, and I want you both to remember that 
 if you ever need a friend and I can serve you I shall be 
 glad to do so. When I have fought with, or against, a 
 brave man I always love him, and I suppose I shall be fly 
 ing a flag somewhere on the seven seas for some nation if 
 not for my country," he continued a little bitterly, since 
 his necessity for an alien service always rankled, " and 
 where I am there will always be a commission and a 
 command for you, Captain Clough, and for anyone you 
 may bring with you." 
 
 "Thank you, sir," answered Captain Clough. "I 
 shall remember that. Here's wishing your lordship as 
 great success in the future as in the past. Good-bye, 
 sir." 
 
 But Captain Downes and the bridal pair with the 
 others of the Macedonian people were not to get away 
 without further adventure. Captain Crosbie had or 
 dered the yards manned, the marines paraded, and so, 
 with every sea honor which they could share between 
 them, they left the flagship. 
 
 Captain Downes put Clough on his own ship once
 
 With Fair Wind for Home 315 
 
 more. Sails were loosed and sheeted home, yards were 
 braced, the American flag was hoisted and with a salute 
 from the O'Higgins, the Sharon squared away before 
 the fine fresh breeze then blowing for the long voyage 
 down the west coast, around the Horn, up the east 
 coast of South America for New Bedford, in the harbor 
 of which famous whaling town four months after she 
 dropped anchor after a voyage as uneventful as it had 
 previously been exciting. 
 
 Admiral Cochrane's present to Captain Clough was 
 a beautifully mounted Spanish sword, the best sword 
 of Captain Cueto, which had been found in his cabin 
 on the Esmeralda, together with a pair of ivory han 
 dled, silver mounted pistols of his own. He sent less 
 elaborate weapons to Rice and Storey. To old Broad- 
 rib he gave a very beautiful silver bo's'n's call and, 
 what pleased him immensely, a silver tobacco box, with 
 a pipe and a big package of the very finest tobacco, both 
 for chewing and smoking, in which the old salt took 
 great solace. Audrey's present from the admiral was 
 enclosed in a handsome silver-mounted box. When 
 she opened it she saw a very beautiful pair of small 
 pistols and between them a smaller parcel. That con 
 tained a woman's ring set with a diamond of rare 
 brilliance. On a card the admiral had written these 
 words : 
 
 The pistols are for the boy, Rey, who will know 
 how to use them should there ever be need, which God 
 forbid. The ring is one I designed to give to my wife. 
 When I tell her Miss Audrey's story she will join with 
 me in giving it to the brave and beautiful wife of my
 
 316 JVaif-o-the-Sea 
 
 good friend, Captain Benjamin Clough, with the good 
 wishes of an old sailor Dundonald. 
 
 All of the other gifts were accompanied by auto 
 graphed letters from the admiral which made them 
 infinitely more valuable. 
 
 The owners of the Sharon, who were wealthy and 
 influential merchants, had nothing but praise for Cap 
 tain Clough and his companions. They offered him the 
 command of a brand new ship just ready to be launched, 
 they gave third mates' positions to Rice and Storey. 
 
 The sailors who had worked the ship home received 
 large presents, and the share of the salvage and lay 
 apportioned among the survivors and those who had 
 died in the discharge of duty was so great that Audrey 
 for one, who was of course recognized as Captain 
 Norris' heiress, felt like a rich woman, and that the 
 foundation of her fortunes and that of her husband 
 were now assured. 
 
 There was little they could do for old Broadrib, 
 however, except give him his salvage and lay. He 
 shipped in the first whaler bound south with a rigid 
 promis-e that he should be landed at Valparaiso to rejoin 
 his beloved admiral, for whom he carried a handsome 
 piece of plate from the owners of the whaler, with 
 grateful letters from all the Americans he had be 
 friended; and what he prized above all, so that his wife 
 vowed she was jealous of Audrey, the best miniature of 
 the boy-lady that the best artistry of the country could 
 produce. Admiral Cochrane was the only man Cap 
 tain Clough would have permitted to have Audrey's 
 picture. He could not be jealous of him I
 
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 Form L9-32m-8,'57(.C8680s4)444
 
 PS 
 
 Brady - 
 
 1120 Waif-o-the-sea 
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 A 001372326 7 
 
 PS 
 
 1120 
 
 B72W15 
 
 BKKNTANO'S 
 gokiellen * Stationer*