The Hot Swamp
Page 5
night of unclouded splendourwhen the mate of the _Penelope_ aroused his chief with the informationthat appearances to windward betokened a change of some sort in theweather.
"If there is a change at all it must be for the worse," said Arkal,raising himself on one elbow, rubbing his eyes, yawning, and thencasting a glance over the side where the rippling foam told that thewind was increasing. Raising his eyes to the windward horizon, he threwaside the sheepskin blanket that covered him and rose up quickly.
"There is indeed a change coming. Rouse the men and reduce the sail,mate. Bestir you! The squalls are sudden here."
The orders were obeyed with promptitude. In a few minutes the sail wasreduced to its smallest size, and all loose articles about the vesselwere made fast.
"You expect a gale, captain?" asked Bladud, who was aroused by the noiseof the preparations.
"Ay--or something like one. When a cloud like that rises up on thehorizon there is usually something more than a puff coming. You hadbetter keep well under the lee of the bulwarks when it strikes us."
Bladud's nautical experience had already taught him what to expect andhow to act in the circumstance that threatened. Standing close to theside of the ship, he laid hold of a stanchion and looked out towindward, as most of the crew were by that time doing. Captain Arkalhimself took the helm.
The increasing daylight showed them that the bank of cloud was spreadingquickly over the sky towards the zenith, while a soft hissing sound toldof the approaching wind. Soon the blackness on the sea intensified, andwhite gleams as of flashing light showed where the waves were torn intofoam by the rushing wind.
With a warning to "hold on fast!" the captain turned the vessel's headso as to meet the blast. So fierce was it that it cut off the crests ofthe wavelets, blowing the sea almost flat for a time, and producing whatis known as a white squall. The sail was kept fluttering until the furyof the onset was over, then the wind was allowed to fill it; the_Penelope_ bent down until the sea began to bubble over the leebulwarks, and in a few moments more she was springing over the fastrising waves like a nautical racehorse.
Every moment the gale increased, obliging the mariners to show but acorner of the sail. Even this had at last to be taken in, and, duringthe whole of that dismal day and of the black night which followed, the_Penelope_ drove helplessly before the wind under a bare pole.Fortunately the gale was favourable, so that they were enabled to laytheir course, but it required all the skill and seamanship of CaptainArkal to prevent their being pooped and swamped by the waves that rolledhissing after them as if hungering mightily to swallow them up.
To have the right man in the right place at such times of imminentdanger is all-important, not only to the safety of the craft, but to thepeace of mind of those whose lives are in jeopardy. All on board thelittle vessel during that hurricane felt much comforted by the knowledgethat their captain was in the right place. Although a "square man," hehad by no means been fitted into a round hole! Knowing this, PrinceBladud felt no anxiety as to the management of the craft, and gavehimself up to contemplate the grandeur of the storm, for the howlingblast, creaking spars, and bursts of rattling thunder, renderedconversation out of the question.
During a slight lull, however, Bladud asked the question whether thecaptain knew on what part of the coast they were running.
"Not exactly," he replied, "we have been running so long in darknessthat I can only guess. If it holds on much longer like this I shallhave to put her head to wind and wait for more light. It may be that wehave been driven too far to the left, and there are islands hereaboutsthat we must keep well clear of. I would that we had put into some bayfor shelter before this befell us. Ho! mate."
"Ay, captain."
"See that you put our sharpest pair of eyes in the bow, and let a secondpair watch the first, lest the owner of them should go to sleep."
"Little Maikar is there, sir," shouted the mate, "and I am watching himmyself."
"We shall do well with Maikar in the bow, for he sees like a weasel, andis trustworthy," muttered the captain as he glanced uneasily over thestern, where the hungry waves were still hissing tumultuously afterthem, as if rendered furious by the delayed meal.
