The End of a Coil
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The first monthly holiday after school began was spent in Fairmount Park. A few weeks later, Dolly and Christina were sitting together one day, busy with some fancy work, when one of their schoolmates came up to them.
"Guess where we are going next week!" she cried.
"Next week?" said the others, looking up.
"Next holiday – next week – next Saturday. Yes. Where do you think we are going? Just guess. Oh, you can't guess."
"I can't guess," said Dolly; "I don't know what there is to go to. The Mint? Mrs. Delancy did speak of the Mint."
"Not a bit of it! Something else has come up. Guess again."
"Something has come up. Then it must be something new."
"It isn't new, either. Can't a thing come to you that isn't new?"
"But you're talking riddles, Eudora," the other two said, laughing.
"Well, I'll tell you. There's a man-of-war come up the river."
"A man-of-war" – Dolly repeated.
"You know what that means, I hope, Dolly Copley?"
"I don't know. It means a soldier. The Bible says, Goliath was a man-of-war from his youth."
Dolly as she spoke looked mystified, and her words were met by a shout of laughter so loud and ringing that it almost abashed the child. Some other girls had joined the group and were standing around, and there were many to laugh. However, Dolly was never given to false shame. She waited for more light.
"It's a ship, Dolly," they cried. "You dear little innocent, don't you know as much as that?"
"It's a ship; and this is a big one. It is lying out in the Delaware."
"Then why is it called a man-of-war?" said Dolly.
"Because it is a war ship. Won't it be fun! just think! – the guns, and the officers, and the midshipmen!"
"What are midshipmen?"
"I don't know!" cried another. "They are somebodies that are always on a man-of-war; and they are young too. Baby officers, I suppose."
"They are officers," said the first speaker.
"No, they're not. They are learning to be officers. They're at school, and their school is a man-of-war; and their teachers are the captain, and the lieutenants, and so on."
"And what are their lessons about?" said Dolly.
"I don't know. Oh, they are learning to be officers, you know. Really they are boys at school."
"Some of them are old enough," remarked another.
"Learning what, Eudora?" said Dolly.
"How do I know, chicken? I've never been a midshipman myself. You can ask them if you like, when we go on board. For we are going on board, girls! Hurrah! We shall drive over to the Navy Yard, and there we shall get into boats, and then we shall row – I mean be rowed – out into the stream to the ship. It's a big frigate, the 'Achilles;' and Mrs. Delancy knows the captain; and she says it's a good chance, and she will not have us lose it. Hurrah, girls! this is prime."
"What's a frigate?" was Dolly's next question.
"Dolly Copley, you are ridiculous! you want to understand everything."
"Don't you?"
"No! I guess I don't. I am tired enough with trying to understand a little. I'll let alone what I can. You'll know what a frigate is when you have been on board of her."
"But I think I should enjoy it a great deal more if I knew beforehand," said Dolly.
"You had best study a ship's dictionary. I am going to study what I shall wear."
"That you cannot tell yet," Christina remarked. "You do not know what sort of a day next Saturday, I mean, Saturday week, will be. It may be cold or" —
"It mayn't be hot," said the other. "It will be cold, cold enough. It's November. You can wear your prettiest winter things, young ladies."
A little while after, the group had broken up, and Dolly sought out one of the teachers and begged to know where she could find a "ship's dictionary."
"A ship dictionary? My dear, there is no such thing. What do you want to find out?"
"One of the girls said I could find out about ships in a ship's dictionary. We are going to see a man-of-war next week."
"Oh, and you want to study up the subject? It is a Marine Dictionary you are in quest of. Come to the library."
The library was always open to the girls for study purposes. The teacher was good-natured, and got out a big, brown square volume, and put it in Dolly's hand. Dolly had been followed by Christina; and now the two sat down together in a window recess on the floor, with the book before them. Dolly began at the beginning, and aloud.
"'Aback.'"
"That is nothing we want," remarked Christina.
