"There can be no trouble. All sailors grumble, you know, Miss Arbuckle, and our boys imitate their elders in this respect. They will growl for a while, but just as soon as they work the ship with skill and promptness, we shall put into Brest, and make our trip down the Rhine. I think we shall not be at sea beyond a couple of days."
"I hope not, for the sake of the crew."
"All hands, weigh anchor, ahoy!" shouted the boatswain, as his sharp pipe rang through the ship.
Less than thirty of the seamen answered to the call, and it was apparent that a very large majority of them had chosen to follow the evil counsels of the runaways, or the foolish counsels of other discontented spirits. It was the first time since the ship went into commission that any considerable number of the crew had failed to respond to the call. Shuffles was confounded, and the first lieutenant actually turned pale. It looked like such a mutiny as the Chain League had planned.
"Pipe again," said Shuffles, as quietly as he could.
Again the boatswain sounded the call, and repeated the order, but with no better success than before. Not another seaman appeared upon deck.
"What does this mean?" said the commodore to the captain.
"As near as I can interpret it, the greater part of the crew do not intend to obey orders," replied Shuffles.
"It certainly looks so."
"Mr. Goodwin, will you inquire of those who obeyed the order, whether their shipmates heard the call?" continued the captain, laboring very hard to appear cool and collected, as a commander ought to be in every emergency.