Down the Rhine; Or, Young America in Germany by Oliver Optic (best book club books for discussion .txt) 📕

"You are foolish, Master Perth," said the old boatswain, shaking his head; for he had been the only person who had listened to the interview, and appeared to be present for a purpose.

Perth put his hands in his pockets. He felt the paper on which he had written during the lecture. It would be a dangerous document in case he should be searched; for its contents would expose him, and implicate others. As slyly and as quickly as he could, he took it out, tore it into small bits, and threw it out the open port into the water.

"What's that?" demanded Peaks, seizing him by the collar.

"You are too late," answered Perth.

"What was it you tore up?"

"The five-pound notes."

"Tell that to the marines!" exclaimed the old sailor.

"They are gone to Davy Jones's locker now," replied Perth, shaking his head.

Peaks instantly reported the matter to the principal, who, however, did not deem it necessary to take any immediate action. Probably he did not believe the young wretch had destroyed the bills; or, if he had, it was his own loss. Perth stood silent and sullen, while Mr. Lowington spoke to the students, announcing the arrangements for the excursion to the Rhine. The delinquent was certain, by this time, that he was not to be one of the party; but he hoped, if he saved his money, that he should find an opportunity to escape from the squadron soon after his shipmates started on their journey.

CHAPTER XII.

A MYSTERIOUS MOVEMENT.

"Young gentlemen," said Mr. Lowington, as he stepped upon the hatch, after disposing of Perth's case, "we shall commence our tour to the Rhine to-morrow morning."

A hearty demonstration of applause greeted this announcement, and doubtless those who had been faithful from the beginning realized a certain sense of triumph, because they were justified in their hopes.

"We shall leave in the first train for Paris, where we will spend the night, and proceed to Strasburg the next day. From this point we shall enter Germany, and after visiting several places of interest, such as Fribourg, Baden, Schaffhausen, Stuttgart, Carlsruhe, Heidelberg, and Frankfort, we shall take the steamer at Mayence, and go down the Rhine as far as Cologne. This excursion will enable you to see all of the river which is worth seeing. You have already seen the Rhine in Holland, and at Basle. All its picturesque portions are crowded into the space of less than a hundred miles, which you can witness from the deck of a steamer in a single day, if such haste were necessary.

"As we leave at an early hour in the morning, it will be best to make our arrangements to-night. On our return to Havre, Captain Shuffles requested me to allow all hands to join in this excursion."

A few half-suppressed hisses from some of the runaways were promptly drowned in a sea of applause from the Order of the Faithful.

"I had the subject under consideration, and it would have afforded me very great pleasure to grant the request; but the conduct of those in whose favor it was made has been such, since we left Havre, that I am unable to grant it. I shall, therefore, be obliged again to leave thirty-one of your number on board of the Josephine during the absence of the others."

The runaways, to the astonishment, if not the horror, of the Faithful, warmly applauded this announcement. It was equivalent to saying they did not wish to join the excursion. The principal made no remark, though the applause was certainly impudent; but doubtless he was fully reconciled to the little arrangement he had made with Mr. Fluxion.

"Those who are to go will bring their bags on board of the ship, and sleep here to-night," continued Mr. Lowington. "Those who are not to go will take their bags on board the Josephine. If there is any doubt as to who the thirty-one are, their names will be read."

No one called for the reading of the names, for there was no one who needed to be enlightened. The students were dismissed, and the boats from the consort returned. In a short time, the runaways, who belonged to the ship's company, appeared upon deck with their luggage. They seemed to be rather jubilant than otherwise; and though their manner was very offensive, the principal took no notice of it, as it was not openly insolent, consisting only of a real or assumed expression of pleasure at the sentence pronounced against them. All of them expected to escape from the consort during the administration of Dr. Carboy, and they regarded a couple of weeks in Paris and Switzerland, free from restraint, as ample compensation for the deprivation.

"Let those laugh that win," said Herman, when Horne, one of the Faithful, ventured to sympathize with him in the misfortune of being left behind.

"I don't see what you can win doing duty and learning your lessons on board of the Josephine," added Horne.

"Don't you cry, my hearty. You will hear from us by the time you get halfway down the Rhine; and if we don't have a better time than you do, it will be because we don't know how."

"Well, I suppose you do know Howe," answered Horne, with a smile, which indicated that he enjoyed even a sickly pun. "I should think you had known him to your sorrow."

"Howe has played out. I expect Lowington will get boozy on this excursion."

"Why so?"

"Because he's going to take a Horne on the trip."

"Pretty good! I see you know Howe."

"We know how to have a good time, and we can do it without any sheep's wool."

"Are you going to run away in the Josephine again, Herman?"

"No; that's played out."

But the runaway was reminded, by this question, that he had been talking rather imprudently, and he left his companion for more genial associates.

