In the Wilds of Africa | Page 8

saw them talking together, and casting no very complimentary looks
towards him. The old boatswain, indeed, Jeremiah Barker, took but
little pains to conceal his indignation. No sooner was the mate's back
turned than he lifted up his fist with a threatening gesture, which made
me fear greatly for the future discipline of the ship. As to expostulating
with a fellow like Kydd, I knew it would be utterly useless; and I was
afraid that even if Stanley or the other gentlemen spoke to him, he
would be as little likely to attend to them as to me.
I must confess that the captain's death and this conduct of Kydd made
me forget altogether the almost dying injunctions of the former to
anchor as soon as we got into shallow water. The latter also seemed
entirely to have forgotten that we were already in soundings.

"Well, sir," he said, coming up to Stanley, "I suppose we must see
about getting the old man buried. I am no hand at preaching or praying,
and so I will ask you to read the funeral service. We will do all things
ship-shape and right."
"Why, sir," exclaimed Stanley, in a tone of indignation, "the poor man's
breath is scarcely out of his body! You would not throw him overboard
at once surely!"
"We have to manage that sort of thing pretty sharply out in these
latitudes," answered Kydd. "I shall be wanting his cabin, too; and as it
may be two or three days before we reach Loando, we cannot have him
buried on shore. We are not far off that place, and I hope we shall be
able to get an observation in a short time, and see exactly where we
are."
"You are now master of the vessel, and I shall not interfere with your
authority," said Stanley; "but I think it would be more decent to wait as
long as we can for the sake of the poor little boy there. When his
feelings are more calm he would like to see his dead father."
"Oh, certainly, sir, as you please, as you please," said the mate, turning
away. "I will give you another hour to indulge your fancy, but I have no
maudlin feelings of that sort."
If the look of unutterable disgust which passed over my cousin's
countenance could have made Kydd ashamed of himself, he would
have hid his face; but he continued pacing the deck and turning his
head about as if considering which order he should next issue. I saw
Kate at length take Natty down into the captain's cabin, and I thought it
best to allow her and the boy to be alone there together at that sad
moment. The boatswain then came aft and said that he and the crew
wished to see their late captain.
"What is that for?" asked Kydd, and I thought he was going to refuse
the request.
"He was our friend, and we would like to have a last look at his kind

face," answered the boatswain.
"Well, if the passengers do not mind your going into the cabin, I do
not," said the mate, turning aside.
Perhaps he did not quite like the expression of old Barker's
countenance. I led the way into the cabin, and the crew came, one by
one, following the boatswain. "Well, you was an honest, kind man as
ever lived, and that's more than can be said of him who has stepped into
your shoes," said old Barker, apostrophising the captain. "He is less of
a sailor than your little finger was; and as to sense, he has not as much
as was in your thumb-nail." The remarks of the other men, as they
passed by, were still less complimentary to the new master; and had he
heard them, he might well have doubted his power of keeping his crew
in order. I felt, indeed, very anxious, for though I had thought very little
of Kydd, I was not aware how he was despised and detested by the
men.
I more than ever wished that a breeze would spring up, that they might
have something to do, and that we might get away from this dangerous
part of the coast. The calm, however, still continued, and at length the
time came for lowering our late captain into his ocean grave. The
sailmaker came aft with the boatswain to superintend the operation of
enclosing him in a hammock, into which they fastened a pig of iron
ballast.
"Them sharks shan't have him, nohow," observed the sailmaker; "for
though the bottom may be a long way off, he will reach it pretty
quickly, and lie quiet there till the day when we all come up from the
land or sea--it will not then matter where we