Brave Tom; Or, The Battle That Won Read online

  The speed with which the train was running at the time Tom Gordon waspushed off was such that he was thrown forward with great violence uponthe hard earth, where he lay senseless, with his leg broken and a numberof severe bruises about his body.

  The only one who saw his fall was the miscreant that caused it; and it isnot necessary to say he made no alarm, and the train went whirling on toits destination.

  Tom's employers knew nothing of the accident; and putting on a temporarysubstitute, they were constrained to believe, after several days' silence,that he had left their service, some two or three boys coming forward todeclare that they had heard Tom say that such was his intention, as he hadreceived a good offer on the Erie road. The substitute was given tounderstand that his situation was permanent, and the ill-used Tom was thusthrown out of his situation.

  After lying an hour or so on the ground he came to, and finding he was ina sad plight, he set up a series of yells, which soon brought assistancein the shape of a passing farmer, who lifted him into his wagon, cartedhim home, and played the good Samaritan.

  A physician was summoned, the broken limb set, and the patient was toldthat all he had to do was to do nothing but lie still and get strong. Thefarmer agreed that he should stay there, especially as the patient gavehim to understand that he would pay him for the service.

  Here we leave Thomas Gordon for the time in good hands, while we turn ourattention to his friend, James Travers, who has been waiting too long fornotice.

  The reader will recall that the morning succeeding the rescue of thelittle girl from the river the two boys started out to hunt up somethingto do in New York. The experience of both was quite similar through thegreater portion of the day, and we have dwelt fully upon what befell Tom.

  Jim, with no better success, and fully as discouraged, set out on hisreturn, as the cold, wintry night was closing in, and he reached the long,open street along the river without any incident worth notice; but whilewalking wearily along, and when not far from his lodging-place, he wasaccosted by a well-dressed man, who placed his hand on his shoulder andsaid, in a pleasant voice,--

  "I think you are looking for something to do, my son?"

  "Yes, sir," was Jim's reply, his heart bounding with renewed hope at theprospect of employment.

  "Are you willing to do anything?"

  "Anything that's honest and right."

  "I wouldn't ask you to do what was not right," added the stranger, as ifhe was hurt at the idea.

  "What is it you want me to do?"

  "How would you like to work on a vessel?"

  "I was never on a ship in my life," said Jim, frightened at the thought ofthe perils of the sea.

  "That don't make any difference: you wouldn't have to serve as a sailor,but as a sort of a cabin-boy; and not exactly that, either. I am the ownerof the boat, and want a clerk--a boy who can write letters, keep myaccounts, and make himself generally useful. I like your looks, and youimpress me as a boy of education."

  "I think I could do all you ask; but where does your vessel sail?"

  "Oh, she ain't a foreign ship, only a small schooner, engaged in thecoasting-trade down along the Jersey shore, sometimes going as far as thecapes, and occasionally making a trip up the Hudson. As navigation hasclosed on the river, we sha'n't go up there before Spring."

  "I think I would like the job," said Jim, who felt as if the vision shownby Aladdin's lamp was opening before him. "What pay will you give if Isuit you?"

  "I am willing to pay well for the boy. It will be twenty dollars a weekand found"---

  "What!" exclaimed the astounded Jim, "did you say twenty dollars a_week_?"

  "That's just what I said. I'm one of those who are willing to pay well forwhat they want."

  "I'll take the situation; when do you want me to go?"

  "As soon as possible--what do you say for to-morrow?"

  "That will suit, as I have nothing in the world to do; I only want to rundown to the hotel and tell Tom."

  "Who's Tom?"

  "He's the boy that came with me from home; he'll be mightily pleased whenhe hears the news."

  "Suppose you walk down with me, and take a look at the boat; it isn't faroff."

  As Jim could see no reason for refusing, and as he hadn't the slightestthought of wrong, he replied that he would be glad to accept theinvitation; and the two started off toward the wharves.

  The well-dressed gentleman, who gave his name as Mr. Hornblower, kept up arunning chat of the most interesting nature to Jim, who was sure he wasone of the finest persons he ever met. The walk was considerably longerthan Jim expected, and the man acted as if he had lost his way. He finallyrecovered himself, and, pausing where a number of all kinds of boats weregathered, he said that his schooner, the Simoon, lay on the outside, andwas to be reached by passing over the decks of several other boats.

  These lay so close, that there was no difficulty or danger in travelingover them, and they soon reached the deck of a trim-looking schooner,which was as silent and apparently as deserted as the tomb. Reaching thecabin, a light was seen shining through the crevices, and Mr. Hornblowerdrew the small door aside, and invited his young companion to descend.

  Jim did so, and found himself in an ordinary-looking cabin, quite wellfurnished, and supplied with a couple of hammocks.

  A small stove was burning, and the temperature was exceedingly pleasantafter the bleak air outside, where the raw wind blew strongly up the bay.

