by Anonymous
CHAPTER XII.
IN THE SURF.
A new day was breaking when the life-saving crew were beat back uponthe shore by the waves after their heroic but vain struggle in thesurf-boat.
The wind gave evidence of gaining strength as the sun rose, andsteadily the waves increased in violence. Now they were dashing againstthe steamer with the same force as upon the rocky cliffs, and to thoseashore it appeared as if every billow of foaming water passed directlyover the stranded vessel.
In the minds of the life-saving crew, at least, it was no longer simplya question of the passengers' discomfort, but whether the steamer couldwithstand the terrific beating and pounding to which she was subjected.
"She must either go to pieces, or be driven nearer inshore," JoeCushing said, when the crew halted for a moment upon the cliff aftertheir terrible struggle with the surf, and his mates fully agreed withthat conclusion.
It was more than probable the captain of the steamer had by this timetaken quite as gloomy a view of the situation, for he continued tosound his signals of distress, although, as Sam Hardy said impatiently,"he should have had sufficient sense to know that everything in humanpower would be done to aid him."
"He may be ignorant of the waters round about here, and have an ideathat a tug can get near enough to pass him a hawser," Dick Sawyersuggested, and Keeper Downey replied:
"It will only be necessary for him to look at his chart, which hehad better have done yesterday afternoon, in order to learn that nohelp can be expected from seaward. I am at a loss to know just whatis wisest to do, and ask each of you to give his opinion. The tide isnow so low that we cannot hope to get the life-boat over the shoals.Perhaps there's one chance in twenty, by putting out into deep water,we might drop down so near as to take off a few; but certain it is allcould not be brought ashore in that manner. The question to be decidedis, whether we shall make such an attempt, or put forth all our effortstoward getting a line aboard."
The men gave an opinion according to their station numbers, Sam Hardyspeaking first, as a matter of course, and his view of the situationappeared to be that of all the others.
"While I'm ready to try what can be done with the life-boat, and willgo aboard of her cheerfully, to my mind there are too many chances offailure--which would probably mean death to all concerned--and too fewof success to warrant making the attempt. I believe, as Joe Cushingdoes, that if the steamer isn't stove by the waves she must be drivennearer ashore, in which case we can get a line out to her. Therefore Ivote that we put all our dependence upon what may be done from here."
Learning that the others were of the same opinion, and understandingthat they might not have very much time at their disposal, KeeperDowney at once gave the necessary orders for setting about thislast plan of rescue, which necessitated the bringing up of thebeach-apparatus.
"No. 1 and No. 8 are to remain here on duty in order to prevent, ifpossible, by signal, any effort of the captain toward landing withhis own boats, as he suggested," Tom Downey said, speaking hurriedly."The remainder of the crew will go back to the station with me for thebeach-wagon."
Exercise was what the men most needed, wet to the skin as they wereafter the battle in the surf, and as soon as the order was given theyset off at full speed, while Sam Hardy was left with Benny upon thecliff to bear the discomforts as best they might.
"You ought to have gone with the others," No. 8 said solicitously."Your wet clothes will be frozen long before they can get back, and itdon't seem to me as if there was much need of keeping anybody out herein the wind."
"It is necessary, lad, if for no other reason than that the orderhas been given. In Tom Downey's place I should have made much thesame arrangement. Some one of the crew must grin an' bear it in wetclothing, an' because of havin' first been stationed here, I'm the oneto bear the brunt."
"But you will freeze to death," Benny cried sharply.
"Not quite so bad as that, lad, for I'll keep movin' about," and Samsuited the action to the words, Benny following close by his side asthe surfman ran swiftly to and fro, beating his arms upon his breastfor additional exercise.
"Of course we don't always get it quite as tough as this," Sam saidwhen he halted to regain his breath after ten minutes of this mostviolent exertion, "an' then again, there are times when it comesharder; so you see, lad, that belonging to a life-saving crew ain'tquite as pleasant as you may have thought."
"I didn't count it was an easy life."
"But you can see now that it's best you don't hold to the idea of bein'one of 'em."
"If I was going to be discouraged because of hard work on such a job asthis, then I'd best not think of ever bein' a surfman," Benny repliedstoutly. "It wasn't on my own account that I said anything; my clothesare dry, and I can keep warm; but I was afraid you'd freeze afterhaving been overboard so long."