Perth still stood on the quarter-deck, waiting the action of the principal, who had sent the head steward to overhaul the state-room of the delinquent. The money could not be found in the cabin, though several of the officers, who were there, assisted in the search.

"What have you done with the twenty pounds sent you by your uncle, Perth?" asked Mr. Lowington, when the steward had reported to him.

"Thrown it overboard, sir," replied Perth, with a malignant glance at the boatswain.

"He threw some bits of paper he had torn up into the water," added Peaks. "Whether it was the bank bills or not, I don't know, but I don't think it was."

"Very well," added Mr. Lowington, who never permitted a delinquent pupil to see that he was disturbed and annoyed, even if he was so. "You will bring your bag on deck, and go on board of the Josephine."

"I'm ready, sir," replied Perth, with brazen assurance.

"As your conduct is hardly becoming an officer and a gentleman, you will clothe yourself in a seaman's dress," added the principal, taking the shoulder-straps from his coat. "When a young man can stand up and reel off a string of lies without blushing, he is not fit to associate with those who are competent to be officers of this ship."

"I earned my rank, sir," said Perth, who had an idea that he should sleep in the cabin of the Josephine during his intended short stay on board of her.

"And forfeited it by your gross misconduct. You will obey the orders given you," added the principal, as he turned and walked away.

Peaks did not take his eye off the offender, but attended him to the cabin, where he was supplied with a seaman's suit. Perth objected to changing his clothing with a pertinacity which provoked the boatswain.

"If you say you won't change the clothes, I will report to Mr. Lowington," said Peaks.

"Well, I won't."

"All right, my hearty;" and the old sailor left the state-room.

But he had not reached the deck before Perth hailed him.

"I will put them on, Mr. Peaks. I've thought better of it," said he, throwing off his frock coat, as the boatswain appeared at the door of the room.

"All the better for you, my lad. I thought you wanted to spend a week or two in the brig," replied Peaks.

"I think it is a hard case, after a fellow has earned his rank, to take it from him," muttered Perth, as he proceeded to put on the sailor's suit.

"An officer should be a gentleman," growled the old sailor.

But the boatswain had been overreached, after all. The four five-pound notes had been sewed into the waistband of Perth's trousers; and this was the particular reason why he objected to losing his rank, if he had to lose his pants with it. Peaks would not take his eye off him long enough to allow him to tear out the bills; but when the boatswain went to report to the principal, the opportunity was obtained, and promptly used. The money was saved, and he yielded the point. He was conducted to the deck, and when the boats brought the Josephines, who were to visit Germany, to the ship, the runaways were sent to their new quarters, or rather their old ones, for they had spent three weeks in her before, under the superintendence of Mr. Fluxion. Before supper time the change was effected. Dr. Carboy, at his own request,—for he preferred the trip to the Mediterranean to that into Germany,—was transferred to the consort for the cruise, with Peaks and Bitts.

The "happy family" were now united on board the ship, and all the active discordant elements of the squadron were collected in the consort. With only a very few exceptions, both parties were satisfied with the arrangement. The runaways perhaps experienced a feeling of relief that they were no longer in danger of being watched and overheard by the "lambs." They had only to look out for the adult officers now, and in the steerage they were by themselves.

Yet the appearance of Peaks on board of the consort with his bag was rather ominous. Bitts was not regarded with the same dread. There were now four adult forward officers in the Josephine; but the old boatswain was the only one who inspired any special terror. Little's brilliant scheme to enable his small party to escape seemed to be endangered by Peak's coming, for he was an exceedingly prompt, decided and vigilant man. The four old sailors, on an emergency, could handle the Josephine alone.

"What do you think now?" said Herman, when everything on board the consort had settled down into order and quiet.

"I don't like to see old Peaks on board," replied the little villain. "He is a tough customer, and may bother us."

"That's so."

"But I think we can wax him."

"I hope so. We have Tom Perth now to help us. We must take him into our squad, and then we shall just make up a crew for the third or fourth cutter."

"I don't like too many."

"But Perth has the rocks in his pocket now—twenty pounds, or five hundred francs," suggested Herman.

"That's an inducement."

"Certainly it is. We can cut for Paris the moment we get on shore."

"All right. We will try it on about to-morrow night. But don't say a word to a single other fellow. We must look out for ourselves this time, and not attempt to carry all the rest of the fellows on our backs," added the prudent Little.

"It looks mean to do so."

"No, it don't. I have told them all to look out for themselves."

"But they don't even know how the thing is to be managed."

"No; and they shall not know it. If they don't know enough to go ashore when the vessel is adrift, let them stay on board."

"Well, Perth is the only fellow to whom I mentioned it."

"That's all right; but don't let him say anything about how the thing is to be done."

"He don't know. I only told him we had a plan which could not possibly fail."

"It won't, if Peaks don't make trouble. We must let off the gun when