CHAPTER I.
The night has been unruly: where we lay, Our chimneys were blown down: and, as they say, Lamentings heard i’ the air; strange screams of death; And prophesying, with accents terrible, Of dire combustion, and confused events, New hatched to the woful time.
Macbeth.
It is seldom that man is required to make an exertion as desperate andappalling, in all its circumstances, as that on which Harry Mulford wasnow bent. The night was starlight, it was true, and it was possible tosee objects near by with tolerable distinctness; still, it was midnight,and the gloom of that hour rested on the face of the sea, lendingits solemn mystery and obscurity to the other trying features of theundertaking. Then there was the uncertainty whether it was the boat atall, of which he was in pursuit; and, if the boat, it might driftaway from him as fast as he could follow it. Nevertheless, the perfectconviction that, without some early succour, the party on the wreck,including Rose Budd, must inevitably perish, stimulated him to proceed,and a passing feeling of doubt, touching the prudence of his course,that came over the young mate, when he was a few yards from the wreck,vanished under a vivid renewal of this last conviction. On he swam,therefore, riveting his eye on the “thoughtful star” that guided hiscourse, and keeping his mind as tranquil as possible, in order that theexertions of his body might be the easier.
Mulford was an excellent swimmer. The want of food was a seriousobstacle to his making one of his best efforts, but, as yet, he was notvery sensible of any great loss of strength. Understanding fully thenecessity of swimming easily, if he would swim long, he did not throwout all his energy at first, but made the movements of his limbs asregular, continued, and skilful as possible. No strength was thrownaway, and his progress was in proportion to the prudence of this mannerof proceeding. For some twenty minutes he held on his course, in thisway, when he began to experience a little of that weariness which isapt to accompany an unremitted use of the same set of muscles, in amonotonous and undeviating mode. Accustomed to all the resources of hisart, he turned on his back, for the double purpose of relieving his armsfor a minute, and of getting a glimpse of the wreck, if possible, inorder to ascertain the distance he had overcome. Swim long in this newmanner, however, he could not with prudence, as the star was necessaryin order to keep the direct line of his course. It may be well toexplain to some of our readers, that, though the surface of the oceanmay be like glass, as sometimes really happens, it is never absolutelyfree from the long, undulating motion that is known by the name of a“ground swell.” This swell, on the present occasion, was not very heavy,but it was sufficient to place our young mate, at moments, between twodark mounds of water, that limited his view in either direction to someeighty or a hundred yards; then it raised him on the summit of a roundedwave, that enabled him to see, far as his eye could reach under thatobscure light. Profiting by this advantage, Mulford now looked behindhim, in quest of the wreck, but uselessly. It might have been in thetrough, while he was thus on the summit of the waves, or it might bethat it floated so low as to be totally lost to the view of one whosehead was scarcely above the surface of the water. For a single instant,the young man felt a chill at his heart, as he fancied that the wreckhad already sunk; but it passed away when he recalled the slow progressby which the air escaped, and he saw the certainty that the catastrophe,however inevitable, could not yet have really arrived. He waited foranother swell to lift him on its summit, when, by “treading water,” heraised his head and shoulders fairly above the surface of the sea,and strained his eyes in another vain effort to catch a glimpse of thewreck. He could not see it. In point of fact, the mate had swum muchfurther than he had supposed, and was already so distant as to renderany such attempt hopeless. He was fully a third of a mile distant fromthe point of his departure.
Disappointed, and in a slight degree disheartened, Mulford turned, andswam in the direction of the sinking star. He now looked anxiously forthe boat. It was time that it came more plainly into view, and a newsource of anxiety beset him, as he could discover no signs of itsvicinity. Certain that he was on the course, after making a dueallowance for the direction of the wind, the stout-hearted young manswam on. He next determined not to annoy himself by fruitless searches,or vain regrets, but to swim steadily for a certain time, a period longenough to carry him a material distance, ere he again looked for theobject of his search.