"Oh yes, I think it is. It is 'the situation of the sails when their surfaces are flatted against the masts by the force of the wind.' I do not understand, though. The sails are said to be 'taken aback.' – Oh, I have heard mother say that. What could she mean? I have heard her say she was taken aback."
"I have heard people say that too," said Christina; "often. I never knew what they meant. Something disagreeable, I think."
"Well, you see," said Dolly, reading further, "it 'pushes the ship astern' – what's that? 'See Backing.' I suppose it means pushing it back. But I don't understand!" the little girl added with a sigh.
"Oh, well! we don't care about all that," said Dolly's companion. "Go on to something else. Find out about the midshipmen."
"What about the midshipmen?"
"Nothing, – only I would like to know what they are. Madeleine said they were young officers; very young; not older than some of us."
"Then why do you want to know about them?" said Dolly. "We have nothing to do with young officers. We don't know any of them."
"But we might," suggested Christina. "We shall see them, if we go on board the ship."
"I don't care about seeing them," said Dolly. "Young officers are young men, I suppose. I understand them; what I don't know about, is the ship. Let us go on in this book, and see what we come to. 'Abaft– the hinder part of a ship'" —
"O Dolly!" cried Christina, "we have not time to go through everything in this way. You have not turned over one leaf yet Do get on a little."
"It is good it's a holiday," said Dolly, turning the leaf. "We have plenty of time. I like this book. 'Aboard, – the inside of a ship.' So when we go into the ship, we go aboard. That's it."
"Go on," urged Christina. "Here's 'Admiral.'"
"'An officer of first rank and command in the fleet.' There is a great deal here about the Admiral. I don't believe we shall see him. We'll look a little further."
Dolly presently was caught by the word "Anchor," and lost herself in the study of the paragraphs following, and the plate accompanying; after which she declared that she understood how a ship could be held by its anchor. Urged to go on again, she turned over more leaves, but got lost in the study of "boats;" then of "cannon;" then of the "captain's" office and duties; finally paused at the plate and description of a ship's deck.
"It's just the deck of a ship!" said Christina impatiently. "You will see it when we go on board the 'Achilles.'"
"I want to understand it."
"You can't."
"Are those guns?" said Dolly, pointing to a row of pieces delineated along the side of the deck.
"Must be guns."
"Well, I should like to go on board of a ship very much," said Dolly. "There are twelve guns on that side. If there are the same on this side, that would make twenty-four. What do they want so many for, Christina, on one ship?"
"Why, to fight with, of course. To fire at other ships."
"But what do they want of so many? They would not want to fire twelve at once. I should think one would be enough."
"Perhaps it wouldn't. Go on, Dolly, do! let us get to something else."
It was difficult to get Dolly on. She was held fast again by the description of a naval engagement; then fell to studying the directions for the "exercise" of the guns; then was interested in some plates giving various orders of the line of battle. At last in due course they came to the word "Midshipman," which was read, or the article under it, by both girls.
"'A naval cadet'" – repeated Christina.
"And a cadet must be four years at sea before he can become a lieutenant; and two years midshipman besides. I should think they would be tired of it."
"But if they are going to be sailors all their lives, it's no use for them to get tired of it," said Christina.
"They come on shore sometimes, don't they?"
"I suppose so. Oh yes, they have houses, I know, and wives and children. I shouldn't like to be the wife of a sailor!"
"Somebody must, I suppose," said Dolly. "But I shouldn't like to have my home – my principal home, I mean – on the sea; if I was a man. They must like it, I suppose."
Dolly went on reading.
"The midshipmen have plenty to do, Christina. They have to learn how to do everything a common sailor does; all the work of the ship; and then they must learn astronomy, and geometry, and navigation and mechanics. Hydrostatics, too; oh dear, I don't know what that is. I can look it out, I suppose. The midshipmen must be very busy, Christina, and at hard work too."
