The Ocean Cat's Paw: The Story of a Strange Cruise

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER FORTY FIVE.

  STORM WATERS.

  In the intervals between the almost incessant peals of thunder Joe Crossinformed the lads that the storm had been coming on for the last threehours, faint and distant at first, the merest mutterings, and graduallyincreasing till it was the terrific tempest now raging.

  "They must have had it horrid, sir, somewhere, only I don't supposethere's no people. What we had before was nothing to it."

  "There," cried the doctor, "something must be done to the boat in theway of making it thoroughly secure."

  "Can't be no securer, sir. We've got her moored head and stern to atree, and two grapnels down as well."

  "Capital," cried the doctor. "Well thought of! But we must have thesail and some of the canvas that we have got here spread over the boatto keep the water out."

  "That's done, sir, as far as the stuff would go, and now I want what wehave got up here, before the rain comes."

  "Down with it at once," said the doctor; and in an incredibly shortspace of time the tent was struck, what they had ashore was transferredto the boat, and she was covered in as much as was possible.

  And none too soon, for the party had only just embarked when a few heavydrops of rain came pattering down upon the tightened canvas, soonincreasing to quite a deluge, but, with the peculiarity of a tropicstorm, just when it was beginning to try the canvas and threatening tosoak the interior of the boat, it ceased almost instantaneously, andthey sat listening to the rushing sound of the rain as it swept over theforest, rapidly growing more distant till it died away.

  "Gone!" cried Rodd excitedly. "We didn't want any more troubles, and itwould have been dreadful to have been wet through again."

  "Don't be too hopeful, my boy," said Uncle Paul. "That may only be theadvance guard of a far worse storm. It seems too much to think this isthe end."

  "It might be all, sir," said Joe Cross, "for it's been an awful bad 'un,going on for hours in the distance."

  "Then we shall be having the water rise again," cried Uncle Paul.

  "Yes, sir; that's what I thought," replied the man, "and why I mooredthe boat so fast."

  "Quite right," cried the doctor, "for likely enough we shall be havingthe water coming down from far away, and we must hold on here at anycost, or we shall be lost again."

  "What time do you suppose it is, Joe?" asked Rodd.

  "Wants about a couple of hours to daylight, sir."

  "Morning!" cried the lads together. "Ah, then it will be easier tobear!"

  During the rest of the darkness it was evident that the storm had passedover them. There were a few distant mutterings of thunder and littleflickerings of lightning which grew fainter and fainter, to die away inthe west.

  The sailors crept out from beneath their awning on to the sand, and wereable to announce that the river had only risen a few inches, and therain that had fallen had rapidly soaked in and drained off, while apleasant cool air swept briskly over them from the east, heralding afresh bright dawn, which came at last with all the promise of a gloriousday.

  With some difficulty a fire was started, but once begun the men sooncontrived to get up sufficient for the hurried breakfast; the canvas wasstruck where necessary, and the rest spread to dry in the comingsunshine; and then all being ready for their next start, the doctorconsulted with the coxswain, who after a little pressing gave hisopinion as to what would be the best course to take.

  "You see, sir," he said, "I have been thinking that I could get us backto our last camping-place; I mean, before we came here."

  "Well, that's what we all thought before, Joe," cried Rodd pettishly.

  "Wait, Rodney, my boy, and let Cross finish," said the doctor.

  "I've about done, sir," said the man. "What Mr Rodd says is quitetrue, but he aren't quite got what I mean. You see, sir, when we comeup here with the Spanish skipper aboard I sat astarn steering, and whenwe went away again I had hold of the tiller once more, same as before."

  "Well, we know that," said Rodd shortly. "Be silent, Rodney!" cried thedoctor. "Go on, Cross."

  "Well, sir, when we come I was looking this 'ere way; when we startedback I was looking t'other way. Now it seems to me, now we are going tostart again, if instead of sitting astarn and looking straight forward,if I was to go and sit right in the bows and left somebody else to steerwhile I looked over his head, I should be looking up both sides of theriver just as it was when we were coming, and I should see the landmarksagain as I saw them when we were coming here, and consekently I shouldknow my way better, and I don't think I should miss the nextlanding-place again."

  "Yes, I see what you mean," cried Rodd excitedly. "Why, to be sure,Joe! Don't you see, uncle?"

