Under the Jolly Roger: Being an Account of the Further Nautical Adventures of Jacky Faber by L. A. Meyer Page A
Authors: L. A. Meyer
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of some things."
Mr. Pelham looks down at me, a half smile playing about his mouth. "I'll be damned," he says. He looks off over my head. I know he has very little use for me. I know, too, he was certainly looking for a better post than this when he gained his lieutenancyâa fine ship, a fair and noble captain, a chance for glory. Instead he got thisâstanding on the deck of a Hell Ship commanded by a vile and sick fiend, talking to a girl. "Very well, Miss Faber, you shall draw up a Watch list for your midshipmen and it shall be added to the Quarter Bill. You, yourself, will start it off by standing the Midwatch with Gunner's Mate Smythe tonight."
I hit a brace. "Very good, Sir. While I am here, I expect to do my duty. I assume the Messenger of the Watch will be sent to waken me?"
"Oh, you may count on that, Miss Faber," he says, and turns away. I salute and turn away and go to meet Robin Raeburne at the foremast.
On the way there, Harper comes up next to me and says, "
Psst! Jacky!
" and pushes something into my hand. I look at it and see that it is a fine knife in a smooth leather scabbard and has a tooled leather belt with a shiny brass buckle.
"Thanks, John, but this is much too fine ..."
"Don't thank me," says Harper, "it's from Billy Barnes. He was too shy to come up and give it to you himself, to thank you for saving his life."
"Ah," I say, strapping it around my waist. It feels good there. I draw out the blade and test its edge. It is sharp as a razor. "Then thank him for me. And one more favor, John, and then I'll bother you no more: I'll be needing sea dads for the four midshipmen. Older men, well seasoned. All right?"
"Sure, Jacky, anything for an old shipmate."
***
"Let us go up to the top, Mr. Raeburne," I say when I meet him at the appointed time. Without waiting for an answer, I swing into the ratlines and head up, and he follows.
When we get up under the top, he heads for the lubber's hole and I say, "Wait. Don't do it that way. The men will think less of you for it. Do it like this." And I turn and slip under the back of the ratlines so that I am hanging sort of upside down, but so I can gain the outside edge of the fore-top platform and so slide on that way, which is considered the seamanly way to do it. Me and the other ship's boys on the
Dolphin
would rather be stripped bare, whipped, and keelhauled than be seen going up through the lubber's hole.
He doesn't like it, but he does it. I can see that he's a bit scared, hanging up there all precarious like that, but he gets it done. We go and sit down, him with his back to the mast, and me sitting cross-legged before him.
"There is so much I don't know," he says, miserably.
"You will learn. I will teach you what I know and we together will teach the other lads. To begin with, I have set it up so that we will be standing watches as Junior Officers of the Deck, starting with me on the Midwatch and you relieving me for the Four to Eight. We'll put the boys on a regular schedule, but I think it would be well that they split the long night watches into two-hour sessions. What do you think?"
He regards me. That wounded male hurt comes into his eyes. "You know," he says, "I was well on my way to becoming a man before I was brought here. And now a girl ..."
I get up on my knees in front of him. "Robin, I know I'm just a stupid girl, but I know some things, a lot of things, Robin, and I will teach them to you, and then you will be better than me 'cause you're a man and you're stronger and brighter and braver. But right now it's a question of circumstance and experience, and I've got lots of experience in things that I know you want to know about, and I will see that you learn them."
I see that the laying on of hands is necessary now, and I do it. I put my hands on his forearms and lift my eyes to his. "So you see, Robin, that this is the way it has to be. I
must
have you with me on this, else all is lost. Else I am lost, and that's the
Mr. Pelham looks down at me, a half smile playing about his mouth. "I'll be damned," he says. He looks off over my head. I know he has very little use for me. I know, too, he was certainly looking for a better post than this when he gained his lieutenancyâa fine ship, a fair and noble captain, a chance for glory. Instead he got thisâstanding on the deck of a Hell Ship commanded by a vile and sick fiend, talking to a girl. "Very well, Miss Faber, you shall draw up a Watch list for your midshipmen and it shall be added to the Quarter Bill. You, yourself, will start it off by standing the Midwatch with Gunner's Mate Smythe tonight."
I hit a brace. "Very good, Sir. While I am here, I expect to do my duty. I assume the Messenger of the Watch will be sent to waken me?"
"Oh, you may count on that, Miss Faber," he says, and turns away. I salute and turn away and go to meet Robin Raeburne at the foremast.
On the way there, Harper comes up next to me and says, "
Psst! Jacky!
" and pushes something into my hand. I look at it and see that it is a fine knife in a smooth leather scabbard and has a tooled leather belt with a shiny brass buckle.
"Thanks, John, but this is much too fine ..."
"Don't thank me," says Harper, "it's from Billy Barnes. He was too shy to come up and give it to you himself, to thank you for saving his life."
"Ah," I say, strapping it around my waist. It feels good there. I draw out the blade and test its edge. It is sharp as a razor. "Then thank him for me. And one more favor, John, and then I'll bother you no more: I'll be needing sea dads for the four midshipmen. Older men, well seasoned. All right?"
"Sure, Jacky, anything for an old shipmate."
***
"Let us go up to the top, Mr. Raeburne," I say when I meet him at the appointed time. Without waiting for an answer, I swing into the ratlines and head up, and he follows.
When we get up under the top, he heads for the lubber's hole and I say, "Wait. Don't do it that way. The men will think less of you for it. Do it like this." And I turn and slip under the back of the ratlines so that I am hanging sort of upside down, but so I can gain the outside edge of the fore-top platform and so slide on that way, which is considered the seamanly way to do it. Me and the other ship's boys on the
Dolphin
would rather be stripped bare, whipped, and keelhauled than be seen going up through the lubber's hole.
He doesn't like it, but he does it. I can see that he's a bit scared, hanging up there all precarious like that, but he gets it done. We go and sit down, him with his back to the mast, and me sitting cross-legged before him.
"There is so much I don't know," he says, miserably.
"You will learn. I will teach you what I know and we together will teach the other lads. To begin with, I have set it up so that we will be standing watches as Junior Officers of the Deck, starting with me on the Midwatch and you relieving me for the Four to Eight. We'll put the boys on a regular schedule, but I think it would be well that they split the long night watches into two-hour sessions. What do you think?"
He regards me. That wounded male hurt comes into his eyes. "You know," he says, "I was well on my way to becoming a man before I was brought here. And now a girl ..."
I get up on my knees in front of him. "Robin, I know I'm just a stupid girl, but I know some things, a lot of things, Robin, and I will teach them to you, and then you will be better than me 'cause you're a man and you're stronger and brighter and braver. But right now it's a question of circumstance and experience, and I've got lots of experience in things that I know you want to know about, and I will see that you learn them."
I see that the laying on of hands is necessary now, and I do it. I put my hands on his forearms and lift my eyes to his. "So you see, Robin, that this is the way it has to be. I
must
have you with me on this, else all is lost. Else I am lost, and that's the
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