For twenty minutes longer did that courageous and active youth strugglewith the waste of waters, amid the obscurity and solitude of midnight.He now believed himself near a mile from the wreck, and the star whichhad so long served him for a beacon was getting near to the horizon.He took a new observation of another of the heavenly bodies nigh it, toserve him in its stead when it should disappear altogether, and then heraised himself in the water, and looked about again for the boat. Thesearch was in vain. No boat was very near him, of a certainty, and thedreadful apprehension began to possess his mind, of perishing uselesslyin that waste of gloomy waters. While thus gazing about him, turninghis eyes in every quarter, hoping intently to catch some glimpse of themuch-desired object in the gloom, he saw two dark, pointed objects, thatresembled small stakes, in the water within twenty feet of him. Mulfordknew them at a glance, and a cold shudder passed through his frame,as he recognised them. They were, out of all question, the fins of anenormous shark; an animal that could not measure less than eighteen ortwenty feet in length.
It is scarcely necessary to say, that when our young mate discovered theproximity of this dangerous animal, situated as he was, he gave himselfup for lost. He possessed his knife, however, and had heard of themanner in which even sharks were overcome, and that too in their ownelement, by the skilful and resolute. At first, he was resolved to makeone desperate effort for life, before he submitted to a fate as horribleas that which now menaced him; but the movements of his dangerousneighbour induced him to wait. It did not approach any nearer, butcontinued swimming back and fro, on the surface of the water, accordingto the known habits of the fish, as if watching his own movements. Therebeing no time to be wasted, our young mate turned on his face, andbegan again to swim in the direction of the setting star, though nearlychilled by despair. For ten minutes longer did he struggle on, beginningto feel exhaustion, however, and always accompanied by those two dark,sharp and gliding fins. There was no difficulty in knowing the positionof the animal, and Mulford’s eyes were oftener on those fins than onthe beacon before him. Strange as it may appear, he actually becameaccustomed to the vicinity of this formidable creature, and soon felthis presence a sort of relief against the dreadful solitude of hissituation. He had been told by seamen of instances, and had oncewitnessed a case himself, in which a shark had attended a swimming manfor a long distance, either forbearing to do him harm, from repletion,or influenced by that awe which nature has instilled into all of theinferior, for the highest animal of the creation. He began to thinkthat he was thus favoured, and really regarded the shark as a friendlyneighbour, rather than as a voracious foe. In this manner did the twoproceed, nearly another third of a mile, the fins sometimes in sightahead, gliding hither and thither, and sometimes out of view behind theswimmer, leaving him in dreadful doubts as to the movements of the fish,when Mulford suddenly felt something hard hit his foot. Believing it tobe the shark, dipping for his prey, a slight exclamation escaped him. Atthe next instant both feet hit the unknown substance again, and he stooderect, the water no higher than his waist! Quick, and comprehendingeverything connected with the sea, the young man at once understood thathe was on a part of the reef where the water was so shallow as to admitof his wading.
Mulford felt that he had been providentially rescued from death. Hisstrength had been about to fail him, when he was thus led, unknown tohimself, to a spot where his life might yet be possibly prolonged fora few more hours, or days. He had leisure to look about him, and toreflect on what was next to be done. Almost unwittingly, he turnedin quest of his terrible companion, in whose voracious mouth he hadactually believed himself abou
t to be immolated, a few seconds before.There the two horn-like fins still were, gliding about above the water,and indicating the smallest movement of their formidable owner. The mateobserved that they went a short distance ahead of him, describing nearlya semi-circle, and then returned, doing the same thing in his rear,repeating the movements incessantly, keeping always on his right. Thisconvinced him that shoaler water existed on his left hand, and he wadedin that direction, until he reached a small spot of naked rock.
For a time, at least, he was safe! The fragment of coral on which themate now stood, was irregular in shape, but might have contained ahundred feet square in superficial measurement, and was so little raisedabove the level of the water as not to be visible, even by daylight,at the distance of a hundred yards. Mulford found it was perfectly dry,however, an important discovery to him, as by a close calculation he hadmade of the tides, since quitting the Dry Tortugas, he knew it mustbe near high water. Could he have even this small portion of barerock secure, it made him, for the moment, rich as the most extensivelandholder living. A considerable quantity of sea-weed had lodged on therock, and, as most of this was also quite dry, it convinced the youngsailor that the place was usually bare. But, though most of thissea-weed was dry, there were portions of the more recent accessionsthere that still lay in, or quite near to the water, which formedexceptions. In handling these weeds, in order to ascertain the facts,Mulford caught a small shell-fish, and finding it fresh and easy toopen, he swallowed it with the eagerness of a famishing man. Never hadfood proved half so grateful to him as that single swallow of a verypalatable testaceous animal. By feeling further, he found severalothers of the same family, and made quite as large a meal, as, under thecircumstances, was probably good for him. Then, grateful for his escape,but overcome by fatigue, he hastily arranged a bed of sea-weed, drew aportion of the plant over his body, to keep him warm, and fell into adeep sleep that lasted for hours.
