To do him justice Captain Corbold would not have reported favourably on the motor had he not been fully convinced of its efficiency. Now, thanks chiefly to Geoff and in a lesser degree to Peter Kelso he could conscientiously state that the outboard engine performed its duties efficiently.
The formal business of entering the probationary cadets at the agent's office took less than a quarter of an hour. There they were supplied with cap-badges, and given an advance in order to purchase uniform from a British outfitter in the Avenida Jaures. Then they stayed to lunch with the agent, returning on board just as work was being resumed at 3 p.m., when the midday siesta came to an end.
Speculation was rife, in the cadets' mess, concerning the next port of call, and, as usual, the various guesses were subsequently found to be wide of the mark.
"The Old Man didn't let out to you, did he?" inquired Fairclough of Geoff, while the latter was shedding his shore-going rags in favour of the business-like dungarees.
"Not a word," replied Geoff. "I wish he had."
"We aren't bound for a tropical port, that's a dead cert," observed Davis. "Coffee, look you, would not be sent from here to any place where it grows. I shouldn't be surprised if we're under orders for Cape Town."
"Or Sydney," suggested Setchell. "If so, that means round the Horn. Ugh!"
"It'll be a twelvemonth's voyage in any case," declared the Senior Cadet.
"Hurrah!" exclaimed Bernard.
"Dry up!" rejoined Fairclough. "Wait till you've been barging about round the Horn or in the Roaring Forties, and then see if you're of the same mind. You don't know what hard work is yet, old son."
He spoke feelingly. Recollections of a twenty-one days' battle in an attempt to round the Horn, where the crew, frozen with stinging spray and with fingers raw through contact with the fiercely thrashing canvas, when for days on end they existed miserably under battened hatches, often finding that they had lost ground during the twenty-four hours—all these incidents were yet fresh in the Senior Cadet's mind. Rounding the dreaded Cape was an achievement; but he was not anxious to repeat it.
Just then Third Officer Kelso looked in.
"Get a move on, you fellows!" he exclaimed. "Lighter's coming alongside. We're under orders for Southampton!"
This announcement was greeted with shouts of delight by most of the cadets. The "first voyagers" did not seem so enthusiastic over the news. Of course it was splendid to be homeward bound, but the short duration of the voyage was rather disappointing.
Especially so to Geoff and Bernard. It meant that their probation period would be over before they had hardly seen foreign parts. Would the opportunity occur again? Their people might "kick"; the Company might decline to re-engage them after the probationary period. In fact a dozen things might crop up to prevent them following up the sea as a profession.
"Well, we aren't at Southampton yet," thought Geoff philosophically. "Lots of things may happen before we arrive there."
Geoff went to the side. A lighter deeply laden with hundreds of dark-coloured sacks containing the cargo was just making fast. From her came about twenty native stevedores on whom fell the task of stowing cargo under the supervision of the ship's officers.
Before the work had been in progress for an hour the lad registered a vow never to drink Brazilian coffee—he had seen the stuff handled and that was enough!
At last the hatches were placed over the holds, tarpaulined and secured by means of wedges. There was a fair breeze blowing right out of the harbour. Captain Corbold decided that the opportunity was too good to be wasted. The expense of tug-hire would be saved.
"Hands aloft! Loose and make all plain sail!"
In a few minutes the hitherto bare yards were displaying their sheeted-home canvas to the accompanying deep bass voices of the hands on the braces. Heeling slightly to the following breeze, the Golden Vanity cast off, cleared the buoy and headed to the open sea.
Suddenly Second Officer Strachan hailed the Old Man.
"Our shore signal station speaking, sir!"
Above the flat roof of the Company's agent's offices, a two-flag signal fluttered in the breeze.
"TH, sir!" read Strachan. "Your original orders are cancelled; I am directed to inform you to proceed to——"
The Old Man nodded. Promptly the affirmative pennant was hoisted at the Golden Vanity's peak. All on deck were agog with curiosity. What would the next hoist—indirectly the name of the new destination—be?
Geoff was amongst the first to read the four flags AXJM. So did most of the cadets, but until the letters were decoded they were none the wiser.
A few moments of suspense followed. The Second Officer fumbled with the leaves of the Code Book. The page he wanted had apparently become stuck.
"Well, what is it, Mister?" sung out the Old Man, impatiently.
Strachan did most things deliberately. Giving another glance shoreward to satisfy himself that he had read the flags correctly he ran his thumb down the alphabetically arranged geographical signals till he found what he wanted.
"It's Nassau, sir!" he reported.
"A' right," growled Captain Corbold, none too pleased with the information. "Pennant close up there!"
Then, falling in step with Kelso, he began to pace the poop deck.
"Where's Nassau, any old way?" inquired Davis of the knot of cadets who, leaning over the side, were taking farewell glimpses of Rio.
Merrifield, fresh from school, had some hazy idea that the Prince of Orange had something to do with it, and suggested Nassau was in Holland.
"You're wrong, me lad!" declared Setchell. "It's in Germany. I know 'cause my brother was a prisoner of war there. But it's miles from the sea."
"P'raps it's in the United States," hazarded Elkins. "If so——"
"As a matter of fact it's in the Bahamas—in the West Indies," declared Geoff confidently. "Haven't you seen all the fuss in the papers about the Nassau rum-runners?"
"Well, what are we bound there for?" asked Davis. "Surely the old Vanity isn't going to start rum-running?"
"You wait and see, my lad," said Fairclough. "Meanwhile those hoops want greasing; get busy!"
CHAPTER XX. The Hurricane
Fair winds soon enabled the Golden Vanity to weather Cape San Roque. Followed a period of calms and light seas until the ship picked up the North-east Trades. Finally, cutting between St. Vincent and St. Lucia she gained the Caribbean and shaped a course for the Mona Passage.
It was a voyage after Geoff's own heart. Even in his very early days he had longed to sail the seas where once the buccaneers held almost undisputed sway, and the realization of his day-dreams was not disappointing. Under perfect weather conditions the Windward Islands looked at their best. As far as work on board went there was practically nothing to be done aloft. The ship carried whole canvas for days at a stretch. Rarely had the braces or sheets to be touched save to give them the necessary ease when night fell, bringing with it exceptionally heavy dews. The Golden Vanity might be on a pleasure cruise judging by the easy time experienced by both officers and men.
Nevertheless Captain Corbold did not look upon the run to Nassau in the same light. For one thing he was unacquainted with West Indian waters. With nearly thirty-five years' sea-service to his credit he had been on every known trade-route with that exception. And he knew only too well that October was one of the worst of the hurricane months, from July until about the middle of November.
The Golden Vanity made a quick run through the Mona Passage, between Haiti and Puerto Rico, and was approaching the nearmost of the Bahama Group when her good luck in the matter of favouring winds deserted her.