Did you ever join in those heart-wringing cheers,
With your face turned towards Heaven’s blue dome
As laden with riches you purchased so dear
You hoisted your topsails,—bound home?
Deafening were the hand clappings and shouts of approval that followed, and then, as the eight silvery notes of the bell pealed out across the waves the one-legged bo’sun leaped forward.
“Three cheers for the foinest cap’n phwat iver sailed a whaleship!” he cried. Rousing were the huzzas that followed, and once again the Irishman raised his voice. “An’ three more for our fri’nd Misther Potter phwat saved the barrk—a foine, brave whaleman aven if he has a wooden lig! An’ three toimes three fer Misther Kemp, phwat makes ye into foine sailor min—aiven if he bates the loife out o’ yez to do it. An’ three more for thim b’yes—the foine thurrd an’ fourth mates!”
“And now, men, three times three for the Hector, a full cargo and a short voyage!” cried the skipper, as the lusty cheers died down. And never were more heartfelt hurrahs heard upon a whaler than those which responded to his words.
CHAPTER VI
AN ISLAND QUITE OUT OF THE WORLD
Apparently Father Neptune was anxious to show his appreciation of the welcome he had received on the Hector, for the day after his appearance, a light breeze sprang up. Taking advantage of every catspaw, under a perfect cloud of canvas and with stunsails set, the bark slipped through the calm sea and out of the doldrums into the southern trade winds. Then, once more, she bowled along on her long run to Tristan da Cunha, her next stop. Although the boys had left New Bedford in the autumn, they now found that it was spring south of the equator and the captain explained to them that he hoped to reach the South Shetlands in time to fill up with oil during the short Antarctic summer, and leave for the north before winter set in.
The days passed by uneventfully, but ever with something new or unusual to interest the two boys. Daily they saw strange birds; long-tailed white “bo’sun” birds, boobies and “Mother Carey’s chickens” and many another. Cap’n Pem told them that the “bo’suns” were unlucky and if one alighted on the ship it meant a death aboard, but that the Mother Carey’s chickens were good omens.
“Stormy petrels, some calls ’em,” said the old whaleman. “Ye can’t git a sailor ter hurt ’em fer love o’ money, but I reckon ef ye’d like ter see one of ’em clost to, ’twon’t do no harm fer me ter ketch some o’ the chicks an’ let ’em go again.”
“Catch them!” exclaimed Tom. “How can you catch one of those birds?”
“Easy as is,” replied Pem. “Jes’ run down an’ fetch me up a reel o’ black thread an’ a couple o’ ol’ corks an I’ll show ye.”