  "Yes," cried the doctor. "Quite right, Cross. We will start at once,going as slowly as we can, and we will, all but the steersman, ridebackwards, keep a sharp look-out, and help.--What's the matter, Morny?"

  For the young Frenchman had suddenly started up in the boat, to standpeering in the direction that they were about to take, and held up hishand as if to command silence.

  "What's that?" cried Rodd, leaping up too.

  "What?" asked the doctor.

  "Sounds like distant roaring of some kind of wild beast, sir," said oneof the men.

  "That it aren't, messmate," said Joe, who had also risen to his feet,and stood with his hand behind his ear. "It's another storm coming.Nay, it aren't. It's all bright and clear that way. Why, it's water,gentlemen, coming with a rush from just the way we want to go."

  "Impossible!" cried the doctor. "Why, it would be against the stream."

  "I don't care, sir, begging your pardon. I've been in the Trent and theSevern and the Wye. It was only when I was a boy, but I recollect rightenough. It's what they used to call a bore, with a great wave of watercoming up the river like a flood and washing all before it."

  "Had we better land?" cried the doctor.

  "And lose our boat, sir? No. Be smart, my lads. It can't be very faraway. All eight of you, oars out, and we must keep our head to it so aswe can ride over the big wave and let it pass under us. I don't supposethere will be much of it. It's a sort of flood water coming down fromyonder after the storm, and it will soon be over. Don't you worry aboutit, gentlemen. It will be nothing to a big wave at sea."

  The men made ready with all the discipline of a trained crew, and headswere turned in the direction of the increasing sound, while it seemedhard to believe, in the midst of the brilliant sunshine, with the smoothriver gliding onwards as if to meet the supposed wave, that there couldbe anything wrong.

  The expected danger had seemed to be close at hand, but it had been farmore distant than the party had supposed, for the roar went on steadilyincreasing, but with no other suggestion of peril save the noise, thoughthat was enough to make the stoutest-hearted there quail.

  It seemed an age, but was certainly less than an hour, before the dullheavy roar began to be mingled with a strange crashing and breakingsound which puzzled all, till the coxswain, who was standing up in thebows, boat-hook in hand, announced that it was the breaking of trees andcrashing together of their branches as they were being torn up by theroots.

  "Impossible!" said the doctor impatiently.

  "Nay, sir, it aren't," said the man. "I don't mean the big trees, butthe little 'uns along the banks; and it's getting close here, sir. It'sa big flood, that's what it is, coming down from the mountains, forthere must be some inland. There! Look yonder. Can't you see thetrees beginning to wave? It's just as if a lake had broke loose and wascoming sweeping over the country. You, Harry Briggs, hold fast to thattiller. You others, look at your work, and pull. Turn your heads, youlubbers! I'll do all the looking out. And when I say row, everymother's son of you pull for his life."

  Joe Cross's words were beginning to sound indistinct before he hadfinished, half-smothered as they were by the increasing roar, as fromfar down the river a dark line of something could be seen rising somesix or eight fe
et like a huge bank extending right across the river andapparently into the forest on both sides.

  For as far as eye could reach the trees seemed to be in a strange stateof agitation, the lower branches bending towards the party in the boat,as if beneath the blast of a tremendous gale.

  "Sit fast, boys, every one!" yelled Joe; but he stood upright himself,and the next minute with a wild rush a great bank of water was uponthem, seeming to come with a leap and dash, to plunge beneath the boat'sbows as if to toss her on high and roll her over and over in the flood.But as it struck them the trained men sat for a moment or two, till inlittle more than a whisper above the roar of water, Joe Cross's voicewas heard to give the order "Pull," when seven balanced oars dippedtogether, and the bows began to sink.

  The men got well hold of the water, and after three or four rapid tugsthe boat sat level once more upon the surface of the flood, obeyed herhelm, and though being carried rapidly along stern on, she shipped verylittle water, and in a very few minutes the greater peril was passed.

  The crashing roar and rush of the water was almost deafening, but Joeretained his upright position and signalled with one hand to thesteersman, while he followed suit to the rowers, who kept up a steadypull against the furious stream, with the result that now the boat spedon stern foremost at the same rate as the flood.