"You're a gritty little chap," Sam said admiringly, "almost too muchso for one of your years an' build; but don't worry about me. I'vebeen in worse places than this, an' never come to any great harm. Ifit wasn't that all the work might have been done readily an' withoutrisk, I shouldn't feel like grumblin'; but when a man realizes that thesituation has all come about through a pig-headed captain who wouldn'tallow we knew anything of the coast, then it seems tough. Howsomever,we're in a box, an' have not only got to get out of it ourselves, butpull others with us,--an' we'll do it, No. 8, we'll do it."
Then Sam resumed the exercise, Benny copying his every movement, andthus alternately running and halting to regain breath, the two passedthe time until they could see in the distance the crew, dragging thebeach-wagon over the rocks.
"Now that the apparatus is here it can't be used while the steamer laysso far off," Hardy said half to himself, and at that instant a cry ofdismay caused him to gaze seaward.
When the waves began to run high the master of the vessel had gottenout anchors fore and aft to prevent her from being driven shoreward.
The parting of the stern cables had caused the cry of dismay fromBenny, and as Sam looked in that direction the ships stern was swungviolently around until she lay broadside to the waves, in such positionas proved that she would soon be driven inshore virtually a wreck.
"I reckon we'll be able to put a line aboard of her mighty soon," Samsaid grimly, waving his arms to attract the attention of the crew thatthey might hasten their movements, and Benny, seeing an opportunity tobe of some slight assistance, ran at full speed to meet the wagon.
"What has happened?" Keeper Downey asked, as the lad joined him atthe rear of the cart, the cook holding Sam Hardy's station at thehandle-bar.
"The stern cable has parted, sir."
"Shove her along, boys! Shove her along! We'll be able to get a lineout now," and as the men strained yet more energetically at the ropesand the handle-bar, Benny put all his little strength into the effort,performing, as Joe Cushing afterward said, "considerably more than halfa man's work."
Sam Hardy also joined the crew, and the wagon had no more than beenhauled down to the strip of pebbly beach, the only point from which thework could be carried on, when the life savers had yet further evidenceof the captain's "pig-headedness."
When he laid alongside the steamer, while urging that the passengers atleast be taken ashore, Tom Downey had said all a man might to preventthe master from holding to the plan of launching his own boats; and yetdespite such advice, which should have been considered well worthy ofbeing followed, that very manoeuvre was now about to be attempted.
The life-saving crew could see that one of the port boats was beinghoisted out, and every man ashore knew beyond the shadow of a doubtthat such a craft could not live five minutes in that boiling, yeastyswirl of waters.
With a hope of yet persuading the wilful captain, Tom Downey igniteda Coston signal, and, waving it violently above his head, showed asplainly as man might by such means, that there was danger in thecontemplated move.
"It seems to me as if deep-water sailors lose their heads at such atime," Joe Cushin
g cried, observing that the work went on aboard thesteamer despite the keeper's warnings. "The captain must have seen thatwe failed to keep the surf-boat on her bottom, but yet he expects todo with his cockleshell what we couldn't with a craft built especiallyfor the purpose!"
Joe was not the only member of the crew who criticised harshly themethods of the steamer's commander; every man gave words to theindignation in his heart, but yet the foolhardy work went on rapidly,as if those on board the stranded craft were eager to meet their doom.
That they were anxious to leave their steamer seemed probable, evento Benny, for the waves were now rolling completely over her, and atevery surge she was driven higher and higher up on the shoal until thesurfmen began to fear she would be rolled completely over.
The work of making ready to send out a line was begun as soon as thewagon had been placed in position, and the men labored none the lessenergetically and expeditiously because they glanced from time to timeat the tiny boat swinging at the davits, in which the steamer's crewwere taking their stations.
The gun was not yet loaded when the boat, with a crew of eight men,dropped into the water at a moment when the receding waves made such amanoeuvre possible, and then, to the surprise of the life savers, allthe sailors were seen working at the oars, while no one appeared to besteering.
THE BOAT FROM THE STEAMER. _Page 195_]
"It isn't enough that they must attempt an impossibility!" Tom Downeycried angrily. "They're bent on doing all within their power to provokedestruction. What kind of a sailor can he be who believes it possibleto put a craft of any kind through the surf without a helmsman?"