Christina's interest in the Marine Dictionary was exhausted. She went off; but Dolly pored over its pages still, endeavouring to take in details about vessels, and ropes, and sails, and winds, until her head was in a fog. She recurred to the book, however, on the next opportunity; and from time to time, as her lessons permitted, gave her time and attention to this seemingly very unnecessary subject. How much she really learned, is doubtful; yet as little things do touch and link themselves with great things, it may be that the old Marine Dictionary in Mrs. Delancy's library played a not insignificant part in the fortunes of Dolly Copley. As we shall see. She studied, till a ship became a romance to her; till rigging and spars and decks and guns were like the furniture of a new and strange life, which hardly belonged to the earth, being upon the sea; and the men who lived that life, and especially the men who ruled in it, grew to be invested with characteristics of power and skill and energy which gave them fabulous interest in Dolly's eyes.
At home there had been a little scruple about letting Dolly join the party. She had had a cold, and was rather delicate at all times. The scruples, however, gave way before the child's earnest wish; and as Saturday of the particular week turned out mild and quiet, no hindrance was put in the way of the expedition.
CHAPTER IV
THE "ACHILLES."
It was a very special delectation which the school were to enjoy to-day. The girls thought it always "fun," of course, to quit lessons and go to see anything; "even factories," as one of the girls expressed it, to Dolly's untold astonishment; for it seemed to her that to be allowed to look into the mystery of manufactures must be the next thing to taking part personally in a fairy tale. However, to-day it was not a question of manufactures, but of a finished and furnished big ship, and not only finished and furnished, but manned. "This is something lively," Eudora opined. And she was quite right.
The day was a quiet day in November, with just a spice of frost in it; the air itself was lively, quick and quickening. The party were driven to the Navy Yard in carriages, and there received very politely by the officers, some of whom knew Mrs. Delancy and lent themselves with much kindness to the undertaking. The girls were more or less excited with pleasure and anticipation; but to Dolly the Navy Yard seemed to be already touching the borders of that mysterious and fascinating sea life in which her fancy had lately been roaming. So when the girls were all carefully bestowed in stout little row boats to go out to the ship, Dolly's foot it was which stepped upon enchanted boards, and her eye that saw an enchanted world around her. What a field was this rippling water, crisped with the light breeze, and gurgling under the boat's smooth sweep ahead! How the oars rose and fell, all together, as if moved by only one hand. Was this a part of the order and discipline of which she had read lately, as belonging to this strange world? Probably; for now and then a command was issued to the oarsmen, curt and sharp; and obeyed, Dolly saw, although she did not know what the command meant. Yes, she was in an enchanted sphere; and she looked at the "Achilles" as they drew nearer, with profoundest admiration. Its great hulk grew large upon her view, with an absolute haze of romance and mystery hanging about its decks and rigging. It was a large ship, finely equipped, according to the fashion of naval armament which was prevalent in those days; she was a three-decker; and the port holes of her guns looked in threatening ranks along the sides of the vessel. Still and majestic she lay upon the quiet river; a very wonderful floating home indeed, and unlike all else she had ever known, to Dolly's apprehension. How she and the rest were ever to get on board was an insoluble problem to her, as to most of them; and the chair that was presently lowered along the ship's side to receive them, seemed a very precarious sort of means of transport. However, the getting aboard was safely accomplished; one by one they were hoisted up; and Dolly's feet stood upon the great main deck. And the first view was perfectly satisfactory, and even went far beyond her imaginings. She found herself standing under a mixed confusion of masts and spars and sails, marvellous to behold, which yet she also saw was no confusion at all, but complicated and systematic order. How much those midshipmen must have to learn, though, if they were to know the names and uses and handling of every spar and every rope and each sail among them! as Dolly knew they must. Her eye came back to the deck. What order there too; what neatness; why it was beautiful; and the uniforms here and there, and the sailors' hats and jackets, filled up the picture to her heart's desire. Dolly breathed a full breath of satisfaction.
The Captain of the "Achilles" made his appearance, Captain Barbour. He was a thick-set, grizzly haired man, rather short, not handsome at all; and yet with an air of authority unmistakably clothing him like a garment of power and dignity. Plainly this man's word was law, and the girls stood in awe of him. He was known to Mrs. Delancy; and now she went on to present formally all her young people to him. The captain returned the courtesy by calling up and introducing to her and them some of his officers; and then they went to a review of the ship.
