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Updated: June 22, 2025
And when the skippers, still dripping the spray of the gale from beard and sou'wester, came ashore for a yarn and an hospitable glass with my father, the trader, many a tale of wind and wreck and far-away harbours I heard, while we sat by the roaring stove in my father's little shop: such as those which began, "Well, 'twas the wonderfullest gale o' wind you ever seed snowin' an' blowin', with the sea in mountains, an' it as black as a wolf's throat an' we was somewheres off Cape Mugford.
As hastily as the difficulties would allow, we climbed up the rocks, and hurried towards the house, talking eagerly with each other while we ran as to what those kegs and bales might contain. Had they been hidden there by smugglers, or by whom? Were they now our property? What was to be the result? Out of breath we reached the house, to find for our audience only Captain Mugford.
"Well, here's a new kid coming; let's set him on to do it. You speak to him; he knows me. His name's Mugford." The two cronies both picked up a handful of stones, and began throwing at the can, taking good care that their shots should fly wide of the mark. Mugford, who, as we have already seen, was not blessed with the sharpest of wits, paused for a moment to watch the contest.
The unfortunate creature was too much paralysed by fright to resist; and the Corporal soon dragged his face round into the moonlight and saw that he had caught the man that he wanted. "So you've come here again, Henry Bale," said the Corporal; "I told you that it would be the worse for you, if you did." "My name's Mugford," gasped the man, now struggling a little.
The money had been expended in the purchase of a disreputable old canary bird, for which Noaks, the manservant, had agreed to find board and lodging during the Christmas vacation. Now, when the creditors reminded Mugford of his obligations, they found him totally unable to meet their demands for payment.
Mugford had crawled from the room, utterly broken down, and Lady Eleanor turned to him with tears in her eyes, too much moved to speak, he only shook his head. "The fellow must be given up and sent back to his corps," he said. "He has already got an innocent man into trouble, and even if he had not I am bound in duty to send him back."
After tea we boys went into the kitchen again, leaving our tutors playing at chess, which Mr Clare was trying to teach Captain Mugford. That kitchen was a favourite resort of ours in the evenings, and Clump and Juno liked to have us there.
Diggory and Mugford had been driven with considerable violence into the thickest part of a thorn hedge, and proceeded to extricate themselves therefrom with many groans and lamentations.
During the morning, the want of that became a pain, and before night any one of us would have given all he possessed for a single glass of cold water. Captain Mugford told us that now, for the fourth time in his life, he knew the suffering of thirst.
At 7 A.M. we succeeded in passing the Northern Ikkerasak near cape Mugford with the tide, and the wind becoming fair, soon brought us among the Okkak islands. We cannot describe the inexpressible pleasure and gratitude to God our Saviour which we felt, when we again beheld the neighbourhood of Okkak, after an absence of fifteen weeks.
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