Punch (100.1891)

January 24, 1891.] PUNCH, OK THE LONDON CHAEIVARI. 37

MR. PUNCH'S PRIZE NOVELS.

No. XII.-THE MATE OF THE MARLINSPIKE.

{By Shark Mussell ; Author of "Erect with a Stove in Her," " My
Gyp made to wheeze," "The Romance of a Penny Parlour," "A
Hook for the Bannock" "Found the Gal on Fire" " The Mystery of
the Lotion Jar." " The Jokes o Lead," <fsc, etc., <£-c.)

[" Here you are, my hearty," writes the Author, " this is a regular briny
ocean story, all storms and thunderclaps and sails and rigging and soaring
masts and bellying sails. How about, 'avast hearing' and 'shiver my
timbers,' and ' son of a sea-cook,' and all that ? No, thank you ; that kind
of thing's played out. Marryat was all very well in his day, but that day's
gone. The public requires stories about merchant ships, and, by Neptune, the
public shall hare them, with all kinds of hairy villains and tempest-tossed
wrecks and human interest and no end of humour, likewise word-pictures of
ships and storms. That's me. So clear the decks, and here goes."]

Chapter L

We were in mid-ocean. Over the vast expanses of the oily sea no
ripple was to be seen although Captain Babbuam kept his binoculars
levelled at the silent horizon for three-quarters of an hour by the

says. "Zounds, Sir," on the slightest provocation. Opposite to him
was his wife, a Roman-nosed lady, with an imperious manner, and a
Colonel-subduing way of curling her lip. On my left was the funny
man. As usual he was of a sea-green colour, and might be expected
at any moment to stagger to a port-hole and call faintly for the
steward. Further down the table sat two young nincompoops,
brought on board specially in order that they might fulfil their
destiny, and fill out my story, by falling in love with the fluffy-
haired English girl who was sitting between them, and pouting
equally and simultaneously at both. There was also the stout
German who talks about " de sturm und der vafes." And beside
him was the statuesque English beauty, whose eyes are of the rich
blackness of the tropic sky, whose voice has a large assortment of
sudden notes of haughtiness, while the studied insolence of her
manner first freezes her victims and then incontinently and incon-
sistently scorches them. Eventually her proud spirit will be tamed,
probably by a storm, or a ship-wreck, or by ten days in an open boat.
I shall then secure your love, my peerless Araminta, and you will
marry me and turn out as soft and gentle as the moss-rose which now
nestles in your raven tresses. The Colonel was speaking.

" Zounds, Sir ! " he was saying. " I don't know what you mean

saloon clock. Far away in the ___ by effects. All mine are on board.

murky distance of the mysterious " -^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^—^^r/<v What do you say, Mr. Ttjgley ? "

empyrean, a single star flashed ^^^^^y^a^^^^^y^^'- -,- u"^--SrjHr3% he went on, looking at me with a

with a weird brilliance down upon "^^^^rf^:^:^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^ 4jj£A look full of corkscrews and broken

the death-like stillness of the ;^P§§|ml glass, while his choleric face

immemorial ocean. Yet the good ^^^^^^^^^C^yO^^^^^^^Z^ -:W^^m\ \ showed of a purple hue under the

old Marlinspike was rolling from - :^vf;t^V^^^^y/7 ' effort of utterance,

side to side and rising and falling ~J~W ^Ss^ 7 111 i " Well, Colonel," I replied, in

as if the liquid expanse were ^^yQ^^^W^-^-M^/^ ^ 'I/Ill I an °^"hand way, so as not to

stirred by the rush of a tempest -^^^3^^^^^^J^^tC^M[ f^$y~ )J§§^ -Mr //' I ) I irritate him, "I keep my best

instead of lying as motionless as /j]^P^^^^^^^^MWM//^ J 7 ^ilf^ "^v M l I effects here ; " and, so saying, I

a country congregation during 'uMlBS^n^^^^^^mlm U I/MM 1 produced my note - book, and

the rector's sermon. Suddenly iPPsffl JmmJ// tapped it significantly. "What.

Captain Babbijam closed his w U^^^^-J^'i'' ' ^"*%^g^ ^?*Pr?l~\ ^■''■:'Wfor instance, do you say to this?"

binoculars with an angry snap. f~~\ -.""'2^' %^^U--^=^/ 7- But, what follows, needs an-

and turned to me. His face ';■ !; ' :'7 J^m C^~~ M^^.' -^M^ \. ' ■ i other chapter,

showed of a dark purple under iMfm W:!^\UA 'fSS/ C \^^\\ 1 n ttt

his white cotton night-cap. Wk04v / , W^^^J/W Jk, ' \ —i-U Chapter III.

