The Battery and the Boiler: Adventures in Laying of Submarine Electric Cables

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

  THE RAFT.

  Sam Shipton's one chance did not seem a bright one, but, withcharacteristic energy, he proceeded to avail himself of it at once.

  When the raft was launched over the side, as described, the carpentershad embarked upon it with the rest of the ship's crew, dropping theirtools on the deck beside the mass of unused material of ropes, spars,planks, etcetera, as they left. Four of the spars were pretty equal inlength. Sam selected them hastily and laid them on the deck in the formof a square, or oblong frame. Then he seized an axe.

  "Unravel some of the ropes, Robin," he cried. "You two select someplanks as near ten feet long as possible. Quick--ask no questions, butdo what I tell you."

  Sam Shipton was one of those who hold the opinion that every man borninto the world, whether gentle or simple, should learn a trade. He hadacted on his belief and taught himself that of a carpenter, so that hewielded the axe with skill, and gave his orders with the precision ofone who knows what he is about. His comrades, although not trained toany special trade, were active handy fellows, with the exception,indeed, of John Shanks, whose fingers were usually described as"thumbs," and whose general movements were clumsy; but Stumps had aredeeming quality to set against defects--he was willing.

  With a few powerful well-directed blows, Sam cut four deep notches intothe two longest of the selected spars, near their ends, at equaldistances from each other. Into these he laid the ends of the twoshorter spars, thus forming a frame-work.

  "Twelve feet by ten, not a bad raft," he muttered, as if to himself,while he snatched a rope from the bundle of those disentangled by Robin."Take a rope of same size, you two, and lash the opposite corners asyou see me doing. Stumps will go on selecting the planks."

  Sam jerked out his words with as much rapidity and force as he appliedto the labour of his hands. There was something quite tremendous in hisenergy, and little wonder--for, as he glanced now and then along thedeck he saw that the ship was rapidly settling down to her final dive,and that the closing scene would be sudden.

  Powerfully impressed by his example, the others worked in total silenceand with all their might, for Sam's conduct, far more than theappearance of things, convinced them of their danger.

  "The planks now, Stumps! Drive in as many of these clamps as you canfind, Slagg--so," (he set the example)--"we've no time to bore holes forbolts. A plank now; that's it! Hand some nails--no, the biggest nailsand the big hammer. Mind your fingers!"

  Down came the heavy hammer on a four-inch nail, which went half throughthe thick plank. Two more such blows and the iron head was buried inthe wood. Six planks sufficed to cover the frame. They were laidlengthwise with nails just sufficient to hold them. A piece of thickrope passed four times round the entire fabric still further securedthem in position.

  "Tie a lot of these nails in a bit of sail-cloth, Slagg, and fix 'em tothe raft--to one of the spars, not the planks. Do the same with a saw,hammer, axe, and cask of biscuit,--water, too; don't forget water. Makea belt of a bit of rope, Robin, and stick that small axe in it. Have ithandy."

  While he spoke Sam did not look up, but gave all his attention to thetightening, with a hand-spike, of the knot on the thick rope that boundthe raft together; for we may as well inform those who don't know it,that the tying of a knot on a cable is not managed in the same way orwith the same ease that a similar operation is performed on a piece oftwine.

  "But how shall we lift it over the side?" asked Stumps, becomingsuddenly alive to a difficulty.

  "Help me to haul on this rope and you shall see," said Sam.

  He ran to the side, lifted a coil of rope off its belaying-pin, threw iton the deck, cut the rope clear, and hauled it to the raft, to one endof which he made it fast.

  It was the strong rope, by means of which one of the mizzen yards wasbraced, and was rove through a block attached to the outward end of theyard.

  "Hoist away now--with a will!"

  "Hold on," cried Slagg, stuffing a mass of sail-cloth violently, bymeans of a hand-spike, underneath the binding rope of the raft.

  "There now--yo ho! heave ho-o!"

  Up went the end of the little ark of safety, and when one end was raisedvery little force was required to push it over.

  "Hold on! hold on! hold o-o-on!" yelled Stumps, straining to prevent theraft from leaving the ship.

  "No, no.--Let go! let go! let go-o-o!" roared Sam.

  Stumps did let go and almost fell from the combined effect of hisefforts and despair, as the raft swung off, splashed into the sea farout of reach, and hung half suspended from the yard-arm.

  "It's all up with us," gasped Stumps.

  "Not yet, but it will be all up with us in two minutes," returned Sam,unable to repress a smile even at that moment.

  "What d'ye mean?" said Stumps in amazement. "How can we ever git at it_now_?"

