The Stowaway
Chapter 8
Bishop Gets His
"YOU SIR, ARE A COMPLETE ANIMAL!" bellowed Captain Havelock at Mr. Bishop.
Mr. Bishop was seated on a chair in front of the Captains desk. Standing behind him, with his arms crossed and brow furrowed menacingly was the Chief. Mr. Bishop flinched at the sheer deep toned voice of the Captain.
"How dare you thrash that boy for no reason! I am not averse to corporal punishment and as Jason would have no doubt told you, I have given him more than one sound and firm spanking. But what you did is unforgivable, if we were back in England, you sir would be arrested on site."
"I was only explaining what to expect to the boy!" shouted Bishop back. Big mistake. The Chief grabbed the whole of Bishops neck in his hand and hauled him up to his feet.
"Just whom do you thinking you are speaking to in that tone of voice Bishop?" asked the chief in a dauntingly quiet voice. "That's my Captain buddy, if you were part of the crew I'd keel haul you, you little _s_h_i_t_."
"That's enough John", interrupted the Captain, "our guest no doubt has the message. Don't you Bishop?"
Bishop just nodded his throat dry. The Captain leaned back in his chair and calmly looked at Bishop in the eye.
"Bishop, on board my ship, I am Judge, Jury and Executioner as it were, and I have made a decision." The Captain paused for effect. "I am going to see to it that you don't repeat this act of sadism on any other boy. The Chief here is going to take you topside, then you will be given a choice. You will either leave my ship at once under your own steam, or you can leave my ship assisted. I assure you leaving under your own steam is the healthier choice of the two."
"But, but ...."
"Oh? What? Oh I know, you're thinking, 'but we are in the middle of the Atlantic', you should have thought of that before torturing that poor boy! Chief, help this gentleman topside and prepare him for his departure."
Without further ado, the Chief grabbed the scruff of Bishops neck and hauled in out of his chair, then unceremoniously dragged him topside.
Jason was on deck, leaning on the rail, looking out to sea when he heard a commotion, it was Mr. Bishop shrieking as he was virtually carried to were Jason was standing by the neck.
"Ahhh, Jason! Just the little man I wanted to see", bellowed the Chief, "Remember this man? Well the Captain and I have decided to get you a new tutor." Bishop was struggling mightily to get out of the man mountain grip but couldn't. "So we won't be needing this anymore will we?" he smiled at Jason as with a seemingly casual flick of the wrist he threw Mr. Bishop overboard like a discarded banana skin.
Bishop shrieked all the way to the water and after a short while surfaced sputtering and thrashing around in the middle of the cold Atlantic.
"Wait .... sputter .... gurgle, you cant do this to me!!!!!" shouted Bishop as he tread water in the wake of the Mare Nustrum.
"Sorry old chap, cant here a word you're saying .... have a nice day you here ...."
At that moment the Captain's valet turned up with the tutors belongings.
"Oh, if you're going on a trip you'll need your things old boy!" shouted the Chief and casually threw the tutors cases and belongings over board. With that the Chief wiped his hands and clasped his big paw gently on Jason's neck.
"Now young man, I'm sure you have chores to do, the Captain will get you another tutor by tomorrow, now stay out of mischief for the rest of the day or I'll redden that little bottom of yours for you."
With that the Chief casually walk away to see the Captain. Jason just stood there, looking from the Chief to the tutor who was now nothing but a small dot in the distance in the wake of Mare Nostrum. He shrugged, smiled and went on his own business.