A few days before the ship\'s departure for home, a rumour was circulated on board that some relatives of the commander were to embark as passengers, and the report was confirmed by the carpenters being directed to put up temporary sleeping accommodation in the captain\'s cabin for a lady and gentleman, their female servant, and two little girls.
The acting boatswain was delighted to hear that a lady was coming on board, thinking Captain Tortle would, under such circumstances, abstain from inflicting any severe punishment upon his crew, and he knew her presence would in many ways ameliorate the condition of the men. He also had some curiosity to see what sort of person the servant was; for it must be confessed that although Jerry had not forgotten A-tae, he was beginning to yearn after another affinity. We do not wish to imply by this that he desired to slight Mary Ann, although probably he did not feel particularly anxious to meet her. He knew that he had promised to make her his wife upon his return, so, thinking that without doubt she had waited for him, he was determined to keep his word; but he somewhat resented what he called her silence, never imagining it resulted from his own inattention, and objected to her having written to him in poetry, "as if she couldn\'t write him a letter, instead of sending that stuff." It was in this spirit he anticipated the arrival of the female servant, and he determined to enjoy his freedom while he could, thinking that once Mary Ann was Mrs. Thompson all such luxuries as affinities would be simply out of the question. Jerry was fast returning to his former general devotion to the fair sex, and, as Clare observed, "would require a deal of looking arter for the future."
About nine o\'clock on the morning of departure, Captain Tortle proceeded on shore to fetch the party, and it being rather a boisterous day, the lady was afraid to venture in the gig, so the captain politely brought her off in the pinnace, a boatswain\'s chair being slung from the main yard, in which she was safely lifted on board without having to climb the gangway ladder.
Mr. Thompson was standing by the starboard companion when the boat arrived alongside, and although on the sick-list, he gave an eye to the rigging of the chair. Everything being adjusted, and the lady comfortably lashed in the apparatus, a boatswain\'s mate piped "hoist away," and in a few moments the chair rose from the pinnace, freighted with a lady in whose lap was seated a most beautiful little girl, who, instead of betraying fear at her novel position, laughed and kicked her feet about, only seeming concerned when she found herself safely landed upon the deck. The lady being released from the chair, it was again hoisted up and lowered into the boat alongside, from which it once more emerged, bearing a smart-looking French bonne, who was tightly clutching a blue-eyed baby; and although the latter did not cry, it evidently anything but enjoyed the hoisting process.
Mademoiselle Adèle, glanced timidly down upon the deck, and seeing Mr. Thompson with his arm in a sling, naturally supposed he was "un brave," and determined to captivate his heart, thinking how nice it would be to recline her head upon his manly bosom, and how all her friends would envy her the possession of "un officier de marine;"[Pg 205] but the young woman\'s thoughts were brought to a somewhat abrupt conclusion by the men at the fall slacking away too rapidly, and Adèle landed upon the deck with something very like a bump, which for a moment knocked all the romance out of her, and caused her charge to scream in energetic protest.
As the bonne was being released from the chair, her employer, Major Barron, walked over the gangway, followed by Captain Tortle, who went aft and welcomed the lady to his ship; and in a few moments they were all below, praising the accommodation, and thanking their relation for his kindness in giving up so much of his cabin for their comfort. The major had been out in Africa for some years, but, having lately inherited a large estate in Kent, was returning to live upon his property, as a country gentleman should. He had delayed his departure from Simon\'s Town, knowing that his cousin, Captain Tortle, would touch there in the Stinger on his way home from China, and under the circumstances the admiral had politely given him special permission to embark on board his relative\'s ship.
Mrs. Barron was a gentle being, thoroughly devoted to her husband and children, and beloved by all who knew her, while her eldest daughter, a little darling between three and four years of age, requires something more than a brief description. A most graceful child was Miss Barbara, with a dazzling complexion, which presented a charming contrast to her dark expressive eyes; the latter seeming to search into yours with mischievous intent, and to win your affection at a glance. Her dimpled cheeks, tinged with the healthy glow of childhood, were the admiration of every one who beheld her; while her pretty rosebud of a mouth was ever ready to pout in pretended seriousness, or arrange itself for the receipt of a kiss. These charms, crowned as they were by a mass of fair curly hair, in connection with a naturally naive manner, made this baby a being to be loved, and petted; and all the officers and crew were, upon beholding her, immediately converted into ardent admirers.
Having surveyed their new quarters, the major and his wife returned to the quarter-deck, and amused themselves by watching the arrival of their baggage. Mrs. Barron seated herself upon a chair brought up for her use, and took her youngest daughter in her lap, in order that Adèle, the bonne, might be free to direct which packages were required to be placed in the cabin, while Miss Barbara begged leave to be allowed to talk with Mr. Thompson, whom she termed, in her own charmingly-original language, "the man with the curly eye." As Jerry smiled upon her, and watched her every movement in a most admiring manner, Mrs. Barron gave the required permission, and the child walked half-way towards him, pretended to look shyly upon the deck, raised her bright eyes, lowered them again,—then, with a merry little laugh, rushed to the acting boatswain, who had knelt to receive her, and throwing her arms round his neck, hugged him as if he had been an old friend.