It took a long while. Between Mrs. Delancy and Captain Barbour a lively conversation was carried on; Dolly thought he was explaining things to the lady that she did not understand; but though it might be the case now and then, I think the talk moved mainly upon less technical matters. Dolly could not get near enough to hear what it was, at any rate. The young lieutenants, too, were taken up with playing the host to the older young ladies of the party. If they received instruction also by the way, Dolly could not tell; the laughing hardly looked like it. She and the other young ones at any rate followed humbly at the tail of everything, and just came up to a clear view of some detail when the others were moving away. There was nobody to help Dolly understand anything; nevertheless, she wandered in a fairy vision of wonderland. Into the cabins, down to the forecastle, down to the gun deck. What could equal the black strangeness of that view! and what could it all mean? Dolly wished for her Uncle Edward, or some one, to answer a thousand questions. She had been reading about the guns, she looked curiously now at the realities, of which she had studied the pictures; recognised here a detail and there a detail, but remaining hugely ignorant of the whole and of the bearing of the several parts upon each other. Yet she did not know how time flew; she did not know that she was getting tired; from one strange thing to another she followed her leaders about; very much alone indeed, for even the other girls of her own age were staring at a different class of objects, and could hardly be said to see what she saw, much less were ready to ask what she wanted to ask. Dolly went round in a confused dream.
At last the party had gone everywhere that such a party could go; Captain Barbour had spared them the lower gun deck. They came back to the captain's cabin, where a very pleasant lunch was served to the ladies. It was served, that is, to those who could get it, to those who were near enough and old enough to put in a claim by right of appearance. Dolly and one or two more who were undeniably little girls stood a bad chance, hanging about on the outskirts of the crowd, for the cabin would not take them all in; and hearing a distant sound of clinking glass and silver and words of refreshment. It was all they seemed likely to get; and when a kindly elderly officer had taken pity on the child and given Dolly a biscuit, she concluded to resign the rest of the unattainable luncheon and make the most of her other opportunities while she had them. Eating the biscuit, which she was very glad of, she wandered off by herself, along the deck; looking again carefully at all she saw; for her eyes were greedy of seeing. Sails, – what strange shapes; and how close rolled up some of them were! Ropes, – what a multitude; and cables. Coils of them on deck; and if she looked up, an endless tracery of lines seen against the blue sky. There was a sailor going up something like a rope ladder; going up and up; how could he? and how far could he go? Dolly almost grew dizzy gazing at him.
"What are you looking after, little one?" a voice near her asked. An unceremonious address, certainly; frankly put; but the voice was not unkindly or uncivil, and Dolly was not sensitive on the point of personal dignity. She brought her eyes down for a moment far enough to see the shimmer of gold lace on a midshipman's cap, and answered.
"I am looking at that man. He's going up and up, to the top of everything. I should think his head would turn."
"Yours will, if you look after him with your head in that position."
Dolly let her eyes come now to the speaker's face. One of the young midshipmen it was, standing near her, with his arms folded and leaning upon something which served as a support to them, and looking down at Dolly. For standing so and leaning over, he was still a good deal taller than she. Further, Dolly observed a pair of level brows, beneath them a pair of wise-looking, cognisance-taking blue eyes, an expression of steady calm, betokening either an even temperament or an habitual power of self-control; and just now in the eyes and the mouth there was the play almost of a smile somewhat merry, wholly kindly. It took Dolly's confidence entirely and at once.
"You don't think you would like to be a sailor?" he went on.
"Is it pleasant?" said Dolly, retorting the question earnestly and doubtfully.
The smile broke a little more on the other's face. "How do you like the ship?" he asked.
"I do not know," said Dolly, glancing along the deck. "I think it is a strange place to live."
"Why?"
"And I don't understand the use of it," Dolly went on with a really puzzled face.
"The use of what?"
"The use of the whole thing. I know what ships are good for, of course; other ships; but what is the use of such a ship as this?"
"To take care of the other ships."
"How?"
"Have you been below? Did you see the gun decks?"
