NIYERSITY OF 
 
 CAROLINA 
 
 OTJVF.R OEJIC'S 
 
 Hnk^W STORIES. 
 
 _ cience 
 
 A Library for Young and Old, in six volumes, 
 ^rao. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50. 
 
 Tlie (Sailor Boy, or Jack 
 
 Somers in the Navy. 
 
 Tlie Yankee Mliddy, or 
 
 Adventures of a Naval Officer. 
 
 Brave Old Salt, or Life on 
 
 the Quarter Deck. 
 
 The Soldier Boy, or Tom 
 
 Somers in the Army. 
 
 The Young Lieutenant, 
 
 Or The Adventures of an Army Officer. 
 
 Fighting Joe, or the Fortunes 
 
 of a Staff Officer. 
 
 " The writings of Oliver Optic are the most pe- 
 culiarly fitted for juvenile readers of any works 
 now published. There is a freshness and vivacity 
 about them which is very engaging to older read- 
 ers. The benefit which a young mind will ob- 
 tain from reading the healthy descriptions, full of 
 zest and life, and, withal, containing a great deal 
 of very useful information, is almost incalcula- 
 ble." — Toledo Blade. 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 T- 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC'S Q 
 
 
 RIVERDALE STORIES. 
 
 Twelve volumes. Profusely illustrated from new 
 
 designs by Billings. In neat box. 
 
 Cloth. Per vol., 46 c. 
 
 Little Merchant. 
 Young "Voyagers. 
 Christinas Grift. 
 Dolly and I. 
 TJncle Ben. 
 Birthday Barty. 
 Proud and Lazy. 
 Careless Kate. 
 Robinson Crusoe, Jr. 
 The Bicnic Barty. 
 The Grold Thimble. 
 The Do-Somethings. 
 
 •' Anxious mothers who wish to keep their boys 
 out of mischief, will do well to keep their hands 
 filled with one of the numerous volumes of Oliver 
 Optic. They all have a good moral, are full of 
 fascinating incidents mingled with instruction, 
 and teach that straight-forwardness is best." — 
 News. 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC'S 
 
 MAGAZINE. 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC, Editor. 
 
 Published Monthly. 
 Each number contains : 
 Part of a NEW STORY, by the Editor. 
 STORIES and SKETCHES, by popular 
 
 authors. 
 An ORIGINAL DIALOGUE. 
 A DECLAMATION. 
 PUZZLES, REBUSES, &c. 
 All Handsomely Illustrated. 
 Terms: $2.50 per year ; 25 cts. per number. 
 Sold Everywhere. 
 
 ^Remember, this Magazine 
 contains more reading matter 
 than any other juvenile maga- 
 zine published. 
 
 Specimen copies sent free by mail on appli- 
 cation. 
 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC'S 
 
 YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD. 
 
 A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign 
 
 Lands. 16mo. Illustrated by Nast, 
 
 Stevens, Perkins, and others. 
 
 Per volume, $1.50. 
 
 Outward. Bound, or Young 
 America Afloat. 
 
 ShaxnrooJ*: & Thistle, or 
 
 Young America in Ireland and Scotland. 
 
 Red. Cross, or Young America in 
 England and Wales. 
 
 IMlces & Ditches, or Young 
 America in Holland and Belgium. 
 
 Palace «fe Cottage, or Young 
 America in France and Switzerland. 
 
 Down the Khine, or Young 
 America in Germany. 
 
 ■• These are by far the most instructive books 
 written by this popular author, and while main- 
 taining throughout enough of excitement and ad- 
 venture to enchain the interest of the youthfu 
 reader, there is still a great amount of informa- 
 tion conveyed respecting the history, natural fea- 
 tures, and geography ofthis far-off land, and the 
 peculiarities of the places and people which they 
 contain." — Gazette. 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. 
 
Six Vols., Illust. Per vol., $1.25. 
 
 Through by Daylight ; 
 
 Or, The Young Engineer of the Lake 
 Shore Railroad. 
 
 Lightning Express ; 
 
 Or, The Rival Academies. 
 
 On Time; 
 
 Or, The Young Captain of the Ucayga 
 Steamer. 
 
 Switch Off; 
 
 Or, The War of the Students. 
 
 Brake Up ; 
 
 Or, The Young Peacemakers. 
 
 Bear and Forbear ; 
 
 Or, The Young Skipper of Lake Ucayga. 
 
 Oliver Optic owes his popularity to a pleasant 
 style, and to a ready sympathy with the dreams, 
 hopes, aspirations, and fancies of the young people 
 for whom he writes. He writes like a wise, over- 
 grown boy, and his books have therefore a fresh- 
 ness and raciness rarely attained by his fellow 
 scribes. — Christian Advocate. 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 - wQXM 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC'S ( 
 
 STARRY FLAG SERIES. 
 
 Six Vols., Illust. Per vol., $1.25. 
 
 The Starry Flag; 
 
 Or, The Young Fisherman of Cape Ann. 
 
 Breaking Away; 
 
 Or, The Fortunes of a Student. 
 
 Seek and Find ; 
 
 Or, The Adventures of a Smart Boy. 
 
 Freaks of Fortune ; 
 
 Or, Half Round the World. 
 
 Make or Break; 
 
 Or, The Rich Man's Daughter. 
 
 Down the River; 
 
 Or, Buck Bradford and his Tyrants. 
 
 These books are exciting narratives, and full of 
 stirring adventures, but the youthful heroes of the 
 stories are noble, self-sacrificing, and courageous, 
 and the stories contain nothing which will do 
 injury to the mind or heart of the youthful reader. 
 — Webster Times. 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 OLIVER OPTICS 
 
 BOAT CLUB SERIES 
 
 Six Vols., Illust. Per vol., $1.25. 
 
 The Boat Clnb ; 
 
 Or, The Bunkers of Rippleton. 
 
 All Aboard ; 
 
 Or, Life on the Lake. 
 
 Now or Never ; 
 
 Or, the Adventures of Bobby Bright. 
 
 Try Again ; 
 
 Or, The Trials and Triumphs of Harry 
 West. 
 
 Poor and Proud; 
 
 Or, The Fortunes of Katy Redburn. 
 
 Little by Little ; 
 
 Or The Cruise of the Flyaway. 
 
 Boys and girls have no taste for drv and tame 
 things; they want something that will stir the 
 blood and warm the heart. Optic always does 
 this, while at the same time he improves the taste 
 and elevates the moral nature. The coming gen- 
 eration of men will never know how much they 
 are indebted tor what is pure and enobling to his 
 
 writings. — R. 1. Schoolmate. 
 
 LEE & SHEPARO, Publishers, Boston. 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC'S 
 
 WOODVILLE STORIES. 
 
 Six Vols., Illust. PeR vol., $1.25. 
 
 Bich and Humble; 
 
 Or, The Mission of Bertha Grant. 
 
 In School and Ont; 
 
 Or, the Conquest of Richard Grant 
 
 Watch and Wait; 
 
 Or, The Young Fugitives. 
 
 Work and Win; 
 
 Or, Noddy Newman on a Cruise. 
 
 Hope and Have; 
 
 Or, Fanny Grant among the Indians. 
 
 Haste and Waste; 
 
 Or, The Young Pilot of Lake Cham- 
 plain. 
 
 Oliver Optic is the apostolic successor, at the 
 "Hub." of Peter Parley. He has just completed 
 the " Woodville Stories," by the publication of 
 "Haste and Waste." The best notice to give of 
 them is to mention that a couple of youngsters 
 pulled them out of the pile two hours since, and 
 are yet devouring them out in the summer-house 
 (albeit autumn leaves cover it) oblivious to lourSn 
 time. — JV". l r . Leader. C 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://archive.org/details/outwardboundoryoopti 
 
UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 x >: 
 
OUTWARD BOUND; 
 
 YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 
 
 A Story of Travel axd Adventure. 
 
 by 
 
 WILLIAM T. ADAMS 
 (OLIVER OPTIC). 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 LEE, SHEPARD AND DILLINGHAM. 
 
 1873. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 18G6, by 
 
 WILLIAM T. ADAMS, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 
 
TO 
 
 GEORGE WEBSTER TERRILL 
 
 This Volume 
 
 IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. 
 
 l 
 
 
YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD. 
 
 BY OLIVER OPTIC. 
 
 A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands. First 
 and Second Series ; six volumes in each Series. i6mo. 
 Illustrated. 
 
 First Series. 
 L OUTWARD BOUND; or, Young America Afloat. 
 II. SHAMROCK AND THISTLE; or, Young America 
 in Ireland and Scotland. 
 
 III. RED CROSS ; or, Young America in England and 
 
 Wales. 
 
 IV. DIKES AND DITCHES; or, Young America in 
 
 HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 
 
 V. PALACE AND COTTAGE: or, Young America 
 in France and Switzerland. 
 VI. DOWN THE RHINE; or, Young America in 
 Germany. 
 
 Second Series. 
 
 I. UP THE BAL TIC : or, Young America in Denmark 
 
 and Sweden. 
 II. NORTHERN LANDS; or, Young America in 
 Prussia and Russia. 
 
 III. VINE AND OLIVE; or, Young America in Spain 
 
 and Portugal. 
 
 IV. SUNNT SHORES ; or, Young America in ItalV 
 
 and Austria. 
 V. CROSS AA T D CRESCENT; or, Young America 
 in Greece and Turkey. 
 VI. ISLES OF THE SEA ; or, Young America Home- 
 ward Bound. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 Outward Bound is the first volume of "A Library of 
 Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands," and contains the 
 voyage of the Academy Ship '"Young America" across the 
 Atlantic. The origin and progress of this aquatic institution 
 are incidentally developed, and the plan is respectfully sub- 
 mitted to the consideration of those who are interested in 
 the education and moral training of the class of young men 
 who are the characters in the scenes described in this work. 
 Besides a full description of the routine and discipline of the 
 ship, as an educational and reformatory institution, the vol- 
 ume contains a rather free exposi of the follies and frailties 
 of youth, but their vices are revealed to suggest the remedy. 
 
 The story includes the experience of the officers and crew 
 of the Young America, eighty-seven in number, though, of 
 course, only a few of them can appear as prominent actors. 
 As the ship has a little world, with all the elements of good 
 and evil, within her wooden walls, the story of the individual 
 will necessarily be interwoven with that of the mass ; and 
 the history of "The Chain League," in the present volume, 
 of which Shuffles is the hero, will, it is hoped, convey an 
 instructive lesson to young men who are disposed to rebel 
 against reasonable discipline and authority. 
 
 (5) 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 In the succeeding volumes of this series, the adventures, 
 travels, and " sight-seeing," as well as the individual and 
 collective experience of the juvenile crew of the Academy 
 Ship, will be narrated. They will visit the principal ports 
 of Europe, as well as penetrate to the interior; but they 
 will always be American boys, wherever they are. 
 
 The author hopes that the volumes of the series will not 
 only be instructive as a description of foreign lands, and 
 interesting as a record of juvenile exploits, but that they 
 will convey correct views of moral and social duties, and 
 stimulate the young reader to their faithful performance. 
 
 Harrison Square, Mass., 
 November 2. 18S6. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 eilAFTKB PAGB 
 
 I. The Idea suggested. n 
 
 II. The Young America 27 
 
 III. The Ensign at the Peak. .... 43 
 
 IV. Officers and Seamen. .... 59 
 V. , Our Fellows 75 
 
 VI. The Fourth of July. . . . . . 91 
 
 VII. Heaving the Log. ; 106 
 
 VIII. Outward Bound 122 
 
 IX. The Watch Bill 138 
 
 X. Making a Chain 154 
 
 XI. The Gamblers in No. 8 170 
 
 XII. The Root of all Evil. .... 186 
 
 XIII. Piping to Mischief 202 
 
 XIV. All Hands, Reef Topsails! . . . 218 
 XV. After the Gale. 233 
 
 (7) 
 
8 CONTENTS. 
 
 CIIAPTEB PAGE 
 
 XVI. The Wreck of the Sylvia 248 
 
 XVII. Peas and Beans. 263 
 
 XVIII. The Result of the Ballot. . . . 2S0 
 
 XIX. Man overboard ! 299 
 
 XX. The End of the Chain League. . . . 31S 
 
OUTWARD BOUND 
 
OUTWARD BOUND; 
 
 OR, 
 
 YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE IDEA SUGGESTED. 
 
 THERE are no such peaches this side of New 
 Jersey ; and you can't get them, for love or 
 money, at the stores. All we have to do is, to fill 
 our pockets, and keep our mouths closed — till the 
 peaches are ripe enough to eat," said Robert Shuffles, 
 the older and the larger of two boys, who had just 
 climbed over the high fence that surrounded the fine 
 garden of Mr. Lowington. 
 
 "What will Baird say if he finds it out?" replied 
 Isaac Monroe, his companion. 
 
 " Baird," the gentleman thus irreverently alluded 
 to, was the principal of the Brockway Academy, of 
 which Shuffles and Monroe were pupils in the board- 
 ing department. 
 
 " What will he say when he finds out that the King 
 of the Tonga Islands picks his teeth with a pitch- 
 
12 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 fork? " added Shuffles, contemptuously. " I don't in- 
 tend that he shall find it out ; and he won't, unless 
 you tell him." 
 
 " Of course, I shall not tell him." 
 
 " Come along, then ; it is nearly dark, and no one 
 will see us." 
 
 Shuffles led the way down the gravelled walk till 
 he came to a brook, on the bank of which stood the 
 peach tree whose rich fruit had tempted the young 
 gentlemen to invade the territory of Mr. Lowington 
 with intent to plunder. 
 
 " There they are," said the chief of the young 
 marauders, as he paused behind a clump of quince 
 bushes, and pointed at the coveted fruit. " There's 
 no discount on them, and they are worth coming 
 after." 
 
 " Hark ! " whispered Monroe. " I heard a noise." 
 
 "What was it?" 
 
 " I don't know. I'm afraid we shall be caught." 
 
 " No danger ; no one can see us from the house." 
 
 " But I'm sure there's some one near. I heard 
 something." 
 
 " Nonsense ! It was only a dagger of the mind, 
 such as Baird talks about," answered Shuffles, as he 
 crawled towards the peach tree. " Come, Monroe, 
 be quick, and fill your pockets." 
 
 This peach tree was a choice variety, in whose 
 cultivation the owner had been making an elaborate 
 experiment. Mr. Lowington had watched it and 
 nursed it with the most assiduous care, and now it 
 bore about a dozen remarkably large and beautiful 
 peaches. They were not quite ripe enough to be 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 3 
 
 gathered, but Shuffles was confident that they would 
 11 mellow" in his trunk as well as on the tree. The 
 experiment of the cultivator had been a success, and 
 he had already prepared, with much care and labor, a 
 paper explanatory of the process, which he intended 
 to read before the Pomological Society, exhibiting 
 the fruit as the evidence of the practicability of his 
 method. To Mr. Lowington, therefore, the peaches 
 had a value far beyond their intrinsic worth. 
 
 Shuffles gathered a couple of the peaches, and urged 
 his companion to use all possible haste in stripping 
 the tree of its rich burden. 
 
 "Hallo, there! What are you about?" shouted 
 some one, who hastened to make his presence known 
 to the plunderers. 
 
 Monroe began to retreat. 
 
 " Hold on ! " interposed Shuffles. " It's no one but 
 Harry Marty n." 
 
 " He can tell of us just as well as anybody else." 
 
 "If he does, he will catch it." 
 
 "What are you doing?" demanded Harry Martyn, 
 — who was a nephew of Mr. Lowington, and lived 
 with him, — as he crossed the rustic bridge that 
 spanned the brook. 
 
 " Don't you see what I'm doing?" replied Shuffles, 
 with an impudent coolness which confounded Harry. 
 
 " Stop that, Shuffles ! " cried Harry, indignantly. 
 " My uncle wouldn't take ten dollars apiece for those 
 peaches." 
 
 "That's more than he'll get for them," added Shuf- 
 fles, as he reached up and gathered another peach. 
 
 " Stop that, I tell you ! " said Harry, angrily, as he 
 2 
 
14 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 stepped up, in a menacing attitude, before the reckless 
 marauder. 
 
 " Shut up, Harry ! You know me, and when I get 
 all these peaches, I've got something to say to you." 
 
 Shuffles was about to gather another of the peaches, 
 when Harry, his indignation overcoming his prudence, 
 grasped his arm, and pulled him away from the tree. 
 
 "What do you mean, Harry Martyn?" exclaimed 
 Shuffles, apparently astonished at the temerity of the 
 youth. " I can't stop to lick you now ; but I'll do it 
 within, twenty-four hours." 
 
 " Well, don J t you touch those peaches, then." 
 
 " Yes, I will touch them. I intend to have the 
 whole of them ; and if you say a word to your uncle 
 or any one else about it, I'll pulverize that head of 
 yours." 
 
 " No, you won't ! You shall not have those peaches, 
 anyhow," replied the resolute little fellow, who was 
 no match, physically, for Shuffles. 
 
 " If you open your mouth " 
 
 " Hallo ! Uncle Robert ! Help, help ! Thieves in 
 the garden ! " shouted Harry, who certainly had no 
 defect of the lungs. 
 
 " Take that, you little monkey ! " said Shuffles, 
 angrily, as he struck the little fellow a heavy blow 
 on the side of the head with his fist, which knocked 
 him down. " I'll fix you the next time I see you." 
 
 Shuffles consulted his discretion rather than his 
 valor, now that the alarm had been given, and re- 
 treated towards the place where he had entered the 
 garden. 
 
 " What's the matter, Harry? " asked Mr. Lowington, 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 5 
 
 as he rushed over the bridge, followed by the gardener 
 and his assistants, just as Harry was picking himself 
 up and rubbing his head. 
 
 " They were stealing your peaches, and I tried to 
 stop them," replied Harry. " They have taken some 
 of them now." 
 
 Mr. Lowington glanced at the favorite tree, and his 
 brow lowered with anger and vexation. His paper 
 before the " Pomological " could be illustrated by 
 only nine peaches, instead of thirteen. 
 
 "Who stole them, Harry?" demanded the disap- 
 pointed fruit-grower. 
 
 The nephew hesitated a moment, and the question 
 was repeated with more sternness. 
 
 " Robert Shuffles ; Isaac Monroe was with him, but 
 he didn't take any of the peaches." 
 
 "What is the matter with your head, Harry?" 
 asked his uncle, when he observed him rubbing the 
 place where the blow had fallen. 
 
 " Shuffles struck me and knocked me down, when I 
 called out for you." 
 
 "Did he? Where is he now?" 
 
 " He and Monroe ran up the walk to the back of 
 the garden." 
 
 " That boy shall be taken care of," continued Mr. 
 Lowington, as he walked up the path towards the 
 point where the marauders had entered. " The Acad- 
 emy is fast becoming a nuisance to the neighborhood, 
 because there is neither order nor discipline among 
 the students." 
 
 The thieves had escaped, and as it would be useless 
 to follow them, Mr. Lowington went back to the 
 
16 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 house ; but he was too much annoyed at the loss of 
 his splendid peaches, which were to figure so promi- 
 nently before the " Pomological," to permit the matter 
 to drop without further notice. 
 
 " Did he hurt you much, Harry?" asked Mr. Low- 
 ington, as they entered the house 
 
 " Not much, sir, though he gave me a pretty hard 
 crack," answered Harry. 
 
 " Did you see them when they came into the 
 garden ? " 
 
 " No, sir ; I was fixing my water-wheel in the 
 brook when I heard them at the tree. I went up, 
 and tried to prevent Shuffles from taking the peaches. 
 I caught hold of him, and pulled him away. He said 
 he couldn't stop to lick me then, but he'd do it within 
 twenty-four hours. Then he hit me when I called for 
 help." 
 
 " The young scoundrel ! That boy is worse than a 
 pestilence in any neighborhood. Mr. Baird seems to 
 have no control over him." 
 
 Suddenly, and without any apparent reason, Mr. 
 Lowington's compressed lips and contracted brow 
 relaxed, and his face wore its usual expression of 
 dignified serenity. Harry could not understand the 
 cause of this sudden change ; but his uncle's anger 
 had passed away. The fact was, that Mr. Lowington 
 happened to think, while his indignation prompted 
 him to resort to the severest punishment for Shuffles, 
 that he himself had been just such a boy as the plun- 
 derer of his cherished fruit. At the age of fifteen he 
 had been the pest of the town in which he resided. 
 His father was a very wealthy man, and resorted 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 7 
 
 to many expedients to cure the boy of his vicious 
 propensities. 
 
 Young Lowington had a taste for the sea, and his 
 father finally procured a midshipman's warrant for 
 him to enter the navy. The strict discipline of a ship 
 of war proved to be the " one thing needful" for the 
 reformation of the wild youth ; and he not only 
 became a steady young man, but a hard student and 
 an accomplished officer. The navy made a man of 
 him, as it has of hundreds of the sons of rich men, 
 demoralized by idleness and the absence of a rea- 
 sonable ambition. 
 
 When Mr. Lowington was thirty years old, his 
 father died, leaving to each of his three children a 
 quarter of a million ; and he had resigned his posi- 
 tion in the navy, in order to take care of his property, 
 and to lead a more domestic life with his wife and 
 daughter than the discipline of the service would 
 permit. 
 
 He had taken up his residence in Brockway, the 
 early home of his wife. It was a large town on the 
 sea shore, only a few miles from the metropolis of 
 New England, thus combining all the advantages of a 
 home in the city and in the country. For several 
 years he had been happy in his peaceful retirement. 
 But not wealth, nor even integrity and piety, can bar 
 the door of the lofty mansion against the Destroyer of 
 the race. His wife died of an hereditary disease, which 
 gave no indication of its presence till she had passed 
 her thirtieth year. Two years later, his daughter, 
 just blooming into maturity, followed her mother 
 
 2 * 
 
X8 . OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 down to the silent tomb, stricken in her freshness 
 and beauty by the same insidious malady. 
 
 The husband and father was left desolate. His 
 purest and fondest hopes were blighted ; but, while 
 he was submissive to the will of the Father, who 
 doeth all -things well, he became gloomy and sad. 
 He was not seen to smile for a year after the death of 
 his daughter, and it was three years before he had 
 recovered even the outward semblance of his former 
 cheerfulness. He was rich, but alone in the world. 
 He continued to reside in the home which was en- 
 deared to him by the memories of his loved and 
 lost ones. 
 
 When his wife's sister died in poverty, leaving two 
 children, he had taken them to his home, and had 
 become a father to them. Harry Martyn was a good 
 boy, and Josephine Martyn was a good girl ; but they 
 were not his own children. There was something 
 wanting — an aching void which they could not fill, 
 though Mr. Lowington was to them all that could be 
 asked or expected of a parent. 
 
 Mr. Lowington busied himself in various studies 
 and experiments ; but life had ceased to be what it 
 was before the death of his wife and daughter. He 
 wanted more mental occupation ; he felt the need of 
 greater activity, and he was tempted to return to the 
 navy, even after his absence of ten years from the 
 service ; but this step, for many reasons, was not 
 practicable. At the time when his garden was in- 
 vaded by the vandal students from the Brockway 
 Academy, he was still thinking what he could do to 
 save himself from the inglorious life of ease he was 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 9 
 
 leading, and, at the same time, serve his country and 
 his race. 
 
 Shuffles had robbed his garden of some of his 
 choicest fruit ; had struck his nephew a severe blow 
 on the head, and threatened to inflict still greater 
 chastisement upon him in the future. Mr. Lowing- 
 ton was justly indignant ; and his own peace and the 
 peace of the neighborhood demanded that the author 
 of the mischief should be punished, especially as he 
 was an old transgressor. It was absolutely necessary 
 that something should be done, and the retired naval 
 officer was in the right frame of mind to do it. Just 
 then, when he was wrought up to the highest pitch of 
 indignation, his anger vanished. Shuffles at sixteen 
 was the counterpart of himself at fifteen. 
 
 This was certainly no reason why the hand of jus- 
 tice should be stayed. Mr. Lowington did not intend 
 to stay it, though the thought of his own juvenile 
 depravity modified his view, and appeased his wrath. 
 He put on his hat and left the house. He walked 
 over to the Academy, and being shown to the office 
 of the principal, he informed him of the depredations 
 committed in his garden. 
 
 " Who did it, Mr. Lowington ? " demanded the 
 principal, with proper indignation in his tones and 
 his looks. 
 
 " Shuffles." 
 
 " I need not have asked. That boy gives me more 
 trouble than all the others put together," added Mr. 
 Baird, with an anxious expression. "And yet what 
 can I do with him?" 
 
 " Expel him," replied Mr. Lowington, laconically. 
 
tO OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " I don't like to do that." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " It would be an injury to me." 
 
 " Why so ? " 
 
 " It would offend his father, who is a person of 
 wealth and influence. When Shuffles came to Brock- 
 way, ten other boys came with him. He was expelled 
 from another institution, which so incensed his father 
 that he induced the parents of ten others to take their 
 sons out, and send them to me. If I expel Shuffles, I 
 shall lose about a dozen of my students, and I can't 
 afford to do that." 
 
 " But must the neighborhood suffer from his depre- 
 dations?" 
 
 " I will talk with the boy ; I will keep him in his 
 room for a week." 
 
 " I'm afraid the boy needs severer measures. If 
 this were the first, or even the third time, I would not 
 say so much." 
 
 "My dear sir, what can I do?" 
 
 " The boy needs strict discipline. If I were still in 
 the navy, and had him aboard my ship, I could make 
 a man of him." 
 
 " I don't think anything can be done." 
 
 " Something must be done, Mr. Baird. My garden 
 shall not be robbed with impunity." 
 
 " I will do what I can, Mr. Lowington." 
 
 But the owner of the stolen fruit was by this time 
 satisfied that nothing would be done. The principal 
 of the Brockway Academy had not force nor influence 
 enough to control such a boy as Shuffles. Mr. Low- 
 ington took his leave, determined to apply to another 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 21 
 
 tribunal for the correction of the evil. That night the 
 peach thieves were arrested, and put in the lock-up. 
 The next day they were tried, found guilty, and sen- 
 tenced to pay a fine and costs, which Mr. Baird 
 promptly paid. Within a week Mr. Lovvington's 
 stable was burned to the ground. Shuffles was seen 
 near the building just before the fire broke out ; but it 
 could not be proved that he was the incendiary, though 
 no one doubted the fact. He was arrested, but dis- 
 charged on the examination. 
 
 " You see how it is, Mr. Lowington," said the 
 principal of the xVcademy, as the two gentlemen met 
 after the examination. " It would have been better 
 for you if you had not {prosecuted the boy for stealing 
 the peaches." 
 
 " I don't think so," replied Mr. Lowington. " I 
 must do my duty, without regard to consequences ; 
 and you will pardon me if I say you ought to do the 
 same." 
 
 " If I expel the boy he would burn the house over 
 my head." 
 
 " Then you think he burned my stable? " 
 
 " I don't know ; it cannot be proved that he did." 
 
 " I have no doubt of the fact. I have no ill will 
 against the boy. I only desire to protect myself and 
 my neighbors from his depredations." 
 
 " I think you were very unfortunate in the method 
 you adopted, Mr. Lowington," replied the principal 
 of the Academy. " It has reacted upon yourself." 
 
 " Shall this boy steal my fruit and burn my build- 
 ings with impunity?" added Mr. Lowington, with 
 considerable warmth. 
 
32 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " Certainly not." 
 
 " I applied to you for redress, Mr. Baird." 
 
 " I told you I would talk with the boy." 
 
 " Such a reprobate as that needs something more 
 than talk." 
 
 "What would you do with him, sir?" demanded 
 jYlr. Baird, earnestly. 
 
 " I hardly know. I should certainly have expelled 
 him ; but that, while it protects the Academy, does not 
 benefit the boy." 
 
 " It would only harden the boy." 
 
 " Very likely ; and his remaining will harden a 
 dozen more by his influence. Mr. Baird, I shall be 
 obliged to take my nephew out of your institution," 
 added Mr. Lowington, seriously. 
 
 " Take him out? " 
 
 " I must, indeed." 
 
 " Why so? " asked Mr. Baird, who was touched in 
 a very tender place. 
 
 " Because I am not willing to keep him under the 
 influence of such an example as this Shuffles sets for 
 his companions. As the matter now stands, the young 
 rascal has more influence in the Academy than you 
 have. You cannot manage him, and you dare not 
 expel him. The boy knows this, and he will not 
 leave his advantage unused." 
 
 " I hope you won't take Harry out of the school," 
 said Mr. Baird. 
 
 " I must." 
 
 " Others may do the same." 
 
 " I cannot help it ; with my view of the matter, 
 they can hardly do otherwise." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 23 
 
 " But you see, sir, what the effect of this step 
 must be." 
 
 " Mr. Baird, I must be frank with you. You have 
 declined to expel Shuffles, while you know that his 
 influence is bad. You asked me what you should do ; 
 and I told you. Now, you prefer to retain Shuffles, 
 but you must lose others. Permit me to say that you 
 should do your duty without regard to consequences." 
 
 " I cannot afford to lose my scholars." 
 
 " Your position is a difficult one, I grant, Mr. Baird ; 
 but without discipline you can do nothing for yourself 
 or the boys." 
 
 Mr. Lowington went home, Harry was taken from 
 the Academy, and a dozen parents and guardians fol- 
 lowed the example of the advocate for discipline. Mr. 
 Baird was in despair. The institution was falling to 
 pieces for the want of discipline. The principal had 
 not the nerve to enforce order, even with the limited 
 means within his reach. lie went to see Mr. Low- 
 ington, and begged him to assist in stemming the tide 
 which was setting against the Brockway Academy. 
 The retired naval officer became deeply interested in 
 the subject of school discipline in general, especially 
 in its connection with the education of rich men's sons 
 given to insubordination. He pitied poor Mr. Baird 
 in his perplexities, for he was a good man and an 
 excellent teacher. 
 
 In the mean time Shuffles grew worse instead of 
 better. Finding that he could have his own way, that 
 the principal was no match for him, his influence for 
 evil was stronger than Mr. Baird's for good. The 
 worthy schoolmaster had finally resolved to expel his 
 
24 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 troublesome student, when Mr. Lowington one day 
 surprised him by offering to buy out the Academy at 
 a price far exceeding its value. He gladly accepted 
 the offer as the best solution of the problem, and 
 the naval officer became principal of the Brockway 
 Academy. 
 
 Mr. Lowington did not expel the refractory pupil at 
 once. He waited for an overt act ; but Shuffles found 
 the anaconda of authority tightening upon him. He 
 attempted to vindicate himself before his fellow- 
 students by setting fire to a haystack on the marsh, 
 belonging to the new principal. A searching investi- 
 gation followed, and Shuffles was convicted. Mr. 
 Lowington wrote to the boy's father, announcing his 
 expulsion. Mr. Shuffles went to Brockway full of 
 wrath, and threatened the new head of the institution 
 with the loss of a large number of his scholars if he 
 disgraced his son by expelling him. If the boy had 
 done wrong, — and he supposed he had, — let him be 
 talked to ; let him be confined to his room for a day or 
 two ; but he must not be expelled ; it was a disgrace 
 to the boy. 
 
 The principal was as firm as a rock, and Mr. Shuf- 
 fles was calm when he found that threats were una- 
 vailing. Mr. Lowington pointed out to his visitor the 
 perils which lay in the path of his son. Mr. Shuffles 
 began to be reasonable, and dined with the principal. 
 A long and earnest consideration of the whole matter 
 took place over the dessert. The fiat of expulsion was 
 revoked, and young Shuffles was turned over to the 
 ex-naval officer, with full power to discipline him as 
 he thought best. Mr. Lowington had converted the 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 25 
 
 father, and he hoped he should be able to convert 
 the son. 
 
 After dinner, Mr. Shuffles went down the bay with 
 his host in the yacht. On the way they passed the 
 school ship Massachusetts, to which boys are sentenced 
 by the courts for crime and vagrancy, and on board of 
 which they are disciplined and educated. Mr. Low- 
 ington explained the institution to his guest. 
 
 " An excellent idea," said Mr. Shuffles. 
 
 " It is just the place for your son," replied Mr. 
 Lowington. 
 
 " But it is for criminals." 
 
 " Very true." 
 
 " Robert is not a criminal." 
 
 " If he is not now, he soon will be, if he continues 
 in his present course. If I had him on shipboard, I 
 could make a man of him." 
 
 " Then I wish you had him on shipboard." 
 
 " Perhaps I may yet," replied the principal, with a 
 smile. " I did not purchase the Academy with the 
 intention of becoming a pedagogue, in the ordinary 
 sense of the word. I have no intention of remaining 
 in it." 
 
 " I hope you will." 
 
 " I have been thinking of fitting up a vessel like the 
 school ship, that rich men's sons may have the benefit 
 of such an institution without the necessity of com- 
 mitting a crime. I could do more for the boys in 
 a month on board ship than I could in a year at 
 Brockway." 
 
 This was the first mention which Mr. Lowington 
 made of his plan, though he had been considering 
 3 
 
26 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 it for several weeks. Mr. Shuffles hoped that this 
 idea of a nautical academy would be reduced to prac- 
 tice ; for he now felt that it was just what his son 
 needed. The project was discussed during the rest of 
 the trip. 
 
 The history of the scheme, from its inception, need 
 not be followed in detail. Many persons were con- 
 sulted in regard to it ; there were plenty to approve, 
 and plenty to disapprove ; but in October the keel of 
 a four hundred ton ship was laid down. The object 
 of this marine institution was thoroughly explained, 
 and before the ship was ready for launching there 
 were applications for every berth on board of her. 
 
 The idea was exceedingly popular among the boys, 
 all of whom were anxious to be students on board, 
 especially as it was already hinted that the ship would 
 visit Europe. To parents it held out for their sons all 
 the benefits of a sea voyage, with few of its disad- 
 vantages. It would furnish healthy exercise and a 
 vigorous constitution to its pupils. 
 
 In March of the following year the ship was at 
 anchor in Brockway harbor, ready to receive her 
 juvenile crew. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 2j 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE YOUNG AMERICA. 
 
 WITH Mr. Lowington, the Academy Ship, which 
 was the name he usually applied to the idea 
 he had matured, and thus far carried into effect, was 
 not a speculation ; he did not intend to sec how much 
 money could be made by the scheme. It was an ex- 
 periment in the education of rich men's sons, for only 
 rich men could pay for scholarships in such an expen- 
 sive institution. 
 
 The Brockway Academy was to be continued, under 
 the management of a board of trustees. An accom- 
 plished teacher had been selected by Mr. Lowington, 
 and the school, under its present administration, was 
 in a highly prosperous condition. Only ten of its 
 pupils had been transferred to the Academy Ship, for 
 it required no little nerve on the part of parents to 
 send their sons to school on the broad ocean, to battle 
 with the elements, to endure the storms of the Atlantic, 
 and to undergo the hardships which tender mothers 
 supposed to be inseparably connected with a life on 
 shipboard. 
 
 For six months Mr. Lowington had studied upon 
 his plan, and it was hardly matured when the new 
 ship came to anchor in Brockway harbor. During 
 
28 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 this period he had visited the principal cities of the 
 Northern States, those of the southern section being 
 closed against his operations by the war of the rebel- 
 lion, then raging at the height of its fury. He had 
 interested his friends in his bold enterprise, and boys 
 with whom the experiment was to be inaugurated were 
 gathered from all parts of the country. 
 
 The securing of the requisite number of pupils was 
 the first success, and what he had regarded as the 
 most difficult part of the enterprise. More than half 
 of them had been obtained before it was deemed 
 prudent to lay the keel of the ship. The details of 
 the plan had been carefully considered during the 
 winter, and when the ship was moored at Brockwa} T , 
 the organization of the school, its rules and regula- 
 tions, had all been written out. The boys began to 
 arrive about the first of March, and by the first of April 
 all of them, eighty-seven in number, were on board. 
 
 Mr. Lowington was naturally very anxious for the 
 success of his experiment, and for months he had 
 labored with unceasing diligence in perfecting his 
 plan, and carrying it into operation. In this occu- 
 pation he had found the activity he needed ; and he 
 may not be blamed for believing, all the time, that he 
 was laboring for his country and his race. 
 
 If it has been inferred from what has been said of 
 Mr. Lowington, of his domestic afflictions, and of his 
 views on the subject of discipline, that he was an aus- 
 tere, cold, and unsympathizing man, a wrong impres- 
 sion has been conveyed. The boys of the Brockway 
 Academy, when they came to know him, loved him ar 
 much as they respected him. He was not the man 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 29 
 
 needlessly to abridge the harmless enjoyment of youth, 
 or to repress its innocent hilarity. He watched the 
 sports of the students with interest and pleasure, and 
 encouraged them by all the means in his power. He 
 was fond of humor, enjoyed a harmless joke, and had 
 a keen appreciation of juvenile wit. He was a good 
 companion for the boys, and when they understood 
 him, he was always welcome to the play-ground. 
 
 The new ship had been duly christened Young 
 America at the launching, by Miss Josey Martyn — a 
 name which was rapturously applauded by the boys. 
 She was one hundred and eighteen feet in length, and 
 of about four hundred tons burden. She had been 
 built as strong as wood, iron, and copper could make 
 
 O 7 1 XI 
 
 her. For a ship, she was small, which permitted her 
 to be light SiDarred, so that her juvenile crew could 
 handle her with the more ease. She had a flush deck ; 
 that is, it was unbroken from stem to stern. There 
 was no cabin, poop, camboose, or other house on 
 deck, and the eye had a clean range over the whole 
 length of her. There was a skylight between the fore 
 and the main mast, and another between the main and 
 mizzen masts, to afford light and air to the apartments 
 below. There were three openings in the deck by 
 which entrance could be obtained to the interior of the 
 ship : the fore hatch, the main hatch, and the com- 
 panion-way, the two former being used by the crew, 
 and the latter by the officers. 
 
 The between-decks, which is the space included 
 between the upper and the lower deck, was fitted up 
 for the accommodation of the officers and crew. 
 Descending by the companion-way — which in the 
 
 3* 
 
30 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 Young America extended athwartships — on the right, 
 at the foot of the stairs, was the officers' cabin, occu- 
 pying the part of the ship nearest to the stern. This 
 apartment was twenty-eight feet long, by fifteen in 
 breadth at the widest part, with four state rooms on 
 each side. The mizzen mast passed up through the 
 middle of it. This cabin was richly but plainly fitted 
 up, and was furnished well enough for a drawing- 
 room on shore. It was for the use of the juvenile 
 officers of the ship, fifteen in number, who were to 
 hold their positions as rewards of merit. The captain 
 had a room to himself, while each of the other apart- 
 ments was to accommodate two officers. 
 
 On the left of the companion-way, descending the 
 stairs, was the " old folks' cabin," as it was called by 
 the students. It was in the locality corresponding to 
 that occupied by the ward room of a man-of-war. 
 Though the after cabin is the place of honor on board 
 a ship, Mr. Lowington had selected the ward room for 
 himself and the teachers, in preference to the after 
 cabin, because it was next to the steerage, which was 
 occupied by the larger portion of the pupils, and 
 because the form of the ship did not contract the di- 
 mensions of the state rooms. This cabin was twenty- 
 two feet long and fifteen feet wide, with no waste room, 
 as in the after cabin, caused by the rounding in of the 
 ship's counter. On the sides were five state rooms, 
 besides a pantry for the steward, and a dispensary for 
 the surgeon. 
 
 The forward room on the starboard side was occu- 
 pied by Mr. Lowington alone ; the next on the same 
 side by the chaplain and doctor ; and each of the 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 
 
 3* 
 
 three on the port side by two of the teachers. This 
 cabin was elegantly finished and furnished, and the 
 professors were delighted with its cheerful and pleasant 
 aspect. 
 
 From the main cabin, as that of the " faculty " was 
 called, were two doors, opening into the steerage, 
 fifty-two feet in length by fifteen feet in width of clear 
 space between the berths, which diminished to nine 
 feet abreast of the foremast. This apartment was 
 eight feet high, and was lighted in part by a large 
 skylight midway between the fore and main mast, and 
 partly by bull's eyes in the side of the ship. There 
 were seventy-two berths, placed in twelve rooms, 
 opening from passage-ways, which extended athwart- 
 ships from the main steerage, and were lighted by the 
 bull's eyes. There were no doors to these dormitories, 
 each of which contained six berths, in two tiers of 
 three each. It was intended that the six boys occupy- 
 ing one of these rooms should form a mess. Between 
 the gangways, or passages, were mess tables, which 
 could be swung up against the partition when not 
 in use. 
 
 The steerage was neatly and tastefully fitted up, and 
 furnished, though not so elegantly as the cabins. It 
 was to be the school room, as well as the parlor and 
 dining room of the boys, and it would compare favor- 
 ably with such apartments in well-ordered academies 
 on shore. There was plenty of shelves, pouches, and 
 lockers, under the lower berths, and beneath the bull's 
 eyes at the head of the main gangways, for clothing 
 and books, and each boy had a place for every article 
 which the regulations allowed him to possess. 
 
32 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 Forward of the foremast there were two laige 
 state rooms ; that on the starboard side having four 
 berths, for the boatswain, carpenter, sailmaker, and 
 head steward ; and the one on the port side with six, 
 for the two cooks and the four under stewards, all of 
 whom were men skilful and experienced in their sev- 
 eral departments. Forward of these was the kitchen, 
 from which opened the lamp room, a triangular closet 
 in the bow of the ship. Mr. Lowington had taken 
 the idea of locating the cooking apartment in the 
 extreme forward part of the vessel from the Victoria 
 and Albert, the steam yacht of the Queen of England. 
 
 The hold beneath the berth deck contained the water 
 tanks, bread room, chain lockers, and a multitude of 
 store rooms for provisions, clothing, and supplies of 
 every description needed on board during a long 
 voyage. 
 
 The Young America was to be officered and manned 
 by the students. They were to work the ship, to make 
 and take in sail, to reef, steer, and wash down decks, 
 a*, well as study and recite their lessons. They were 
 to go aloft, stand watch, man the capstan, pull the 
 boats ; in short, to do everything required of seamen 
 on board a ship. Mr. Lowington was to lure them 
 into the belief, while they were hauling tacks and 
 sheets, halyards and braces, that they were not at 
 work, but at play. The labor required of them was 
 an essential element in the plan, by which the boys 
 were to obtain the necessary physical exercise, and the 
 discipline they so much needed. 
 
 By the first of April the last of the students had 
 reported to the principal on board, and the professors, 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 33 
 
 as the boys insisted upon calling them, had taken pos- 
 session of their state rooms. Though some of the 
 pupils had been on board nearly a month, the organi- 
 zation of the ship had not been commenced ; but 
 classes had been formed in some of the studies, by 
 the teachers, and the pupils recited every day. The 
 boatswain had instructed the boys in rowing, and some 
 temporary regulations had been adopted for the eating 
 and sleeping departments. But not a boy had been 
 allowed to go aloft, and nothing more than ordinary 
 school discipline had been attempted. 
 
 The boys, as boys always are, were impatient at this 
 delay. They wanted to be bounding over the ocean — 
 to be on their way to some foreign port. They were 
 anxious to work, to climb the rigging, and stand at 
 the wheel. As yet they knew very little of the pur- 
 poses of the principal, and had but a faint perception 
 of the life they were to lead in the Academy Ship. 
 It was understood that the officers were to be selected 
 for their merit, and that the ship, some time or other, 
 was to cross the ocean ; but beyond this, all was dark- 
 ness and uncertainty. 
 
 " To-morrow will be the first day of April," said 
 George Wilton, as he walked the deck of the Young 
 America with Richard Carnes, a dignified young gen- 
 tleman of seventeen. " Mr. Lowington said we should 
 go to work on that day." 
 
 " If he said so, then of course we shall go to work," 
 replied Carnes. 
 
 " I'm tired of waiting," added Wilton. " I think 
 this is a stupid kind of life. We are not even tied to 
 a bell rope here." 
 
34 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " You will get discipline enough as soon as the crew 
 are organized." 
 
 " I suppose we shall. Do you think we shall go to 
 sea to-morrow ? " 
 
 " Go to sea to-morrow ! " exclaimed Carnes. 
 
 " Shuffles said so." 
 
 " How can we go to sea to-morrow? The crew 
 don't know the mainmast from a handspike. They 
 couldn't do anything with the ship now ; they don't 
 know the ropes." 
 
 " You do, Carnes." 
 
 " Well, I know something about a ship," replied the 
 dignified young gentleman, who had made one voyage 
 up the Mediterranean with his uncle. 
 
 " I was pretty sure we should get out into blue 
 water by to-morrow." 
 
 " Nonsense ! " 
 
 " Shuffles said so." 
 
 " He is mistaken." 
 
 • What are we going to do ? " 
 
 u I don't know ; I'm content to wait till orders 
 come." 
 
 U I don't want to wait any longer," added Wilton. 
 
 "What are you talking about, fellows?" asked 
 Shuffles, joining them, as they walked forward. 
 
 " Didn't you say we were going to sea to-morrow, 
 Shuffles?" asked Wilton. 
 
 " Of course we are." 
 
 " Who says so? " demanded Carnes. 
 
 " All the fellows say so." 
 
 " It can't be true." 
 
 " Why not? We are not going to stay here forever." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 35 
 
 " In my opinion, we shall stay here some weeks, if 
 not some months," added Carnes. 
 
 "What for?" 
 
 " To pursue our studies, in the first place, and to 
 learn our duty as seamen, in the second." 
 
 " I don't believe I shall stay here a great while 
 longer," said Shuffles, with evident disgust. " There's 
 no fun lying here." 
 
 " You can't help yourself," added Wilton. 
 
 " Perhaps I can't, but I can try," said Shuffles, as 
 he glanced towards the shore. 
 
 "All hands ahoy! " shouted Peaks, the boatswain, 
 as his shrill whistle rang through the ship. 
 
 The boys had been taught the meaning of this call, 
 and they gathered in' the waist, eager to know what 
 was to be required of them. 
 
 Mr. Lowington stood on the raised hatch over the 
 main scuttle, where all the students could see him. It 
 was evident that he had some announcement to make, 
 especially as the following day had been assigned 
 for organizing the ship's company. The boys were 
 silent, and their faces betrayed the curiosity which 
 they felt. 
 
 " Young gentleman," the principal began, " this 
 ship wiil go into commission to-morrow." 
 
 " Don't know what you mean, sir," said Paul Ken- 
 dall, as Mr. Lowington paused to observe the effect of 
 his announcement. 
 
 " I did not suppdse that many of you would under- 
 stand the expression. In the navy, a ship js said to 
 go into commission when the captain takes his place 
 on board, and the crew are organized for duty. When 
 
36 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 this takes place, the ensign is hoisted. To-morrow, 
 at twelve o'clock, we shall display the colors at the 
 peak. With us, going into commission will only mean 
 the organization of our school. From that time, we 
 shall observe the discipline of a man-of-war, so far as 
 the ship and crew are concerned." 
 
 " Shall we go to sea then?" asked Wilton. 
 
 " I think not," replied Mr. Lowington, laughing. 
 " We shall not leave the harbor till every officer and 
 seaman knows his duty. You shall have enough to 
 do to-morrow, young gentlemen. " 
 
 " When shall we be able to go to sea?" 
 
 " I don't know. There are many ropes in the 
 ship, and you have a great deal to learn before I 
 shall be willing to trust you with the anchor at the 
 cat-head." 
 
 " What is the cat-head, sir? " asked Kendall. 
 
 " Do you wish to go to sea without knowing what 
 the cat-head is?" replied the principal. "You shall 
 know in due time. To-morrow we shall select the 
 officers, fifteen in number, who are to occupy the after 
 cabin." 
 
 This announcement created a decided sensation 
 among the eighty-seven boys gathered in the waist, 
 for the subject had been full of interest to them. The 
 after cabin had thus far been a sealed book ; the door 
 was locked, and they had not even seen the inside of 
 the apartment. They were curious jto visit this cabin, 
 and to know who were tq occupy it. 
 
 " After the organization, of the school, it is my inten- 
 tion to give these offices to those who obtain the highest 
 number of merit marks, which will be given for good 
 
YOtJNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 37 
 
 conduct, good lessons, and progress in seamanship. 
 The best boy^ who is at the same time the best scholar 
 and the best seaman, shall be captain. We have no 
 marks now by which to make the selection, and I 
 intend to have you elect him the first time, reserving 
 to myself the right to veto your choice if it is obviously 
 an improper one." 
 
 As Mr. Lowington uttered this last remark, he 
 glanced, perhaps unconsciously, at Shuffles, who 
 stood directly in front of him; 
 
 " Young gentlemen, the ballot Will take place to- 
 morrow morning, at nine o'clock. I have given you 
 this notice, that yon may be able to consider the mat- 
 ter, and, if you choose, to make nominations for the 
 several offices," continued the principal. 
 
 " What are the offices, sir ? " 
 
 " The first and most important one, of course, is the 
 captain. The others are four lieutenants, four masters, 
 two pursers, and four midshipmen." 
 
 " What are they to do ? " asked Kendall. 
 
 " I will not explain their duties now ; it would 
 require too much time. I mentioned them in the 
 order of their importance* Now, young gentlemen, 
 you should select your candidates for these offices by 
 merit, not by favor. I am aware that a few of you 
 have been to sea, but probably none of you are com- 
 petent to handle a ship ; and your choice should be 
 based mainly on good character and good conduct. 
 I hope I shall be able to approve the choice you may 
 make. You are dismissed now." 
 
 " Three cheers for the principal ! " shouted one of 
 the boys. 
 
 4 
 
38 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " Silence, young gentleman ! Let me say now, that 
 no expressions of approbation or disapprobation are to 
 be allowed." 
 
 The boys separated into groups, and immediately 
 gave their attention to the important subject suggested 
 to them by Mr. Lowington. It must be acknowledged 
 that violent symptoms of "log-rolling" began to be 
 exhibited. There were fifty, if not eighty-seven young 
 men who wished to be captain, and sit at the head of 
 the table in the after cabin. Some of them went 
 down into the steerage, and in five minutes there was 
 a confused jabbering in every part of the ship. 
 
 " For whom shall you vote, Wilton ? " asked Shuf- 
 fles, in a group of half a dozen which had gathered 
 around one of the mess tables. 
 
 U I don't know; whom do you go for?" replied 
 Wilton. 
 
 " I rather think I shall go for Bob Shuffles. In my 
 opinion, he is the best fellow on board," replied the 
 owner of that name. 
 
 " That's modest," laughed Wilton. 
 
 u Do you know of any fellow that would make a 
 better captain than I should?" 
 
 " You don't know the first thing about a ship." 
 
 "What odds does that make? I can learn as fast 
 as anybody else." 
 
 " Do you expect every fellow to vote for himself? " 
 asked Howe, another of the group. 
 
 " Of course I don't ; I expect them to vote for me," 
 answered Shuffles, with great good-nature. 
 
 " You are rather cheeky, Shuffles." 
 
 " What's the use of mincing the matter? Here we 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. ~$ 
 
 are, half a dozen of the best fellows in the ship. We 
 can't all be captain ; but one of us can be just as well 
 as not." 
 
 " That's so," added Howe, approvingly. " But who 
 shall that one be ? " 
 
 " I am the one, without a doubt," said Shuffles. 
 
 " I don't see it," interposed Monroe, shaking his 
 head ; and he was the young gentleman who had 
 assisted the aspirant for the captaincy to rob Mr. 
 Lowington's favorite peach tree. 
 
 u What have you got to say about it, Ike Monroe? 
 Do you expect us to go for you ? " 
 
 " I didn't say so." 
 
 (i That's what you meant." 
 
 " I've just as much right to the place as you have, 
 Bob Shuffles." 
 
 " Do you think you could make the fellows stand 
 round as I can? But hold on; fellows, don't let us 
 fight about it. We are just the best six fellows 
 on board, and if we have a mind to do so, we 
 can have this thing all our own way," continued 
 Shuffles. 
 
 " I don't see how," said Philip Sanborn. 
 
 " Don't you know how the politicians manage these 
 things?" 
 
 " I don't." 
 
 " I'll tell you, then." 
 
 " But the principal said we must go according to 
 merit, and elect the fellows who were the best fitted 
 for the offices," interposed Howe. 
 
 " Exactly so ; that's just what we are going to do. 
 I'm going to be captain ; can you tell me of any 
 
40 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 better fellow for the place ? " demanded Shuffles, who, 
 putting aside the jesting manner in which he had 
 commenced the discussion, now assumed an earnest 
 and impudent tone. 
 
 " Didn't you hear what Lowington said when he 
 wound up his speech ? " asked Wilton. 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " About vetoing our choice if it was not a propel 
 one." 
 
 " What of it ? " asked Shuffles, innocently. 
 
 " Don't you think he would veto you?" 
 
 " Me ! Not he ! Lowington knows that I'm smart ; 
 I was too smart for him once, and he knows it. He 
 won't veto me. We have been the best of friends 
 lately." 
 
 " I don't believe he'll have a chance to veto you," 
 said Wilton. 
 
 " What do you mean? " 
 
 " I don't believe you will be elected." 
 
 " I know I shall, if we manage it right. Let us 
 look at it," continued Shuffles, as he took a pencil 
 from his pocket. "Got a piece of paper?" 
 
 Monroe gave him a piece of paper, and the wire- 
 puller began to make his calculations. 
 
 " Eighty-seven votes," said he, writing the number 
 on the paper. " Necessary to a choice, forty-four. 
 Here are six votes to start with." 
 
 " For whom ? " asked Monroe. 
 
 " For me, for captain, first, and for each of the 
 others for whatever place he wants ; say for Wilton 
 for first lieutenant ; Howe for second, Sanborn for 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 4./ 
 
 third, Monroe for fourth, and Adler for first master. 
 What do you say to that, fellows ? " 
 
 As with the political " slate," there was some difTer- 
 ence of opinion in regard to the minor officers, even 
 after Shuffles' claim to the captaincy had been con- 
 ceded. But this disposition of the spoils was finally 
 agreed to. 
 
 " Now we want thirty-eight more votes," Shuffles 
 proceeded. 
 
 "Just so; and you might as well attempt to jump 
 over the main royal yard as to get them," added Adler, 
 who, having been assigned to the office lowest in rank, 
 tvas least satisfied with the " slate. " 
 
 " Hold on ; we haven't done yet. There are nine 
 more offices. Now we will pick out some good fel- 
 low, that will work for us, for each of these places ; 
 then we will promise him six votes if he will go our 
 ticket, and do what he can for us." 
 
 " That will give us only fifteen votes," said Adler. 
 
 " I think that will be doing very well to start with. 
 Then you five fellows can electioneer for me, and I'll 
 do the same for you." 
 
 " I think we have made one mistake," added San- 
 born. " Most of the fellows will go for Games for 
 captain. He is an old salt, and has more influence 
 than any other student in the ship. We ought to offer 
 him some place." 
 
 " Make him purser, if you like," said Shuffles, con- 
 temptuously. 
 
 " That WT>n't go down. Make him first lieutenant." 
 
 " And shove me out ? " demanded Wilton, indig- 
 nantly. " I don't see it ! " 
 4* 
 
42 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 a 
 
 Nor I," added Shuffles. " I won't vote for Carries, 
 any how. He's a snob and a flunky." 
 
 It was useless to resist the fiat of the chief wire- 
 puller ; the ticket remained as it had been originally 
 prepared ; and the young gentlemen proceeded to 
 distribute the rest of the offices. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 43 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE ENSIGN AT THE PEAK. 
 
 THE students on board of the Young America 
 were between the ages of fourteen and seven- 
 teen. By the regulations, no boy under fourteen or 
 over seventeen could be admitted, and they averaged 
 about fifteen. They had, therefore, reached the years 
 of discretion. Among them were a great many who 
 were disposed to be wild boys, and not a few who 
 had found it difficult to remain in similar institutions 
 on shore. They were not criminal or depraved, but 
 simply wild ; with a tendency to break through reason- 
 able restraint ; with a taste for mad pranks, and a con- 
 tempt for authority. 
 
 Of this class, who were a trial and a torment to the 
 teachers of the ordinary high schools and academies, 
 the larger proportion would have scorned to steal, or 
 commit any wanton outrage upon the persons or prop- 
 erty of others. There were many high-minded, noble- 
 hearted young men, who could not tamely submit to 
 authority, and were prone to insubordination, and 
 who only needed the right kind of discipline to make 
 them earnest and faithful men and useful citizens. 
 There were few, if any, dunces or blockheads among 
 them, for a life on shipboard had no attractions for 
 
44 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 such boys. They were, almost without an exception, 
 wide-awake, bold, daring fellows, who had a taste for 
 stirring events ; fellows who wanted to climb the 
 Rocky Mountains, visit the North Pole, and explore 
 the Mammoth Cave. They were full of fun and mis- 
 chief, and it would have been easy at any time to get 
 up a party among them to march the principal's cow 
 into the parlor of the Academy ; to climb to the belfry 
 on a winter's night, and fill the inverted bell with 
 water, where it would freeze solid before morning ; or 
 to convey the occupants of the hen-coop to the recita- 
 tion room. 
 
