Bennie Ben Cree | Page 7

an' I came
later, an' here we are, bustin' 'ith pat'iotism and ordered to Hampton
Roads, maybe they know when. I don't myself."
"Yes, sir," broke in Mr. Morgan. "They do say huntin' blockade is like
a dog after fleas, respectin' their liveliness, ve'y similar; him not
knowin' where they are till he's bit."
Captain Cavarly seemed to disapprove of this saying, glancing sharply
at Mr. Morgan, whether because he felt it a slur on the navy, or for
another reason, I could not guess at that time; moreover, they all now
fell to looking at me inquiringly, which made me nervous and out of
countenance.
"I'll have to refer you to the p'oper official, Mr. Cree," said Cavarly.
"Ben, boy," said my father, in a voice quickly growing husky, while his
eyes looked dim and sad, "your uncle advises you ship naval apprentice,
and he thinks you're as well not aboard the Saratoga as yet."

"He's quite right, sir," said Cavarly. "There was no favo'itism where I
learned seamanship."
"Man can't throw the necessa'y belayin' pins at his relative," said Mr.
Morgan. "It lace'ates the feelin's."
"And Captain Cavarly is good enough to----"
"Oh, tha's all right, tha's all right."
"He'll see if he can't get you a berth with him, if you like, Ben,
supposing you feel that way."
My father paused, looking troubled and uncertain, while Cavarly
murmured, "Tha's all right," soothingly, and Morgan, "Don' lace'ate the
feelin's."
For me, I felt bewildered, and my heart seemed to be pumping my head
full of confusion, so that I stammered, saying I would go. Then Cavarly
and Morgan and my father went on talking, while Calhoun sat quietly
listening, and I was content enough to have no further notice taken of
me.
So it came about that I went with my father and Captain Cavarly that
afternoon, and climbed to a little upstairs office, where an orderly stood
within the door; and there I was examined and entered a naval
apprentice, with the privilege of full seamanship in a year, all the while
in that state of excitement I would not have known the difference if
they had listed me a porpoise with the privilege of becoming a whale.
And afterwards we went by ferry to the navy yard, and saw the
Octarara lying in dock, two-masted, side-wheeled, as steaming vessels
mostly were in those days; neat though small; it might be less than two
hundred tons, but a wonder in my eyes and very threatening to the
Southern Confederacy. There seemed to be little doing on the Octarara,
though the yard was full of noise and bustle. We found Morgan playing
a banjo in the cabin and singing:

"This world is full o' trouble an' sin; Don' keep me mournin' here, O
Lord! Don' keep me mournin' long."
"Howdy, Mr. Cree," he said. "The cap'en, he's troubled because we ain'
goin' to be fit in time to crush the Southern Confede'acy. It's the sins an'
sorrows o' this world troubles me. 'Don' keep me mournin' long.' Your
son, sir, hasn't the liver complaint?"
And, seeing Cavarly looking at him uneasily, he fell to playing his
banjo again.
The captain's trouble, which Morgan spoke of, lest the Octarara should
not be fit in time to crush the Confederacy, seemed to me more and
more natural. For the weeks went by, and the yard all the time rushed
with work, and it seemed a slight on the Octarara, that wonderful craft,
that they passed her by in the way of preparation. December slipped
away. On Christmas Day my father had the captains, Morgan and
Calhoun, up to a handsome dinner, where there was great exchange of
cordiality, and much grumbling at the delay, with great comfort taken
out of the grumbling.
It was notable how gladly we listened to Calhoun. The captain
particularly seemed to ponder on what he said, and turn it over in his
mind, as if looking for a secret meaning. The great variety of Calhoun's
information was odd in one not very old in years, and especially his
knowledge of foreign lands and seas, trade lines and ocean navigation
at large, whereas I gathered that Cavarly had never been beyond
coasting trade.
Calhoun in his talk let himself be easily led to speak of the South
Atlantic, and what amount of American shipping was found there. And
all through it ran the stream of his personal adventure, from which I
thought, even so early in my knowledge of him, that seldom was so
foolhardy a man, to walk into any danger or adventure, wherever he
could find it, and walk out again when ready to do so. Indeed, I think
this of Calhoun, and may say so now, that he was never so pleased and
satisfied, as