Percy F. Westerman

“ Well to time, the crew of the Olivette assembled on the shore. With them was old Tom Boldrigg, clad in canvas trousers and jumper, and a blue pilot-coat over his arm.
His luggage consisted of a rolled hammock and blankets, a canvas bag containing his shore-going kit, and a bundle done up in a blue handkerchief.
"You managed to get here, then, Boldrigg," was Mr. Armitage's greeting.
"Ay, ay, sir," was the cheery reply. "I fetched up along all right with my kit. It's mighty good of you, sir, to put up with the likes o' me."
"Not at all," protested the Scoutmaster. "You've the lads to thank. ”

“ Mr Armitage was correct in his surmise, for, standing on a narrow strip of beach were two men and two girls. The men were barefooted, as if they had vainly attempted to wade past the foot of the cliffs. Already the tide was rising rapidly, and in less than an hour their refuge would be invaded by the sea.
"Away dinghy's crew!" exclaimed the Scoutmaster. "Be careful how you land. There's a ground swell running."
The Olivette lost way. The dinghy was hauled alongside, and into her jumped Stratton and Flemming, each manning an oar. ”

“ Then, as suddenly as she had entered the turmoil, the Olivette glided into practically calm water.
"Ugh!" ejaculated Flemming, shaking the water from his clothes. "I don't like races; give me a straightforward heavy sea any old day. I expected the old boat to break her back."
"It is a disconcerting motion, I admit," said Mr. Armitage. "The waves are so hollow that the boat was not evenly supported. But it would take more than that to break her back, Eric." ”

“ In the circumstances, making a meal was out of the question.
"It's the light that does it," declared Boldrigg. "Put out the light an' the midges'll sheer off."
This suggestion was acted upon. In addition, the Olivette's riding lamp was hoisted to attract the flies. The result justified the experiment. As if by magic, the insects disappeared, leaving hundreds of small corpses in the cabin. Hungry, the crew had to make a sorry meal in the darkness, munching hard biscuits and trusting to luck that they were not swallowing dead flies; and in darkness, too, they sought their bunks. ”

“ He was now a powerful, wonderfully good-tempered beast, standing nearly thirty inches high, and combining the sagacity of a full-grown dog with the high spirits of a puppy. Nominally Peter's dog, Bruin was the recognized mascot of the Olivette's crew. He had adopted them all. He obeyed them and no one else. He was friendly with most human beings with whom he came in contact, but he took it for granted that his destiny was indissolubly associated with the blue-jerseyed, white-capped lads who formed the 1st Milford Sea Scouts. ”

“ Before the tide changed again the Olivette had passed Caudebec and followed the wide and sharp curve that the Seine makes round the forest of Jumièges, and brought up off the little town of Duclair.
"We won't feel much of the bore here," said Mr. Armitage, when the Olivette had picked up a set of moorings lent by a courteous Frenchman. "It will be safe to leave the boat; so who's for the shore? A jolly good walk will do us good. ”

“ Slowly the Olivette with her tow moved towards the right bank, then, starboarding helm, she only just held her own against the swift current.
"Keep her like that!" shouted Flemming to the helmsman. "Now, Dick; you can leave the motor for a brace of shakes. Come and bear a hand with the mud-hook. Mind where you tread, old son; the barge is bunged up with things to trip you up. I've had some."
Even with their united efforts the two Sea Scouts were only just able to topple the ponderous mass of iron over the bows. ”

“ Flemming was positively downhearted.
"Look here," suggested the Acacis' Old Man, when he learnt of the unwelcome attentions of the Cherbourg gamins, "why not lie alongside of us? You'll get a tidy bit of coal-dust, but that's a jolly sight better than cabbage-stalks and dead cats dumped on your deck."
The offer was gladly accepted. The Olivette's bow-warp was passed on board the tramp and the boat hauled alongside the Acacis' starboard side. Sheltered by the latter vessel's towering hull, the Olivette was no longer a target for the ragamuffins of the port. ”

“ Ten or twelve ragged gamins were gathered on the edge of the quay, engaged in the pleasant and congenial task of hurling stones and cabbage-stalks upon the Olivette's deck and raised cabin-top.
"Alles-vous-en!" shouted Flemming. The boys retreated a few steps, but seeing that the Sea Scout made no attempt to follow up his advantage, they held their ground, jeering and redoubling their fire.
Eric hardly knew what course to pursue. It was not good form to start scrapping on foreign soil. ”

“ Their host came on board to wish them bon voyage, and, at the Sea Scouts' invitation, he agreed to go as a passenger as far as Caudebec.
"I am hoping," he said, "to raise a troop of Sea Scouts at Rouen. The only difficulty that presents itself is the time it occupies to carry out the work properly. I quite understand that an inefficient troop, run by a Scoutmaster who does not, or cannot, devote sufficient time, is worse than useless. However, I am serious about it, and if the scheme matures, then some day you might see a French yacht, manned by French Sea Scouts, sailing into your Keyhaven." ”

“ Armitage chatted to his host and hostess.
When at length the Sea Scouts proceeded to their shore sleeping-quarters, they found that there was a camp-bed provided for each of the crew, and that their kit had been stacked ready for their use.
"We've fallen on our feet," declared Woodleigh, as he turned in.
"You speak for yourself, young fellah-me-lad!" rejoined Roche. "It isn't usual to fall on your feet when you sleep. This is the proper way—on one's side." ”