 It was Mr. Lowington's task to repress the mischief 
 in these boys, to keep them occupied with work and 
 play, and to develop their moral and mental capaci- 
 ties. He had doubtless taken a heavy load upon him- 
 self, but he felt that he was to labor for his race and 
 his country. At least one half of his students were 
 too wild to attend the ordinary public or private 
 schools, or to profit by them if admitted. With such 
 material, his work could not be a sinecure. But he 
 had a taste for it, and he gave his whole heart and 
 soul to the performance of his duties. 
 
 When the students were gathered on board the 
 Young America, they were mostly strangers to him, 
 though he had communicated personally or by letter 
 with the parents of all of them. He had read and 
 listened to the stories of their pranks and peccadilloes, 
 but when they came together, he hardly knew one 
 from another, and was not prejudiced against any 
 individual by the terrible accounts of him related - by 
 parents, guardians, or teachers. He purposed to give 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 45 
 
 them the opportunity to select their own officers at 
 first, in order to win a more cheerful obedience from 
 them, and because the students knew each other better 
 than he knew them. 
 
 After the announcement of the principal that the 
 voting would commence on the following morning, 
 nothing else was talked of on board. The qualifica- 
 tions of various members of the school were discussed 
 by groups of excited -voters ; and we must do them 
 the justice to say that most of them considered the 
 matter unselfishly and with a single eye to the public 
 good. Perhaps it is a little remarkable that not a 
 single student, outside of the little group of wire- 
 pullers that gathered in the steerage, thought of Shuf- 
 fles for the position of captain ; and the " log-rollers" 
 were likely to have up-hill work in electing themselves 
 to the six principal offices. But they went to work, 
 and labored very diligently till bed-time in carrying 
 their point. 
 
 While none thought of Shuffles in connection with 
 the highest position, many mentioned the dignified 
 young gentleman, who had made one voyage up the 
 Mediterranean — Richard Carnes. He had been on 
 board a fortnight, and had won and retained the re- 
 spect of all his companions. 
 
 Before the little band of wire-pullers in the steerage 
 had made up the " slate " to suit their minds, the 
 crowd on deck had agreed upon Richard Carnes for 
 captain, and were busy in discussing the qualifica- 
 tions of others for the subordinate offices, when the 
 log-rollers separated, and went to work upon their 
 mission. 
 
46 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " How are you going to vote for captain, Kendall?" 
 said Wilton, stepping up to the young gentleman who 
 had proposed so many questions to the principal, and 
 who had been so honest in confessing his ignorance 
 of nautical matters. 
 
 " For Carnes, of course." 
 
 " Humph ! I wouldn't vote for him," sneered the 
 wire-puller. 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " He's too stiff; he'll put on airs, and be a tyrant 
 over us." 
 
 " No, he won't." 
 
 " You see if he don't. I say, Kendall, are you up 
 for any office? " continued Wilton, with a certain ap- 
 pearance of slyness which the straightforward young 
 gentleman did not exactly like. 
 
 "Am I?" 
 
 " Yes, you. Wouldn't you like a room in the after 
 cabin?" 
 
 " Perhaps I would," answered Kendall, thought- 
 fully ; and the place was certainly very inviting to 
 him. 
 
 " They say the after cabin is a perfect little palace." 
 
 " I dare say it is." 
 
 " You can just as well go in there, if you like." 
 
 " I don't see how that can be. I don't think I'm fit 
 to be an officer. I am from Cincinnati, and I never 
 saw a ship till I came east three weeks ago." 
 
 " None of the fellows know anything about a ship. 
 All of us will have to learn." 
 
 " Carnes knows all about one." 
 
 " No, he don't. He made one voyage, and knows 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 47 
 
 just enough to talk salt. He's a good fellow enough, 
 but he isn't fit for captain. If you want to be an 
 officer, Kendall, and have a berth in the after cabin, 
 you can, just as well as not." 
 
 " Well, I would like such a place ; I can't deny it ; 
 but I don't think the fellows will go for me." 
 
 " They will, if you say so." 
 
 " If I say so ! I'm not going to ask them to vote 
 for me," replied Kendall, warmly ; for he was no poli- 
 tician, and had a vein of modesty in his composition. 
 
 " You needn't say a word to any one. If you will 
 go for our ticket, it will be all right. Half a dozen of 
 us have talked this matter over, and we have concluded 
 that you would be the best fellow for second master." 
 
 "Have you?" asked Kendall, who could not help 
 being gratified to learn that even half a dozen of his 
 companions had thought him worthy to be an officer 
 of so high a rank as second master. " I'm very much 
 obliged to you." 
 
 " All you have to do, is to go for our ticket." 
 
 "What do you mean by your ticket?" demanded 
 Kendall, who was rather confused by the technical 
 terms of the wire-puller. 
 
 Wilton explained that his little party had selected a 
 candidate for each of the offices ; and if all the fellows 
 agreed to it, there would be fifteen votes for their ticket, 
 to begin with. 
 
 " Well, what is your ticket?" demanded Kendall, 
 impatiently. " If they are all good fellows, I will go 
 for them. Of course you mean to vote for Carnes for 
 captain." 
 
 " Not exactly," replied Wilton, with evident dis* 
 
48 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 gust. " We shall put up a better fellow than he is for 
 captain." 
 
 " Why, all the boys are going for him," added Ken- 
 dall, astonished to find there were any who did not, 
 believe in Carnes. 
 
 " No, they are not." 
 
 " I thought they were." 
 
 " He will not be elected, and you need not throw 
 your vote away upon him, because, if you don't want 
 a place in the after cabin, there are plenty of fellows 
 who do," added the wire-puller, with apparent indif- 
 ference. 
 
 " But I do want it." 
 
 •' Then all you have to do, is to go for our ticket." 
 
 " I think Carnes wall make the best captain." 
 
 " Very well ; if you think so, you have a right to 
 your own opinion. I haven't any mortgage on it." 
 
 " Whom are you going to run for captain? " 
 
 " It's no use to talk any more about it, if you are 
 going for Carnes," replied Wilton, as he turned to 
 move away. 
 
 The wire-puller was playing a part. Paul Kendall 
 was a noble little fellow, and was already a great 
 favorite on board, not only with the boys, but with 
 the principal and the professors. Wilton knew that 
 he had a great deal of influence, and it was important 
 to secure him for their ticket. If he could tell others 
 that Kendall was going for their men, it would induce 
 many to join their party. The " favorite," though he 
 was an honest, noble-hearted fellow, was still human, 
 and a berth in the after cabin was a strong temptation 
 to him. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 49 
 
 " I'm not going to say I'll vote for a fellow till \ 
 know who he is," added Kendall. " If he's the right 
 person, perhaps I'll go for him, though I wanted to 
 see Carnes captain." 
 
 " Carnes can't be elected, I tell you. We arf going 
 against him." 
 
 " Whom are you going for, then? " 
 
 " For Bob Shuffles," replied Wilton, desperately, 
 for he did not wish to mention his candidate till he 
 had won the assent of his companion. 
 
 " Shuffles ! " exclaimed Kendall, with something 
 like horror mingled with his astonishment ; " I shall 
 not go for him, anyhow." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " I don't think he is the right person for the place." 
 
 " I do ; he's a first-rate fellow — none of your milk 
 and water chaps, that swallow camels and strain at 
 gnats." 
 
 Kendall had some decided objections to Shuffles, 
 and he positively refused to vote for him, even to ob- 
 tain the coveted position in the after cabin. Wilton 
 argued the matter with much skill and cunning ; but 
 his logic and his eloquence were both wasted. 
 
 " Well, if you won't go for Shuffles, you must be 
 content with your place in the steerage," added Wil- 
 ton. 
 
 " I won't go for him, any how," said Kendall, 
 firmly. 
 
 " You are making a mistake." 
 
 " I don't think so. I'm bound to vote for the best 
 fellow, and I'm sure Shuffles isn't the right one." 
 
 " See here, Kendall ; don't say a word to the other* 
 5 
 
50 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 that I spoke to you of this little matter. I thought you 
 would go with us, or I shouldn't have said anything 
 to you." 
 
 " Not say anything? Why not? " 
 
 " Because it will be better to keep still." 
 
 " I shall not do anything of the kind. You have 
 got up a plan to defeat Carnes, by giving the offices to 
 fellows who will vote against him. You wish me to 
 keep still, while you carry out your plan. I can see 
 through a cord of wood, when there's a hole big 
 enough." 
 
 " I mentioned this thing to you in confidence." 
 
 " You didn't say a word about confidence ; and I 
 didn't promise to keep still. I won't keep still. I 
 think it is a mean trick to buy up the votes of the 
 fellows, and I'll blow the whole thing higher than a 
 kite." 
 
 " You'll catch it if you do," said Wilton, in a 
 threatening tone. 
 
 "Catch what?" demanded Kendall, with a very 
 pretty exhibition of dignity. 
 
 " Bob Shuffles will give it to you." 
 
 " Give what to me ? " 
 
 " Give you the biggest licking you ever had in your 
 life," answered Wilton, angrily. " You are so stupid, 
 you can't understand anything." 
 
 " I think I can understand the licking, when it 
 comes. That's a game that two can play at." 
 
 " What do you mean, you little bantam ? Do you 
 think you can whip Bob Shuffles? " 
 
 " I had no idea of whipping him ; and I have no 
 idea of his whipping me, either." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 5 1 
 
 Kendall was spunky ; Wilton could make nothing 
 of him by threats or persuasion ; and he turned away 
 from him to seek a more promising field of labor. 
 Kendall took off his cap, scratched his head as he 
 reflected upon the event which had just transpired, 
 and made up his mind that it was an insult to an inde- 
 pendent elector to attempt to buy his vote with the 
 paltry consideration of an office. He was sorry that 
 he had been even tempted by the proposition of the 
 wire-pullers, and thankful that his sense of honor and 
 decency had prompted him to decline it when asked to 
 vote for an improper person. True to his promise, 
 he made all haste to expose the conspiracy, as he 
 regarded it, against Carnes. 
 
 When the students turned in that night, the wire- 
 pullers had found a sufficient number of candidates 
 for all the offices on the terms set forth in the compact, 
 each of whom had promised to use his influence for 
 the entire ticket. Shuffles had made a very pretty 
 calculation, to the effect that each of the fifteen candi- 
 dates could influence at least two votes besides his own 
 for the ticket, which would inevitably elect it. But 
 during all this time Paul Kendall had been laboring 
 like a Trojan for Carnes, and had induced his friends 
 to do the same. 
 
 At nine o'clock in the morning, the polls were 
 opened for the election of officers. A box was placed 
 on the fife-rail, at the mainmast, in which the ballots 
 were deposited, under the inspection of Professor 
 Mapps, 
 
 " Have all the students voted ? " called the professor, 
 
52 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 when the voting was suspended. " If so, I declare 
 the poll closed." 
 
 It was a moment of intense excitement on the spar 
 deck of the Young America when Mr. Lowington 
 stood up on the hatch to announce the vote. There 
 was a pleasant smile upon his face, which indicated 
 that it would not be his painful duty to veto the choice 
 of the independent electors. 
 
 " Young gentlemen, your balloting appears to have 
 been conducted with entire fairness," said he, " and I 
 will proceed to declare the result. Whole number of 
 votes, eighty-seven ; necessary to a choice, forty-four. 
 Paul Kendall has five ; Charles Gordon has seven ; 
 Robert Shuffles has twenty-two ; Richard Carnes 
 has fifty-three, and is elected captain of the Young 
 America for the succeeding three months." 
 
 The party who had worked and voted for Carnes 
 applauded the result most lustily, and gave three 
 cheers for the new captain, which, on this exciting 
 occasion, were not objected to by the principal. Shuf- 
 fles's jaw dropped down, and his lip quivered with 
 angry emotion. 
 
 " That little whipper-snapper of a Kendall did that," 
 said Wilton, in a low tone, to the disappointed candi- 
 date. " I was afraid of this when I saw him blowing 
 about the deck." 
 
 " I'll settle it with him when I get a good chance," 
 growled Shuffles, as he went to the rail and looked 
 over into the water, in order to conceal his disappoint- 
 ment and chagrin. 
 
 " Young gentlemen will bring in their votes for first 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 53 
 
 lieutenant," said Professor Mapps, as he placed the 
 box on the fife-rail again. 
 
 The boys marched around the mainmast, and de- 
 posited their ballots for the second officer, as they had 
 done before. The friends of Shuffles rallied again, 
 hoping that something might yet come of the compact 
 they had made with him, and gave him their votes for 
 first lieutenant, though, in his chagrin, he declared that 
 he would not accept the position. Fortunately for him, 
 he was not called upon to do so ; for Charles Gordon 
 was elected by a very large majority. As the election 
 proceeded, it became evident that there was no office 
 for Shuffles. Paul Kendall was elected fourth lieu- 
 tenant, and the announcement of the vote was greeted 
 by even more hearty applause than had been bestowed 
 upon the captain. 
 
 At the conclusion of the balloting, Shuffles found 
 that not a single one of the wire-pullers, or of the 
 candidates nominated by them, had been elected. 
 The attempt to bribe the independent voters, by giv- 
 ing them office, had been a signal failure ; and it is to 
 be hoped that Young America, when fully developed, 
 will stick to his principles. 
 
 u Captain Richard Carnes," said Mr. Lowington, as 
 he stepped upon the hatch, after the voting had been 
 concluded. 
 
 The young gentleman thus addressed came forward, 
 blushing beneath the honors which had been bestowed 
 upon him. The principal took his hand. 
 
 " Captain Carnes, I congratulate you upon your 
 election to the highest office in the gift of your com- 
 5 * 
 
54 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 panions ; and I congratulate your fellow-students also 
 upon having so good a young man to handle the ship. 
 You have been modest, and they have been wise. I 
 congratulate you both. Young gentlemen, I am 
 satisfied that your captain will be just, courteous, and 
 gentlemanly, in his relations with you ; and I hope 
 you will yield a willing and cheerful obedience to his 
 orders, and to those of all your superiors. Let me 
 say that this business is not a farce ; it is not mere 
 boys' play ; for as soon as the officers and crew are 
 fully trained and instructed, all ship duty will be 
 carried on without assistance from me or others. 
 When necessary, I shall advise the captain what to 
 do, but I shall not do it myself; neither shall I need- 
 lessly interfere with the discipline of the ship. 
 
 " This is the last time an election of officers will be 
 permitted, for it is liable to many objections,' not the 
 least of which are the bribery and corruption by which 
 some have attempted to obtain office." 
 
 Mr. Lowington looked at Shuffles, as though he 
 knew all about the method to which he had resorted 
 to secure an election ; but we are quite sure that Paul 
 Kendall had never lisped a word of it to him, or to 
 any of the instructors. 
 
 " On the first day of July, young gentlemen, all 
 the offices will be vacant ; and they will be awarded 
 strictly in accordance with the marks you may obtain. 
 There will be no veto upon the result of the merit 
 roll. These places, therefore, are open to all. We 
 have no aristocracy on board. Every student in the 
 ship is a candidate for the captaincy. Now, if the 
 officers elect will follow me to the after cabin, I will 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 55 
 
 install them into their new positions ; after which I 
 will proceed to organize the crew." 
 
 The door of the after cabin, which had hitherto 
 been a mystery to all the boys, was unlocked by the 
 head steward, and Mr. Lowington, followed by the 
 officers, entered. The students on deck were ordered 
 forward, and were not even permitted to look down 
 the companion-way, for the principal intended to keep 
 the after cabin exclusively for the officers ; and no one 
 not entitled to admission was to be allowed to cross 
 its threshold. He believed that this mystery, and this 
 rigid adherence to the division line between officers 
 and crew, would promote the discipline of the ship, 
 and enhance the value of the offices — the prizes for 
 good conduct, and general fidelity to duty. 
 
 " Captain Carnes, this is your state room," con- 
 tinued Mr. Lowington, opening the door of the room 
 farthest forward on the starboard side. " As the com- 
 mander of the ship you are entitled to an apartment 
 by yourself." 
 
 " Thank you, sir," replied the captain, as he stepped 
 into the room. 
 
 " You will find on the hooks your uniform as 
 captain. There are three suits, from which you will 
 select one that fits you." 
 
 Captain Carnes entered and closed the door. If he 
 did not feel like a kinsr, he ought to have felt so. 
 
 Mr. Lowington then gave the next room to the first 
 and second lieutenants, who were to occupy it together ; 
 and they were also directed to clothe themselves in the 
 uniforms deposited there for their use. The third state 
 room was given to the third and fourth lieutenants, and 
 
56 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 the fourth to the first and second midshipmen. The 
 forward room of the port side was assigned to the first 
 and second masters ; the next to the third and fourth ; 
 the third to the two pursers, and the last to the third 
 and fourth midshipmen. 
 
 In a short time the officers came out of their rooms 
 clothed in their uniforms, which consisted of a blue 
 frock coat, with brass buttons, and blue pants. The 
 cap was of the same material, with a gold band 
 around it. Thus far the uniforms were all alike ; 
 but there were distinguishing insignia to indicate the 
 rank of each. All the officers had shoulder-straps, by 
 which their positions were designated. The captain 
 had two anchors ; the first lieutenant had one anchor, 
 with four stars, one above, one below, and one on 
 each side ; the second lieutenant had the anchor with 
 three stars — none above ; the third lieutenant, one 
 star on each side of the anchor ; and the fourth lieu- 
 tenant one star below the anchor. The captain also 
 wore five narrow gold bands on each of his coat 
 sleeves ; the first lieutenant four, and so on, the 
 fourth wearing but one band. 
 
 The shoulder-straps of the masters contained no 
 anchor ; only the stars, one for each grade, the first 
 master having four stars ; the fourth only one. The 
 rank of the pursers was indicated by the outline of a 
 parallelogram for the second, and two of the same 
 figure, one within the other, for the first. The straps 
 of the midshipmen contained gilt numbers, from one 
 to four, designating their grade. 
 
 The officers presented a very elegant and dashing 
 appearance in their new uniform ; and if some of them 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. $? 
 
 did not feel a little vain, it was because they were less 
 human than boys usually are. 
 
 "What are we to do, sir?" asked Kendall of the 
 principal, after the uniforms had been duly criticised. 
 
 " Nothing, at present." 
 
 " Nothing ! Why, I feel like a counterfeit gold 
 dollar, in this rig, when I know no more about a 
 ship than I do about the inside of the moon." 
 
 " You will learn in due time. You will go on deck 
 now, young gentlemen ; and remember that, as officers, 
 you are not to be familiar with the crew while you are 
 on duty." 
 
 " Can't we speak to them ? " asked Kendall, who 
 was not disposed to be so exclusive as naval discipline 
 required him to be. 
 
 " Not while you are on duty, except when it is 
 necessary to do so. We will now assign the berths 
 in the steerage to the crew." 
 
 As the boys came on board, they had taken the 
 berths as they pleased. Shuffles had selected a room, 
 and invited his "cronies" to occupy the bunks it con- 
 tained with him. The berths were now to be distrib- 
 uted by lot. Professor Mapps had provided seventy- 
 two slips of paper, on each of which he had written 
 a number. The boys were mustered into line, and 
 drew out these numbers from the package. As each 
 student drew his slip, the purser wrote down his name 
 in a book, with the number he had drawn. 
 
 In the steerage, each berth had its own number, 
 which was also applied to a locker, and a seat at one 
 of the mess tables. When the drawing was com- 
 pleted, each student had his berth, his clothes locker, 
 
58 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 and his seat at meals. Many of them were extremely 
 dissatisfied when they found that they had been sepa- 
 rated from their " cronies ; " but the principal was firm, 
 and would not allow a single change to be made. 
 
 By this time it was twelve o'clock, and Boatswain 
 Peaks piped all hands to muster. The ensign was 
 hoisted, and saluted with three cheers, in which all 
 hands, young and old, joined. When this ceremony 
 was finished, the crew were piped to dinner, and the 
 officers went to their cabin, where the steward had set 
 the table for them for the first time. They dined like 
 lords, though upon the same fare as their companions 
 in the steerage. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 59 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 OFFICERS AND SEAMEN. 
 
 AFTER dinner the organization of the crew was 
 continued. All hands were " piped to muster," 
 and by this time most of those who had been dis- 
 affected at the drawing of berths had recovered their 
 natural equanimity, and all were intensely interested 
 in the arrangement of the details. None of the boys 
 knew what was coming, and their curiosity kept them 
 in a continuous state of excitement. 
 
 " All who have drawn even numbers will take the 
 starboard side of the ship," said Mr. Lowington from 
 his perch on the hatch. " All who have drawn odd 
 numbers will take the port side." 
 
 " This is the starboard side, my lads," added Mr. 
 Fluxion, the instructor in mathematics — who, like the 
 principal, had been a naval officer, — as he pointed to 
 the right, looking forward. 
 
 Some had already forgotten their numbers, and there 
 was considerable confusion before the order could be 
 obeyed. 
 
 " Young gentlemen, the books will be opened to- 
 day ; and a student who forgets his number again will 
 lose a mark," said Mr. Lowington. " Are they all in 
 their places, Mr. Fluxion?" 
 
60 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " They are, sir," replied the instructor, who had 
 just counted them. 
 
 " Young gentlemen, you are thus divided into two 
 equal parts — the starboard and the port watches. 
 Now form a straight line, toe the crack, and call your 
 numbers in order, beginning with the starboard watch." 
 
 The boys eagerly followed this direction, though 
 some assistance was required from the instructors in 
 repressing their superfluous enthusiasm. 
 
 " Very well," continued Mr. Lowington, when the 
 students were formed in two lines. u Every boy in 
 the starboard watch whose number is divisible by four, 
 step forward one pace. Number three in the port 
 watch, do the same. Mr. Mapps, oblige me by seeing 
 that every alternate boy in the line steps forward." 
 
 " The line is formed, sir," replied the instructor, 
 when he had carried out the direction of the principal. 
 
 "Each watch is now divided into two parts — the 
 first and second parts, as they will be called. Now, 
 young gentlemen, the clothing will be distributed, and 
 each student will put on his uniform at once." 
 
 The four lines were then marched down into the 
 steerage, each under the charge of an instructor, to a 
 particular locality, where the head steward and his 
 assistants had deposited the clothing for each watch 
 and quarter watch. The uniform consisted of blue 
 seaman's pants and a heavy flannel shirt or frock, such 
 as is worn in the United States navy. To each stu- 
 dent, the follow ing articles were served out : — 
 
 I pea-jacket. 
 
 i blue cloth jacket. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 6 1 
 
 I pair blue cloth pants. 
 
 I pair blue satinet pants. 
 
 i blue cap. 
 
 I straw hat, of coarse, sewed straw. 
 
 1 Panama hat, bound. 
 
 2 knit woollen shirts. 
 
 2 pair knit woollen drawers. 
 
 2 white frocks. 
 
 2 pair white duck pants. 
 
 4 pair socks. 
 
 2 pair shoes. 
 
 2 black silk neck-handkerchiefs. 
 
 These articles were given to the boys, and they were 
 required to put on the every-day uniform ; after which 
 they were directed to arrange the rest of the clothing 
 in the lockers belonging to them. The contractor who 
 had furnished the goods was present with four tailors, 
 to attend to the fitting of the clothes, which were all 
 numbered according to the size. In a short time the 
 students began to come out of their rooms, clothed in 
 their new rig. They looked intensely " salt," and there 
 was no end to the jokes and smart things that were 
 said on this interesting occasion. Even Shuffles hardly 
 knew himself in his new dress. 
 
 The frock had a broad rolling collar, in each corner 
 of which was worked an anchor in white. The black 
 silk neck-handkerchief w x as worn under the collar, and 
 not many of the boys had acquired the art of tying the 
 regular sailor's knot. Boatswain Peaks not only stood 
 up as a model for them, but he adjusted the " neck 
 gear" for many of them. Bitts, the carpenter, and 
 6 
 
62 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 Leech, the sailmaker, who were also old sailors, cheer- 
 fully rendered a valef s assistance to such as needed 
 help. 
 
 Agreeably to the directions of Mr. Lowington, the 
 shore suits of the students were done up in bundles, 
 each marked with the owner's name, and the head 
 steward took them to Mr. Lowington's house for 
 storage. 
 
 Rigged out in their " sea togs," the students began 
 to feel salt, as well as to look salt. Some of them tried 
 to imitate the rolling gait of the boatswain when they 
 walked, and some of them began to exhibit an alarm- 
 ing tendency to indulge in sea slang. 
 
 " There, my hearty, you look like a sailor now," 
 said Peaks, when he had rolled over the collar and 
 tied the square knot in the handkerchief of Wilton. 
 
 " Shiver my timbers, but I feel like one," laughed 
 the embryo seaman. 
 
 "What's that, young gentleman?" demanded Mr. 
 Lowington, who happened to be within hearing ; 
 " what did you say? " 
 
 " I said I felt like a sailor, sir." 
 
 " What was the expression you used?" 
 
 " I only said shiver my timbers, sir." 
 
 " You stole that expression from a yellow-covered 
 novel. Did you ever hear Mr. Peaks, who has been a 
 sailor all his lifetime, use such language?" 
 
 " I'll be bound he never did," added Peaks. 
 
 " No, sir, I don't know that I ever did." 
 
 " Some sailors do use such expressions ; but it is 
 gross affectation for these young gentlemen, who never 
 saw a blue wave, to indulge m them. If you please, 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 63 
 
 Wilton, you will not use such language. It is simply 
 ridiculous. Mr. Peaks, you will pipe all hands to 
 muster again." 
 
 The shrill whistle of the boatswain sounded through 
 the ship, and the boys tumbled up the ladders, eager 
 to learn what was to be done next. As they formed 
 in lines, they presented a novel and picturesque ap- 
 pearance in their jaunty uniform. Most of them had 
 already learned to wear their caps canted over on one 
 side, and not a few of them, perhaps as much from 
 necessity as because it was a sailor's habit, hitched up 
 their trousers, and thrust their hands deep down into 
 the side pockets. 
 
 The students were again formed in watches and 
 quarter watches, each of which classes and sub-classes 
 was indicated on the uniforms. All the starboard 
 watch wore a small silver star on the right arm, above 
 the elbow, and the port watch the same emblem on 
 the left arm. The first part of each watch had a 
 figure 1 , under the star, and the second part a figure 
 2 in the same position. 
 
 The rest of the day was spent in the organization 
 for ship's duty, which was far from completed when 
 the sun went down. The next day every boy was 
 kept so busy that he had no time to grumble. The 
 instructors attended to the lessons in the steerage with 
 one watch, while the other was on deck acquiring sea- 
 manship. In the course of the month, as the boys 
 learned their duties, and the capabilities of each were 
 ascertained, they were assigned to their stations in the 
 various evolutions required in working the vessel. 
 
 Boatswain Peaks had taught the boys, a few at a 
 
64 
 
 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 time, how to set a sail, reef and furl it. They had 
 been gradually accustomed to going aloft, until the 
 giddy height of the main royal did not appall them, 
 and they could lay out on the yards without thinking 
 of the empty space beneath them. By the first of 
 June, all the petty officers had been appointed, and 
 every student had his station billet. When the order 
 was given to unmoor ship, to make sail, or to furl the 
 sails, every one knew where to go and what to do. 
 The station billets were cards on which the various 
 evolutions of the snip had been printed in a column 
 on the left, while the particular duty of the owner of 
 the card was written against it. The card was kept 
 by the student, and he was expected to learn its con- 
 tents, so that he could take his place without stopping 
 to consult it, when an order was given. Here is a 
 specimen of the cards : — 
 
 PORT WATCH, NO 21. 
 
 WILLIAM FOSTER, 
 
 Second Part. 
 
 Captain of the Forecastle. 
 
 Reefing. 
 
 Head Bowlines. 
 
 Tacking ok, Wearing. 
 
 Forecastle. Let go head bowlines. 
 
 
 Let go and shorten in foretack 
 
 
 and belay it. 
 
 Getting under Way. 
 
 Head Bowlines. Downhauls and 
 
 
 head-sheets. 
 
 Anchoring. 
 
 Head Bowlines, Sheets and Tacks. 
 
 
 Downhauls. 
 
 Loosing Sails. 
 
 Foretopmast Staysail. 
 
 Furling. 
 
 Head Bowlines and Downhauls, 
 
 
 Staysail. 
 
 Mooring and Unmooring. 
 
 Forecastle. 
 
 Boat. 
 
 Professor's Barge, stroke-oar. 
 
 Mess. 
 
 No. 11. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 65 
 
 The crew had been in training a month before an 
 attempt was made to set more than one sail at once ; 
 but by this time the officers knew the orders, having 
 practised every day since the organization. The 
 petty officers had been appointed, and had, to some 
 extent, become familiar with their duties. 
 
 The boys still continued to wonder when the Young 
 America would go on a cruise, for they were very 
 anxious to see the blue water, and to it>11 on the great 
 waves of the Atlantic ; but they were so constantly 
 occupied with ship's duty and their studies, that the 
 time did not hang heavily on their hands. Two 
 months of constant practice had made tolerable sea- 
 men of them, and the discipline of the ship went on 
 regularly. The young officers, as Mr. Lowington had 
 promised, began to conduct the evolutions and give 
 the orders. 
 
 On the 1st day of June, after breakfast, the students 
 were thrown into a fever of excitement by an unusual 
 order, and they ventured to hope that the ship was to 
 leave her moorings. 
 
 " Mr. Gordon, you will pipe all hands to muster,'* 
 said Captain Carnes to the first lieutenant. 
 
 " Pass the word for the boatswain," added Gordon 
 to one of the midshipmen, who stood near him. 
 
 This call was answered, not by Peaks, who no 
 longer performed the duties of boatswain, but by one 
 of the students, who had been appointed to this posi- 
 tion. 
 
 " Pipe all hands to muster, boatswain," said the 
 first lieutenant, as the petty officer touched his cap to 
 him. 
 
66 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " All hands on deck, ahoy ! " shouted the boatswain, 
 as he piped the call. 
 
 This was an unusual order for that time of day, the 
 forenoon being appropriated to study for each watch 
 in turn ; and those who were below hastened on deck 
 to ascertain what was to be done. 
 
 u All hands, stations for loosing sail ! " piped the 
 boatswain, when ordered to do so by Gordon. 
 
 The first lieutenant was in charge of the ship, under 
 the direction of the captain. The second lieutenant 
 stood on the forecastle, where he was attended by the 
 boatswain. The third lieutenant was in the waist, 
 and the fourth on the quarter deck, near the mizzen- 
 mast. These were the stations of the officers when- 
 ever all hands were called. Mr. Lowington and the 
 instructors stood near the companion-way, watching 
 with interest this first attempt to make sail all over 
 the ship. 
 
 u Lay aloft, sail-loosers ! " shouted Gordon ; and his 
 order was repeated by the officers at their several 
 stations. 
 
 The little tars who belonged on the topsail and top- 
 gallant yards sprang up the rigging like so many cats, 
 excited beyond measure by the scene of activity around 
 them. 
 
 " Lower yardmen in the chains ! " continued Gor- 
 don ; and his order was passed along by the officers. 
 " Aloft, lower yardmen ! " 
 
 In a moment the crew were in their places ; the 
 studding-sail booms were triced up with the usual 
 system, so that the sails could be reached. 
 
 " Lay out ! " continued the first lieutenant ; and the 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 67 
 
 boys walked out on the foot-ropes to their stations on 
 the yards. " Loose ! " 
 
 The ropes by which the sails were secured to the 
 yards were removed at this order, and the topmen held 
 the sails in their places. 
 
 " All ready on the forecastle, sir," reported Foster, 
 who was captain of that part of the ship. 
 
 " All ready in the foretop." 
 
 " All ready in the maintop." 
 
 " All ready in the mizzentop," reported the several 
 captains of the tops, in their proper order. 
 
 These reports were passed to the first lieutenant in 
 charge of the deck, by his subordinates. 
 
 " Let fall ! " shouted Gordon, highly excited ; and 
 the sails dropped from the yard. " Overhaul your 
 rigging aloft ! Man sheets and halyards ! Sheets 
 home, and hoist away ! " 
 
 These orders were passed from mouth to mouth 
 among the officers, and return reports made, accord* 
 ing to the strict discipline of the navy. They were 
 promptly executed by the crew, though of course not 
 without some blunders ; and the Young America was 
 covered with her cloud of canvas. Mr. Lowington 
 commended the officers and crew for the promptness 
 and skill they had displayed in their first concerted 
 attempt at making sail. He then directed Captain 
 Carnes to furl. Both evolutions were then repeated, 
 until a proficiency satisfactory for one day was attained. 
 
 " Not going to sea, after all," said Shuffles, when 
 the crew were dismissed from muster. 
 
 " No," replied Wilton. " I'm tired of lying here 1 ; 
 and if we don't go to sea soon^ I shall take myself off*'* 
 
68 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " I'm with you." 
 
 " I thought we were going to have some fun on 
 board, but we don't do anything but study and shake 
 out topsails." 
 
 " Do you know how you stand on marks, Wilton? n 
 asked Shuffles. 
 
 " No ; not very high, though." 
 
 " Don't you think you shall get into the cabin 
 next term ? " 
 
 " I know I shall not. I haven't tried for anything." 
 
 " On the first of next month, you know, new officers 
 will be appointed, and I suppose the crew will be 
 messed over again." 
 
 kt I don't care. I'm getting tired of this thing. I 
 had a better time at the Academy before we came on 
 board." 
 
 " There isn't much chance for any sport. Hardly a 
 fellow has been allowed to go on shore since we 
 joined the ship." 
 
 " We'll get up a mutiny, if things don't improve." 
 
 " I was thinking of that very thing myself," said 
 Shuffles, in a low tone. 
 
 " A mutiny ! " exclaimed Wilton, who had used the 
 word in jest. 
 
 "Just for fun, you know," laughed Shuffles. 
 
 " You don't mean any such thing." 
 
 " Not yet, of course." 
 
 " Do you at any time? " 
 
 " We want something more exciting than this kind 
 of a life. Here we are, kept down and treated like 
 common sailors. We have to touch our caps and 
 make our manners to Dick Carnes and the rest of the 
 
YOUl^G AMERICA AFLOAT. 69 
 
 flunkies in the after cabin. My father pays as much 
 for me as Dick Carries' father does for him, and I don't 
 think it is fair that he should live in the cabin and I in 
 the steerage." 
 
 " If you get marks enough, you can have a berth in 
 the cabin," replied Wilton. 
 
 u Marks ! Confound the marks ! I'm not a baby. 
 Do you think a fellow seventeen years old is going to 
 be put up or put down by marks?" said Shuffles. 
 
 "I thought you had been working for a place in 
 the cabin." 
 
 " So I have, but I don't expect to get it. I never 
 studied so hard in my life, and I believe I haven't had 
 a bad mark since I came on board. Lowington 
 thinks I have reformed," laughed Shuffles. " And 
 so I have." 
 
 " What do you want to get up a mutiny for, then?" 
 
 " I shall not, if I get a decent position ; if I don't, 
 I'm going in for some fun." 
 
 " But do you really think of getting up a mutiny?" 
 asked Wilton, curiously. 
 
 " I was thinking the other day what a fine thing it 
 would be if our fellows had the ship all to themselves." 
 
 " What could we do with her? " 
 
 " Go on a cruise in her." 
 
 " We couldn't handle her ; there is hardly a fellow 
 on board that knows anything about navigation." 
 
 " Of course, I don't mean to do anything yet a while ; 
 not this year, perhaps. One of these days, if we stay 
 on board, we shall know all about a ship. Fifteen or 
 twenty of the fellows are studying navigation. We 
 are going to Europe some time or other. When 
 
*JO OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 we do, we can take the ship, and go it on our own 
 hook." 
 
 " I don't believe you mean anything of the kind, 
 Bob Shuffles." 
 
 u I've been thinking about it, anyhow. We can 
 lock Lowington and the rest of the old folks into their 
 cabin while they are at dinner ; and there are enough 
 of us to handle Peaks and Bitts." 
 
 " I think you are crazy, Shuffles." 
 
 "We should have a high old time if we could get 
 possession of the ship. We wont say a word about 
 it yet." 
 
 " I think you had better not." 
 
 " We might go round Cape Horn into the Pacific, 
 and have a splendid time among the beautiful islands 
 of the South Sea." 
 
 " Of course all the fellows wouldn't join you." 
 
 " We could put those ashore somewhere who did 
 not agree with us." 
 
 "You know the penalty of mutiny on the high 
 seas." 
 
 " Bah ! " said Shuffles, contemptuously. " It would 
 be nothing but a lark. No one would think of 
 hanging us, or even sending us to prison for it. My 
 father is rich enough to get me out of any scrape." 
 
 " So is mine ; but I don't think it would be quite 
 safe to go into a mutiny." 
 
 " Not yet, my dear fellow. You can think it over." 
 
 " But I'm tired of this kind of a life. I liked it 
 first rate in the beginning. Do you think Lowington 
 really intends to go to sea with the ship ? " 
 
 " I know he does." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 7l 
 
 " If he don't go pretty soon, I shall run awa3', and 
 go to sea in earnest." 
 
 " Don't say a word about the mutiny at present, 
 Wilton. By and by, if things go right, or if they 
 don't go right, we may want :o take some stock in 
 such an enterprise." 
 
 " I don't see it yet, but of course I shall keep still." 
 
 It is doubtful whether even sc daring a young man 
 as Shuffles, who nad the temerity to do almost any- 
 thing, seriously contemplated getting un a mutiny. 
 Very likely his untamed and vicious imagination had 
 revelled in such an enterprise ; had pictured the delights 
 of the rover's life at sea ; but a boy of ordinary com- 
 mon sense could hardly think of engaging in such a 
 mad scheme. 
 
 The last week of June, with which month ended the 
 first school term on board of the Young America, 
 was devoted to examinations and reviews in all the 
 studies for which extra marks were given. On the 
 last day the instructors made up the merit lists, and 
 on the morning of the 1st of July all hands were 
 mustered, and the result declared. Most of the offi- 
 cers, all of whom had studied with unremitting dili- 
 gence, in order to retain their positions, were reinstated 
 in their offices. The third lieutenant, however, fell 
 out, having failed in his reviews, and to the astonish- 
 ment of all, Robert Shuffles was found to be entitled 
 to the place. The first and second lieutenants ex- 
 changed ranks, and Paul Kendall fell to the position 
 of second master. Three of the tenants of the after 
 cabin were compelled to move into the steerage, and 
 
JT2 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 three of the crew were transferred to the officers* 
 quarters. 
 
 Many were disappointed, and perhaps some were 
 disheartened, for the competition had been' a severe 
 struggle ; and as much depended upon natural ability 
 as upon energy and perseverance. But the Young 
 America was a world by herself. She had all the 
 elements of society within her wooden walls, and 
 success and failure there followed the same rules as 
 in the great world of which she was an epitome. 
 
 After the officers had been duly installed in their 
 positions, the petty offices were given to those having 
 the highest number of marks among the crew. It 
 was certainly democratic for the late third lieutenant 
 to become captain of the foretop, and for a second 
 master to become coxswain of the professors' barge ; 
 but these young gentlemen, though disappointed, sub- 
 mitted with a good grace to their misfortune. 
 
 The student having the highest number of marks 
 among the crew was allowed to have the first choice 
 of berths in the steerage ; the one having the next 
 highest number had the second choice, and so on, 
 until all the numbers had been appropriated. At the 
 conclusion of the reorganization, Mr. Lowington made 
 a speech, " comforting the mourners," and reminding 
 all the students that, on the ist of October, there 
 would be another distribution of the places of honor. 
 He hoped those who had failed to attain what they 
 aspired to reach would not be discouraged, for, after 
 all, they had been gaining knowledge, and thus the 
 real end of the school had been reached, 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 73 
 
 " How about the mutiny? " said Wilton to the new 
 third lieutenant, when both were off duty in the 
 evening. 
 
 " It won't pay just now," replied Shuffles, with 
 great good humor. 
 
 " I suppose not," sneered Wilton, who had not 
 even won a petty office. " What would Lowington 
 say if he knew the third lieutenant talked of getting 
 up a mutiny on board ? " 
 
 u What would he say?" repeated Shuffles, who was 
 as much surprised at the high rank he had gained as 
 his companion had been. 
 
 " Yes ; what would he say if I should tell him 
 of it?" 
 
 " He would say you were a mean pup for telling 
 tales out of school ; at least, he ought to say so, and I 
 think he would. Lowington is a pretty good fellow, 
 after all." 
 
 44 No doubt he is, now you are third lieutenant." 
 
 " You needn't snuff at it, Wilton. If you want a 
 place, why don't you sail in, and get one. Just look 
 out for your marks ; that's all you have to do." 
 
 " Marks ! I thought a fellow seventeen years old 
 was not to be put up or put down by marks," said 
 Wilton, bitterly. 
 
 " That depends somewhat upon whether you get in 
 or out," laughed Shuffles. 
 
 " I suppose you and Paul Kendall will be fast 
 friends now," added the discontented student. 
 
 " Kendall behaves very well, and has treated me first 
 rate since I went into the cabin." 
 
 7 
 
74 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " I suppose if I want to run away, you will stop me 
 now." 
 
 " If you are going to do that, you musn't tell me of 
 it, now I'm an officer," replied Shuffles, as he turned 
 on his heel, and walked aft. 
 
 Wilton was disgusted, and felt that he had lost his 
 best friend, now that Shuffles had worked his way 
 into the cabin. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT 75 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 OUR FELLOWS. 
 
 I WOULD like leave of absence for to-morrow, Mr. 
 Pelham," said Wilton, as he touched his cap to 
 the first lieutenant of the Young America, on the day 
 before the Fourth of July; 
 
 "■ I am sorry to inform you, Wilton, that no leave 
 of absence will be granted to-morrow," replied Pel- 
 ham, in accordance with the instructions given him 
 by the captain, who, in turn, had received his orders 
 from the principal. 
 
 " No leave ! " exclaimed Wilton, his jaw dropping 
 down. 
 
 " Such are the orders." 
 
 " I have always been in the habit of celebrating the 
 Fourth of July," replied Wilton. " Are we to stay 
 on board the ship, and mope all day? " 
 
 " I presume the day will be celebrated on board in 
 a proper manner," added the first lieutenant. 
 
 "On board! What can a fellow do here? We 
 might as well go to bed, and sleep off the day." 
 
 " No words are necessary, Wilton," replied Pel- 
 ham, as he turned and walked away. 
 
 " That's a good one ! " added Wilton, to the group 
 of boys who had come with him to the mainmast, to 
 
*j6 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 request the same favor, if the spokesman was permit- 
 ted to go on shore and celebrate the day. 
 
 " Not to celebrate ! " exclaimed Monroe, with some- 
 thing like horror in his tones and looks. 
 
 " Work on the Fourth of July ! " chimed in Adler. 
 
 " I won't stand it, for one ! " said Wilton. 
 
 " Nor I, for another," added Monroe. 
 
 So said half a dozen others. 
 
 "Well, what are you going to do about it?" de- 
 manded Adler. " Here we are, and we can't get 
 ashore." 
 
 " Perhaps we can," said Wilton, as he led the way 
 to a retired part of the deck, where they could talk 
 without being overheard. " Did any one ever hear 
 of such a thing as keeping the fellows on board on the 
 Fourth of July? Why, every little Greek in the city 
 yonder has his liberty on that day ; and we are to be 
 cooped up here like a parcel of sick chickens ! I sup- 
 pose we shall have to recite history and French, and 
 shake out topsails, as usual." 
 
 " It's outrageous. I don't believe the fellows will 
 stand it," added Adler, who did not know how bad 
 the case was, until it had been rehearsed by Wilton, 
 who, in the absence of Shuffles, had become the leader 
 of a certain clique on board, given to taking opposite 
 views. 
 
 " But I don't see what we can do," said Monroe. 
 
 " We will do something. I won't stand it. If I 
 stay on board the ship to-morrow, it will be as a pris- 
 oner," answered Wilton. 
 
 " It's a hard case ; but what can we do about it? " 
 asked Sanborn. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 77 
 
 " Suppose we go to Lowington, and state the case 
 to him," suggested Adler. 
 
 " What's the use of that? Of course the first lieu- 
 tenant spoke by the card. He had his orders to say 
 what he did, and I'm sure they came from Lowing- 
 ton." 
 
 " There can be no doubt of that ; but it would be 
 better to have it from him." 
 
 " I'm willing to ask Lowington for the day, if the 
 fellows want me to do so ; but it won't do any more 
 good than it would to bark at the mainmast," contin- 
 ued Wilton. " I have an idea in my head, if the fel- 
 lows will stand by me," he added, in a lower tone, as 
 he looked over the rail at the swinging boom, to which 
 the boats in constant use were made fast. 
 
 " What is it? " asked Monroe, eagerly. 
 
 " Keep shady, for a while. How many fellows can 
 we muster? " 
 
 " I don't know." 
 
 " Well, don't stir the matter yet. Here comes Low- 
 ington, and we will talk to him first. Come, fellows, 
 let's make a dive at him." 
 
 Wilton, attended by his companions, walked up to 
 the principal, as he was going forward. Touching his 
 cap respectfully, as the discipline of the ship required, 
 he opened the case. 
 
 " Mr. Lowington, some of the students would like 
 to go on shore to-morrow, to celebrate the Fourth. 
 Can't we have liberty ? " 
 
 " You know the rule ; you should apply to the first 
 lieutenant for leave of absence," replied Mr. Lowing- 
 ton. 
 
 7* 
 
>j8 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " We have, sir, and been refused." 
 
 " Then there is nothing more to be said. The first 
 lieutenant speaks with authority." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, sir, but are we to stay on board 
 all day to-morrow ? " 
 
 " That is certainly the arrangement, Wilton." 
 
 " Some of us would like to celebrate the day, sir, 
 and we think it is rather hard to be obliged to do duty 
 on the Fourth of July." 
 
 " I intend to have the day celebrated in a proper 
 manner. I have made preparations for a gala day on 
 board." 
 
 " If you please, sir, we would rather go on shore." 
 
 " I am very sorry, for your sake, that I shall be un- 
 able to reverse the answer of the first lieutenant. If 
 I permit one or a dozen to go ashore, I cannot refuse 
 any, and all must go. I think the boys will be satis- 
 fied with the arrangements I have made for the day." 
 
 " I never was kept in school on the Fourth of July 
 before, sir," growled Wilton. 
 
 " Then this will be a new event in your experience," 
 answered Mr. Lowington, coldly, as he turned from 
 the petitioners, and went forward. 
 
 There were a great many wild boys on board of the 
 Young America, and it was morally impossible for the 
 whole crew to attend the celebration in the city, with- 
 out more or less of them getting into a scrape. They 
 had been kept on board for two months, and not 
 allowed to go on shore, except under the supervision 
 of one of the instructors ; and to let any considerable 
 number of them loose on such a day as the Fourth of 
 July, would only be courting trouble, for they would 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 79 
 
 be all the more disorderly after the long period of 
 restraint. 
 
 Mr. Lowington did not willingly deprive the boys 
 of any innocent gratification. He had faithfully con- 
 sidered the matter of celebrating the day, and taken 
 the advice of the instructors on the subject. It had 
 been proposed to procure a band of music, and visit 
 the city in a body, under the usual discipline ; but 
 there were many difficulties attending such a plan. 
 The boys were all the sons of rich men, and most of 
 them were abundantly supplied with pocket money. 
 As it would be impossible to prevent the escape of 
 some of them from the procession, in the crowded 
 streets, it was feared that their money would prove to 
 be " the root of all evil." The project had finally 
 been abandoned ; and, as a substitute, a programme 
 for a celebration on board had been arranged, for there 
 the students would be entirely under the control of the 
 instructors, who would check all excesses. It was an- 
 ticipated that a few discontented spirits would grumble, 
 but.no rebellion was expected. 
 
 Wilton and his companions were dissatisfied, and 
 disposed to be rash. They felt that they had been 
 harshly and cruelly denied a reasonable privilege. 
 The subject of celebrating the Fourth had been under 
 consideration for a long time among the bo)S, and it 
 had been generally believed that all hands would be 
 permitted to go on shore, with perfect liberty, on that 
 day ; and many of them had already arranged their 
 plans for the occasion. 
 
 " Well, what do you think now?" said Wilton, as 
 Mr. Lowington walked forward. 
 
SO OUTWARD BOUND, QR 
 
 " I think it's too bad,'' replied Adler. " It is meaner 
 than dirt to "make us stay on board on the Fourth of 
 
 " But I don't see how we are going to help our- 
 selves," added Monroe, looking at Wilton for a solu- 
 tion of this difficult problem. 
 
 "I do." 
 
 "How?" 
 
 u Keep still ; don't say a word here," continued 
 Wilton. " Scatter, now, and I will be on the topgal- 
 lant forecastle in a few minutes." 
 
 Wilton strolled about the deck a short time, and 
 then went to the place of meeting, where he was soon 
 joined by the rest of the discontented pupils. 
 
 "How many fellows can we muster?" asked lie, 
 when his associates in mischief had again gathered 
 around him. 
 
 " I know at least a dozen, who are up to anything," 
 replied Monroe ; " but some of them are in the other 
 watch. What are you going to do ? " 
 
 " I'll tell you : There are the professors' barge and 
 the third cutter at the swinging boom. We will drop 
 into them when the instructors go down to supper, 
 and make for the shore. All the rest of the boats are 
 at the davits ; and before they can get them into the 
 water, we shall be out of their reach. What do you 
 think of that for a plan ! " 
 
 " I think it is a first-rate one. But hadn't we better 
 wait till the instructors turn in? " suggested Adler. 
 
 " No ; the boats will all be hoisted up to the davits 
 at sunset. We must do it while the professors are at 
 supper, or not at all. We want eight oars for the 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 8 1 
 
 barge, and six for the third cutter ; that ^makes four- 
 teen fellows. Can we raise as many as that ? " 
 
 " Yes, I think we can ; we will try, at any rate." 
 
 " But you must look out, or some fellow will blow 
 the whole thing," added Wilton. " Mind whom you 
 speak to." 
 
 The trustworthiness of the various students was 
 canvassed, and it was decided what ones should be 
 invited to join the enterprise. The discontented boys 
 separated, and went to work with great caution to 
 obtain the needed recruits. Unfortunately, in such a 
 crowd of young men, there are always enough to 
 engage in any mischievous plot, and it is quite likely 
 that twice as many as were wanted could have been 
 obtained to man the boats in the runaway expedi- 
 tion. 
 
 Wilton missed Shuffles very much in arranging the 
 details of the present enterprise. While at the Brock- 
 way Academy, they had plotted mischief so often that, 
 each seemed to be necessary to the other. But Shuf- 
 fles had reformed ; he was now third lieutenant of the 
 ship, and it was not safe to suggest a conspiracy to 
 him, for he would attempt to gain favor with the prin- 
 cipal by exposing or defeating it. 
 
 Yet Shuffles was so bold in thought, and so daring 
 in execution, that Wilton could hardly abandon the 
 hope of obtaining his assistance ; besides, the third 
 lieutenant would be officer of the deck when the 
 professors went to supper, and might wink at their 
 departure in the boats, if he did not actually help 
 them off. 
 
 " Would you say anything to Shuffles ? " asked 
 
82 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 Wilton, still in doubt, of Monroe, as they happened 
 to meet again in the waist. 
 
 " To Shuffles ! " exclaimed Monroe, in an energetic 
 whisper. 
 
 " I mean so." 
 
 " Certainly not. I should as soon think of speaking 
 to Lowington himself." 
 
 " But Shuffles may join us. He is always in for a 
 good time." 
 
 "Why, you ninny, he is third lieutenant of the 
 ship." 
 
 " No matter if he is. I think Shuffles would like 
 to join us." 
 
 " Nonsense ! He has been in office only three days, 
 and it would break him. He would be degraded to 
 the steerage," replied Monroe, who could not help 
 thinking that Wilton was beside himself in proposing 
 such a thing, and that the enterprise was doomed to 
 failure in such incompetent hands. 
 
 " If he won't join us, perhaps he will help us off. 
 He is officer of the deck, you know, in the second dog 
 watch." 
 
 " I know he is ; but don't you open your mouth to 
 him. If you do, I'll back out at once." 
 
 "Back out?" 
 
 " Yes, back out. I believe you are crazy. Why 
 don't you go to Captain Carnes, and done with it ? " 
 said Monroe, with energy. 
 
 " I haven't any hold on Carnes, and I have on 
 Shuffles." 
 
 " What do you mean? " asked the prudent conspir 
 atof, curiously. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 83 
 
 " If Shuffles won't join us, he won't blow on us, 
 you may depend upon that. He wouldn't dare to do 
 it. I could break him before sundown, if I chose," 
 said Wilton, with conscious power. 
 
 " That alters the case." 
 
 " Of course, I shouldn't think of saying anything 
 to him, if I did not know what I was talking about. 
 I have him where the hair is short, and he knows it, aa 
 well as I do." 
 
 " What is it, Wilton ? " 
 
 " No matter what it is. When a thing is told me 
 in confidence, I keep it to myself; but if he turns 
 traitor to his cronies, he must look out for breakers. 
 He knows what it is." 
 
 " Well, if you can get him, he will be a first-rate 
 fellow to have." 
 
 " I think I can get him. Here he comes ; you keep 
 out of the way, and I will see how deep the water is." 
 
 Monroe went forward to find a student to whom he 
 had been deputed to speak in the interest of the enter- 
 prise^ leaving Wilton to grapple with the old lion of 
 mischief, whose teeth, however, seemed to have been 
 worn out in the cause. 
 
 " What's up, Wilton ? " demanded the third lieu- 
 tenant, who was now off duty, and therefore allowed 
 to speak to the crew, though it was a privilege of 
 which the officers seldom availed themselves. 
 
 " Who said anything was up?" asked Wilton. 
 
 "You look as though you meant something. What 
 were you and Ike Monroe talking about just now?" 
 continued Shuffles. " About me, I'll be bound, for you 
 Vept looking at me, as though you mea*~t something." 
 
84 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " What makes you think so ? Have you heard 
 anything?" asked Wilton, fearful that the plot had 
 leaked out. 
 
 " Not a word ; I only judged by your looks." 
 
 "I suppose if anything was up, you wouldn't have 
 anything to do with it now." 
 
 " Most decidedly, I should not. I like my present 
 position too well to fall out of it. I'm going to be 
 captain next term, if I can fetch it any way in the 
 world." 
 
 " You mean to be a flunky, just like the rest of 
 them. You are not the same fellow you used to be." 
 
 " Yes, I am." 
 
 " You are getting too big for your boots." 
 
 " You wrong me, Wilton. I'm just as good a 
 fellow as I ever was. I think I'm the best fellow in 
 the ship, and for that reason I want to be captain. 
 I'm ahead of Carnes so far on marks this month." 
 
 " Well, if you want to be the head flunky, I hope 
 you'll get it. We are not going ashore to-morrow, 
 they say," added Wilton, changing the topic to get 
 nearer to the business of the hour. 
 
 " So Pelham told me." 
 
 " Are you willing to stay on board and study, and 
 do ship's duty, on the Fourth of July ? " 
 
 " We are going to celebrate." 
 
 "How?" 
 
 " I'm sure I don't know." 
 
 " We shall celebrate to-morrow just as we do every 
 day — as close prisoners on board the ship. I, for one, 
 tion't like it, and I won't stand it." 
 
 " Won't you ? " laughed Shuffles. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 8$ 
 
 " When I say I won't, I mean so." 
 
 " O, you do — do you ? " 
 
 " You better believe I do," added Wilton, shaking 
 his head resolutely. 
 
 " What are you going to do? " 
 
 " I'm going ashore, by hook or by crook." 
 
 " Better not get into any scrape." 
 
 " You say that as one of the flunkies." 
 
 " Well, you had better not say anything to me, for 
 I shall have to do my duty as an officer. Don't say 
 anything to . me, and then I shall not know anything 
 about it." 
 
 " Humph ! " sneered Wilton, not pleased with this 
 non-committal policy. 
 
 " I don't want to do anything mean with any of our 
 fellows ; so don't say a word to me. I shall do my 
 duty as an officer, as I promised to do when I was 
 made third lieutenant." 
 
 " Do you mean to say you will stop me, Shuffles, if 
 you see me going?" demanded Wilton. 
 
 " I do mean so ; I promised faithfully to do my duty 
 as an officer, and I shall do it." 
 
 " See here, Bob Shuffles ; you needn't talk to me in 
 that manner. I knew the ship's cable from a pint 
 of milk, and you can't come the flunky over me." 
 
 " I'm going to do just as you would do if you were 
 in my place. I won't hear a word about any of youi 
 plans." 
 
 " But will you interfere with them?" 
 
 " If it is my duty to do so, I shall. I intend to obey 
 orders ; and if I have the deck, I shall keep thinga 
 straight, whatever happens." 
 8 
 
86 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " Lowington don't know you as well as I do." 
 
 " No matter if he don't ; he shall have no fault to 
 find with me this term, if I can help it." 
 
 " It's no use for me to mince the matter with you, 
 Bob Shuffles. We understand each other too well for 
 that. Something's up." 
 
 Shuffles turned on his heel, and was about to walk 
 away. 
 