" The silly old ship," he mut- - Wf' Jr%L \^MLti/fam * llL \^TH I found the place in my note-

tered, half to himself and half to nY^^M^m^^muU^ M^^^JmM^^f book, cleared my voice, and began,

me, "is trying to make heavy " \WF> I'f r'^/^^^fm^m/MWJ-- lllfmi" The ship was sailing gloriously

weather of it; but I'll be even \\ Mr j \^^V^^mMmjp^-:!- jT^ i^^rfUmftr ^' under a press of canvas. Her

with her, I'11 be even with her." - \ = '-^S^J \ V^^ra^^^S^^w^^^^^Y/^w)^^^ foretopgallant-sail swelled to its

"You'll find it a very odd \ "^^'^^fe- \ -^^It^^Sw^^- - :' wiwP) cotton-like hue out of the black

thing to do," I said to him, \ f^, -^Ste V" \mH^^H%<4^^'__-1 yl< fllull l!> 8hadow of its incurving. High

jocosely. ^^^'• ^^^ffi^^^^rJ^s^ /^^''^^^^i^^^ aloft, the swelling squares of her

He sprang at me like a sea- *' ^^/J/j/lllm^^^-y, ( Sll 4 j ' ■ ^^^^^^^^^^JlifVl W: i/// studding-sails gleamed in the

horse, and reared himself to his ^ufl I r^0sy^J&$ '■■' lr' ■ ^ ^E^^B^l^W^mW misty sheen of the pale luminary,

full height before me. l/ri l llll.W^!<9^— ' / /I '1 I 'I X^lliU i) n'-n^™8' her frosty light from

_ " Come, Mr. Tuglev," he con- JWIlW>^W^^L' / /' III II |! I ISI-wij- ^^WmMM V°int to voint of the tapering

tinued, speaking in a low, mean- %ij!ff^r.l'p^y^^ ■' ' 1 '■ ^fp" \§2^ | \^mWif ma8ts, which rose, rose, rose into

ing voice, " can you take a star ?" ^^'^l /' ^/ \ ' ,' I I ! W^i \ y<\W§Uj 11 the morning air, as though with

"Sometimes," I answered, r</ / , , / 1 g^i1'\mflf/i intent to pierce the glowing orb

humouring his strange fancy; |||!;!M';/' % / L %// of day, poised in the heavens like

"but there's only one about, and •' '"11^'' '/ / ''"'^^^L^j^^^'^f^ $±i \I; one vast ball of liquid fire,

it seems a deuce of a long way j^'; '" ' I ~* V'A I Through the wind-hushed spaces

off—however, I'll try;" and, 'J J / I ' PW^fpl \ of the canvas, where the foretop-

with that, I reached my arm up ' 7 ' "'1 \ maststay-sail-"

in the direction of the solitary " I know that foretopmaststay-
planet, which lay in the vast obscure like a small silver candlestick, \ sail," said the funny man, suddenly. I withered him with a look,
with a greenish tinge in its icy sparkling, mirrored far below in the I and turned over the page.

indigo flood of the abysmal sea, while a grey scud came sweeping up, ! " Here," I said, " is another tip-topper. What do you think of

no one quite knew whence, and hung about the glossy face of the ! this for a storm ?—' The liquid acclivities were rising taller, and
silent luminary like the shreds of a wedding veil, scattered by a j more threatening. With a scream of passion the tortured ship

honey-moon quarrel across the deep spaces far beyond the hairy hurled itself at their deep-green crests. Cascades of rain, and hail,

coamings of the booby-hatch. \ and snow, were dashing down upon her unprotected bulwarks.
"Fool!" said the Captain, softly, "I don't mean that. If you j The inky sky was one vast thunder-clap, out of which the steely

can't take a star, can you keep a watch P

" Well, as to that, Captain," said I, half shocked and half amused
at his strange questionings, " I never take my own out in a crowd.
It's one of Dent's best, given me by my aunt, and I've had it for
nigh upon-"

But the Captain had left me, and was at that moment engaged on
his after-supper occupation of jockeying a lee yard-arm, while the
first mate, Mr. Sowstbr, was doing his best to keep up with his
rough commanding officer by dangling to windward on the flemish
horse, which, as it was touched in the wind and gone in the forelegs,
stumbled violently over the buttery hatchway and hurled its venture-
some rider into the hold. „ TT

Chapter II.

On the following morning we were all sitting in the palatial saloon
of the Marlinspike. We were all there, all the characters, that is to
say, necessary for the completion of a first class three-volume ocean
novel. On my right sat the cayenne-peppery Indian Colonel, a small
man with a fierce face and a tight collar, who roars like a bull and

shaft of an electric flash pierced its dazzling path into the heart of

the raving deep. The scud-'

" I know that scud," said a hateful voice. But, before I could
annihilate its owner, the pale face of Mr. Spilrtngs, with his dead-
eyes turned in, dashed breathlessly into the saloon. "By all that's
holy," he shouted, "the Captain's gone mad, and the crew have
thrown off all disguise. We are manned by ourang-outangs!

Chapter IV.

Never shall I forget the horrors of the scene that ensued. We
clewed up the mizzen royal, we lashed the foretop to make it spin
upon its heels. The second dog watch barked his shins to the bone,
and a tail of men hauled upon the halliards to mast-head the yard.
Nothing availed. We had to be wrecked and wrecked we were, and
as I clasped Aramnta's trustful head to my breast, the pale luminary
sailing through the angry wrack glittered in phantasmal splendour

on the scud which-

[Here the MS. ends unaccountably.—Ed. Punch,']

vol, c.

B