Nelson The Newsboy

"Hullo!" he said feebly. "What place is this?"

"Dis am de fo'castle of de Victory," was the negro's reply.

"The fo'castle of the Victory?" repeated Nelson, puzzled. "Where—who placed me here? And who put this rag on my head?"

"Cap'n Grabon had you carried here. You had a row wid one of de new hands. Don't you remember dat?"

"Certainly I remember it," answered Nelson, and sat up. His head ached severely. "Who are you?"

"My name am Puff Brown. I's de cook ob de boat."

"Oh! And where is Billy Darnley?"

"De feller you had de fight wid?"

"Yes."

"He's on deck, learnin' how to become a sailor."

"I want him arrested. He's a thief."

So speaking, Nelson staggered to his feet and made for the doorway of the forecastle. When he got on deck he stared around him in amazement. The dock had been left behind, and around the ship were the blue waters of New York Bay.

CHAPTER XXVII.

DOWN THE NEW JERSEY COAST

"My gracious, we've sailed!"

The words came with a groan from Nelson. They were no longer at the dock in New York, but on the sea. What was to be done next?

"They are not going to carry me off!" he told himself, and rushed aft.

"Hullo! so you've got around again," sang out Captain Grabon, on catching sight of him.

"Yes, I've got around, and I want to know what this means."

"What what means, lad?"

"Why did you carry me off?"

"You carried yourself off. I told you we were about to sail. You had no business to come on board."

"I want to go ashore."

To this the captain made no answer.

"Where is Darnley?" went on our hero, and began to look around. Soon he espied the bully helping some sailors trim one of the sheets.

"Here, you stay where you are," cried Captain Grabon, as Nelson started forward, and he caught our hero by the arm. "We are on the sea now, and I am master here, and I don't propose to allow you to interfere with any of my men."

"I told you I want to go ashore," insisted Nelson.

"Well, I'm not going to stop my vessel for every monkey like you who gets himself in a pickle. You can go ashore—when we make a landing, not before."

"When will that be?"

"Keep your eyes open, and you'll soon find out."

The captain of the Victory turned away, leaving Nelson much nonplused. To tell the truth, our hero's head ached so hard he could think of little else. He walked over to a pile of rope and sat down.

"I hope they land soon," he thought dismally. "I don't want to get too far from home. I wonder what George Van Pelt thinks of my absence?"

An hour slipped by, and soon the Victory was well on her way down the bay and heading outside of Sandy Hook. The air was cool and bracing, and under any other conditions the newsboy would have enjoyed the sail very much.

But by noon he began to grow alarmed again. Instead of putting in, the ship was standing still further from shore.

"See here, this doesn't look as if you were going to land soon," he said to one of the sailors who happened to pass him.

"Land soon?" repeated the tar. "That we won't, lad."

"Well, when will we land?"

"Not afore we get to the West Indies, I reckon."

"The West Indies!" And Nelson leaped up as if shot. "You don't mean it."

"All right; ask the cap'n." And the sailor sauntered off.

The captain had gone to the cabin, and thither Nelson made his way without ceremony.

"You told me you were going to land soon?" he cried.

"No, I didn't tell you anything of the kind," answered Captain Grabon, with a leer. "I told you to keep your eyes open, and you'd soon find out what we were going to do."

"I was told you wouldn't land until you reached the West Indies."

"That's right too."

"I don't intend to go with you to the West Indies."

"All right, lad; as you please."

"You have no right to carry me off like this."

"As I said before, you carried yourself off. You came aboard my vessel without my permission, and you engaged in a row with one of my hands. Now you must suffer the consequences."

"Then you intend to take me to the West Indies with you?"