  "Why, stoopid," said Slagg, "don't you see that we've only to go up themast, out on the yard-arm, and slip down the rope."

  While he was speaking, Robin, by Sam's orders, was performing the featreferred to.

  "Look sharp!" he cried, turning to the others.

  A heavy lurch of the ship caused their breasts to leap almost as fast astheir bodies, for they were all more or less aware of the danger of theship sinking before they could get clear of her. The darkness, too,was, as we have said, increasing by that time, though it was still lightenough to enable them to see what they were about.

  In a few minutes they all had gained the end of the yard-arm, slippeddown the rope, and got upon the raft, but it was difficult to hold on,because at each heave of the ship, the fore-end of the raft was raisedquite out of the sea, and then let fall with considerable violence. Assoon as Sam reached it, he bade Robin cut adrift with his axe, so greatwas the heave; but at the moment the raft hung almost perpendicularly inthe air, and Robin could do nothing but cling to the rope that bound it.Next instant it again fell flat on the sea.

  "Now--cut!" cried Sam.

  The rope was severed with one blow; almost at the same instant the sternof the Triton flew up with a degree of violence that no wave couldaccount for. It was her last fling. Instantly after she went down headforemost. The masts, by good fortune, leaned away from the raft at thetime, else they would have been struck by the yards, or involved in therigging. As it was they did not escape. The vast whirlpool caused bythe sinking ship drew them in with irresistible power. For one momentthe horrified youths saw a dark green vortex towards which they rushed.Another moment, and they beheld a green funnel whirling round them asthey sank into midnight darkness, while an ocean of roaring water filledtheir ears.

  Who shall attempt to describe, the feelings or sensations of thatmoment! The one absorbing idea of self-preservation was of coursedominant, coupled with an intolerable feeling that the upper air couldnever be regained.

  It was reached, however, by all of them. First by Sam Shipton, who shotwaist-high above the sea with a loud gasp, and struck out wildly. Then,recovering presence of mind, he swam more gently, and looked eagerlyround. He was immediately followed by Robin and Slagg. Last of all byStumps, who came up legs foremost, and, on turning other end up, salutedthem with a roar that would not have shamed a monster of the deep. Butthe roar was cut short by a gurgle, as, in his frantic struggles, hesank himself again.

  Observing this, and seeing that the others were comparativelyself-possessed, Sam made towards his drowning comrade. The poor fellow,catching sight of him as he came near, made a clutch at him, but Sam waswell aware of the danger of being grasped by a drowning man. He swervedaside, and Stumps sank with a gurgle of despair. Twice again did herise and sink. Once more he rose. With a rapid stroke Sam swam behindhim and caught him under the armpits. Violently did the poor fellowstrive to turn round and clasp his preserver, but Sam, treading water,held him easily at arm's-length with his head just above the surface.As long as he struggled nothing more could be done for him; Samtherefore put his mouth
as near to his ear as possible and shouted:--

  "Stop struggling!--else I'll let you go!"

  It was probably as much the tone of Sam's voice as the sense of thesewords that calmed Stumps. At all events he instantly lay, or ratherhung, perfectly limp and still.

  "Now," continued Sam, "you are quite safe if you do what I tell you. Ifyou don't you're a dead man! D'you understand?"

  "Yes," gasped Stumps.

  "Let your hands and arms lie flat on the water! Don't try to raise yourhead farther than I let you! Keep your feet _still_! Let yourself hanghelpless while I hold you and look round for the raft."

  It was obvious that Stumps had regained self-command, for as each ofthese orders was shouted in his ear, in the tones of a sergeant-major,he obeyed with eager, almost ludicrous, promptitude.

  "The raft is here, close at hand," said a voice close to Sam's ear.

  It was Robin who had discovered him at that moment.

  "Is Slagg safe?" asked Sam.

  "Here he is, all right," said the worthy referred to, puffing andchoking as he swam up.

  "Keep off--don't get in front of him," said Sam, in a warning voice."He mayn't have recovered self-restraint enough yet to refrain fromgrasping you. Guide me to the raft, Robin, while I swim on my back, andsee that you don't let it hit me on the head when I come close. You andSlagg help each other on, and then help me with Stumps."

  Nothing could have calmed Stumps more than the cool, firm way in whichthese orders were given, so that he allowed himself to lie like a logwhile his deliverer drew him gently backwards until the back of his headrested on his bosom. Sam then struck out gently with his legs; Robinturned him with a push in the right direction, and thus, swimming on hisback, he reached the raft. Slagg and Robin having already helped eachother upon it, grasped his hair. At once he freed one hand and caughtthe rope that bound the raft. Stumps naturally slewed round, so thathis mouth and nose went for a moment under water. Fancying that he wasforsaken, he caught Sam round the neck, drew himself up, and gave aterrific yell.