 " Hold on a minute, Shuffles," continued Wilton. 
 " I won't tell you what's up, but I'll tell you this : if 
 you interfere with what I do, or with what the fellows 
 with me do, I'll tell Lowington about the mutiny — I 
 will, as sure as your name is Bob Shuffles. Do you 
 understand me ? " 
 
 " Well, I do ; and it seems to me that sounds very 
 much like a threat." 
 
 u Call it what you like. If you turn traitor to our 
 fellows, you must stand the racket of it. You are not 
 a saint just yet, and those that live in glass houses 
 musn't throw stones." 
 
 " I believe I haven't played false to any of our fel- 
 lows. If I don't choose to get into any scrape with 
 them, I have a right to keep out. That's all I've got 
 to say." 
 
 " But what are you going to do, Shuffles? Oui 
 fellows will want to know." 
 
 " I'm going to do my duty," replied the third lieu- 
 tenant, as he walked away, regardless of the efforts 
 of his companion to detain him. 
 
 Shuffles was experiencing the truth of the old 
 maxim, that honesty is the best policy. It is to be 
 regretted that his present devotion to duty had no 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 87 
 
 higher incentive than mere policy ; but it may be 
 hoped of those who do their duty from low motives, 
 that they may gather inspiration even from their politic 
 fidelity to obey its behests from higher motives. The 
 third lieutenant of the Young America intended to 
 keep the promise he had made in accepting his office, 
 simply because it would pay best. 
 
 Wilton and his confederates had no difficulty in 
 making up the required number of discontents and 
 malcontents before six o'clock, which was the time 
 fixed for carrying out the enterprise they had planned. 
 Some of the recruits joined because they anticipated a 
 good time in the city in celebrating the Fourth, and 
 others from a mere love of mischief and excitement. 
 The details of the scheme had been carefully elabo- 
 rated by Monroe and Wilton, after the ranks of the 
 conspirators were full. Having learned a valuable 
 lesson from the daily discipline of the ship, the mis- 
 chief was certainly well planned. Each boy was 
 assigned to a particular position in the boats, and 
 knew on what thwart he was to sit, and which oar he 
 was to pull. 
 
 Wilton and Monroe, as the master spirits of the en- 
 terprise, were to run out first on the swinging boom, 
 and slide down the painters, each into the boat he was 
 to command. The others were to follow in the same 
 way, descending from the boom, for it was not con' 
 sidered prudent to run the boats up to the gangway, 
 where some enthusiastic officer might easily interfere 
 with the plan, which was to depend for its success 
 upon the celerity of its execution. 
 
 When four bells struck, the professors went down to 
 
8S OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 their evening meal, as usual, and the boatswain piped 
 the port watch to supper, the starboard watch having 
 taken theirs at three bells, or half past five. Wilton 
 gave a low whistle, when Shuffles, officer of the deck, 
 was abaft the mizzenmast, with his back to the runa- 
 ways, who had gathered in the waist, and were waiting 
 for the signal. 
 
 " Be lively, fellows," said the leader of the enterprise, 
 as he sprang over the rail, and ran out on the boom, 
 followed by Monroe. 
 
 The others, in the order in which they had been 
 instructed, did the same. About half of them were 
 on the boom, when the movement was reported to the 
 officer of the deck by the midshipman on duty in the 
 waist. Shuffles rushed forward, now understanding, 
 for the first time, the intentions of Wilton ; and true tt* 
 the inspiration of fidelity, he set about defeating the 
 object of " our fellows." 
 
 The studding-sail boom, to which the boats were 
 fastened, was supported by a topping-lift from above, 
 and kept in position, at right angles with the side of 
 the ship, by guys extending forward and aft. 
 
 " Stand by that fore guy ! " shouted Shuffles, as he 
 sprang upon the rail. " Cast off ! " 
 
 " Lively, fellows ! " said Wilton, when he saw that 
 the third lieutenant intended to swing in the boom to 
 the ship's side. 
 
 " Stand by the after guy of the studding-sail boom ! " 
 continued Shuffles, with becoming energy. 
 
 Both his orders were promptly obeyed ; but seeing 
 that his movement would be too late, he rushed to the 
 topping-lift, and cast it oft', causing the swinging boom 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. SO. 
 
 to drop into the water, just as the last boy was 
 about to slide down into the professors' boat. Of 
 course the luckless fellow went into the water ; but 
 he was promptly picked up by his companions in 
 mischief. 
 
 " If I'm caught, Bob Shuffles, you look out for 
 breakers ! " cried Wilton, as the third lieutenant 
 appeared at the gangway again. 
 
 The tide was coming in, and the boats swung so far 
 abaft the boom that it had fallen clear of them when 
 it dropped into the water. Wilton and Monroe were 
 prompt to avail themselves of their present success, 
 and the boys sat in the boats, with their oars up, ready 
 to pull as soon as the order was given. 
 
 " Let fall ! " said Wilton ; and the eight oars of the 
 professors' barge dropped into the water, and the 
 rowers placed them in readiness for the first stroke. 
 
 Monroe, in the third cutter, followed the example 
 of his principal, and was hardly a second behind him. 
 
 " Give way ! " added Wilton. 
 
 " Give way ! " repeated Monroe ; and the two boats 
 gathered way and darted oft' towards the nearest point 
 of the shore. 
 
 Thus far the enterprise of " our fellows " was en- 
 tirely successful, and Shuffles stood on the gangway, 
 chagrined at the defeat which had attended his efforts 
 to prevent the escape of the runaways. 
 
 " Stand by to clear away the first cutter ! " shouted 
 he, suddenly and with energy, as he made his way to 
 the davits, where the boat indicated was suspended. 
 
 " Cast off the gripes, and man the falls ! " he con- 
 tinued, when the watch were collected at the scene of 
 - 8 * 
 
GO OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 action. " Mr. Kendall, you will inform the captain 
 what has happened." 
 
 Within three minutes, the first cutter was in the 
 water, for the crew had been frequently exercised in 
 the evolution of lowering boats, and performed it with 
 remarkable facility for boys. Before the first cutter 
 touched the water, the captain, the principal, and all 
 the professors, came on deck. 
 
 Mr. Lowington was entirely cool, though everybody 
 else appeared to be intensely excited. The crew of 
 the first cutter were piped away, and at the principal's 
 suggestion, the third lieutenant was sent off in the 
 boat to prevent the landing of the rebellious pupils. 
 
 " Up oars ! Let fall ! Give way ! " said Shuffles, 
 in the boat, delivering his orders in rapid succession ; 
 and the first cutter darted off in chase of the runaways. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 9I 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE BOURTH OF JULY. 
 
 THE first cutter was manned by her regular crew, 
 who had been trained with the utmost care to 
 pull together, while Wilton, in the professors' barge, 
 which was of the same size, had some very indifferent 
 oarsmen. The runaways had made up their force of 
 such material as they could obtain, and though all 
 were somewhat accustomed to rowing, they had not 
 been drilled to work together ; they were not the 
 unit of power in pulling a boat. Shuffles, therefore, 
 had a manifest advantage, and he was determined to 
 bring back the fugitives. 
 
 The second cutter, in charge of Paul Kendall, was 
 cleared away, and, with Mr. Lowington and Mr. 
 Fluxion on board, left the ship to take part in the pur- 
 suit. The chase promised to be an exciting one, for 
 Wilton and Monroe were straining every nerve to 
 reach the shore before they were overtaken. They 
 were making for the nearest land, and having just the 
 number of hands required to pull the boat, each of 
 them was obliged to use an oar himself. They had 
 no coxswains, and Wilton, at the bow oar of the pro- 
 fessors' barge, could not see what was ahead, though 
 he kept the pursuing boats in full view. 
 
92 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 The nearest land, not more than half a mile from 
 the ship, was a point covered with salt marsh, above 
 which was a cove, whose opening was about ten rods 
 in width. Wilton was making for the point below the 
 cove, but his calculations were made without judgment 
 or discretion. If he reached the land, his party would 
 be obliged to walk a mile in order to get round the 
 cove, on a narrow strip of marsh, where they might 
 be intercepted. But the fatal defect in his plan of 
 operations was a failure to consider the depth of 
 water between the ship and the point. The flow 
 of the tide from the cove, while it kept a clear chan- 
 nel through the entrance, had formed a bar off the 
 tongue of land on the seaward side of it, which was 
 bare at half tide, and was now just covered. Wilton 
 was pulling for this bar, with all the strength of his 
 crew. 
 
 Shuffles was prompt to observe the mistake of his 
 late crony, and just as prompt to profit by it. The 
 first cutter was gaining rapidly on the chase ; but 
 Shuffles, as she reached the border of the main chan- 
 nel, ordered his coxswain to keep the boat's head 
 towards the entrance of the cove. 
 
 " We shall never catch them on this tack," said the 
 coxswain of the cutter, who knew nothing about 
 the bar. 
 
 " I think we shall," replied the third lieutenant, 
 confidently. 
 
 " We are not going towards the point." 
 
 " That's very true, and the professors' barge will not 
 go much -farther in that direction. Pull steady, my 
 lads ; don't hurry yourselves. There is plenty of time/' 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 93 
 
 The coxswain thought his superior officer was 
 taking the matter very coolly, and knowing of the 
 intimacy which had formerly subsisted between Shuf- 
 fles and Wilton, he was ready to conclude that the 
 third lieutenant was willing to permit the escape of 
 " our fellows." While he was putting this construc- 
 tion on the conduct of his superior, the professors' 
 barge " took the ground," and stuck fast. 
 
 " They're aground, Mr. Shuffles," said the coxswain. 
 
 " There's just where I expected them to be," an- 
 swered Shuffles, quietly. 
 
 " Shall I run towards them ? " 
 
 " No ; keep her as she is. There isn't more than a 
 foot of w^ater anywhere between them and the point." 
 
 The third cutter, being a smaller boat than the pro- 
 fessors' barge, did not touch the bar as soon as her 
 consort ; but Monroe saw that his craft could not land 
 her party on the point at that stage of the tide, and he 
 ordered his crew first to lay on their oars, and then to 
 back water. Wilton's boat was aground at the bow, 
 and when he had sent part of his crew aft, she was 
 easily pushed off the bar. By this delay he had lost 
 the chance of landing at the point, and his only alter- 
 native was to pull up to the cove ; but in doing so, it 
 would be impossible to avoid the first cutter, which 
 had now secured a position off the mouth of the little 
 bay. 
 
 " Stand by to lay on your oars," said the coxswain 
 of the first cutter, as directed by the lieutenant in com- 
 mand. " Oars ! " 
 
 The crew ceased rowing, and laying on their oars, 
 Waited the next movement of the runaways. In the 
 
94 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 mean time the second cutter was well away from the 
 ship, and Mr. Lowington, promptly comprehending 
 the intentions of the third lieutenant, directed the 
 officer in command to pull towards the boats on 
 the bar, keeping well to seaward, in order to prevent 
 them from escaping in that direction. 
 
 Wilton realized that he was cornered, and hoping 
 that Shuffles would not be over-zealous in the dis- 
 charge of his duty, directed his course towards the 
 opening of the cove. A few strokes brought him 
 within hailing distance of the first cutter. 
 
 " No use, Wilton," said Shuffles, laughing. " You 
 may as well pull for the ship. It's all up with you." 
 
 But the leader of the runaways, instead of heeding 
 this good advice, attempted to push by astern of the 
 first cutter. 
 
 " Stern, all ! Give way ! " shouted Shuffles, sharply. 
 " Coxswain, stand by with your stern line ! " 
 
 It was generally understood that the third lieutenant 
 of the Young America was a fighting character, and 
 that he could whip any officer or seaman in the ship, 
 though his prowess had not been practically demon- 
 strated. Shuffles took the stern line himself, instead 
 of intrusting the duty to the coxswain. He intended 
 to grapple the bow of the professors' barge, and 
 make fast to it with the rope ; but the cutter did 
 not gather way enough in season to do this. As she 
 backed, she fouled the oars of the barge, and Shuffles 
 secured a firm hold of her stern. 
 
 "What are you doing, Bob Shuffles?" demanded 
 Wilton, angry, when he saw that his late crony was 
 fully in earnest. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 95 
 
 The third lieutenant made no reply ; but passing his 
 rope through a ring in the stern of the barge, he made 
 it fast, and then pushed the cutter off from her. When 
 the line had run out about a fathom, he secured the 
 end he held in his hand to the after thwart of his own 
 boat. Thus the first cutter and the barge were lashed 
 together, stern to stern. 
 
 " Cast off that rope ! " shouted Wilton to the stroke 
 oarsman in the barge. 
 
 " Don't you touch it, my lad," interposed Shuffles, 
 when the boy attempted to obey the order of his 
 leader. " If you attempt it, you will purchase a sore 
 head." 
 
 The third lieutenant had picked up a boat-hook, and 
 stood ready to rap any of the barge's crew who might 
 attempt to cast off the line by which the boats were 
 fastened together. No one was disposed to cross the 
 purposes of so formidable a person as Shuffles, and 
 the stroke oarsman did not obey the order of Wilton. 
 It would not be safe to do so. 
 
 " Now, Wilton, what do you say?" demanded Shuf- 
 fles, a smile of triumph playing upon his face, which 
 was very aggravating to the leader of the runaways. 
 " Will you go back to the ship, or not? " 
 
 " No, of course I won't," replied the discomfited 
 chief of the malcontents. 
 
 " You had better, my dear fellow. There comes 
 Mr. Lowington." 
 
 " I didn't think this of you, Bob Shuffles," said 
 Wilton, reproachfully. 
 
 " I told you I should do my duty ; and I shall, to 
 
96 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 the end. If you will return, all right ; if not, I shall 
 take you back." 
 
 " No, you won't." 
 
 " I think I will," added the third lieutenant, quietly. 
 " Stand by to give way ! " he continued, to the cox- 
 swain. 
 
 " Two can play at that game," said Wilton, as he 
 gave the same order to his crew. 
 
 " Give way ! " shouted the coxswain of the first 
 cutter, with energy. 
 
 " Give way ! " repeated Wilton, in the barge. | 
 
 The rope straightened ; Shuffles stood up in the 
 stern-sheets of the cutter, to prevent the line from 
 being cast off, and the contest began, to ascertain 
 which should drag the other. It was rather ludi- 
 crous, in spite of the serious question of discipline 
 involved in the affair, and the boys in the cutter 
 were intensely amused, as well as excited. Both 
 crews struggled with all their might, and each leader 
 urged his followers to renewed exertions. 
 
 The discipline of the first cutter was on the point of 
 carrying the contest in favor of law and order, when 
 Monroe, seeing that his friend was nearly worsted, 
 backed the third cutter up to the bow of the barge, 
 and took her painter on board, which he made fast at 
 the stern. Resuming his oar, he ordered his crew to 
 give way together. Then law and order appeared to 
 be at a discount, for the eight oarsmen in the first 
 cutter were not a match, even in the cause of disci- 
 pline, against the fourteen in the barge and third 
 cutter. 
 
 Shuffles did not give it up, notwithstanding the 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 97 
 
 great odds against him. Letting out the stern line 
 far enough to allow space for a new manoeuvre, he di- 
 rected the starboard oarsmen to lay on their oars, while 
 those on the port side pulled the boat round. Then 
 all gave way together, and the barge was dragged 
 round sideways, until her oars fouled with those of 
 Monroe's boat. At this stage of the exciting proceed- 
 ings, the second cutter came up with the principal. 
 
 Mr. Fluxion sat in the stern-sheets, shaking his 
 sides with laughter at the singular contest which was 
 going on ; but Mr. Lowington, though evidently 
 amused, maintained his gravity, and was as dignified 
 as usual. The appearance of the principal ended the 
 struggle. A glance from him was quite sufficient 
 to take all the stiffening out of the runaways, and 
 even Wilton, though he talked valiantly behind Mr. 
 Lowington's back, and neglected even to give him the 
 simple title of " mister," had not the courage to resist 
 the strong arm of his authority. As the second cutter 
 backed up to the barge, the principal stepped on 
 board of her, and took a seat in the stern-sheets. 
 
 " Young gentlemen, you will return to the ship," 
 said Mr. Lowington, sternly, as he took the tiller- 
 ropes in his hands. " Give way ! " 
 
 The malcontents had no thought of further resist- 
 ance. The presence of the principal was sufficient 
 to overcome all insubordination ; they did not dare to 
 disobey him. Mechanically they bent to their oars, 
 and without a word pulled back to the ship. 
 
 Mr. Fluxion, by direction of Mr. Lowington, had 
 taken his place in Monroe's boat, and followed the 
 barge, the two cutters bringing up the rear. This was 
 9 
 
98 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 the first instance of flagrant insubordination which had 
 occurred since the organization of the ship's company, 
 and the students were not a little anxious to learn how 
 it would be treated. It was singular that Shuffles, 
 who on shore had always been the ringleader in en- 
 terprises of mischief, had been the means of defeating 
 the scheme of the runaways. 
 
 The boats were hoisted up at the davits, and the 
 boatswain was ordered to pipe all hands on deck. 
 The principal looked calm, but stern, as he took the 
 position on the hatch which he usually occupied when 
 he addressed the students. 
 
 " Wilton and Monroe," said he. 
 
 The culprits came forward, hanging their heads 
 with shame. 
 
 " I learn that you are the ringleaders in this move- 
 ment. Is it so?" 
 
 " I suppose we are," replied Wilton. 
 
 " Who proposed the plan ? " 
 
 " Wilton first spoke to me about it," answered 
 Monroe. 
 
 " And you induced the others to join you? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " As the ringleaders, Wilton and Monroe will lose 
 twenty marks each, and remain in their mess rooms 
 to-morrow. The other twelve lose ten marks each," 
 continued Mr. Lowington. " Young gentlemen, those 
 who have engaged in this scheme are not to be 
 trusted. I have nothing further to say." 
 
 The crew were dismissed, and all the students were 
 disposed to laugh at the mildness of the punishment, 
 compared with the enormity of the offence. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 99 
 
 " Mr. Shuffles," said the principal, as he stepped 
 down from the hatch, " I am very much obliged to 
 you for the zeal and energy which you have exhibited 
 in the discharge of your duty. Not only was your 
 disposition to do your duty highly commendable, but 
 your plans displayed skill and forethought." 
 
 " Thank you, sir," replied the third lieutenant ; 4t 1 
 am very glad to have pleased you." 
 
 Mr. Lowington bowed, and descended to the cabin 
 to finish his supper, which had been interrupted by 
 the event described. What the professors said about 
 the affair was not known to the boys ; but Shuffles 
 was warmly praised for the moderate but skilful meas- 
 ures he had used in the capture of the rebels. 
 
 At sundown, a shore boat came alongside with an 
 abundant supply of fireworks, which had been ordered 
 by Mr. Lowington. They were hoisted on board, and 
 deposited in a safe place. At the usual hour, the boys 
 turned in to dream of the good time which these squibs 
 and crackers suggested to them — all but Monroe and 
 Wilton, who had something else to think about. The 
 latter was disappointed and surly, while the former 
 congratulated himself upon getting out of the scrape 
 so easily. Wilton was very angry with Shuffles, who 
 might have permitted him to land, if he had been so 
 disposed ; and he determined to take what he consid- 
 ered an ample vengeance upon the traitor. As soon 
 as he had ah opportunity to speak to Mr. Lowington, 
 he intended to tell him all about the plan for a mutiny, 
 and he was fully satisfied that Shuffles would be sent 
 in disgrace from his pleasant position in the after 
 cabin, to take up his abode in the steerage again. 
 
IOO OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 On the morning of the ever-glorious Fourth, all 
 hands were mustered on the deck of the Young Amer- 
 ica at four o'clock. Crackers were served out, and 
 for two hours there was a tremendous racket from 
 stem to stern, among the younger boys. At six 
 o'clock, the port watch were piped to breakfast, and 
 all the crackers having been burned, the decks were 
 swept, and everything put in perfect order, by the 
 starboard Watch. A band of music, engaged for the 
 day, came off, and the enlivening strains of the national 
 airs sounded through the ship. 
 
 At seven o'clock, when all hands had breakfasted, 
 an hour earlier than usual, the crew were piped to 
 muster, wondering, as they always did, what was 
 going to be done. 
 
 " All hands, up anchor ahoy ! " shouted the boat- 
 swain, prompted by the first lieutenant ; but this order 
 was so common in the every-day practice of the crew, 
 that no one supposed it had any unusual significance ; 
 and some of the boys even began to grumble at being 
 compelled to go through the routine of ship's work on 
 the Fourth of July. 
 
 " Bring to on the cable, and unbitt ! " continued the 
 officer in command. " Ship the capstan bars, and 
 swifter them ! Heave in the cable to a short stay ! " 
 
 These orders were duly executed, under the direc- 
 tion of the various officers -at their stations. 
 
 " Avast heaving ! " called the first master. " Anchor 
 apeak, sir," he reported to the first lieutenant. 
 
 " Pawl the capstan, stopper the cable, and unship 
 the bars ! " added the executive officers, all of which 
 was done, and duly reported. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. lOl 
 
 " Stations for loosing topsails ! " which were shaken 
 out by the ordinary routine, sheeted home, and hoist- 
 ed up. 
 
 " Forecastlemen, loose the head sails ! After-guard, 
 clear away the spanker ! Man the capstan bars, ship 
 and swifter them ! Heave around ! " 
 
 This last was a manoeuvre which the crew had 
 never before been called upon to perform ; and the 
 order sent a thrill of delight to all hearts. The cable 
 had often been heaved to a short stay, that is, so that 
 it run nearly up and down ; but that was as far as 
 they had ever before been permitted to proceed. Now, 
 with the anchor apeak, they were ordered to the cap- 
 stan again, and they realized that the Young America 
 was actually going to sea. The command kindled an 
 enthusiasm which glowed on every face. The ship 
 was going out of the harbor, and the evil doers in the 
 mess rooms below were to be pitied. 
 
 " Anchor aweigh, sir," reported the excited boat- 
 swain, who, however, had to be prompted in this in- 
 stance by Peaks, for it had never been in that position 
 before since it first hooked the mud in Brockway 
 harbor. 
 
 " Anchor aweigh, sir," repeated the second lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 " Man the jib and flying-jib halyards ! " said the 
 first lieutenant. 
 
 "Anchor's at the bow, sir," said the boatswain, 
 which report went through the same channels as 
 before, till it reached the executive officer. 
 
 " Hoist away on the jib and flying-jib halyards ! 
 Avast heaving ! Pawl the capstan ! Stopper the 
 9* 
 
ro2 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 cable ! Cat and fish the anchor ! " shouted the first 
 lieutenant. " Port the helm I " 
 
 The Young America was clear of the ground. The 
 fore topsail, which had been trimmed to the fresh 
 breeze, was full, and the ship began to gather head- 
 way. Two seamen had been placed at the wheel, 
 under the charge of the quartermaster. The boys had 
 often " made believe " do these things, but now they 
 were real. The vessel was actually moving through 
 the water, and they could hardly contain themselves, 
 so exhilarating was the scene. 
 
 " Steady ! " said the first lieutenant, when the. ship 
 had come up to her intended course. 
 
 " Steady, sir," repeated the quartermaster in charge 
 of the helm. 
 
 " Stand by to set the spanker,'* added the first 
 lieutenant. " Man the outhaul ! Cast off the brails, 
 and loose the vangs ! " 
 
 The after-guard, which is the portion of the ship's 
 company stationed on the quarter-deck, or abaft the 
 mizzenmast, obeyed this order, and stood ready to set 
 the spanker, which is the aftermost sail. 
 
 " Walk away with the outhaul ! " and the after- 
 guard ran off with the rope, which drew the sail out 
 into its place on the gaff. " Stand by the spanker 
 sheet — let it out ! " 
 
 " You must attend to your main and mizzen top- 
 sails, Mr. Pelham," said the principal, in a low tone. 
 
 " Man the fore and main braces ! " said the execu- 
 tive officer ; and the young seamen sprang to their 
 stations. " Let go and haul ! " 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. I03 
 
 The main and the mizzen topsails were thus trimmed, 
 so that they took the wind. 
 
 " That was very well done, Captain Carnes, though 
 your crew need more practice. They are very much 
 excited," said Mr. Lowington. 
 
 " I don't wonder, sir ; I think none of them 
 knew we were going out of the harbor," replied the 
 captain. 
 
 " I am glad they enjoy it," added the principal, 
 " though I should not have left the anchorage, except 
 as-a substitute for the Fourth of July celebration." 
 
 " They will like this much better than going to the 
 city." 
 
 44 I have no doubt on that point ; and last evening, 
 when those students wished to run away, I was tempt- 
 ed to punish their disobedience by letting them go. 
 The wind is pretty fresh, Captain Carnes, but I think 
 you may set the top-gallant sails." 
 
 The captain gave the order to the first lieutenant. 
 
 " Aloft, sail-loosers of the top-gallant sails ! " shout- 
 ed Mr. Pelham ; and the eager young salts dashed up 
 the rigging. " Lay out ! Loose ! Let fall ! Man 
 your sheets and halyards ! Sheets home, and hoist 
 away ! " 
 
 The addition of the top-gallant sails was sensibly 
 felt by the Young America ; and, " taking a bone in 
 her teeth," she careened over, and dashed away mer- 
 rily on her course. 
 
 The band played Hail, Columbia, and as the ship 
 passed the fort, the crew mounted the rigging and gave 
 three cheers. The excitement on board was immense, 
 ^nd never was Independence Day more thoroughly 
 
104 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 and enthusiastically enjoyed. The officers and crew 
 were at the height of felicity, as the gallant little ship 
 bowled over the waves, threading her way through the 
 channels between the numerous islands of the bay. 
 
 " Can't we put on any more sail, Mr. Lowington ? " 
 asked Captain Carnes, as he met the principal on the 
 quarter-deck. 
 
 " Not at present. We are making very good prog- 
 ress now." 
 
 " The boys want to see all sail on her." 
 " The wind is blowing half a gale now," added Mr. 
 Lowington, with a smile. " I think we shall be able 
 to give them quite enough of it when we get out into 
 blue water. I'm afraid you will lose half your crew 
 before noon ! " 
 "Lose them?" 
 " By seasickness, I mean." 
 " Do you think they will be sick, sir? " 
 u I have no doubt of it. Many of them never saw 
 the ocean before, and never looked upon a ship till 
 they came on board of the Young America. I don't 
 think it would be prudent to put on all sail, until 
 we know what force we are to have to handle the 
 ship." 
 
 " They don't look like being seasick at present." 
 " Wait till we get out into the heavy sea," laughed 
 the principal, as he went forward. 
 
 At eight bells the ship was abreast of the last island, 
 and she began to pitch and roll a little, though the 
 motion was hardly perceptible, until she was well off 
 from the land. Professor Paradyme was the first vic- 
 tim of seasickness, and the boys all laughed wher* 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. IO5 
 
 they saw the woe-begone expression on the face of 
 the learned man ; but some of those who laughed the 
 loudest were the first to be taken by the ridiculous 
 malady. 
 
 The Young America pitched and rolled heavily as 
 she receded from the land, and nothing more was said 
 by the students about putting on more sail. The 
 spray broke over the bow, and washed the decks ; but 
 most of the boys enjoyed the scene as they had never 
 enjoyed anything before. 
 
 "What are you doing here, sir?" demanded Mr. 
 Lowington, as he went forward, and discovered Wil- 
 ton skulking under the lee of the foremast. " You 
 were told to stay in your mess room, sir ! " 
 
 " I couldn't, sir," whined the culprit. 
 
 " You could, and you will." 
 
 " I was seasick, sir." 
 
 " I can't help it ; you must stay in your mess room," 
 added the principal, sternly. 
 
 " If you please, sir, I will obey orders if you will 
 let me stay on deck," said Wilton, humbly. 
 
 " No ; return to your room ; " and Wilton was com- 
 pelled to obey. 
 
 It was a very severe punishment to him and Mon. 
 roe to be obliged to stay in the steerage during the 
 first trip of the Young America. 
 
Io6 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 HEAVING THE LOG. 
 
 THE Young America, under topsails and t©p- 
 gallant sails, was making about ten knots an 
 hour. After passing the last island in the bay, she 
 was headed to the south-east, which brought the wind 
 over the starboard quarter. The ship was of the 
 clipper class, though not as sharp as many of this 
 model. It was found that her sailing ability was 
 excellent, and Mr. Lowington and Mr. .Fluxion ex- 
 pressed much satisfaction at her performance, both in 
 respect of speed and weatherly qualities. 
 
 When the ship left her moorings, the principal had 
 not decided where to go, or how long to remain at sea, 
 intending to be governed by the circumstances of the 
 hour. It had never been his purpose to keep her at 
 one anchorage, but to go from port to port, remaining 
 a few days or a few weeks at each, as the discipline of 
 the ship and the progress of the boys in their studies 
 suggested. There were many elements of seaman- 
 ship which could not be effectively practised while the 
 ship lay at anchor, such as heaving the log, sounding 
 and steering, though the boys had been carefully 
 instructed in the theory of these operations. 
 
 The instructor in mathematics, the boatswain, the 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. IO7 
 
 carpenter, and the sailmaker, all of whom were good 
 seamen, were in great demand as soon as the ship was 
 under way ; but when she had sea-room enough, the 
 helm was handed over to the boys, under the charge 
 of a juvenile quartermaster. Peaks stood by, and 
 gave the necessary directions, till the students were 
 able to do the work themselves. 
 
 " Now, my lads, we will heave the log," said the 
 boatswain, when the ship was well out from the land. 
 
 " We know how to do that," replied Smith, one of 
 the quartermasters. 
 
 " I dare say you do, young gentlemen ; but in my 
 opinion, you can't do it. You know how to write a 
 psalm, but I don't believe you could write one," 
 added Peaks. " You have to learn how to do these 
 things by the feeling, so that they will do themselves, 
 so to speak. After-guard, stand by to haul in the log- 
 line. Here, quartermaster, you will hold the glass, 
 and the officer of the deck will throw the chip." 
 
 " We know all about it, Mr. Peaks," repeated 
 Smith. 
 
 " I know you do ; but you can't tell within five knots 
 how fast the ship is going," laughed the boatswain. 
 " Let's do it right a few times, and then you can be 
 trusted." 
 
 The quartermaster took the glass, and Gordon, then 
 officer of the watch, the chip, which he cast into the 
 water over the stern of the ship. 
 
 " Turn ! " said he, when the stray line had run 
 out. 
 
 Now, Smith, at this particular moment, was watch- 
 ing a vessel over the quarter, and he did not instantly 
 
IOS OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 turn the glass, as he should have done ; but Peaks 
 said nothing. 
 
 " Up ! " cried the quartermaster, when the sand had 
 all run through the glass. 
 
 Gordon stopped the reel from which the line was 
 running out, and noted the mark. 
 
 " Seven knots," said he. 
 
 " Not right," replied the boatswain, sharply. " This 
 ship is going nine or ten knots an hour, and any man 
 who has snuffed salt water for six months could guess 
 nearer than you make it. Now try it once again, and 
 if you don't hit nearer than that next time, you may 
 as well throw the reel overboard, and hire a Yankee 
 to guess the rate of sailing." 
 
 " I thought we knew all about it," added Smith. 
 
 " I think you do, young gentlemen ; but you were 
 star-gazing when you ought to have been all attention. 
 The line ran out two or three knots before you turned 
 the glass." 
 
 Gordon took the chip again. It was a thin piece 
 of board, in the form of a quarter circle. The round 
 side was loaded with just lead enough to make it float 
 upright in the water. The log-line was fastened to 
 the chip, just as a boy loops a kite, two strings being 
 attached at each end of the circular side, while the 
 one at the angle is tied to a peg, which is inserted in a 
 hole, just hard enough to keep it in place, while there 
 is no extra strain on the board, but which can be drawn 
 out with a smart pull. When the log-line has run out 
 as far as desired, there would be some difficulty in 
 hauling in the chip while it was upright in the water ; 
 but a sudden jerk draws the peg at the angle, and 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. IO9 
 
 permits the board to lie flat, in which position the 
 water offers the least resistance to its passage. 
 
 The half-minute glass used on board the Young 
 America, held by the quartermaster, was like an houl 
 glass, and contained just sand enough to pass through 
 the hole in the neck in thirty seconds. The log-line 
 was one hundred and fifty fathoms in length, and was 
 wound on a reel, which turned very easily, so that the 
 resistance of the chip to the water would unwind it. 
 The log-line is divided into certain spaces called knots, 
 the length of each of which is the same fractional part 
 of a mile that a half minute is of an hour. If there 
 be sixty-one hundred and twenty feet in a nautical 
 mile, or the sixtieth part of a degree of a great cir- 
 cle, which is not far from accurate, and the ship be 
 going ten knots an hour, she will run sixty-one 
 thousand two hundred feet in an hour. If the chip 
 were thrown overboard at eight o'clock, and the line 
 were long enough, the ship would have run out sixty- 
 one thousand two hundred feet, or ten miles, at nine 
 o'clock, or in one hour. In one minute she would run 
 one sixtieth of sixty-one thousand two hundred feet, 
 which is ten hundred and twenty feet ; in half a 
 minute, five hundred and ten feet. 
 
 The half-minute glass is the measure of time gen- 
 erally used in heaving the log. While the sand is 
 dropping through, the line runs out five hundred and 
 ten feet, the ship going ten knots an hour being the 
 basis of the calculation. One knot, therefore, will be 
 fifty-one feet. If the line pays out five hundred and 
 ten feet in thirty seconds, by the glass, the ship is 
 going ten knots an hour. If it pays out four hundred 
 10 
 
IIO OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 and eight feet in half a minute, or eight hundred and 
 sixteen feet in a minute, she will pay out a mile in as 
 many minutes as eight hundred and sixteen feet is 
 contained in sixty-one hundred and twenty feet, which 
 is seven and a half minutes. Then the ship goes a 
 mile in seven and a half minutes, or eight miles an 
 hour. 
 
 A knot on the log-line is therefore invariably fifty- 
 one feet ; and the number of knots of the line run out 
 in half a minute indicates also the ship's speed per 
 hour, for fifty-one feet is the same part of a nautical 
 mile that half a minute is of an hour. The calcula- 
 tions are given without allowances, merely to show 
 the principle ; and both the glass and the line are 
 modified in practice. 
 
 On board the Young America, ten fathoms were 
 allowed for " stray line ; " this length of line being 
 permitted to run out before the measuring commenced, 
 in order to get the chip clear of the eddies in the wake 
 of the ship. The ten fathoms were indicated by a 
 white rag, drawn through the line ; and when the 
 officer paying out comes to this mark, he orders the 
 quartermaster to turn the glass, and the operation 
 actually begins. At every fifty-one feet (or forty- 
 seven and six tenths, making the allowances) there is 
 a mark — a bit of leather, or two or more knots. 
 The instant the sands have all run through the glass, 
 the quartermaster says, " Up,"and the officer notes the 
 mark to which the line has run out. Half and quarter 
 knots are indicated on the line. 
 
 " Now, quartermaster, mind your eye. When the 
 officer of the deck says, ' Turn/ you repeat the word 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. Ill 
 
 after him, to show that you are alive," continued 
 Peaks. 
 
 " Ready ! " said Gordon. 
 
 " Ready ! " replied Smith. 
 
 The lieutenant threw the chip into the water, and 
 when the stray line had run off, he gave the word to 
 turn the glass. 
 
 " Turn ! " repeated Smith. 
 
 Gordon eased off the log-line, so that nothing should 
 prevent it from running easily. 
 
 " Up ! " shouted Smith ; and Gordon stopped the 
 line. 
 
 " Very well," added Peaks. " What's the mark?" 
 
 " Ten and a quarter," replied the officer. 
 
 " That sounds more like it. I knew this ship was 
 going more than seven knots. You see, young 
 gentlemen, you can't catch flies and tend the log- 
 line at the same time. Now, you may try it over 
 again." 
 
 The experiment was repeated, with the same re^ 
 suit. Other officers and seamen were called to the 
 quarter-deck, and the training in heaving the log 
 continued, until a reasonable degree of proficiency 
 was attained. 
 
 " Land ho ! " cried the lookout on the top-gallant 
 forecastle, at about eleven o'clock in the forenoon. 
 
 " Where away ? " called the officer of the deck. 
 
 " Dead ahead, sir." 
 
 " What is that land, Mr. Lowington ? " asked Paul 
 Kendall. 
 
 " Don't you know ? " 
 
 u I'm sure I don't." 
 
112 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " Then you should study your map more. Look at 
 the compass, and tell me how she heads." 
 
 " South-east, sir," replied Paul, after looking into 
 the binnacle. 
 
 " Now, what land lies south-east of Brockway Har- 
 bor?" asked the principal. 
 
 " Cape Cod, I think." 
 
 " You are right ; then that must be Cape Cod." 
 
 "Is it, really?" 
 
 " Certainly it is," laughed Mr. Lowington. " Have 
 you no faith in your map? " 
 
 " I didn't think we could be anywhere near Cape 
 Cod. I thought it was farther off," added Paul, who 
 seemed to be amazed to think they had actually crossed 
 Massachusetts Bay. 
 
 " The land you see is Race Point, which is about 
 forty miles from the entrance to the bay, at the head 
 of which Brockway is located. We have been making 
 about ten knots an hour, and our calculations seem to 
 be very accurate. By one o'clock we shall come to 
 anchor in Provincetown Harbor." 
 
 This prediction was fully verified, and the Young 
 America was moored off the town. Those who had 
 been seasick recovered as soon as the motion of the 
 ship ceased ; and when everything aloft and on deck 
 had been made snug, the crew were piped to dinner. 
 
 In the afternoon, part of the students were per- 
 mitted to go on shore ; the band played, and several 
 boat-races took place, very much to the delight of 
 the people on shore, as well as those on board. At 
 six o'clock the ship was opened for the reception 
 of visitors, who came off in large numbers to inspect 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. II3 
 
 the vessel. After dark there was a brilliant display 
 of fireworks, and the Young America blazed with 
 blue-lights and Roman candles, set off by boys on 
 the cross-trees, and at the yard-arms. At ten the fes- 
 tivities closed, and all was still in the steerage and on 
 deck. 
 
 The next morning, the ship got under way, and 
 stood out of the harbor, bound for Brockway again. 
 She had a light breeze, and a smooth time, and the 
 boys had the satisfaction of seeing every rag of can- 
 vas spread, including studding-sails alow and aloft; 
 but it was not till after dark that the ship came to 
 anchor at her former moorings. 
 
 Wilton and Monroe were released from confinement 
 in the morning, and permitted to go on deck. What- 
 ever their shipmates might have said, they felt that they 
 had been severely punished, especially as they had 
 failed in their runaway expedition. Wilton did not 
 feel any more kindly towards Shuffles when he was 
 released than when he had been ordered to his room. 
 He felt that his late crony had been a traitor, and he 
 was unable to take any higher view of the circum- 
 stances. 
 
 " Wilton," said Mr. Lowington, when he met the 
 runaway on deck, the day after the Fourth, " I told 
 you that you had made a mistake. Do you believe 
 it yet?" 
 
 " I suppose I do, sir." 
 
 " You suppose you do ! Don't you know? " 
 
 u Yes, sir, I think I did make a mistake," replied 
 Wilton, who found it very hard to acknowledge tha 
 fact. 
 
 10* 
 
114 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " I do not refer to your punishment, when I alluda 
 to the consequences of your misdeed, for that was very 
 light. You have fallen very low in the estimation of 
 your superiors." 
 
 " Do you mean Mr. Shuffles, sir? " 
 
 " I did not mean the officers exclusively, though 1 
 believe they have a proper respect for the discipline of 
 the ship." 
 
 " I don't think Shuffles need to say anything." 
 
 " He hasn't said anything." 
 
 " He is worse than I am." 
 
 " Shuffles has done very well, and merits the appro- 
 bation of the principal and the instructors." 
 
 " They don't know him as well as I do," growled 
 Wilton. 
 
 " They probably know him better. Your remarks 
 do not exhibit a proper spirit towards an officer. He 
 defeated your plan to escape, but he did no more than 
 his duty. He would have been blamed, perhaps pun- 
 ished, if he had done any less." 
 
 " I don't find any fault with him for doing his duty, 
 but I don't like to be snubbed by one who is worse 
 than I am. If you knew what I know, sir, you would 
 turn him out of the after cabin." 
 
 " Then it is fortunate for him that I don't know 
 what you know," replied Mr. Lowington, sternly. 
 " If you wish to injure him in my estimation, you 
 will not succeed." 
 
 " He is going to get up a mutiny one of these days. 
 He told me all about it," continued Wilton, desper* 
 ately, when he found that the principal was in no 
 mood to listen to his backbiting. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. II5 
 
 " That will do, Wilton ; I don't wish to hear any- 
 thing more about that matter. Your testimony against 
 Shuffles, under present circumstances, is not worth the 
 breath you use in uttering it." 
 
 " I thought it was my duty to tell you, if any one 
 was trying to get up a mutiny." 
 
 " You did not think so ; you are telling me this 
 story to revenge yourself against the third lieutenant 
 for his fidelity. Whether there is, or is not, any truth 
 in what you say, I shall take no notice of it." 
 
 " It is all true, sir. He did speak to me about get- 
 ting up a mutiny, locking up the professors, taking the 
 ship, and going round Cape Horn ; and he will not 
 deny it." 
 
 " He will have no opportunity to deny it to me, for 
 I shall not mention the subject to him. Go to your 
 duty, and remember that you have injured yourself 
 more than Shuffles by this course." 
 
 Wilton hung his head, and went forward, cheated 
 of his revenge, and disconcerted by the rebuke he had 
 received. 
 
 Mr. Lowington was quite willing to believe that 
 Shuffles had talked about a mutiny, while he was in 
 the steerage, but there was at least no present danger 
 of such an extravagant scheme being put into opera- 
 tion. He understood Shuffles perfectly ; he knew that 
 his high office and his ambition were his only incen- 
 tives to fidelity in the discharge of his dutv ; but he had 
 fairly won his position, and he was willing to let him 
 stand or fall by his own merits. He was not a young 
 man of high moral principle, as Paul Kendall, and 
 Gordon, and Carnes were ; but the discipline of the 
 
Il6 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 ship was certainly doing wonders for him, though it 
 might ultimately fail of its ends. 
 
 The ship came to anchor, the band was sent on 
 shore, and the Fourth of July holidays were ended. 
 On the following morning the studies were resumed, 
 and everything on board went on as usual. A few 
 days later, the ship went on a cruise to the eastward, 
 spending a week in each of the principal ports on the 
 coast. The students soon became so accustomed to 
 the motion of the ship, that none of them were sea- 
 sick, and the recitations were regularly heard, whether 
 the Young America was in port or at sea. 
 
 When the cold weather came, stoves were put up in 
 the cabins and in the steerage, and the routine of the 
 ship was not disturbed ; but Mr. Lowington dreaded 
 the ice and snow, and the severe weather of mid- 
 winter, and in November, the Young America started 
 on a cruise to the southward, and in the latter part of 
 December she was in Chesapeake Bay. In March 
 she returned to Brockway. By this time the crew 
 were all thorough seamen, and had made excellent 
 progress in their studies. Mr. Lowington was entirely 
 satisfied with the success of his experiment, and was 
 resolved to persevere in it. 
 
 The boys were in splendid discipline, and there had 
 not been a case of serious illness on board during the 
 year. Besides the six hours of study and recitation 
 required of the pupils per day, they were all trained 
 in gymnastics by Dr. Winstock, the surgeon, who had 
 a system of his own, and was an enthusiast on the 
 subject. This exercise, with the ordinary ship's duty, 
 kept them in excellent physical condition ; and while 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 117 
 
 their brown faces and rosy cheeks indicated a healthy 
 state of the body, their forms were finely developed, 
 and their muscles scientifically trained. 
 
 Greek and Latin, German and French, with the 
 ordinary English branches pursued in high schools 
 and academies, were taught on board, and the instruct- 
 ors were satisfied that the boys accomplished twice as 
 much as was ordinarily done in similar institutions on 
 shore, and without injury to the students. Everything 
 was done by rule, and nothing was left to the whims 
 and caprices of teachers and scholars. Just so much 
 study was done every day, and no more. There was 
 no sitting up nights ; there were no balls and parties, 
 theatres and concerts, to interfere with the work ; no 
 late suppers of escalloped oysters and lobster salads to 
 be eaten. Boys who had bad habits were watched, 
 and injurious tendencies corrected. 
 
 But the students enjoyed their life on shipboard. 
 As the vessel went from port to port, new scenes were 
 opened to them. Those who could be trusted were 
 allowed to go on shore in their off-time ; and as all 
 their privileges depended upon their good conduct, 
 they were very careful to do their duty, both as students 
 and as seamen, cheerfully and faithfully. 
 
 The Young America dropped her anchor in Brock- 
 way Harbor on the 5th of March, on her return franc. 
 her southern cruise. The first term of the second 
 year was to commence on the 1st of April, and it was 
 understood that the ship would sail for Europe on the 
 last day of March. The vessel needed some repairs, 
 and all the students were allowed a furlough of twenty 
 days to visit their homes. 
 
Il8 - OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 Several of the larger boys, including Carnes, had 
 obtained places in the navy, and were not to return". 
 Two or three were to enter college in the summer, 
 and a few were to go into mercantile houses ; but 
 these vacancies would be more than filled by the appli- 
 cants who had been waiting months for an opportunity 
 to join the ship. 
 
 After the departure of the students, the Young 
 America was docked, and the necessary repairs made 
 upon her. She was thoroughly cleansed and painted, 
 and came out as good as new. Before the return of 
 the boys, her provisions, water, and stores, were taken 
 on board, and all the preparations made for a foreign 
 voyage. On the 25th of the month she was an- 
 chored again at her old moorings, and in the course 
 of the next two days all the instructors and pupils 
 were in their places. There were eleven new boys. 
 
 " Young gentlemen," said Mr. Lowington, as he 
 mounted his usual rostrum, " I am happy to see you 
 again, and to welcome you on board. Our experience 
 during the coming season will be much more interest- 
 ing and exciting than that of the last year. We shall 
 proceed immediately to Europe, and all who are worthy 
 of the privilege will have an opportunity to visit the 
 principal cities of Europe — London, Paris, Naples, 
 St. Petersburg. We shall go up the Baltic and up the 
 Mediterranean, in this or a subsequent cruise, and I 
 can safely promise you, not only an interesting, but a 
 profitable trip. In a circular I have informed your 
 parents and guardians of my purposes, and yoii are 
 shipped this time for a foreign voyage, with their con- 
 sent and approval." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. II9 
 
 This speech caused no little excitement among the 
 boys, who anticipated a great deal from the summer 
 voyage. It was no small thing to visit London, Paris, 
 and St. Petersburg, and not many boys obtain such an 
 opportunity. 
 
 " But, young gentlemen, I believe in discipline and 
 progress, as most of you know. I expect every stu- 
 dent to do his whole duty ; and I wish to tell you now, 
 that misconduct, and failures at recitation, will bring 
 heavy disappointments upon you. If you do nothing 
 for yourselves, you need expect nothing from me. For 
 example, when the ship is going up the Thames, if 
 any one of you, or any number of you, should be guilty 
 of flagrant misconduct, or gross neglect of your studies, 
 you will see no more of the city of London than you 
 can see from the cross-trees, for you shall not put a 
 foot on shore." 
 
 " Rather steep," whispered one of the new comers. 
 
 " That's so, but he means it," replied an old student. 
 
 " We shall be at sea, out of sight of land, for twenty 
 or thirty days," continued Mr. Lowington. " We shall 
 encounter storms and bad weather, such as none of 
 you have ever seen ; for in going from port to port, last 
 season, we were enabled to avoid all severe weather. 
 We shall go to sea now with no harbor before us till 
 we reach the other side of the Atlantic, and we must 
 take whatever comes. But the ship is as strong as a 
 ship can be built, and with good management she 
 would stand any gale that ever blew. Good manage- 
 ment includes good discipline, and every officer and 
 seaman must be faithful in the discharge of his duty, 
 
120 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 for the safety of the ship and all on board of her will 
 depend upon the fidelity of each individual. 
 
 " Young gentlemen, there are eleven new scholars : 
 they must take the vacant berths after the ship's com- 
 pany is organized on the old plan. The offices will 
 be given out and the berths drawn by the merit roll 
 for January, February, and a portion of March — - only 
 about nine weeks of term time." 
 
 Shuffles, who stood near the principal, looked very 
 much disconcerted when this announcement was made, 
 and whispered to Paul Kendall that it was not fair to 
 distribute the offices by last year's record. While the 
 Young America was tying at anchor in Chesapeake 
 Bay, in December, Shuffles, then second lieutenant, 
 had received a letter from his mother, in which she 
 had informed him that his family would visit Europe 
 in the following spring, and that he would leave the 
 ship, and form one of the party. This information 
 had caused him to relax his efforts as a student, and 
 he had fallen very low in rank. This was the rea- 
 son why the proposed distribution of offices was not 
 fair. 
 
 When Shuffles went home on his furlough of 
 twenty days, he had behaved so badly that his father 
 refused to have him form one of the party in the 
 trip abroad, and compelled him to return to the ship 
 for another year of wholesome discipline under Mr. 
 Lowington. Angry and indignant, Shuffles did re- 
 turn, and the announcement that the offices were to 
 be distributed by the merit roll did not add to his 
 equanimity. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 121 
 
 " I will now read the record of marks," said the 
 principal, " and announce the officers for the next 
 term." 
 
 The boys were silent and anxious ; for places in the 
 after cabin were more highly valued than ever, now 
 that the Young America was going to Europe. 
 II 
 
122 
 
 OUTWARD BOUND. OR 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 OUTWARD BOUND. 
 
 MR. LOWINGTON read the merit roll, an- 
 nouncing the officers as he proceeded. The 
 occupants of the after cabin, who were appointed for 
 the succeeding three months, during which time the 
 ship crossed the Atlantic, and visited various European 
 ports, w^re as follows : — 
 
 Charles Gordon, Captain. 
 Joseph Haven, First Lieutenant. 
 
 Paul Kendall, 
 Samuel Goodwin, 
 Augustus Pelham, 
 
 Second " 
 Third " 
 Fourth " 
 
 William Foster, 
 Henry Martyn, 
 Thomas Ellis, 
 Joseph Leavitt, 
 
 First Master. 
 Second " 
 Third " 
 Fourth " 
 
 Joseph O. Rogers, 
 Edward Murray, 
 
 First Purser. 
 Second " 
 
 George W. Terrill, 
 John Humphreys, 
 Mark Robinson, 
 Andrew Groom, 
 
 First A/ids hipman 
 Second " 
 Third ." 
 Fourth " 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 23 
 
 The students mentioned in the list made the re- 
 quired promise to behave themselves like gentlemen, 
 and faithfully discharge the duties of their several 
 offices, and were duly installed in their new positions 
 in the after cabin. Most of them had been officers 
 before, but all of them were higher in rank than at 
 any former period. Richard Carnes had been captain 
 four terms, for no one could get ahead of him. 
 
 The new captain had been first lieutenant, during 
 the preceding year, three terms out of four, and was 
 certainly the best qualified student on board for the 
 command. He was a young man of high moral 
 aims, with much dignity of character and energy of 
 purpose. 
 
 The officers went to the after cabin, put on their 
 uniforms, and assumed their proper places. The 
 choice of berths in the steerage proceeded as usual, 
 according to the merit roll, and the petty offices were 
 given to the highest in rank. The new boys took the 
 unoccupied berths by lot. The organization of the 
 ship was now completed, and the students were di- 
 rected to put their berths and lockers in order. The 
 remainder of the day was fully occupied in preparing 
 for the voyage. Great quantities of ice and fresh pro- 
 visions were taken on board, and packed away in the 
 store rooms of the hold, and all was bustle and con- 
 fusion. 
 
 On Thursday morning the ship was put in order 
 again. The vessel had been duly cleared at the custom 
 house, and every article required for the voyage had 
 been received. The boys were ordered to put on 
 their best suits, and at nine o'clock a steamer came 
 
124 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 off, having on board a large number of the parents 
 and friends of the students. The forenoon was given 
 up to this interesting occasion. It was a beautiful 
 day, with a gentle breeze from the westward, and at 
 twelve o'clock, all hands were mustered on deck for 
 religious services, to be performed by the chaplain, in 
 the presence of the friends of the pupils. 
 
 Mr. Lowington was a religious man, and the posi- 
 tion of the Rev. Mr. Agneau, as chaplain on board, 
 was by no means a sinecure. Services had always 
 been held twice a day on Sunday. At five minutes 
 before eight in the morning, and at the same time in 
 the evening, prayers were said on deck, or in the 
 steerage, in the presence of the entire ship's company. 
 On the point of leaving the shores of the United 
 States, it seemed highly appropriate to invoke the 
 blessing of God on the voyage and the voyagers, and 
 the principal*had directed that the service should be 
 conducted in the presence of the parents and friends. 
 
 The prayer and the remarks of the chaplain were 
 very solemn and impressive, and even the roughest of 
 the students were moved by them. At the conclusion 
 of the religious service, Mr. Lowington addressed the 
 visitors, explaining the details of his plan more fully 
 than he had done in his circulars, and saying what he 
 could to inspire the parents with confidence in regard 
 to the safety of their sons. It need not be said that 
 there were many tears shed on this occasion. 
 
 At the close of the speech a collation was served 
 to the visitors, in the cabins and steerage, after which 
 another hour was allowed for social intercourse ; and 
 then the ship was cleared, the visitors going on board 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 23 
 
 the steamer again, which was to accompany the Young 
 America below the lighthouse. The boys were sent 
 below to change their clothes again. 
 
 " All hands, up anchor, ahoy ! " piped the boat- 
 swain ; and the crew sprang to their stations with 
 more than usual alacrity. 
 
 This was a greater event than they had ever known 
 before. The anchor, which was now to be hauled up, 
 was not to be dropped again for about a month, and 
 then in foreign waters. They were going out upon 
 the waste of the ocean, to be driven and tossed by the 
 storms of the Atlantic. They were bidding farewell 
 to their native land, not again to look upon its shores 
 for many months. They were boys, and they were 
 deeply impressed by the fact. 
 
 The capstan was manned, and the cable hove up to 
 a short stay. The topsails and top-gallant sails were 
 set ; then the anchor was hauled up to the hawse- 
 hole, catted and fished. The Young America moved *, 
 she wore round, and her long voyage was commenced. 
 The courses and the royals were set, and she moved 
 majestically down the bay. The steamer kept close 
 by her, and salutations by shouts, cheers, and the 
 waving of handkerchiefs, were continually inter- 
 changed, till the ship was several miles outside of 
 the lower light. 
 
 The steamer whistled several times, to indicate that 
 she was about to return. All hands were then ordered 
 into the rigging of the ship ; and cheer after cheer was 
 given by the boys, and acknowledged by cheers on 
 the part of the gentlemen, and the waving of hand- 
 kerchiefs by the ladies. The steamer came about ; the 
 11* 
 
126 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 moment of parting had come, and she was headed 
 towards the city. Some of the students wept then ; 
 for, whatever charms there were in the voyage before 
 them, the ties of home and friends were still strong. 
 As long as the steamer could be seen, signals con- 
 tinued to pass between her and the ship. 
 
 " Captain Gordon, has the first master given the 
 quartermaster the course yet? " asked Mr. Lowington, 
 when the steamer had disappeared among the islands 
 of the bay. 
 
 "No, sir; but Mr. Fluxion told him to make it 
 east-north-east. " 
 
 " Very well ; but the masters should do this duty," 
 added Mr. Lowington, as he di'^ted the instructor in 
 mathematics to require the masters, to whom belonged 
 the navigation of the ship, to indicate the course. 
 
 William Foster was called, and sent int(> the after 
 cabin with his associates, to obtain the necessary sail- 
 ing directions. The masters had been furnished with 
 a supply of charts, which they had studied daily, as 
 they were instructed in the theory of laying down the 
 ship's course. Foster unrolled the large chart of the 
 North Atlantic Ocean upon the dinner table, and with 
 parallel ruler, pencil, and compasses, proceeded to 
 perform his duty. 
 
 " We want to go just south of G?pe Sable," said he, 
 placing his pencil point on that part of the chart. 
 
 " How far south of it?" asked Harry Martyn. 
 
 " Say twenty nautical miles." 
 
 The first master dotted the point twenty miles south 
 of Cape Sable, which is the southern point of Nova 
 Scotia, and also the ship's position, with his pencil. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 27 
 
 He then placed one edge of the parallel ruler on both 
 of these points, thus connecting them with a straight 
 line. 
 
 A parallel ruler consists of two smaller rulers, each 
 an inch in width and a foot in length, connected 
 together by two flat pieces of brass, riveted into each 
 ruler, acting as a kind of hinge. The parts, when 
 separated, are always parallel to each other. 
 
 Foster placed the edge of the ruler on the two 
 points made with the pencil, one indicating the ship's 
 present position, the other the position she was to 
 obtain after sailing two or three days. Putting the 
 ringers of his left hand on the brass knob of the ruler, 
 by which the parts are moved, he pressed down and 
 held its upper half, joining the two points, firmly in 
 its place. With the fingers of the right hand he 
 moved the lower half down, which, in its turn, he kept 
 firmly in place, while he slipped the upper half over 
 the paper, thus preserving the direction between the 
 points. By this process the parallel ruler could be 
 moved all over the chart without losing the course 
 from one point to the other. 
 