As the baggage was being moved about the deck, and it was possible the child might get in the way, Thompson took her upon his left arm and walked over to the port side, where he seated himself upon a shot-box. Having slid down upon his knee, the little pet carefully smoothed her ruffled garments; then, with a mingled expression of delight and coquetry, looked up in his face, and said, "How do you do, sir?"
"Werry well, thankee, miss. Why, you\'re as pretty as a pictur. What\'s your name, missy?"
The artful little monkey knew she had made an impression, so she bashfully inclined her head, and murmured "Cops."
"Cops, you beauty! Why, that ain\'t a name, is it?"
"No," exclaimed the cherub, shaking her head, as if to say, "Now, don\'t you want to know all about me?"
[Pg 206]
"It\'s a purser\'s name, ain\'t it pretty?"
"No," continued the wide-awake one, not exactly knowing the meaning of the word, yet almost guessing its import. "I call my-self Cops."
"Do you, beauty? Well, any name is nice that you are called by. But what is your regular name?"
"Barbara Barron," demurely whispered the infant, playing with Mr. Thompson\'s gold chain as she spoke. "My name is Barbara Barron, but I call my-self Cops."
"You\'re the prettiest darling I ever saw," declared her admirer. "You\'re as beautiful as a fairy. I\'ll do anything for you."
At this moment her papa came on deck, and seeing her seated upon Mr. Thompson\'s knee, pointed her out to the captain, observing, "There\'s Barbara captivating the boatswain; oh, that baby, never happy but when receiving attention from the other sex." But Tortle, who considered children rather a bore, merely observed that the boatswain would take good care of her, and took no further notice of the little darling.
Seeing her father, the young lady inquired if her parrot had come on board, upon which Thompson asked her what the bird was like.
Cops looked at him with a very serious air, as if about to impart a fearful secret, then taking his whiskers she tied them under his chin, untied them again, gazed earnestly into his eyes, and replied, "Ye-es. It\'s a grey one, with square blue eyes, pink nose, green feet, yellow tail, and gold ear-rings;" and added, her bright eyes extending with animation, "It will bite you off if you are a naughty boy, mamma says so."
"Will it, miss? Now don\'t say so. I\'ll be a werry good boy, and then it will leave me alone. But where are you going to keep it?"
"I don\'t know," helplessly replied his enchantress. "Won\'t you keep it in your house, and let it live with you, and I\'ll come and see it?"
The bird was just then brought over the side, and Cops pointed it out to her friend.
"Is that your polly, darling?"
"Ye-es. Oh, don\'t he shiver? he\'s ill."
Thompson advanced, and told the sailor who was carrying it forward to take it down to his cabin, where, much to Miss Barbara\'s delight, it was duly installed in a place of honour just over the acting warrant-officer\'s table, from which elevated position it could throw its food and flirt its water over his head and down his neck as he sat at meals; but what cared he for that? to please such a child he would willingly have roomed with an alligator.
When the bird had been fed and received its instructions from its mistress, Cops ordered her slave to carry her up stairs, which he accordingly did in a most submissive manner: and upon their reaching the top of the ladder, were accosted by the bonne, who had evidently been searching for the child, and was somewhat out of temper.
"Oh, mon Dieu! Mademoiselle que vous êtes nottey!"
"No, she ain\'t naughty," replied Jerry, who was exceedingly indignant at the charge. "She\'s as good as gold."
"Eff you zay zo, sare, I it belief!" exclaimed the bonne, darting a look of unmistakable admiration at the last speaker. "You are trop good not to say vat is not ze trof;" saying which she bade the child kiss her hand to her good friend, and darting another killing glance at the acting boatswain, seized Miss Cops, said, "Good-bye, sare," upon her own account, and disappeared below with her charge.
"Oh," mused Jerry, "that\'s it, is it, Miss Polly-wo-frunkzay? Well, I can\'t make love to you before such a beautiful angel as that baby is; besides, I don\'t think it\'s right. Being an engaged man, it ain\'t correct for me to make love to French gals." It will be[Pg 207] seen by this that Mr. Thompson changed his ideas, as some do their political opinions, to suit the circumstances of the case.
By noon, everything being quite ready, the Stinger saluted the admiral\'s flag, and, having steamed through False Bay, made sail for home, all bidding adieu to Africa without the slightest regret.
