Three Men on the Bummel | Page 6

food suggested by Mr. Goyles, I confess,
surprised me. Had we been living in the days of Drake and the Spanish
Main, I should have feared he was arranging for something illegal.
However, he laughed in his fatherly way, and assured me we were not
overdoing it. Anything left the crew would divide and take home with
them--it seemed this was the custom. It appeared to me that I was
providing for this crew for the winter, but I did not like to appear stingy,
and said no more. The amount of drink required also surprised me. I
arranged for what I thought we should need for ourselves, and then Mr.
Goyles spoke up for the crew. I must say that for him, he did think of
his men.
"We don't want anything in the nature of an orgie, Mr. Goyles," I

suggested.
"Orgie!" replied Mr. Goyles; "why they'll take that little drop in their
tea."
He explained to me that his motto was, Get good men and treat them
well.
"They work better for you," said Mr. Goyles; "and they come again."
Personally, I didn't feel I wanted them to come again. I was beginning
to take a dislike to them before I had seen them; I regarded them as a
greedy and guzzling crew. But Mr. Goyles was so cheerfully emphatic,
and I was so inexperienced, that again I let him have his way. He also
promised that even in this department he would see to it personally that
nothing was wasted.
I also left him to engage the crew. He said he could do the thing, and
would, for me, with the help two men and a boy. If he was alluding to
the clearing up of the victuals and drink, I think he was making an
under-estimate; but possibly he may have been speaking of the sailing
of the yacht.
I called at my tailors on the way home and ordered a yachting suit, with
a white hat, which they promised to bustle up and have ready in time;
and then I went home and told Ethelbertha all I had done. Her delight
was clouded by only one reflection--would the dressmaker be able to
finish a yachting costume for her in time? That is so like a woman.
Our honeymoon, which had taken place not very long before, had been
somewhat curtailed, so we decided we would invite nobody, but have
the yacht to ourselves. And thankful I am to Heaven that we did so
decide. On Monday we put on all our clothes and started. I forget what
Ethelbertha wore, but, whatever it may have been, it looked very
fetching. My own costume was a dark blue trimmed with a narrow
white braid, which, I think, was rather effective.
Mr. Goyles met us on deck, and told us that lunch was ready. I must

admit Goyles had secured the services of a very fair cook. The
capabilities of the other members of the crew I had no opportunity of
judging. Speaking of them in a state of rest, however, I can say of them
they appeared to be a cheerful crew.
My idea had been that so soon as the men had finished their dinner we
would weigh anchor, while I, smoking a cigar, with Ethelbertha by my
side, would lean over the gunwale and watch the white cliffs of the
Fatherland sink imperceptibly into the horizon. Ethelbertha and I
carried out our part of the programme, and waited, with the deck to
ourselves.
"They seem to be taking their time," said Ethelbertha.
"If, in the course of fourteen days," I said, "they eat half of what is on
this yacht, they will want a fairly long time for every meal. We had
better not hurry them, or they won't get through a quarter of it."
"They must have gone to sleep," said Ethelbertha, later on. "It will be
tea-time soon."
They were certainly very quiet. I went for'ard, and hailed Captain
Goyles down the ladder. I hailed him three times; then he came up
slowly. He appeared to be a heavier and older man than when I had
seen him last. He had a cold cigar in his mouth.
"When you are ready, Captain Goyles," I said, "we'll start."
Captain Goyles removed the cigar from his mouth.
"Not to-day we won't, sir," he replied, "WITH your permission."
"Why, what's the matter with to-day?" I said. I know sailors are a
superstitious folk; I thought maybe a Monday might be considered
unlucky.
"The day's all right," answered Captain Goyles, "it's the wind I'm
a-thinking of. It don't look much like changing."

"But do we want it to change?" I asked. "It seems to me to be just
where it should be, dead behind us."
"Aye, aye," said Captain