 On every chart there are one or more diagrams of 
 the compass, with lines diverging from a centre, rep- 
 resenting all the points. The parallel ruler is worked 
 over the chart to one of these diagrams, where the 
 direction to which it has been set nearly or exactly 
 coincides with one of the lines representing a point of 
 the compass. 
 
 The first master of the Young America worked the 
 ruler down to a diagram, and found that it coincided 
 
125 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 with the line indicating east by north ; or one point 
 north of east. 
 
 " That's the course," said Thomas Ellis, the third 
 master — " east by north." 
 
 " I think not," added Foster. "If we steer that 
 course, we should go forty or fifty miles south of Cape 
 Sable, and thus run much farther than we need. 
 What is the variation ? " 
 
 " About twelve degrees west," replied Martyn. 
 
 The compass does not indicate the true north in all 
 parts of the earth, the needle varying in the North 
 Atlantic Ocean from thirty degrees east to nearly 
 thirty degrees west. There is an imaginary line, ex- 
 tending in a north-westerly direction, through a point 
 in the vicinity of Cape Lookout, called the magnetic 
 meridian, on which there is no variation. East of this 
 line the needle varies to the westward ; and west of 
 the line, to the eastward. These variations of the 
 compass are marked on the chart, in different latitudes 
 and longitudes, though they need to be occasionally 
 corrected by observations, for they change slightly 
 from year to year. 
 
 " Variation of twelve degrees," * repeated Foster, 
 verifying the statement by an examination of the- 
 chart. That is equal to about one point, which, car- 
 ried to the westward from east by north, will give the 
 course east-north-east." 
 
 The process was repeated, and the same result 
 being obtained, the first master reported the course to 
 
 * These calculations are merely approximate, being intended 
 only to illustrate the principle. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 2C) 
 
 Mr. Fluxion, who had made the calculation himself, 
 in the professors' cabin. 
 
 " Quartermaster, make the course east-north-east," 
 said the first master, when his work had been duly 
 approved by the instructor. 
 
 " East-north-east, sir ! " replied the quartermaster, 
 who was conning the wheel — that is, he was watch- 
 ing the compass, and seeing that the two wheelmen 
 kept the ship on her course. 
 
 There were two other compasses on deck, one on 
 the quarter-deck, and another forward of the main- 
 mast, which the officers on duty were required fre- 
 quently to consult, in order that any negligence in one 
 place might be discovered in another. The after 
 cabin and the professors' cabin w T ere also provided 
 with " tell-tales," which are inverted compasses, sus- 
 pended under the skylights, by which the officers and 
 instructors below could observe the ship's course. 
 
 The log indicated that the ship was making six 
 knots an hour, the rate being ascertained every two 
 hours, and entered on the log-slate, to be used in 
 making up the " dead reckoning." The Young 
 America had taken her " departure," that is, left the 
 last land to be seen, at half past three o'clock. At 
 four, when the log was heaved, she had made 
 three miles ; at six, fifteen miles ; at eight, the wind 
 diminishing and the log indicating but four knots, 
 only eight miles were to be added for the two hours' 
 run, making twenty-three miles in all. The first sea 
 day would end at twelve o'clock on the morrow, when 
 the log-slate would indicate the total of nautical miles 
 the ship had r«*" ^ftel taking her departure. This i3 
 
I30 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 called her dead reckoning, which may be measured 
 off on the chart, and should carry the vessel to the 
 point indicated by the observations for latitude and 
 longitude. 
 
 The wind was very light, and studding-sails were 
 set alow and aloft. The ship only made her six knots 
 as she pitched gently in the long swell of the ocean. 
 The boys were still nominally under the order of " all 
 hands on deck,'* but there was nothing for them to do, 
 with the exception of the wheelmen, and they were 
 gazing at the receding land behind them. They were 
 taking their last view of the shores of their native 
 land. Doubtless some of them were inclined to be 
 sentimental, but most of them were thinking of the 
 pleasant sights they were to see, and the exciting scenes 
 in which they were to engage on the other side of the 
 rolling ocean, and were as jolly as though earth had 
 no sorrows for them. 
 
 The principal and the professors were pacing the 
 quarter-deck, and doubtless some of them were won- 
 dering whether boys like the crew of the Young 
 America could be induced to study and recite their 
 lessons amid the excitement of crossing the Atlantic, 
 and the din of the great commercial cities of the old 
 world. The teachers were energetic, men, and they 
 were hopeful, at least, especially as study and disci- 
 pline were the principal elements of the voyage, and 
 each pupil's privileges were to. depend upon his dili- 
 gence and his. good behavior. It would be almost 
 impossible for a boy who wanted to go to Paris while 
 the ship was lying at Havre, so far to neglect his 
 duties as to forfeit the privilege of going. As these 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 131 
 
 gentlemen have not been formally introduced, the 
 " faculty " of the ship is here presented : — 
 
 Robert Lowington, Principal. 
 Rev. Thomas Agneau, Chaplain. 
 Dr. Edward B. Winstock, Surgeon. 
 
 Instructors. 
 John Paradyme, A. M., Greek aizd Latin. 
 Richard Modelle, Reading and Grammar. 
 Charles C. Mapps, A. M., Geography and History. 
 James E. Fluxion, Mathematics. 
 Abraham Carboy, M. D., Chemistry and Nat. Phil. 
 Adolph Badois, French and German. 
 
 These gentlemen were all highly accomplished teach* 
 ers in their several departments, as the progress of the 
 students during the preceding year fully proved. They 
 were interested in their work, and in sympathy with 
 the boys, as well as with the principal. 
 
 It was a very quiet time on board, and the crew 
 were collected in little groups, generally talking of the 
 sights they were to see. In the waist were Shuffles, 
 Monroe, and Wilton, all feuds among them having 
 been healed. They appeared to be the best of friends, 
 and it looked ominous for the discipline of the ship to 
 see them reunited. Shuffles was powerful for good 
 or evil, as he chose, and Mr. Lowington regretted that 
 he had fallen from his high position, fearing that the 
 self-respect which had sustained him as an officer 
 would desert him as a seaman, and permit him to fall 
 into excesses. 
 
 Shuffles was more dissatisfied and discontented than 
 
132 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 he had ever been before. He had desired to make the 
 tour of Europe with his father, and he was sorely dis- 
 appointed when denied this privilege ; for with the 
 family he would be free from restraint, and free from 
 hard study. When he lost his rank as an officer, he 
 became desperate and reckless. To live in the steer- 
 age and do seaman's duty for three months, after he 
 had enjoyed the luxuries of authority, and of a state- 
 room in the after cabin, were intolerable. After the 
 cabin offices had been distributed, he told Monroe that 
 he intended to run away that night ; but he had found 
 no opportunity to do so ; and it was unfortunate for 
 his shipmates that he did not. 
 
 "This isn't bad — is it, Shuffles?" said Wilton, as 
 the ship slowly ploughed her way through the billows. 
 
 " I think it is. I had made up my mouth to cross 
 the ocean in a steamer, and live high in London and 
 Paris," replied Shuffles. " I don't relish this thing, 
 now." 
 
 " Why not? " asked Wilton. 
 
 " I don't feel at home here." 
 
 " I do." 
 
 " Because you never were anywhere else. I ought 
 to be captain of this ship." 
 
 " Well, you can be, if you have a mind to work for 
 it," added Monroe. 
 
 " Work for it ! That's played out. I must stay in 
 the steerage three months, at any rate ; and that while 
 the burden of the fun is going on. If we were going 
 to lie in harbor, or cruise along the coast, I would go 
 in for my old place." 
 
 " But Carnes is out of the way now, and youl 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 33 
 
 chance is better this year than it was last," suggested 
 Monroe. 
 
 " I know that, but I can't think of straining every 
 nerve for three months, two of them while we are 
 going from port to port in Europe. When we go 
 ashore at Queenstown, I shall have to wear a short 
 jacket, instead of the frock coat of an officer; and I 
 think the jacket would look better on some younger 
 fellow." 
 
 "What are you going to do, Shuffles? " asked 
 Wilton. 
 
 " I'd rather be a king among hogs, than a hog 
 among kings." 
 
 " What do you mean by that? " 
 
 " No matter ; there's time enough to talk over these 
 things." 
 
 " Do you mean a mutiny? " laughed Wilton. 
 
 " Haven't you forgotten that? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 " I wonder what Lowington would say, if he knew 
 I had proposed such a thing," added Shuffles, thought- 
 fully. 
 
 " He did know it, at the time you captured the run- 
 aways, for I told him." 
 
 " Did you ? " demanded Shuffles, his brow contract- 
 ing with anger. 
 
 " I told you' I would tell him, and I did," answered 
 Wilton. " You were a traitor to our fellows, and 
 got us into a scrape." 
 
 " I was an officer then." 
 
 " No matter for that. Do you suppose, if I were an 
 12 
 
134 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 officer, I would throw myself in your -way when you 
 were up to anything?" 
 
 " I don't know whether you would or not ; but 1 
 wouldn't blow on you, if you had told me anything in 
 confidence. What did Lowington say?" 
 
 " Nothing; he wouldn't take any notice of what I 
 said." 
 
 " That was sensible on his part. One thing is cer- 
 tain, Wilton : you can't be trusted." 
 
 " You mustn't make me mad, then." 
 
 " I will keep things to myself hereafter," growled 
 Shuffles. 
 
 " Don't be savage. You served me a mean trick, 
 and I paid you off for it ; so we are square." 
 
 " We will keep square then, and not open any new 
 accounts." 
 
 " But you will want me when anything is up," 
 laughed Wilton. " What would you do without me 
 in getting up a mutiny ? " 
 
 " Who said anything about a mutiny? " 
 
 " I know you are thinking over something, and you 
 don't mean to submit to the discipline of the ship, if 
 you can help it." 
 
 " Well, I can't help it." 
 
 " There goes the boatswain's whistle, piping to 
 muster," said Monroe. 
 
 " Confound the boatswain's whistle ! " growled 
 Shuffles. " I don't like the idea of running every 
 time he pipes." 
 
 Very much to the surprise of his companions, 
 Shuffles, his irritation increased by the conduct of 
 Wilton, took no notice of the call, and went forward. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 35 
 
 instead of aft. His companions, more wise and pru- 
 dent, walked up to the hatch, which Mr. Lowington 
 had just mounted. 
 
 " Groom, tell Shuffles to come aft," said the princi- 
 pal to one of the midshipmen. 
 
 The officer obeyed the order ; Shuffles flatly refused 
 to go aft. Mr. Lowington descended from his ros- 
 trum, and went forward to enforce obedience. This 
 event created a profound sensation among the stu- 
 dents. 
 
 " Shuffles," said Mr. Lowington, sternly. 
 
 " Sir," replied the malcontent, in a surly tone. 
 
 " The boatswain piped the crew to muster." 
 
 " I heard him." 
 
 " You did not obey the call. I sent for you, and 
 you refused to come." 
 
 " I don't think I ought to obey the boatswain's call." 
 
 " May I ask why not? " 
 
 " I've been an officer three terms, and I should be 
 now if we had had fair play," growled Shuffles. 
 
 " I am not disposed to argue this point in your pres- 
 ent frame of mind. I order you to go aft." 
 
 " And I won't go ! " replied Shuffles, impudently. 
 
 " Mr. Peaks," said the principal, calling the senior 
 boatswain. 
 
 " Here, sir," replied Peaks, touching his hat to the 
 principal. 
 
 " Mr. Leech," added Mr. Lowington. 
 
 " Here, sir." 
 
 " Walk this young gentleman aft." 
 
 " Let me alone ! " cried Shuffles, as Peaks placed 
 his hand upon him* 
 
136 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " Gently, my sweet lamb," said the boatswain, with 
 affected tenderness. 
 
 " Take your hands off me ! " roared the mutinous 
 pupil, as he struggled to release himself from the grasp 
 of the stalwart seaman. 
 
 Peaks took him by the collar with one hand, and 
 held his wrist with the other, on one side, while Leech 
 did the same on the other side. 
 
 " Walk him aft," repeated the principal. 
 
 " Mr. Fluxion, may I trouble you to bring up the 
 irons ? " continued Mr. Lowington, when the boat- 
 swain and carpenter had " walked " the rebel aft, in 
 spite of his struggling and kicking. 
 
 " Irons ! " gasped Shuffles, as he heard the request 
 of the principal. 
 
 He trembled with rage as he uttered the word. The 
 irons seemed to pierce his soul. Probably he did not 
 think that the son of a wealthy gentleman would be 
 compelled to submit to such an indignity as being put 
 in irons. 
 
 Mr. Fluxion came on deck with a pair of handcuffs. 
 It was the first time they had been seen, and no student 
 even knew there were any on board. The discipline 
 of the ship had been as gentle as it was firm, and this 
 was the first time such instruments were necessary. 
 
 " Mr. Peaks, put the irons on him ! " said Mr. 
 Lowington, his usual dignity unruffled by angry emo- 
 tions. 
 
 " Don't put them on me ! " cried Shuffles, making 
 an effort to disengage himself from the grasp of his 
 captors. 
 
 " Put them on at once ! " added the principal. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 37 
 
 " You shall not put them on me ! I will die first !" 
 roared the rebel. 
 
 It was easier to talk than to do, in the hands of two 
 sturdy sailors, one of whom had used the cat in the 
 navy, when its use was tolerated. Shuffles did not 
 die, and he was ironed, in spite of his struggles and 
 his protest. 
 
 12 * 
 
I38 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE WATCH-BILL. 
 
 SHUFFLES struggled with the irons and with the 
 stout men who held him until he had exhausted 
 himself; and then, because his frame, rather than his 
 spirit, was worn down, he was quiet. It was the first 
 case of severe discipline that had occurred on board, 
 and it created a tremendous sensation among the 
 students. 
 
 Mr. Lowington stood with folded arms, watching 
 the vain struggles of the culprit, until he was reduced 
 to a state of comparative calmness. He looked sad, 
 rather than angry, and his dignity was not impaired 
 by the assault upon his authority. 
 
 " Shuffles, I am sorry to see one who has been an 
 officer of the ship reduced to your condition ; but 
 discipline must and shall be maintained," said the 
 principal. " We are on the high seas now, and diso- 
 bedience is dangerous. You led me to believe that 
 you had reformed your life and conduct." 
 
 " It isn't my fault," replied Shuffles, angrily. 
 
 " You had better not reply to me in that tone," 
 added Mr. Lowington, mildly. 
 
 " Yes, I will ! " 
 
 " Mr. ToplifFe," continued the principal. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 39 
 
 " Here, sir," replied the head steward 
 
 " You will have the brig cleared out for use." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; " and the head steward went below to 
 obey the order. 
 
 There was not a boy on board who knew what the 
 "brig" was, though the establishment had existed in 
 the steerage from the time when the boys first went on 
 board the ship. It had never before been required for 
 use, and Mr. Lowington had carefully veiled every 
 disagreeable feature of discipline, until it was necessary 
 to exhibit it. The brig was the prison of the ship — 
 the lock-up. It was located under and abaft the main 
 ladder, in the steerage, being an apartment five feet in 
 length by three feet in width. The partitions which 
 enclosed it were composed of upright planks, eight 
 inches in width, with spaces between them for the 
 admission of light and air. 
 
 The brig had been used as a store room for bed- 
 ding by the stewards, and the students never suspected, 
 till Shuffles' case came up, that it was not built for 
 a closet. Mr. ToplifTe and his assistants removed 
 the blankets and comforters from this lock-up, and 
 prepared it for the reception of the refractory pupil. 
 When the room was ready he went on deck, and 
 reported the fact to the principal. 
 
 " Shuffles, our discipline has always been of the 
 mildest character," said Mr. Lowington, breaking the 
 impressive silence which reigned on deck. " I regret 
 to be compelled to resort to force in any form ; even 
 now I would avoid it." 
 
 " You needn't, on my account," replied Shuffles, 
 
140 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 shaking his head. " You have done your worst 
 already." 
 
 " Mr. Peaks, take him below, lock him up in the 
 brig, and bring the key to me." 
 
 The manacled rebel made another effort to resist, 
 but the stout sailors easily handled him, and bore him 
 down into the steerage. He was thrust into the 
 brig, ironed as he was, and the door locked upon 
 him. Shuffles glanced at the interior of the prison, 
 and broke out into a contemptuous laugh. He then 
 commenced kicking the pales of the partition ; but 
 he might as well have attempted to break through the 
 deck beneath. 
 
 " Shuffles," said Peaks, in a low tone, when he had 
 locked the door, " be a man. You act like a spoiled 
 child now." 
 
 " I have been insulted and abused," replied Shuffles, 
 fiercely. 
 
 " No, you haven't. Aboard almost any ship, you 
 would have got a knock on the head with a handspike 
 before this time. Don't make a fool of yourself. You 
 are only making yourself ridiculous now — 'pon my 
 word as an old sailor, you are." 
 
 " I'll have satisfaction." 
 
 " No, you won't, unless you break your own head. 
 I want to advise you, as a friend, not to make a fool 
 'of yourself. I'm sorry for you, my lad." 
 
 " Don't talk to me." 
 
 " I can forgive you for disobeying orders, but I can't 
 forgive you for being a fool. Now, keep quiet, and be 
 a man." 
 
 The well-meant effort of the boatswain U> pacify the 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 141 
 
 culprit was a failure, and Peaks, going on deck, deliv- 
 ered the key of the brig to Mr. Lowington. Shuffles 
 kicked against the partition till he was tired of the 
 exercise. • 
 
 " Young gentlemen, to-day we enter upon a new 
 experience on shipboard," said the principal, without 
 making any further allusion to Shuffles. " Our short 
 trips last season were-so timed that we kept no regular 
 night watches, and, with two or three exceptions, the 
 ship was at anchor when you slept. Of course that is 
 not practicable on a long voyage, and you must all do 
 duty by night as well as by day. 
 
 " This has been a difficult matter to arrange, for you 
 are all too young to be deprived of your regular sleep, 
 though in heavy weather I am afraid you will lose 
 your rest to some extent. At eight o'clock this evening 
 the starboard watch will be on duty. We have four 
 times as many hands on board the Young America as 
 are usually employed in merchant ships, so that a 
 quarter watch will be able to handle the ship on all 
 ordinary occasions. We shall, therefore, keep a quar- 
 ter watch on ship's duty at all times through the 
 twenty-four hours. 
 
 u During the night, including the time from eight in 
 the evening until eight in the morning, each quarter 
 watch will be on duty two hours, and then off six 
 hours ; and each hand will obtain six consecutive 
 hours' sleep every night. At eight this evening, the 
 first part of the starboard watch will have the shij:) in 
 charge, and all others may turn in and sleep. At ten, 
 the second part of the starboard watch will be called, 
 without disturbing any others. At twelve, the first 
 
142 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 part of the port watch will be summoned ; at two, the 
 second part ; and so on till eight in the morning. 
 
 " The first part of the starboard watch, which turned 
 in at ten, will sleep till four, giving them six hours of 
 rest all together, and they may turn in again at six 
 o'clock, when relieved by the second part, and sleep 
 till half past seven, which is breakfast time for those 
 off duty. 
 
 " During the daytime, from eight in the morning 
 till eight in the evening, the same routine will be ob- 
 served. To-morrow, at eight in the morning, the 
 first part of the port watch will take charge of the 
 ship till ten ; the second part will be off duty, and the 
 time will be their own, to use as they think proper. 
 At ten, the second part will be in charge, and the first 
 will have their own time till twelve. All the starboard 
 Watch, during these four hours, will study and recite. 
 In the afternoon the same course will be pursued with 
 the other watch. Do you understand it? " 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied the boys. 
 
 " By this arrangement you will average three hours 
 of duty every night. To-night the port watch will 
 be on deck two hours, and the starboard watch, whose 
 turn will come twice, four hours ; but to-morrow night 
 the operation will be reversed, and the port will 
 have the deck four hours, and the starboard but two. 
 Two copies of the watch bill will be posted in the 
 steerage, and one in the after cabin. Young gentle- 
 men, I recommend you to study it, until you are per- 
 fectly familiar with its requirements." 
 
 "How is it with the officers, Mr. Lowington?" 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 43 
 
 asked Paul Kendall, who was generally the spokesman 
 for his companions. 
 
 " The officers are divided into watches in precisely 
 the same manner as the crew. To the starboard watch 
 belong the first and third lieutenant, the second and 
 fourth master, and the first and third midshipman, 
 which makes one officer of each grade for each quar- 
 ter watch," replied Mr. Lowington. " Their off-time 
 and study-time correspond with those of the crew." 
 
 It is quite possible that the officers and crew of the 
 Young America understood the complicated arrange- 
 ment of the principal. If they did not, they could 
 refer to the posted document ; and, as we cannot de- 
 prive our readers of this privilege, we insert in full, 
 the 
 
 WATCH BILL. 
 FIRST DAY. 
 
 First Watch, from 8 till 1 2 P. M. 
 
 From 8 till io. ist Lieut., 2d Master, ist Mid. 
 First Part of the Starboard Watch. 
 
 From io till 12. 3d Lieut., 4th Master, 3d Mid. 
 Second Part of the Starboard Watch. 
 
 Mid Watch, from 12 till 4 A. M. 
 
 From 12 till 2. 2d Lieut., ist Master, 2d Mid. 
 First Part of the Port Watch. 
 
 From 2 till 4. 4th Lieut., 3d Master, 4th Mid 
 Second Part of the Port Watch. 
 
144 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 Morning Watch, from 4 till 8 A. M. 
 
 From 4 till 6. 1st Lieut., 2d Master, 1st Mid. 
 First Part of the Starboard Watch. 
 
 From 6 till 8. 3d Lieut., 4th Master, 3d Mid. 
 Second Part of the Starboard Watch. 
 
 Forenoon Watch, from 8 till 12 A. M. 
 
 From 8 till 10. 2d Lieut., 1st Master, 2d Mid. 
 First Part of the Port Watch. Second Part of Port 
 Watch off Duty. All the Starboard Watch study 
 and recite till 12. 
 
 From 10 till 12. 4th Lieut, 3d Master, 4th Mid. 
 Second Part of Port Watch. First Part of Port Watch 
 off Duty. 
 
 Afternoon Watch, from 12 till 4 P. M. 
 
 From 12 till 2. 1st Lieut., 2d Master, 1st Mid. 
 First Part of Starboard Watch. Second Part of the 
 Starboard Watch off Duty. All the Port Watch 
 study and recite till 4. 
 
 From 2 till 4. 3d Lieut., 4th Master, 3d Mid. 
 Second Part of the Starboard Watch. First Part of 
 the Starboard Watch off Duty. 
 
 First Dog Watch, from 4 till 6 P. M. 
 
 From 4 till 5. 2d Lieut, 1st Master, 2d Mid. 
 First Part of the Port Watch. Second Part of the 
 Port Watch off Duty. All the Starboard Watch 
 study and recite till 6. 
 
 From 5 till 6. 4th Lieut., 3d Master, 4th Mid. 
 Second Part of the Port Watch. First Part of the 
 Port Watch off Duty. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 45 
 
 Second Dog Watch, from 6 till S P. Af. 
 
 From 6 till 7. 1st Lieut., 2d Master, 1st Mid. 
 First Part of the Starboard Watch. Second Part of 
 the Starboard Watch off Duty. All the Port Watcb 
 study and recite till 8. 
 
 From 7 till 8. 3d Lieut., 4th Master, 3d Mid. 
 Second Part of the Starboard Watch. First Part of 
 the Starboard Watch off Duty. 
 
 Breakfast. 
 
 Port Watch, 7£ o'clock. 
 
 Starboard Watch, 8 o'clock. 
 
 Dinner. 
 
 Starboard Watch, n£ o'clock. 
 
 Port Watch) 12 o'clock. 
 
 Supper. 
 
 Starboard Watch, 5J- o'clock. 
 
 Port Watch, 6 o'clock. 
 
 The watch bill for the second day was the same, 
 with the exception of the names of the watches and 
 quarter watches. The entire programme was reversed 
 by the operation of the dog watches, which substituted 
 " port" for " starboard," and " starboard " for " port," 
 in the next day's routine. 
 
 When the boys were permitted to go below, they 
 rushed to the watch bills, and studied them faithful- 
 ly, till they fully understood the programme. Each 
 student ascertained his duty for the night, and his 
 
I46 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 off-lime and study-hours for the next day, which were 
 included in the first day's bill. 
 
 " I go on at twelve o'clock," said Paul Kendall, in 
 the after cabin, when he had examined the bill. 
 
 "And I go on deck at eight o'clock," added Joseph 
 Haven, the first lieutenant. " I shall have a chance 
 to sleep from ten till four in the morning, and an hour 
 and a half, from six till half past seven." 
 
 " I shall have my watch below from two till break- 
 fast time. I don't think we need wear ourselves out 
 under this arrangement." 
 
 " No ; I thought we should be obliged to take four 
 hours of duty at a time on deck." 
 
 " How will it be when we have rough weather?" 
 asked Paul. 
 
 " I don't know ; I suppose we must take our chances 
 then." 
 
 "What do you think of Shuffles' case?" added 
 Paul. 
 
 " Pie will get the worst of it." 
 
 " I'm sorry for him. He behaved first rate last 
 year, though they say he used to be a hard fellow." 
 
 " What's the use of a fellow doing as he has done? " 
 said Haven, with palpable disgust. " He can't make 
 anything by it." 
 
 " Of course he can't." 
 
 " I would rather have him in the cabin than in the 
 steerage, for he will not obey orders ; and when he is 
 ugly, he is a perfect tiger. I wonder what Mr. Low- 
 ington is going to do with him. There is no such 
 thing as expelling a fellow in this institution now. If 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 147 
 
 he means to be cross-grained, he can keep us in hot 
 water all the time." 
 
 The officers were too much excited by the fact that 
 the ship was outward bound to remain long in the 
 cabin, and they returned to the deck to watch the 
 progress of the vessel. At eight o'clock the Young 
 America was out of sight of land, though it would 
 have been too dark to see it ten miles distant. The 
 quartermaster, at the helm, struck eight bells, which 
 were repeated on the forecastle. 
 
 u All the first part of the starboard watch, ahoy ! " 
 shouted the boatswain, for it was now time to com- 
 mence the programme of regular sea duty. 
 
 The first lieutenant took his place, as officer of the 
 deck, near the helm; the second master on the fore- 
 castle, and the third midshipman in the waist. The 
 first part of the starboard watch were stationed in 
 various parts of the deck. Of the four quartermasters, 
 one was attached to each quarter watch. The wheel 
 was given to two hands for the first hour, and two 
 were placed on the top-gallant forecastle, to act as the 
 lookout men, to be relieved after one hour's service. 
 The rest of the boys were required to keep awake, but 
 no special duty was assigned to them. There were 
 hands enough on deck to " tack ship," or to take in 
 the sails, one or two at a time. 
 
 Though the ship was nominally in the hands and 
 under the direction of her juvenile officers, who per- 
 formed all the duties required in working her, yet 
 they were closely watched by the principal, who, if 
 there was anything wrong, informed the captain of 
 the fact. The commander kent no watch, but he was 
 
I48 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 responsible for every manoeuvre, and for the regular 
 routine of duty. Mr. Lowington seldom spoke to 
 any other officer in regard to ship's duty or the navi- 
 gation. 
 
 When the watch was set, at eight bells, most of the 
 boys who were off duty went into the steerage. Some 
 of them turned in ; but the novelty of the occasion 
 was too great to permit them to sleep. They collected 
 in groups, to talk over the prospects of the voyage, and 
 the duties required of them, as indicated by the watch 
 bill. 
 
 Shuffles sat on a stool in the brig, still nursing 
 his wrath. When his supper was carried to him by 
 the steward, his irons had been taken off. He refused 
 to eat, and the food was removed. As he was now 
 quiet, the irons were not replaced. The prisoner was 
 far from penitent for his offence. 
 
 Mr. Agneau, the chaplain, -was very much con- 
 cerned about the prisoner. He was shocked by his 
 disobedience, and pained to find that one who had 
 done so well could do so ill. The case had been fully 
 considered in the professors' cabin ; and Mr. Lowing- 
 ton declared that Shuffles should stay in the brig 
 till he had repented of his folly, and promised obe- 
 dience for the future. The chaplain was a tender- 
 hearted man, and he thought that some gentle words 
 might touch the feelings of the prisoner, and bring 
 him to a sense of duty. With the principal's permis- 
 sion, therefore, he paid a visit to Shuffles in the 
 evening. 
 
 " I am very sorry to find you here, Shuffles," said 
 Mr. Agneau, when he had locked the door behind him. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. I49 
 
 "Has Lowington sent you to torment me?" de- 
 manded the prisoner. 
 
 " Mr. Lowington, you mean," added the chaplain, 
 gently. 
 
 " No, I mean Lowington. When a man has abused 
 and insulted me, I can't stop to put a handle to his 
 name." 
 
 " I regret to find you in such an unhappy frame of 
 mind, my young friend. I came here of my own 
 accord, to do what I might to help you." 
 
 " Did you, indeed ! " sneered Shuffles. 
 
 " That was my only object." 
 
 " Was it? Well, if you want to help me, you will 
 induce Lowington to let me out of this crib, apologize 
 for what he has done, and give me my place in the 
 after cabin." 
 
 " That is plainly impossible," replied the astonished 
 chaplain. 
 
 " Then you can't do anything for me ; and I think I 
 can take care of myself." 
 
 " I entreat you, my young friend, to consider the 
 error of your ways." 
 
 u There is no error in my ways, Mr. Agneau." 
 
 " You are unreasonable." 
 
 " No, I'm not. I only want what is fair and right." 
 
 " Was it right for you, Shuffles, to refuse obedience 
 to the principal, when he told you to go aft?" 
 
 M I have always obeyed all proper orders ; and 
 under the circumstances, I think it was right for me 
 to refuse." 
 
 " You fill me with amazement ! " exclaimed the 
 chaplain. 
 
 13* 
 
I50 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " You know it was not fair to give out the offices by 
 iast year's marks," protested Shuffles. 
 
 " On the contrary, I think it was entirely fair." 
 
 " I haven't anything more to say if it was," replied 
 Shuffles, in surly tones. 
 
 The chaplain, finding the prisoner was not in a 
 proper frame of mind for edifying conversation, 
 left him, and returned to the professors' cabin. The 
 boys had been forbidden to go near the brig, or to 
 speak to the prisoner ; and thus far no one had ex- 
 hibited any disposition to disregard the order. Many 
 of them, as they passed near the brig, glanced curiously 
 at him. After the departure of the chaplain, Wilton 
 sat down on a stool near the lock-up. 
 
 " How are you, Shuffles?" said he, in a low tone. 
 
 "Come here, Wilton — will you?" replied the 
 prisoner. 
 
 " I can't ; we are not allowed to speak to you." 
 
 " What do you care for that? No one can see you." 
 
 "What do you want?" 
 
 " I want to talk with you." 
 
 " I shall be punished if I'm caught." 
 
 " You won't be caught. How are our fellows 
 now?" 
 
 " First rate," replied Wilton, walking up and down 
 the berth deck, rising and looking as though nothing 
 was going on. 
 
 " You know what we were talking about just before 
 the row," added Shuffles, drawing his stool up to the 
 palings. 
 
 " You said you wouldn't trust me," answered Wilton, 
 still pacing the deck in front of the brig. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 151 
 
 " You told Lowington about something lie had no 
 business to know ; but I forgive you, Wilton." 
 
 " You are very willing to forgive me, now you are 
 in a tight place." 
 
 " It was mean of you to do it, Wilton ; you can't 
 deny that. Lowington was on the best of terms with 
 me when I was in the after cabin, and I might have 
 told him a hundred things about you." 
 
 " Didn't you tell him anything?" 
 
 " Not a word." 
 
 " Well, you are a good fellow, and I always thought 
 you were. I couldn't see why you turned traitor to 
 us when we intended to spend the Fourth of July on 
 shore." 
 
 " I was obliged to do what I did. If I hadn't, I 
 should have been turned out of my office." 
 
 " Perhaps you were right, Shuffles, and we won't 
 say anything more about the past," replied Wilton, 
 who was too willing to be on good terms with the 
 powerful malcontent, even while he was a prisoner 
 and in disgrace. 
 
 " Wilton, I am going to be captain of this ship 
 within ten days," said Shuffles, in a whisper. " Now 
 you may go and tell Lowington of that." 
 
 " Of course I shall not tell him," added Wilton, 
 indignantly. 
 
 tk I told you merely to show you that I had full con- 
 fidence in you — that's all. You can betray me if 
 you wish to do so." 
 
 " I don't wish to do anything of the kind. Of 
 course we shall always go together,, as we did before 
 you were an officer." 
 
152 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " I shall be an officer again soon." 
 
 " What's the use of talking about such a thing? " 
 
 44 I shall." 
 
 " Do you mean to get up the mutiny? " 
 
 " I do. I feel more like it now than I ever did 
 before," replied Shuffles ; and his low tones came 
 from between his closed teeth. 
 
 " It's no use to think of such a thing. It's too 
 wild." 
 
 " No matter if it is ; it shall be carried out." 
 
 " The fellows won't go in for it ; they won't dare to 
 do it." 
 
 " Yes, they will. I know them better than you do, 
 Wilton. It isn't quite time yet ; but in three or four 
 days they will be ready for anything." 
 
 " You can't bring them up to what you mean." 
 
 " Yes, I can." 
 
 " What do you expect to do, locked up in that 
 place?" demanded Wilton, incredulously. 
 
 44 When I get ready to go out of this place, I shall 
 go. I needn't stay here any longer than I please." 
 
 " Do you really mean to get up a mutiny?" 
 
 " Hush ! Don't call it by that name." 
 
 44 What shall I call it?" 
 
 44 Call it making a chain." 
 
 44 1 don't understand you," answered Wilton, puz- 
 zled by the expression. 
 
 44 I know what I'm about, and I have got more 
 friends in the ship than Lowington has. And I know 
 exactly how to manage the whole thing," added Shuf- 
 fles, confidently. 
 
 44 But the fellows are all perfectly satisfied with their 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 53 
 
 condition. They wish to go to Europe, and are pleased 
 With the prospect before them." 
 
 " Perhaps they are ; and they shall all go to Europe, 
 and travel about without being tied to Lowington's 
 coat-tails. I shall come out of this place to-morrow, 
 and we will work the thing up." 
 
 "I'm in for a time with any good fellow; but i 
 don't think we can make this thing go," said Wilton. 
 " Hush ! Don't say another word. There comes ai\ 
 officer." 
 
 One bell, indicating half past eight in the evening, 
 struck on deck. It was the duty of the master and 
 midshipman on deck, alternately, to pass through the 
 steerage every half hour during the watch, to see that 
 there was no disorder, and that the lights were all 
 secure, so as to avoid any danger from fire. Henry 
 Martyn, the second master, performed this office on 
 the present occasion. He descended the main ladder, 
 and Wilton, who expected the visit when he heard 
 the stroke of the bell, retreated to his mess room, 
 and threw himself into his berth. Harry walked 
 around the steerage, and glanced into the gangways, 
 from which the rooms opened. 
 
 " Harry," said Shuffles, in a low tone, as the master 
 was about to return to the deck. 
 
 "Did you speak to me?" asked Harry, stepping 
 up to the bars of the cage. 
 
 " I did. Will you oblige me by telling the chaplain 
 that I would like to see him?" added the prisoner. 
 
 " I will ; " and Harry knocked at the door of the 
 professors' cabin. 
 
154 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 MAKING A CHAIN. 
 
 THE chaplain was too glad of an opportunity to 
 converse with the prisoner to refuse his request, 
 and he hastened to the brig, hoping to find Shuffles in a 
 better state of mind than when he had visited him 
 before. Mr. Agneau entered the lock-up, and was 
 securing thfc door behind him, when the prisoner 
 spoke. 
 
 " You needn't lock it, sir ; I will not attempt to 
 escape," said he. u I sent for you to apologize for my 
 rudeness." 
 
 " Indeed ! Then I am very glad to see you," replied 
 the delighted chaplain. " I have been sorely grieved 
 at your misconduct, and I would fain have brought 
 you to see the error of your ways." 
 
 " I see it now, sir," replied Shuffles, with appar- 
 ent penitence. " I'm afraid I am a great deal worse 
 than you think I am, sir." 
 
 " It is of no consequence what I think, Shuffles, if 
 you are conscious of the wrong you have done," 
 added the worthy chaplain. " You behaved exceed- 
 ingly well last year, and it almost broke my heart to 
 see you relapsing into your former evil habits." 
 
 " I am grateful to you for the interest you have 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. * 1 55 
 
 taken in me, and I assure you I have often been en- 
 couraged to do well by your kind words," continued 
 the penitent, with due humility. " I have done wrong, 
 and I don't deserve to be forgiven." 
 
 " ' He that humbleth himself shall be exalted,' " said 
 Mr. Agneau, gratified at the great change which had 
 apparently been wrought in the prisoner. u If you 
 are really sorry for your offence, Mr. Lowington, I 
 doubt not, will pardon you, and restore you to favor 
 again." 
 
 " I don't deserve it, sir. Since you left me, I have 
 been thinking of my past life. I dare not tell you 
 how bad I have been." 
 
 " You need not tell me. It is not necessary that 
 you should confess your errors to me. There is One 
 who knows them, and if you are sincerely repentant 
 He will pity and forgive you." 
 
 " I think I should feel better if I told some one of 
 my misdeeds." 
 
 " Perhaps you would ; that is for you to judge. I 
 will sneak to Mr. Lowington about vou to-nieht. 
 What shall I say to him ? " 
 
 " I hardly know. I deserve to be punished. I have 
 done wrong, and am willing to suffer for it." 
 
 The tender-hearted chaplain thought that Shuffles 
 was in a beautiful state of mind, and he desired to 
 have him released at once, that he might converse 
 with him on great themes under more favorable cir- 
 cumstances ; but Shuffles still detained him. 
 
 " I'm afraid I have ruined myself on board this 
 ship," continued Shuffles, persisting in his self-humili- 
 ation. 
 
156 * OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " If you manfully acknowledge your fault, you will 
 be freely and generously forgiven." 
 
 " Mr. Lowington hates me now, after what I have 
 done." 
 
 " O, far from it!" exclaimed the chaplain. "It 
 will be a greater satisfaction to him than to you to for- 
 give you. You are no longer of the opinion that you 
 were unfairly used in the distribution of the offices, I 
 suppose." 
 
 " Mr. Agneau, I was beside myself when I resisted 
 the principal. I should not have done it if I had been 
 in my right mind." 
 
 " You were very angry." 
 
 " I was — I was not myself." 
 
 " Anger often makes men crazy." 
 
 " You don't understand me, Mr. Agneau." 
 
 " Indeed, I do. You mean that you deluded your- 
 self into the belief that you had been wronged, and 
 that you ought not to obey the orders of your officers, 
 and of the principal. The force that was used made 
 you so angry that you did not know what you were 
 about," added the sympathizing chaplain. 
 
 " In one word, Mr. Agneau, I had been drinking," 
 said Shuffles, with something like desperation in his 
 manner, as he bent his head, and covered his face 
 with his hands. 
 
 " Drinking ! " gasped the chaplain, filled with horror 
 at the confession. 
 
 14 1 told you I was worse than you thought I was," 
 moaned Shuffles. 
 
 " Is it possible ! " 
 
 " It is true, sir ; I say it with shame." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 57 
 
 " Are you in the habit of taking intoxicating 
 drinks?" asked the chaplain, confounded beyond 
 measure at this complication of the difficulty. 
 
 " I am not in the habit of it, because I can't get 
 liquor all the time. My father has wine on his table, 
 and I always was allowed to drink one glass." 
 
 " Can it be ! " ejaculated the chaplain. " A youth 
 of seventeen " 
 
 " I'm eighteen now, sir." 
 
 " A youth of eighteen in the habit of taking wine ! " 
 groaned Mr. Agneau. 
 
 " I drank a great deal more than my father knew 
 of while I was at home." 
 
 " I am amazed ! " 
 
 " I knew you would be, sir ; but I have told you the 
 truth now." 
 
 " But where did you get your liquor to-day?" 
 
 " It was wine, sir." 
 
 " Where did you get it? " 
 
 " I brought two bottles on board with me when I 
 reported for duty yesterday." 
 
 " This is terrible, Shuffles ! Do you know what 
 an awful habit you are contracting, my dear young 
 friend?" 
 
 " I never thought much about it till to-night. It has 
 got me into such a scrape this time, that I don't believe 
 1 shall ever drink any more." 
 
 " As you respect yourself, as you hope for peace in 
 this world, and peace in the next, never put the cup to 
 your lips again. ' Wine is a mocker ; strong drink is 
 raging ; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.' 
 Did you drink the two bottles?" 
 
 T 4 
 
158 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " No, sir ; only part of one bottle," replied Shuffles, 
 with commendable promptness. 
 
 " Where is the rest of it? " 
 
 " Under my berth-sack." 
 
 "Are you willing I should take possession of it, and 
 hand it to Mr. Lowington ? " 
 
 " I will agree to anything which you think is 
 right." 
 
 " Then I will take the wine and throw it over- 
 board." 
 
 ' "Just as you think best, sir. You will find the two 
 bottles in my berth, No. 43, Gangway D, — the for- 
 ward one on the starboard side." 
 
 " I hope you will never touch the wine-cup again." 
 
 " I will not — till next time," added Shuffles, as the 
 chaplain moved towards the door of the brig. 
 
 " ' Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, 
 when it giveth his color in the cup, at the last it biteth 
 like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder,' " continued 
 the chaplain, as he passed out of the lock-up. 
 
 Mr. Agneau went to the prisoner's berth, and found 
 the two bottles of wine. They were a sufficient ex- 
 planation of the remarkable conduct of Shuffles. The 
 youth had " drank w T ine, and was drunken," otherwise 
 he would not have been guilty of such flagrant diso- 
 bedience. Though in his own estimation the excuse 
 was worse than the original fault, yet it was an expla- 
 nation ; and if the root of the evil could be removed, 
 the evil itself would cease to exist. The wine could 
 be thrown overboard, and as no more could be ob- 
 tained during the voyage, the good conduct of the 
 young tippler would be insured, at least till the ship 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 59 
 
 reached Queenstown, which was the port to which 
 she was bound. 
 
 With the two bottles in his hands, the chaplain 
 returned to the professors' cabin. Mr. Lowington was 
 on deck. He did not deem it prudent to leave the 
 ship in the hands of the students, at first, without any 
 supervision, and it was arranged that the principal, 
 Mr. Fluxion, and Mr. Peake, the boatswain, should 
 take turns in observing the course and management of 
 the vessel. Mr. Agneau carried the prize he had cap- 
 tured on deck, and informed Mr. Lowington what had 
 just transpired in the brig. 
 
 " I knew the boy drank wine when he was at home," 
 replied the principal ; " and if he is ruined, his father 
 must blame himself." 
 
 " But it is really shocking ! " exclaimed the chap- 
 lain, as he tossed one of the bottles of wine over the 
 rail. " How can a parent permit his son to drink 
 wine, when he knows that more men are killed by 
 intemperance than by war and pestilence? I am 
 amazed ! " 
 
 " So am I, Mr. Agneau." 
 
 " The boy is hardly to blame for his conduct, since 
 he contracted this vicious habit under the eye of his 
 father." 
 
 The discipline of the ship must be preserved." 
 
 " Certainly, Mr. Lowington." 
 
 " And the boy is just as much to blame for his act 
 of disobedience as though it had been done in his 
 sober senses." 
 
 " But you can afford to pardon him, under the cir- 
 cumstances." 
 
l6o OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " I will do that when he is willing to make a proper 
 acknowledgment of his offence in the presence of the 
 ship's company, before whom the act was committed." 
 
 " He is quite ready to do so now." 
 
 " If he will say as much as that to me, he shall be 
 released at once." 
 
 " He will, sir." 
 
 " It is very strange to me that I noticed nothing 
 peculiar in the boy's speech or manner at the time," 
 added the principal. " He certainly did not seem to 
 be intoxicated." 
 
 " Probably he had taken just enough to inflame his 
 evil passions, without affecting his manner," suggested 
 the chaplain. 
 
 " I did not even discover the odor of wine upon 
 him." 
 
 " Perhaps you did not go near enough to him. If 
 you please, Mr. Lowington, we will go down and see 
 him ; and you can judge for yourself whether or not 
 it is prudent to release him." 
 
 " I will." 
 
 " Thank you, sir. I feel a deep interest in the 
 young man, and I hope he may yet be saved." 
 
 When Mr. Agneau left the brig, after his second 
 visit, Wilton, who was very anxious to know what 
 Shuffles meant by " making a chain," came out of his 
 mess room. He had been watching the chaplain, 
 and wondering what the prisoner could have to say 
 to him. 
 
 "What's up, Shuffles?" asked Wilton, when Mr. 
 Agneau had left the steerage. 
 
 " I've been smoothing him down," laughed Shuffles, 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. l6l 
 
 with an audible chuckle. " I have concluded not to 
 stay in here any longer." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " I'm coming out pretty soon, though it has cost me 
 a bottle and a half of old sherry to get out," laughed 
 Shuffles. 
 
 " I don't know what you mean." 
 
 " I told the parson that I was drunk when I diso- 
 beyed orders, and that I was very sorry for it, and 
 wouldn't get drunk any more." 
 
 "Did you tell him that?" 
 
 " I did ; 1 assured him I was the worst fellow in the 
 whole world, and ought to be hung, drawn, and quar- 
 tered for my wickedness ; and he swallowed it as a 
 codfish does a clam." 
 
 " And you gave him all the wine? " 
 
 " No, I didn't ; I gave him one full bottle, and what 
 was- left in the one from which we drank this after- 
 noon. I have two more." 
 
 " We were going to have a good time with that 
 wine." 
 
 " I have enough left." 
 
 "Where is it?" 
 
 " In my locker." 
 
 14 They may find it." 
 
 i4 No, they won't ; I w T ill put it in some other place 
 before inspection day. There is plenty of wine in the 
 medicul stores. It was a good joke for the parson to 
 suppose 1 was di'unk." 
 
 " Perhaps you were," suggested Wilton. 
 
 " I felt good ; but I was as sober as I am now." 
 14* 
 
1 62 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " The drink I took went into my head, and I felt as 
 though I was going up in a ballon." 
 
 " That was because you are not used to the arti- 
 cle. It waked me up a little, but I knew what I was 
 about." 
 
 " I think you were a confounded fool to do what 
 you did." 
 
 " Wilton, I'm not going to live in the steerage — 
 you may take my word for it. I've been an officer 
 too long to come down to that. If we don't succeed 
 in making a chain, I shall quit the concern the first 
 time I put my foot on shore in Ireland." 
 
 "What do you mean by making a chain?" asked 
 Wilton, eagerly. 
 
 " A chain is strong." 
 
 "Well; what of it?" 
 
 " It is composed of many links. Can't you under- 
 stand that?" 
 
 " Hush up ! Some one is coming," said Wilton, as 
 he walked away from the brig. 
 
 " Here ! who is that? " demanded Mr. Lowington, 
 as he saw Wilton moving away from the lock-up. 
 
 " No. 59, sir — Wilton," replied he. " I was just 
 going on deck to find you, sir." 
 
 "To find me?" asked the principal. 
 
 " Yes, sir. Shuffles called me when I was passing, 
 and wished me to tell you he wanted to see you very 
 much. I was just going after you,'Sir." 
 
 " If there is any blame, sir, it rests on me," inter- 
 posed Shuffles, through the bars of his prison. 
 
 Mr. Lowington unlocked the door of the brig, and 
 entered, followed by Mr. Agneau, leaving Wilton to 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 63 
 
 congratulate himself on the result of the lies he had 
 uttered. 
 
 " I am told you wish to see me, Shuffles," said the 
 principal. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; I wish to say that I am extremely sorry 
 for what I have done." 
 
 " I thought you were crazy when you refused to 
 obey ; and now I find you were." . 
 
 " I had been drinking, sir, I confess." 
 
 " Mr. Agneau has told me your story ; it is not 
 necessary to repeat it now. To-morrow I shall require 
 you to acknowledge your error at muster, and promise 
 obedience in the future. Are you willing to do so? " 
 
 " I am, sir." 
 
 " You are discharged from confinement then, and 
 will at once return to your duty," replied Mr. Lowing- 
 ton, upon whom Shuffles did not venture to intrude 
 his extremely penitential story. " To which watch do 
 you belong?" 
 
 " To the port watch, first part, sir." 
 
 " It will be on deck during the first half of the mid 
 watch, from twelve till two," added the principal, as 
 he came out of the brig. 
 
 Mr. Lowington made no parade of what he had 
 done. He never subjected any student to unneces- 
 sary humiliation. He indulged in ho reproaches, and 
 preached no sermons. He went on deck, intending 
 to leave the culprit to the influence of the better 
 thoughts which he hoped and believed had been 
 kindled in his mind by the events of the day. Mr. 
 Agneau remained a moment to give a final admoni- 
 
164 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 tion to the penitent, as he regarded him, and then 
 went to his cabin. 
 
 u Are you going to turn in, Shuffles?" asked 
 Wilton. 
 
 *' Not yet. Are there any of our fellows below? " 
 
 " Plenty of them." 
 
 " Our fellows " was a term applied to that portion 
 of the crew who were understood to be ready for any 
 scrape which might be suggested. Shuffles had coinea 
 the expression himself, while at the Brockway Acad- 
 emy, and introduced it on board the ship. Without 
 concealment or palliation, they were bad boys. By 
 the discipline of the ship they were kept in good 
 order, and compelled to perform their duties. 
 
 As in every community of men or boys, where 
 persons of kindred tastes find each other out. the bad 
 boys in the Young America had discovered those of 
 like tendencies, and a bond of sympathy and associa- 
 tion had been established among them. They knew 
 and were known of each other. 
 
 On the other hand, it is equally true, that there was 
 a bond of sympathy and association among the good 
 boys, as there is among good men. If a good man 
 wishes to establish a daily prayer meeting, he does 
 not apply to the intemperate, the profane swearers, and 
 the Sabbath breakers of his neighborhood for help ; 
 there is a magnetism among men which leads him to 
 the right persons. If a bad man intends to get up a 
 mob, a raffle, or a carousal, he does not seek assistance 
 among those who go to church every Sunday, and 
 refrain from evil practices, either from principle or 
 policy. He makes no mistakes of this kind. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 65 
 
 In every community, perhaps one fourth of the whole 
 number are positively good, and one fourth positively 
 bad, while the remaining two fourths are more or less 
 good or more or less bad, floating undecided between 
 the two poles of the moral magnet, sometimes drawn 
 one way, and sometimes the other. 
 
 The Young America was a world in herself, and 
 the moral composition' of her people was similar to 
 that of communities on a larger scale. She had all 
 the elements of good and evil on board. One fourth 
 of the students were doubtless high-minded, moral 
 young men, having fixed principles, and being willing 
 to make great sacrifices rather than do wrong. As 
 good behavior, as well as proficiency in the studies, 
 was an element of success in the ship, a large propor- 
 tion of the positively good boys were in the after 
 cabin. 
 
 Another fourth of the students were reckless and 
 unprincipled, with no respect for authority, except so 
 far as it was purchased by fear of punishment or hope 
 of reward. Occasionally one of this class worked his 
 Way into the cabin by superior natural ability, and a 
 spasmodic attempt to better his condition on board. 
 
 The rest of the ship's company belonged to the 
 indefinite, undecided class, floating more or less distant 
 from the positive elements of good or evil. They were 
 not bad boys, for, with proper influences, they could be, 
 and were, kept from evil ways. They were not good 
 boys on principle, for they could be led away in paths 
 of error. 
 
 " Our fellows " were the positively bad boys of the 
 floating academy ; and they existed in no greater pro- 
 
1 66 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 portion in the ship's company than in the communi- 
 ties of the great world. To this class belonged 
 Shuffles, Wilton, Monroe, and others. To the posi- 
 tively good boys belonged Gordon, Kendall, Martyn, 
 and others — not all of them in the after cabin, by any 
 means. 
 
 Shuffles and Wilton walked forward to find some 
 of these kindred spirits. They seemed to know just 
 where to look for them, for they turned in at Gangway 
 D. Over each of the six passages from which the 
 mess rooms opened, a lantern was suspended, besides 
 four more in the middle of the steerage. It was light 
 enough, therefore, in the rooms for their occupants to 
 read coarse print. 
 
 In the lower berths of mess room No. 8 lay two 
 students, while another sat on a stool between them. 
 Their occupation was sufficient evidence that they 
 belonged to " our fellows," for they were shaking 
 props for money, on a stool between the bunks. As 
 Shuffles and Wilton approached, they picked up the 
 props and the stakes, and drew back into their beds. 
 
 "It's Shuffles," said Philip Sanborn. "How did 
 you get out? " 
 
 " Worked out," replied Shuffles, gayly. 
 
 " You don't mean to say you broke jail? " 
 
 " No ; that would have been too much trouble. 
 There was an easier way, and I took that." 
 
 "How was it?" 
 
 " Why, I soft-sawdered the parson, and he soft- 
 sawdered Lowington." 
 
 " It's all right ; go ahead with the game," said 
 Lynch, as he produced the props again. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 6j 
 
 Sanborn placed the money on the stool, consisting 
 of two quarters in fractional currency. Lynch shook 
 the props, and dropped them on the stool. 
 
 " A nick ! " exclaimed he, snatching the money. 
 " I'll go you a half now." 
 
 " Half it is," replied Sanborn, as he placed the 
 requisite sum on the money the other laid down. 
 
 Lynch rattled the props, and threw them down 
 again. 
 
 " A browner ! " cried he, intensely excited, as he 
 seized the money with eager hand. 
 
 " Don't talk so loud, you fool ! " added Sanborn. 
 " The fellows are asleep above us, and you will wake 
 them up. I'll go you a half again." 
 
 " Half it is ! " replied Lynch, in a whisper, as he 
 shook again. 
 
 " An out ! " said Sanborn, picking up the money. 
 
 " Three bells ! Dry up ! " interposed Wilton. " One 
 of the officers of the deck will be down in a minute." 
 
 The young gamblers put away the implements, and 
 drew back into their berths until the inspecting officer 
 had looked into the room. When the master had gone 
 on deck again, the play was resumed, and Shuffles 
 and Wilton watched it with deep interest. 
 
 Gambling was a new thing on board the Young 
 America. It had not been practised at all in the pre- 
 ceding year, having been introduced by Shuffles and 
 Monroe, who had visited a prop saloon in the city 
 where they resided, during their late furlough. Each 
 of them had brought a set of props on board, with 
 which they intended to amuse themselves during the 
 voyage. As yet, the practice was confined to a few 
 
1 68 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 of " our fellows ; " but the crew in the steerage were 
 certainly in very great danger of being carried away 
 by the passion for gaming, for it was spreading 
 rapidly. 
 
 The prop-shaking was carried on in the mess rooms, 
 while the students were off duty. Shuffles had jjtayfed 
 with half a dozen boys the night before ; Sanborn 
 and Lynch had been engaged in the game since the 
 first watch was set, and another party had been em- 
 ployed in the same manner in another room. All of 
 the boys were supplied with money in considerable 
 sums, generally in sovereigns and half sovereigns, for 
 use when they reached Europe. It was changing 
 hands now, though no one had as yet been particu- 
 larly lucky. 
 
 u Have a game, Shuffles?" said Lynch, when San- 
 born declared that he had no money left but gold. 
 
 " No," replied Shuffles, " I shall not play any more." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " I haven't time ; and I don't want to become too 
 fond of it." 
 
 " Haven't time ! " exclaimed Lynch. 
 
 " No ; I've got a big job on my hands." 
 
 "What's that?" 
 
 " Making a chain." 
 
 "Making a what?" 
 
 " Making a chain." 
 
 "A watch chain?" 
 
 " I think it will be a watch chain ; but I'll tell you 
 about it when we are alone. Do you understand?" 
 
 " No, I don't." 
 
 " Keep still then." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 69 
 
 Shuffles turned in, and the others followed his 
 example. He did not sleep, if they did, for his soul 
 was full of rage and malice. He was studying up the 
 means of revenge ; and he had matured a project, so 
 foolhardy that it was ridiculous, and his mind was 
 fully occupied with it. 
 
 At twelve o'clock he was called to take his place 
 with the first part of the port watch on deck. Be- 
 longing to each quarter watch, there were five petty 
 officers, four of whom were to call the portion of the 
 crew who were to relieve those on duty. Shuffles 
 was called by one of these. 
 
 The wind was freshening when he went on deck, 
 and the ship was going rapidly through the water. 
 At the last heaving of the log she was making eleven 
 knots, with her studding sails still set. Mr. Fluxion 
 came on deck at eight be! Is. 
 
 Wilton, Sanborn, and Adler were in the watch with 
 Shuffles, and the malcontent lost not a moment in 
 pushing forward the scheme he had matured. Fortu- 
 nately, or unfortunately, he was placed on the look- 
 out with Wilton, and the solitude of the top-gallant 
 forecastle afforded them a good opportunity for the 
 conference. 
 