Mulford did not regain his consciousness until the rays of the risingsun fell upon his eye-lids, and the genial warmth of the great luminaryshed its benign influence over his frame. At first his mind wasconfused, and it required a few seconds to bring a perfect recollectionof the past, and a true understanding of his real situation. They came,however, and the young man moved to the highest part of his littledomain, and cast an anxious, hurried look around in quest of the wreck.A knowledge of the course in which he had swum, aided by the position ofthe sun, told him on what part of the naked waste to look for the objecthe sought. God had not yet forsaken them! There was the wreck; or, itmight be more exact to say, there were those whom the remaining buoyancyof the wreck still upheld from sinking into the depths of the gulf. Inpoint of fact, but a very little of the bottom of the vessel actuallyremained above water, some two or three yards square at most, and thatlittle was what seamen term nearly awash. Two or three hours must burythat small portion of the still naked wood beneath the surface of thesea, though sufficient buoyancy might possibly remain for the entire daystill to keep the living from death.
There the wreck was, however, yet floating; and, though not visible toMulford, with a small portion of it above water. He saw the four personsonly; and what was more, they saw him. This was evident by Jack Tier’swaving his hat like a man cheering. When Mulford returned this signal,the shawl of Rose was tossed into the air, in a way to leave no doubtthat he was seen and known. The explanation of this early recognitionand discovery of the young mate was very simple. Tier was not asleepwhen Harry left the wreck, though, seeing the importance of the step theother was taking, he had feigned to be so. When Rose awoke, missed herlover, and was told what had happened, her heart was kept from sinkingby his encouraging tale and hopes. An hour of agony had succeeded,nevertheless, when light returned and no Mulford was to be seen. Thedespair that burst upon the heart of our heroine was followed by the joyof discovering him on the rock.
It is scarcely necessary to say how much the parties were relieved onascertaining their respective positions. Faint as were the hopes of eachof eventual delivery, the two or three minutes that succeeded seemed tobe minutes of perfect happiness. After this rush of unlooked-for joy,Mulford continued his intelligent examination of surrounding objects.
The wreck was fully half a mile from the rock of the mate, but muchnearer to the reef than it had been the previous night. “Could it butground on the rocks,” thought the young man, “it would be a most blessedevent.” The thing was possible, though the first half hour of hisobservations told him that its drift was in the direction of the openpassage so often named, rather than toward the nearest rocks. Still,that drift brought Rose each minute nearer and nearer to himself again.In looking round, however, the young man saw the boat. It was a quarterof a mile distant, with open water between them, apparently groundedon a rock, for it was more within the reef than he was himself. He musthave passed it in the dark, and the boat had been left to obey the windand currents, and to drift to the spot where it then lay.