  But the frail craft was exposed to endless risks as the water rushedalong between the two great walls of verdure which marked out thedevious winding course of the river. Time after time they were withinan ace of being swept amidst the boughs of some towering tree; at othersthey were brushing over the tops of the shrub-like growth; and yetamidst the many dangers the crew never flinched, but kept on for hourafter hour, head to stream, with the boat always being borne onwardalong straight reaches and round winding curves which looped and almostdoubled back, till at last the violence of the flood grew less, leavingthem more and more behind, till the greatest danger was over and thespeed at which they glided was reduced to nearly half that of the firstrush of the flood.

  Another hour passed, and they were still gliding on, and now as theywere swept into a wider reach, it was plain to see how the whole forestwas flooded on either side, apparently to the depth of some six or eightfeet, as near as the coxswain could judge.

  Four times over he had drawn attention to the fact that they werepassing the entrances to similar rivers to that down which they sped,one of them being remarkable for the fact that a portion of their streamset right into it, while from the others it glided out in the oppositeway. Soon afterwards, with a little clever scheming, the boat wasguided into an eddy where the water swirled round comparatively slack;and here her head was turned and she resumed her strange journey onwardin the normal way.

  The men's labour too now had pretty well ceased, only a dip or two ofthe oars being required occasionally to keep the boat's head straightand make her answer her helm.

  And now conversation became more general. The danger being evidentlyover, one man hazarded a joke, something about a near shave, whileanother said it was a pity because they would have all this 'ere work togo over again.

  Joe Cross heard the remark, and this started him talking, as he laiddown his boat-hook and wiped his streaming face.

  "Yes, Mr Rodd," he said, "you wanted to come farther up the river, andhere you have had it. Well, I suppose when the flood's spread all overit will do same as they always does, begin to drain off again and carryus back. But I am afraid, Dr Robson, sir, that I must give up what Iundertook to do."

  "What?" cried the doctor.

  "Ride back'ards, sir, and find the way out of this wet cat's-cradle of aplace. I am very sorry, sir."

  "Sorry!" cried the doctor cheerily. "My good fellow, what you have doneduring the last few hours has earned the lasting gratitude of us all."

  "Has it, sir?" said the man, staring. "Why?"

  "Haven't you saved all our lives," cried the doctor, "by your clevermanagement of the boat?"

  "Oh, that's what you mean, sir! But you must play fair, sir. Youmustn't blame me for that. Part on it's my being on board a man-of-war;part on it's due to Captain Chubb. So you must thank him."

  The doctor smiled, and noting this absence of anxiety, Rodd broke outwith--

  "I say, uncle, Morny's starving. Isn't it time we had something toeat?"

  "Oh, Rodd!" cried Morny.

  "Yes, of course," replied the doctor. "See what you can do, cook, atonce. But surely, Cross, some of the men might lay in their oars?"

  "Yes, sir, and if it goes on like this I don't see that we need let thisflood keep on carrying us farther away. There's a nice wind, and not somuch washed-out wood afloat. I am thinking I might have the sailhoisted and begin to sail back. But my word, look here: how we arewidening out, sir! Look ahead yonder. It's getting 'most like a lake.Perhaps it is one."

  "No," cried Rodd; "it's the river still. Look yonder at the forestright along the bank."

  "Yes, sir, but I was looking at the forest on both sides here where weare. Why, we are running into another river. It aren't a lake, butit's ten times as big as this one that we've been spinning along, and--Well! it's a rum 'un! No; it's unpossible."

  "What's impossible?" cried Rodd sharply, and all gazed at the sailor,who sat looking forward, holding on by one ear and scratching the other.

  "Why, this 'ere, Mr Rodd, sir. Just you look, Dr Robson, and see whatyou think on it."

  "Of what, my man?"

  "Why, this 'ere, sir, what I am asking you of. Can't you see, Mr Rodd,sir?"

  "I can see that we are gliding out of a muddy stream covered with greentwigs and great tufts of jungle grass, into a big river flowing rightacross us and all thick with what seems to be a different-coloured mud."

  "That's right, sir; and didn't you see that splash, just as far off asyou could look?"

  "No, Joe."

  "Would you mind lending me that there glass of yourn, sir?" said Joe tothe doctor, who passed the little field-glass to the man, whose handstrembled as he focussed it to suit his eye, and he once more stood up inthe boat and swept the water as far as he could see.

  "Thank you, sir," he said, handing it back. "Perhaps you would like tohave a look yourself. But it's all right, gentlemen, and my lads.Them's crocs out yonder, and we have been washed out into the big riveragain with no more trouble; and if we don't see our brig and ourschooner again before many hours, why, my name aren't Joe!"