Frank Brown, Sea Apprentice

by Frank Thomas Bullen

Below, or in the cabin, there were the usual poor signs of occupation common to Scandinavian ships, which are never given to luxury in any form, and from the presence of food in a still eatable condition, it was certain that she had not been abandoned for a longer period than two or three days. The men’s quarters confirmed the idea, there was nothing alive on board except the rats, although how or why the crew had gone was a profound mystery. Finding the sounding-rod, the skipper tried the well. There was a depth of four feet of water in her, which afforded no reason why she should have been left.

After a few moments of intense thought, Captain Jenkins made up his mind what to do, and with an air of relief went straight to the captain’s cabin, noted that the chronometer, an eight-day one, was still going, and finding the ship’s papers, saw that she was from Tonala, Mexico, bound to London with a cargo of mahogany. A shade of wonder crossed his mind as to why she had none of it on deck, as is usual, but that was so trifling a matter as compared with the main problem that he did no more than note it. Then, jumping into the boat, he returned to the Sealark.

As soon as he reached the deck of his own ship he called his two officers to him and said, “Now, here’s a prize worth making a big effort to secure. I think we can, and we ought, to secure it, if we have anything like decent luck. It’s not too late in the year to expect middling fine weather, in spite of that tremendous snorter of a gale we had the other day. I propose that you, Jacks, take charge of her with your watch of white men, if they’ll go, that is, and make the best of your way home with her to London. We’ll work our way under easy canvas with the Lascars to New York. What do you think?”

Seeing that Mr. Cope remained silent with a somewhat discontented look on his face, the second mate replied, “I’m ready and glad of the chance, if you can spare me that youngster, Frank. I’ve watched him carefully for a long time now, and I feel sure that he can be trusted to keep a watch, and as for navigation, I’ve found that he’s a jolly sight better at it than I am.”

“Ah,” murmured the skipper, “that wants thinking about. However, we’ll call ’em all aft and see. Mr. Jacks, call all the white men aft, there is a Lascar at the wheel.”

The order was given and obeyed with exceeding promptness, all the white men striding up to the quarter-deck, and the four lads gazing wistfully in the background.

“Now, men,” said the skipper quietly, “there’s a ship and cargo there that’s worth, at the lowest estimate, £15,000. And if we can get her safely to her port, which is London, since her own crew has entirely disappeared, we’ll get two-thirds of her value as salvage, say £10,000, which will mean more money than we could earn in several years of hard work. It will be a big job and a hard job for you white chaps, only six or seven of you altogether with Mr. Jacks here, to get her to London, but its like has been done before, indeed harder jobs than this. Anyhow, if you are willing to take this job on, I am willing to risk getting our own ship to New York with Mr. Cope, the bo’sun, the carpenter, and the Lascars. You can take the cook, too, if he’ll go. What do you say?”

There was not the slightest ambiguity about their answer. In fact their eagerness was almost pathetic to witness. For the average sailor in ships of the Sealark type welcomes almost anything as a relief to the monotony of his life, a monotony that would not exist to a thoughtful, observant man with books to read and facilities for reading them, but does certainly press with iron ruthlessness upon most men of the sea during long passages.

“All right,” responded the skipper cheerfully, “now go and get your dunnage together as quick as you can, we don’t want to dawdle away this fine-weather slant.”

The men rushed forward with the utmost alacrity to obey, while the skipper called Frank to his side and said kindly, “Frank, my lad, would you like to go with Mr. Jacks? He has said that he would rather have you than any one else in the ship to be his relief. You’ll be able to keep a watch, and it will be grand practice for you. But if you have any scruples about going, only say so. Or if you think your people would not like you to take the risk. Although, I am bound to say, that I think there will be no more risk in her than there will be here.”