“East Indiaman.”
“That’s true enough; but has nobody told you what we shall have on board?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll tell you now. We might have waited for the next, but that would have been for a month, and I want to get back home again, Nic; so, as Sir John’s name was enough to get me what I wanted, I settled we’d go in the Northumbrian, which is taking out a lot of convicts.”
Nic’s brow grew rugged.
“But there’s a big draft of the 300th Regiment and their officers too, and they’ll take care of us, boy, so you won’t mind.”
“Oh! no,” cried Nic, “I shall not mind.”
In fact, he failed to see what there would be to mind, for it did not occur to him that it might be unpleasant and awkward for the governor’s wife.
The bustle of departure had commenced when they reached the dock, and the quay swarmed with the friends and relatives of the company of infantry off on foreign service, while dock officials were busy issuing the orders which began to take effect a few minutes after Nic had seen Lady O’Hara into her cabin and hurried back on deck to gaze on the novel scene.
For hawsers were being secured round posts, men were leaving, a couple of boats were out ahead ready to tow, and soon the great three-masted vessel began to move slowly along by the quay to the great gates, with the soldiers cheering and waving their caps, and shouts and cries rising from those being left behind, till the gates were passed, and the long narrow channel between stone walls gave place to the river, with its tide at the height; the faces began to grow smaller and smaller, and soon the Northumbrian, with her littered decks and bustle and confusion, began to drop slowly down with the tide.