Mulford shouted aloud when he saw the boat, and at once determined toswim in quest of it, as soon as he had collected a little refreshmentfrom among the sea-weed. On taking a look at his rock by daylight, hesaw that its size was quadrupled to the eye by the falling of thetide, and that water was lying in several of the cavities of its unevensurface. At first he supposed this to be sea-water, left by the flood;but, reflecting a moment, he remembered the rain, and hoped it might bepossible that one little cavity, containing two or three gallons of thefluid, would turn out to be fresh. Kneeling beside it, he applied hislips in feverish haste, and drank the sweetest draught that had everpassed his lips. Slaking his thirst, which had begun again tobe painfully severe, he arose with a heart overflowing withgratitude--could he only get Rose to that narrow and barren rock, itwould seem to be an earthly paradise. Mulford next made his scanty, but,all things considered, sufficient meal, drank moderately afterward, andthen turned his attention and energies toward the boat, which, thoughnow aground and fast, might soon float on the rising tide, and driftonce more beyond his reach. It was his first intention to swim directlyfor his object; but, just when about to enter the water, he saw withhorror the fins of at least a dozen sharks, which were prowling about inthe deeper water of the reef, and almost encircling his hold. To throwhimself in the midst of such enemies would be madness, and he stopped toreflect, and again to look about him. For the first time that morning,he took a survey of the entire horizon, to see if anything were insight; for, hitherto, his thoughts had been too much occupied with Roseand her companions, to remember anything else. To the northward andwestward he distinctly saw the upper sails of a large ship, that wasstanding on a wind to the northward and eastward. As there was no portto which a vessel of that character would be likely to be bound in thequarter of the Gulf to which such a course would lead, Mulford at onceinferred it was the sloop-of-war, which, after having examined theislets, at the Dry Tortugas, and finding them deserted, was beatingup, either to go into Key West, or to pass to the southward of thereef again, by the passage through which she had come as lately as theprevious day. This was highly encouraging; and could he only get to theboat, and remove the party from the wreck before it sunk, there was nowevery prospect of a final escape.
To the southward, also, the mate fancied he saw a sail. It was probablya much smaller vessel than the ship in the north-west, and at a greaterdistance. It might, however, be the lofty sails of some large craft;standing along the reef, going westward, bound to New Orleans, or tothat new and important port, Point Isabel: or it might be some wrecker,or other craft, edging away into the passage. As it was, it appearedonly as a speck in the horizon; and was too far off to offer muchprospect of succour.
Thus acquainted with the state of things around him, Mulford gavehis attention seriously to his duties. He was chiefly afraid thatthe returning tide might lift the boat from the rock on which it hadgrounded, and that it would float beyond his reach. Then there was thefrightful and ever-increasing peril of the wreck, and the dreadful fatethat so inevita
bly menaced those that it held, were not relief prompt.This thought goaded him nearly to desperation, and he felt at momentsalmost ready to plunge into the midst of the sharks, and fight his wayto his object.
But reflection showed him a less hazardous way of making an effort toreach the boat. The sharks’ fins described a semicircle only, as hadbeen the case of his single attendant during the night, and he thoughtthat the shealness of the water prevented their going further than theydid, in a south-easterly direction, which was that of the boat. He wellknew that a shark required sufficient water to sink beneath its prey,ere it made its swoop, and that it uniformly turned on its back, andstruck upward whenever it gave one of its voracious bites. This wasowing to the greater length of its upper than of its lower jaw, andMulford had heard it was a physical necessity of its formation. Rightor wrong, he determined to act on this theory, and began at once towade along the part of the reef that his enemies seemed unwilling toapproach.
Had our young mate a weapon of any sort larger than his knife, he wouldhave felt greater confidence in his success. As it was, however, he drewthat knife, and was prepared to sell his life dearly should a foe assailhim. No sooner was his step heard in the water, than the whole group ofsharks were set in violent motion, glancing past, and frequently quitenear him, as if aware their intended prey was about to escape. Had thewater deepened much, Harry would have returned at once, for a conflictwith such numbers would have been hopeless; but it did not; on thecontrary, it shoaled again, after a very short distance, at which ithad been waist-deep; and Mulford found himself wading over a long, broadsurface of rock, and that directly toward the boat, through water thatseldom rose above his knees, and which, occasionally, scarce covered hisfeet. There was no absolutely naked rock near him, but there seemed tobe acres of that which might be almost said to be awash. Amid the greedythrong that endeavoured to accompany him, the mate even fancied herecognised the enormous fins of his old companion, who sailed to and froin the crowd in a stately manner, as if merely a curious looker-on ofhis own movements. It was the smaller, and probably the younger sharks,that betrayed the greatest hardihood and voracity. One or two of thesemade fierce swoops toward Harry, as if bent on having him at everyhazard; but they invariably glided off when they found their customarymode of attack resisted by the shoalness of the water.
