The Sandman: His Sea Stories Part 8

"Ha! Ha! Very lucky, indeed, Jacob," said Captain Solomon. "We're lucky dogs, Jacob."

And little Sol didn't say anything, but only grinned; and he could do that pretty well. And they went, by queer streets, to the office of Captain Jonathan's and Captain Jacob's agent, who sold the things for them. And after that they went about among the shops and saw all the things that the men had to sell, and Captain Solomon went with them. And the men were very polite to Captain Solomon because they thought he might buy some of their things, but he didn't. And so they did all that day, and, late in the afternoon, they were rowed back to the s.h.i.+p.

Little Jacob and little Sol were very tired, and went to sleep right after supper.

The next morning the boat was waiting for them, and in it were bundles for little Jacob and little Sol. And, after breakfast, they were rowed ash.o.r.e again to the stone steps. And, at the head of the steps, two bullock carts were waiting for them. Little Jacob was surprised, and he asked Captain Solomon if they were going to see the elephants that his grandfather had spoken of. And Captain Solomon said that they were going to that place, but he didn't know whether the elephants that Captain Jonathan had spoken of had been obliging enough to wait thirty years or not. And little Jacob smiled and got into the bullock cart.

The bullocks went very slowly indeed; and the little boys saw the villages that they pa.s.sed through on the way, and they saw the women was.h.i.+ng the clothes in the water of the river, and they saw the crocodiles that looked like so many old logs. And, in time, the bullocks got to the place where the elephants were. It was late one afternoon that they got there, so that Captain Solomon thought that they wouldn't go to see the elephants that night. And, just as Captain Solomon said that, they heard a great gong ring. And Captain Solomon said that it wouldn't be any use to go to see them then, anyway, for the elephants stopped work when that gong rang, and n.o.body could get them to do anything after that. And the little boys thought that was queer.

So, early the next morning, they went to the elephant place. It was a great big place, and a high, strong fence was around it on three sides, and on the fourth side was the river. And, next to the river, were great piles of teak-wood logs, and the logs were piled very nicely and evenly, so that the piles wouldn't fall down. And, far off at the back of the great yard, next to the forest, were a lot of the logs which were not piled, but were just as they had been dumped there, pell-mell, when they had been brought in from the forest. The logs that were all piled up nicely were to be sent down the river.

Little Jacob and little Sol had just time to see all that, when the great gong rang. Then the elephants began to come out of a big shed that was in the back of the yard, and the little boys saw that some of the elephants had mahouts, or drivers, on them but the most of them didn't have any drivers. And the mahouts sat on the necks of their elephants, just back of the heads, and each mahout had an elephant-goad, something like an ox-goad, only that it was shorter and the end that was sharp was bent around so that it was something like the claws of a hammer, but the claws were sharp.

And the elephants that knew their business walked slowly over to the logs that were piled pell-mell, and they made the elephants that didn't know their business go there too; and if any elephant, that didn't know, tried to go another way, the old elephants would b.u.t.t him and jab him with their tusks. And then there was great squealing and noise. And when the elephants got to the logs, each one knelt down and put his tusks under a log and curled his trunk over and around it, and then he got up and walked slowly to the place where the logs were piled so nicely. And he put his log on the pile so that it wouldn't fall down, and when the pile was so high that he couldn't reach then he began to make a new pile. But some of the elephants didn't have any tusks and they just curled their trunks around the logs and carried them that way.

Little Jacob and little Sol were very much interested in watching the elephants and in seeing how wise they were; for they piled the logs just as well as if a man had told them where to put each one. And Captain Solomon said that they piled the logs better than any man there could have done it. And little Jacob caught sight of one elephant that had his ears torn and had only one tusk.

When he caught sight of that elephant, little Jacob called out. "Look, Captain Solomon!" he cried. "See! There is the elephant that grandfather told about, that will let little boys ride him."

And the elephant was pretty near and he heard little Jacob, but he couldn't understand what he said, for those elephants only understand the language that they speak in India. But the old elephant stopped and turned his head as far as he could, which wasn't very far, for elephants haven't any neck worth mentioning, so he had to turn his whole body before he could see the little boys. And, when he saw them, he began to walk up to the place where they were. And little Jacob was a little bit scared, for the elephant was very big and he didn't know what he might do. But little Jacob didn't run or look scared, and little Sol wasn't frightened at all.

And, when the old elephant had got near the little boys, he stopped and stretched out his trunk toward them. And little Sol gave him a lump of sugar that he had in his pocket, and the elephant ate the sugar and stretched out his trunk again, but he didn't move.

"I know what he wants," cried little Jacob. And he got up from the log where he was sitting, and raised his arms, and the old elephant curled his trunk about little Jacob and put him up high on his back, very gently. And little Jacob grabbed hold of a sort of harness that the elephant had on, and he laughed. Then the elephant stretched out his trunk for little Sol and put him up behind little Jacob. And little Sol held on to the harness, too.