"I was in a place where there were a great many guns – but I could not understand, and there was nobody to tell me things."
"Would you like to go down there again?"
"Oh yes!" said Dolly. "They will be a good while at lunch yet. Oh, thank you! I should like so much to go."
The young midshipman took her hand; perhaps he had a little sister at home and the action was pleasant and familiar; it seemed to be both; and led her down the way that took them to the upper gun deck.
"How comes it you are not taking lunch too?" he asked by the way.
"Oh, there are too many of them," said Dolly contentedly. "I don't care. I had a biscuit."
"You don't care for your lunch?"
"Yes, I do, when I'm hungry; but now I would rather see things. I never saw a ship before."
They arrived in the great, gloomy, black gun deck. The midshipman let go Dolly's hand, and she stood and looked along the avenue between the bristling black cannon.
"Now, what is it that you don't understand?" he asked, watching her.
"What are these guns here for?"
"Don't you know that? Guns are to fight with."
"Yes, I know," said Dolly; "but how can you fight with them here in a row? and what would you fight with? I mean, who would you fight against?"
"Some other ship, if Fate willed it so. Look here; this is the way of it."
He took a letter from the breast of his coat, tore off a blank leaf; then resting it on the side of a gun carriage, he proceeded to make a sketch. Dolly's eyes followed his pencil point, spell-bound with interest. Under his quick and ready fingers grew, she could not tell how, the figure of a ship, – hull, masts, sails and rigging, deftly sketched in; till it seemed to Dolly she could almost see how the wind blew that was filling out the sails and floating off the streamer.
"There," said the artist, – "that is our enemy."
"Our enemy?" repeated Dolly.
"Our supposed enemy. We will suppose she is an enemy."
"But how could she be?"
"We might be at war with England suppose, or with France. This might be an English ship of war coming to catch up every merchantman she could overhaul that carried American colours, and make a prize of her; don't you see?"
"Do they do that?" said Dolly.
"What? catch up merchantmen? of course they do; and the more of value is on board, the better they are pleased. We lose so much, and they gain so much. Now we want to stop this fellow's power of doing mischief; you understand."
"What are those little black spots you are making along her sides."
"The port holes of her guns."
"Port holes?"
"The openings where the mouths of her guns look out. See," said he, pointing to the one near which they were standing, – "that is a port hole."
"That little window?"
"It isn't a window; it is a port hole."
"It is not a black spot."
"Because you are inside, and looking out towards the light. Look at them when you are leaving the ship; they will look like black spots then, you will find."
"Well, that's the enemy," said Dolly, drawing a short breath of excitement. "What is that ship you are making now?"
"That's the 'Achilles'; brought to; with her main topsails laid aback, and her fore topsails full; ready for action."
"I do not know what are topsails or fore topsails," said Dolly.
The midshipman explained; to illustrate his explanation sketched lightly another figure of a vessel, showing more distinctly the principal sails.
"And this is the 'Achilles,'" said Dolly, recurring to the principal design. "You have put her a great way off from the enemy, it seems to me."
"No. Point blank range. Quite near enough."
"Oh, what is 'point blank range'?" cried Dolly in despair. Her new friend smiled, but answered with good-humoured patience. Dolly listened and comprehended.
"Then, if this were an enemy, and that the 'Achilles,' and within point blank range, you would load one of these guns and fire at her?"
The midshipman shook his head. "We should load up all of them – all on that side."
"And five them one after another?"
"As fast as we could. We should give her a broadside. But we should probably give her one broadside after another."
"Suppose the balls all hit her?"
"Yes, you may suppose that. I should like to suppose it, if I were the officer in command."
"What would they do to her? – to that enemy ship?"
"If they all hit? Hinder her from doing any more mischief."
"How?"
"Break her masts, tear up her rigging, make a wreck of her generally. Perhaps sink her."
"But suppose while you are fighting that she fights too?"
"Extremely probable."
"If a shot came in here – could it come in here?"
"Certainly. Cannon balls will go almost anywhere."
"If it came in here, what would it do?"