 15 
 
170 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE GAMBLERS IN NO. 8. 
 
 IT'S coming on to blow," said Wilton, as the look- 
 outs took their stations on the top-gallant fore- 
 castle. 
 
 " I don't think it will blow much ; it is only fresh- 
 ening a little," replied Shuffles. 
 
 k ' Now, what about the mutiny ? " demanded Wilton, 
 impatiently, after he had become more accustomed to 
 the dash of the sea under the bows of the ship. 
 
 " Don't call it by that name," replied Shuffles, ear- 
 nestly. " Never use that word again." 
 
 " That's what you mean — isn't it? You might as 
 well call things by their right names." 
 
 " It's an ugly word, and if any one should happen 
 to hear it, their attention would be attracted at once. 
 We musn't got in the habit of using it." 
 
 " I don't know what you are going to do yet," 
 added Wilton. 
 
 " It's a big job ; but I mean to put it through, even 
 if I am sure of failure." 
 
 "What's the use of doing that? Do you want to 
 get the fellows into a scrape for nothing? " 
 
 " There will be no failure, Wilton ; you may depend 
 upon that. There will be a row on board within a 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 171 
 
 da)' or two, and, if I mistake not, nearly all the fellows 
 will be so mad that they will want to join us." 
 
 "What row?" 
 
 " Do you know the reason why I wouldn't shake 
 props this evening? " 
 
 " I'm sure I don't." 
 
 ■" Lowington has found out what is going on in the 
 rooms." 
 
 " He hasn't, though ! " 
 
 " Yes, he has." 
 
 " How do you know?" 
 
 " What odds does it make how I know?" answered 
 Shuffles, impatiently, for Wilton was much too inquis- 
 itive to suit his purposes. " I talked with the chap- 
 lain half an hour to-night. When he went to my 
 berth after the wine, I rather think he heard the rattle 
 of the props. At any rate the whole thing will be 
 broken up to-morrow or next day." 
 
 " I don't see how that will make a row. Not more 
 than a dozen fellows have played any ; and they won't 
 think of making a row about that." 
 
 " You see ! " added Shuffles, confidently. 
 
 " Ugh ! " exclaimed Wilton, as a cloud of spray 
 dashed over the bow, and drenched the lookout ; but 
 they wore their pea-jackets, and such an occurrence 
 was to be expected at sea. 
 
 " Stand by to take in studding sails ! " shouted Paul 
 Kendall, who was the officer of the deck ; and the 
 order was repeated by his subordinates in the waist 
 and on the forecastle. 
 
 " We must go," said Wilton ; and they descended 
 from their position. 
 
172 Outward bound, or 
 
 The wind had continned to freshen, until the ship 
 labored somewhat under her heavy press of canvas. 
 It was the policy of the principal to go as easily and 
 comfortably as possible, and he had directed Mr. 
 Fluxion, if the wind continued to increase, to have 
 the sail reduced, though neither the safety of the ship 
 nor of the spars absolutely required such a step. The 
 quarter watch on deck was sufficient to perform this 
 labor. 
 
 " Lay aloft, foretopmen ! " said the second lieu- 
 tenant ; and those of the watch who had their stations 
 in the fore rigging sprang uj3 the shrouds. " Stand 
 by the halyard of the top-gallant studding sails ! Man 
 the tacks and sheets ! " 
 
 " All ready, sir," reported the second midshipman, 
 Who was in the foretop, superintending the operation. 
 
 " Lower on the halyards ! Ease off the tacks, and 
 haul on the sheet ! " 
 
 The two top-gallant studding-sails were thus brought 
 into the top, where they were made up. The fore- 
 topmast and the lower studding sails were taken in by 
 a similar routine, and the Young America then moved 
 along less furiously through the water. 
 
 "Now about the chain," said Wilton, when the 
 the lookouts had returned to their stations. 
 
 " Let me see ; where did I leave off? " replied 
 Shuffles. 
 
 " You said there was to be a row ; which I don't 
 believe." 
 
 " I may be mistaken about that ; if I am, the job 
 will be all the more difficult. Lowington has got us 
 out to sea now, and, in my opinion, he means to shake 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 73 
 
 us up. He is a tyrant at heart, and he will carry it 
 with a high hand. I hate the man ! " added Shuffles, 
 with savage earnestness. 
 
 " You, may, but the fellows don't generally." 
 
 " They will as soon as he begins to put the twisters 
 on them. You won't hear him say, ' If you please, 
 young gentlemen,' now that we are in blue water. 
 You know how savage he was with me." 
 
 " Well, but you were disobedient. You told him, 
 up and down, you wouldn't do what he ordered you 
 to do." 
 
 " No matter for that. You had a chance to see the 
 spirit of the man. He was a perfect demon. He put 
 me in irons ! " exclaimed Shuffles, still groaning under 
 this indignity. " I have been insulted and outraged, 
 and I will teach him that Bob Shuffles is not to be 
 treated in that manner ! I will be revenged upon 
 him, if it costs me my life." 
 
 " The fellows won't go into any such desperate 
 game as that," replied Wilton, cautiously. 
 
 " But there will be fun in the thing," added the mal- 
 content, softening his tone. " We shall have the ship 
 all to ourselves. We needn't trouble ourselves any- 
 thing about Latin and Greek, and trigonometry and 
 algebra. We shall go in for a good time generally." 
 
 u It is all moonshine ; it can't be done. What's 
 the use of talking about such a thing?" said Wilton. 
 
 " It can be done, and it shall be," replied Shuffles, 
 stamping his foot on the deck." 
 
 "How?" 
 
 " I am not quite ready to tell you yet." 
 
 " Very well ; I don't want to know anything more 
 15* 
 
1 74 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 about it," answered the timid conspirator, who was 
 almost disgusted at the foolhardiness of the plan. 
 
 " I can get along without you," added Shuffles, with 
 assumed indifference. 
 
 " I would rather have you do so." 
 
 "All right ; but you will want to come in when we 
 have got along a little farther." 
 
 " Perhaps I shall ; if I do, I suppose the door will 
 be open to me." 
 
 u It may be open ; but perhaps you can't walk into 
 the cabin then." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Do you suppose the fellows who do the burden of 
 the work .are going to be shut out of the cabin? If 
 you join at the eleventh hour, you will have to be 
 what you are now — a foremast hand." 
 
 " What can I be if I join now ? " 
 
 " Second or third officer." 
 
 " Who will be first." 
 
 " I can't mention his name yet. He belongs in the 
 cabin now." 
 
 " You don't mean so ! " said Wilton, astonished to 
 learn that his bold companion expected to find friends 
 among the present officers of the ship. 
 
 " I know what I'm about," replied Shuffles, confi- 
 dently. 
 
 With this information Wilton thought more favor- 
 ably of the mad enterprise. If it was to be a winning 
 game, he wished to have a part in it ; if a losing one, 
 he desired to avoid it. There was something in the 
 decided manner of the chief conspirator which made 
 an impression upon this doubting mind. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. I 75 
 
 " I don't want to go in till I know more about it,' 1 
 said he, after walking two or three times across the 
 top-gallant forecastle. 
 
 " You can't know anything more about it until you 
 have been toggled," replied Shuffles. 
 
 "Toggled?" repeated the sceptic, curiously. 
 
 " This thing is to be well managed, Wilton. We 
 shall not use any hard words, that outsiders can 
 understand ; and if any of them happen to hear 
 anything that don't concern them, they will not know 
 what it means. Will you join, or not? " 
 
 " I will," replied Wilton, desperately. 
 
 The strange words which Shuffles used, and the 
 confidence he manifested in the success of his project, 
 carried the hesitating lookout man. He was fasci- 
 nated by the " clap-trap " which the leader of " our 
 fellows " had adopted to help along his scheme, for it 
 promised to afford no little excitement during the 
 voyage. 
 
 " Now you talk like a man, Wilton," replied Shuf- 
 fles. " You shall be a member of the league at 
 once." 
 
 "What's the league?" 
 
 " The Chain League." 
 
 " Upon my word, Shuffles, you have been reading 
 yellow-covered novels to some purpose." 
 
 " I didn't get this idea from a novel. I invented it 
 myself." 
 
 " The Chain League ! " repeated Wilton, who was 
 pleased with the title of the conspirators. 
 
 " It will be called simply ' The Chain.' I am the 
 
176 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 first member, and you are the second ; or you will be 
 when you have been toggled." 
 
 " Toggled again ! " laughed Wilton. u What do 
 you mean?" 
 
 " Initiated." 
 
 " Go ahead, then." 
 
 " Repeat after me." 
 
 " Go on," replied Wilton, deeply interested in the 
 proceeding, even while he was amused at its formality. 
 
 " I am a link of the chain." 
 
 " I am a link of the chain," repeated Wilton. 
 
 " I iv ill obey my superior officers. " 
 
 " I will obey my superior officers." 
 
 " And I will reveal none of its secrets." 
 
 " And I will reveal none of its secrets." 
 
 " This 1 promise " 
 
 " This I promise " 
 
 " On penalty of falling overboard accideiztally" 
 
 "On penalty of what?" demanded Wilton, both 
 puzzled and terrified by the mysterious words. 
 
 " Repeat the words after me. On penalty," said 
 Shuffles, sternly. 
 
 " I know what the words are, but I'll be hanged if I 
 will repeat them. ' Falling overboard accidentally ! ' 
 What does that mean ? " 
 
 " It means that, if you betray the secrets of The 
 Chain, you might fall overboard accidentally, some 
 day." 
 
 " That is, you would push me over when no one 
 was looking," added Wilton, involuntarily retreating 
 from the conspirator, whom, for the moment, he re- 
 garded as a very dangerous companion. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 77 
 
 " That's what the words mean," replied Shuffles, 
 coolly. 
 
 " Have I been toggled? " demanded Wilton. 
 
 " No ; you didn't repeat all the words." 
 
 " Then you needn't toggle me any more. I've got 
 enough of this thing." 
 
 " All right ; just as you say. But I can tell you 
 this, my dear fellow ; if you should whisper the first 
 word of what has passed between us to-night, you 
 might fall overboard," continued Shuffles, sharply, as 
 he laid his hand on his companion's shoulder. 
 
 Wilton grasped the sheet of the fore-topmast stay- 
 sail, which was the nearest rope to him, and held on 
 as though he was then in imminent danger of " falling 
 overboard accidentally." 
 
 " I won't say a word," protested he, vehemently ; 
 for he did not know but that Shuffles was wicked 
 enough to push him into the sea. 
 
 ' " Wilton, you are a fool ! " added the disappointed 
 conspirator, with deep disgust. " Why didn't you say 
 what I told you ? " 
 
 u I don't want to be bound in any such way as that," 
 replied the terrified student. 
 
 " Don't you see it is only a form? " 
 
 " No, I don't ; or if it is, I don't want anything to 
 do with such forms. You won't get any fellows to be 
 toggled in that way." 
 
 " Yes, I shall ; I shall get plenty of them. They 
 are not babies, like you." 
 
 " I'm not a baby." 
 
 "Yes, you are — a great calf! What are you 
 afraid of?" 
 
I'jS OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " I'm not afraid ; I didn't think you meant to have 
 any murder in your Chain." 
 
 " I don't ; no fellow will think of such a thing as 
 betraying one of the secrets." 
 
 " Then what's the use of having such a penalty?" 
 
 " It will prevent any fellow from opening his mouth 
 when he ought to keep it shut." 
 
 " I don't want anything to do with a concern that 
 means murder. I'm not any better than I should be, 
 but I'm too good for that." 
 
 " Suit yourself ; but remember, if you should happen 
 to say a word, you will fall overboard accidentally, 
 some night when you are on the lookout, or out on the 
 yard-arm." 
 
 " Two bells," said Wilton, greatly relieved to hear 
 them, for he did not like to stand any longer on the 
 top-gallant forecastle, where there was no railing, with 
 such a dangerous fellow as Shuffles proved to be. 
 
 Two other members of the watch were sent forward 
 to take their places. Wilton and Shuffles went down 
 and mingled with their shipmates, who were talking 
 about what they should do and what they should see in 
 Ireland, where the ship would first make a harbor. 
 Wilton breathed easier, and the topic was a more 
 agreeable one than the dark and terrible matter which 
 had been under discussion on the top-gallant forecastle. 
 
 Shuffles was disappointed by the scruples of his 
 generally unscrupulous companion. He regarded the 
 machinery of the plot, the clap-trap of the secret 
 league, as decidedly attractive ; and he depended 
 largely upon it to influence his companions. Though 
 he claimed that his plan was original, it was suggested 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 79 
 
 by a secret political organization in Europe, of which 
 he had read in a pamphlet; and the idea had doubt- 
 less been modified by his more extensive readings in 
 the department of fiction, in which midnight juntos 
 laid out robbery, treason, and murder ; Venetian tales 
 in which bravos, assassins, and decayed princes in dis- 
 guise largely figured ; in which mysterious pass-words 
 opened mysterious dungeons beneath ruined castles ; 
 in which bravo met bravo, and knew him by some 
 mysterious sign, or cabalistic word. 
 
 Shuffles had a taste for these things, and out of his 
 lively imagination he had coined a similar association 
 to be recruited from the crew of the Young America, 
 which was to redress fancied w r rongs, and even take 
 the ship out of the hands of the principal. He could 
 think of nothing but this brilliant enterprise ; and 
 while his shipmates were talking of the future, and in- 
 dulging in the old salts' vocation of " spinning yarns," 
 he was busy maturing the details of " The Chain 
 League." He did not, for reasons best known to him- 
 self, attempt to make any more proselytes that night* 
 
 The ship continued to go along easily on her course 
 till morning. It was a clear night, and though the 
 wind was fresh, the sea was not rough, and the Young 
 America behaved very handsomely. The programme 
 for the watches was carried out to the letter, but on the 
 first night out, the boys were too much excited by the 
 novelty of the situation to be able to sleep much. 
 
 At eight bells in the morning, after the port watch 
 had breakfasted, all the students off duty attended 
 prayers. Then the starboard watch had their morn- 
 ing meal, after which all hands were piped to muster. 
 
l8o OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 Mr. Lowington mounted the hatch, and it was under- 
 stood that the case of discipline which had come up 
 the day before was to be settled now. 
 
 " Shuffles ! " called the principal. 
 
 The culprit came forward. 
 
 " Are you still of the same mind as when I saw you 
 /ast evening? " continued Mr. Lowington. 
 
 " I am, sir," replied Shuffles, with a becoming exhi- 
 bition of meekness. 
 
 " You will step upon the hatch, then." 
 
 Shuffles took position by the side of the principal. 
 
 " You will repeat after me," added Mr. Lowington. 
 
 The culprit was startled at these words, and began 
 to suspect that Wilton had betrayed him in spite of 
 his fear of falling overboard accidentally. It looked 
 just then as though the principal intended to " toggle " 
 him. 
 
 " I acknowledge that I have done wrong," Mr. 
 Lowington continued. 
 
 Shuffles repeated the words, happy to find that 
 he was not to take the obligation of " The Chain 
 League." 
 
 " And I will hereafter endeavor to do my dutv faith- 
 fully." 
 
 The promise was repeated with the lips, but of 
 course it had no meaning, and did not reach the 
 heart. 
 
 "That is all, Shuffles," added the principal. — ■ 
 " Young gentlemen, you are dismissed from muster." 
 
 This was certainly a very mild atonement for the 
 grave offence which Shuffles had committed, and the 
 lenity of the principal was generally commented upon 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. I Si 
 
 by the boys. The starboard watch was piped below 
 to study and recite, while the port watch were to be 
 off and on during the forenoon. The first part now 
 had the deck, while the second was off duty, and the 
 boys belonging to it were permitted to remain on deck 
 or to spend their time in the mess rooms. They were 
 not allowed to linger in the steerage where the recita- 
 tions were going on, but might pass directly through 
 on their way to their apartments. 
 
 At ten o'clock the first part of the port watch was 
 relieved, and the second part went on duty. Shuffles 
 and Wilton were at liberty now, but there appeared to 
 be a coldness between them, and Wilton sought anoth- 
 er companion for his leisure hours. Sanborn and 
 Adler belonged to his part of the watch, and he soon 
 joined them. 
 
 " There isn't much difference between being off 
 duty and being on," said Adler, as they seated them- 
 selves on the main hatch. 
 
 " There will be a difference when we have to make 
 and take in sail every half hour. We had a big job 
 taking in the studding sails last night." 
 
 " They don't drive the ship," added Sanborn. " I 
 suppose if we were a merchantman, they would crack 
 on all the sail she would carry." 
 
 " She goes along beautifully," said Wilton. 
 
 " She was onlv making five knots the last time the 
 log was heaved." 
 
 " And the sea is as smooth as a mill-pond. We 
 shall not get to Queenstown for two months at this 
 rate." 
 
 16 
 
1 82 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " Stand by to set studding sails ! " shouted Pelham, 
 the officer of the deck. 
 
 " I wondered why they didn't do that before," said 
 Sanborn. 
 
 The fore and main studding sails were set, two at a 
 time, by the part of the watch on duty, the wind still 
 being well aft. 
 
 " What shall we do ? " asked Wilton, with a long 
 yawn, after they had watched the operation of setting 
 the studding sails for a time. " This is stupid business, 
 and I'm getting sleepy." 
 
 u Let us go below," suggested Sanborn. 
 
 "What for? The professors won't let you speak 
 out loud while the recitations are going on," added 
 Adler. 
 
 " We don't want to speak out loud. What do you 
 say to shaking a little?" continued Wilton. 
 
 " I'm with you," replied Wilton. " Can either of 
 you change me a half sovereign ? " 
 
 Neither of them could, but they were willing to take 
 Wilton's due bills, till his indebtedness amounted to 
 ten shillings. The boys had already begun to talk the 
 language of sterling currency, and many of them were 
 supplied with English silver coins as well as gold. 
 The three boys went down at the fore hatch, and 
 removing their caps as they entered the steerage, 
 walked silently to Gangway D, from which they went 
 into mess room No. 8, which had thus far been the 
 headquarters of the gamblers. Seating themselves on 
 the stools, they used one of the beds as a table, and 
 in a few moments were deeply absorbed in the exciting 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 83 
 
 game. They spoke in whispers, and were careful not 
 to rattle the props too loudly. 
 
 After they had played a few moments, Shuffles came 
 in. They invited him to join them in the play, but he 
 declined, and soon left the mess room, returning to the 
 deck. In the waist he met Paul Kendall, who was the 
 officer of his watch, and, like him, was off duty. They 
 had generally been on good terms while in the after 
 cabin together, for then Shuffles was on his best 
 behavior. 
 
 " How do things go on in the after cabin now, 
 Kendall — I beg your pardon — Mr. Kendall ? " said 
 Shuffles, in his most gentlemanly tones. 
 
 " About as usual, Mr. Shuffles," replied Paul. 
 
 " I am not a ' mister ' now," laughed Shuffles. 
 
 " Well, it's all the same to me. I am sorry you are 
 not with us now." 
 
 " So am I," added Shuffles. " I did not expect to 
 be on board this year, or I should have been there 
 now." 
 
 " You can be, next term, if you like." 
 
 " This thing yesterday has ruined all my prospects." 
 
 " That was rather bad. I never was so sorry for 
 anything in my life before," answered Paul, warmly. 
 u You and I were always good friends after we got 
 well acquainted, though I did vote for another at the 
 election a year ago." 
 
 " You did what you thought was right, and I don't 
 blame you for that. I always did my duty when I 
 was an officer." 
 
 " That you did, Shuffles ; and we always agreed 
 first rate. Isn't it a little strange that I have not lived 
 
184 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 in the steerage since the ship's company were or- 
 ganized? " 
 
 " That's because you were always a good boy, and 
 a smart scholar. I think you would not like it." 
 
 " If it wasn't for losing my rank, I should like to 
 try it," replied Paul. " I should like to get better 
 acquainted with the fellows." 
 
 " You wouldn't like them in the steerage. You 
 would see a great many things there which you never 
 see in the cabin ; a great many things which Mr. 
 Lowington and the professors know nothing about." 
 
 "Why, what do you mean, Shuffles?" demanded 
 Paul, astonished at this revelation. 
 
 " I ought not to say anything about it ; but I believe 
 these things will break up the Academy Ship one of 
 these days, for the boys are growing worse instead of 
 better in her, and their folks will find it out sooner of 
 later." 
 
 " You surprise me ! " exclaimed Paul, sadly, for he 
 held the honor of the ship and her crew as the apple 
 of his eye. u If there is anything wrong there, you 
 ought to make it known." 
 
 " I suppose I ought ; but you know I'm not a tell- 
 tale." 
 
 " You have told me, and I'm an officer." 
 
 " Well, I blundered into saying what I have. What 
 you said about going into the steerage made me let it 
 out. I am sorry I said anything." 
 
 " You have raised my curiosity." 
 
 " I will tell you; or rather I will put you in the 
 way of seeing for yourself, if you will not mention 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 85 
 
 my name in connection with the matter, even to Mr. 
 Lowington, and certainly not to any one else." 
 
 " I will not, Shuffles." 
 
 " The fellows are gambling in the steerage at this 
 very moment," added Shuffles, in a low tone. " Don't 
 betray me." 
 
 " I will not. Gambling ! " exclaimed Paul, with 
 natural horror. 
 
 " You will find them in No. 8," continued Shuffles, 
 walking away, and leaving the astonished officer to 
 wonder how boys could gamble. 
 "16* 
 
OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. 
 
 PAUL KENDALL, who had not occupied a berth 
 in the steerage since the first organization of the 
 ship, was greatly surprised and grieved to learn that 
 some of the crew were addicted to vicious practices. 
 Gambling was an enormous offence, and he was not 
 quite willing to believe that such a terrible evil had 
 obtained a foothold in the ship. He could hardly con- 
 ceive of such a thing as boys engaging in games of 
 chance ; only the vilest of men, in his estimation, 
 would do so. Shuffles had told him so, apparently 
 without malice or design, and there was no reason to 
 doubt the truth of his statement, especially as he had 
 given the particulars by which it could be verified. 
 
 The second lieutenant went down into the steerage. 
 Classes were reciting to the professors, and studying 
 their lessons at the mess tables. There was certainly 
 no appearance of evil, for the place was still, and no 
 sound of angry altercation or ribald jest, which his 
 fancy connected with the vice of gambling, saluted his 
 ears. He cautiously entered Gangway D, and paused 
 where he could hear what was said in mess room 
 No. 8. 
 
 " I'm five shillings into your half sovereign," said 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1S7 
 
 one of the gamblers ; and then Paul distinctly heard 
 the rattling of the props. 
 
 u There's the half sovereign," added another, whose 
 voice the officer recognized as that of Wilton. " You 
 own five shillings in it, and I own five shillings." 
 
 "■ That's so," replied Sanborn, who appeared to be 
 the lucky one. 
 
 " Let us shake for the coin," added Wilton. " It's 
 my throw." 
 
 " That's rather steep." 
 
 "We get along faster — that's all. If I throw a 
 nick, or a browner, it's mine ; if an out, it's yours." 
 
 "I am agreed — throw away," replied Sanborn, 
 without perceiving that the one who held the props 
 had two chances to his one. 
 
 The props rattled, and dropped on the bed. 
 
 " A browner ! " exclaimed Wilton, thereby winning 
 all he had lost at one throw. 
 
 " Hush ! don't talk so loud," interposed Adler. 
 "You'll have the profs down upon us." 
 
 " I'll go you another five shillings on one throw," 
 said Sanborn, chagrined at his loss. 
 
 " Put down your money." 
 
 The reckless young gambler put two half crowns, 
 or five shillings, upon the bed, and Wilton shook 
 again. 
 
 " A nick ! " said he, seizing the two half crowns. 
 
 " Try it again," demanded Sanborn. 
 
 Paul Kendall was filled with horror as he listened 
 to this conversation. When he had heard enough to 
 satisfy him that the speakers were actually gambling, 
 he hastened to inform Mr. Lowinsfton of the fact. 
 
1 88 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 Paul was an officer of the ship, and this was so plain- 
 ly his duty that he could not avoid it, disagreeable as 
 it was to give testimony against his shipmates. It 
 seemed to him that the ship could not float much 
 longer if such iniquity were carried on within her 
 walls of wood ; she must be purged of such enormi- 
 ties, or some fearful retribution would overtake her. 
 There was no malice or revenge in the bosom of the 
 second lieutenant ; he was acting solely and unselfishly 
 for the good of the institution and the students. 
 
 lie went on deck again. Shuffles was still there, 
 and they met in the waist. 
 
 " You told me the truth," said Paul. 
 
 " You did not think I was joking about so serious 
 a matter — did you?" replied Shuffles. 
 
 " No ; but I hoped you might be mistaken." 
 
 " How could I be mistaken, when I have seen, at 
 one time and another, a dozen fellows engaged in 
 gambling? Of course such things as these will ruin 
 the boys, and bring the ship into disrepute." 
 
 " You are right. My father, for one, wouldn't let 
 me stay on board a single day, if he knew any of the 
 boys were gamblers." 
 
 " It can be easily stopped, now you know about it," 
 added Shuffles. 
 
 " Perhaps it can. I will inform Mr. Lowington at 
 once." 
 
 " Remember, if you please, what I said, Mr. Ken- 
 dall. I am willing to do a good thing for the ship ; 
 but you know how much I should have to 'sufler, if 
 it were known that I gave the information. I didn't 
 mean to blow on my shipmates ; but you and I have 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 89 
 
 been so intimate in the after cabin, that I spoke before 
 I was aware what I was about," continued Shuffles. 
 
 " I shall not willingly betray you." 
 
 "Willingly! What do you mean by that?" de- 
 manded the conspirator, startled by the words of the 
 officer. 
 
 " Suppose Mr. Lowington should ask me where I 
 obtained my information," suggested Paul. 
 
 " Didn't you see for yourself in No. 8 ? " 
 
 " He might ask what led me to examine the 
 matter so particularly. But, Shuffles, I will tell him 
 honestly that I do not wish to inform him who gave 
 me the hint ; and I am quite sure he will not press the 
 matter, when he finds that the facts are correct." 
 
 " Don't mention my name on any account," added 
 Shuffles. " It was mean of me to say anything ; but 
 the ship was going to ruin, and I'm rather glad I spoke, 
 though I didn't intend to do so." 
 
 " I will make it all right, Shuffles," replied Paul, 
 as he descended the cabin steps. 
 
 Mr. Lowington was in the main cabin, and the sec- 
 ond lieutenant knocked at the door. He was readily 
 admitted, and invited to take a seat, for the principal 
 was as polite to the young gentlemen as though they 
 had been his equals in age and rank. 
 
 " I would like to speak with you alone, if you please, 
 sir," Paul began, glancing at the cabin steward, who 
 was at work in the pantry. 
 
 " Come into my state room," said the principal, 
 leading the way. 
 
 " I hope your business does not relate to the disci- 
 pline of the ship," continued Mr. Lowington, when 
 
I9O OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 they were seated, and the door of the room -was closed. 
 " If it does, you should have applied to the captain." 
 
 " This is a peculiar case, sir, and I obtained my 
 information while off duty," replied Paul, with some 
 embarrassment ; for he had thought of communicating 
 his startling discovery to Captain Gordon, and had 
 only been deterred from doing so by the fear of betray- 
 ing Shuffles. 
 
 " I will hear what you have to say." 
 
 " There is something very bad going on in the steer- 
 age," said Paul, seriously. 
 
 "Indeed! What is it?" asked the principal, full 
 of interest and anxiety. 
 
 " Gambling, sir." 
 
 " Gambling ! " repeated Mr. Lowington, his brow 
 contracting. 
 
 Paul made no reply ; and he expected to be asked 
 how he had obtained the startling information. 
 
 " Are you quite sure of what you say, Mr. Ken- 
 dall ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir, I am. In mess room No. 8, there are 
 three or four students now engaged in gambling. I 
 stood at the door long: enough to find out what they 
 were doing." 
 
 " This is serious, Mr. Kendall." 
 
 " If you have any doubt about the fact, sir, I hope 
 you will take measures to satisfy yourself at once, for 
 I think the students are still there." 
 
 " I will, Mr. Kendall ; remain in this cabin, if you 
 please, until my return," added the principal, as he 
 moved towards the door. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 191 
 
 " You must be careful when you approach them, 
 sir, for the gamblers are very sly." 
 
 Mr. Lowington passed from the professors' cabin 
 into the* steerage, and proceeding to the entrance of 
 No. 8, he paused to listen. He heard the whispered 
 conversation about the stakes, and " nicks," " brown- 
 ers" and "outs." The gamblers were by this time 
 highly excited by the game, and had not only become 
 imprudent, but absolutely reckless, so intense was the 
 fascination of their employment. Suddenly, but with 
 a light step, he entered the mess room. Wilton sat in 
 the berth, while his companions occupied stools out- 
 side, and their heads were close together. 
 
 Mr. Lowington took Adler by the collar of his frock 
 with one hand,' and Sanborn with the other, just as 
 Wilton had thrown the props upon the bed. With a 
 vigorous jerk, he tossed them back upon the floor, so 
 as to obtain a full view of the stakes and the gambling 
 implements. The culprits were astounded at this sud- 
 den descent upon them ; but before they could com- 
 prehend the situation fully, the principal turned upon 
 his heel, and left the room without a word of astonish- 
 ment or censure. 
 
 " We're in for it now," said Wilton, as his compan- 
 ions picked themselves up from the floor, and gazed 
 at each other with a sheepish look. 
 
 " That's so," replied Sanborn. 
 
 " We shall catch it," added Adler. 
 
 " We shall find out how the inside of the brig looks, 
 in my opinion," continued Wilton. " I was a fool to 
 play here, right in the steerage. Shuffles told me that 
 
I92 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 Lowington smelt a mice, and would make a row about 
 this thing." 
 
 " Shuffles told you so ! " exclaimed Adler. " How 
 did he know ? " 
 
 " I don't know; I believe the parson told him last 
 night, when he was in the brig." 
 
 " Why didn't you say so then?" demanded Sanborn. 
 " You have got us into a pretty scrape ! That is the 
 reason why Shuffles wouldn't play himself." 
 
 "• Yes, he said it was ; but I didn't believe Lowing- 
 ton knew anything about it ; I don't see how he could. 
 He walked in here as straight as though he had been 
 sent for, and knew just where to go," said Wilton. 
 
 " Of course he did : you say Shuffles told you 
 Lowington knew all about it ; and I suppose he has 
 been on the watch to find some fellows at it so as to 
 make an example of them." 
 
 u That's the whole of it. We might as well throw 
 the props overboard now." 
 
 Mr. Lowington returned to the cabin, where he had 
 left Paul Kendall. He was sadly disturbed by the 
 discovery he had made, for he had no suspicion before 
 that any of his pupils had made so much progress in 
 vice. He knew what a terrible evil gambling w T as 
 among men ; that it was the forerunner of dissipation 
 and crime ; and he felt the responsibility which rested 
 upon him as a guardian and instructor of youth. 
 
 " Mr. Kendall, your information was correct ; and 
 I commend the zeal you have displayed in bringing 
 this fearful evil to light. How happened you to dis- 
 cover it ? " 
 
 " I had a hint from a source which I would rather 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 
 
 m 
 
 not mention," replied the second lieutenant, with some 
 embarrassment. 
 
 " Indeed ! " 
 
 " Yes, sir ; one of the students, who berths in the 
 steerage, happened accidentally to let it out." 
 
 Paul said " accidentally," because he believed that 
 Shuffles had been betrayed into the revelation by their 
 former intimacy. 
 
 " And he does not wish to be regarded as an inform- 
 er," added the principal. 
 
 " No, sir ; after he had excited my curiosity, he told 
 me where I could find the gamblers at play." 
 
 " I understand his position, precisely," said Mr. 
 Lowington ; " and I will not ask his name. The 
 information proves to be painfully correct, and there 
 appears to have been no malice in giving it." 
 
 " No, sir ; I don't think there was : indeed, I know 
 there was not," added Paul, when he considered that 
 Wilton and the other gamblers were Shuffles' intimate 
 companions. 
 
 " This is a very serious matter, Mr. Kendall," re- 
 peated the principal, thoughtfully. 
 
 " I think it is, sir ; that is the reason why I came to 
 you, instead of going to the captain." 
 
 " Perhaps it is better that you did so, on the whole," 
 replied Mr. Lowington. " It has enabled me to see 
 the evil for myself. Have you any views in regard to 
 what should be done, Mr. Kendall?" 
 
 The principal often asked the opinion of the officers 
 concerning similar matters under discussion, perhaps 
 in order to teach them self-respect, rather than with the 
 17 
 
1^4 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 expectation of obtaining valuable suggestions from 
 them. 
 
 " I think there should be stricter discipline in the 
 mess rooms, sir," replied Paul, blushing to have his 
 opinion asked. " The fellows — — " 
 
 " The students, you mean," interposed the prin* 
 cipal. 
 
 " Excuse me, sir," added Paul, blushing deeper than 
 before at this gentle rebuke. 
 
 The boys had a language of their own, which was 
 not tolerated by the faculty when it ran into coarse- 
 ness and slang. 
 
 "What were you about to say, Mr. Kendall?" con- 
 tinued the principal, smiling at the confusion of the 
 young officer. 
 
 " The students can now do anything they like in the 
 mess rooms. They have plenty of money, and if they 
 want to gamble, they can. They were playing last 
 night when the first part of the starboard watch were 
 on duty." 
 
 "You are right, Mr. Kendall," said Mr. Lowing- 
 ton. " The students must be looked after in their 
 rooms. Has there ever been any gambling among the 
 officers in the after cabin ? " 
 
 " I never saw any, or heard of any. I don't think 
 there has been." 
 
 " I hope not ; but we must grapple with this ques- 
 tion in earnest," added the principal, as he led the way 
 out of the state room into the main cabin. 
 
 The chaplain and the doctor were there, and Mr. 
 Lowington wished to take their advice upon the seri- 
 ous matter before him ; and before he permitted the 
 
YOUNG AMERICA *<-r,OAT. 1 95 
 
 second lieutenant to retire, be stated the case to 
 them. 
 
 " Gambling ! " groaned the chaplain. 
 
 " I detected them in the act myself," added Mr. 
 Lowington. " You may retire, Mr. Kendall." 
 
 " Why, this is awful ! " 
 
 " Boys will do almost anything that men will,'* saH 
 Dr. Winstock, the surgeon. 
 
 " Drinking and gambling ! " ejaculated the chaplain - 
 " What are we coming to ? " 
 
 " I fear there are other vices of which we know 
 nothing yet," added the doctor. 
 
 " Why, I'm afraid the Academy Ship will prove to 
 be a failure, after all," sighed Mr, Agneau. 
 
 " Not at all," argued Dr. Winstock. " We are in 
 position here to treat these evils properly. There are 
 no fond mothers and indulgent fathers to spoil the 
 boys, when the discipline becomes sharp." 
 
 "What can we do?" demanded the chaplain. 
 " Moral and religious influences seem to have no 
 effect." 
 
 " Have faith in your own medicines, Mr. Agneau," 
 said the doctor. 
 
 " I have full faith in the medicine, Dr. Winstock ; 
 but I fear I have not done my duty faithfully." 
 
 " You need not reproach yourself, Mr. Agneau. 
 You have been earnest in your work," interposed the 
 principal. " In a large community of young men, all 
 these vices and evils will appear. It was to meet them 
 that the keel of this ship was laid, and our institution 
 organized. I expect to find vice, and even crime, 
 among the boys. They that be sick need a physician, 
 
I96 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 not they that be whole. These boys certainly behave 
 better on board the ship than they did on shore at the 
 various academies they attended. Pelham, who is now 
 fourth lieutenant, and has been first, was one of the 
 hardest boys in the school to which he belonged in 
 New York. He has given us no trouble here, though 
 he has been a little sulky since he fell from his former 
 rank. Shuffles, who, in the Brockway Academy, was 
 the worst boy I ever knew, without exception, behaved 
 himself astonishingly well for a whole year. I am 
 sorry to see that he has begun the second year badly." 
 
 " O, his is a very hopeful case ! " said Mr. Agneau. 
 " He is penitent for his folly, and I never saw so great 
 a change in an individual as he exhibited on my sec- 
 ond visit to him last evening." 
 
 " I hope he will not disappoint you. I only men- 
 tioned him to show what a benefit the ship had been 
 to him ; for if it keeps him out of trouble even a single 
 year, it is so far a blessing to him, to say nothing of his 
 intellectual progress, which has been more than satis- 
 factory. The fact that there are gambling, and drink- 
 ing, and other vices on board, does not diminish my 
 faith in the institution." 
 
 " It certainly ought not to do so," added Dr. Win- 
 stock, who was not so sanguine a reformer as the chap- 
 lain, and was willing to wait till the medicine had 
 time to produce an effect. " Here is an evil : we 
 must meet it, and we needn't stop to groan over it. 
 What's to be done? that's the question." 
 
 " The officer of the watch must be required to visit 
 every room during the first watch at least," said the 
 principal. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 1 97 
 
 " But those -who are disposed to gamble will find 
 abundant opportunities to do so," suggested the doctor. 
 u A couple of them up in the maintop, or even in the 
 cross-trees, could shake props, ' odd or even,' and 
 play other games of chance, without being seen. \ 
 don't think you have hit the nail on the head yet, Mr. 
 Lowington." 
 
 " The utmost vigilance we can use will not entirely 
 prevent evil. We depend upon moral influences, as 
 Well as discipline, for the prevention and cure of vice 
 and error," added the principal. 
 
 " I'm afraid a lecture on gambling wouldn't do much 
 good while the means of play were still in the hands 
 of the students. It would influence some ; but others 
 are not to be influenced in any way : a strong arm 
 alone will meet their case." 
 
 " We can take the props from them," said Mr. Low- 
 ington. 
 
 "You must go a step farther than that ; you must 
 search the berths and lockers for cards, dice, or other 
 gambling implements. Even then you will not have 
 struck at the root of the evil." 
 
 " What is the root of the evil? " asked the principal. 
 
 " Money, sir ! " replied the doctor, with unusual 
 energy. 
 
 " That is said to be the root of all evil," added Mr. 
 Lowington, with a smile. 
 
 " Among boys, money does more injury than we can 
 comprehend. A college friend of mine was wholly 
 spoiled by his allowance of money. His purse was 
 always full, which made him the prey of dissolute per- 
 sons. He always had the means of gratifying his 
 17* 
 
I9S OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 appetites, and is now a sot, if he is living. He began 
 to drink, gamble, and dissipate generally, before he 
 entered college : he was expelled in a year. Without 
 money, as a boy, he would have been saved from a 
 score of temptations. Every boy on board this ship 
 has a pocket full of sovereigns for his European ex- 
 penses. They are all young nabobs, and if you ever 
 let them go ashore, you will have your hands full, 
 Mr. Lowington. They will drink beer and wine, visit 
 bad places, gamble and carouse. While they have 
 plenty of money, you can hardly prevent them from 
 being a nuisance to you and to themselves." 
 
 " There is a great deal of force in what you say, 
 Dr. Winstock." 
 
 " Money will be the root of all evil to these boys, 
 most emphatically. Those who are disposed to gam- 
 ble will do so while they have money." 
 
 " The inference to be drawn from your remarks is, 
 that the students should not have pocket money." 
 
 " Most decidedly that is my opinion. If I had a 
 son, I wouldn't allow him a penny of pocket money." 
 
 " That would be rather hard," said the chaplain. 
 
 " I know it, but it would be the best thing in the 
 world for the boy. I don't mean to say that I would 
 never permit him to have money ; but he should have 
 no stated allowance; and when he had a dollar, I 
 should want to know how it was to be expended." 
 
 " This question of money allowances has been under 
 serious consideration with me." 
 
 " You can't handle the boys in Europe with money 
 in their pockets. A regiment of soldiers could not 
 keep them straight." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 
 
 I 99 
 
 " I think you are right, doctor. I am tempted to 
 take their money from them." 
 
 " Do it, by all means ! " exclaimed Dr. Winstock. 
 
 The chaplain regarded the measure as rather high- 
 handed. He thought it would belittle the boys, and 
 deprive them of some portion of their self-respect. 
 The instructors came into the cabin at seven bells, and 
 their opinions were taken. Four of the six were in 
 favor of taking all money from the boys. Mr. Low- 
 ington had already reached this view of the case, and 
 it was resolved to take the important step at once, as 
 the best means of effectually putting a stop to the prac- 
 tice of gambling. 
 
 Mr. Fluxion had been unable to attend this confer- 
 ence for more than a few moments, for he was the 
 instructor in mathematics, which included navigation, 
 and he was compelled to superintend the observations, 
 which were made with separate instruments by him- 
 self and by the two masters of the forenoon watch. 
 The position of the ship was found, and marked on 
 the chart, and the " dead reckoning" compared with 
 the result obtained by calculation. 
 
 At one bell in the afternoon watch, all hands were 
 piped to muster, and the gamblers readily understood 
 that this call was for their especial benefit. 
 
 " Wilton," said Mr. Lowington, from his usual 
 position. 
 
 The culprit came forward. 
 
 " With whom were you gambling in mess room No. 
 8, this forenoon?" asked the principal. 
 
 Wilton looked up at the stern dispenser of discipline. 
 If he did not know, it was not his business to tell. 
 
200 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " Answer me." 
 
 " I don't know." 
 
 "You are telling a falsehood." 
 
 " I don't remember their names now," said Wilton. 
 
 " You do remember them ; and for each falsehood 
 you utter you shall suffer an additional penalty." 
 
 " I'm not a telltale, sir," answered Wilton, dogged* 
 ly. "I don't want to tell who they were." 
 
 "Very well; why didn't you say that at first? I 
 have some respect for the student who dislikes to 
 betray even his companions in error ; none at all for a 
 liar. Adler and Sanborn," added the principal ; and 
 the two gamblers stepped up to the hatch. " Young 
 gentlemen, you are charged with gambling. Have 
 you anything to say? " 
 
 " Nothing sir," they all replied. 
 
 " Wilton, how much money have you lost at play? " 
 
 " None, sir." 
 
 " How much have you made ? " 
 
 " Ten shillings — half a sovereign." 
 
 " From whom did you win it? " 
 
 " From Sanborn." 
 
 " Return it to him." 
 
 Wilton obeyed. Adler had won about a dollar from 
 Sanborn, which he was also compelled to restore. 
 Mr. Lowington was satisfied that others had gained 
 or lost by gambling, but as he did not know who the 
 other gamblers were, he did not attempt to have the 
 ill-gotten money restored ; for he never made himself 
 ridiculous to the students by endeavoring to do what 
 could not be done. 
 
 Mr. Lowington then made a very judicious address 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 201 
 
 upon the evil of gambling, pointing out its dangerous 
 fascination, and the terrible consequences which sooner 
 or later overtook its victims. He illustrated his re- 
 marks by examples drawn from real life. The chap- 
 lain followed him, detailing the career of a young man 
 whom he had attended in prison, and who h.ad been 
 utterly ruined by the habit of gaming, contracted 
 before he was of age. 
 
 These addresses seemed to produce a deep impres- 
 sion on the boys, and one would have judged by their 
 looks that they all regarded the dangerous practice 
 with well-grounded horror. Mr. Lowington took the 
 stand again, and followed with another address upon 
 " the root of all evil ; " adding that, having money in 
 their possession, they would be tempted to gamble. 
 
 " Now, young gentlemen, I propose that you all 
 deliver your funds to me, taking my receipt for what- 
 ever amount you deliver to me. When you have any 
 real need of money, apply to me, and I. will restore 
 it," added Mr. Lowington. 
 
 " Take our money from us ! " exclaimed several ; and 
 it was evident that the proposition was creating a tre- 
 mendous sensation amon£ the students. 
 
202 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 PIPING TO MISCHIEF. 
 
 AFTER the offensive announcement that the 
 students were to deliver up their money to the 
 principal, and take his receipt for it, the crew were 
 dismissed from muster, after being informed that the 
 business of receiving the funds would be immediately 
 commenced in the steerage. The three gamblers were 
 not punished, except by the mortification of the expo- 
 sure, even by the loss of their marks, though Wilton was 
 confined in the brig one hour for each falsehood he 
 had uttered. Mr. Lowington knew that at least a 
 dozen of the boys were guilty of gambling; and as the 
 matter now came up for the first time, he did not 
 deem it expedient to punish those who had been dis- 
 covered, hoping that the preventive measures he had 
 adopted would effectually suppress the evil. 
 
 Many of the students regarded the taking of their 
 money as an indignity. Only a few of them, compar- 
 atively, had engaged in gambling, though many of the 
 occupants of the steerage knew of the existence of the 
 practice on board the ship. They were willing to 
 believe, and did believe, after the impressive addresses 
 to which they had listened, that games of chance 
 were a perilous amusement, but they were not quite 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 203 
 
 willing to acknowledge the justice of Mr. Lowington's 
 measures. 
 
 Most of the officers, and many of the crew, cheer- 
 fully complied with the new regulation. They handed 
 their money to the pursers, and received a receipt for 
 the amount, signed by the principal. Others emptied 
 the contents of their exchequer sullenly, and under 
 protest ; while not a few openly grumbled in the pres- 
 ence of Mr. Lowington. Some of "our fellows" 
 attempted to keep back a portion of their funds, and 
 perhaps a few succeeded, though the tact of the prin- 
 cipal exposed the deceit in several instances. What- 
 ever may be thought of the justice or the expediency of 
 depriving the students of their money, it was evidently 
 an exceedingly unpopular step. 
 
 In the second dog watch, when Shuffles and Paul 
 Kendall were off duty, they happened to meet in the 
 waist ; and the exciting topic of the day came up for 
 discussion, as it had in every little group that collected 
 that afternoon. Shuffles had accomplished his pur- 
 pose ; he had accomplished far more than he intended. 
 He had expected nothing more than a general on- 
 slaught upon gambling, followed by increased strin- 
 gency in the regulations, and a closer watch over the 
 students in their rooms, which would produce sufficient 
 irritation among the boys to suit his purposes. Now 
 the crew, and even some of the officers, were in a 
 ferment of indignation, and ripe for a demonstration 
 of any kind. 
 
 " The business is done," said Paul Kendall, as he 
 met the conspirator. 
 
 " I'm afraid it's overdone," answered Shuffles, seri- 
 
204 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 ously, though he was actually in a state of exultation 
 over the effect which had been produced by the new 
 regulation. 
 
 " I hope not. I did not mention your name to the 
 principal in connection with the matter," added Paul. 
 
 "Didn't he ask you?" 
 
 " He did ; but when I stated the case to him, and 
 told him the person who had given me the informa- 
 tion had let it out accidentally, and did not wish to 
 be known, he asked no more questions." 
 
 " Thank you, Mr. Kendall. This last measure is 
 so unpopular that I should have been cast out like an 
 Unclean bird, if it were known that I gave the hint." 
 
 " No one shall know anything about it from me, 
 Shuffles. You did a good thing for the ship, and for 
 every fellow in it." 
 
 " They wouldn't be willing to believe that just 
 now," said Shuffles, laughing. 
 
 " Perhaps not ; but it is a fact, none the less." 
 
 " I didn't think Mr. Lowington would go it quite so 
 strong. If I had, I shouldn't have told you what I 
 did." 
 
 " Why, are you not satisfied with what has been 
 done ? " asked Kendall, with some astonishment. 
 
 " No, I am not. I am glad enough to see the gam- 
 bling stopped, but I don't think the principal had any 
 more right to take my money away from me than he 
 had to take my head off," replied Shuffles, earnestly. 
 
 " Don't you think it will be better for the fellows to 
 be without money than with it? " 
 
 " Perhaps it will ; I don't know about that. Your 
 neighbor might be a better man if he were poor than 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 205 
 
 if he were rich : does that make it that you have any 
 right to take his property from him ? " 
 
 " I don't think it does," replied Paul. 
 
 " The State of Massachusetts, for instance, or the 
 State of Ohio, makes laws against games of chance. 
 Why not make a law, if a man gambles, that all his 
 money shall be taken from him?" 
 
 " The state has no right to make such a law, I 
 suppose." 
 
 " But the principal goes a long reach beyond that. 
 He takes every man's money away from him, whether 
 he is accused of gambling or not. Do you think he 
 had any right to do that? " 
 
 " He hasn't made any law ; but if you want law, 
 I'll give you some ! " laughed Paul, who was disposed 
 to treat the subject very good-naturedly, especially as 
 there was so much loose indignation floating about the 
 decks. 
 
 " I don't mean law alone, but justice," added Shuf- 
 fles. " I call it high-handed injustice to take the 
 fellows' money away from them." 
 
 " Let me give you a little law, then," persisted Paul. 
 " How old are you, Shuffles? " 
 
 " Eighteen." 
 
 " Good ! You are an infant." 
 
 " In law, I am." 
 
 " Suppose your uncle, or somebody else, should die 
 to-day, and leave you fifty thousand dollars : wouldn't 
 you have a good time with it? " 
 
 u I should, as soon as I got hold of it, you had 
 better believe," replied Shuffles. 
 
 " As soon as you got hold of it ! " exclaimed Paul. 
 18 
 
2o6 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " I suppose I should have a guardian till I became 
 of age." 
 
 u Who would appoint your guardian? " 
 
 " The court, I believe." 
 
 " Exactly so ! The law ! What, take your money 
 away from you, or not let you touch it ! " 
 
 " That's law, certainly." 
 
 " Well, wouldn't the law have just as much right to 
 take off a fellow's head, as to take his money?" de- 
 manded Paul, triumphantly. 
 
 " Mr. Lowington is not our guardian." 
 
 " Yes, he is, for the time being ; and I hold that he 
 has just as much right to take your money from you 
 as your father would have." 
 
 u I don't see it ; I don't believe it. The money was 
 given us by our fathers to spend in Europe when we 
 get there." 
 
 " Mr. Lowington is to pay all our expenses on shore, 
 by the terms of the contract. Besides, the regulations 
 of the Academy Ship, to which all the parents assented, 
 require that the control of the boys shall be wholly 
 given up to the principal. It's a plain case, Shuffles." 
 
 Mr. Lowington and his policy had an able and zeal- 
 ous defender in the person of Paul Kendall, who, by 
 his arguments, as well as his influence, had already 
 reconciled several of the students to the new regula- 
 tion. 
 
 " If I were willing to grant the right of the princi- 
 pal to take the fellows' money from them — - which I 
 am not — I think it is treating them like babies to do 
 so. It is punishing the innocent with the guilty." 
 
 " Mr. Lowington said, in so many words, that the 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 207 
 
 measure was not intended as a punishment ; that it 
 was purely a matter of discipline, intended to meet 
 certain evils which must appear when we landed in 
 Europe, as well as to prevent gambling." 
 
 Paul certainly had the best of the argument ; but 
 Shuffles was not convinced, because he did not wish 
 to be convinced. 
 
 At eight bells, when the first part of the port watch 
 went on duty, the wind had shifted from west to north ; 
 the studding-sails had been taken in. the spanker, 
 main spencer, and all the stay-sails had been set, and 
 the ship, close-hauled, was barely laying her course. 
 The wind was fresh, and she was heeled over on the 
 starboard side, so that her decks formed a pretty steep 
 inclined plane. Under these circumstances, it required 
 a great deal of skill and watchfulness on the part of 
 the wheelmen to keep the sails full, and at the same 
 time to lay the course. As the ship's head met the 
 heavy seas, a great deal of spray was dashed on deck, 
 and the position of the lookout-men on the top-gallant 
 forecastle was not as comfortable as if the weather 
 had been warmer. There was no dodging ; every 
 student was obliged to stand at his post, wet or dry, 
 blow high or blow low. 
 
 Wilton had been discharged from confinement in 
 the brig, where Mr. Agneau had visited him, giving 
 him good advice and religious instruction, as he did to 
 all who were punished in any manner, and was now 
 with his watch on deck. The new regulation was 
 particularly odious to " our fellows," and Wilton re- 
 garded himself as a martyr to the popular cause, for- 
 getting that he had been punished for the lies he had 
 
2oS OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 .told. He and twenty others were forward to say they 
 " wouldn't stand it ; " and the indignation seemed to 
 be increasing rather than subsiding. 
 
 " Well, Wilton, how do you like the inside of the 
 brig?" asked Shuffles, when they met in the main-top, 
 having been sent aloft to clear away the bowline 
 bridle on the main-topsail. 
 
 " I like it well enough," replied Wilton. " I wasn't 
 going to blow on the fellows ; I would stay in there a 
 month first." 
 
 " Did you give up your money? " 
 
 " Of course I did ; I couldn't help myself." 
 
 " How do you like the new regulation?" 
 
 " I don't like it any better than the rest of the fellows 
 do," answered Wilton, in surly tones. " I won't stand 
 it, either." 
 
 " O, I guess you will," laughed Shuffles. " I told 
 you Lowington was a tyrant, but you wouldn't believe 
 me." 
 
 " Yes, I would ; and I did." 
 
 " The fellows will find out what he is before they 
 are many days older." 
 
 " I think they have found out now. I say, Shuffles, 
 was this the row you spoke about last night? " 
 
 " Yes ; only there's more of it than I expected." 
 
 " How did you know anything about it before-* 
 hand?" 
 
 '.' I have a way of finding out these things," replied 
 the artful conspirator, mysteriously. " I have one or 
 two friends at court." 
 
 " Is Paul Kendall one of them? •" 
 
 " No ; he is a simpleton. He don't know which 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 209 
 
 side his bread is buttered* If Lowington takes snuff, 
 Kendall sneezes." 
 
 "I have seen you talking with him two or three 
 times to-day." 
 
 " I was only pumping him/* 
 
 " Well, there is a jolly row on board now, any- 
 how," added Wilton, as he prepared to descend over 
 the cat-harpings. 
 
 " Hold on ; don't let's go on deck yet," interposed 
 Shuffles. " I want to know what our fellows are going 
 to do." 
 
 " They will call us down, if we stop here." 
 
 " When they do, we will go down, then," replied 
 Shuffles, as he seated himself in the top, with his legs 
 through the lubber's-hole. " What are our fellows going 
 to do? Do they mean to stand this thing? " 
 
 " They can't help themselves ; they are mad enough 
 to do anything; but what's the use?" added Wilton, 
 as he seated himself by the side of his companion. 
 
 " Don't you think they will join the League now?" 
 
 " They would join anything that would give them 
 their rights. I'll join now ; but I don't want to be 
 toggled in such a way as you said last night." 
 
 " Then you can't be toggled at all." 
 
 " I haven't any idea of falling overboard accident- 
 ally. I'd rather lose my money than do that." 
 
 " It's nothing but a form, Wilton. Between you 
 and me, it's only a bugbear, intended to work upon 
 the nerves and the imagination. Of course we 
 shouldn't help any fellow overboard ; no one would 
 dare to do any such thing." 
 
 " I don't like the sound of the thing." 
 18* 
 
ZIO OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 u If you really mean to expose the secrets which are 
 intrusted to you, I advise you not to join." 
 
 is I don't mean any such thing," added Wilton, 
 indignantly. 
 
 " If you didn't, you wouldn't be afraid of the 
 penalty. 
 
 " Toggle me, then ; and see what I mean." 
 
 " I don't want you to go in if you don't believe 
 in it." 
 
 " But I do believe in it ; so go ahead." 
 
 Shuffles pronounced the ridiculous obligation again, 
 and Wilton repeated it after him. 
 
 " Now you are toggled," said the leader. 
 
 " What are we going to do ? " 
 
 " Bring in the rest of our fellows ; that is the first 
 job. In my opinion we can get over fifty of them 
 now." 
 
 " I don't know about that," answered Wilton, doubt- 
 fully. 
 
 " I'm very sure we can. If we get enough to take 
 the ship, we can have all the rest as soon as we have 
 done the job." 
 
 " Take the ship ! " exclaimed Wilton, appalled at 
 the idea. 
 
 " That's what we mean." 
 
 " I don't believe you can do it," replied the doubtful 
 " link in the Chain." 
 
 " It's the easiest thing in the world. The affair will 
 come off at supper time, when the professors are all 
 in their cabin. All we have to do is to clap the hatch 
 on the after companion-way, and secure the doors 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 211 
 
 leading from the main cabin into the steerage. Then 
 we have them, and they can't help themselves." 
 
 " But the boatswain, carpenter, and sailmaker will 
 be loose." 
 
 " No, they won't. At the right time, we will pass 
 the word for them, and say that Lowington wants to 
 see them in the main cabin. As soon as they go 
 below we will put the hatch on." 
 
 " The cooks and stewards will still be at large." 
 
 " We can lock them up in the kitchen. If they 
 make trouble, I have a revolver," whispered Shuf- 
 fles. 
 
 " A revolver ! I won't have anything to do with it 
 if you are going to use pistols," said the alarmed con- 
 federate. 
 
 " It's only to look at ; there will be no occasion to 
 use it," answered Shuffles, soothingly. 
 
 " There will be twelve men, besides the stewards, 
 locked up in the main cabin." 
 
 "That's so." 
 
 " How long do you suppose it would take them to 
 break down the bulkhead between the cabin and the 
 steerage, or to climb up through the skylight?" 
 
