"The 'Crusader,' Captain Westerway," answered the master.

"Ay, ay, Captain Westerway, you are an old friend of mine, and I am sure you will welcome me on board," sang out some one, apparently from beneath the bows.

"Who are you?" asked the captain.

"Daddy Neptune, to be sure," answered the voice. "Don't you know that?

Your ship is just over my parlour windows, and shutting out the light, so that my wife and children can scarcely see to eat their porridge."

"I beg your pardon, but that is not my fault, as your Majesty well knows," answered Captain Westerway. "However, you are welcome on board." As he spoke, some strange figures were seen coming over the bows, one with a crown on his head, a trident in his hand, and a huge nose and brownish beard, which flowed over his breast. He was evidently Daddy Neptune himself. His companions were in sea-green dresses, with conch sh.e.l.ls in their hands, and among them were half-a-dozen strange-looking fish, who came walloping about the deck as if they supposed themselves still to be swimming in the water.

"Well, Captain Westerway, as you are an old friend, I will grant any favour you like to ask; so just out with it, and don't stand on ceremony," said Neptune, in a familiar, easy way.

The captain replied, "As my pa.s.sengers here are leaving their native sh.o.r.e, and are about to settle in a strange country, I must beg that, after you have mustered all hands, your Majesty will allow them to pa.s.s without the ceremonies which those who cross the line for the first time have usually to go through."

The pa.s.sengers were accordingly called up on deck, when most of them, in acknowledgment of his courtesy, presented Daddy Neptune with a fee, which he forthwith handed to an odd-looking monster whom he took care to introduce as his treasurer. Mr Job Mawson, however, kept out of the way, evidently determined to pay nothing. Neptune, who had been eyeing him for some time, now turned to his attendants. Four of them immediately sprang forward, when Mr Mawson, suspecting their intentions, took to flight. Round and round the deck he ran, pursued by the tritons, to escape from whom he sprang below; but in his fright he went down forward, so that he could not reach his own cabin, and he was soon hunted up again and chased as before, till at length, exhausted, and nearly frightened out of his wits, he was caught beneath the p.o.o.p.

"Let him alone," exclaimed Neptune; "he is beneath our notice, after all."

Instead of the rough amus.e.m.e.nts often carried on on board ships crossing the line, a drama was acted by Neptune and his attendants, he being shortly afterwards joined by his wife and children, who had by this time, he observed, finished their breakfasts, and had come to pay their respects to their old friend, Captain Westerway.

CHAPTER FOUR.

A SEAMAN'S SUPERSt.i.tION.

"RANGER" TAKES A SOUTHERLY COURSE--ALBATROSSES APPEAR ASTERN--HOLT PREPARES HIS RIFLE--MISS MORLEY PLEADS FOR THE BIRDS--HOLT KILLS AN ALBATROSS--A SUPERSt.i.tION OF SEAMEN--THE FATE OF THE ANCIENT MARINER-- MRS RUMBELOW'S OPINIONS ON THE SUBJECT--SERJEANT RUMBELOW--MUSIC HEARD OVER THE OCEAN--A SHIP Pa.s.sED AT NIGHT--A HAIL FROM THE "RANGER"-- BLOWING HARD--MRS RUMBELOW COMFORTS THE SICK--THE COLONEL CAUTIONS THE COMMANDER--LOOK-OUT FOR ICEBERGS--THE COLONEL'S WIFE AND DAUGHTERS--THE COLONEL'S PRACTICAL RELIGION--A CALM.

The lofty height of Table Mountain sank lower and lower in the blue ocean as the "Ranger" stood towards the south.

"I propose taking the short circle on our voyage eastward," said Commander Newcombe to Colonel Morley. "We may experience somewhat cold weather; but, at this time of the year we may hope to escape heavy gales, and it is important, with so many men on board, to make a quick pa.s.sage. If, too, our water should run scarce, we may obtain a supply from the icebergs, with which it is not impossible we may fall in now and then."

"I hope we may not run foul of one," observed Colonel Morley.

"No fear of that, colonel, if we have our eyelids open, and our wits about us," answered the commander of the "Ranger."

The sea was calm, the wind light, and the "Ranger" glided proudly over the smooth sea. The ladies and most of the other pa.s.sengers were on deck. Two or three of the lieutenants and ensigns brought up their rifles and proposed shooting at the albatrosses, which, with expanded wings, floated around the ship, now rising high in the air, now darting down on the sc.r.a.pings of the mess tins which had been thrown overboard.

Ensign Holt had just loaded his rifle.

"I think I can hit that fellow," he exclaimed, pointing at a magnificent bird which, at the instant, came swooping down near the stern.

"Oh! do not be so cruel," exclaimed Miss Morley, who observed him. "I could not suppose that anybody with right feeling would wish to deprive so beautiful a creature of its joyous existence. How delightful it must be to fly at freedom through the clear blue air, and remain thus, for days and weeks together, away from the heat and dust of the sh.o.r.e."

The ensign reddened, and lowered his weapon from his shoulder, and the albatross swept off to a distance, far out of range of his rifle.

"I was only thinking of the good practice they would give us," he observed; "but your interference, Miss Morley, has saved the bird's life."

"That is to say, Holt, it prevented you from firing," observed Lieutenant Dawson; "it does not follow that the bird would have been the sufferer."

Lieutenant Hickman and Ensign Gonne laughed heartily, for Holt was not celebrated for his shooting. The magnificent birds continued as before, hovering about the ship, not aware of the evil intentions harboured against them by the young officers.

