Innocent on the run. Part 17.

They painted all of the accommodation, and when that was finished they started on the decks and hatch covers. There was a lot of work to be done and they kept at it day after day. Ricky still had his other duties in the Galley and Mess Room, and he went to bed at night thoroughly exhausted. As the days went by, he became fitter and the sun burned him brown. The crew used a large room in the bowels of the ship as a gymnasium, and Charlie taught Ricky how to exercise properly with weights, so that you didn't strain any muscles. He was used to doing exercises for his boxing training, and he practiced shadow boxing and punching the bag that had been rigged up as well. The exercise made him hungry and soon he was eating everything that Doc put before him. 'You must have lost your own appetite and found a Lions,' Doc commented. As the weeks passed, Ricky got to know more about the ship. They had lifeboat drills every week and they mustered at their assigned lifeboat with their lifejackets on, and had their names recorded by the Second Mate. The Bosun had to get into the lifeboat with one of the Engineers, and they tested the engine, running it for half an hour, and checking the oil levels and battery condition. Emergency rations and fresh water were kept in a locker in the lifeboats, as well as a first aid kit and distress flares. He was given a guided tour of the vessel by the Second Mate, and all of the fire fighting equipment and the emergency exits were pointed out to him. The emergency exit nearest to his cabin was a steel ladder on the bulkhead outside his door, leading up to a steel hatch, which opened up into a small compartment full of coils of rope and tins of paint. Another steel ladder led from this compartment up to a hatch, which opened up onto the deck. The Second Mate made him climb the ladders, and open up the hatches until he got to the deck. Once he had done that the Second made him do it blindfolded. He said it was good policy to do it frequently, so that you could do it in the dark, as you never knew when you might need it. Nigel showed him the Officers pantry and Dining Saloon. Every meal time, Nigel would hoist trays of food up to the pantry on the dumb waiter in the Galley, and keep them hot in his hot press. One of the other stewards would wait on the Officers and give their orders to Nigel, who would put up the meal for the steward to serve. The stewards would look after the dining saloon, lay the tables, wash up their own cutlery and crockery and keep their consumables topped up from the Galley Stores. As well as this they would clean the Officers cabins, change the bedding, clean the passageways and stairs, and generally keep the ship clean and tidy. The Captain walked around the ship every Sunday accompanied by the Chief Steward to see that everything was shipshape. The first time that Ricky opened the door into the Engine Room, he was amazed that anyone could work in there, it was so noisy. Charlie showed him around the different pieces of machinery and had to shout close to his ear, to make himself heard when explaining what they were. As well as the noise there was the heat to contend with! It was tremendously hot in there from the Main Engine, generators and pumps, as well as a boiler to heat water for the crew's use. The Main Engine was a huge diesel, with steel catwalks around the top of it . The Engineers had to take temperatures from thermometers fitted into the top of each cylinder block, every half an hour, and check the pressures of lubricating oil and fuel, topping them up when necessary. The diesel generators had to be checked every half hour as well, and the voltage and current that they were producing had to be logged. Fuel pumps and tanks, fresh and salt water pumps, filters and cooling systems all had to be monitored. Charlie spent his watches, oiling and greasing the thousands of grease nipples and oil holes, in the machinery, as well as assisting the Engineers when they had a piece of machinery to strip down and repair. Ricky was glad when the tour of the Engine Room finished and he could get back to the quiet of the galley. Pete treated Doc with suspicion after his bowel trouble and watched him carefully as Doc put up his meals, but he didn’t suffer from the runs again, so eventually he stopped being so vigilant. He still had a feeling that Doc had done something to his food, but as he had no way of proving it, he kept quiet about it. Doc treated Pete in a very offhand manner, feigning hurt over the things Pete had said about his cooking, but every time Pete turned away from the serving hatch, Doc doubled over, holding his stomach and pointed at Pete’s back with a huge grin on his face. Ricky couldn’t help himself when he first saw Doc taking the mickey out of Pete and he burst out laughing. Pete whirled around at the sudden explosion of laughter from the galley and scowled at them both, not understanding what was going on, for by now Doc had assumed an expression of innocence on his cherubic face. Pete’s attitude towards Ricky changed after the day he spent running to the toilet. He thought the young lad had gone running to Doc, crying about the trouble he was getting into because of Pete, so Doc had taken revenge on him. He vowed to himself that he would get Ricky ashore one day and teach him a lesson for carrying tales and having Doc put him through the agonies of the trots. Until then he would stop harassing the little squirt and get him to think that he was safe. Once ashore and out of the safety of the ship, the little telltale would get what was coming to him. Pete looked forward with relish to the day he would give the little baby a good hiding. Ricky started enjoying himself on the voyage. Things were going well for him at last. He worked cheerfully and didn’t get into any more trouble with the Bosun. He worked hard and every night slept like a top. It was a lot more relaxing now that Pete had stopped playing tricks on him, and he settled down into the routine of the ship. Llanerin rounded the tip of Florida and headed across the Gulf of Mexico, setting a course for Port Arthur. An offshore breeze helped to keep the sailors on deck cool. The day workers had finished their duties and were sprawling on the hatch covers, reading or talking. It had been a very hot day, the sun beating down on them mercilessly. They had kept the hose pipes playing on the decks and accommodation, to keep the steel cold enough to touch. Ricky had helped to wash down the decks, and had had the hose turned on him by Dave. It had soaked him, but it was beautifully cool after the initial shock. He had turned his hose on Dave, and a full scale battle had started, the Bosun and Fred joining in until they were all soaking wet. It didn't matter much, as all they were wearing was shorts or cut down trousers, and hats. Ricky's hat was apiece of rag tied into a headscarf.