 " If they attempt anything of that kind, we can 
 show them the revolver ; that will quiet them." 
 
 "You might frighten the parson in that way; but 
 do you suppose men like Mr. Lowington, Mr. Fluxion, 
 and Peaks, who have been in the navy so long, will be 
 afraid of a pistol?" 
 
 " They won't want to be shot, if they have been in 
 the navy all their lives." 
 
 " Then you mean to shoot them?" 
 
212 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " They will think we do, and it will be all the 
 same." 
 
 " I don't know about this business. I'm afraid the 
 pistol might go off, and hurt somebody." 
 
 " I suppose you could raise objections all night," 
 added Shuffles, contemptuously. " I'm not going to 
 have any man tyrannize over me, Wilton. I suppose 
 if Lowington wants to pull every fellow's teeth out, 
 you won't object." 
 
 "I'm as much opposed to his tyranny as you are, 
 and I will do anything that is reasonable ; but I want 
 to know whether the water is hot or cold before I put 
 my fingers into it. What's the use of blundering into 
 an enterprise, and making a failure of it?" 
 
 " I have no idea of making a failure of it. Did you 
 ever know me to make a failure of anything that I 
 attempted ? " 
 
 " Yes, I have." 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " You failed to get elected captain when we first 
 came aboard of the ship." 
 
 " That was only because we had just come on 
 board ; the fellows didn't know me, and I didn't know 
 them. We are better acquainted now, and I am just 
 as sure of success as though we had already won 
 it," added Shuffles, confidently. " I don't believe in 
 making failures." 
 
 " I don't believe there is more than one chance in 
 ten for you to succeed," continued the sceptic. 
 
 " There isn't more than one chance in ten for us to 
 fail. You are a bird of evil omen. You have no faith 
 in anything ; and if you are going to croak like this, I 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 213 
 
 don't want you in the Chain," added Shuffles, petu- 
 lantly. 
 
 " I'm in for it, already ; and when I can see my 
 way clearly, I shall be as strong as you are." 
 
 " Then don't croak any more. We must go to 
 work while the fever is on the fellows, and make 
 up " 
 
 " In the main-top, ahoy ! " shouted the master, from 
 the waist. 
 
 " On deck ! " replied Shuffles. 
 
 " Lay down from aloft ! " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 The conspirators descended, after Shuffles had ad- 
 monished his shaky companion to be discreet. 
 
 " What are you doing in the top so long? " demanded 
 Foster, the first master, as the truants reached the 
 sheer-pole. 
 
 " Watching the sea, sir," replied Shuffles. " It 
 looks fine from the top." 
 
 "When you have done what you are sent aloft 
 for, it is your duty to come down and report it," 
 added the officer. 
 
 Shuffles made iio reply, as he probably would have 
 done if he had not had a heavy operation on his 
 hands, which prevented him from indulging in any 
 side quarrels. 
 
 Except the wheelmen and the lookout, the watch 
 on deck was divided into little groups, who were 
 quartered in the most comfortable places they could 
 find, telling stories, or discussing the exciting topic of 
 the day. 
 
 " Shuffles, some of our fellows want to see you 
 
214 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 and Wilton," said Adler, as the first master went 
 below, to inspect the steerage, at two bells. 
 
 " What's up ? " demanded the conspirator. 
 
 " Don't say anything," added the messenger, as he 
 led the way to the steerage skylight, under the lee of 
 'which Sanborn and Grimme had stowed themselves 
 away, out of the reach of the stream that was flowing 
 along the water-ways, and of the spray which was 
 dashing over the weather bows. 
 
 The party from aloft, with the messenger, increased 
 the group to five, which was the total number of u our 
 fellows " that could be mustered in the first part of the 
 port watch. 
 
 "What's up?" demanded Shuffles, when he had 
 seated himself by the skylight. 
 
 " We intend to pipe to mischief, to-night, Shuf- 
 fles, and we want some help from you," said Sanborn, 
 in reply. 
 
 " We have been robbed of our money, and we are 
 going to have satisfaction, somehow or other," added 
 Grimme, in explanation. " We are not going to stand 
 this sort of thing. We must teach Lowington and 
 the professors that they can't put our noses to the 
 grindstone." 
 
 " Exactly so ! " exclaimed Shuffles. '•' And you 
 intend to put them there yourselves. In other words, 
 you mean to get into some scrape, and be punished 
 for it, as I was." 
 
 " No, we don't. We are going to work man-of- 
 war style. Old Peaks told us how to do it, when we 
 were on watch last night," replied Grimme. 
 
 "Peaks?" 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 215 
 
 " Yes, he spun us a yarn about man-of-war life, and 
 told us how the men serve out the officers when they 
 don't behave themselves." 
 
 " Peaks told you this — did he? " demanded Shuffles. 
 
 " Of course he didn't mean to have us do anything 
 of t le kind." 
 
 " Well, how did he tell you to serve out the 
 officers ? " 
 
 " Make them uncomfortable ; keep them in a hornet's 
 nest all the time." 
 
 " How? How?" asked Shuffles, impatiently. 
 
 " Why, if the unpopular officer went forward, a 
 belaying pin was sure to drop on his head or his feet ; 
 a tar can or a paint pot would be upset on his back ; 
 or, if he went below, a cannon ball was liable to roll 
 out of a shot case upon him. Of course no one ever 
 knew the author of this mischief." 
 
 " Do you propose to play off any of these tricks on 
 Lowington?" demanded Shuffles. 
 
 "We have got a rod in pickle for him?" replied 
 Grimme, chuckling. 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 " We intend to give him a dose of kerosene oil, to 
 begin with," laughed Sanborn. 
 
 " One of the stewards left his oil can on the fore- 
 scuttle ladder, after the hatch was put on to keep the 
 spray out, and I took possession of it," added Grimme, 
 hardly able to keep his mirth within the limits of 
 prudence. 
 
 44 What are you going to do with it? " asked Shuffles. 
 
 4 * We are going to give Lowington the contents of 
 ri» tan, and then throw it overboard." 
 
2l6 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " Indeed ! Who is the fellow that has boldness 
 enough to do this thing?" 
 
 " I have ; and I have volunteered tr do the job," 
 answered Grimme, with a degree of assurance which 
 astonished even Shuffles. 
 
 " You dare not do it ! " 
 
 " I dare, and I will, if the fellows will stand by me. 
 Lowington is sitting at the table in the professors' 
 cabin, right under the skylight, reading. One section 
 of the skylight is open, and you can see him, as plain 
 as day. It's as dark as a pocket on deck, and tin* 
 officers can't see you twenty feet off. All I have to dtf 
 is to pop the oil through the opening, and get out of 
 the way." 
 
 "What then?" 
 
 " Why, he will come on deck, and try to find out 
 who did it ; but he can't." 
 
 " Perhaps he can." 
 
 " No, he can't ; only half a dozen of the fellows 
 will know anything about it, and of course they won't 
 let on." 
 
 11 Suppose he don't find out. What good will this 
 trick do?" 
 
 " The second part of the port watch must follow up 
 the game. Lowington will come on deck at eight 
 bells, and Monroe, in the starboard watch, will give 
 him another dose." 
 
 "What will that be?" 
 
 " Slush the first step of the ladder at the after com- 
 panion-way, and let him tumble down stairs," chuckled 
 Grimme. 
 
 •" Then Lynch will give him some more," said Adler. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 217 
 
 " Well, you may break his neck when he tumbles 
 down the ladder. I'll have nothing to do with any 
 of those tricks," added Shuffles, decidedly. " If you 
 want to pipe to mischief, I'm with you, but in no such 
 way as that. Those are little, mean, dirty tricks." 
 
 " But they will keep him in hot water all the time, 
 and he will get sick of being a tyrant over the fellows 
 in less than a week. There are twenty things we 
 might do to annoy him, which would help to bring 
 him to his senses. For instance, when the steward 
 carries the coffee into the professors' cabin, one fellow 
 might engage his attention, while another drops a 
 lump of salt, a handful of pepper, or a piece of 
 tobacco into the urn." 
 
 " I don't want to hear any more of such low-lived 
 tricks," interposed the magnificent conspirator. " If 
 you want to pipe to mischief, let us do it like men." 
 
 " What would you do ? Fifty of the fellows, at least, 
 will go into anything to punish Lowington for his 
 tyranny." 
 
 "Join the Chain, then," said Shuffles, in a whisper, 
 and with a suitable parade of mystery. 
 
 "The what?" 
 
 " The Chain." 
 
 The object of the League was duly explained ; and 
 before the second part of the port watch came on 
 deck, three new members had been " tosrsrled." 
 Greatly to the satisfaction of Shuffles, and to the aston- 
 ishment of Wilton, they did not hesitate at the penalty 
 of the obligation, and seemed to be entirely willing to 
 "fall overboard accidentally" if they failed to make 
 sti'ong and faithful " links in the Chain." 
 19 
 
21 8 OUTWARD BOUND, Oil 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ALL HANDS, B-EEF TOPSAILS ! 
 
 AUGUSTUS PELHAM, the fourth lieutenant 
 of the Young America, was almost the only 
 malcontent among the officers ; the only one who per- 
 sistently declined to be reconciled to the new regula- 
 tion. Others objected to it ; others criticised it, and 
 even regarded the act as tyrannical ; but the good offices 
 of Paul Kendall, who argued the question with them, 
 as he did with Shuffles, had in a measure conciliated 
 them, and they were at least disposed to submit grace- 
 fully to the order. But Pelham was not of this num- 
 ber. He was above the average age, and, like the 
 chief conspirator on board, expecting to leave the ship 
 at the end of the first year, had not exerted himself ta 
 the extent of his ability. He had been first lieuten- 
 ant, and had now fallen to fourth. He was older than 
 the captain, and it galled him to be subject to one 
 younger than himself. 
 
 He was dissatisfied with his rank, and this had a 
 tendency to make him a grumbler. It needed only an 
 appearance of tyranny or injustice to array him in 
 spirit against the authorities of the ship. Shuffles 
 knew his state of mind, and was prepared to take 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 219 
 
 advantage of it, hoping through him to gain other dis- 
 contented spirits in the cabin. 
 
 When the first part of the port watch was relieved, 
 the " Chain " consisted of five links, and the conspira- 
 tors were well satisfied with the present success of the 
 enterprise. Each of the new members of the League 
 was commissioned to obtain a recruit, whose name 
 was given to him, and he was required to report 
 upon the case, to Shuffles, before eight bells in the 
 afernoon watch. As a measure of precaution, it was 
 required that no meetings should be held ; that not 
 more than three members should assemble for business 
 at any one time. The utmost care and circumspec- 
 tion were urged, and it was agreed that not a word 
 should be said in the steerage, where it was possible 
 *br any of the professors to overhear it. 
 
 The second part of the port watch, with Pelham as 
 officer of the deck, went on duty at ten o'clock. The 
 wind had been freshening for the last two hours, and 
 it was now necessary to reduce sail. The royals were 
 first taken in, and then the top-gallant sails. 
 
 " We can't lay this course, sir," said Burchmore, the 
 quartermaster, who was conning the helm. " The 
 wind is hauling to the eastward." 
 
 " Make the course east by north then," replied Pel- 
 ham, without taking the trouble to consult the captain 
 or Mr. Fluxion, both of whom were on deck. 
 
 " The wind is north-north-east, sir," reported the 
 quartermaster, a short time afterwards. 
 
 " Keep her east then." 
 
 At six bells the wind was north-east, and coming 
 heavier and heavier every moment. The ship was 
 
220 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 headed east-south-east, and it was evident that she still 
 had on more sail than she could easily carry. 
 
 " What's the course, Mr. Pelham ? " asked Captain 
 Gordon. 
 
 " East-south-east, sir," replied Pelham. 
 
 u The course given out was east-north-east." 
 
 " I have changed it three times within the last hour," 
 answered the fourth lieutenant, in rather surly tones. 
 
 " By whose order?" demanded the captain. 
 
 " By no one's order, sir." 
 
 " You know the regulation for the officer of the 
 deck. He is not permitted to alter the course of the 
 ship, unless to avoid some sudden danger, without 
 informing the captain." 
 
 " I had to alter the course, or have the topsails 
 thrown aback," replied Pelham. 
 
 " Very likely it was proper to alter the course ; but 
 it was also proper to inform me, especially when I 
 was on deck." 
 
 " Very well, Captain Gordon. I will not alter the 
 course again without your order," added the fourth 
 lieutenant, stiffly. 
 
 " The regulation is not mine, Mr. Pelham," contin- 
 ued the captain, sternly. 
 
 As the wind increased, sail was reduced to topsails 
 and courses, jib and spanker ; but at seven bells even 
 these were found to be too much for her. 
 
 " Captain Gordon, it is coming heavier," said Mr. 
 Fluxion. " I think it will be necessary to reef." 
 
 " I was thinking of that, sir. The wind is north- 
 east, and blowing a gale." 
 
 " You had better call all hands, and do it at once." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 221 
 
 " Mr. Pelham, you will call all hands to reef top 
 sails ! " 
 
 "All hands, sir?" 
 
 " Certainly, Mr. Pelham ; that was my order," re* 
 plied the captain, more sharply than usual, for there 
 was something in the manner of the officer of the 
 deck which he did not like, and he found it necessary 
 to maintain the dignity of his position. 
 
 Pelham touched his cap ; he felt the weight of au- 
 thority upon him heavier than ever before. Until 
 recently he had always performed his duty cheerfully, 
 and was considered a first-rate officer. Since the new 
 regulation had been put in force, and he had been 
 compelled to deliver up ten sovereigns in his posses- 
 sion, he had been rather disagreeable. In the cabin 
 he had used some language reflecting upon the prin- 
 cipal, and he was now regarded as a malcontent by 
 the captain, and by those who still sustained the dis- 
 cipline of the ship. 
 
 " Morrison," called he, as he went forward to the 
 waist. 
 
 " Here, sir," replied the boatswain, who belonged 
 in this quarter watch ; and there was a boatswain's 
 mate in each of the others. 
 
 " Call all hands to reef topsails." 
 
 The shrill pipe of the boatswain's whistle soon rang 
 above the howling winds, which now sounded gloom- 
 ily through the rigging. The call was repeated in the 
 steerage, and at the door of the after cabin, where it 
 could be heard by the officers, for no one on board is 
 exempted when all hands are called. This was the 
 first taste of the hardships of a seaman's life to which 
 19 * 
 
222 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 the students had been invited. It is not pleasant, to 
 say the least, to be turned out of a warm bed in a 
 gale, when the wind comes cold and furious, laden 
 with the spray of the ocean, and be sent aloft in the 
 rigging of the ship, when she is rolling and pitching, 
 jumping and jerking, in the mad waves. But there 
 is no excuse at such a time, and nothing but positive 
 physical disability can exempt officer or seaman from 
 duty. 
 
 It was the first time the boys had seen a gale at sea, 
 and though it was not yet what would be called a 
 strong gale, it was sufficiently terrific to produce a deep 
 impression upon them. The ship was still close- 
 hauled, under topsails and courses, with jib and 
 spanker. The wind came in heavy blasts, and when 
 they struck the sails, the Young America heeled over, 
 until her lee yard-arm seemed to be dipping the waves. 
 Huge billows came roaring down from the windward, 
 crowned with white foam, and presenting an awful 
 aspect in the night, striking the ship, lifting her bow 
 high in the air, and breaking over the rail, pouring 
 tons of water on the deck. 
 
 Before the whole crew had been called, every open- 
 ing in the deck had been secured, and the plank guards 
 placed over the glass in the skylights. Life lines had 
 been stretched along the decks, and the swinging 
 ports, through which the water that came over the 
 rail escaped, were crossed with whale line by Peaks, 
 to prevent any unlucky boy from being washed 
 through, if he happened to be thrown off his feet 
 by a rush of water to the scuppers. 
 
 The scene was wild and startling ; it was even ter- 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT, 223 
 
 rible to those who had never seen anything of the kind 
 before, though the old sailors regarded it quite as a 
 matter of course. Peaks had never been known to be 
 so jolly and excited since he came on board. He was 
 full of jokes and witty sayings ; he seemed to be in 
 his element now, and all his powers of body and mind 
 were in the keenest state of excitement. 
 
 The students were disposed to look upon it as a 
 rough time, and doubtless some of them thought the 
 ship was in great peril. Not a few of them pretended 
 to enjoy the scene, and talked amazingly salt, as 
 though they had been used to this kind of thing all 
 their lives. Mr. Lowington came on deck, when all 
 hands were called ; and though, to his experienced eye, 
 there was no danger while the ship was well managed, 
 he was exceedingly anxious, for it was a time when 
 accidents were prone to happen, and the loss of a boy 
 at such an hour, would endanger the success of his 
 great experiment. On deck, the students could not 
 get overboard without the grossest carelessness ; but it 
 was perilous to send them aloft in the gloom of the 
 howling tempest. He had hoped that he might be 
 permitted to meet the onslaught of the first gale the 
 ship encountered in the daytime ; but as the " clerk of 
 the weather" otherwise ordained it, he was compelled 
 to make the best of the circumstances. 
 
 Before the manoeuvre of reefing, in the gale, was 
 begun, Mr. Fluxion was sent forward. Bitts was 
 placed in the fore rigging, Peaks in the main, and 
 Leach in the mizzen, to see that the young tars did not 
 needlessly expose themselves, and that they used all 
 
324 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 proper precautions to avoid an accident. All the offi- 
 cers were at their stations. 
 
 " Man the topsail clewlines, and buntlines, and the 
 weather topsail braces," shouted Haven, the first lieu- 
 tenant, who always handled the ship when all hands 
 were called. " Stand by the lee braces, bowlines, and 
 halyards." 
 
 The clewlines are ropes fastened to the corners of 
 the topsail, passing through blocks on the topsail yard, 
 and leading down to the deck through the lubber's 
 hole. They are used in hauling the corners of the 
 sail up when they are to be reefed or furled. 
 
 The buntlines are two ropes attached to cringles, or 
 eyes, in the bottom of the sail, which are used for 
 hauling up the middle, or bunt, of the topsail. 
 
 The braces are the ropes secured to the ends of the 
 yards, leading down to the deck directly, or to a mast 
 first, and thence below, by which the yards and the 
 sails attached to them are hauled round so as to take 
 the wind. They are distinguished by the terms 
 k * weather" and " lee," the former being those on the 
 side from which the wind comes, the latter on the 
 opposite side. They also have their specific names, 
 as the 4 ' weather fore-top-gallant brace," the u lee main 
 brace." 
 
 The bowlines are ropes attached to the leeches of 
 square sails to draw the edge forward, so that they 
 may take the w 7 ind better. They are fastened to the 
 bridles, which are loops like those of a kite, two or 
 three of them extending from the side of the sail. 
 
 The halyards are the ropes by which any sail is 
 hoisted. For square sails they are secured to the 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 225 
 
 yards, which, with the exception of the lower one 
 on each mast slide up and down. - 
 
 " Clear away the bowlines," said the first lieuten- 
 ant, when all hands were reported ready for the 
 manoeuvre which had been ordered. 
 
 At this command the bowlines on the topsails and 
 courses were unfastened. 
 
 " All clear, sir," reported the officers from their 
 stations. 
 
 4 Round in the weather braces, ease oft' the lee 
 braces ! " was the next order. " Settle away the top- 
 sail halyards ! Clew down ! " 
 
 To round in the weather braces was simply to haul 
 them up as the lee braces were slacked, so that the 
 yard was squared. As the command was executed, 
 the sail was " spilled," or the wind thrown out of it. 
 
 " Haul out the reef tackles ! Haul up the bunt- 
 lines ! " continued the executive officer. 
 
 To reef a sail is to tie up a portion of it, so as to 
 present less surface of canvas to the force of the wind. 
 Topsails are reefed in the upper part ; a portion of 
 the sail nearest to the yard from which it is suspended 
 being rolled up and secured by strings to the yard. 
 Fo'-e and aft sails, like the spanker, the fore and main 
 spencers, or the mainsail of a schooner, are reefed at 
 the foot, the lower part being tied down to the boom. 
 
 The topsails of the Young America had three reef 
 bands, or strips of canvas sewed crosswise over 
 them, in which were the reef points, or strings by 
 which the sail is tied up when reefed. When the first 
 or highest row of reef points was used, the sail was 
 single reefed ; when the second was used, it was 
 
226 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 double reefed ; and when the third row was used, H 
 was close reefed. On each side of the sail, at the end 
 of each reef band, was a cringle, or eye, in which the 
 reef pendent was fastened. The reef tackle consists 
 of a rope passing from the eye, at the end of the reef 
 band, through a block at the extremity of the yard, 
 thence to the mast, and down to the deck. Hauling 
 on this rope draws the required portion of the sail up 
 to the yard in readiness to be reefed. 
 
 The reef tackles were hauled out, and the buntlines 
 hauled up to bring the sail where it could be easily 
 handled. When the sail is to be reefed, the seamen 
 have to " lay out " on the yards, and tie up the sail. 
 To enable them to do this with safety, there are horses, 
 or foot-ropes, extending from the slings, or middle of 
 the spar, to the yard-arms. This rope hangs below 
 the yard, the middle parts being supported by stirrups. 
 When a man is to " lay out," he throws his breast 
 across the yard with his feet on the horse. The man 
 at the " weather earing," or eye for the reef pendent, 
 has to sit astride the yard, and pull the sail towards 
 him. 
 
 The foot-rope sometimes slips through the eyes in 
 the stirrups when only one hand goes out upon it, 
 which does, or may, place him in a dangerous posi- 
 tion. During the preceding day, when the barometer 
 indicated a change of weather, Mr. Lowington had 
 sent the old boatswain aloft to " mouse the horses," 
 in anticipation of the manoeuvre which the boys were 
 now compelled to perform at midnight, in a gale of 
 wind. Mousing the horses was merely fastening the 
 foot-ropes to the eyes of the stirrups, so that the}' could 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 227 
 
 not slip through, and thus throw the entire slack of 
 the horse under one boy, by which he sank down so 
 low that his neck was even with the spar. 
 
 At the foot of each mast there is a contrivance for 
 securing ropes, called the fife-rail. It is full of belay- 
 ing pins, to which are secured the sheets, halyards, 
 buntlines, clewlines, lifts, braces, reef tackle, and 
 other ropes leading down from aloft. Looking at the 
 mast, it seems to be surrounded by a perfect wilder- 
 ness of ropes, without order or arrangement, whose 
 uses no ordinary mortal could comprehend. There 
 were other ropes leading down from aloft, which were 
 fastened at the sheer-poles and under the rail. Now, 
 it is necessary that every sailor should be able to put 
 his hand on the right rope in the darkest night ; and 
 when the order to haul out the buntlines was given 
 in the gloom and, the gale, those to whom this duty 
 was assigned could have closed their eyes and found 
 the right lines. 
 
 " Aloft, topman ! " continued the first lieutenant, 
 when the topsails were in readiness for reefing. 
 
 At this order thirty of the young tars ran up the 
 shrouds, over the cat-harpings, and up the rigging, till 
 they reached the fore, main, and mizzen topsail yards. 
 Twelve of them were stationed on the main, ten on 
 the fore, and eight on the mizzen topsail yard. The 
 first, second, and third midshipmen were aloft to su- 
 perintend the work, and when the studding-sail booms 
 had been triced up, they gave the order to lay out, and 
 take two reefs. 
 
 When the hands were at their stations on the yard, 
 the first lieutenant ordered the quartermaster to " luff 
 
22S OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 up ; " that is, to put the helm down so as to throw the 
 ship up into the wind and spill the sail, or get the wind 
 out of it, that the young tars might handle it with the 
 more ease. 
 
 The boys had been frequently trained in the ma- 
 noeuvre which they were now executing under trying 
 circumstances, and all of them knew their duty. If 
 any one trembled as the mast swayed over when the 
 ship rolled, he was afraid to mention the fact, or to 
 exhibit any signs of alarm. Perhaps most of them 
 would have been willing to acknowledge that it was 
 rather " ticklish " business to lay out on a topsail yard 
 at midnight in a gale of wind ; and if their anxious 
 mothers could have seen the boys at that moment, 
 some of them might have fainted, and all wished them 
 in a safer place. 
 
 The boom tricing-lines were manned again, and the 
 studding-sail booms restored to their places. 
 
 "Lay down from aloft ! " shouted Haven, when the 
 midshipman in charge aloft had reported the work 
 done ; and he was obliged to roar at the top of his 
 lungs through the speaking trumpet, in order to be 
 heard above the piping of the gale and the dashing 
 of the sea. u Man the topsail halyards ! stand by the 
 braces." 
 
 " All ready, sir," reported the fourth lieutenant, after 
 the others. 
 
 " Hoist away the topsails ! " 
 
 The hands en deck walked away with the halyards, 
 until the topsails were hauled up to a taut leech. 
 
 The same operation was repeated on the fore and 
 main course ; the yards were trimmed ; the bowlines 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 229 
 
 attached and hauled out, and then the ship was undel 
 double-reefed topsails and courses. 
 
 " Boatswain, pipe down ! " said the executive offi- 
 cer, when the work was done. 
 
 But the crew did not care to pipe down, just then. 
 This was the first time they had ever seen a gale at 
 sea, and there was something grand and sublime in 
 the heaving ocean, and the wild winds that danced 
 madly over the white-crested waves. It was now af- 
 ter midnight, eight bells having struck before the 
 courses were reefed, and the first part of the star- 
 board watch were to have the deck. Mr. Lovvington 
 insisted that all others should go below and turn in, 
 assuring them that they would see enough of the gale 
 in the morning, or as soon as their quarter watches 
 were called. 
 
 The principal and Mr. Fluxion were earnest in their 
 commendation of the behavior of the Young America. 
 She was not only a stiff and weatherly ship, but she 
 behaved most admirably, keeping well up to the wind, 
 and minding her helm. The four boys at the wheel 
 handled it with perfect ease. 
 
 The ship did not labor in the gale as she had before 
 the sails were reefed ; and though she jumped, plunged, 
 and rolled, making a terrific roar as she went along, 
 everything was ship-shape about her, and the boys 
 soon became accustomed to the exciting scene. She 
 was making but little headway, but she still kept within 
 three points of her general course. Mr. Lowington 
 remained on deck the rest of the night, anxiously 
 watching the ship and her crew in the trying experi- 
 ence of the hour. 
 20 
 
23O OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 Augustus Pelham, the discontented lieutenant, "Went 
 below when his quarter watch was relieved. The 
 little incident, before all hands were called, between 
 himself and the captain, had disturbed him more than 
 he would have been willing to acknowledge. He 
 thought it was harsh of the captain to say anything to 
 him, though he had broken one of the rules of the 
 ship ; and he regarded the gentle reproof he had 
 received as a very great indignity. 
 
 He went to his state room. The ship was rolling 
 fearfully, and he could not stand up without holding 
 on at the front of his berth. Goodwin, the third lieu- 
 tenant, who was his room-mate, had already turned 
 in ; but it was impossible for him to sleep. Pelham 
 took a match from his pocket and lighted the lamp, 
 which swung on gimbals in the room. 
 
 " What are you doing, Pelham?" demanded Good- 
 win. u It is against the rule to light a lamp after ten 
 o'clock." 
 
 " I know it ; but I'm not going to blunder round 
 here, and have my brains knocked out in the dark," 
 growled Pelham. 
 
 " Put the light out ; you will get into trouble," 
 remonstrated his room-mate. 
 
 " I won't do it." 
 
 "What are you going to do?" 
 
 u Go to sleep, Goodwin, and don't bother me." 
 
 "What's the matter, Pelham? What ails you? I 
 never knew you to think of breaking one of the rules 
 before." 
 
 " I should like to break them all, as Moses did the 
 ten commandments. I have been insulted." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 23 1 
 
 "Who insulted you?" 
 
 " The captain." 
 
 " Gordon?" asked Goodwin, in astonishment. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " I never knew him to do such a thing as that. I 
 think you didn't understand him ; or he must have 
 been excited by the gale." 
 
 " It was before it came on to blow very hard," re- 
 plied Pelham, seating himself on a stool, and bracing 
 his feet against the front of the berth to prevent being 
 thrown down. 
 
 "What did he do?" 
 
 " He snubbed me, told me I knew the rule, and was 
 as overbearing as though I had been his servant, in- 
 stead of an officer of the ship." 
 
 "But what did you do? He wouldn't have done 
 anything of the kind if you hadn't given him some 
 provocation." 
 
 " I told the quartermaster, when the wind was head- 
 ing off the ship, to alter the course." 
 
 " Didn't you tell the captain beforehand?" 
 
 " Not I." 
 
 " Then I don't blame him for snubbing you. What's 
 the use of being captain if the officers don't obey you? " 
 
 " If he had anything to say to me, he might have 
 been a little more gentle about it." 
 
 Pelham neglected to say that he was not particularly 
 gentle himself. 
 
 " Put that light out, Pelham, for my sake, if not for 
 your own," said Goodwin, when he found that his 
 companion was too much out of sorts to be reasonable. 
 
 " Neither for yours nor my own will I put it out,' 1 
 
232 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 replied Pelham, as he took a cigar from its hidihgv 
 place, under the lower berth. 
 
 " What are you going to do, Pelham?" demanded 
 Goodwin, filled with astonishment, as he observed the 
 conduct of his fellow-officer. 
 
 "I'm going to have a smoke." 
 
 " But you know that smoking is positively prohib> 
 ited either on ship or shore." 
 
 " I haven't had a smoke since vacation," replied 
 Pelham, as he lighted the cigar. 
 
 " See here, Pelham ; I won't stand this ! " exclaimed 
 the third lieutenant, rising up in his bed, in which act 
 he was nearly pitched out of his berth by a heavy roll 
 of the ship. " The companion-way is closed." 
 
 " That's the very reason why I'm going to smoke," 
 replied the malcontent, coolly. 
 
 " But I shall be stifled here." 
 
 " Can't help it." 
 
 " I can," retorted Goodwin, as he leaped out on the 
 floor. 
 
 " What are you going to do? " 
 
 " I am going to inform Mr. Lowington what you 
 are doing." 
 
 "Are you such a fellow as that?" asked Pelham, 
 indignantly. 
 
 " I am, if you are such a fellow as to attempt to 
 stifle me with cigar smoke in my own room. It would 
 make me as sick as a horse in five minutes." 
 
 " Seasick, you mean," sneered Pelham. " I'm go* 
 ing to have my smoke, if there is a row about it." 
 
 Goodwin put on his pea-jacket, and left the room. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 233 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 AFTER THE GALE. 
 
 ONE of the most singular traits observable in 
 the character of some boys is the willingness, 
 and even the desire, under certain circumstances, to 
 get into trouble. A young gentleman, feeling that he 
 has been slighted, or his merit overlooked, permits 
 himself to fall into a mental condition in which he 
 feels no responsibility for his conduct ; in which he 
 recklessly breaks through all regulations, places him- 
 self in an attitude of opposition to constituted authority, 
 and seems to court the heaviest penalty which can be 
 inflicted upon him for disobedience, impudence, and 
 rebellion. 
 
 The fourth lieutenant of the Young America had 
 worked himself up to this disagreeable pitch. He 
 was not only disposed to assume an attitude of oppo- 
 sition to the principal, who had made the obnoxious 
 regulation which was the immediate cause of his 
 rebellious condition, but to all who supported his 
 authority, or willingly submitted to it. 
 
 Smoking was a high crime on board the Young 
 
 America — not in the relation of the practice to the 
 
 ship, but to the student. It was condemned, not 
 
 simply because it would be offensive in the cabins and 
 
 20* 
 
234 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 steerage, and on deck, but because it was a bad habit 
 for a boy to acquire. The adult forward officers, the 
 cooks and ihe stewards, were allowed to smoke on the 
 forecastle rt £ certain prescribed hours ; but it was a 
 punishable offence for a student to smoke at any time 
 or in any place, whether on board or on shore. 
 
 Goodwin was indignant at the conduct of his room- 
 mate, for the thud lieutenant was not only opposed to 
 smoking on principle, but the fumes of tobacco were 
 intensely offensive to him ; and there was no doubt 
 that, in the confined space of the state room, insuffi- 
 ciently ventilated, while all the openings in the deck 
 were closed during the gale, the smoke would make 
 him " as sick as a horse." He was a noble-minded, 
 manly youth, and had all a boy's detestation for tat- 
 tling and tale-bearing. He did not like to go on deck 
 and inform the piincipal of the conduct of Pelham, 
 but he could not submit to the indignity cast upon 
 him. He went out into the cabin, and threw himself 
 upon the cushioned divan, under the stern ports of 
 the ship. 
 
 This would have been a very satisfactory place 
 to sleep under ordinary circumstances ; but Goodwin 
 had hardly secured a comfortable position, before the 
 heavy rolling and pitching of the vessel tumbled him 
 off, and he measured his length on the cabin floor — a 
 very undignified situation for a third lieutenant. lit 
 picked himself up in the darkness, and tried it again, 
 but with no better success than before. He had fully 
 intended to go on deck and inform the principal of the 
 misconduct of Pelham, which had driven him from 
 his room ; but he shrank from the task. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 235 
 
 What Goodwin was attempting to do on the divan 
 many of the officers were striving to do in their berths, 
 though with better success than attended his efforts. 
 It was not an easy matter to stay in the berths ; and 
 this done, the situation was far from comfortable. 
 Avoiding the rude fall on the one side, the occupant 
 was rolled over against the partition on the other side. 
 Sleep, in anything more than " cat naps," was utterly 
 impracticable, for as soon as the tired officer began 
 to lose himself in slumber, he was thumped violently 
 against the pine boards, or was roused by the fear of 
 being tumbled out of his berth. 
 
 Mr. Lowington comprehended the situation of the 
 students, and when the topsails and courses had been 
 reefed, he called up all the stewards, and sent them 
 through the after cabin and steerage, to ascertain the 
 condition of the boys, and to give them the benefit of 
 certain expedients known to old voyagers for such 
 occasions. Jacobs, the steward of the after cabin, 
 entered to perform his duty. He had no light, not 
 even a lantern ; for fire is so terrible a calamity at sea, 
 that every lamp was extinguished by the stewards at 
 ten o'clock, and no light was allowed, except in the 
 binnacle, without the special permission of the prin- 
 cipal. Even the captain could not allow a lamp to be 
 lighted after hours. 
 
 Jacobs went to all the state rooms on the port side 
 first, and pulled up the berth sacks above the front of the 
 <ounks, so as to form a kind of wall, to keep the occu- 
 pant from rolling out. A bundle of clothing was 
 placed on the inside of the berth, and the body was 
 thus wedged in, so as to afford some relief to the 
 
236 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 unstable form. Pelham's room was the second one 
 on the starboard side, and Jacobs came to it at last, in 
 his humane mission. He opened the door, and started 
 back with unfeigned astonishment to see the lamp 
 lighted, and the fourth lieutenant puffing his cigar as 
 leisurely as the violent motion of the ship would 
 permit. 
 
 " Contrary to regulation, sir," said Jacobs, respect- 
 fully, as he touched his cap to the reckless officer. 
 
 " Take yourself off, Jacobs," replied Pelham, 
 coarsely and rudely. 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 Jacobs did take himself off, and hastened on deck to 
 inform Mr. Lowington of the conduct of the infatuated 
 officer. 
 
 The principal immediately presented himself. Pel- 
 ham had fully believed, in his self-willed obstinacy, that 
 he could look Mr. Lowington full in the face, and im- 
 pudently defy him. He found that he was mistaken. 
 The experience of Shuffles in the hands of the boat- 
 swain and carpenter would intrude itself upon him, 
 and he quailed when the principal opened the door 
 and gazed sternly into his face. 
 
 " Smoking, Mr. Pelham?" 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied the rebel, with an attempt to 
 be cool and impudent, which, however, was a signal 
 failure. 
 
 " You will put out that cigar, and throw it away." 
 
 " I will ; I've smoked enough," answered Pelham. 
 
 " Your light is burning, contrary to regulation." 
 
 " The ship rolls so, I should break my neck without 
 one," replied Pelham, sourly. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 237 
 
 " That is a weak plea for a sailor to make. Mr. 
 Pelham, I confess my surprise to find one who has 
 done so well engaged in acts of disobedience." 
 
 The reckless officer could make no reply ; if the 
 reproof had been given in presence of others., he would 
 probably have retorted, prompted by a false, foolish 
 pride to " keep even " with the principal. 
 
 " For smoking, 3^011 will lose ten marks ; for lighting 
 your lamp, ten more," added the principal. 
 
 " You might as well send me into the steerage at 
 once," answered Pelham. 
 
 " If either offence is repeated, that will be done. 
 You will put out your light at once." 
 
 The fourth lieutenant obeyed the order because he 
 did not dare to disobey it ; the fear of the muscular 
 boatswain, the irons, and the brig, rather than that of 
 immediate degradation to the steerage, operating upon 
 his mind. The principal went on deck ; Pelham turned 
 in, and was soon followed, without a word of com- 
 ment on the events which had just transpired, by 
 Goodwin. 
 
 The night wore away, the gale increasing in fury, 
 and the rain pouring in torrents. It was a true taste 
 of a seaman's life to those who were on deck. At 
 daybreak all hands were called again, to put the third 
 reef in the topsails. At eight bells the courses were 
 furled. The gale continued to increase in power 
 during the forenoon, and by noon a tremendous sea 
 had been stirred up. The ship rolled almost down to 
 her beam ends, and the crests of the waves seemed to 
 be above the level of the main } r ard. 
 
 In the popular exaggerated language, " the waves 
 
238 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 ran mountain high," which means from twenty to 
 forty feet ; perhaps, on this occasion, twenty-five feet 
 from the trough of the sea to the crest of the billow. 
 Even this is a great height to be tossed up and down 
 on the water ; and to the boys of the Young America 
 the effect was grand, if not terrific. The deck was 
 constantly flooded with water ; additional life-lines 
 had been stretched across from rail to rail, and every 
 precaution taken to insure the safety of the crew. 
 
 Study and recitation were impossible, and nothing 
 was attempted of this kind. The storm was now. 
 what could justly be called a heavy gale, and it was 
 no longer practicable to lay a course. Before eight 
 bells in the forenoon watch, the royal and top-gallant 
 yards had been sent down, and the ship was laid to 
 under a close-reefed main-topsail, which the nautical 
 gentlemen on board regarded as the best for the pecu- 
 liar conditions which the Young America presented. 
 
 When a ship is laying to, no attention is paid to 
 anything but the safety of the vessel, the only object 
 being to keep her head up to the sea. In the gale, 
 the Young America lay with her port bow to the wind, 
 her hull being at an angle of forty-five degrees, with a 
 line indicating the direction of the wind. Her topsail 
 yard was braced so that it pointed directly to the 
 north-east — the quarter from which the gale blew. 
 The helm was put a-lee just enough to keep her in the 
 position indicated. She made little or no headway, 
 but rather drifted with the waves. 
 
 The young tars had a hard forenoon's work ; and 
 what was done was accomplished with triple the labor 
 required in an ordinary sea. All hands were on duty 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 239 
 
 during the. first part of the day, though there were in- 
 tervals of rest, such as they were, while the boys had 
 to hold on with both hands, and there was no stable 
 abiding-place for the body. The ship rolled so 
 fiercely that no cooking could be done, and the only 
 refreshments were coffee and " hard tack." 
 
 " This is a regular muzzier, Pelham," said Shuffles, 
 in the afternoon, as they were holding on at the life- 
 lines in the waist. 
 
 " That's a fact ; and I've got about enough of this 
 thing." 
 
 u There isn't much fun in it," replied Shuffles, who 
 had been watching for this opportunity to advance the 
 interests of the " Chain." 
 
 " No, not a bit." 
 
 " It's better for you officers, who don't have to lay 
 out on the yards when they jump under you like a 
 mad horse, than for us." 
 
 " I suppose I shall have a chance to -try it next 
 term." 
 
 "Why so?" 
 
 " I lost twenty marks last night. I got mad, lighted 
 the lamp, and smoked a cigar in my state room." 
 
 " Will the loss of the twenty marks throw you 
 over? " 
 
 " Yes ; I'm a goner ! " added Pelham, with a smile. 
 
 " What made you mad? " 
 
 " The captain snubbed me ; then Lowington came 
 the magnificent over me. A single slip throws a 
 fellow here." 
 
 A single slip in the great world throws a man or 
 woman ; and young men and young women should be 
 
24O OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 taught that " single slips " are not to be tolerated. 
 More children are spoiled by weak indulgence than 
 by over-severe discipline. But a boy had a better 
 chance to recover from the effects of his errors in the 
 Young America, than men and women have in the 
 community. 
 
 By gradual approaches, Shuffles informed the fourth 
 lieutenant of the object of the "Chain," which Pelharn 
 promptly agreed to join, declaring that it was just the 
 thing to suit his case. He was in a rebellious frame 
 of mind ; and though he could not feel that the enter- 
 prise would be a complete success, it would afford him 
 an opportunity to annoy and punish the principal for 
 his degrading and tyrannical regulation, as the recreant 
 officer chose to regard it. 
 
 By the exercise of some tact, the conspirators found 
 a convenient place under the top-gallant forecastle to 
 consider the project. Pelharn was duly " toggled," 
 and offered no objection to the penalty ; indeed, he 
 only laughed at it. 
 
 " Suppose we get possession of the ship — what 
 then?" asked Pelharn. 
 
 " We will go on a cruise. I understand that she 
 has provisions for a six months' voyage on board. I'm 
 in favor of going round Cape Horn, and having a 
 good time among the islands of the South Sea." 
 
 Pelharn laughed outright at this splendid scheme. 
 
 u Round Cape Horn ! " exclaimed he. 
 
 " Yes ; why not? We should be up with the cape 
 by the first of June ; rather a bad time, I know, but 
 this ship would make good weather of it, and I don't 
 believe we should see anything worse than this.*' 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 2/J.I 
 
 " What will you do with the principal and the pro- 
 fessors?" asked Pelham, lightly. 
 
 " We can run up within ten or fifteen miles of Cape 
 Sable, give them one of the boats, and let them go on 
 shore." 
 
 " Perhaps they won't go." 
 
 " We have ten fellows already in the Chain, who are 
 seventeen years old. If we get half the crew, we can 
 handle the other half, and the professors with them." 
 
 " All right ! I'm with you, whether you succeed or 
 not. I'm not going to be ground under Lowington's 
 feet, and be snubbed by such fellows as Gordon. If I 
 want to smoke a cigar, I'm going to do it." 
 
 " Or take a glass of wine," suggested Shuffles. 
 
 " If there is any on board." 
 
 " There is, plenty of it. I'll make you a present of 
 a bottle, if you wish it." 
 
 " Thank you. Suppose we get the ship, Shuffles, 
 who are to be the officers ? " asked Pelham. 
 
 " We shall have good fellows for officers. You will 
 be one, of course." 
 
 " I suppose I am higher in rank now than any fellow 
 w T ho has joined the Chain." 
 
 " Yes, that's a fact ; but we are not going to mind 
 who are officers now, or who have been before. We 
 intend to take the best fellows — those who have done 
 the most work in making the Chain." 
 
 u Whether they are competent or not," added 
 Pelham. 
 
 " All the fellows know how to work a ship now, 
 except the green hands that came aboard this year." 
 
 " This is rather an important matter, Shuffles, for 
 
 21 
 
242 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 everything depends upon the officers. For instance, 
 who will be captain?" asked Pelham, with assumed 
 indifference. 
 
 " I shall, of course," replied Shuffles, with becoming 
 modesty. 
 
 " That's a settled matter, T suppose." 
 
 " Yes ; without a doubt it is." 
 
 " I may not agree to that," suggested *iie new 
 convert. 
 
 " You have already agreed to it. You have prom- 
 ised to obey your superiors." 
 
 " But who are my superiors? " 
 
 " I am one of them." 
 
 " Who appointed you ? " 
 
 " I appointed myself. I got up the Chain." 
 
 " I think I have just as much right to that place as 
 you have, Shuffles." 
 
 " I don't see it ! Do you expect me to get up this 
 thing, and then take a subordinate position ? " de- 
 manded Shuffles, indignantly. 
 
 " Let the members choose the captain ; that's the 
 proper way." 
 
 " Perhaps they will choose neither one of us." 
 
 " Very well ; I will agree to serve under any fellow 
 who is fairly elected." 
 
 " When shall he be chosen ? " asked Shuffles, who 
 was so sure of a majority that he was disposed to 
 adopt the suggestion. 
 
 u When we have thirty links, say." 
 
 " I will agree to it." 
 
 The conspirators separated, each to obtain recruits 
 as fast as he could. During the latter part of the day, 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 243 
 
 the gale began to subside, and at sunset its force was 
 broken, but the sea still ran fearfully high. The fore 
 course was shaken out, and the ship filled away again, 
 plunging madly into the savage waves. 
 
 On Sunday morning, the gale had entirely subsided ; 
 but the wind still came from the same quarter, and the 
 weather was cloudy. The sea had abated its fury, 
 though the billows still rolled high, and the ship had 
 an ugly motion. During the night, the reefs had been 
 turned out of the topsails ; the jib, flying-jib, and 
 spanker had been set, and the Young America was 
 making a course east-south-east. 
 
 " Sail ho ! " shouted one of the crew on the top- 
 gallant forecastle, after the forenoon watch was set. 
 
 " Where away? " demanded the officer of the deck. 
 
 " Over the lee bow, sir," was the report which came 
 through the officers on duty. 
 
 The report created a sensation, as it always does 
 When a sail is seen; for one who has not spent days 
 and weeks on the broad expanse of waters, can form 
 only an inadequate idea of the companionship which 
 those in one ship feel for those in another, even while 
 they are miles apart. Though the crew of the Young 
 America had been shut out from society only about 
 three days, they had already begun to realize this 
 craving for association — this desire to see other peo- 
 ple, and be conscious of their existence. 
 
 After the severe gale through which they had just 
 passed, this sentiment was stronger than it would have 
 been under other circumstances. The ocean had been 
 lashed into unwonted fury by the mad winds. A 
 fierce gale had been raging for full twenty-four hours, 
 
?./J/J OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 and the tempest was suggestive of what the sailor 
 dreads most — shipwreck, with its long train of disas- 
 ter — suffering, privation, and death. It was hardly 
 possible that such a terrible storm had swept the sea 
 without carrying down some vessels with precious 
 freights of human life. 
 
 The Young America had safely ridden out the gale, 
 for all that human art could do to make her safe and 
 strong had been clone without regard to expense. No 
 niggardly owners had built her of poor and insufficient 
 material, or sent her to sea weakly manned and with 
 incompetent officers. The ship was heavily manned ; 
 eighteen or twenty men would have been deemed a 
 sufficient crew to work her ; and though her force 
 consisted of boys, they would average more than two 
 thirds of the muscle and skill of able-bodied seamen. 
 
 There were other ships abroad on the vast ocean, 
 which could not compare with her in strength and 
 appointments, and which had not one third of her 
 working power on board. No ship can absolutely 
 defy the elements, and there is no such thing as abso- 
 lute safety in a voyage across the ocean ; but there is 
 far less peril than people who have had no experience 
 generally suppose. The Cunard steamers have been 
 running more than a quarter of a century, with the 
 loss of only one ship, and no lives in that one — a 
 triumphant result achieved by strong ships, with com- 
 petent men to manage them. Poorly built ships, 
 short manned, with officers unfit for their positions, 
 constitute the harvest of destruction on the ocean. 
 
 Mr. Lowington believed that the students of the 
 Academy Ship would be as safe on board the Young 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 
 
 2 4 S 
 
 America as they would on shore. He had taken a 
 great deal of pains to demonstrate his theory to 
 parents, and though he often failed, he often suc- 
 ceeded. The Young America had just passed through 
 one of the severest gales of the year, and in cruising 
 for the next three years, she would hardly encounter a 
 more terrific storm. She had safely weathered it ; the 
 boys had behaved splendidly, and not one of them had 
 been lost, or even injured, by the trying exposure. The 
 principal's theory was thus far vindicated, 
 
 The starboard watch piped to breakfast, when the 
 sail was discovered, too far off to make her out. The 
 boys all manifested a deep interest in the distant wan- 
 derer on the tempestuous sea, mingled with a desire 
 to know how the stranger had weathered the gale. 
 Many of them went up the shrouds into the tops, and 
 the spy-glasses were in great demand. 
 
 "Do you make her out, Captain Gordon?" asked 
 Mr. Fluxion, as he came up from his breakfast, and 
 discovered the commander watching the stranger 
 through the glass. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; I can just make her out now. Her fore- 
 mast and mainmast have gone by the board, and she 
 has the ensign, union down, hoisted at her mizzen," 
 replied the captain, with no little excitement in his 
 manner. 
 
 " Indeed ! " exclaimed the teacher of mathematics, 
 as he took the glass. " You are right, Captain Gordon, 
 and you had better keep her away.'* 
 
 " Shall I speak to Mr. Lowington first, sir?" asked 
 the captain. 
 
 " I think there is no need of it in the present 
 21 * 
 
246 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 instance. There can be no doubt what he will do when 
 a ship is in distress." 
 
 " Mr. Kendall, keep her away two points," said the 
 captain to the officer of the deck. "What is the 
 ship's course now ? " 
 
 " East-south-east, sir," replied the second lieutenant, 
 who had the deck. 
 
 " Make it south-east." 
 
 " South-east, sir," repeated Kendall. " Quartermas- 
 ter, keep her away two points," he added to the petty 
 officer conning the wheel. 
 
 " Two points, sir," said Bennington, the quarter- 
 master. 
 
 " Make the course south-east." 
 
 " South-east, sir." 
 
 After all these repetitions it was not likely that any 
 mistake would occur ; and the discipline of the ship 
 required every officer and seaman who received a ma- 
 terial order, especially in regard to the helm or the 
 course, to repeat it, and thus make sure that it was not 
 misunderstood. 
 
 It was Sunday ; and no study was required, or work 
 performed, except the necessary ship's duty. Morning 
 prayers had been said, as usual, and there was to be 
 divine service in the steerage, forenoon and afternoon, 
 for all who could possibly attend ; and this rule ex- 
 cepted none but the watch on deck. By this system, 
 the quarter watch on duty in the forenoon, attended 
 in the afternoon ; those who were absent at morning 
 prayers were always present at the evening devotions ; 
 and blow high or blow low, the brief matin and vesper 
 service were never omitted, for young men in the midst 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 247 
 
 of the sublimity and the terrors of the ocean could 
 least afford to be without the daily thought of God, 
 " who plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon 
 the storm." 
 
 Every man and boy in the ship was watching the 
 speck on the watery waste, which the glass had re- 
 vealed to be a dismasted, and perhaps sinking ship. 
 The incident created an intense interest, and was cal- 
 culated to bring out the finer feelings of the students. 
 They were full of sympathy for her people, and the 
 cultivation of noble and unselfish sentiments, which 
 the occasion had already called forth, and was likely 
 to call forth in a still greater degree, was worth the 
 voyage over the ocean ; for there are impressions to be 
 awakened by such a scene which can be garnered in 
 no other field. 
 
24S OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE SYLVIA. 
 
 THE people in the dismasted ship had discovered 
 the Young America, as it appeared from the 
 efforts they were using to attract her attention. The 
 booming of a gun was occasionally heard from her, 
 but she was yet too far off to be distinctly seen. 
 
 On the forecastle of the Academy Ship were two 
 brass guns, four-pounders, intended solely for use in 
 making signals. The}' had never been fired, even on 
 the Fourth of July, for Mr. Lowington would not en- 
 courage their use among the boys. On the present 
 occasion he ordered Peaks, the boatswain, to fire 
 twice, to assure the ship in distress that her signals 
 were heard. 
 
 The top-gallant sails were set, and the speed of the 
 ship increased as much as possible ; but the heavy sea 
 was not favorable to rapid progress through the water. 
 At four bells, when all hands but the second part of 
 the port watch were piped to attend divine service in 
 me steerage, the Young America was about four miles 
 distant from the dismasted vessel. She was rolling 
 and pitching heavily, and not making more than two 
 or three knots an hour. 
 
 Notwithstanding the impatience of the crew, and 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 249 
 
 their desire to be on deck, where they could see the 
 wreck, the service on that Sunday forenoon was espe- 
 cially impressive. Mr. Agneau prayed earnestly for 
 those who were suffering by the perils of the sea, and 
 that those who should draw near unto them in the 
 hour of their danger, might be filled with the love of 
 God and of man, which would inspire them to be faith- 
 ful to the duties of the occasion. 
 
 When the service was ended the students went on 
 deck again. The wreck could now be distinctly seen. 
 It was a ship of five or six hundred tons, rolling help- 
 lessly in the trough of the sea. She was apparently 
 water-logged, if not just ready to go down. As the 
 Young America approached her, her people were seen 
 to be laboring at the pumps, and to be baling her out 
 with buckets. It was evident from the appearance of 
 the wreck, that it had been kept afloat only by the 
 severest exertion on the part of the crew. 
 
 " Mr. Peaks, you will see that the boats are in order 
 for use," said Mr. Lowington. " We shall lower the 
 barge and the gig." 
 
 " The barge and the gig, sir," replied the boatswain. 
 
 " Captain Gordon," continued the principal, " two 
 of your best officers must be detailed for the boats." 
 
 " I will send Mr. Kendall in the barge, sir." 
 
 " Very well ; he is entirely reliable. Whom will 
 you send in the gig?" 
 
 " I am sorry Shuffles is not an officer now, for he 
 was one of the best we had for such service," added 
 the captain. 
 
 " Shuffles is out of the question," replied Mr. Low- 
 ington. 
 
250 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 "Mr. Haven, then, in the gig." 
 
 " The sea is very heavy, and the boats must be han. 
 died with skill and prudence." 
 
 " The crews have been practised in heavy seas, 
 though in nothing like this." 
 
 The barge and the gig — called so by courtesy — 
 were the two largest boats belonging to the ship, and 
 pulled eight oars each. They were light and strong, 
 and had been built with especial reference to the use 
 for which they were intended. They were life-boats, 
 and before the ship sailed, they had been rigged with 
 life-lines and floats. If they were upset in a heavy 
 sea, the crews could save themselves by clinging to 
 the rope, buoyed up by the floats. 
 
 The Young America stood up towards the wreck, 
 intending to pass under her stern as near as it was 
 prudent to lay, the head of the dismasted ship being 
 to the north-west. 
 
 " Boatswain, pipe all hands to muster," said the 
 captain, prompted by Mr. Lowington, as the ship ap- 
 proached the wreck. 
 
 " All hands on deck, ahoy ! " shouted the boatswain, 
 piping the call. 
 
 The first lieutenant took the trumpet from the offi- 
 cer of the deck, and the crew, all of whom were on 
 deck when the call was sounded, sprang to their mus- 
 ter stations. 
 
 " All hands, take in courses," said the executive 
 officer ; and those who were stationed at the tacks and 
 sheets, clew-garnets and buntlines, prepared to do 
 their duty when the boatswain piped the call. 
 
 "Man the fore and main clew-garnets and bunt- 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 2$\ 
 
 lines ! " shouted the first lieutenant. " Stand by tacks 
 and sheets ! " 
 
 The fore and main sail, being tfce lowest square 
 sails, are called the courses. There is no correspond- 
 ing sail on the mizzenmast. The ropes by which the 
 lower corners of these sails are hauled up for furl- 
 ing, are the clew-garnets — the same that are desig- 
 nated clewlines on the topsails. 
 
 The tacks and sheets are the ropes by which the 
 courses are hauled down, and kept in place, the tack 
 being on the windward side, and the sheet on the lee- 
 Ward. 
 
 " All ready, sir," reported the lieutenants forward. 
 
 " Haul taut ! Let go tacks and sheets ! Haul 
 up ! " 
 
 These orders being promptly obeyed, the courses 
 were hauled up, and the ship was under topsails and 
 top-gal lant sails, jib, flying-jib, and spanker. 
 
 " Ship, ahoy ! " shouted the first lieutenant through 
 his trumpet, as the Young America rolled slowly 
 along under the stern of the wreck. 
 
 " Ship, ahoy ! " replied a voice from the deck of the 
 wreck. " We are in a sinking condition ! Will you 
 take us off? " 
 
 " Ay, ay ! " cried Haven, with right good will. 
 
 " You will heave to the ship, Mr. Haven," said the 
 captain, when she had passed a short distance beyond 
 the wreck. 
 
 " Man the jib and flying-jib halyards and down- 
 hauls," said the first lieutenant. 
 
 " All ready forward, sir," replied the second lieu- 
 tenant, on the forecastle. 
 
252 OUTWARD BOUND, OH 
 
 " Stand by the main-top bowline ! Cast off! Man 
 the main braces ! " 
 
 " Let go the jib and flying-jib halyards ! Haul 
 down ! " And the jibs were taken in. 
 
 " Slack off the lee braces ! Haul on the weather 
 braces ! " 
 
 The main-topsail and top-gallant were thus thrown 
 aback, and the Young America was hove to, in order 
 to enable her people to perform their humane mission. 
 
 " Stand by to lower the barge and gig ! " continued 
 Haven. 
 
