“The matter is settled then, Charley, and I hope, before many months are over, we shall be in blue water together again, and I shall be teaching you many of the things which I am afraid all your schooling must have made you forget.” As it was a half-holiday, I was able to spend several hours with Dick. We were at length discovered. The boys gathered round us, inquiring who Dick was; and on hearing that he was an old sailor, begged him to spin them some of his yarns. Dick indulged them to their hearts’ content, and, among other things, narrated some of the early events of my life. At last he was obliged to take his departure, that he might catch the evening coach for London.
When the school broke up, I returned to Mr Dear’s. He at once questioned me as to my inclinations about a profession; and when I told him that I wished to go to sea, he replied, to my great joy, that he would make arrangements for my sailing in the Phoebe.
I spent several weeks at his house, before she was ready for sea, employing my time, at his suggestion, in studying navigation.
On going up to town one day, I found Captain Renton at the office. He cordially welcomed me, and assured Mr Dear that he would do his best to make a sailor of me, and to fit me for my duties as an officer.
The Phoebe was, I found, bound out to Sydney, New South Wales. As she was by this time nearly ready for sea, Mr Dear thought it best that I should go on board at once and commence my duties. I found that Dick had already joined.
“I hope, Charley, you have not forgotten what you knew before you went to school,” he observed. “I have been mortally afraid that the book-learning would drive your seamanship out of your head.”
“I hope not,” I answered; “I feel myself perfectly at home already, but I shall be able to judge better when I get to sea.”
When Captain Renton left the ship that evening, I thought he looked very pale; and the next day the first mate, Mr Gibbs, received a message to say that he was too ill to come on board. Several days passed. We then heard that he was unable to proceed on the voyage, and had given up the command to a Captain Slack, who made his appearance the next morning.
“I don’t like his name,” observed Dick to me, “but he may be a very good man for all that: still, to my eye, he is very different to Captain Renton, but we shall find out all about him by-and-by.”
At length the Phoebe went out of dock down to Gravesend. Some of her passengers had already come on board, the rest here joined us.