Day Trip

Oxley looked up at her towering mainmast. "Looks real big, she does, an' all. How d'you manage not to get lost?"

Branning shrugged. "Takes a bit. S'like findin' yer way 'round in a frigate, really. 'Cept there's more decks."

"That don't make sense. Can't get lost in a frigate 'cause there's only the gundeck an' the berthdeck."

By this point, they'd reached the man checking the tickets, who looked at them in confusion, though he took their tickets readily enough to mark them off.

"Deck there!" Chase thundered, waving from the royal top. "Belay yer idlin'!"

One of the younger men on Victory's staff of guides looked up and blinked in shock. "How... What.... Get down from there!"

Oxley shrugged. "He's a topman. He's used to it - does it all the time. Ain't no need to worry 'bout him, really."

"Leave it to a Tar," Branning said with a grin.

"One would almost think that these fellows have not seen a sailor in his natural habitat before," Blackwood mused, after showing his ticket.

"So it seems," Vickery said with a raised eyebrow. "The skill those fellows show is quite remarkable, especially when one is not used to it." Though how people here could be unused to it, he couldn't say.

Shrugging, Blackwood made his way onto the ship. "They are undeniably able, certainly. Still... perhaps we ought to discourage such displays, for the sake of these others."

"Hoi," Branning said abruptly. "Why ain't there sentries no place?"

"Hey, wait up for me!" De Guarde had finally decided to be awake and left the bus. With a ticket allowing him to come aboard - something he was rather confused about - he noticed the first Tar up in the mast and thought he would love to see what the view was from so high.

And before the stunned personnel could say much he was already half way up the shrouds grinning.

Thompson nearly ran into Branning's back. "I dunno, mate," he said in response to the other Marine's question. He automatically saluted the quarterdeck, before looking around. "Nice ol' girl, ain't she. Like Temmyrare is, an' all."

Shaking himself slightly, Branning belatedly touched his hat toward the quarterdeck. "Temmyrare din't have nobody 'round her weather deck like this, when she were at anchor?"

He shrugged. "She had a proper anchor watch, at anchor. Like any ship. Dunno about in dry dock, though, 'cause that's diff'rent, ain't it? I was never part of a ship's crew of a ship in dry dock, me."

"Does it even matter?" Branning asked, confused.

Thompson shrugged. "Dunno. They really ought to have sentries out, though. 'Specially with her bein' the flagship an' all."

"Get down outta there, Chase!" Evans called, frowning at the topman high above. "Hoi! You too, boy!"

A man in a funny-looking shirt was coming toward him. Evans stepped back toward the Marines, without bringing his gaze down from the cheerfully-grinning sailor in the rigging.

"Ain't coming down! 's a grand view from up here!" De Guarde grinned only starting to climb higher. Chase was onto something. He hadn't known he even missed actually being up a mast, till he started climbing.

Annoyed, Evans cupped his hands to his mouth. "That wasn't a bloody request!"

Thompson glanced at the man approaching them. He was wearing some strange clothes, but he tried to ignore that.

What felt strangest of all, he realised suddenly, was that the deck wasn't moving under his feet.

"What?" De Guarde was higher now, and paused to look down. "Sorry. 'fraid I didn't hear wot' you said!" He called back, grinned and turned to loop up to see where he meant to go.

Stupid mouthy bastard. Evans brushed a hand over his starter, then crossed quickly to the shrouds. Turning midshipmen before the mast didn't always work well and this was proof of one case where it certainly did not.

"Comin' down, aye, Mister Evans," Chase answered, aware that no good would come of riling the quartermaster. He started down the shrouds at once, keen to avoid getting caught by the warrant officer.

De Guarde didn't notice Evans moving to the shrouds, more interested in the odd fact that the ship didn't go and have a greater swing the higher he went. It actually didn't move at all. He looked down at the sea but it did neatly slosh about. Just the ship did not budge. Maybe that was the way of the big ships.

"Sail, ahoy!" He exclaimed and laughed. Silly Chase for going down, but that meant there was more space for him, going up.

Thompson tipped his hat back and stared into the shrouds. "You get down right now, or you won't like what happens!" he yelled then gave Evans an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, Mister Evans. He's a proper handful, times, that one."