With this there was a wild skelter, as the men dived into the forepeak to gather together their personal property; and a quarter of an hour later the backbone of the Neptune's crew rowed off to our consort.
An hour or more elapsed ere the sixty peasants were brought on board the Golden Hope, for Captain 'Enery, with considerable tact, had allowed them to settle amongst themselves who should stay and who were to go. Thus there was no separation of relations or friends--for, poor fellows, they had had enough of that when they left England--and each band of yokels had the satisfaction of finding themselves made up of practically the manhood of their respective villages.
Our westward course was now resumed, the two vessels keeping their stations with commendable precision, the Golden Hope leading at about a cable's length from the Neptune's larboard bow.
From early morn to late afternoon, day after day, the new arrivals were trained in the use of arms, manning the guns under Master Touchstone's supervision, and going through the musketry exercises and the cuts and guards of the cutlass drill. It was not long before their smocks and other homely garments had given place to clothes of a nautical cut, while each day added to their transformation into stout-hearted British seamen.
Nor were the conditions under which the crew of the Neptune lived less strenuous. Although we were unable to go aboard her, for the Trades blew steadily during this time, and both vessels kept up a good eight knots, I could see by the aid of a glass that her men were hard at work with their ordnance and small arms; while it seemed that Captain 'Enery rarely quitted his quarter-deck. Whenever I chanced to look that way I could distinguish his tall, gaunt, bearded figure slowly pacing his domain; and I realized that, should we ever find ourselves in a tight fix, we should have reason to be thankful for the aid of Captain 'Enery.
CHAPTER XV
We Arrive at Treasure Island
"Land ahead!"
Such was the welcome cry that greeted my ears as I awoke on the morning of our thirty-eighth day afloat.
Hastily throwing on my clothes, I rushed on deck to view the land of promise. We were approaching the Lesser Antilles, and ahead the lofty, wooded slopes of an extensive island were slowly coming into sight, while north and south the peaks of other islands showed their heads above the horizon, for the weather was particularly clear, the hour being just after sunrise.