No one made reply to this outburst. The surfmen on shore understoodthat even though the oncoming craft had been a life-boat, it meantcertain disaster to handle her in such manner.
And that disaster came even sooner than they expected.
Before the little craft had cleared more than a third of the distancefrom the steamer to the shore, she was overturned by a heavy breakerwhich raised the stern higher and higher until the bow was forced intothe trough of the sea, and the boat disappeared entirely.
As the waves rose the eight men could be seen struggling amid thefoaming waters, and this sight caused the life savers to forget theirprevious failure--their late struggle amid that same surf, whereindeath so nearly overtook them.
"Come on, boys!" Downey shouted, throwing off his outer clothing as heran swiftly to where the surf-boat, having drifted ashore, was lyingbeyond reach of the waves. "We can't stand here and see them drown,however the disaster has been caused!"
Benny ran with the crew, clutching at Sam Hardy's garments as ifbegging him not to make the venture which apparently meant positivedeath; but yet daring to speak no word.
Once more they ran breast-deep into the water, and, clambering overthe gunwale as the surf-boat was borne swiftly outward by the recedingwave, took up their oars. Again they battled against wind and tide,heading straight onward to where the seven struggling wretches couldbe seen--one had already disappeared. Two of the steamer's men werestriking out for the shore, and appeared to be making fair headway,while five others were clustered near the capsized boat, apparentlymaking no decided effort to save themselves, except by keeping theirheads above water.
It seemed to Benny that the surf-boat must be turned end over endbefore she was thirty yards from the shore, in the same manner asduring the first attempt to put off; but Keeper Downey handled her withconsummate skill, and, owing to the fact that the tide was ebbing, hesucceeded in keeping her on a comparatively even keel, avoiding the twoswimmers in order to direct his first efforts toward those who appearedunable to help themselves.
The lad ashore followed with his eyes every movement made by hiscomrades, literally ceasing to breathe when the surf-boat was thrownhigh up by the swell, and then panting heavily, as if sharing in theexercise, when the crew strained every muscle to force her over thenext foaming wave.
Inch by inch, combating both wind and current, their lives hangingin the balance when the little craft was poised on the crest of somegigantic roller, the brave life savers advanced until they had come tothe group of five who still paddled wildly around the overturned boat.
This was a moment most fraught with peril, and Benny clenched his handsuntil the nails almost cut the flesh, so great was his suspense andfear, as one after another of the men was hauled over the boat's rail,saved, if the crew could gain the shore again.
The two who had been swimming were by this time within the line ofshore-breakers, moving slowly as if nearly exhausted, and No. 8 saw hisopportunity of doing real life-saving work.
Seizing a coil of rope from the beach-wagon, he ran with all speed tothe very edge of the water, when, standing motionless for an instant tomake certain of his aim, he flung one end out over the waves.
Fortunately the wind forced the rope slightly aside, otherwise it wouldhave gone so far to windward of the struggling men as to be of no avail.
As it was, however, this seeming accident was of the greatest possibleadvantage, since the coils dropped almost directly upon the heads ofthe struggling men, as fairly as Tom Downey or Sam Hardy could havesent it.
Both the swimmers clutched it at the same instant, and then it wasBenny began to fear he had attempted what it would be impossible tocarry out. His strength was not sufficient to enable him to pull boththe sailors in--in fact, a single man drawn back by that undertow wouldhave been too heavy a burden for the lad--and while one might havecounted five he stood irresolute, trembling with fear, for it seemedthat he had begun the work only to meet with failure.
Glancing quickly around as if hoping to see some one who would lendassistance, his eyes rested upon a spare tail-block in the beach-wagon,and now did his experience on shipboard serve him in good stead.
With the least possible delay he made this fast to the wheel of thewagon in such fashion that the drag would come upon the cart sideways,and, as soon as might be, rove the casting-line through the block.
Now he had a purchase which was equivalent to the strength of three menwhen used on the rope without a block, and he strained every muscle inthis his first attempt at life-saving, believing that unless he wassuccessful the sailors would perish in the surf. The strain forced thewheel of the wagon deep into the pebbly beach, and, consequently, thepurchase held fast, while he, bracing himself against the wheel, hauledand tugged until the skin on the inner side of his fingers was brokenin several places; but he finally succeeded in the effort.
