“The dickens they have,” I cried as I ran along to the forecastle, where I found it was all too true. Rushing aft I told the steward to rouse the captain and let him know that most of the sailors had cleared out. Then, jumping ashore, I hurried up Hunter Street to the Police Office, and told the superintendent in charge, and received the information that he could give us no help until we took a warrant out against the men.
“But,” I replied, “the ship is going to sail out to-day, and if the captain has to take out a warrant for each man, look at the delay it will cause.”
“That’s no business of mine,” he replied, adding, “perhaps if you paid them better and fed them better they would not run away.”
I made no answer to this remark, as I felt it was only too true in many cases, so returned to the ship to find Captain McLellan in a towering passion. Lines were run out to the departure buoys, and the ship hauled off.
“Shackel the starboard cable on to the buoy, Mr. Farrer,” the captain called out.
“Aye, aye, sir,” I replied.
This was done and the captain went ashore to see if he could have the men arrested, and if not, to try and get others to fill their places, so that the ship would not be detained.
About two hours after the captain had left, a large colonial barque came slowly down the river in full sail, outward bound with a fair wind. She was a perfect picture, as she slipped along on a strong ebb tide. Mr. Smith and I were admiring her, when we saw to our surprise five of our runaway sailors leaning over her side and waving their caps at us in derision as they passed.
“The dirty mean skunks,” said Smith, in a towering passion, and before I could say a word he had darted into his room, snatched up a revolver, and rushing along the deck to the nearest point of the receding barque, fired at the men waving their caps. Fortunately for him the shots fell short, and in half an hour she was outside the Nobbies, and bounding away toward New Caledonia.
It was very aggravating, but nothing could be done, so we had to make the best of it.