At daybreak on the second day the gale moderated a little, and they wereenabled once more to show a corner of their sail, and to encourage thehope that the worst was over. But a fresh outburst, of greater furythan before, soon dashed these hopes, and obliged the captain to throwoverboard all the spare spars and some of the heaviest part of thecargo. Still the gale increased, and the impatient waves began to lipover the poop occasionally as if unable to refrain from tasting!
"More cargo must go," muttered the captain, with a gloomy frown. Beingresolute, he gave orders to that effect.
Presently the order was given to take soundings. When this was done itwas found that they were in twenty fathoms water. On taking anothercast, the depth reported was fifteen fathoms.
There were no charts covered with soundings to guide the mariner inthose days, but it did not require much experience to convince a seamanthat land was probably too near, with such a sudden change from twentyto fifteen fathoms. Arkal was, however, not unprepared for it, andquickly gave orders to stand by to let go the anchors. At that momentthe voice of little Maikar was heard shouting, in stentorian tones,"Land ahead!"
The captain replied with a sharp "let go!" and four anchors werepromptly dropped from the stern. At the same moment he placed the helmfair amidships, and made it fast with rudder-bands. As the stern of the_Penelope_ was formed like the bow, a sharp cut-water was by this meansinstantly presented to the sea, thus avoiding the necessity and dangerincurred by modern ships, in similar circumstances, of anchoring by thehead and swinging round.
The hungry waves hissed tumultuously on, but were cleft and passed underthe ship disappointed, for there was still enough of water beneath topermit of her tossing to and fro and rising to them like a duck, as shestrained and tugged at the anchors.
Just as these operations had been performed, the mists of darknessseemed to lift a little and revealed a wild rocky line of coast, againstwhich the waves were breaking madly.
"Now all hope is over; pray to your gods, men," said the mate, whosecourage was not quite equal to his position.
"There are no gods!" growled the captain bitterly, for he saw that hewas now a ruined man, even though he should escape with life.
"There is _one_ God," said Bladud quietly, "and He does all thingswell."
As he spoke, the captain, whose eyes had not ceased to look searchinglyalong the coast, observed something like a bay a short way to the leftof the place where they lay.
"It looks like a sandy bay," he said.
"It _is_ a sandy bay," exclaimed the anxious mate; "let us up anchorsand run into it."
"Have an easy mind and keep your advice till asked for," returned thecaptain with a look of scorn. "If we are destined to escape, we _shall_escape without making haste. If we are doomed to die, nothing can saveus, and it is more manly to die in a leisurely way than in a hurry.When we can see clearly we shall know better how to act."
Although this manner of submitting to the inevitable did not quite suitthe mate, he felt constrained to repress his impatience, while thecoolness of the captain had a quieting effect on some of the men whowere inclined to give way to panic. The sight of Bladud--as he satthere leaning on the hilt of his sword with an expression of whatappeared to be serene contentment--had also a quieting effect on themen.
When the increasing light showed that the sandy bay was a spot thatmight possibly be reached in safety, orders were given to cut thecables, loose the rudder-bands and hoist the sail. For a few minutesthe vessel ran swiftly towards the bay, but before reaching the shoreshe struck with violence. The fore part of the _Penelope_ stuck fastimmovably, and then, at last, the ravenous waves attained theirlonged-for meal. They burst over the stern, swept the decks, tore upthe fastenings, revelled among the tackling and began tumultuously tobrea
k up the ship.
"Launch the skiff," shouted the captain, hastening to lend a hand in theoperation.
The men were not slow to obey, and when it touched the water theyswarmed into it, so that, being overloaded, it upset and left itsoccupants struggling in the water. A number of the men who could swim,immediately jumped overboard and tried to right the skiff, but theyfailed, and, in the effort to do so, broke the rope that held it. Someclung to it. Others turned and swam for the shore.
A good many of the men, however, still remained in the wreck, which wasfast breaking up. To these the captain turned.
"Now, men," he said, "those of you who can swim would do well to take tothe water at once, for it is clear that we shall not have a plank leftto stand on soon. Come, mate, show them an example."
The man, though not very