About five o\'clock that evening the ship was bowling along under close-reefed topsails, and Mrs. Barron and Adèle were both confined to their cabins by sea-sickness, thus giving Miss Cops an opportunity of visiting her new friend, which probably she would not otherwise have enjoyed. Before she left the cabin the child fished out a toy-basket which she had brought on board in her hand, and after giving it a good shake, to ascertain if its contents were safe, she knocked at the outer door of the cabin until the sentry heard her and let her out; then she proceeded into the steerage; and presented herself at the door of the acting boatswain\'s cabin, which she found closed.
Mr. Thompson had invited his friend Clare to tea with him; and when Barbara arrived at the door they were busily discussing the merits of a tin of sardines, termed by them "Sardinians," and Jerry was in the midst of an explanation, when they heard a knock at the door, upon which Tom laid his hand upon his friend\'s sleeve, and said, "Hush! there\'s some one calling Jerry."
"I expect it\'s little Cops," replied Thompson, picking out a grain of Indian-corn which had just been dropped into the sardines by the parrot.
"Jer-ry!" again exclaimed the impatient child, who, now hearing her friend\'s voice, applied her boots to the pannel right vigorously, "I want to come in."
Thompson laid down his fork, slid the door back, and beheld his little friend, who, without more ceremony, walked into the cabin, climbed upon his knee, and, pointing to Clare, asked "if he were his father?"
"No, Miss, he\'s my chum."
"I\'m his old friend, Miss, and has got a little boy about your age," observed Tom, who had seen the child before.
Barbara pretended not to care about Clare\'s boy, yet asked a dozen questions concerning him; the fact was, Cop had a weakness for boys, whom she considered as being specially created for her amusement. So well known was she at the Cape, that none of her young gentlemen friends would submit to her tyrannical friendship, she regarding them as slaves, who were to be petted or slapped as the whim of the moment prompted her, a course of treatment many of her older friends submitted to with great equanimity.
After partaking of some biscuit and sardines, the child produced her basket, and begging her friends not to tell any one about it, opened the lid, when out tumbled a much-ruffled monkey, seeing which Barbara laughed and clapped her hands, whereupon the animal sat up, stretched out one leg, scratched itself, and looked up at the beams, and when the attention of those present was attracted in that direction, quietly put his hind leg in the basin near him, and grasped a lump of sugar, which he deftly conveyed to his mouth, unobserved by any one but the child, who was perfectly frantic with delight over his achievement.
When her merriment had somewhat abated, Cops, with wide-open eyes and expressive action of forefinger, solemnly enjoined her friends not to tell "no one" about her monkey, as papa and mamma thought she had left it behind her.
"Is it such a dreadful secret, that the monkey can\'t go on deck?" observed Tom, who began to think his friend had enough live stock in his cabin, his hair being by that time pretty well decorated with rejected Indian corn rinds. "Don\'t you think it would be better to let him live in the pinnace, miss?"
[Pg 208]
"No," gravely replied the child, "it mustn\'t live not nowhere but here, or he\'ll die, and the blume mouse will come for you."
Barbara believed in a highly-decorative lot of bogeys, but was, while constantly threatening others with their visits, herself perfectly indifferent to them. Jerry listened to the child with rapt attention, and pretended to credit every word she uttered; seeing which Cops enlarged upon the blue rodent question until Clare began to imagine she was slightly touched in the brain, he never having before met with an infant who possessed such wonderful imaginative power.
"Is she all right there?" observed Tom, touching the back of her curly hair with his forefinger.
"Right! I should rather say she is," replied her champion. "Why, she\'s as smart as lightning; and what you think is nonsense is real downright cleverness, a deal beyond the understanding of you and I. Why, she can speak French; can\'t you, pretty?"
"Oui monsieur," archly replied the young lady.
By this time the monkey began to revive, the sugar which it had freely purloined having acted us a powerful restorative; and when the child declared she must go, it leaped upon her shoulder, and snicking its sharp little teeth, offered a determined resistance; whereupon Clare cleverly manufactured a leathern belt, which he fastened round the animal\'s waist, and having secured it with the chain of Thompson\'s old call, he drove a nail in a beam; then taking the wriggling creature from the child\'s shoulder, deposited it upon a shelf where Jerry usually kept his books and other treasures.
As the monkey landed overhead, the marine sentry on duty before the door of the captain\'s cabin left his post and walked forward, being directed by Tortle "to find out that child and to bring her aft;" and hearing her voice in the boatswain\'s cabin, he put his head inside the door and told Cops "that her mar wanted her," upon which the pretty creature kissed Mr. Thompson, blew a similar favour to Clare and the monkey, and having heard her parrot say "Good-night," trotted aft, and was soon afterwards undressed by the drowsy Adèle, who was half-dead with sea-sickness.
After they had been at sea a few days the weather moderated, and the remainder of the voyage was remarkable for its uniformly fine weather. Miss Adèle recovered from her sea-sickness and............