Lest it appear incredible that a lad only twelve years of age should beable to perform such a feat, let it be borne in mind that Benny knewfull well the value of such a purchase as was formed by the tail-block,having learned this while on shipboard, and that his excitement anddesire to save life lent him a certain fictitious strength, forpositive it is on that day Benny Foster, unaided, except by the ropeand block, saved two lives.
While the rescued men were so near inshore as to be able to gain afooting, their hold upon the rope prevented them from being carriedback by the undertow, giving them a means of standing steadily whenotherwise the surf would have swept them out to sea again, and duringthe momentary lull both succeeded in running beyond reach of the waters.
Then it was they fell on the shore as if dead; but the lad who rescuedthem knew full well they were only exhausted. Not until he was assuredof their safety, did Benny allow himself to look seaward, and then hisheart was filled with thankfulness, for the surf-boat laden gunwaledeep with her crew and those that had been snatched from the ragingwaters, was coming like an arrow toward the shore on the crest of awave that had in it such force as must land her beyond the reach ofdanger.
Out of eight men who had tempted death in a venture which was theheight of foolhardiness, seven were brought safely to land by thelife-saving crew, among whom should be numbered Benny Foster.
The lad only waited to assure himself that his comrades were safe, whenhe turned his attention to the men whom he had dragged ashore; but th
eystood in little need of his services, for by this time both were fullyconscious, and before Benny could so much as speak, Sam Hardy, havingleaped out of the boat, had caught the boy in his arms.
"You've done that, No. 8, of which any one of us might well be proud,and he who says you're not a member of this crew, is makin' the mistakeof his life! You were born to the work, my boy, and have got the heartto carry it through!"
So great had been the lad's excitement that he was hardly aware of theservice he had rendered, until each of the men in turn had some word ofpraise or congratulation to bestow, and not the least was that whichcame from Tom Downey, who said as he hurried on toward the gun:
"If you don't get a medal for this morning's work, No. 8, it's becausewe can't tell the story in the proper way, for you've earned one ifever man did!"
No more than two or three minutes in all had been spent by the lifesavers upon the lad, for each had greeted him while pressing on to takehis proper station, and by the time Benny fully understood what thekeeper's words signified, every member of the crew was performing thenecessary work toward sending out the breeches-buoy.
While the rescue was being effected the steamer had been driven yethigher up on the shoal, and was now so near the shore as to render ita comparatively simple matter to send the line-carrying shot over herdeck.
Once communication was established Benny took his station at the whipin the rear of the shifting-man, hauling with a will, and heeding notthe laborious exertion until one after another, first the passengers,then the crew, and lastly the captain were brought ashore.
The master of the steamer made no verbal comment upon the work when heclambered out from the breeches-buoy.
He clasped Keeper Downey's hand for an instant, looking into thelatter's eyes as if acknowledging his fault, and then turning to Benny,said:
"I saw what you did, lad, and the best man of your crew couldn't haveaccomplished the rescue more expeditiously."
The two men whom the lad had saved now came forward as if to givewords to their thankfulness, but Keeper Downey prevented any furtherconversation by saying sharply:
"Captain, you will get your people together and start them at oncefor the station. No. 8 will show the way, and see to it that you areprovided with dry clothing."
The captain looked around as if asking who No. 8 might be, when JoeCushing cried:
"He's that whifflet in front of you, captain. It may seem strange thata lad of his size is a member of a life-saving crew, an' it's true hedon't figure on the list; but all the same he has his place with us,an' always will till he himself shall want to leave the service."
Benny's face was crimsoned when he turned to conduct the rescued partyalong the coast, and he walked some distance in advance fearing lestfurther praise might be bestowed upon him.
Before having gone a dozen yards he heard Tom Downey say to the cook:
"Follow on, my man, for the chances are those people will needsomething warm; but you'll remember that No. 8 is in charge until I getback."
This was the height of honor, so Benny believed, and he no longerthought of the medal which might possibly be his, because of the factthat the keeper had shown most conclusively that he was a member of thecrew of equal standing with the others.