“ Kilometre after kilometre was passed, but the long, perfectly straight canal seemed to have no ending, until early in the afternoon the Olivette entered the Tancarville Lock, through which she had to pass to gain the River Seine.
"We've a hot tide against us, sir," remarked Peter when the boat was breasting the swift current of the river. "Oughtn't we to bring up until the flood sets in?" ”

“ There was no help for it. Knowing that Bruin would attempt to jump overboard from the whaler and swim after the Olivette, Stratton and Flemming lashed the dog's paws together and tied a bandage over his eyes. Then, in this helpless condition Bruin was passed over the side and placed in the stern-sheets of the Totland Sea Scouts' boat.
"Good-bye and good luck!" shouted Scoutmaster Mostyn, as the two craft drew off from one another. "We'll take care of your mascot, and see him safely ashore at Milford." ”

“ Out of the deep, open well clambered Roche and Flemming slowly and laboriously, for they were pretty well done up with their night of strenuous toil.
"They seem in no hurry to come for us," observed Warkworth, "after we've trudged all the blessed night."
"Ahoy, there!" shouted Roche. "Can you find someone to put you off? We've no dinghy."
"Then they have had a mishap," declared Warkworth. "I believe I can see the dinghy astern. She's waterlogged."
The difficulty that now arose was how to get on board. There were dozens of small boats off Duclair, but no one was about. ”

“ Without the float the motor couldn't function. There the Scouts were, almost in mid-Channel, in a boat that was now at the mercy of wind and tide.
"There's one blessing," remarked Roche. "We've got the fire out."
"At the expense of a jolly good blanket," added Flemming.
"Better a burnt blanket than a burnt boat," rejoined Roche. "What's to be done now?"
"Never say die," quoted Stratton. "Find a chunk of cork, someone. There's plenty on board. We'll make a cork float."
"No good without shellac," objected Roche. "It will go to pieces in the petrol."
"Let it, then," said Peter with a laugh. ”

“ Flemming, Woodleigh, and Warkworth ran for'ard, the former with a boat-hook and the others with life-lines. Eric shouted encouragement to the swimmer, and for the first time the man seemed conscious of the approach of the Olivette.
"He's almost done for!" exclaimed Woodleigh.
The time taken by the Olivette to approach the man seemed interminable, but as there was a considerable "lop" on, Mr. Armitage dare not risk holding on at any speed for fear of running down the swimmer. The Scoutmaster was manoeuvring to bring the boat to a standstill dead in the eye of the wind and close to the man. ”

“ Assisted by Stratton, who volunteered for the hazardous task, Mr. Armitage and the Patrol Leader crawled along the slippery, heaving deck and laid out the sea-anchor.
The Olivette, drifting rapidly to leeward, snubbed at the rope attached to the canvas bag. There was a sharp twang. The rope, apparently sound, had parted like packthread, and the sea-anchor was irrecoverably lost.
"We'll have to rig up another, Peter," shouted Mr. Armitage. "A stout spar, a hammock, and a piece of ballast will do the trick. Be sharp. She won't stand many of these breakers." ”

“ Into the latter the Sea Scouts piled their kitbags and other gear, Roche and Rayburn being told off to act as baggage-guards.
"A low-down trick to do us out of a ride in a top-hole car," declared Dick, laughing. It was an enjoyable journey, but the thing that impressed the lads most was the fact that the traffic kept to the right-hand side of the road. ”

“ Stratton had acted upon his own initiative in spite of being a stranger to this part of the coast. The Scoutmaster had placed the responsibility upon the lad's shoulders, and Peter had shown that the trust had not been accepted lightly.
"Isn't that where the Treveal was wrecked two winters ago, sir?" asked Flemming.
"Yes," replied Mr. Armitage, pointing shorewards. "About there. Every vestige of the vessel has disappeared by this time. It's a bad piece of coast, with parallel reefs extending seawards. A vessel doesn't stand a dog's chance if she gets held up on those ledges." ”

“ Armitage had remarked, it was better to have a foul tide to begin with and a fair one when the Olivette approached the French coast, than the reverse.
At seven o'clock the Olivette was in a position to "make her departure", and accordingly she was set on the given course for her eighty odd miles' run across the Channel.
"We're a long time losing sight of land," observed Woodleigh, when an hour later the chalk cliffs of St. Catherine's were still visible in the slanting rays of the sun.
"It's the height that tells," rejoined Peter. "We're a good ten miles off. ”

“ So directly the dry meal was over the crew set to work to take the Olivette into the harbour. Here they found no vacant berth alongside the quay, but under the harbourmaster's directions they brought up against a three-masted schooner flying the Italian ensign.
"The Giuseppe Emilio," said Roche, reading the name on her stern. "She's a whacking big craft. Wonder what she's for?"
"Loading clay," replied Mr. Armitage. "There's a great quantity of clay shipped away from Poole. Stand by: here comes the hose." ”

“ Armitage. "We are going to bring up in the Tancarville Canal to-night."
"Canal, sir?" echoed Roche. "I thought we were going up the River Seine."
"So we are, Dick," replied the Scoutmaster. "This canal, however, saves us a dangerous bit of navigation. The estuary of the Seine is full of shifting sandbanks, and if we did happen to get aground, the Olivette would stand a great risk of becoming a total loss. There have been numerous instances of quite large vessels grounding in the estuary and heeling over and filling. You see the bore complicates matters."
"The bore, sir?" exclaimed Flemming. ”