Thus roared the men, and, as the boys joined in the chorus, the heavy yards rose slowly, the sails were sheeted home, and as the bark passed the harbor mouth and caught the fresh offshore wind, the tug cast off her lines, blew a parting blast on her whistle and the Hector, under her own canvas, headed towards the open sea.
The breeze was fair and steady and under topsails and to’gallant sails the bark swept smoothly on, a crinkle of white water under her forefoot, a yeasty wake trailing off astern and the soft hum of the wind in her taut rigging and great billowing sails. The boys, who had never been to sea except in steamers, thought they had never experienced anything so delightful as the sensation of sailing without the throb and noise of engines and the mess and dirt of smoke and cinders, and they were sure that they had never seen anything so beautiful as the huge, white sails straining at their braces, gleaming like silver in the sun, softly purple in the shadows and swaying majestically across the blue summer sky as the boys gazed upward at them in admiration.
Dim and hazy in the distance, were the hills and shores; a mere smudge of smoke marked New Bedford; to port lay Martha’s Vineyard; and straight ahead was the broad Atlantic.
But the two boys had been too well trained by Cap’n Pem to idle away the time admiring the pyramids of snowy sails overhead, or the gentle rise and fall of the deck beneath their feet, but busied themselves about the ship, coiling down ropes, explaining orders to the green crew, lending a hand here and there and making themselves generally useful. Presently, Mr. Kemp approached. “Mr. Potter’d like Mr. Chester and Mr. Lathrop to step aft,” he said.
For a moment the boys hesitated, puzzled, and then, despite every effort, laughed, for the officer’s formal method of addressing them struck them as very funny. They had never dreamed that they would be treated other than as boys and to be spoken to as officers was a distinct surprise.
Quickly recovering themselves, however, the two hurried to the poop where the old whaleman was standing.
“What is it, Cap’n Pem—?” began Tom, but he was instantly interrupted by the other. “Mr. Potter, sir!” corrected the old man with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Yes, sir, what is it, sir?” inquired Tom, trying hard to hide a grin.
“Cap’n Edwards wants ye an’ Mr. Lathrop to git ready fer to take observations, sir,” replied Cap’n Pem. “He says as how he’d like fer ye two youngs—Oh, gosh-ding it all what’s ther use! I’ll be blowed ef I kin keep it up. Call me Cap’n Pem ef ye like. I’m a-goin’ ter call ye young scallywags or anythin’ else same’s I allers has. Well the ol’—Cap’n Edwards I mean—wants ter hev ye shoot the sun an’ work out the position so’s he kin see how much ye know. It’s pretty nigh eight bells now, so hustle down inter my cabin and fetch up them two sextants there, an’ git busy.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Potter!” chuckled Jimmy, as the two boys dived down the companionway.