Captain Wilson seemed to take a pride in having Duncan and Conal with him, and he introduced them as friends wherever he went.
Both lads were handsome, and in the city of Melbourne a rumour got abroad that they were of noble birth, and were serving before the mast for the mere romance of the thing. Well, even the Earl of Aberdeen was once found in the guise of an ordinary seaman; but there was something more than romance in our heroes' situation. However, the report, which they always contradicted, did them no harm, and they were invited to more houses than one, being asked, moreover, to come in their sailor's clothes.
The boys obeyed. In fact they had none other, but they had a kind of best suit, and very well the broad blue collar and black sailor's-knotted handkerchief became their handsome young faces.
I don't think I am far wrong in saying that some of the Australian ladies fell in love with them.
Now, having reached Australia, Duncan had about half a mind, more or less, to try his luck at the gold diggings.
He broached the subject to Captain Wilson.
"Well," replied the skipper, "mind, though I should be grieved to part with you, I would rather put another spoke in your wheel than hinder you, if I thought there was the ghost of a chance of your making your fortune. But I don't think there is."
"Then we shall be advised by you," said Duncan.
So after a very pleasant time spent in Australia the _Ocean's Pride_ spread her wings once more to the breeze and sailed for distant Japan.
Thence homewards round stormy Cape Horn. It took them six weeks to weather the Cape, so close was the ice.
But worse was to befall them, alas! than this.
They were now bearing up for home. Right cheerily too, for they had caught the trades, and finally fell into the doldrums in crossing the equator.
Here they tumbled about for no less than three weeks, not a breath of wind blowing all this time to help them along.
Once more the _Ocean's Pride_ was spanking along before a delightful breeze with the dark blue sea sparkling in the sunlight around her, and Mother Carey's chickens, as sailors call the stormy petrels, flitting past and re-past her stern.
Seamen say these birds are always the forerunners of storm and tempest. This is not so, but in this case the prophecy turned out to be a correct one. A fearful hurricane or tornado struck the ship, and raged for days and days.
