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Chapter 2

Horatio Nelson was standing astonished on the deck of the Raisonable. He was holding his baggage in one of his hands, and a ring cake in the other, which had been given to him by Foster, when he had left the Galathea. It was clear that the boy wasn't a beggar, but the Lieutenant wanted to give him something.

Meanwhile the sunshine was breaking through the clouds and plating the harbour with gold. The rain was still pouring, and the sunbeams broke on the raindrops. A beautiful, big rainbow spanned the sky over the sea.

Horatio was looking the strange sight with his mouth open. He started when someone spoke to him:

"Who are you, sir?"

He turned around and noticed a young Lieutenant near him. He was a tall, blond man. His blue eyes were glittering cheerfully, and his face was round like a little baby's. Horatio introduced himself and saluted too as he had seen the marines do.

"I'm Charles Hammond, the Fourth Lieutenant." the man shook hands with the boy. " The captain wants to speak with you. He is waiting for you on the quarterdeck."

Horatio glanced up there. Captain Suckling was standing with two other Lieutenants. "Now I have to go and say something to him?" thought the lad. He looked at Hammond to ask for help, but the man had already gone to discipline a group of unruly sailors. So he took a deep breath and walked up to the quarterdeck.

Captain Suckling saw the child coming and he silenced the Lieutenants with one movement of his hand.

"Nelson, aren't you?" he asked the boy before he could say anything. "Which one?"

"Horatio." was the shy answer. Suckling frowned.

"Your father said your brother would come to sea."

"Yes, he said that first, but then… then he changed is mind."

"Oh, there is no problem." said the captain with a kindly smile, while he thought to himself "The old Nelson is a fool! He sent his smallest, most sickly son to
be a midshipman. What will I say him if a cannon-ball should hit this little boy
in the first battle?" But he said loudly only this:

"Go to the midshipmen's berth, I will send for you when it's necessary."

"All right." answered Horatio.

"Sir. On the ship always say 'sir'!" Suckling reminded him, and he thought: "Oh, my God, pull out my tongue if I promise something again!"

Horatio hadn't got any idea about where the midshipmen's berth might be. At frist he strayed in the between-decks (the marines laughed at him), then in the galley and finally he found the right place. He opened the door carefully and he stopped immediately. Inside the berth chaos
was raging. In the cramped cabin two boy were frisking, stumbling between the furniture, while a taller man was trying to hit another on the head with a thick book. They were fightig for several minutes, but the tall boy tripped over a hammock and let fall the book from his
hand. When he stood up he noticed Horatio in the doorway.

"Hello!" he greeted him happily and he dusted off his trousers. "Come in!"

Horatio went in and stopped near the door.

"Are you a newbie? I see." laughed the boy. "I'm James Sawyer."

He was thin, strong-muscled boy. He didn't wear his curly, brown hair in a ponytail, and his grey eyes were full of life.

"And he is Edward Pellew." he pointed at his mate who was panting in his hammock. This boy was small and a little fat, with black hair and eyes. Horatio told them his name too and inspected the midshipmen.

"What is it in your hand?" asked Pellew when he could breathe normally.

"My baggage."

"No, in your other hand!"

"A ring cake."

"Give it to me!"

"Here you are." Horatio handed the cake to him.

"Edward, you will burst if you eat so much!" Sawyer warned him.

"What's the matter now?" was indiginant the chubby boy. "None of you will eat it, because he will be seasick and you don't like it.

Seasick? Horatio winked at Pellew. How do you know that? Even though there wasn't much fresh air in this hole… And the ship was rolling wildly…To distract his mind he asked:

"Why were you quarelling?"

"Ah, nothing." Sawyer waved his hand. "This rascal put a dead rat into my sea chest."

"Sweet Jesus!" groaned Horatio. Rats? Here?

"Not as horrible as you think." said the older midshipman. "It's just a joke…"

"Just a joke!" cried out Pellew. " You would have to see your face… You were screaming like a girl!"

"No, I was not!" Sawyer snatched up the book again. "You must apologize!"

Horatio giggled. At this moment a marine put his head round the door.

"Sirs, the captain is waiting for you on the deck!"

"We are sailing!" shouted Pellew and the three boys rushed up the stairs.

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