 " Mr. Haven, you will board the wreck in the gig," 
 said Captain Gordon. 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied he, touching his cap, and hand- 
 ing the trumpet to the second lieutenant. 
 
 " Mr. Kendall, you will take charge of the barge," 
 added the captain. 
 
 " The barge, sir," answered Kendall, passing the 
 trumpet to Goodwin, the third lieutenant, who, during 
 the absence of his superiors, was to discharge the duty 
 of the executive officer. 
 
 The boats were cleared away, and every prepara- 
 tion made for lowering them into the water. This 
 was a difficult and dangerous manoeuvre in the heavy 
 sea which was running at the time. The professors' 
 barge, which was secured at the davits on the weather 
 side of the ship, was to be lowered with her crew on 
 board, and they took their places on the thwarts, with 
 their hands to the oars in readiness for action. The 
 principal had requested Mr. Fluxion to go in the 
 barge and Mr. Peaks in the gig, not to command the 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 253 
 
 boats, but to give the officers such suggestions as the 
 emergency of the occasion might require. 
 
 " All ready, sir," reported Ward, the coxswain of 
 the barge, when the oarsmen were in their places. 
 
 " Stand by the after tackle, Ward," said Haven. 
 " Bowman, attend to the fore tackle." 
 
 At a favorable moment, when a great wave was 
 sinking down by the ship's side, the Order was given 
 to lower away, and in an instant the barge struck the 
 water. Ward cast off the after tackle, and the bow- 
 man did the same with the forward tackle. At the 
 moment the order to lower was given, as the wave 
 sank down, the ship rolled to windward, and the boat 
 struck the water some eight feet from the vessel's side. 
 
 " Up oars ! " said the coxswain, with energy. 
 
 " Lively, Ward," added the first lieutenant. 
 
 "Let fall!" continued the coxswain, as a billow 
 lifted the boat, so that those on board could see the 
 ship's deck. " Give way together ! " 
 
 The barge, tossed like a feather on the high seas, 
 gathered headway, and moved off towards the wreck. 
 
 The lowering of the barge had been so successful 
 that the same method was adopted with the gig ; but 
 as she was under the lee of the ship, there was less 
 difficulty in getting her off. She pulled round the 
 ship's bow, and having made less stern wiy in start- 
 ing, both boats came up under the counter of the 
 wreck at about the same time. When the barge and 
 gig reached the ship, a line was thrown to each of 
 them over the quarter, which the bowman caught, and 
 made fast to the ring. 
 22 
 
254 OUTWARD BRUND, OR 
 
 " Where is the captain of the ship ? " demanded Mr. 
 Haven. 
 
 " Here," shouted that officer. 
 
 " How many have you aboard?" 
 
 " Eighteen ! " 
 
 " You must slide down on a rope over the stern ; 
 we can't go alongside," continued the first lieutenant. 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ! " responded the captain of the ship. 
 " I have two women and two children on board." 
 
 " You must lower them in slings," added Haven, 
 prompted by Mr. Fluxion. 
 
 The people on board the wreck went to work, and 
 one of the women was lowered into each boat at the 
 same time. A long loop was made in the end of the 
 rope, and the woman sat down in the bight of it, hold' 
 ing on to the line with her hands. At a moment 
 when the sea favored the movement, the boats were 
 hauled up close to the ship's stern, the passenger 
 caught by two of the crew, and hauled on board. A 
 boy and a girl were let down in the same manner. 
 The captain, mates, and seamen came down the rope 
 hand over hand. 
 
 Each boat now had nine passengers, who were" 
 stowed in the stern sheets and on the bottom. The 
 ropes from the ship were cast off, and the oarsmen 
 were ordered to give way. The barge and the gig 
 rose and fell, now leaping up on the huge billows, 
 and then plunging down deep into the trough of the 
 sea ; but they had been well trimmed, and though the 
 comb of the sea occasionally broke into them, drench- 
 ing the boys with spray, the return to the Young 
 America was safely effected. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 255 
 
 " How happens it that you are all boys?" asked the 
 captain of the wrecked ship, who was in Paul Ken- 
 dall's boat. 
 
 " That's the Academy Ship," replied the second 
 lieutenant. 
 
 " The what ? " exclaimed the captain. 
 
 " It is the Young America. She is a school ship." 
 
 " O, ay ! " 
 
 There was no disposition to talk much in the 
 boats. The officers and crews were fully employed 
 in keeping the barge and gig right side up in the tre- 
 mendous sea, and though all hands were filled with 
 curiosity to know the particulars of the wreck, all 
 questions were wisely deferred until they were on the 
 deck of the ship. 
 
 When the gig came up under the counter of the 
 Young America, a line was thrown down to the bow- 
 man, who made it fast to the ring. The passengers 
 were then taken aboard in slings rigged on the 
 spanker-boom, which was swung over the lee quarter 
 for the purpose. Part of the boat's crew were taken 
 on board in the same way, and then the gig was 
 hoisted up to the davits with the rest in her. 
 
 Before the barge was allowed to come up under the 
 counter, the officer of the deck wore ship, so as to 
 bring the port quarter, on which the boat was to be 
 suspended, on the lee side. Her passengers were 
 taken on deck as those from the gig had been, and 
 she was hoisted up. 
 
 " Mr. Kendall, I congratulate you upon the success 
 of your labors," said Mr. Lowington, when the second 
 lieutenant reached the deck. "You have handled 
 
256 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 your boat exceedingly well, and you deserve a great 
 deal of credit." 
 
 " That's a fact, sir," added Boatswain Peaks, touch- 
 ing his cap. " I hardly spoke a word to him, and 
 I've seen many a boat worse handled in a sea." 
 
 Paul blushed at the praise bestowed upon him, but 
 he was proud and happy to have done his duty faith- 
 fully on this important occasion. The same commen- 
 dation was given to the first lieutenant, after the barge 
 had been hauled up to the davits, and the order given 
 for the ship to fill away again. 
 
 The women and children were conducted to the 
 professors' cabin as soon as they came on board, and 
 the seamen were taken into the steerage. All of them 
 •were exhausted by the anxiety and the hardships they 
 had endured, and as soon as their safety was insured, 
 they sank almost helpless under the pressure of their 
 physical weakness. 
 
 " This is a school ship, I'm told," said Captain 
 Greely, the master of the shipwrecked vessel, who 
 had also been invited to the main cabin. 
 
 u Yes, sir ; we call it the Academy Ship, and we 
 have eighty-seven young gentlemen on board," replied 
 Mr. Lowington. 
 
 " They are smart boys, sir. 1 never saw boats bet- 
 ter handled than those which brought us off from the 
 ship," added Captain Greely, warmly. 
 
 " Your voyage has come to an unfortunate conclu- 
 sion," said Mr. Lowington. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; I have lost my ship, but I thank God 
 my wife and children are safe," answered the weather- 
 beaten seaman, as he glanced at one of the women, 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 257 
 
 while the great tears flowed down his sun-browned 
 cheeks. 
 
 " Poor children ! " sighed Mr. Agneau, as he patted 
 the little girl on the head ; and his own eyes were dim 
 with the tears he shed fbr others' woes. 
 
 Captain Greely told his story very briefly. His 
 ship was the Sylvia, thirty days out of Liverpool, 
 bound to New York. She had encountered a heavy 
 gale a week before, in which she had badly sprung 
 her mainmast. Finding it impossible to lay her to 
 under the foresail, they had been compelled to set the 
 main-topsail, reefed ; but even this was too much for 
 the weak mast, and it had gone by the board, carrying 
 the second mate and five men with it. The Sylvia 
 was old, and the captain acknowledged that she was 
 hardly sea-worthy. She became unmanageable, and 
 the foremast had been cut away to ease off the strain 
 upon her. Her seams opened, and she was making 
 more water than could be controlled with the pumps. 
 For eighteen hours, all hands, even including the two 
 women, had labored incessantly at the pumps and 
 the buckets, to keep the ship afloat. They were 
 utterly worn out when they discovered the Young 
 America, were on the point of abandoning their 
 efforts in despair, and taking to the boats, in which 
 most of them would probably have perished. 
 
 After the boats started from the Young America, 
 Mr. Lowington had ordered the cooks to prepare a 
 meal for the people from the wreck ; and as soon as 
 they came on board, coffee and tea, beefsteaks, fried 
 potatoes, and hot biscuit were in readiness for them. 
 Tables were spread in the main cabin and in the 
 22* 
 
258 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 steerage, and the exhausted guests, providentially sent 
 to this bountiful board, were cordially invited to par- 
 take. They had eaten nothing but hard bread since 
 the gale came on, and they were in condition to ap- 
 preciate the substantial fare set before them. 
 
 By the forethought of Captain Greely, the clothing 
 of the women and children had been thrown into one 
 of the boats. The bundle was opened, and its con- 
 tents dried at the galley fire. The doctor and the 
 chaplain gave up their state room to the captain, his 
 wife and children, while Mr. Lowington extended a 
 similar courtesy to the other woman, who was Mrs. 
 Greely's sister. Mr. Fluxion was the first to offer his 
 berth to the mate of the Sylvia, which was reluctantly 
 accepted ; and all the professors were zealous to sac- 
 rifice their own comfort to the wants of the wrecked 
 visitors. 
 
 In the steerage, every boy, without an exception, 
 wanted to give up his berth to one of the seamen from 
 the Sylvia ; but the privilege was claimed by the adult 
 forward officers, the cooks, and stewards. The prin- 
 cipal was finally obliged to decide between them ; and 
 for obvious reasons, he directed that the guests should 
 occupy the quarters of the men, rather than of the boys. 
 The people from the Sylvia needed rest and nourish- 
 ment more than anything else. They were warmed, 
 and fed, and dried, and then permitted to sleep off the 
 fatigues of their severe exertion. 
 
 At three o'clock, though they had slept but an hour 
 or two, most of the shipwrecked people appeared at 
 divine service, for this was a privilege which they had 
 long been denied, and it would be strange, at such a 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 2^9 
 
 time, if the hearts of those who had been saved from 
 the angry flood were not overflowing with gratitude 
 to God for his mercy to them. Mr. Agneau, whose 
 sensitive nature had been keenly touched by the events 
 of the day, made a proper use of the occasion, deliver- 
 ing a very effective address to the students and to the 
 shipwrecked voyagers, who formed his little congre- 
 gation. 
 
 The , next morning the wind came up fresh and 
 warm from the southward, knocking down the heavy 
 sea, and giving a delightful day to those on board the 
 ship. The passengers appeared on deck, and were 
 greatly interested in the Young America and her 
 juvenile crew. Captain Greely's son and daughter 
 were little lions, of the first class, among the boys. 
 All hands vied with each other in their efforts to do 
 something for the guests of the ship, and it really 
 seemed as though the era of good feeling had dawned 
 upon them. Even Shuffles and Pelham forgot, for a 
 time, the interests of the Chain League, and joined 
 with others in petting the children of the wreck, and 
 in laboring for the happiness of the involuntary 
 guests. 
 
 On this day, observations for latitude and longitude 
 were obtained, and at noon the ship was found to be 
 in latitude 42 , 37', 5" N. ; longitude 64 , 39', 52" W. 
 The position of the ship was marked on the chart by 
 the masters, in council assembled, and the calculations 
 made for the course. Bowditch's Navigator, an in- 
 dispensable work to the seaman, was consulted fre- 
 quently, both for the rules and the nautical tables it 
 contains. The course, after allowing for the variation 
 
26o OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 of the compass, was found to be north-east by east, 
 which, agreeing with the calculations of Mr. Fluxion, 
 was given out to the quartermaster conning the wheel. 
 
 The wind continued to blow fresh from the south 
 and south-west during the rest of the day and the suc- 
 ceeding night ; and the log-slate showed ten and eleven 
 knots until midnight, when the wind hauled round to 
 the westward, and soon came strong from that quarter. 
 At noon on Tuesday, April 5, the Young America 
 had made two hundred and forty-four miles during 
 the preceding twenty-four hours, which was the best 
 run she had had during the voyage. 
 
 On the afternoon of this day, a ship, bound to the 
 westward, was seen, and Captain Greely expressed a 
 desire to be put on board of her, with his family, as 
 he did not wish to return to the point from which he 
 had just come. The Young America bore down upon 
 the sail, and spoke her at sundown. Her captain was 
 willing to take the shipwrecked voyagers on board 
 his ship, which was bound to New York, and they 
 were transferred in the barge and gig. Captain 
 Greely and his party were very grateful for the atten- 
 tions they had received ; and the little boy and girl 
 almost rebelled at the idea of leaving their new and 
 partial friends. 
 
 As the two ships were filling away, after the trans- 
 fer of the passengers, the seamen of the New York 
 ship, having learned what the Young America was, 
 gave three cheers, and dipped her ensign in compli- 
 ment to her. All the young tars were immediately 
 ordered into the rigging by Captain Gordon, and 
 " three times three " were most lustily given. The 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 26l 
 
 American flag at her peak was lowered three times, 
 in reply to the salute of the stranger. As the Academy 
 Ship stood off on her course, the two children of Cap- 
 tain Greely were seen, on the poop-deck of the other 
 vessel, waving their handkerchiefs ; and they continued 
 to do so as long as they could be seen. 
 
 The departure of the guests had a saddening effect 
 upon the crew of the Young America, as they missed 
 the children and the ladies very much ; for, during 
 their presence on board, the ship had assumed quite a 
 domestic aspect, and all the idlers on deck found 
 pleasing companions in the little boy and girl. 
 
 The limits of this volume do not permit a full detail 
 of the entire voyage across the ocean. Enough has 
 been given to show the discipline of the ship, and the 
 daily life of the boys on board of her. For the next 
 ten days the weather was generally favorable, and she 
 laid her course all the time. Some days she made 
 two hundred miles, and others less than one hundred. 
 
 On the sixteenth day from her departure, she was 
 in latitude 51 , 4', 28" N. ; longitude 31 , 10', 2" W. ; 
 course, E. by N. In going from Cape Race, the 
 southern point of Newfoundland, to Cape Clear, the 
 southern point of Ireland, the Young America did not 
 lay a straight course, as it would appear when drawn 
 on a map or chart. La Rochelle, on the western 
 coast of France, and Cape Race are nearly on the 
 same parallel of latitude, and the former is exactly 
 east of the latter. But the parallel on which both 
 points lie would not be the shortest line between 
 them. A great circle, extending entirely around the 
 earth in the broadest part, going through both, would 
 
262 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 not coincide with the parallel, but would run to . the 
 north of it a considerable distance at a point half way 
 between the two places, the separation diminishing 
 each way till the great circle crosses the parallel at 
 Cape Race and La Rochelle. The shortest course 
 between the two points, therefore, would be the arc 
 of the great circle lying between them. A skilful 
 navigator would find and follow this track. This is 
 called great circle sailing. 
 
 The Young America followed a great circle from 
 Cape Race to Cape Clear. Off the former point, her 
 course was two points north of east ; off the latter, it 
 was half a point south of east. On her twentieth day 
 out she sailed due east. 
 
 After the excitement of the wreck and the departure 
 of the passengers, Shuffles and his confederates re- 
 sumed their operations in the Chain League, assisted 
 somewhat by a case of discipline which occurred at 
 this time. When the ship was sixteen days out the 
 Chain consisted of thirty-one links, in the cabalistic 
 language of the conspirators, and Shuffles was in 
 favor of striking the blow. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT, 263 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 PEAS AND BEANS. 
 
 THE business of the Chain had been managed 
 with extreme caution by the conspirators, and 
 more than ore third of the crew had been initiated with- 
 out the knowledge of the principal and professors, or 
 of the officers and seamen who were not members. 
 Pelham and Shuffles ordered the affairs of the League, 
 and no " link " was allowed to approach an outsider 
 for the purpose of inducing him to join without the 
 consent of one of these worthies. 
 
 As the scheme progressed, various modifications had 
 been made in the plan to adapt it to circumstances, 
 the principal of which was the choice of two " shac- 
 kles," who should be deemed the officers of the 
 League until a regular election had taken place. By 
 this invention, Shuffles and Pelham had been enabled 
 to compromise their differences, for they assumed the 
 newly-created offices, and labored as equals in the bad 
 cause. Each endeavored to make as many new 
 " links " as possible, for already the conspirators con- 
 sisted of two factions, one of which favored the elec- 
 tion of Shuffles, and the other that of Pelham, to the 
 captaincy. Each, in a measure, controlled his own 
 
264 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 recruits, and was reasonably sure of their votes when, 
 the election should be ordered. 
 
 These young gentlemen were not only plotting to 
 take the ship, but to " take in " each other. While 
 both worked for the League as a whole, each worked 
 for himself as an individual. Shuffles was much more 
 thorough than his rival in the making of his converts. 
 He told them the whole story, and taught them to look 
 full in the face the extreme peril of the undertaking. 
 He did not conceal anything from them. On the 
 other hand, Pelham merely represented the project as 
 a means of redressing the grievances of the officers 
 and crew ; of having their money restored to them, 
 and abolishing certain portions of the regulations 
 which pressed hard upon those who were disposed to 
 be unruly. 
 
 Though the number of "links" in the "Chain" 
 has been mentioned, it was not known to either of 
 the rivals. Each knew his own peculiar followers, 
 but he did not know how many the other could mus- 
 ter. Though there were signs and passwords by 
 which the members could know each other, there were 
 no means by which any one could precisely sum up 
 the whole number of " links." Shuffles could count 
 thirteen including his rival, while Pelham could num- 
 ber nineteen without his coequal in authority. The 
 former believed the list to consist of about twenty four, 
 while the latter estimated it above thirty. With them 
 it was a struggle for an office, as well as to redress 
 their fancied wrongs, and they mutually deceived each 
 other in order to obtain the advantage. 
 
 " How many do you suppose we can muster now?'* 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 2G5 
 
 asked Shuffles, on the evening of the eighteenth day 
 out, as they met in the waist, when both were off duty. 
 
 " About twenty," replied Pelham. 
 
 " There are more than that." 
 
 " Perhaps there are." 
 
 " But it is time to stretch the Chain," added Shuffles, 
 in a whisper. 
 
 " Not yet." 
 
 " If we are ever going to do anything, we must 
 begin soon. We have so many members now that the 
 danger of exposure increases every day." 
 
 " We can't do anything here. Besides, I am not in 
 favor of having the time or the manner of accomplish- 
 ing the work talked about among the members. I 
 believe in one-man power in an affair of this sort. 
 There should be one head, who should plan and com- 
 mand ; all the rest should obey. If every step in the 
 thing must be discussed and agreed upon, we shall 
 never do anything. One fellow will want it done in 
 one way, and another in some other way." 
 
 " I think you are more than half right," replied 
 Shuffles, who was confident that he should be the 
 person chosen to arrange the plans and issue the 
 commands. 
 
 " I know I am wholly right," added Pelham, who 
 was equally confident that he should enjoy the undi- 
 vided sway of the League. " If you are chosen cap- 
 tain, I will cheerfully obey your orders. I go a step 
 farther : whoever is elected captain should appoint his 
 own officers." 
 
 " I will agree to that also," replied the complaisant 
 Shuffles. 
 
 23 
 
266 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " Very well, then ; the understanding is, that when 
 one of us is elected captain, he shall appoint his own 
 officers, and do all the planning and all the command- 
 ing," answered Pelham. 
 
 " Exactly so ; we are now in about longitude thirty- 
 one, and Cork Harbor is in longitude eight, according 
 to Bowditch, for I was looking the matter up in the 
 steerage to-day. We have to make about twenty-three 
 degrees more. A degree of longitude, in latitude fifty- 
 one, is thirty-seven and three quarters miles, which 
 would make it eight hundred and sixty-eight miles 
 more to run in order to reach Queenstown. You see 
 I am posted," said Shuffles. 
 
 " I see you are. By the way, had you noticed that 
 Queenstown is not in the Navigator, or on the older 
 maps ? " added Pelham. 
 
 " Yes ; the place was called the Cove of Cork until 
 1849, when, in honor of her majesty's visit to the town, 
 the name was changed to Queenstown." 
 
 " All right," said Pelham. 
 
 It need not be supposed that the distance to Queens- 
 town and the change in the name of that place had 
 anything to do with the League. The fact was, that 
 Mr. Fluxion had passed near the conspirators, and had 
 paused a moment in the waist to glance up at the fore- 
 top-gallant sail, which w r as not in good trim ; and the 
 conversation had been changed to suit the occasion. 
 In talking of the affairs of the " Chain," it was required 
 that one of the party should look forward, and the 
 other aft, if there were two of them ; and that the third, 
 \f there were three, should stand back to the nearest 
 rail. It was further required that the conversation 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 267 
 
 should not take place in a situation where it would be 
 possible for any one to overhear them. The lee side 
 of the waist, — the midshipman of the watch always 
 being on the weather side, — the top-gallant forecastle, 
 and the tops were the favorite resorts of the conspira- 
 tors. If any one approached, the parties in conver- 
 sation were instantly to change the topic, as Shuffles 
 had done. 
 
 " I think it is about time for the election to take 
 place," continued Shuffles, when Mr. Fluxion had 
 gone aft. 
 
 " Whenever you are ready, I am," replied Pelham. 
 
 " I am ready now." 
 
 " So am I." 
 
 " Very well ; it shall come off to-morrow, say." 
 
 " To-morrow it is, then." 
 
 " But how shall it be conducted? " asked Shuffles. 
 
 " That will not be an easy matter. I think, how- 
 ever, we can hit upon some plan for having it fairly 
 done." 
 
 " Of course the matter lies between you and me," 
 added Shuffles. 
 
 " To be sure." 
 
 " I suppose both of us are ready to abide the issue, 
 whatever it may be," said Shuffles, who was not a little 
 fearful that his powerful rival would refuse to acknowl- 
 edge him when he was chosen, as he confidently ex- 
 pected to be. 
 
 " I pledge you my word and honor, that I will obey 
 you in all things if you are fairly elected captain," 
 replied Pelham, who was equally sure of being chosen 
 himself. 
 
268 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " Fairly ? Who is to decide whether it is fairly done 
 or not?" demanded Shuffles, unwilling to leave a loop- 
 hole through which his companion could crawl out 
 of the bargain. 
 
 '• When we have agreed upon the means of electing 
 the captain, the choice shall be final." 
 
 " Good ! You and I shall have no difficulty ! " ex- 
 claimed Shuffles, rather astonished to find his rival so 
 easily managed, as he regarded it. 
 
 " We will make it a little more binding, if you 
 choose," suggested Pelham, who, the reader has 
 already been assured by the figures given, was com- 
 pletely outwitting the author and inventor of the 
 Chain League. 
 
 " With all my heart ! " 
 
 " We will toggle each other on this special ques- 
 tion, if you like." 
 
 " The stronger we make the bond the better," said 
 Shuffles. " Repeat after me." 
 
 " Not here, Shuffles. There is a steamer on our 
 weather bow. Let's go up into the mizzen-top, and 
 have a look at her with a night glass." 
 
 Mr. Haven, the first lieutenant, who was in charge 
 of the deck, permitted them to go aloft with the glass, 
 for the officers were empowered to grant small favors. 
 On reaching the top, they glanced at the steamer, and 
 then resumed the conversation which had been sus- 
 pended on deck, it being too dark for the officers 
 below to see what they were doing 
 
 u Now go ahead," said Pelham. 
 
 " Repeat after me." 
 
 " All ridit." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 269 
 
 " I promise, without any reservation, to acknowl- 
 edge Shuffles as captain, if he is chosen, and faithfully 
 to obey his orders, on penalty of falling overboard acci- 
 dentally." 
 
 Pelham repeated these words, and then "toggled" 
 his rival in the same manner. 
 
 u Now we understand each other perfectly, and 
 there will be no chance of dragging the anchor," said 
 Shuffles, satisfied that his sway would be undisputed. 
 " Let me say, in addition to this, that if I should hap- 
 pen to be chosen, I shall make you my first officer, 
 Pelham. " 
 
 " And I will make you my first officer, if I should 
 happen to be chosen," replied the obliging Pelham. 
 " Of course I don't expect to be chosen ; you have had 
 the swing of this affair, and you will have all the 
 advantage." 
 
 "No, I think not; you are an officer now, and you 
 have more influence than I have," added the modest 
 Shuffles. 
 
 If both had been laboring for the organization of 
 the League on the same terms, Shuffles would certain- 
 ly have the better chance of an election ; but Pelham 
 had been taking in members on false pretences, merely 
 representing to those whom he approached that the 
 League was an association having for its object the 
 redress of their grievances. To only a few had he 
 mentioned the fact that a regular mutiny was contem- 
 plated ; that the ship was to be taken out of the hands 
 of the principal, and an independent cruise com- 
 menced. He was afraid the whole truth would be 
 more than some of them could bear ; and perhaps 
 33* 
 
270 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 he had so little faith in the extreme measures to be 
 carried out by the League, that he was unwilling even 
 to mention them. 
 
 Those who serve the evil one can neither trust each 
 other nor trust their master. 
 
 The only real confidence in each other which can 
 exist among men or boys must be based on moral and 
 religious principle. 
 
 The man who pays his debts, or who performs his 
 obligations to his fellow-men, for his reputation's sake, 
 rather than from devotion to pure principle, will fail of 
 his duty when he can conceal his infidelity, or when 
 his reputation will not suffer from his acts. 
 
 A man or a boy without principle is not to be trust- 
 ed out of the line of his own interest. 
 
 While Shuffles and Pelham were pledging them- 
 selves to a kind of romantic fidelity, they were plot- 
 ting each against the other, each being satisfied that 
 he had the advantage of the other. 
 
 " Now, I'm afraid the election will give us some 
 trouble," continued Shuffles. " It will not be an easy 
 matter to conduct it fairly — not that any fellow means 
 to cheat, but it must be conducted with so much 
 secrecy that we can't superintend the ballot properly." 
 
 " I know there is all that difficulty, but I have 
 thought of a method which I believe will give us a 
 fair election," replied Pelham. 
 
 " Have you? So have I." 
 
 "Well, what is your plan? If it is better than 
 mine, I am willing to adopt it." 
 
 " I was thinking, as you and I are the only candi- 
 dates, that each of us might be represented by one side 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 27 1 
 
 of the ship. You shall be port, and I will be star- 
 board. Then every link in the Chain shall hand his 
 vote, on which shall be written the single word port or 
 starboard either to you or me ; and if there are more 
 port than starboard, you will be captain ; if more star- 
 board than port, I shall be captain. How does that 
 idea strike you ? " 
 
 " Pretty well ; but the fellows have all got to write 
 their votes, and others will want to know what it 
 means. It will set outsiders to thinking, and I don't 
 believe the plan is quite safe." 
 
 " Well, what is 3-our method ? " asked Shuffles, who 
 was willing to acknowledge the force of his rival's 
 objections. 
 
 " Perhaps my plan is as open to objection as yours," 
 answered Pelham ; " but it will require no writing. 
 Each of us shall get a handful of beans and a handful 
 of peas. We can easily obtain them when the store 
 rooms are opened. You shall be beans, and I will be 
 peas." 
 
 " How are you, Peas?" said Shuffles, laughing at 
 the idea. 
 
 " How are you, Beans ? " added Pelham. 
 
 " Go on with your soup." 
 
 " We will give to every fellow belonging to the 
 Chain one pea and one bean." 
 
 " I understand the plan now ; but where are the 
 fellows to deposit their vegetable ballots?" 
 
 " We can have a receiver ; appoint some good fel- 
 low for the purpose — say, Greenway, the captain of 
 the forecastle ; or Tom Ellis, the third master." 
 
 " Tom Ellis \ Does he belong: ? » 
 
272 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " Of course he does," laughed Pelham, who real- 
 ized that he had been a little too fast in betraying the 
 strength of his faction. 
 
 " I wouldn't appoint an officer. " 
 
 "Well, you mention some fellow," said the politic 
 Pelham. 
 
 " Say Wilton." 
 
 " Mention another." 
 
 " Lynch." 
 
 " No ; try again." 
 
 " Grossbeck." 
 
 " Very well ; I will agree to him." 
 
 " But he might make some mistake." 
 
 " If he does, it will be in your favor, I suppose ; 
 for you nominated him, and, of course, he will give 
 you the benefit of any doubt," replied Pelham. 
 
 " I want a fellow who will do it fairly. I don't 
 wish to get in by any mistake," said Shuffles, mag- 
 nanimously. 
 
 " Neither do I ; and I don't think there will be any 
 mistakes." 
 
 " There is a chance for a great many. The fellows 
 may get mixed between beans and peas. When they 
 come to vote, there will be some who don't know 
 beans," laughed Shuffles. 
 
 " Well, if they don't, they will know peas, which 
 will do just as well," replied Pelham. 
 
 " It would not be pleasant for me to have them 
 know peas, when they ought to know beans." 
 
 " We will give them P. P. as a clew to the whole 
 thing." 
 
 " P. P. ? That means P's, I suppose." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 273 
 
 " It means that, and more. P. for Pelham, and P. 
 for peas. If they get one right, they can't very well 
 get the other wrong." 
 
 " That's true," answered Shuffles, silenced, rather 
 than convinced, by the tactics of his fellow-conspir- 
 ator. 
 
 It was settled that he who knew peas must certainly 
 " know beans." 
 
 "When shall the fellows vote?" asked Shuffles. 
 
 " After dinner to-morrow afternoon. Every fellow 
 will be off duty an hour in the first or second dog 
 watch," replied Pelham, who seemed to have an an- 
 swer ready for every question. " The polls shall be 
 kept open till eight o'clock. The peas and .beans 
 shall be distributed before eight bells in the forenoon 
 watch, so that every fellow will be ready to vote." 
 
 " Where will Grossbeck stand when he receives the 
 ballots?" 
 
 " He won't stand anywhere in particular. We will 
 see him together, and give him his instructions. I 
 think it will be better for him to walk about the ship, 
 and let the fellows hand him the votes on the sly, 
 which he must put in his pocket. He shall count 
 them in the presence of both of us." 
 
 "Suppose he should lose some of them?" suggest- 
 ed Shuffles. 
 
 " If he does, he is as likely to lose peas as beans." 
 
 " I don't want to be chosen in any such manner as 
 by the loss of the votes." 
 
 " I can't see that there is any more danger of his 
 losing them than there is of his losing his head. I 
 bee you are not entirely satisfied with the plan." 
 
274 OUTWARD BOUND, OR, 
 
 " To tell you the truth, Pelham, I am not. There 
 is, at least, a chance for mistakes." 
 
 " I'm willing to do anything you like, that will make 
 the election a fairer one." 
 
 " I have it ! " exclaimed Shuffles. " We can give 
 each fellow two peas and two beans, and let him vote 
 twice." 
 
 " What good will that do ? " 
 
 " I'll tell you. We want another receiver ; then let 
 each fellow vote twice, giving a pea or a bean to both 
 of the receivers. If the two results don't agree, it 
 shall not be an election." 
 
 " That's a first-rate idea, Shuffles, and I go in for it 
 with all my might," replied Pelham, with so much 
 warmth that his companion was put in the best of 
 humor. " Who shall be the other receiver? " 
 
 " Name some one," said Shuffles, generously con- 
 ceding the nomination to his confederate. 
 
 " Perth." 
 
 " No." 
 
 Shuffles objected because Pelham had done so when 
 he had mentioned two names. 
 
 " Richton." 
 
 " Once more." 
 
 " McKeon." 
 
 " Right. McKeon is an honest, careful fellow," 
 added Shuffles. " Now I think there can be no mis- 
 take." 
 
 The minor details of the election were carefully 
 arranged, and the boys went below again. They gave 
 satisfactory replies to the first lieutenant, who ques- 
 tioned them in regard to the steamer they had gone 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 275 
 
 aloft to examine. Pelham thought she was a " Cu- 
 narder," but Shuffles was confident she belonged to 
 the Inman line ; and it is quite certain neither of them 
 had any opinion whatever in regard to her, except 
 that she was going west ; for the red light on her port 
 side was visible. 
 
 On the following day, Grossbeck and McKeon, the 
 receivers who had been appointed, were waited upon, 
 separately, by the two " Shackles/' They accepted 
 the important trust which was confided to them, and 
 each was duly and solemnly admonished of the neces- 
 sity of entire fairness. They were informed that any 
 discrepancy in the number of ballots in the hands of 
 the two receivers would cause the vote to be rejected ; 
 and they individually promised to be both faithful and 
 careful. 
 
 The beans and the peas were readily obtained, and 
 Were distributed among the members of the League, 
 with the necessary secrecy. Some of the independent 
 voters needed a little persuasion to induce them to 
 vote, when informed that the choice was between the 
 " Shackles " only ; but they yielded the point, and 
 entered heartily into the excitement of the event ; for, 
 secret as were the proceedings, they were attended 
 with no little exhilaration of feeling. 
 
 The voting commenced in the afternoon watch. 
 The second part of the starboard watch, being off duty, 
 gave in their peas and beans first. The receivers, 
 without even knowing all the members of the League, 
 took whatever was handed to them f* on the sly,' ? and 
 looked as careless and indifferent as though nothing 
 was going on. The only responsibility that rested 
 
2j6 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 upon them, besides the general duty of carefulness 
 and fidelity, was to see that no one voted twice. 
 " Vote early and vote often " was not countenanced ; 
 and one receiver acted as a check upon the other. 
 
 The election progressed so secretly that no occasion 
 for suspicion was given ; and though the ballots were 
 deposited under the eyes of the principal and the pro- 
 fessors, they saw nothing, and had not the remotest 
 idea that anything wrong was in progress. 
 
 In the last half of the first dogwatch, Shuffles be- 
 gan to be excited. He was too much of a politician 
 to be idle while any voting was going on ; and so far 
 as his duty would permit, he had watched the receiv- 
 ers since the balloting commenced. He had seen 
 seven or eight vote of whose membership in the Chain 
 he had no previous knowledge. He saw that Pelham 
 had made more initiates than he had been willing to 
 acknowledge, apparently concealing the facts for the 
 purpose of favoring his own election. He observed 
 that all the officers of his rival's quarter watch voted, 
 and he was almost certain that he had been defeated. 
 
 Shuffles was angry and indignant when he discov- 
 ered the treacherous shrewdness of his fellow-con- 
 spirator j but he had solemnly promised to abide the 
 result of the election, and he could not recede from 
 his position without a violation of the " honor among 
 thieves " which is said to exist. The poll would not 
 be closed for half an hour ; and as he had been cheat- 
 ed, he deemed it quite right to restore the equilibrium 
 by a resort to the same policy. 
 
 " Wilton, I have been cheated," said he, angrily, as 
 he met his old crony in the waist. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 277 
 
 " How do you know you have ? " 
 
 " I know it. I will explain by and by. Something 
 must be done. I am beaten as sure as you live." 
 
 " Well, I can't help it if you are. You and Pelham 
 have fixed things to suit yourselves, and now you 
 must fight it out between you," replied Wilton, as he 
 turned on his heel, and left the mighty mischief-maker 
 alone and disconcerted. 
 
 " Where do all these beans come from? " said Paul 
 Kendall, as he noticed the rejected ballots of the Pel- 
 hainites, which they had not even taken the trouble to 
 throw over the rail. 
 
 " It's a new game the fellows are playing," replied 
 Shuffles, with apparent indifference, as he walked aft 
 with the second lieutenant. 
 
 "What's that?" asked Paul, curiously. 
 
 " It's called ' Don't know Beans,' " answered Shuf- 
 fles, in deep thought. " The fellows have a good deal 
 of sport out of it in the ofT-time." 
 
 " ' Don't know Beans ! ' I never heard of such a 
 game before. Tell me about it." 
 
 "You see Grossbeck and McKeon?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 "Well, they are the butts, as we call them. All 
 the fellows in our watch have some beans," added 
 Shuffles, taking a handful of them from his pocket. 
 
 "What do they do with them?" 
 
 " You try it yourself. Take two of these beans." 
 
 Paul took them. 
 
 " Now you must give one to Grossbeck, and the 
 other to McKeon, without letting any fellow see you 
 24 
 
278 OUTWAAR BOUND, OR 
 
 do it. If any fellow does see you give it to either of 
 them, he will say* in a low tone, ' Don't know Beans,' 
 and then the butt must drop it on deck. When the 
 even bell strikes, Grossbeck and McKeon must count 
 their beans. The one who has the most must appoint 
 the next two bean-pots, or butts ; and the one who has 
 the smaller number must pick up all the beans that 
 have been dropped on the deck. There is fun in it ; 
 though, perhaps, you wouldn't think so." 
 
 a I will try it, at any rate." 
 
 Paul did try it, and succeeded, as all others did, in 
 giving the beans to the receivers without any one ut- 
 tering the warning words. He was rather pleased 
 with the game, so suddenly invented, and the two offi- 
 cers of his watch were induced to try the experiment. 
 Then Blackburn, Endicott, and Bennington were sup- 
 plied with beans by Shuffles, who instructed his audi- 
 tors that not a word must be said about the matter to 
 the " butts," or to any one in the waist. The last 
 three were as successful as the first three. Then 
 Thompson and Cartwright were equally fortunate. 
 Finally, Captain Gordon's attention was attracted, 
 and he descended so far from his dignity as to deposit 
 the beans. 
 
 Shuffles was satisfied. He had procured nine votes, 
 and he was confident that he had thus defeated his 
 rival. As a matter of precaution, he directed McKeon 
 to pick up the beans scattered in the waist ; and the 
 " outsiders " who had cast the nine votes believed that 
 he was the unlucky butt, who had been beaten in the 
 game. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 279 
 
 " The captain and half the officers voted," whis- 
 pered Grossbeck at four bells. 
 
 " Certainly ; that's all right. You and McKeon 
 will meet Pelham and me in the waist at eight bells," 
 replied Shuffles, as he went below. 
 
280 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE RESULT OF THE BALLOT. 
 
 THE first part of the port watch went on duty at 
 eight o'clock, when the secret poll for the choice 
 of a captain, under the new order of events, was 
 closed. Shuffles was in this watch, but as neither his 
 " trick at the wheel " nor his turn on the lookout came 
 within the first hour, he had an opportunity to attend 
 to the important business of the League. Pelham and 
 the two receivers of votes belonged in the second part 
 of the port watch, and there was nothing to prevent 
 them from attending the conference which Shuffles 
 had appointed. 
 
 While Shuffles had been teaching the "outsiders" 
 the game of " Don't know Beans," Pelham, as officer 
 of the deck, remained abaft the mizzenmast, and had 
 failed to notice what was taking place in the waist. 
 The officers who were off duty, and who had uncon- 
 sciously voted for Shuffles, said nothing to those in 
 charge of the ship. In accordance with the require- 
 ments of man-of-war discipline, the weather side of 
 the deck was given up to the captain and the officers 
 on duty, while all the idlers were required to keep on 
 the lee side. Captain Gordon was a privileged person. 
 On the weather side, even the denizens of the after 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT- 28 1 
 
 cabin did not presume to address him on any question 
 not connected with the discipline of the ship. When 
 he went over to the lee side, it was understood that he 
 was simply a student, and even an ordinary seaman 
 might speak to him when he walked forward. 
 
 Shuffles had explained the game to the outsiders 
 on the lee side, out of the hearing of the officer of 
 the deck ; and Pelham, entirely satisfied that he was 
 already elected, did not trouble himself about the 
 matter. 
 
 If " Don't know Beans " was not much of a game, 
 it was better than nothing, and Shuffles soon found 
 that there was danger of his little scheme being ex-, 
 posed. During the second dog watch, at supper time, 
 and as other opportunities were presented, he told 
 Wilton, Monroe, Adler, and others, that the second 
 lieutenant, seeing so many beans on the deck, wished 
 to know where they came from, and that, to deceive 
 him and the rest of the officers, he had invented the 
 game which he described, and wished them to play 
 while off duty on deck. " Our fellows" thought this 
 was a good joke, and the new pastime was soon under- 
 stood throughout the ship, and u butts " were appointed 
 in each quarter watch to play it the next day. 
 
 " The fellows have all voted, I suppose," said Pel- 
 ham, when the party had obtained a good position for 
 the conference. 
 
 " The time is out, whether they have or not," 
 replied Grossbeck. 
 
 " All we have to do now is to count the votes," 
 added Shuffles, impatiently, for he was afraid his little 
 24* 
 
282 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 trick would be exposed before the result of the ballot 
 was obtained. 
 
 " Well, let us have it counted at once," said Pelham, 
 who, having no doubt of the result, had no thought of 
 offering any objection to the fairness of the election. 
 
 " We can't count the votes here," suggested McKeon. 
 " Some one would see us, and want to know what we 
 were doing." 
 
 " I can't leave the deck ; I'm on duty," replied 
 Shuffles. 
 
 " Let the receivers count it themselves." 
 
 " We ought to see them do it." 
 
 " That is not necessary. They don't know how 
 many votes they have." 
 
 " I'm sure I don't," said Grossbeck." 
 
 " Neither do I," added McKeon. 
 
 " I'll tell you how we can manage it, without 
 exciting the attention of any one." 
 
 " I will agree to anything that is fair," replied 
 Shuffles. 
 
 " Grossbeck shall go forward, and McKeon aft as 
 far as the mainmast, so that each cannot know what 
 the other is about. They can count the votes sepa- 
 rately, without being seen." 
 
 " I don't see how we can," said McKeon. 
 
 " Can you tell a pea from a bean by the feeling?" 
 
 " Of course we can." 
 
 " Where did you put the votes, Grossbeck?" asked 
 Pelham. 
 
 " In my trousers' pocket." 
 
 " So did I," added McKeon. 
 
 " Both of you have on your pea-jackets now, and 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. . ' 283 
 
 there is a pocket on each side of them. Take out all 
 the peas first, and put them in the right-hand pocket 
 of your pea-jacket; then all the beans, and put them 
 in the left-hand pocket ; then count each." 
 
 " Some fellow may see us counting them," said 
 Grossbeck. 
 
 " You must take care of that," answered Pelham. 
 
 " If they do, it will not make much difference. 
 Some of the fellows were careless, and threw their 
 beans on the deck." 
 
 "Did they?" laughed Pelham; "I suppose they 
 had no use for them." 
 
 " The second lieutenant saw them, and wanted to 
 know what they meant," added Shuffles. 
 
 " Whew ! " exclaimed Pelham. 
 
 " I made it all right, though I was obliged to invent 
 a new game to throw him oft' the track." 
 
 " Good ! " said Pelham. " But we must go on with 
 the counting. When you have found the number of 
 peas and of beans, you will write the result on a piece 
 of paper, each of you. McKeon, you will hand your 
 paper to Shuffles, and, Grossbeck, you will hand yours 
 to me. That's fair — isn't it? " 
 
 " Certainly," replied Shuffles. 
 
 " Then we will put the two papers together ) if 
 they agree, the election is made ; if they do not agree, 
 We must do it all over again," continued Pelham. 
 
 " All right," added Shuffles. 
 
 The two receivers were sent away to count the 
 Votes. As one went forward, and the other aft, and 
 the two " Shackles" stood between, no communication 
 Whatever could pass from one to the other. It was 
 
284 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 now quite dark, and most of those off duty had 
 turned in, for the students had become so well ac- 
 customed to sea life that they could sleep whenever 
 their presence was not required on deck. 
 
 " I hope this thing will be settled now once for all," 
 said Pelham,- who feared that some mistake might 
 defeat his hopes. 
 
 " So do I," replied Shuffles, who was disturbed by 
 the same dread. 
 
 "Have you any idea what the result will be?'* 
 asked Pelham, who, in spite of the mutual " tog- 
 gling," and the mutual assurances of good faith, had 
 some doubts whether his rival would be willing to 
 accept the result. 
 
 " Well, I don't know," replied Shuffles, cautiously, 
 and with the same want of confidence which disturbed 
 his companion. " There is no knowing who will be 
 governor till after election." 
 
 " Of course not, but you might have some idea of 
 the way the thing is going? " 
 
 " I might, but what's the use of talking when we 
 shall know all about it in ten or fifteen minutes? " 
 
 " Of course you have some hopes." 
 
 " To be sure I have ; and I suppose you have, too." 
 
 " Certainly I have ; if I hadn't, I should have 
 given the thing up without the trouble and risk of 
 a ballot," replied Pelham. 
 
 " We both expect it, and it follows that one of us 
 must be disappointed." 
 
 " You know the bond." 
 
 " I do." 
 
 " Here is my hand, Shuffles. I pledge myself over 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 2S5 
 
 again to abide the result of the vote, whether it is for me 
 or against me," continued Pelham, extending his hand. 
 
 M And here is my hand, Pelham, with the same 
 pledge, honor bright," replied Shuffles, as he took the 
 offered hand. 
 
 " I am tolerably confident of the result," added 
 Pelham. 
 
 " I am quite confident that I shall be chosen," 
 replied Shuffles. 
 
 " Don't be too certain, my dear fellow," laughed the 
 fourth lieutenant. " I have taken in a great many 
 recruits." 
 
 "I'm glad you have — the more the better. I have 
 also taken in a good many. Pelham, do you know this 
 is very shaky business ? " 
 
 "Shaky?" 
 
 " Yes — between you and me, I mean. If either of 
 us should back down, the whole thing would fall to 
 the ground." 
 
 " Back dovyn ! " exclaimed Pelham. " Why, after 
 what has passed between us, I consider it impossible 
 that either of us should back down. I am pledged ; 
 so are you ; and if either of us should back down, I 
 hope he will — fall overboard accidentally." 
 
 " So do I," replied Shuffles, heartily. 
 
 " My dear fellow, if you should back out, I should 
 be mad enough to help you over the rail, some dark 
 evening, if I had a good chance." 
 
 " I don't believe I should feel any better-natured if 
 you should break your agreement. One of us is 
 doomed to disappointment. We have tried to make 
 this thing as fair as possible." 
 
286 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " Certainly we have, and it will be as fair as any^ 
 thing can be. I am entirely satisfied with the voting." 
 
 " Are you?" 
 
 " Of course I am." 
 
 Shuffles was very glad of this acknowledgment in 
 advance of the reception of the result. 
 
 " But, after all, Pelham," said he, " there may be an 
 appearance of unfairness in the voting, after the result 
 is declared." 
 
 " There may be ; but each of us is pledged not to 
 claim anything on account of such an appearance. 
 If the figures of the two receivers agree, that is the 
 end of the whole thing, and you or I will be the 
 captain." 
 
 " That's so ; but here comes McKeon," replied 
 Shuffles, as the receiver gave him the paper on which 
 the result of the votes he had received was written. 
 
 It was too dark to see it, and the rivals waited, in 
 great excitement of mind, for the appearance of Gross- 
 beck. He came, and his paper was handed to Pel- 
 ham. The conditions of the agreement had now all 
 been complied with, and the two papers were to be 
 placed side by side, where both of the candidates 
 could see them at the same instant. It was necessary, 
 in the darkness, to obtain the use of a light for a mo- 
 ment, and they decided to wait till the midshipman on 
 duty in the waist went into the steerage to make the 
 half-hourly inspection. 
 
 u When one bell struck, the officer left his post, and 
 the conspirators walked up to the binnacle in the 
 waist. By raising one of the slides in the side of the 
 machine, the lamp which threw its light on the fac^ 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 287 
 
 of the compass would enable them to examine the 
 papers. 
 
 " Hold your paper by the side of mine," said Pel- 
 ham, as he placed the important document in a posi- 
 tion to receive the light from the binnacle when the 
 slide should be moved. 
 
 " Open it," replied Shuffles, nervously, as he com- 
 plied with the direction of his rival. 
 
 Pelham raised the slide, and the contents of the 
 papers were read by both. 
 
 Peas, 19 
 
 Beans, 22 
 
 The results given in by the two receivers were the 
 same, and by the terms of the bond, it was an election. 
 
 " Shut the slide," said Shuffles. 
 
 "Who opened that binnacle?" demanded the first 
 master, walking aft from his station on the forecastle. 
 
 " I did, sir," replied Shuffles, unwilling to permit 
 the fourth lieutenant to answer the question. " We 
 were looking at some figures I had made." 
 
 The master, finding that the fourth lieutenant was 
 one of the party gathered around the binnacle, said no 
 more, and returned to his place. 
 
 u Are you satisfied, Pelham ? " asked Shuffles, in 
 the softest of tones. 
 
 " I don't understand it," answered the disappointed 
 candidate. 
 
 " Don't you? Well, you will remember that neither 
 of us was to raise any question about the fairness of 
 the ballot." 
 
 " I don't say a word about its fairness ; I only said 
 
288 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 I did not understand it," answered Pelham, in surly 
 tones. 
 
 " I don't understand it any better than you do ; but 
 the point just now is, whether you acknowledge me as 
 captain, or not." 
 
 " Of course I do. When I pledge myself to do a 
 thing, I always do it. I hail you as captain." 
 
 " All right," added Shuffles. " Then nothing more 
 need be said, You have kept your bond like a gen- 
 tleman, and I now appoint you my first officer, as I 
 promised to do." 
 
 " Thank you," replied Pelham, in a sneering tone. 
 
 "What's the matter, my dear fellow? Are you not 
 satisfied?" demanded Shuffles. 
 
 M Entirely satisfied with the result ; " but he talked 
 like one who was anything but satisfied. 
 
 " It was a fair thing — wasn't it?" 
 
 '* I suppose it was ; I don't know." 
 
 M You speak as though you were not satisfied, 
 Pelham." 
 
 u I am not disposed to grumble. I only say that I 
 don't understand it." 
 
 "What don't you understand?" asked Shuffles, 
 sharply. " The election was conducted on a plan 
 furnished by yourself; the receivers were of your own 
 choice ; the results agree ; and I can't see, for the life 
 of me, that there is any chance to find fault." 
 
 " I don't find fault. The result perplexes me, 
 because I can't see through it." 
 
 " What do you mean by that?" 
 
 " I don't see where your twenty-two votes came 
 from." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 289 
 
 " And I don't see where your nineteen came from," 
 retorted the successful candidate. 
 
 " Thfc, whole number of votes was forty-one," added 
 Pelham, who was quite sure there was something 
 wrong. 
 
 " The long and short of it is, that there are more 
 fellows on board that ' know beans,' than you thought 
 there were," laughed Shuffles. 
 
 " Can you tell me where the forty-one votes came 
 from, Shuffles ? " demanded Pelham. 
 
 " Came from the fellows, of course." 
 
 " It's no use to snuff at it, my dear fellow. I do not 
 purpose to set aside the election. I acknowledge you 
 as captain. Can I do any more? " 
 
 " You can't ; but you seem disposed to do something 
 more." 
 
 " I merely wish to inquire into this thing, and find 
 out how we stand. Had you any idea that forty-one 
 fellows belonged to the Chain ? " 
 
 " I had not," replied Shuffles, honestly. " I was 
 never more surprised in my life, than when I saw Tom 
 Ellis and Andy Groom vote." 
 
 " That was all right. Both of them joined." 
 
 " I can tell you what took me all aback," interposed 
 McKeon, who, with Grossbeck, had been walking 
 back and forth in the waist. 
 
 " No matter what took you all aback," added Shuf- 
 fles, sharply. " The question is settled ; what's the 
 use of raking up every thing that may seem to be 
 strange ? " 
 
 " What was it that took you aback, McKeon? " de- 
 manded Pelham. 
 
 2£ 
 
2C)Q OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " It was when the captain voted," replied the re- 
 ceiver. 
 
 " The captain ! " exclaimed Pelham. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Do you mean Captain Gordon, McKeon? * asked 
 Pelham, with intense surprise. 
 
 " Of course I do." 
 
 " All the officers of the first part of the port watch 
 voted," added Grossbeck. 
 
 " They did ! " exclaimed Pelham. 
 
 " Well, was it any stranger that the officers of the 
 first part of the port watch voted, than it was that 
 those of the second part did so ? " inquired Shuffles, 
 with earnestness. 
 
 " I think it was," replied Pelham, decidedly. 
 
 " Paul Kendall was one of them," said McKeon. 
 
 " Paul Kendall ! Does any fellow suppose he has 
 joined the Chain ? " demanded the defeated candidate. 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " And Captain Gordon?" 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " How did the captain vote? " asked Pelham. 
 
 " No matter how he voted," said Shuffles, indig- 
 nantly. " I protest against this raking up of matters 
 which are already settled." 
 
 " He voted beans," replied McKeon, who, it is 
 hardly necessary to add, was a Pelham man. 
 
 " Then he is one of your friends, Shuffles," contin- 
 ued Pelham, who was beginning to understand how 
 his rival had been elected. 
 
 " I don't claim him." 
 
 " Did you take the captain into the Chain, Shuffles ? " 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 29I 
 
 " I won't answer," replied the captain elect. 
 
 " If Captain Gordon and Paul Kendall are mem- 
 bers, I would like to know it. I am nrst officer of the 
 ship under the new order of things, and if I command 
 Gordon to do anything, I mean that he shall obey me." 
 
 " Of course you will give him no orders till we are 
 in possession of the ship," added Shuffles, not a little 
 alarmed. 
 
 u Weil, as Gordon and Kendall are members of the 
 Chain — of course they are, or they wouldn't have 
 voted — we can talk over the matter freely with them," 
 said Pelham, chuckling. 
 
 " If you make the signs, and they make them, of 
 course you can," replied Shuffles. " No member can 
 speak to another about the business of the Chain until 
 both of them have proved that they belong, by giving 
 the required signals." 
 
 " Shuffles, do you suppose Captain Gordon knows 
 the signs ? " 
 
 " How should I know? I never tried him. I don't 
 know why he shouldn't make them as well as Tom 
 Ellis." 
 
 " Tom Ellis is all right. I vouch for him, for I ad- 
 mitted him myself. Who will vouch for the captain? 
 Who took him in ? " 
 
 " I don't know." 
 
 " I don't ; but if anybody has admitted him, and not 
 given him the signs, he ought to be instructed in them. 
 Of course he must have been admitted, or he would 
 not have voted," added Pelham, sarcastically. 
 
 ^ I have nothing more to say about this matter," 
 
292 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 replied Shuffles, disgusted with the cavils of his first 
 officer. 
 
 " Nor I ; but I shall satisfy myself whether the cap- 
 tain is a member or not," said Pelham, decidedly. 
 
 " Well, you must be very cautious what you do." 
 
 " Certainly I shall. I will give him the first sign ; 
 if he don't answer it, I shall conclude he is not a 
 member ; or, if he is, that he has not been properly 
 instructed." 
 
 " Better not say anything to him," said Shuffles. 
 
 " Why not? He voted, and it must be all right." 
 
 " Don't you say a word to him, unless he proves* 
 that he is a member." 
 
 " I think he has proved that already by voting." 
 
 a You know our rule." 
 
 "I do ; it requires me to satisfy myself that the 
 person to whom I speak is a member. I am entirely 
 satisfied now that the captain and Paul Kendall 
 belong ; they would not have voted if they had not 
 belonged." 
 
 This was a " clincher," and even Shuffles had not 
 wit enough to escape the conclusion of the dogmatic 
 reasoner. The captain elect of the League knew very 
 well that nine persons who were not members had 
 voted — that he had secured his election by a gross 
 fraud. He was afraid that Pelham, disappointed by 
 his defeat, would do something to compromise the 
 enterprise ; but his own treachery had placed him in 
 such a position that he could say nothing without ex- 
 posing himself. 
 
 " Of course it's all right," added Pelham. " I find 
 We have plenty of friends in the after cabin. As soon 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 293 
 
 as you have any orders to give, Captain Shuffles, I am 
 in a position to execute them to the best advantage." 
 
 " When I am ready, I will give them to you." 
 
 " It will be an easy matter now to obtain possession 
 of the ship ; in fact, all you have to do is to ordet 
 Captain Gordon to turn the command over to you. 
 He has been ' toggled,' and must obey his superiors — • 
 of course he has been toggled ; he couldn't have voted 
 if he hadn't been." 
 
 Shuffles was terribly exercised by the repeated flings 
 of his disconcerted rival. He was already satisfied 
 that the enterprise had come to an end, unless Pelham 
 could be quieted ; and he was about to propose a new 
 ballot, when he was ordered by the quartermaster on 
 duty to take his trick at the wheel. 
 
 " What does all this mean? " demanded Pelham of 
 the receivers, when the captain-elect had gone to his 
 duty. 
 
 " I only know that the captain and all the officers of 
 the first part of the port watch voted, and other fellows 
 who would no more join this thing than they would 
 jump overboard," replied McKeon. 
 
 " How could they vote — how could the captain 
 vote — without understanding the whole thing?" de- 
 manded Pelham, perplexed at the inconsistency of the 
 facts. 
 
 " I think I know something about it," added Gross- 
 beck. 
 
 "What do you know?" 
 
 " Haven't you heard of the new game?" 
 
 " What new game?" 
 
 " * Don't know Beans. '" 
 25* 
 
294 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " Shuffles said something about it, but I did not 
 comprehend his meaning." 
 
 Grossbeck explained the game, whose history had 
 been circulated among " our fellows." 
 
 " And this game was played while the voting was 
 going on?" said Pelham, who began to see the trick 
 which his rival had put upon him. 
 
 " I didn't know anything about it till supper time," 
 answered Grossbeck. 
 
