Under Drakes Flag | Page 8

parting cheer, as they turned
their faces to the south.
As Ned was not in the slightest degree either homesick or seasick, he at
once fell to work, laughing and joking with the other boys, of whom

there were three on board. He found that their duties consisted of
bearing messages, of hauling any rope to which they were told to fix
themselves, and in receiving, with as good a face as might be, the
various orders, to say nothing of the various kicks, which might be
bestowed upon them by all on board. At the same time their cheerful
countenances showed that these things which, when told, sounded a
little terrible, were in truth in no way serious.
Ned was first shown where he was to sling his hammock, and how;
where he was to get his food; and under whose orders he was specially
to consider himself; the master, for the present, taking him under his
own charge. For the next ten days, as the vessel sailed calmly along,
with a favoring wind, Ned had learned all the names of the ropes and
sails, and their uses; could climb aloft, and do his share of the work of
the ship; and if not yet a skilled sailor, was at least on the high road to
become one. The master was pleased at his willingness and eagerness
to oblige, and he soon became a great favorite of his.
Between the four boys on the ship a good feeling existed. All had been
chosen as a special favor, upon the recommendation of one or other of
those in authority. Each of them had made up his mind that, one of
these days, he, too, would command an expedition to the West Indies.
Each thought of the glory which he would attain; and although, in the
hearts of many of the elder men in the expedition, the substantial
benefits to be reaped stood higher than any ideas of glory or honor; to
the lads, at least, pecuniary gain exercised no inducement whatever.
They burned to see the strange country, and to gain some of the credit
and glory which would, if the voyage was successful, attach to each
member of the crew. All were full of fun, and took what came to them,
in the way of work, so good temperedly and cheerfully, that the men
soon ceased to give them work for work's sake.
They were, too, a strong and well-built group of boys. Ned was by a
full year the youngest, and by nigh a head the shortest of them; but his
broad shoulders and sturdy build, and the strength acquired by long
practice in swimming and rowing, made him their equal.
There were, however, no quarrels among them, and their strength they

agreed to use in alliance, if need be, should any of the crew make a
dead set at one or other of them; for even in an expedition like this
there must be some brutal, as well as many brave men. There were
assuredly two or three, at least, of those on board the Swanne who
might well be called brutal. They were for the most part old hands, who
had lived on board ship half their lives, had taken part in the slave
traffic of Captain Hawkins, and in the buccaneering exploits of the
earlier commanders. To them the voyage was one in which the lust of
gold was the sole stimulant; and, accustomed to deeds of bloodshed,
what feelings they ever had had become utterly blunted, and they
needed but the power to become despotic and brutal masters.
The chief among these was Giles Taunton, the armorer He was a
swarthy ruffian, who hid, beneath the guise of a jovial bonhomie, a
cruel and unfeeling nature. He was ever ready to cuff and beat the boys,
on the smallest provocation.
They soon gathered together, in a sort of defensive league, against their
common oppressors. All four were high-spirited lads. The other three,
indeed, were sons of men of substance in Devon, whose fathers had
lent funds to Captain Drake for the carrying out of his great enterprise.
They therefore looked but ill on the kicks and curses which,
occasionally, fell to their lot.
One day they gathered together round the bowsprit, and talked over
what they should do. Gerald Summers, the eldest of the party, proposed
that they should go in a body to Captain Drake, and complain of the
tyranny to which they were subject. After some talk, however, all
agreed that such a course as this would lower them in the estimation of
the men, and that it would be better to put up with the ill treatment than,
to get the name of tell tales.
Ned then said to the others:
"It seems