  "I wouldn't want a better place than this to stay," said the delightedlad, taking a seat on a camp-stool.

  "Then I'll let you stay a while."

  These strange words were uttered by the man who stood outside the door,looking in at the lad with an odd smile on his countenance.

  "What do you mean?" asked Jim, filled with a terrible fear.

  "I mean just this: I want you to stay on the boat for the present. If youkeep quiet and do what is told you, you won't be hurt; but if you go tohowling and kicking up a rumpus, you'll be knocked in the head and pitchedoverboard."

  "But tell me why you have brought me here?" asked Jim, swallowing thelump in his throat, and looking pleadingly up to the cruel stranger. "Whatdo you want of me?"

  "We want a big thing of you, as you'll learn before long; but you mustn'task too many questions, nor try to get away, nor refuse to do what is toldyou. If you do, your clock will be wound up in short order; but rememberwhat I've told you, and you'll be released after a while, without any harmto you. I will now bid you good-night."

  With this the man shut and fastened the door of the cabin, using a padlockto do so.

  The lad heard his footsteps as he walked rapidly over the deck, leapingupon those adjoining, and quickly passing up the wharf.

  "Well, this beats everything," remarked Jim with a great sigh, sittingdown again on the camp-stool.

  As he sat thus in deep thought, it seemed to him, more than once, as if itwas all a hideous dream, and he pinched himself to make sure it was not.

  What it all meant was more than he could figure out, or even guess. Theonly possible solution he could hit upon was that this Hornblower, as hecalled himself, was in need of a cabin-boy, or perhaps a sailor, and hetook this rather summary way of securing one, without the preliminary ofobtaining the consent of the party most concerned.

  Whoever Mr. Hornblower might be, it looked as if he had made elaboratepreparations for the game played with such success.

  "Poor Tom will be worried to death when he finds nothing of me," was thenatural fear of Jim, while turning over in his mind the extraordinarysituation in which he was placed. Despite the warning uttered by hiscaptor before leaving, the boy stole up the steps and stealthily tried thedoor. It was fastened too securely for him to force it.

  As he sat down again in the chair, he heard feet on the deck, and heconcluded that his master had come back to see whether all was right.

  But the fellow did not touch the cabin-door; and a minute later the ladnoticed that two men were moving about,
then the sounds showed that thesail was being hoisted. He could distinguish their words as they exchangeddirections, and it was not long before the rippling water told that theschooner was under way.

  "Like enough they have started for China or the Cape of Good Hope, and Iwon't see Tom again for years."

  He sat still in the cabin, which was lit by a lamp suspended overhead, andwhich soon became so warm from the stove and confined air, that he didwhat he could to cool off the interior.

  He had just finished this when he felt a draught of cold air, and lookingup, saw an ugly face peering down on him from the cabin door.

  "Hello, you're down there, are you?" called out the man; "how do you likeit?"

  "It's getting rather warm," answered Jim, hoping to make the best of a badbusiness.

  "If you find it too hot, come on deck and air yourself."

  The lad accepted the invitation, and hastily ascended the few steps, hischief object being to learn where he was.

  Looking about in the gloom, he observed a ship under full sail on theright, and a little farther off one on the left. In the former directionhe thought he discerned a faint dark line close to the water, which hesupposed showed where the shore lay.

  "Then we are putting out to sea," was his conclusion, while he shivered inthe keen wind which swept over the deck.

  The schooner had her mainsail and foresail up, both bellying far outwardunder the impulse of the wind, while the hull keeled far over to the rightin response, and the foaming water at the bow told that she was making herway at high speed toward her destination, wherever that might be.

  As well as Jim could make out in the gloom, neither of the two men whowere managing the vessel was Hornblower.

  "Where are we bound?" asked the prisoner, turning upon the one whoinvited him to come out of the cabin.

  "To the moon," was the unsatisfactory response.

  Jim said no more, for he was afraid he might offend the fellow by pressinghis inquiries.

  "I guess you'd better go below and sleep, for the likes of you ain't ofany use here."

  The boy did as advised.

  He saw no preparations for eating, but he was so wearied and anxious thathe felt little appetite; and, throwing himself in one of the hammocks, hecommitted himself to the care of Heaven, and was soon asleep.

  He never opened his eyes till roused by the smell of burning meat, andlooking up, saw one of the men cooking in the cabin, instead of on deck,as it seemed to the lad ought to have been the case.

  He now took a good survey of the countenances of the men. They did notlook particularly wicked, though both were hard and forbidding.

  They paid scarcely any attention to the boy, but gave him to understandthat he was at liberty to eat if he wished.

  Jim did so, and as soon as the meal was finished strolled on deck.

  From the direction of the morning sun he saw they were sailing southward,and the long stretch of land on the right he concluded must be the Jerseycoast.

  Chapter XIV.