  "Ha! you may choke me now, if you can," muttered Sam, as he grasped therope with both hands, "only, the longer you hold on to me the longer youwill be of getting out of the water."

  The terrified lad still retained sufficient sense to appreciate theforce of the remark. Looking up as well as he could through hisdishevelled hair, he held out one hand to Slagg, who grasped it firmly.Releasing Sam, with some hesitation he made a convulsive grasp at Robinwith the other hand. Robin met him half-way. A loud "heave ho!" and amighty pull brought him out of the sea, and sent him with a squash onthe boards of the raft, where he lay gripping the ropes with his handsas with a vice.

  Before his rescuers could turn to aid Sam, he stood panting beside them.

  "Thank God," said Sam, "for this deliverance!"

  "Amen!" was the earnest and prompt response from the others.

  Yet it seemed but a temporary deliverance, for when these castawayslooked around them, they saw nothing but a heaving ocean and a darkeningsky, with the tiny raft as the only visible solid speck in all thewatery waste. Compared, however, with the extremity of danger thoughwhich they had just passed, the little platform on which they stoodseemed to them an ample refuge--so greatly do circumstances alter ourestimate of facts!

  But they had not time to think much, as may be easily understood, for agreat deal still remained to be done. Their little ark was by no meanssecure. We have said that only enough of nails had been driven into itto hold the planks to the frame-work, but not to withstand roughtreatment. Indeed, during the plunge two of the planks had been tornoff, but the binding rope held them to their places, as Sam hadforeseen.

  Very little daylight now remained, so that not a moment was to be lost.

  "No sign of the big raft," said Sam, stooping to unfasten the hammer andpacket of nails, after taking one quick, anxious glance round thehorizon.

  "But it may be not far-off after all," said Slagg, kneeling down to aidhis comrade, while Stumps, by that time recovered, assisted Robin totighten the ropes that held the pork-barrel. "With such poor light it'ud be hard to make out a flat thing like that a-kickin' in the hollowsof the seas."

  "But you forget," returned Sam, "that it must be a-kickin' on the top o'the sea as well as in the hollows. Another nail--thanks. However, Idon't expect to see it again."

  "Well, now, I expects to see it in the mornin' not far-off," said Slagg."Is the water-cask fast, Robin?"

  "All right--and the pork too."

  "And the sail. Just give it an extra shove under the ropes, Robin.We'd be badly off if we lost it."

  "I don't see what good a sail can do us," said Stumps, who had now quiterecovered.

  "Not _as_ a sail, Stumpy," replied Slagg, whose spirit soon recoveredelasticity, "though even in that way it may help us, but as a blanket weshall appreciate it before long."

  Slagg was right. After the planking had been secured and the roperefastened, those unfortunates found themselves in an unenviableposition. The gale had indeed abated somewhat, though the heaving ofthe great waves was little less tremendous, but the night had settleddown into a state of pitchy darkness, so that they could barely see eachother's faces, while the seas continually washed over them, obligingthem to hold on to the ropes for fear of being washed away.

  In such circumstances sleep was out of the question, yet they stoodsorely in need of rest.

  "Now we'll see what's to be done wi' the sail," said Slagg, after theyhad been seated some time doing nothing. "Sleep I want, an' sleep I'llhave, so lend a hand, boys."

  He drew out the sail with some trouble, so well had it been stuffed in,and bade the others hold and prevent it from flapping while he fastenedthe corners down. He did not arrange it like a tent, but spread it asflat as possible, doubling the superfluous edges inward, so that itpresented little or no obstruction to the free passage of wind or waterover them.

  This done, they all crept underneath, and found it to be a much snuggerden than they had expected, for the two casks prevented their heads frombeing pressed down when a few tons of water rolled over them--asoccasionally happened.

  Still they did not dare to sleep until each had fastened a rope roundhis waist and bound himself to the flooring. Having done so, each laidhimself alongside of a turn of the binding-cable, and, embracing thataffectionately with both arms, laid his head on the planks and shut hiseyes.

  Many and varied are the conditions under which healthy members of thehuman family seek and find repose, but we venture to think that fewconditions have ever been found which were more unfavourable to sleepthan that which has just been described.

  Nevertheless, they were met promptly by slumber most profound, as theylay wet and weary on the little raft that disastrous night, on the darkand surging breast of the Southern Sea.