A Millionaire at Sixteen by Oliver Optic

Louis was not a little astonished at the ready yielding of Mr. Frinks to the new order of things on board of the Maud, for he had expected serious opposition from him, and that he would carry it even to fighting for Scoble. If he was disposed to resist the new masters of the vessel, probably the physique of Captain Ringgold was not encouraging to him. The shipmaster took the wheel, and immediately gave his whole attention to the management of the vessel.

"I suppose you have no further use for me on deck," said Mr. Frinks, after he had given up the wheel. "I don't know what course you intend to take, but, with your permission, I will go down into the cabin."

"I should be very sorry to incommode so amiable a gentleman, but you will oblige me by remaining on deck," replied the captain. "You are acquainted with the Maud, and I am not; I may need your counsel and assistance."

"I did not suppose you would require anything of such a lubber as I am," replied the mate.

"On the contrary, I must ask you to continue to discharge the duties of mate. It is possible that the men forward may not be inclined to obey me; and I should prefer to escape the necessity of disciplining them into obedience, though I feel perfectly confident that I can do it."

"As I said, Captain Ringgold, it makes no difference to me who is captain of the Maud. I am a soldier of fortune; I have no home on the wide earth, no place to lay my head; and I had as lief go one way as another. I am entirely at your service, and ready to obey orders in all matters relating to the schooner."

"All right, Mr. Frinks, and we will be friends."

"I shall serve you faithfully as long as I remain on the deck of the Maud; and I think you will have no trouble whatever with the men forward, especially if you issue your orders through me."

"Did it occur to you, Mr. Frinks, while you were at the wheel, that this vessel is not making above two knots an hour? " asked the captain.

"I don't think she is doing as much as that, Captain," replied the mate, laughing. "When she has a leading wind she does very well; but on the wind she is not good for much, especially when she is reefed down as she is now."

"It seems to me that you chose a very bad time to carry out your little scheme, for you could not help seeing that a north-easter was coming up."

"The fact is, as I suggested before, that we got more than we bargained for when you and that youngster you call Flix came on board. We could easily have taken care of Mr. Belgrave and his amiable mother, and anchored under a lee; but with so many of you it was not prudent to remain too near the shore."

"Precisely so."

"I thought I had taken good care of you when I put the hatches on which confined your peregrinations to the lower hold. I don't exactly understand yet how you happened to be in the cabin."

"Louis Belgrave can explain that to you in full when you have time to listen to him, for he took the liberty to take off the hatches and let us both out like a Christian as he is. But, Mr. Frinks, I am not disposed to keep on this tack any longer, for we are getting it worse and worse every minute."

"You have the wheel, and all hands will obey your orders, so that you can go where you please, Captain," replied Frinks.

"Ready about! " shouted Captain Ringgold. "Stand by the jib-sheet!"

The mate went forward and placed the hands at the jib-sheet. The helmsman put the wheel over, and the dull sailer threw her head slowly up into the wind, leaping and rolling and bouncing about like a log. But she came about after a while, and her jib began to draw on the starboard tack. The mainsail went over on the traveller, and the men forward attended to the fore-sheet.

Captain Ringgold laid a course due west, which indicated that he intended to return to the bay, or some point near it, from which the vessel had departed in the forenoon.

"Ease off the jib-sheet! " shouted the new captain.