"With all my heart," replied Oaklands, divesting himself of his waistcoat, braces, and neckcloth--which latter article he braced tightly round his waist--an example speedily followed by Lawless, who exclaimed, as he completed his preparations:--

"Now, you young shavers, pull in your oars, and we'll give you a ride, all free, gratis, for nothing".

Mullins and I hastened to comply with Lawless's directions, by placing the oars and seating ourselves so as not to interfere with the trim of the boat; while he and Oaklands, each taking a firm grasp of his oar, commenced pulling away in real earnest. They were more evenly matched than may be at first imagined, for Lawless, though much shorter than Oaklands, was very square-built and broad about the shoulders, and his arms, which were unusually long in proportion to his height, presented a remarkable development of muscle, while it was evident, from the manner in which he handled his oar, that he was the more practised rower of the two. The boat, urged by their powerful strokes, appeared to fly through the water, while cliff and headland (we were rowing along sh.o.r.e about half a mile from the beach) came in view and disappeared again like scenes in some moving panorama. We must now have proceeded some miles, yet still the rival champions continued their exertions with unabated energy and a degree of strength that seemed inexhaustible. Greatly interested in the event, I had at first watched the contending parties with anxious attention, but, perceiving that the efforts they were making did not produce any visible effects upon them, and that the struggle was likely to be a protracted one, I took advantage of the opportunity to open a letter from my sister, which I had received just as I was leaving the house. I was sorry to find, on perusing it, that my father had been suffering from an inflammatory attack, brought on by a cold which he had caught in returning from a visit to a sick parishioner, through a pouring rain. A postscript from my mother, however, added that I need not make myself in the least uneasy, as the apothecary a.s.sured her that my father was going on as well as possible, and would probably be quite restored in the course of a week or so. On observing the date of the letter I found I ought to have received it the day before. Arguing from this (on the "no-news-being-good-news" system) -98--that I should have heard again if anything had gone wrong, I dismissed the subject from my mind, and was reading f.a.n.n.y's account of a juvenile party she had been at in the neighbourhood, when my attention was roused by Coleman, who, laying his hand on my shoulder, said:

"Look out, Frank, it won't be long now before we shall see who's best man; the work's beginning to tell".

Thus invoked, I raised my eyes, and perceived that a change had come over the aspect of affairs while I had been engaged with my letter.

Oaklands and Lawless were still rowing with the greatest energy, but it appeared to me that their strokes were drawn with less and less vigour each succeeding time, while their flushed faces, and heavy breathing, proved that the severe labour they had undergone had not been without its effect. The only visible difference between them was, that Lawless, from his superior training, had not, as a jocky would say, "turned a hair," while the perspiration hung in big drops upon the brow of Oaklands, and the knotted, swollen veins of his hands stood out like tightly strained cordage.

"Hold hard!" shouted Lawless. "I say, Harry," he continued, as soon as they left off rowing, "how are you getting on?"

"I have been cooler in my life," replied Oaklands, wiping his face with his handkerchief.

"Well, I think it's about a drawn battle," said Lawless; "though I am free to confess, that if you were in proper training, I should be no match for you, even with the oar."

"What made you stop just then?" inquired Oaklands; "I'm sure I could have kept on for a quarter of an hour longer, if not more."

"So could I," replied Lawless, "ay, or for half an hour, if I had been put to it; but I felt the work was beginning to tell, I saw you were getting used up, and I recollected that we should have to row back with the wind against us, which, as the breeze is freshening, will be no such easy matter; so I thought if we went on till we were both done up we should be in a regular fix."

"It's lucky you remembered it," said Oaklands; "I was so excited, I should have gone on pulling as long as I could have held an oar; we must be some distance from Helmstone by this time. Have you any idea whereabouts we are?"

"Let's have a look," rejoined Lawless. "Yes, that tall cliff you see there is the Nag's Head, and in the little bay -99--beyond stands the village of Fisherton. I vote we go ash.o.r.e there, have some bread and cheese, and a draught of porter at the inn, and then we shall be able to pull back again twice as well."

This proposal seemed to afford general satisfaction; Mullins and I resumed our oars, and, in less than half an hour, we were safely ensconced in the sanded parlour of the Dolphin, while the pretty bar-maid, upon whom also devolved the duties of waitress, hastened to place before us a smoking dish of eggs and bacon, which we had chosen in preference to red herrings--the only other dainty the Dolphin had to offer us--Coleman observing that a "hard roe" was the only part of a herring worth eating, and we had had that already, as we came along.

"I say, my dear, have you got any bottled porter?" inquired Lawless.

"Yes, sir, and very good it is," replied the smiling damsel.

"That's a blessing," observed Coleman, piously.

"Bring us up a lot of it, my beauty," resumed Lawless, "and some pewter pots--porter's twice as good out of its own native pewter."

Thus exhorted, the blooming waitress tripped off, and soon returned with a basket containing six bottles of porter.

