Page:Dick Sands the Boy Captain.djvu/17

THE "PILGRIM/' " Pilgrim." At the beginning of January, almost in the height of the southem summer, long before the ordinary tîme for the whalers' return, Captain Hull had been obh'ged to abandon his fishing-quarters. His hired contingent, ail men of more than doubtful character, had given signs of such insubordination as threatened to end in mutiny ; and he had become aware that he must part company with them on the earliest possible opportunity. Accordingly, without delay, the bow of the " Pilgrim " was directed to the north- west, towards New Zealand, which was sighted on the iSth of January, and on reaching Waitemata, the port of Auckland, in the Hauraki Gulf, on the east coast of North Island, the whole of the gang was peremptorily discharged. The ship's crew were more than dissatisfied. They were angry. Never before had they returned with so meagre a haul. They ought to hâve had at least two hundred barrels more. The captain himself experienced ail the mortification of an ardent sportsman who for the first time in his life brings home a half-empty bag ; and there was a gênerai spîrit of animosîty against the rascals whose rébellion had so entirely marred the success of the expédition. Captain Hull did everything in his power to repair the disappointment ; he made every effort to engage a fresh gang ; but ît was too late ; every available seaman had long since been carried off to the fisheries. Finding there- fore. that ail hope of making good the deficiency in his cargo must be resîgned, he was on the point of leaving Auckland, alone with his crew,- when he was met by a rcquest with which he felt himself bound to comply. It had chanced that James Weldon, on one of those joumeys which were necessitated by the nature of his business, had brought with him his wife, his son Jack, a child of five years of âge, and a relation of the family who was generally known by the name of Cousin Benedict. Weldon had of course intended that his family should accompany him on his return home to San Francisco ; but little Jack was taken so seriously îll, that his father, whose affairs demanded hîs immédiate return, was obliged to leave htm behind at Auckland with his wife and Cousin Benedict B 2