American Boys Afloat by Oliver Optic

Scott Fencelowe, who had been on probation over three months, proved very unexpectedly to the captain and others on board of the Guardian-Mother to be thoroughly reformed. As soon as the commander was satisfied on this point, he treated him with great kindness and consideration. The young man had been a very diligent student, and, having rather remarkable ability, he made rapid progress in his studies.

The stateroom formerly occupied by the third officer, leading off the promenade deck, like those of the first and second officers, had been assigned to him. He was nominally a quartermaster, though his services were seldom required at the wheel. He was the commander's messenger, and had come to be called the "middy. " He had the charge of the flags and signals, and was made useful in any capacity in which he could be of service.

He messed with the officers, and as a sort of reward of merit he was occasionally invited to dine with the cabin party, as were the other principal officers of the ship. The other boys treated him as though he had been in every respect their equal, as indeed he was, except that he was a petty officer, as Felix was the captain's clerk. Scott was a very skilful boatman, and in three months he had learned his duty as a seaman.

"I suppose this moonlight excursion means an adventure of some sort, Sir Louis," said Captain Ringgold, when the serious part of the business was settled, and no objection had been made to the enterprise of the big four.

"Of course I am bound to be a knight-errant wherever I go and whatever I do, and I am as sure to get into an adventure as I am to get into my berth when I turn in," replied Louis, laughing with the captain all the time.

"It generally happens so. You were going to the top of the Peak of Teneriffe; but instead of going there, you had a battle with banditti, and whipped out your captors in a felucca."

"But the big four came back safe and sound, and brought the enemy with them."

"You were all plucky, and I believe you never fail to get the better of all enemies in whatever form they come."

"Now, beloved commander of the Guardian-Mother, can you tell me what possible chance there is for an adventure in the excursion we have arranged? " asked Louis, rather more seriously.

"If you should undertake to capture the Rock of Gibraltar, it will be well for you to know that it is garrisoned by about five thousand soldiers of all arms; and that number of full-grown men are too many for even the big four," continued the commander, not disposed to be serious.

"The big four don't mind five thousand soldiers; if there were ten thousand of them, we might hesitate."

"Perhaps you will prefer to pick up the entire Rock and drop it into the bay; but the water is not deep enough to cover up the highest points of it, and somebody might find out what you had been about."

"Now, Captain, could you be reasonably serious for a moment, only long enough to guess the conundrum I put to you just now? " asked Louis.

"I might try. What was the conundrum? " asked the commander, smoothing off his face.

"If my mother knew I was going ashore, or off in a boat, she would immediately conclude that I was to be shot, pitched over a precipice, or sunk to the bottom of the bay with a fifty-six tied around my neck."

"Formerly she would; but Dr. Hawkes has wonderfully improved her nervous system, so that she would not conclude that anything of the sort would happen to you. You have got into so many scrapes and always come out of them without the singeing of a hair of your head, that she has acquired some confidence in your happy destiny," replied the captain.

"Then can you indicate nearly or remotely what possible adventure I can fall into in this excursion?"

"I give up the conundrum; I cannot guess as to how it is to come about; but if I were a sporting man, I should be willing to wager that you will have an adventure of some kind; but I should wish to wager at the same time that you would come out of it unscathed, and with the head of the enemy under your arm," answered the captain, resuming his mirthful rallying.

"I cannot see for the life of me where the adventure is to come in. John Scoble is hard at work in Sing Sing prison, and" --

"He may have been pardoned, or escaped from the stone walls that held him," interposed the commander, very cheerfully, as though he did not anticipate either of these events.