Blue Jackets.

by George Manville Fenn.

CHAPTER ONE.

WE JOLLY SAILOR BOYS.

"Come along, boys; look sharp! Here's old Dishy coming."

"Hang old Dishipline; he's always coming when he isn't wanted. Tumble over."

We three lads, midshipmen on board HM clipper gunboat the _Teaser_, did "tumble over"--in other words, made our way down into the boat alongside--but not so quickly that the first lieutenant, Mr Reardon, who, from his slightly Hibernian p.r.o.nunciation of the word discipline and constant references thereto had earned for himself among us the sobriquet of "Dishy," did catch sight of us, come to the gangway and look down just as Double B had given the order to shove off, and was settling the strap of the large telescope he carried over his shoulder.

I ought to tell you our names, though, in order of seniority; and it will make matters more easy in this log if I add our second handles or nicknames, for it was a habit among us that if a fellow could by any possibility be furnished with an alias, that furnishing took place.

For instance, Bruce Barkins always went by the name of "Double B," when, in allusion to the Bark in his family name, he was not called the "Little Tanner," or "Tanner" alone; Harry Smith, being a swarthy, dark-haired fellow, was "Blacksmith;" and I, Nathaniel Herrick, was dubbed the first day "Poet"--I, who had never made a line in my life-- and later on, as I was rather diminutive, the "Gnat."

One can't start fair upon any voyage without preparations, so I must put in another word or two to tell you that there were two logs kept on board the good ship _Teaser_--one by the chief officer, and in which the captain often put down his opinion. This is not that, but my own private log; and I'm afraid that if the skipper or Lieutenant Reardon had ever seen it he would have had a few words of a sort to say to me-- words which I would rather not have heard.

It was a gloriously fine morning. We had been dodging about the coast on and off for a month on the look-out for piratical junks and lorchas, had found none, and were now lying at anchor in the mouth of the Nyho river, opposite the busy city of that name. Lastly, we three had leave to go ash.o.r.e for the day, and were just off when the first lieutenant came and stood in the gangway, just as I have said, and the Tanner had told the c.o.xswain to shove off.

"Stop!" cried our tyrant loudly; and the oars which were being dropped into the pea-soupy water were tossed up again and held in a row.

"Oh my!" groaned Barkins.

"Eh?" cried the first lieutenant sharply. "What say?" and he looked hard at me.

"I didn't speak, sir."

"Oh, I thought you did. Well, young gentlemen, you are going ash.o.r.e for the day. Not by my wish, I can a.s.sure you."

"No, sir," said Smith, and he received a furious look.

"Was that meant for impertinence, sir?"

"I beg pardon, sir; no, sir."

"Oh, I'm very glad it was not. I was saying it was not by my wish that you are going ash.o.r.e, for I think you would be all better employed in your cabin studying navigation."

"Haven't had a holiday for months, sir," said Barkins, in a tone of remonstrance.

"Well, sir, what of that? Neither have I. Do you suppose that the discipline of Her Majesty's ships is to be kept up by officers thinking of nothing else but holidays? Now, listen to me--As you are going-- recollect that you are officers and gentlemen, and that it is your duty to bear yourselves so as to secure respect from the Chinese inhabitants of the town."

"Yes, sir," we said in chorus.

"You will be very careful not to get into any sc.r.a.pes."

"Of course, sir."

"And you will bear in mind that you are only barbarians--"

"And foreign devils, sir."

"Thank you, Mr Smith," said the lieutenant sarcastically. "You need not take the words out of my mouth. I was going to say foreign devils--"

"I beg pardon, sir."

"--In the eyes of these self-satisfied, almond-eyed Celestials. They would only be too glad of an excuse to mob you or to declare that you had insulted them, so be careful."

"Certainly, sir."

"Perhaps you had better not visit their temples."

Smith kicked me.

"Or their public buildings."

Barkins trod on my toe.

"In short, I should be extremely guarded; and I think, on further consideration, I will go to the captain and suggest that you have half-a-dozen marines with you."

"Captain's ash.o.r.e, sir."

"Thank you, Mr Herrick. You need not be so fond of correcting me."

I made a deprecatory gesture.

"I should have remembered directly that Captain Thwaites was ash.o.r.e."

"Beg pardon, sir," said Barkins, touching his cap. "Well, Mr Barkins."

"I hope you will not send any marines with us."

"And pray why, sir?"

"We should have to be looking after them, sir, as much as they would be looking after us."

"Mr Barkins, allow me to a.s.sure you, sir, that the dishipline of the marines on board this ship is above reproach."

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir. I only thought that, after being on board the ship so long, sir, they might be tempted, sir."

"I hope that the men of Her Majesty's gunboat _Teaser_ are above all temptations, Mr Barkins," said the lieutenant harshly. "There, upon second thoughts, I will not send a guard. You can go."

The oars dropped with a splash on either side, and away we went among the hundreds of native boats of all kinds going up and down the river, and onward toward the crowded city, with its paG.o.das, towers, and ornamental gateways glittering in the morning sunshine, and looking wonderfully attractive to us prisoners, out for the day.

"Don't speak aloud," I whispered to Smith, who was gathering himself up for an oration respecting the first lieutenant's tyranny.

"Why not?"