Captain Solomon didn't know what to do while the elephant was putting the little boys up on his back, but then he made up his mind that the boys were well enough off; and the old elephant walked away, very carefully, and he walked all around the great yard with the boys on his back. And the boys laughed and said that it was fun. But Captain Solomon called to them to hold on tight. And they held on tight. And when they had been all around the great yard, the old elephant came back to the place where Captain Solomon was sitting. And he reached up with his trunk and took the boys down, first little Sol and then little Jacob, and he set them down on the ground very carefully. And the boys gave him some more sugar and stroked his trunk, and then he went away to his log piling again.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "HE WALKED ALL AROUND THE GREAT YARD WITH THE BOYS ON HIS BACK."]

And when they had been watching a long while, the gong rang. And the elephants all stopped their work at once and went into the shed. And that amused the boys very much, and the gong reminded them that they were very hungry, so they went away to get their dinner. And, after dinner, they watched the elephants again all the long afternoon, and by that time they were tired of watching elephants.

So, the next morning, they got into the bullock carts again, and they went back to the s.h.i.+p. And the boat was waiting for them at the stone steps, and the sailors rowed them to the _Industry_. And they were very tired and glad to get back, and they went to bed right after supper.

And that's all.

THE STOWAWAY STORY

Once upon a time there was a wide river that ran into the ocean, and beside it was a little city. And in that city was a wharf where great s.h.i.+ps came from far countries. And a narrow road led down a very steep hill to that wharf, and anybody that wanted to go to the wharf had to go down the steep hill on the narrow road, for there wasn't any other way.

And because s.h.i.+ps had come there for a great many years, and all the sailors and all the captains and all the men who had business with the s.h.i.+ps had to go on that narrow road, the flagstones that made the sidewalks were much worn.

That wharf and all the s.h.i.+ps that sailed from it belonged to Captain Jonathan and Captain Jacob; and after they had moved their office to Boston the s.h.i.+ps sailed from a wharf in Boston. And once, in the long ago, the brig _Industry_ had sailed from the wharf in Boston, and she had got to that far country and all the things that she had brought there had been taken out of her and sold. And Captain Solomon had bought the things that she would carry back to Boston, but they were not loaded on the _Industry_ yet. And Captain Solomon had gone off with little Jacob and little Sol to see some elephants, for he thought the mate could attend to loading the s.h.i.+p.

After Captain Solomon had gone off, the sailors who had rowed him ash.o.r.e stood there for a few minutes looking after the dust that the bullocks kicked up, and then they turned to get into the boat again. And one of the sailors, who was named Ephraim, saw a man coming toward them, and he knew the man, for the man was a sailor, too, and he and Ephraim had sailed together a long while before, but not in the _Industry_. So he waited for the man to come, and the man and Ephraim were glad to see each other and Ephraim asked him where he came from and what s.h.i.+p he was on. For no other s.h.i.+p was in the river at that time.

Then the man said that he had sailed in a s.h.i.+p from England, but the s.h.i.+p had gone off without him while he was ash.o.r.e; and he wanted to get back to Boston, for he hadn't been there for several years. And he asked Ephraim if there was a chance to be a sailor on the _Industry_. But Ephraim said that they had a full crew and there wasn't any chance, for the old man was very strict. He called Captain Solomon the old man, but he wasn't an old man at all, for he wasn't quite forty years old; but sailors always call the captain the old man. And Ephraim was afraid of Captain Solomon, but he needn't have been afraid, for Captain Solomon was a kind man, although he was rather gruff and stern to the sailors.

And so Ephraim advised the man to try to stow himself away on the _Industry_ until she was clear of the land and on blue water, and then to come out and see what would happen. For he knew that Captain Solomon wouldn't go back just to land the man, and he couldn't throw him overboard. And the man said that he would do that, and he thought he should be able to stow away when the s.h.i.+p was loading, but he would have to depend upon Ephraim to feed him for a few days. And Ephraim said that he would, and the man went away and the sailors rowed the boat back to the _Industry_.

So the sailors began to load the s.h.i.+p with all the things that Captain Solomon had bought, and many little boats began to go back and forth and there was a good deal of confusion. And in the confusion of the loading the man managed to stow himself away on the _Industry_; and he was in the hold of the s.h.i.+p, as far forward as he could get, so that Ephraim could bring him food and water without much trouble. And the sailors got all the things aboard, and Captain Solomon came back with little Jacob and little Sol. And they got the things to eat on board, and the water that they would drink, and when everything was ready they hoisted up the anchor from the bottom of the river, and they hoisted the sails, and they sailed away down the river and out into the great ocean. And on the second day out, the stowaway came out and worked with the other sailors.

And Captain Solomon was on the quarter deck, looking out over the ocean and at the s.h.i.+p and at the sailors, and he saw the stowaway.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "HE WAS IN THE HOLD OF THE s.h.i.+P"]

"Who is that man and where did he come from?" he said to the mate.