Ensign Holt was nettled, and, notwithstanding Miss Morley's remark, was longing for an opportunity of exhibiting his skill. She soon afterwards went below, when he again prepared, as he said, to bring down an albatross. He and his brother officers, however, fired several shots without producing any effect. A rifle ball at length striking one of the birds, the white feathers were seen flying from its breast; upwards it soared, making several wide circuits, then once more darted towards the surface of the water, apparently not in any way the sufferer.

While the young officers were thus engaged, Commander Newcombe appeared on the p.o.o.p. "I do not wish to interfere with the amus.e.m.e.nts of my pa.s.sengers," he observed; "but we sailors are apt to be superst.i.tious, and we hold to the idea, if one of those magnificent birds is wantonly killed by any one on board a ship, she is sure to meet with some misfortune."

"Why, captain, I do not see that there can be any more harm in killing an albatross than shooting a pheasant," answered Ensign Holt, who was somewhat vexed at being thus a second time interfered with.

"The pheasant, sir, might serve for dinner," observed the commander, "but I do not fancy you would wish to eat an albatross, even should you happen to shoot one, and we could lower a boat and pick it up. I confess I do not like to see the creatures wantonly injured. You may break a leg or wing of one of them, and leave it to suffer and die out in the ocean here; but your rifle b.a.l.l.s can scarcely penetrate the bird's thick coat of feathers, unless you get a fair shot at close range, so as to kill it outright."

The young ensign, who did not at all like to be thus thwarted by the commander, had been watching a bird which, bolder than its companions, had more than once swooped close up to the taffrail. Determined to prove that he was not the bad shot it was supposed, he had kept his rifle capped and ready; he lifted it as the commander spoke, and fired.

The albatross rose for an instant, and then, with expanded wings, fell heavily into the water, where it was seen struggling in a vain effort to rise.

"You have done for him, old fellow, at all events," cried Lieutenant Dawson.

"Well, Holt, you have retrieved your character," remarked the other ensign.

"I wish that Mr Holt would have listened to my advice," said the commander, turning away annoyed. The young officers were too much engaged watching the poor bird to observe this. In another instant the struggles of the wounded albatross ceased, and immediately several of its companions pounced down upon it, and, ere the ship had run it out of sight, the body was almost torn in pieces.

"Why, it appears that your pets are somewhat ferocious creatures,"

observed Lieutenant Dawson, pointing out what had occurred to Commander Newcombe, who had again returned aft.

"That is their nature, gentlemen," he replied; "I have an idea, too, that it was implanted in them for a beneficent purpose. Better that the creature should be put out of its pain at once than linger on in agony.

If we come to look into the matter, we shall find that every living creature is imbued with certain habits and propensities for a good purpose. I do not hold that anything happens by chance, or that the albatross is unworthy of being treated with humanity, because it acts in what you call a savage way. You will pardon me for being thus plain-spoken, gentlemen; and now Mr Holt has shown his skill by shooting one of those poor birds, I will ask you to favour me by not attempting to kill any more."

Though not over well pleased at the interference of the commander, the young officers, feeling that his rebuke was just, discharged their rifles in the air, and did not again produce them during the voyage.

w.i.l.l.y Dicey and Peter Patch had been on the p.o.o.p when these remarks had been made. "I say, Dicey, do you suppose that the commander really believes harm will come to the ship because Ensign Holt killed the albatross?" asked Peter, as they took a turn together on the port side of the quarterdeck.

"I should think not," answered w.i.l.l.y. "I do not see what the one thing has to do with the other."

"The sailors say, however, that it is very unlucky to kill an albatross," observed Peter. "They fancy that the souls of people who die at sea fly about in the bodies of albatrosses, I suppose, or something of that sort--I am not quite certain; and for my part I wish that Ensign Holt had been less free with his rifle. I have always thought him a donkey, and donkeys do a good deal of mischief sometimes."

"I will ask Harry Shafto what he thinks about it," said w.i.l.l.y. "I have read a poem about a man who shot an albatross, and all the people died on board, and the ship went floating about till the masts and sails rotted, and he alone remained alive."

"I suppose he lived on the ship's stores then," observed Peter. "He would have had plenty to eat, as there was no one to share the grub with him; but I should not like to have been in his skin. Did he ever get to sh.o.r.e, or how did people come to know it?"

"I think the old hulk reached the land after a good many years," said w.i.l.l.y; "but I am not quite certain about that."

"He must have had a terrible life of it, all alone by himself," said Peter. "I should like to hear more of the story; but, I say, Dicey, are you certain that it is true?"

"No, I rather think it is a poet's fancy, for the story is written in verse," answered w.i.l.l.y.

"Well! that's some comfort," observed Peter; "because, you see, if the same thing was to happen to us, we should all have to die, and Ensign Holt would be the only person left on board the 'Ranger.'"

Harry Shafto soon afterwards coming on deck, the two midshipmen appealed to him for his opinion. Harry laughed heartily.

"I think, however, that those soldier-officers might as well have let the poor birds alone," he observed. "It is a cruel thing to shoot them, but I do not think any further harm will come of it."

Still, neither Peter nor w.i.l.l.y were quite satisfied. "I'll ask Mrs Rumbelow what she thinks about it," said w.i.l.l.y. "She will soon get the opinion of the seamen, and I should not quite like to ask them myself."