The Lost Middy: Being the Secret of the Smugglers' Gap, Page 3

  CHAPTER THREE.

  In his excitement it seemed to Aleck that the real fight was now aboutto begin, for the little mob of boys uttered an angry yell upon seeingtheir champion's downfall, and were crowding in. But he was wrong, fora gruff voice was heard from the fishermen, who had at last bestirredthemselves to see more of what they called the fun, and anotherdeep-toned voice, accompanying the pattering of two wooden legs, camefrom the direction of the steps.

  "Here, that'll do, you dogs!" cried the first voice, and--

  "Stand fast, Master Aleck, I'm a-coming," cried the other.

  The effect on the boys was magical, and they gave way in all directionsbefore the big fisherman who had asked for the "iles" for his shoulders,a medicament he did not seem to require, for his joints worked easily ashe threw out his arms with a mowing action, right and left, and with aforce that would have laid the inimical lads down in swathes if they hadnot got out of the way.

  "Well done, young Aleck Donne," he cried. "Licked Big Jem, have yer?Hansum too. Do him good. Get up--d'yer hear--before I give yer myboot! I see yer leading the lot on arter the young gent, like a schoolo' dogfish. Hullo, Tom, you was nigher. Why didn't yer come up andhelp the young gen'leman afore?"

  "'Cause I didn't know what was going on, matey," cried the sailor. "Whydidn't yer hail me, Master Aleck?"

  "Because I didn't want to be helped," cried the boy, huskily, his voicequivering with indignation. "A set of cowards!"

  "So they are, Master Aleck," cried the sailor, joining in the lad'sindignation. "On'y wish I'd knowed. I'd ha' come up with theboat-hook."

  "Never mind; it arn't wanted," said the big fisherman. "Young MrDonne's given him a pretty good dressing down, and if this here packarn't off while their shoes are good we'll let him give it to a fewmore."

  "I want to know what their fathers is about," growled the sailor. "Inever see such a set. They're allus up to some mischief."

  "Ay, ay, that's a true word," cried another fisherman.

  "That's so," growled the sailor, who, as he spoke, kept on brushingAleck down and using his forearm as a brush to remove the dust and_debris_ from the champion's jacket.

  "Pity he didn't leather another couple of 'em," cried the big fisherman.

  "Ay," growled the sailor. "I don't want to say anything unneighbourly,but it seems a pity that some on 'em don't get swep' up by the nextpress-gang as lands. A few years aboard a man-o'-war'd be the bestphysic for some o' them. Look at all this here rubbidge about! I see'em. Got it ready to fling at the young gent. I know their games."

  "Nay, nay," said the big fisherman, as a low, angry murmur arose, andignoring the allusion to the fish _debris_ lying about, "we don't wantno press-gangs meddling here."

  "Yes, you do," said the sailor, angrily, as he applied a blue cottonneckerchief he had snatched off and shaken out, alternately to a cut onAleck's forehead and to his swollen nose, which was bleeding freely."Nice game this, arn't it? I know what I'm saying. I was pressedmyself when I was twenty, and sarved seven year afore I come home with apension. It made a man o' me, and never did me no harm."

  There was a hoarse roar of laughter at this, several of the fishermenstamping about in their mirth, making the sailor cease his ministrationsand stand staring, and beginning to mop his hot forehead with theneckerchief.

  "What are yer grinning at?" he said, angrily, with the result that thelaughter grew louder.

  "Have I smudged my face with this here hankychy, Master Aleck?" said thesailor, turning to the boy, who could not now refrain from smiling inturn.

  But Aleck was saved the necessity of replying to the question by the bigfisherman, who spoke out in a grimly good-humoured way, as he cast hiseyes up and down the dwarfed man-o'-war's man:

  "Lookye here, Tom, mate," he said, good-humouredly, "I don't know somuch about never doing you no harm, old chap."

  "What d'yer mean?" growled the sailor.

  "What about yer legs, mate?" cried another of the men.

  The sailor stared round at the group, and then a change came over him,and he bent down and gave his hip a sounding slap.

  "I'm blest!" he cried, with the angry looks giving place to a broadsmile. "I'm blest! I never thought about my legs!"

  There was another roar of laughter now, in which Tom Bodger joined.

  "But lookye here, messmates, what's a leg or two? Gone in the sarviceo' the King and country, I says. Here am I, two-and-thirty, withninepence a day as long as I live, as good a man as ever I was--good manand true. Who says I arn't?"

  "Nobody here, Tom, old mate," cried the big fisherman, giving the sailora hearty slap on the shoulder. "Good mate and true, and as good aneighbour as we've got in Rockabie. Eh, lads?"

  "Ay, ay!" came in a hearty chorus.

  "There, Tom, so say all of us; but none o' that about no press-gangs,mate," cried the big fisherman. "The King wants men for his ships, butall on us here has our wives and weans. What was all right for a lad o'twenty would be all wrong for such as we."

  "Ay, that's true," said the sailor, "and I oughtn't to ha' said it; butlook at Master Aleck here. Them boys--"

  "Yes, yes, boys is boys, and allus was and allus will be, as long asthere's land and sea. Some on 'em'll get a touch o' rope's-end afterthis game, I dessay. Lookye here, Master Aleck Donne, you come up to myplace, and the missus'll find you a tin bowl o' water, a bit o' soap,and a clean towel. You won't hurt after a wash, but be able to go homeas proud as a tom rooster. You licked your man, and the captain'll feelproud of you, for Big Jem was too much of a hard nut for such a chap asyou. Come on, my lad."

  "No, no, thank you," said Aleck, warmly; "I want to get back home now.I don't want to show Mrs Joney a face like this."

  "Nay, my lad, she won't mind; and--"

  "Tom Bodger's going to sail my boat home," put in the boy, hastily, "andI shall hang over the side and bathe my face as I go. I say, all ofyou, I'm sorry I got into this bit of trouble, but it wasn't my fault."

  "Course it wasn't," said the fisherman. "We all know that, and you'vegive some on 'em a lesson, my lad. Well, if you won't come, my lad, youwon't."

  "It's only because I want to get back home," said Aleck, warmly. "It'svery kind of you all the same."

  A few minutes later the boy was seated in the stern of the boat, whileTom Bodger stood up, looking as if he, too, were sitting, as he thrustthe little craft along by means of the boat-hook and the pier walls,while the fishermen walked along level with them to the end, where halfa dozen of the boys had gathered.

  "Give him a cheer, lads," said the big fisherman, and a heartyvalediction was given and responded to by Aleck, who took off and wavedhis cap.

  But just then a hot-blooded and indignant follower of defeated Big Jemlet his zeal outrun his discretion. Waiting till the group of fishermenhad turned their backs, he ran to the very end of the pier, uttered asavage "Yah!" and hurled the very-far-gone head of a pollock after theboat.

  The next minute he was repenting bitterly, for the big fisherman madefour giant strides, caught him by the waistband, and the next momentheld him over the edge of the pier and would have dropped him,struggling and yelling for mercy, into the sea, but Aleck sprang up andshouted an appeal to his big friend to let the boy go.

  "Very well," growled his captor; "but it's lucky for him, Master Aleck,as you spoke. Warmint!" he growled to the boy, lowering him to therugged stones. "Get home with yer. I'm going on by and by to yourfather, my lad. Be off."

  The boy yelled as he started and ran off, limping, and with good cause,for the boots the fisherman wore were very loose, and hung down gapingto his ankles, as if to show how beautifully they were silver-spangledwith fish scales, but the soles were very thick and terribly hard,especially about the toe.