And the mate looked and saw the man, and he didn't know. "I'm sure I don't know, sir," answered the mate.

"Call him up," said Captain Solomon.

So the mate called him and he came and stood at the foot of the steps that led to the quarter deck, and Captain Solomon stood at the head of the steps with his hand upon the railing. And the man stood first upon one foot and then upon the other and he looked very uncomfortable.

"Aye, aye, sir," said the man; and he touched his cap.

And Captain Solomon didn't say anything for a long time, but he looked the man over from head to foot, and he looked very fierce and stern, so that the man was more uncomfortable than ever. And little Jacob and little Sol stood just behind Captain Solomon.

"Who are you, and where did you come from?" asked Captain Solomon. "Give an account of yourself."

Then the man began to tell that he was a sailor and had been a sailor for many years. And he had s.h.i.+pped, last on an English vessel bound to India, and she had got there all right, but had sailed away without him while he was ash.o.r.e on leave.

Captain Solomon had to smile at that, though he didn't mean to. And the man went on to say that he wanted to get a pa.s.sage to Boston and he would have been glad to s.h.i.+p as one of the crew, but he understood that the s.h.i.+p had a full crew and that the captain didn't want any more sailors, and so he had stowed away. But he was an able seaman and would be only too grateful for a chance to work with the other sailors if Captain Solomon pleased, sir.

Then Captain Solomon was very angry, and asked how he heard that he had a full crew and didn't want any more sailors; and who told him that an able seaman who wanted to get back to Boston couldn't get a pa.s.sage on that s.h.i.+p. And the man wouldn't tell, but Captain Solomon saw that Ephraim looked very uneasy, so he knew it was Ephraim. And he called Ephraim, and blew him up sky high, and he said that he had a good mind to put him and the stowaway both on bread and water for a month. When little Jacob heard Captain Solomon say that, he stepped forward to speak, for he couldn't bear to think that men should be put on bread and water for a month just for that. But little Sol gave him a nudge and whispered to him not to say anything, for he knew well enough that his father hadn't any idea of doing it.

And Ephraim and the stowaway both turned pale and looked as if they were going to be seasick, but they weren't. And after everybody had stood there without speaking for a good while, Captain Solomon spoke to the whole crew, who had all come near, and told them that he didn't want any such actions on his s.h.i.+p again; and if they ever heard of any such case, he wanted them to come right to him, and he would inquire into it. For he didn't want them to think that he would ever refuse a pa.s.sage home to a good sailor. And he told Ephraim and the stowaway that he would think about putting them on bread and water, but he wouldn't do it yet. And if the stowaway did his duty well and proved himself an able seaman he would try to get pay for him when he got back to Boston and saw his owners. But if the man wasn't what he said he was, or didn't attend to his duty, he would be put on bread and water, as sure as his own name was Solomon, and so would Ephraim.

Then the sailors all went about their business, and Captain Solomon blew up the mate for letting a man stow away on the _Industry_. And when Captain Solomon had blown everybody up that he could, he felt very pleasant indeed, and he played with little Sol and little Jacob.

And that's all.

THE ALBATROSS STORY

Once upon a time there was a wide river that ran into the ocean, and beside it was a little city. And in that city was a wharf where great s.h.i.+ps came from far countries. And a narrow road led down a very steep hill to that wharf, and anybody that wanted to go to the wharf had to go down the steep hill on the narrow road, for there wasn't any other way.

And because s.h.i.+ps had come there for a great many years, and all the sailors and all the captains and all the men who had business with the s.h.i.+ps had to go on that narrow road, the flagstones that made the sidewalk were much worn. That was a great many years ago.

The wharf was Captain Jonathan's and Captain Jacob's and they owned the s.h.i.+ps that sailed from it; and, after their s.h.i.+ps had been sailing from that wharf in the little city for a good many years, they changed their office to Boston. After that their s.h.i.+ps sailed from a wharf in Boston.

Once, in the long ago, little Jacob and little Sol had gone in the brig _Industry_ on a voyage to far countries; and they had been to the countries and had sailed again for home, but they had not got out of the warm oceans. And one morning little Jacob and little Sol came on deck together. They didn't race through their breakfast as they had been used to doing, because Captain Solomon had put a stop to that. And, as soon as they got on deck, they looked all around to see what was up that morning. Far away they saw the upper sails of a s.h.i.+p that was going the same way they were, but they didn't see anything else except the blue water, although they looked very carefully out ahead and on both sides.

But, right astern of the s.h.i.+p, and pretty near, was a great, enormous bird.

The bird was so near that the little boys could see it very well, and they could see what color it was, and the shape of its bill, but they couldn't see its back nor the top of its head, because the bird was above them. If they had climbed up on the mast they could have seen its back, but they didn't think of that then. The bird was all white, so far as they could see, and it had a bill that was rather long and straight, and was hooked at the end. And the bird just sailed along and waved a little, up and down, but it didn't move its wings, so far as the boys could see, and they watched it for a long time.