"That's the time of day," said Lawless; "now for a corkscrew, pretty one; here you are, Oaklands."

"I must own that is capital, after such hard work as we have been doing," observed Oaklands, as he emptied the pewter pot at a draught.

"I say, Mary," asked Coleman, "what's gone of that young man that used to keep company along with you--that nice young chap, that had such insinivatin ways with him?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, sir; I've nothink to say to no young man whatsumever," replied the damsel addressed, shaking her curls coquettishly.

"Ah!" sighed Coleman, "if I were but single now."

"Why, you never mean to say you've got a wife already, such a very young gentleman as you are?"

"Not only that, but a small family with a large appet.i.te," continued Coleman, pathetically.

"Well, I never," exclaimed the bar-maid, surprised, for once, out of her company manners; then, observing a smile, at her expense, going the round of the party, she added, "I see how it is; you are making fun of me, sir; -100--oh, fie, you're a wicked young gentleman, I know you are."

"Never mind him, my dear," said Lawless, "but give me another bottle of porter."

In converse such as this the meal and the half-dozen of porter were finished; in addition to which Lawless chose to have a gla.s.s of brandy-and-water and a cigar. Having been rendered unusually hungry by the sea air and the unaccustomed exercise of rowing, I had both eaten and drunk more than I was in the habit of doing, to which cause may be attributed my falling into a doze; an example which, I have every reason to believe, was followed by most of the others. I know not how long my nap had lasted, when I was aroused by hearing Coleman exclaim:--

"Why I think it rains! Lawless, wake up! I don't much like the look of the weather."

"What's the row?" inquired Lawless, leisurely removing his legs from the table on which they had been resting, and walking to the window--a feat, by the way, he did not perform quite as steadily as usual. "By Jove!"

he continued, "the wind's blowing great guns; we must look sharp, and be off--we shall have the sea getting up."

Accordingly, the bill was rung for and paid; Mary received half a crown and a kiss from Lawless, and down we ran to the beach, where difficulties we were little prepared for awaited us.

CHAPTER XI -- BREAKERS AHEAD!

"Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground.... The wills above be done! but I would fain die a dry death."

"I have great comfort from this fellow: methinks he hath no drowning mark upon him."--Tempest.

THE wind, which we had observed was rising when we landed, had increased during our stay at the inn, and was now blowing almost a gale from the south-west; whilst the sea, which we had left smooth as a lake, was rolling in and breaking on the beach in somewhat formidable waves.

"I tell you what," said Coleman, as soon as he had observed the state of affairs, "I won't attempt to steer in such a sea as that; it requires great skill and judgment, besides a stronger hand than mine, to keep the -101--boat's head right; if I were to let her turn her broadside to one of those waves, it would be a case of 'Found drowned' with some of us, before long."

"What's to be done, then?" inquired Oaklands. "I am sure I can't do it: it's a thing I'm quite ignorant of; all my boating having been on the river."

"Let's hire one of those amphibious beggars out there to steer for us,"

proposed Lawless, pointing to a group of fishermen who were lounging round an old boat, not far from where we stood; "they're up to all the right dodges, you may depend. Here, my men! which of you will earn half a guinea by steering our boat for us to Helmstone?"

"I wouldn't, master, for ten times the money," replied an old weather-beaten boatman, in a tarpaulin hat; "and if you'll take an old man's advice, gentlemen, you'll none of you venture out in that c.o.c.kle-sh.e.l.l this afternoon; the wind's getting up every minute, and we shall have a rough night of it."

"Nonsense," replied Lawless; "I've often been out in worse weather than this. Are you, all of you, frightened by that old woman's croaking?"

continued he, turning to the group of men.

"He's no old woman," replied a st.u.r.dy fellow, in a rough pea-jacket; "he's been a better sailor than ever you'll be, and he's right now too,"

he added. "It's as much as a man's life is worth to go to sea in that bit of a thing, with the waves running in as they do now--and with such a set of landlubbers as them for a crew," he muttered, turning away.

"Suppose we try and get something to take us home by land," suggested Oaklands; "and leave the boat for some of these good fellows to bring home, as soon as the weather will allow."

"You'll have to walk, sir," replied one of them, civilly; "I don't believe there's a cart or horse in the place; they all went inland this morning with fish, and won't return till to-morrow."

"There, you hear that," said Lawless, who had just drunk enough to render him captious and obstinate. "I'm not going to walk to please anybody's fancy; I see how it is,--I did not bid high enough. A couple of guineas for any one who will come with us," added he.

"A couple of guineas is not to be got every day," observed a sullen, downcast-looking man, who had not yet spoken; "and it is not much odds to me whether I sink or swim now; those custom-house sharks," added he, with an oath, "look so close after one, that one can't -102--do a stroke of work that will pay a fellow nowadays. Money down, and I'm your man, sir," he added, turning to Lawless.

"That's the ticket," said Lawless, handing him the money. "I'm glad to see one of you, at least, has got a little pluck about him. Come along."