Cutlass and Cudgel | Page 4

overboard."
"Quite right. Milk and water," came in muffled tones.
"Beg pardon, sir, what shall I do?"
"Go and milk her, and don't bother me."
"But she's swimming under the cliff, sir."
"Go and ask her on board, then. Be off!"
Archy Raystoke knew his commanding officer's ways, and after waiting
a few moments, he said softly, after giving a tap or two on the panel--

"Shall I take the boat and get her aboard?"
There was a loud rustle; a bang as if some one had struck the bulkhead
with his elbow, and then a voice roared--
"Look here, sir, if you don't be off and let me finish my sleep, I'll let go
at you through the door. You're in charge of the deck. Go and do what's
right, and don't bother me."
Bang!
Another blow on the bulkhead, and rustling noise, and, as well as if he
had seen it all, Archy knew that his officer had snuggled down under
the clothes, and gone to sleep.
But he had the permission, and calling to a couple of the crew, he soon
had the small boat in the water, with Dick and another man pulling
towards where the cow was slowly swimming here and there, with its
wet nose and two horns a very short distance above the surface.
"Now, then, Dick, is it a sea-cow?" cried Archy, as they drew nearer.
"Well, sir, what else can it be?"
"Ah, you obstinate!" cried the lad. "Now, then, what are we going to do?
We can't land her," he continued, looking up at the towering cliff, "and,
of course, we can't take her in the boat."
"I'll soon manage that," said Dick, leaving his rowing to take up a coil
of rope he had thrown into the boat, and make a running noose.
"Yes, but--"
"It's all right, sir. Get this over her horns, and we can tow her
alongside, and hyste her on deck in no time."
The cow proved that she was accustomed to man, for, as the boat
approached, she swam slowly to meet it, raising her nose a little to
utter a loud bellow, as if glad to welcome the help. So quiet and gentle

was the poor creature, that there was no difficulty in passing the noose
over her horns, making the line fast to a ring-bolt, so as to keep her
head well above the surface, and then Dick resumed his oar; and after
a glance round to make sure that there was no place where the poor
beast could be landed, Archie gave the order for them to row back to
where the cutter lay in the bright sunshine, five hundred yards from the
shore.
He looked in vain, for at the lowest part the green edge of the cliff was
a couple of hundred feet above the level of the sea, and right and left of
him the mighty walls of rock rose up, four, five, and even six hundred
feet, and for the most part with a sheer descent to the water which
washed their feet.
The cow took to her journey very kindly, helping the progress by
swimming till they were alongside the cutter, where the men on deck
were looking over the low side, and grinning with amusement.
"Pull her horns off, sir!" said Dick, in answer to a question, as he
proceeded to pass the rope through a block, "not it."
"But hadn't we better have a line round her?"
"If you want to cut her 'most in two, sir. We'll soon have her on board."
Dick was as good as his word, for the task was easy with a vessel so
low in the water as the cutter; and in a few minutes the unfortunate cow
was standing dripping on deck.
CHAPTER TWO.
"Can any one of you men milk?" said Lieutenant Brough, a little
plump-looking man, of about five and thirty, as he stood in naval
uniform staring at the new addition to His Majesty's cutter White Hawk,
a well-fed dun cow, which stood steadily swinging her long tail to and
fro, where she was tethered to the bulwarks, after vainly trying to make
a meal off the well holystoned deck.

There was no reply, the men grinning one at the other, on hearing so
novel a question. "Do you men mean to say that not one amongst you
can milk?" cried the lieutenant.
No one had spoken; but now, in a half-shrinking foolish way, Dick
pulled his forelock, and made a kick out behind.
"You can?" cried the lieutenant, "that's right; get a bucket and milk her.
I'll have some for breakfast."
"Didn't say as I could milk, sir," said Dick. "Seen 'em milk, though,
down in Linkyshire, and know how it's done."
"Then, of course, you