 " I see it all," continued Pelham. " The receivers 
 were the ' butts,' and about a dozen fellows voted for 
 Shuffles, including Gordon and Kendall, supposing 
 they were simply playing ' Don't know Beans.' " 
 
 It did not require a great deal of penetration on the 
 part of the fourth lieutenant to comprehend the trick 
 of his rival. He was indignant and angry, and all the 
 more so because he had been outwitted, even while he 
 was attempting to outwit his unscrupulous competitor. 
 
 The next day, the quarter watches off duty played 
 " Don't know Beans " to their satisfaction. It was 
 found, when everybody was watching the " butts," 
 that very few could deposit their beans without detec- 
 tion. A few hours' trial of the new pastime convinced 
 all except " our fellows " that it was a senseless game, 
 and it was speedily abandoned. 
 
 On the nineteenth day of the voyage, the Young 
 America encountered another gale, but it was not 
 nearly so severe as the one through which she had 
 passed when off Cape Sable. The ship ran for twelve 
 hours under close-reefed topsails ; but as the gale came 
 from the south-west, she laid her course during the 
 whole of it, and behaved herself to the entire satisfac- 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 295 
 
 tion of all on board. On the following day, the wind 
 had hauled round to the north-west, and the sea sub- 
 sided, so that the ship went along very comfortably. 
 
 Notwithstanding his doubts of the good faith of 
 Pelham, who, however, nominally adhered to the 
 terms of the compact, Shuffles arranged his plans for 
 the capture of the ship. He had decided to defer the 
 grand strike until the ship had come up with Cape 
 Clear, so that the faculty, and all the students who 
 would not take a part in the enterprise, might be put 
 on shore immediately. In the course of three days, 
 the land would probably be sighted. The rising was 
 to take place in Pelham's watch, the officers of which 
 were members of the League. All the details had 
 been carefully arranged, and trusty " links " appointed 
 to perform the heavy work. As soon as the " old 
 folks " had been locked up in the cabin, and the new 
 captain had taken the command, the ship was to be 
 headed for the shore. The great event was to come 
 off at six o'clock in the afternoon of the twenty-third 
 or twenty-fifth day. The ship would be near the coast 
 for at least a part of two days. If she was within six 
 hours' sail of the land on the twenty-third day out, 
 when Pelham would have the second part of the first 
 dog watch, the rising was to take place then ; if not, 
 it was to be deferred till the twenty-fifth day, when the 
 watches were again favorable. 
 
 Shuffles communicated with his discontented first 
 officer as often as he could, and unfolded his plans 
 without reserve. Pelham listened, and, still professing 
 his willingness to obey his superior officer, promised 
 to do all that was required of him. 
 
296 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " In your watch, Pelham, you will see that the 
 helm is in the hands of some of our fellows," said 
 Shuffles. 
 
 " Certainly/' replied Pelham, with more indiffer- 
 ence than suited the enthusiastic chief of the enter- 
 prise. '_' By the way, Captain Shuffles, have you laid 
 out any work for Captain Gordon to do ? " 
 
 u What's the use of talking to me about him now 
 that we are on the very point of accomplishing oui 
 purpose?" demanded Shuffles, with deep disgust. 
 
 " You can't deny that Gordon is an able fellow, 
 and, as a good commander, of course you intend to 
 give him some important position," chuckled Pelham. 
 M Have you appointed the rest of your officers yet? " 
 
 " To be sure I have." 
 
 " Have you given Gordon anything? " 
 
 " No ! " growled Shuffles. 
 
 "No? Why, do you think the present captain of 
 the ship will be content ta go into the steerage under 
 the new arrangement?" 
 
 " He may go into the steerage or go overboard," 
 answered the chief, angrily. 
 
 " Accidentally, you mean." 
 
 " Pelham, if you intend to be a traitor, say so." 
 
 "II My dear fellow, I don't mean anything of the 
 kind. I am as true as the pole star." 
 
 " Have you spoken to the captain about our affairs? ''* 
 
 " Not a word." 
 
 " Have you tried him by the signs? " 
 
 "I have, and he made no sign," laughed Pelham, 
 who was not much enamoured of the cabalistic clap- 
 trap of the Chain. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 297 
 
 " Then, of course, he is not a member." 
 
 "He must be; he voted," replied Pelham, mali- 
 ciously. 
 
 " How many more times will you say that? " 
 
 " Perhaps fifty ; perhaps a hundred," answered the 
 fourth lieutenant, coolly. u I shall say it until you are 
 willing to acknowledge the trick you put upon me." 
 
 "What trick?" 
 
 " O, I know all about it ! Didn't you tell Kendall, 
 the captain, and seven or eight others, how to play 
 4 Don't know Beans ' ? " 
 
 " If I did, it was to cheat them when they wanted 
 to know what the beans meant." 
 
 " You saw that the fellows threw away the beans, 
 instead of voting for you with them, and you invented 
 your game to make the thing come out right. No 
 matter, Shuffles ; I am bound by the compact we 
 made, but I shall persist in regarding Gordon, Ken- 
 dall, Foster, and others as members. As you made 
 them vote, you are responsible for them. That's all." 
 
 " Don't let us quarrel about it, my dear fellow," 
 said Shuffles, in soft, insinuating tones. 
 
 " By no means." 
 
 " We will have a new election," suggested the chief. 
 
 u If we should, I'm afraid all the fellows would 
 want to play ' Don't know Beans.' " 
 
 " You shall conduct it any way you please." 
 
 " If I did, you would say I cheated you. I agreed 
 to abide by the election, and I shall do so. The fact 
 is, Shuffles, you and I are too smart to play in the 
 same game. I shall stick to the bond. When you 
 
298 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 order me to do anything, I shall do it," replied Pel- 
 ham, as he turned on his heel and walked off. 
 
 He retreated into the after cabin, where Shuffles 
 could not follow him. At the cabin table, studying 
 /lis French lesson, sat Paul Kendall. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 299 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 MAN OVERBOARD ! 
 
 DO you know how to play ' Don't know Beans ' ? " 
 asked Pelham, as he seated himself by the 
 side of the second lieutenant. 
 
 "Yes; I know how to play it, but it's a stupid 
 game. Shuffles told me how." 
 
 "Did he, indeed?" 
 
 " There was some fun in it the first time I tried it ; 
 but the second time was enough to satisfy me. I 
 don't think there is any sense in it." 
 
 " Of course there isn't, Kendall," laughed Pelham. 
 " It was no game at all." 
 
 "What are you laughing at?" 
 
 " You were sold on that game," added the con- 
 spirator, indulging in more laughter than the occasion 
 seemed to require. 
 
 " How was I sold? I don't see anything so very 
 funny about it." 
 
 " I do." 
 
 " Tell me about it ; if there is any joke I think I 
 shall enjoy it. You say I was sold." 
 
 " You were ; and so was I." 
 
 " Well, what was it?" asked Paul, impatiently. 
 
JOO OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " When you gave those fellows the beans that day, 
 you were voting ! " 
 
 " Voting ! Voting for what, or whom ? " exclaimed 
 the second lieutenant. 
 
 " For Shuffles." 
 
 " Did my vote count?" 
 
 " To be sure it did ; and he was elected to a certain 
 position by your vote and those of seven or eight 
 others who did not understand the trick," replied Pel- 
 ham, laughing all the time. 
 
 " What was the position ? I don't understand what 
 you are talking about, and therefore I can't appreciate 
 the joke." 
 
 " I'll tell you, Kendall ; but you must keep still 
 about it for the present." 
 
 " It looks to me, on the face of it, like a dishonest 
 trick. It seems that Shuffles lied to us when he made 
 us believe that we were playing a game. I like a 
 joke well enough, but I don't believe in a fellow's 
 lying for the sake of any fun." 
 
 " You are right, Kendall. It was not only a dis- 
 honest trick, but it was a mean one." 
 
 " What was the position ? " repeated Paul. 
 
 " Some of the fellows are going to make Mr. Low- 
 ington a present of a silver pitcher as soon as we get 
 to some port where we can obtain one." 
 
 "Why didn't you tell of it?" demanded Paul. " I 
 should like to join in the presentation, for I don't think 
 there is a fellow on board who likes Mr. Lowington 
 better than I clo." 
 
 " Yes ; but, you see, there's something peculiar 
 about this thing. The contribution is to be confined 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 3OI 
 
 to those fellows who have been disciplined in one way 
 or another. A good many of us, you know, were 
 mad "when Mr. Lowington took our money away ; we 
 are satisfied now that he was right. We made him 
 feel rather uncomfortable by our looks and actions, 
 and some of us were positively impudent to him. 
 We purpose to show that our feelings are all right." 
 
 " Precisely so ! " replied Paul, with enthusiasm. 
 " That's splendid ! Mr. Lowington will appreciate 
 the gift when he sees the names of the subscribers." 
 
 " Certainly he will." 
 
 " But you have no money," laughed the second 
 lieutenant. 
 
 " We have put our names down for ten shillings 
 apiece — about thirty of us. When we get into port, 
 we shall tell Mr. Lowington that we wish to present 
 a silver pitcher to a gentleman on board, in token of 
 our appreciation of his kindness, &c, and ask him foi 
 half a sovereign each from our funds." 
 
 " He will wish to know who the gentleman is." 
 
 " We can ask to be excused from telling him." 
 
 " I can manage that part of the business for you. 
 Each of the fellows shall give me an order on the 
 principal for ten shillings, to be paid to Dr. Winstock, 
 who will buy the pitcher for you, if you like. He is 
 acquainted in Cork. I will give all the orders to the 
 doctor, and he will get the present without saying a 
 word to Mr. Lowington until after the presentation. 
 Then he will have no chance to object, on the sus- 
 picion that the gift is intended for him* — don't you 
 see?" 
 
 Paul Kendall entered into the project with a degree 
 26 
 
302 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 of enthusiasm which was rather embarrassing to the 
 conspirator. 
 
 " The fellows have been very secret about the 
 thing," added Pelham. 
 
 44 They must have been, or I should have heard, 
 something about it," replied Paul, innocently. 
 
 " No one but ourselves has known a thing about it 
 till now. They have formed a kind of secret society, 
 and know each other by certain signs." 
 
 " But what was the voting for? " 
 
 " For orator of the day." 
 
 " For the fellow who is to present the pitcher anfl[ 
 make the speech ? " added Paul. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "And Shuffles was chosen?" 
 
 " Yes, by a trick." 
 
 " You mean that no one but subscribers ought to 
 have voted?" 
 
 " Precisely so." * 
 
 " It was a mean trick." 
 
 " It was a sort of practical joke upon me, I sup- 
 pose." 
 
 " I don't believe in practical jokes which need a lie 
 to carry them through." 
 
 " Well, Shuffles has the position, unless some of 
 you fellows will help me out. I wanted to make the 
 speech, and without the nine votes which you and 
 other outsiders put in, I should have been chosen." 
 
 "What can we do?" 
 
 "I have a right to consider all the fellows that voted 
 as members of the society. The fact of their voting 
 mikes them members." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 303 
 
 "I don't know anything about that." 
 
 " It's clear enough to me, and in a talk I had with 
 Shuffles just now, he didn't pretend to deny the cor- 
 rectness of my position." 
 
 " If he agrees, it must be all right," laughed Paul. 
 
 " If you had understood the matter, for whom should 
 you have voted ? " 
 
 " I don't know ; but after the trick Shuffles played 
 off upon you, I should not vote for him." 
 
 " Very well ; then you can change your vote." 
 
 "How shall I change it?" 
 
 " Go to Shuffles ; and the other eight fellows who 
 voted in the dark must do the same." 
 
 " What shall I say to him ? " 
 
 " You must go to him as a member of the society, 
 and salute him as such." 
 
 " I don't know how." 
 
 " I'll tell you. When you meet him, scratch the tip 
 end of your nose with the nail of your second finger 
 on the right hand ; in this manner," continued Pel- 
 ham, giving the first sign. 
 
 "That's it — is it?" said Paul, as he imitated the 
 action of Pelham. 
 
 " Yes ; that's right. He will reply by taking the 
 lower part of his left ear between the thumb and first 
 finger of the left hand — so," added Pelham. 
 
 "I have it," answered Paul, as he made the 
 motions. 
 
 " Then you will scratch your chin with the thumb 
 nail of the left hand, and he will reply by blowing his 
 nose." 
 
 " Let's see if I can do all that," laughed Paul, very 
 
304 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 much amused at the mystic indications of membership 
 in the secret association. 
 
 He made the signs to Pelham, who replied to them, 
 several times, until he was perfect in his part. 
 
 "All right. I will remember them," said Paul. 
 
 " But you haven't got the whole of it yet. When 
 you have made the signs, and he has answered them, 
 he will say, '/? that so?' with strong emphasis on the 
 first word." 
 
 u Is that so?" repeated Paul. 
 
 " Then you will reply, ' That is so,' with the stress 
 on that" 
 
 " That is so," added Paul. 
 
 " Then you must place yourself so as to look di- 
 rectly forward or aft. If you look forward, he must 
 look aft." 
 
 " I understand you." 
 
 " Now I want to know who the other fellows were 
 that played ' Don't know Beans ' that day." 
 
 " Captain Gordon was one." 
 
 " Will you post him up in what I have told you?" 
 
 " I will, and the other fellows who voted for Shuf- 
 fles, if you say so." 
 
 " Thank you. I wish you would. Let them all tell 
 him they desire to change their votes ; but have them 
 do it one at a time." 
 
 Paul Kendall promised to do what was required of 
 him ; and in the course of the following forenoon he 
 initiated " the outsiders who had voted for Shuffles " 
 in the secret machinery of the supposed society, but 
 in fact of the Chain League. Being off' duty during 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 305 
 
 the second part of the afternoon watch, he encountered 
 Shuffles in the lee side of the waist. 
 
 " Well, Shuffles, we are almost up with the coast 
 of Ireland," said Paul, as he scratched the tip of his 
 nose with the second finger of his right hand, agreea- 
 bly to the instructions given him tw Pelham. 
 
 " Yes ; and I suppose by Saturday, if the wind holds 
 fair, we shall be off Cape Clear," replied the captain- 
 elect, as he took the lower part of his left ear between 
 the thumb and forefinger of the left hand. 
 
 Shuffles did not suppose that the second lieutenant 
 was a member of the league, and pledged to assist in 
 the capture of the ship : but as he had made the sign, 
 probably accidentally, he replied to it. 
 
 " There is a prospect of fair weather for some days 
 to come," continued Paul, as he scratched his chin 
 with his left hand, which was the second step towards 
 a recognition in the " Chain." 
 
 Shuffles was duly and properly astonished at this 
 exhibition of intelligence on the part of the officer ; 
 and it was now quite certain that Paul had joined the 
 league, or that he had obtained its tremendous secrets. 
 
 " I hope it will be good weather now during the 
 rest of the passage," added the captain-elect, as he 
 took his handkerchief from his breast pocket and blew 
 his nose, for he was determined to satisfy himself 
 whether or not the second lieutenant was a member 
 of the League. 
 
 u Is that so?" demanded Shuffles. 
 
 " That is so," answered Paul. 
 
 Shuffles was almost overwhelmed with astonish- 
 26* 
 
306 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 ment to find that one who Was a model of fidelity and 
 propriety had actually joined the Chain. 
 
 u Shuffles, I voted for you the other day," added 
 Paul. 
 
 *' I know you did." 
 
 " I wish to change my vote." 
 
 " Change it ! " exclaimed Shuffles. 
 
 " Yes ; I voted in the dark. I wish now to vote for 
 the other candidate." 
 
 " For whom?" 
 
 " For Pelham, of course." 
 
 " You are too late." 
 
 " I think, under the circumstances, that my vote 
 ought to be counted on the other side, even if it 
 reverses the result," said Paul, earnestly. 
 
 " Why do you wish to vote for Pelham ? " demanded 
 Shuffles, rather because he had nothing else to say 
 than because he was interested in the anticipated 
 reply. 
 
 " I don't think it was quite fair for you to obtain 
 my vote as you did." 
 
 " No matter for that. Do you think Pelham would 
 make a better captain than I should ? " 
 
 "A better what?" 
 • " Do you think he will command the ship any bet 
 ter than I shall." 
 
 " Command the ship ! " repeated Paul, bewildered 
 by this extraordinary question. " I wasn't aware that 
 either of you were to command the ship." 
 
 Shuffles, in his turn, was confounded when he 
 found that the second lieutenant was a member of 
 the " Chain " without any knowledge of its objects. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 307 
 
 Though he had used all the precautions required by 
 the League, a hint had unwittingly been given to Paul, 
 Whose simple integrity rendered him the most dan- 
 gerous person on board to the interests of such an 
 institution as the Chain. 
 
 " Mr. Kendall, may I ask what you now suppose 
 you were voting for? "asked Shuffles, with easy as* 
 surance. 
 
 " For the orator of the day, of course," replied Paul, 
 who was too free from wiles or arts to make any use 
 of the advantage gained. 
 
 Indeed, he was so true himself that he was not sus- 
 picious of others ; and he did not even perceive that 
 he had obtained an advantage. 
 
 " Exactly so," added Shuffles ; " for orator of the 
 day ; but we don't speak the idea out loud, or call it 
 by its proper name." 
 
 " What did you mean by commanding the ship, 
 Shuffles?" laughed Kendall. 
 
 " I meant orator of the day. We keep this thing to 
 ourselves," added Shuffles, who had no idea what was 
 meant by his companion. 
 
 " Of course ; I understand all about that," said Paul, 
 knowingly. u I don't think I had any right to vote ; 
 and in my opinion the trick you played on Pelham 
 was decidedly wrong." 
 
 " It was merely a joke," answered Shuffles. 
 
 " But do you intend to use the advantage you gained 
 by this trick ? " 
 
 " Certainly not." 
 
 •" I'm very glad of that." 
 
308 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " It was only for the fun of the thing," added Shuf- 
 fles, at a venture. 
 
 " It may have been funny ; but I don't think it was 
 honest." 
 
 " I didn't intend to make any use of it," continued 
 Shuffles. "What did Mr. Pelham say to you, Mr. 
 Kendall ?" 
 
 " He told me all about it," replied Paul. 
 
 "Did he, indeed?" 
 
 " He said that you, by causing me to vote, had made 
 me a member." 
 
 "Just so." 
 
 Shuffles did not dare to say much, though it was 
 evident, from the words and the manner of the second 
 lieutenant, that Pelham had not yet betrayed the real 
 object of the Chain. If he had, the captain elect was 
 satisfied he would have been in irons, confined in* the 
 brig, before that time. 
 
 " I told Mr. Pelham I fully approved the purpose, 
 and would help him out with it." 
 
 "What purpose?" asked Shuffles, anxious to know 
 what Paul meant. 
 
 " Why, don't you know?" 
 
 " Of course I do ; but I wish to know precisely 
 what Mr. Pelham told you." 
 
 " He will tell you himself," laughed Paul, as he 
 walked aft, in order to afford the other " outsiders " 
 who had voted an opportunity to communicate with 
 Shuffles ; for he perceived that they were waiting their 
 turns. 
 
 As the second lieutenant went aft, the captain went 
 forward on the lee side of the deck. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 30^ 
 
 " Shuffles ! " called Captain Gordon, as the chief 
 conspirator was going forward. 
 
 The captain elect turned and walked towards the 
 commander, and touched his cap with becoming 
 respect. 
 
 u What do you think of the weather?" demanded 
 Captain Gordon, scratching the tip of his nose. 
 
 Paul had instructed the " outsiders " to talk about 
 the weather while they went through with the mystic 
 routine of the signs. 
 
 " I think we shall have good weather," replied 
 Shuffles, who, though he was confounded and amazed 
 to be saluted from this quarter with the language of 
 the " Chain," dared not refuse to give the signs, after 
 he had done so with the second lieutenant. 
 
 " I wish to change my vote ; for I don't think if 
 was fairly given before," said the captain, when he 
 had gone through all the forms of the recognition. 
 
 " Certainly, Captain Gordon, if you desire to do so." 
 
 Fortunately for Shuffles, the captain did not pro- 
 long the conversation ; for others were waiting an 
 opportunity to make themselves known to the conspin 
 ator. One after another, they saluted Shuffles in thq 
 waist, inquiring about the weather, and making tlm 
 requisite signs. The captain elect was filled with 
 indignation and rage against Pelham, who had played 
 off this trick upon him ; but he was compelled to meet 
 all who came, and go through the signs with them, 
 while the "' outsiders," scattered about the deck, stood 
 watching the motions with intense delight. He would 
 fain have fled, but he could not leave the deck ; and 
 he was afraid that any impatience, or a refusal to 
 
3IO OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 answer the signs, would involve him in a worse diffi- 
 culty. 
 
 At last the nine illegal voters had " made themselves 
 known," and having requested that their votes might 
 be changed, Shuffles was released from torture. He 
 was both alarmed and indignant. He had not been 
 able to ascertain what was meant by " the orator of 
 the day ; " and he began to fear that Pelham had ex- 
 posed the whole, or a part, of the real purposes of 
 the League. He was enraged that he had revealed 
 anything. Even the captain and the second lieutenant 
 had made all the signs, and they could not have done 
 so without the assistance of a traitor. 
 
 " It's all up with us, Wilton," said Shuffles, as they 
 met near the foremast. 
 
 "What is?" 
 
 " Pelham has blowed the whole thing." 
 
 " No ! " exclaimed Wilton, almost paralyzed by the 
 information. 
 
 " He has. The captain and several of the officers 
 made all the signs to me just now. We shall spend 
 our time in the brig for the next month." 
 
 "Did Pelham do it?" 
 
 44 Yes." 
 
 " That was mean," added Wilton, his face pale with 
 terror. 
 
 " He will fall overboard accidentally some day," 
 added Shuffles, shaking his head. 
 
 "Don't do that, Shuffles," protested the frightened 
 confederate. 
 
 " I will, if I get a chance." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 3 II 
 
 " You will only make the matter ten times worse 
 than it is." 
 
 Monroe joined them, and was informed of the des* 
 perate situation of the League. 
 
 " It's all your fault, Shuffles," said Monroe, indig- 
 nantly. *' I don't blame Pelham." 
 
 " You don't ! He has told a dozen outsiders how 
 to make the signs, and let them into the secrets of the 
 Chain, for all I know." 
 
 " If he has, we may thank you for it, Shuffles. 
 You cheated him, and played a mean trick upon 
 him," replied Monroe. " I wouldn't have stood it if 
 I had been he." 
 
 " Pelham is a traitor, and you are another." 
 
 " No matter what he is, or what I am. You got 
 all those fellows to vote for you, and cheated him out 
 of the place that belonged to him." 
 
 " Did you think I was going to have him captain, 
 after I had got up the Chain, and done all the work?" 
 
 " You agreed to leave it out to the fellows who 
 should be captain. They voted, and you cheated," 
 added Monroe. " I've had enough of the Chain ; and 
 if any fellow makes the signs again, I shall not notice 
 them." 
 
 " Humph ! It's a pretty time to talk so, after the 
 whole thing is let out." 
 
 " Well, I will face the music, and get out of it the 
 best way I can. I was a fool to join the Chain." 
 
 " So was I," said Wilton. 
 
 There was no difficulty in arriving at such a con- 
 clusion, after the affair had been exposed ; and the 
 sentiments of Wilton and Monroe were, or would 
 
312 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 soon be, the sentiments of all the members of the 
 League. Shuffles realized the truth of the old adage, 
 that rats desert a sinking ship, and he began to feel 
 lonely in his guilt and his fear of exposure. But he 
 could not forgive Pelham for his perfidy, forgetting 
 that each had been treacherous to the other. 
 
 In the first dog watch on that day, while Shuffles' 
 heart was still rankling with hatred towards the al- 
 leged traitor, the rivals met in the waist, which was 
 common ground to officers off duty and seamen. 
 
 " I want to see you, Pelham," said Shuffles, in a 
 low tone. 
 
 " Well, you do see me — don't you ? " laughed Pel- 
 ham, who, feeling that he was now even with his 
 rival, was in excellent humor. 
 
 " Things are going wrong with us." 
 
 " O, no ; I think not" 
 
 " Will you meet me on the top-gallant forecastle^ 
 where we shall not be disturbed ? " asked Shuffles. 
 
 " That is noc exactly the place for an officer." 
 
 " You are off duty, and you can go where you 
 please." 
 
 " What do you want of me? " 
 
 " I want to have an understanding." 
 
 " I suppose you think we have too many members 
 — don't you ? " asked Pelham, lightly. 
 
 " The more the better." 
 
 " I'll meet you there." 
 
 Shuffles went to the place designated at once, where 
 he was soon followed by the fourth lieutenant. 
 
 "Well, Shuffles, what is it?" demanded Pelham, 
 as, with one hand on the sheet of the fore-topmast 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 313 
 
 staysail, he looked over the bow at the bone in the 
 teeth of the ship. 
 
 " What is it? Don't you know what it is?" replied 
 Shuffles, angrily. 
 
 " Upon my life, I don't know." 
 
 " You have been a traitor," exclaimed Shuffles, with 
 savage earnestness. 
 
 "O! have I?" 
 
 " You know you have." 
 
 " Perhaps you would be willing to tell me wherein 
 I have been a traitor," added Pelham, laughing ; for 
 he was enjoying the scene he had witnessed in the 
 waist, when, one after another, the " outsiders " had 
 made the signs to his rival. 
 
 " You have betrayed the secrets of the Chain." 
 
 "Havel?" 
 
 " Didn't you give the signs to Paul Kendall, the 
 captain, and half a dozen others ? " 
 
 " But, my dear fellow, they are members," replied 
 Pelham, chuckling. 
 
 " They are not ; and you know they are not." 
 
 " But, Shuffles, just consider that all of them voted 
 for you." 
 
 " I don't care for that." 
 
 " I do. You recognized them as members first, 
 and I couldn't do less than you did." 
 
 "You are a traitor!" said Shuffles, red in the face 
 with passion ; and the word hissed through bis closed 
 teeth. 
 
 " Well, just as you like : we won't quarrel about 
 the meaning of words," replied Pelham, gayly ; for 
 he enjoyed the discomfiture of his rival, and felt that 
 27 
 
314 OUTWARD BOUfiD, OR 
 
 Shuffles deserved all he got, for the foul play of which 
 he had been guilty on the ballot. 
 
 " You pledged yourself to be honest, and stand by 
 the vote, fair or foul." 
 
 " Very true, my dear fellow ; and I do so. Give 
 me your orders, and I will obey them." 
 
 " But you have exposed the whole thing," retorted 
 Shuffles. " What can we do now, when Kendall and 
 the captain know all about it?" . 
 
 " They don't know any more than the law allows. 
 Besides, they are members. Didn't they vote for you? 
 Didn't they know beans? " continued Pelham, in the 
 most tantalizing of tones. 
 
 " Do you mean to insult me ? " demanded Shuffles, 
 unable to control his rage. 
 
 " Not I. I respect you too much. You are the 
 captain — that is to be — of the ship," laughed Pel- 
 ham. " The captain, the second lieutenant, and all 
 the flunkies, voted for you ; and, of course, I couldn't 
 be so deficient in politeness as to insult one who " 
 
 At that moment Pelham removed his hand from 
 the sheet, and Shuffles, irritated beyond control at the 
 badinage of his companion, gave him a sudden push, 
 and the fourth lieutenant went down into the surges, 
 under the bow of the ship. 
 
 As Pelham disappeared beneath the waves, Shuf- 
 fles was appalled at his own act ; for even he had not 
 sunk so low as to contemplate murder. The deed was 
 not premeditated. It was done on the spur of angry 
 excitement, which dethroned his reason. The chief 
 conspirator had so often and so lightly used the lan- 
 guage of the League, about " falling overboard acci- 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 315 
 
 dentally," that he had become familiar with the idea ; 
 and, perhaps, the deed seemed less terrible to him. 
 than it really was. When the act was done, on the 
 impulse of the moment, he realized his own situation, 
 and that of his victim. He would have given any- 
 thing at that instant, as he looked down upon the dark 
 waves, to have recalled the deed ; but it was too late. 
 Self-reproach and terror overwhelmed him. 
 
 " Man overboard ! " he shouted with desperation, 
 as he threw off his pea-jacket, and dived, head fore- 
 most, from the forecastle into the sea. 
 
 His first impulse had been to do a foul deed ; his 
 next, to undo it. Shuffles was a powerful swimmer. 
 The ocean was his element. He struck the water 
 hardly an instant after Pelham ; and the ship, which 
 was under all sail, making nine knots, hurried on her 
 course, leaving the rivals to buffet the waves unaided. 
 
 " Man overboard ! " cried officers and seamen, on 
 all parts of the ship's deck. 
 
 " Hard down the helm, quartermaster ! Let go the 
 life-buoys ! " shouted Kendall, who was the officer of 
 the deck. 
 
 " Hard down, sir. Buoy overboard," replied Ben- 
 nington, the quartermaster at the helm. 
 
 " Clear away the third cutter ! " added Kendall. 
 
 The orders were rapidly given for backing the main- 
 topsail, while the courses were clew T ed up ; but the ship 
 went on a considerable distance before her headway 
 could be arrested. 
 
 When Pelham went down into the water, he had 
 been injured by the fall ; and though he struck out to 
 save himself, it was not with his usual skill and vigor} 
 
316 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 for, like his companion in the water, he was a good 
 swimmer. Shuffles had struck the waves in proper 
 attitude, and was in condition to exert all his powers 
 when he came to the surface. He swam towards 
 Pelham, intent upon rendering him the assistance he. 
 might require. 
 
 "Do you mean to drown 1x16?" gasped Pelham, 
 who supposed his rival had followed him overboard 
 for the purpose of completing his work. 
 
 u I mean to save you, Pelham," replied Shuffles. 
 " Can you swim?" 
 
 " I'm hurt." 
 
 " Give me your hand, and I will support you." 
 
 Shuffles took the offered hand of P m elham, who was 
 able to swim a little, and supported him till they could 
 reach the life-buoy, which had been dropped from the 
 stern of the ship when the alarming cry was given. 
 
 "Where are you hurt?" asked Shuffles, as soon as 
 they had grasped the buoy. 
 
 " My stomach struck the water," replied Pelham, 
 faintly. 
 
 The third cutter had been lowered into the water as 
 soon as the ship's headway was stopped, and was now 
 within a few yards of the buoy. 
 
 " Will you forgive me, Pelham? I was beside my- 
 self," said Shuffles, when his companion had recovered 
 breath after his exertions. 
 
 " You have saved me, Shuffles. I should have gone 
 down without you." 
 
 " Will you forgive me?" pleaded the penitent. " I 
 did not mean to injure you." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 317 
 
 " Never mind it ; we won't say a word about it," 
 answered Pelham, as the boat came up. 
 
 They were assisted into the cutter, and the oarsmen 
 pulled back to the ship. When the party reached the 
 deck, a cheer burst from a portion of the crew ; but 
 Wilton, Monroe, and a few others, believing that Pel- 
 ham had " fallen overboard accidentally," were ap- 
 palled at the probable consequences of the event. 
 
 Pelham was assisted to the after cabin, where Dr. 
 Winstock immediately attended him. He was not 
 seriously injured ; and the next day he was able to be 
 on deck, and do duty. 
 
 "How was that?" asked Wilton, when Shuffles 
 had changed his clothes, and warmed himself at the 
 stove, as they met in the waist. 
 
 Shuffles looked sad and solemn. He made no 
 reply. 
 
 "Did he fall overboard accidentally?" demanded 
 Wilton. 
 
 " Don't ask me." 
 
 " You jumped in after him, and saved him, they 
 say," added Wilton ; " so, I suppose, it was really an 
 accident." 
 
 Shuffles still made no reply. 
 2V* 
 
318 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE END OF THE CHAIN LEAGUE. 
 
 THE fact that Shuffles had plunged into the sea, 
 and labored so effectively for the rescue of the 
 fourth lieutenant, blinded the .eyes of " our fellows," 
 who, knowing the penalty of treachery to the " Chain," 
 might otherwise have suspected that he had " fallen 
 overboard accidentally," or, in other words, that he 
 had been pushed into the water by his unscrupulous 
 rival. Wilton, Monroe, and Adler, had discussed 
 the matter, and reached the conclusion that Pelham 
 had been knocked over by the shaking of the stay*" 
 sail sheet, or that he had really fallen accidentally. 
 They had been appalled and horrified by the event ; 
 and those who were disgusted with the League were 
 not disposed to betray its secrets ; for it was possible, 
 though not probable, that the mishap which had be- 
 fallen Pelham was an incident in the history of the 
 " Chain." 
 
 When a wicked man or a wicked boy exceeds his 
 average wickedness, the excess sometimes produces a 
 moral reaction. A person who tipples moderately 
 may have the drunkard's fate vividly foreshadowed to 
 him by getting absolutely drunk himself, and thus be 
 induced to abandon a dangerous practice. That 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 3 1 9 
 
 loathsome disease, small pox, sometimes leaves the 
 patient better than it finds him ; and through, and 
 on account of, the vilest sin may come the sinner's 
 reformation. 
 
 Shuffles had exceeded himself in wickedness ; and 
 the fact that his foul design was not even suspected bv 
 any other person than his intended victim did not di-* 
 minish his self-reproaches. He shuddered when he 
 thought of the remorse which must have gnawed his 
 soul during the rest of his lifetime if Pelham had been 
 drowned. He would have been a murderer ; and 
 while so many knew the penalty of treachery to the 
 League, he could hardly have escaped suspicion and 
 detection. 
 
 A reaction had been produced in his mind ; but it 
 was not a healthy movement of the moral nature. It 
 was not so much the awful crime he had impulsively 
 committed, as the terrible consequences which would 
 have followed, that caused him to shrink from it. It 
 was an awful crime, and his nature revolted at it. He 
 could not have done it without the impulse of an in- 
 sane passion; but it was dreadful because it would 
 have shut him out from society ; because it would have 
 placed the mark of Cain upon him ; because the dun- 
 geon and the gallows were beyond it, — rather than 
 because it was the sacrifice of a human life, of one 
 created in the image of God. 
 
 Shuffles was in a state of terror, as one who has 
 just escaped from an awful gulf that yawned before 
 him. He was not sincerely penitent, as one who feels 
 the enormity ot his offence. He was not prepared to 
 
320 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 acknowledge his sin before God, whose law he had 
 outraged. 
 
 When Pelham came on deck, on the day after the 
 exciting event, he greeted Shuffles with his accustomed 
 suavity, and seemed not to bear any malice in his heart 
 against the author of his misfortune. Officers and sea- 
 men, as well as the principal and the professors, con- 
 gratulated him upon his escape from the peril which 
 had menaced him ; and all commended Shuffles for 
 his prompt and noble efforts in rescuing him. Pel- 
 ham dissented from none of their conclusions, and 
 was as generous in his praise of the deliverer as the 
 occasion required. 
 
 Shuffles was rather astonished to find himself a 
 lion on board, and at being specially thanked by Mr. 
 Lowington for his humane exertions in saving a ship- 
 mate. He was so warmly and so generously com- 
 mended that he almost reached the conclusion himself 
 that he had done a good thing. He was not satisfied 
 with himself. He was in the power of Pelham, who, 
 by a word, could change the current of popular sen- 
 timent, and arraign him for the gravest of crimes. If 
 the fourth lieutenant spoke, Shuffles realized that he 
 should be shunned and despised, as well as hated and 
 feared, by all on board the ship. It was quite natural, 
 therefore, for him to desire a better understanding' 
 with Pelham. 
 
 The League had fallen into contempt, at least for 
 the present. Even " our fellows " would not have 
 spirit enough to strike the blow ; besides, the terrible 
 gulf from which Shuffles had just escaped was too 
 vivid in his mind to permit him to place himself on 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 32 1 
 
 the brink of another. So far the reaction was salu- 
 tary. 
 
 "When may I see you, Mr. Pelham?" said Shuf- 
 fles, as they came together in the waist. 
 
 " We will visit the top-gallant forecastle again, and 
 see if we can understand how I happened to fall over- 
 board, for really I'm not in the habit of doing such 
 things," replied Pelham, with a smile. 
 
 They walked forward together, and mounted the 
 ladder to the place indicated. 
 
 " Shuffles, I never paid much attention to the snap- 
 per of the toggle before, and never supposed it meant 
 anything in particular," continued Pelham, as he 
 placed himself in the position he had occupied before 
 he went over the bow. " Am I in any danger 
 now? " 
 
 " No, Pelham, no ! " replied Shuffles, earnestly. 
 "You provoked me so by your cool taunts that I 
 pushed you over before I thought what I was about." 
 
 " Did you really mean to drown me ? " 
 
 " Upon my soul, I did not. If you knew how I felt 
 when I saw you strike the water, and realized what I 
 had done, you would forgive me." 
 
 " I have done that already, Shuffles." 
 
 " I would have given my own life for yours at that 
 instant, Pelham." 
 
 " You saved me, after all, Shuffles. When I went 
 over, I either hit the side of the ship, or struck my 
 stomach on the water, for all the breath seemed to be 
 knocked out of me. I hardly knew what I was about 
 in the water till I saw you. At first I supposed you 
 had jumped overboard to finish your job." 
 
322 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " You wronged me ; I would have saved you, if 1 
 had been sure of perishing myself." 
 
 " You did save me, and I am willing to let that act 
 offset the other." 
 
 " I'm grateful to you for this, Pelham. You treat 
 me better than I deserve." 
 
 " Never mind it now ; we will call it square," re- 
 plied Pelham, lightly. " How about the Chain, Shuf- 
 fles? We shall be in sight of land by to-morrow." 
 
 " We can't do anything now." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 "How can we? After whit has happened, I will 
 not reproach you for what yuu did. You know how 
 you provoked me. You have exposed the whole 
 affair to the officers." 
 
 " Not a bit of it." 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Certainly not. Did you ever know Augustus 
 Pelham to violate his obligations?" demanded Pel- 
 ham, with dignity. 
 
 " Never before ; but the captain, the second lieuten- 
 ant, and seven others, who would no more join the 
 League than they would steal your pocket-book, went 
 through all the signs with me." 
 
 " They all voted too," laughed Pelham. 
 
 " I am willing to confess that I played off a mean 
 trick upon you." 
 
 " And I have only made myself even with you. I 
 have not betrayed a single secret of the Chain to any 
 one not posted — except the signs. If I had, of course 
 you and I Would both have been in the brig before 
 this time." 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 323 
 
 " I was puzzled to find nothing was said," added 
 Shuffles. 
 
 " No one knows anything. The Chain is as perfect 
 as ever. Give me your orders, and I will carry them 
 out." 
 
 " The fellows have backed out now." 
 
 " Then, of course, we must do the same. I doubt 
 whether we could have carried the thing out." 
 
 " No matter whether we could or not: we must 
 drop it for the present. The fellows all suppose they 
 are caught now, and expect every moment to be hauled 
 up to the mast for an investigation." 
 
 " They are all safe ; at least we can purchase their 
 safety for ten shillings apiece," laughed Pelham. 
 
 "Purchase it!" exclaimed Shuffles, mystified by 
 the language of his companion. 
 
 "Just so — purchase it," added Pelham; and he 
 proceeded to inform his late rival of the trick he had 
 invented in retaliation for the one Shuffles had put 
 upon him. 
 
 " It was tit for tat," said Shuffles. 
 
 u I told nothing which would harm either of us, 
 for I am just as deep in the mud as you are in the 
 mire." 
 
 " That's true. We must hang together." 
 
 " I hope not," replied Pelham, laughing. " We 
 have got into this scrape, and we must get out of it." 
 
 " Suppose the captain or the second lieutenant 
 should make the signs to one of our fellows, and he 
 should tell what we were going to do." 
 
 " I told all my recruits not to answer any signs now, 
 whoever made them." 
 
324 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " I did the same, when I found the captain knew 
 them." 
 
 " Then we are safe ; but the silver pitcher must be 
 forthcoming." 
 
 " The fellows will all be glad enough to get out of 
 this scrape by paying ten shillings." 
 
 " Very well ; then every one of them must sign an 
 order on Mr. Lowington for ten shillings, payable to 
 Dr. Winstock," added Pelham. 
 
 " They will do it. Are you sure nothing has leaked 
 out?" 
 
 " Very sure ; there would have been a tremendous 
 commotion before this time, if Our real object had 
 been even suspected." 
 
 " No doubt of that." 
 
 " After all, Shuffles, do you really think we intend- 
 ed to take the ship ? " 
 
 " I did ; I know that." 
 
 " I don't believe I did," said the fourth lieutenant. 
 " Nothing seemed exactly real to me, until I went 
 overboard." 
 
 " It was more real to me then than ever before," 
 replied Shuffles. " What shall we do with the Chain 
 now ? " 
 
 " Nothing ; we may want to use it again, some 
 time. Let every fellow keep still. When the princi- 
 pal gets his silver pitcher, which the doctor will pro- 
 cure as soon as he can go up to Cork, he will think 
 the members of the Chain are the best fellows on 
 board." 
 
 " I think you have sold the whole of us, Pelham," 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 325 
 
 continued Shuffles, with a sheepish smile. " Here's 
 the end of the Chain " 
 
 " Yes, and we may be thankful that it isn't the end 
 of a rope instead of a chain," laughed Pelham. " The 
 penalty of mutiny is death." 
 
 " I have had no fear of that ; it would have been 
 regarded only as a lark. But it is really amusing to 
 think where we have come out," added Shuffles. " We 
 formed the 'Chain' because Lowington was tyran- 
 nical ; most of the fellows joined it because he took 
 their money from them." 
 
 " Precisely so." 
 
 " And we are going to end it by giving Lowington 
 a silver pitcher, in token of our respect and esteem ! " 
 
 " In other words, Shuffles, we have played this 
 game, and whipped out each other, without any help 
 from the principal. It was mean business — I really 
 think so ; and while we were trying to overreach 
 each other, the game slipped through our fingers. 
 I am really grateful when I think what an awful 
 scrape w r e have avoided." 
 
 " Perhaps you are right," replied Shuffles, thought- 
 fully ; " but there was fun in the scheme." 
 
 " There might have been, if we had succeeded ; but 
 it would have been anything but fun if we had failed. 
 Some of us would have found quarters in the brig, 
 and we should not have been allowed to go on shore 
 when we reached Queenstown." 
 
 " A fellow won't want to go on shore without any 
 money," growled Shuffles, who was not wholly cured 
 of his discontent. 
 
 " Since I went overboard I have been thinking a 
 28 
 
326 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 great deal of this matter. I have come to the conclu- 
 sion that Mr. Lowington is not the worst man in the 
 world." 
 
 " He is harsh and tyrannical." 
 
 " I don't think he ought to have taken our money 
 from us ; but I judge him from all his acts, not by one 
 alone." 
 
 Pelham seemed to have turned over a new leaf, and 
 to be sincerely sorry for his attitude of rebellion. 
 Shuffles was not to be convinced ; he was to be* over- 
 whelmed in another manner. 
 
 The rivals separated, with their differences re- 
 moved, and with full confidence in each other. Pel- 
 ham wrote thirty-one orders on the principal for ten 
 shillings each, in favor of the surgeon, during his off- 
 time on that day, which were to be signed and handed 
 to Paul Kendall. As opportunity occurred, the " sit- 
 uation " was explained to the members of the League ; 
 and though many of them growled at the idea of 
 giving a present to Mr. Lowington for taking their 
 money from them, not one of them refused to sign 
 the orders ; none of them dared to refuse. 
 
 In due time Dr. Winstock had possession of all these 
 little drafts, amounting in the aggregate to fifteen 
 pounds, ten shillings, which would purchase quite a 
 respectable piece of plate. Paul Kendall was the 
 happiest student on board, for the presentation her- 
 alded the era of good feeling. The League was 
 virtually dead for the present, if not forever. The 
 inherent evil of the organization, with the bickerings 
 and bad passions of its members, had killed it — 
 the turtle had swallowed his own head. 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 327 
 
 The weather continued fine ; the routine of ship's 
 duty and the stud.es went on without interruption. On 
 the twenty-fourth day out, at three bells in the after- 
 noon watch, a tremendous excitement was created on 
 board. 
 
 " Land on the port bow ! " shouted one of the crew? 
 who had been stationed on the fore yard-arm as a 
 lookout. 
 
 All on deck sprang into the rigging, to get a sight 
 of the welcome shore. It looked like a fog bank in 
 the distance ; there was really nothing to be seen, but 
 the fact that the ship was in sis:ht of land was enough 
 
 XT O O 
 
 to create an excitement among the boys. 
 
 At three bells, in the first dog watch, the land was 
 distinctly visible. It was the Island of Dursey, and 
 was now seen on the beam, while other land appeared 
 in sight ahead. It was Sunday, and all hands were at 
 liberty to enjoy this first view of the new continent. 
 The boys thought the land looked just like that they 
 had last seen on the shore of the western continent, 
 and perhaps some of them were disappointed because 
 everything looked so natural. 
 
 The officers and crew were impatient to make their 
 destined port ; but the wind subsided as the sun went 
 down on that quiet Sabbath day on the ocean. The 
 ship hardly made twenty miles before daylight in the 
 morning. 
 
 At eight o'clock, on Monday, when Paul Kendall 
 had the deck, the Young America was off Fastnet 
 Rock, and not more than half a mile from it. It is 
 about ten miles from Cape Clear, and is a solitary 
 rock rising out of the sea, on which a lighthouse is 
 
328 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 located. The water around it was covered with small 
 boats engaged in fishing. The port watch were all on 
 deck, and the scene was full of interest to them. The 
 people whom they saw belonged to another continent 
 than that in which they lived. All was new and 
 strange to them, and all were interested in observing 
 the distant shore, and the objects near the ship. 
 
 At one bell in the afternoon watch, when the Young 
 America was off Gaily Head, all hands were'piped to 
 muster. Mr. Lowington, on taking the rostrum, said 
 that he had received a petition signed by a majority of 
 the officers and crew. 
 
 " A petition to go ashore, I suppose," said Shuffles 
 to Pelham. 
 
 " I think not," laughed the fourth lieutenant, who 
 appeared to know what was coming. 
 
 " Young gentlemen," continued the principal, whose 
 face wore an unusually pleasant smile, " a few days 
 since you were all filled with admiration at the noble 
 conduct of one of your number, who saved the life of 
 another at the peril of his own." 
 
 " Want to go ashore, Shuffles? " whispered Pelham. 
 
 Shuffles was too much confused to make any reply ; 
 he did not know whether he was to be praised or 
 blamed. 
 
 " I have received a petition, requesting me to appoint 
 Robert Shuffles second lieutenant of the ship, in place 
 of Paul Kendall, resigned," added Mr. Lowington. 
 
 Shuffles was overwhelmed with astonishment, and a 
 large proportion of the students received the announce- 
 ment with hearty applause. 
 
 " Young gentlemen, I have only to say that the 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 329 
 
 petition is granted. I ought to add, however, that no 
 officer will lose his rank, except Mr. Kendall, who, at 
 his own desire, will take the vacant number in the 
 steerage, now belonging to Robert Shuffles, promoted. 
 I take great pleasure in granting this petition, because 
 the request is honorable to you, and shows a proper 
 appreciation of the noble conduct of your shipmate. 
 But let me add, that you should divide your admira- 
 tion between the one who rescued his friend from 
 death, and him who voluntarily resigned his honorable 
 position in the after cabin, in order to make a place in 
 which merit could be acknowledged and rewarded. 
 Nothing but a matter of life and death could have 
 induced me to vary the discipline of the ship. Young 
 gentlemen, you are dismissed from muster." 
 
 " Three cheers for Paul Kendall ! " shouted one of 
 the boys. 
 
 They were given. 
 
 " Three cheers for Robert Shuffles ! " added Paul ; 
 and they were given. 
 
 " Mr. Shuffles will repair to the after cabin, where 
 he will be qualified, and take his position at once." 
 
 " Mr. Lowington, I must decline Mr. Kendall's 
 generous offer," interposed Shuffles, who was actually 
 choking with emotion. 
 
 " This matter has been well considered, Shuffles," 
 replied the principal ; " and as it is the desire of a 
 large majority of your shipmates that you should 
 accept the position, I think you had better do so." 
 
 " There isn't a student in the ship who desires it 
 so much as I do," added Paul, with generous en* 
 thusiasm. " You know I told you I would like 
 zS* 
 
330 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 to be in the steerage, for I have always been an 
 officer." 
 
 " Allow me till to-night, if you please, to consider 
 it, Mr. Lowington," replied Shuffles, as he grasped 
 the hand of Paul. 
 
 " Certainly, if you desire it." 
 
 Shuffles was overwhelmed by the magnanimity of 
 Paul and the kindness of the principal*. At that 
 moment he would have given everything to be such 
 a young man as the second lieutenant ; to be as good 
 and true, as free from evil thoughts and evil purposes, 
 as he was. A light had dawned upon the rebel and 
 the plotter which he had never seen before. Good- 
 ness and truth had vindicated themselves, and over- 
 whelmed the guilty one. 
 
 " Mr. Shuffles, I congratulate you on your promo- 
 tion," said the chaplain, extending his hand, 
 
 " I cannot accept it, sir," replied the repentant mal- 
 content. " I would like to speak with you alone, Mr. 
 Agneau." 
 
 The chaplain took him to his state room in the 
 main cabin ; and there, Shuffles, conquered and sub- 
 dued by the kindness of his friends, confessed the 
 terrible crime he had committed — that he had pushed 
 Pelham overboard. 
 
 The chaplain was confounded at this confession, 
 but still more so when the self-convicted conspirator 
 revealed all the secrets of " The Chain." Shuffles 
 mentioned no names ; he took all the guilt upon 
 himself. 
 
 " I am astonished, my dear young friend," said the 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 33 1 
 
 chaplain. " Is it possible the life you saved was 
 imperilled by your own violent passions ? " 
 
 " It is true, sir," replied Shuffles, hardly able to 
 control his feelings. 
 
 " Then I think you had better not accept the 
 promotion that has been offered to you." 
 
 " I will not ; I would jump overboard first. I am 
 willing to be punished ; I deserve it." 
 
 " Shuffles, you have almost atoned for your errors 
 by confessing them ; and your courageous conduct, 
 after you had pushed Pelham into the sea, proves that 
 you sincerely repented that act. Shall I tell Mr. 
 Lowington what you have said ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir ; let him know me as I am ; let him 
 despise me as I deserve," replied Shuffles, wiping 
 away a genuine tear of repentance. 
 
 Mr. Agneau talked to the penitent for two hours ; 
 and finally he prayed.with him and for him. If never 
 before, the moral condition of the culprit was now 
 hopeful, and the chaplain labored earnestly and faith- 
 fully to give him right views of his relations to God 
 and his fellow-beings. 
 
 " Paul," said Shuffles, when he met his generous 
 and self-sacrificing friend in the waist, after the con- 
 ference in the state room, " I am the meanest and 
 vilest fellow on board." 
 
 " No, you are not ! " exclaimed Paul. 
 
 " I would give the world to be like you." 
 
 " No, no ! You wrong yourself, and overdo me." 
 
 " I have confessed all to the chaplain, and you will 
 soon know me as I am, Paul. I will not take your 
 place in the cabin. Your kindness and generosity 
 
332 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 have overcome me. You have convinced me that 
 doing right is always the best way." 
 
 Paul did not know what to make of this remarkable 
 confession ; but, after supper, all hands were piped to 
 muster again, the ship being off Kinsale Head, nearly 
 becalmed. The chaplain had informed the principal 
 of the substance of Shuffles' confession. Mr. Low- 
 ington laughed at " The Chain League," the signs and 
 the passwords, and regarded the mutiny as a matter 
 of little consequence. He did not believe that Shuf- 
 fles, or his followers, had really intended to take the 
 ship. The project was too monstrous to be credible. 
 The fact that the conspirator had attempted the life of 
 his companion was a grave matter, and it was treated 
 as such. Mr. Agneau was entirely confident of the 
 sincerity of the culprit's repentance. Shuffles had 
 refused to take the proffered promotion, which was 
 abundant evidence that he was" in earnest. 
 
 The penitent was sent for, and repeated his confes- 
 sion to the principal. He did not ask to be exempted 
 from punishment ; but he did ask to be forgiven. He 
 was forgiven ; but when the crew were piped to mus- 
 ter, all the particulars of the intended mutiny were 
 exposed to the astonished " outsiders." Paul under- 
 stood it now. Mr. Lowingtori ridiculed the mutiny ; 
 but he spoke very seriously of the consequences of 
 insubordination. 
 
 " Young gentlemen, Shuffles has not mentioned the 
 name of a single student in connection with this silly 
 conspiracy ; he has asked to be excused from doing 
 so. I grant his request, and I hope that all who have 
 engaged in the affair are as sincerely sorry for their 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 333 
 
 connection with it as he is. Under the circumstances, 
 Shuffles will not be promoted. Young gentlemen, 
 you are dismissed." 
 
 " Shuffles was a good fellow to keep us in the dark," 
 whispered Sanborn to Wilton. 
 
 " Keep still," replied Wilton. " We are lucky to get 
 out of the scrape on any terms." 
 
 So thought all of them ; and it was certainly mag- 
 nanimous on the part of the chief conspirator to be 
 willing to assume all the guilt, and sutler all the pun- 
 ishment. There was enough of good in Shuffles to 
 save him from the evil of his nature. 
 
 " Paul, there is one more thing I must tell you," 
 said Shuffles, that evening, while the ship lay becalmed 
 off Kinsale. " You remember when I told you about 
 the gambling in the steerage ? " 
 
 " I do." 
 
 " I was deceiving you then. I only exposed the 
 fellows in order to make trouble. I knew that the 
 students would be closely watched, and the rules 
 more strictly enforced, which would make them 
 mad." 
 
 " What did you want to make them mad for? " 
 
 " So that they would join the League." 
 
 Ci Well, you did a good thing for the ship and for 
 the fellows, if your motives were not good," replied 
 Paul. " It was good out of evil, any way." 
 
 " I don't think half so many fellows would have 
 joined if Mr. Lowington hadn't taken their money 
 from them." 
 
 " Have you seen any gambling since ? " 
 
 " Not a bit of it, Paul." 
 
334 OUTWARD BOUND, OR 
 
 " I am glad to know that." 
 
 " One thing more ; you know all the members of 
 the League, Paul." 
 
 "I?" 
 
 " Yes ; you have their names on the orders, for ten 
 shillings each." 
 
 " So I have ; but we will make a general affair of 
 the presentation, and that will cover up the whole of 
 them." 
 
 " Thank you, Paul. You despise me as much as ] 
 like and respect you." 
 
 "■ I don't despise you, Shuffles. You have done 
 wrong, but I respect you for undoing the evil you 
 had meditated. We are all weak and erring, and 
 we can't afford to despise any one. On the con- 
 trary, I like you," replied Paul, giving Shuffles his 
 hand. 
 
 " You treat me better than I deserve, Paul ; but if 
 you are my friend, I shall be all the better for it ; and 
 I hope you will not be worse." 
 
 The end of the conspiracy had been reached, 
 Before the ship came to anchor in the Cove, every 
 boy on board had drawn his order on the principal 
 for ten shillings, and the members of the League were 
 veiled beneath the mass of names. 
 
 At sunrise, on Tuesday morning, the ship had a gen- 
 tle breeze ; and at three bells in the forenoon watch, 
 she was off Roches Point, with the Union Jack at the 
 foremast-head, as a signal for a pilot. On this ex- 
 citing occasion, the studies and recitations were sus- 
 pended, to enable all the students to see the shores, 
 and enjoy the scene. The pilot made his appearance, 
 
YOUNG AMERICA AFLOAT. 335 
 
 gave Mr. Lowington the latest Cork papers, and took 
 charge of the ship. The honest Irishman was not a 
 little surprised to find the vessel manned " wid nothing 
 in the wide wurld but by's ; " but he found they were 
 good seamen. 
 
 The Young America ran into the beautiful bay 
 through the narrow opening, with Carlisle Fort on the 
 starboard and Camden Fort on the port hand. The 
 students were intensely excited by the near view of 
 the land, of the odd little steamers that went whisking 
 about, and the distant view of Queenstown, on the 
 slope of the hill at the head of the bay. They were 
 in Europe now. 
 
 " All hands to bring ship to anchor ! " said the 
 first lieutenant, when the ship was approaching the 
 town. 
 
 The light sails were furled, the port anchor cleared 
 away, and every preparation made for the moor- 
 ing. Then the orders to let go the topsail sheets, 
 clew up the topsails, and haul down the jib, were 
 given. 
 
 " Port the helm ! Stand clear of the cable ! Let 
 go the port anchor ! " 
 
 The cable rattled through the hawse-hole, the 
 anchor went to the bottom, the Young America swung 
 round, and her voyage across the ocean was happily 
 terminated. Three rousing cheers -were given in 
 honor of the auspicious event, and when the sails had 
 been furled, the crew were piped to dinner. 
 
 And here, at the close of the voyage, we leave the 
 Young America, with her officers and crew wiser and 
 better, we trust, than when they sailed from the shores 
 
336 OUTWARD BOUND. 
 
 of their native country. They were now to entei 
 upon a new life in foreign lands ; and what they 
 saw and what they did, on sea and shore, during the 
 following weeks, will be related in " Shamrock 
 and Thistle, or Young America in Ireland and 
 Scotland?