Our young mate got ahead but slowly, being obliged to pay a cautiousattention to the movements of his escort. Sometimes he was compelled towade up to his arms in order to cross narrow places, that he might geton portions of the rock that were nearly bare; and once he was actuallycompelled to swim eight or ten yards. Nevertheless, he did get on, andafter an hour of this sort of work, he found himself within a hundredyards of the boat, which lay grounded near a low piece of naked rock,but separated from it by a channel of deep water, into which all thesharks rushed in a body, as if expressly to cut off his escape. Mulfordnow paused to take breath, and to consider what ought to be done. On thespot where he stood he was quite safe, though ancle-deep in the sea, theshallow water extending to a considerable distance on all sides of him,with the single exception of the channel in his front. He stood on thevery verge of that channel, and could see in the pellucid element beforehim, that it was deep enough to float a vessel of some size.
To venture into the midst of twenty sharks required desperation, andHarry was not yet reduced to that. He had been so busy in making his wayto the point where he stood as to have no leisure to look for the wreck;but he now turned his eyes in quest of that all-interesting object. Hesaw the shawl fluttering in the breeze, and that was all he could see.Tier had contrived to keep it flying as a signal where he was to befound, but the hull of the schooner had sunk so low in the water thatthey who were seated on its keel were not visible even at the shortdistance which now separated them from Mulford. Encouraged by thissignal, and animated by the revived hope of still saving his companions,Harry turned toward the channel, half inclined to face every dangerrather than to wait any longer. At that moment the fins were all glidingalong the channel from him, and in the same direction. Some object drewthe sharks away in a body, and the young mate let himself easily intothe water, and swam as noiselessly as he could toward the boat.
It was a fearful trial, but Mulford felt that everything depended onhis success. Stimulated by his motive, and strengthened by the food andwater taken an hour before, never had he shown so much skill and powerin the water. In an incredibly short period he was half-way across thechannel, still swimming strong and unharmed. A few strokes more senthim so near the boat that hope took full possession of his soul, and heshouted in exultation. That indiscreet but natural cry, uttered so nearthe surface of the sea, turned every shark upon him, as the pack springsat the fox in view. Mulford was conscious of the folly of his cry theinstant it escaped him, and involuntarily he turned his head to note theeffect on his enemies. Every fin was gliding toward him--a dark array ofswift and furious foes. Ten thousand bayonets, levelled in their line,could not have been one-half as terrible, and the efforts of the youngman became nearly frantic. But strong as he was, and ready in theelement, what is the movement of a man in the water compared to that ofa vigorous and voracious fish? Mulford could see those fins coming onlike a tempest, and he had just given up all hope, and was feeling hisflesh creep with terror, when his foot hit the rock. Giving himself anonward plunge, he threw his body upward toward the boat, and intoso much shoaler water, at least a dozen feet by that single effort.Recovering his legs as soon as possible, he turned to look behind him.The water seemed alive with fins, each pair gliding back and forth,as the bull-dog bounds in front of the ox’s muzzle. Just then alight-coloured object glanced past the young man, so near as almost totouch him. It was a shark that had actually turned on its back to seizeits prey, and was only prevented from succeeding by being driven fromthe line of its course by hitting the slimy rock, over which it wascompelled to make its plunge. The momentum with which it came on, addedto the inclination of the rock, forced the head and half of the bodyof this terrible assailant into the air, giving the intended victim anopportunity of seeing from what a fate he had escaped. Mulford avoidedthis fish without much trouble, however, and the next instant he threwhimself into the boat, on the bottom of which he lay panting with theviolence of his exertions, and unable to move under the reaction whichnow came over his system.
The mate lay in the bottom of the boat, exhausted and unable to rise,for several minutes; during that space he devoutly returned thanksto God for his escape, and bethought him of the course he was next topursue, in order to effect the rescue of his companions. The boat waslarger than common. It was also well equipped--a mast and sail lyingalong with the oars, on its thwarts. The rock placed Harry to windwardof the wreck, and by the time he felt sufficiently revived to rise andlook about him, his plan of proceeding was fully arranged in his ownmind. Among other things that he saw, as he still lay in the bottomof the boat, was a breaker which he knew contained fresh water, and abread-bag. These were provisions that it was customary for the men tomake, when employed on boat duty; and the articles had been left wherehe now saw them, in the hurry of the movements, as the brig quitted theislets.
Harry rose the instant he felt his strength returning. Strikingthe breaker with his foot, and feeling the basket with a hand, heascertained that the one held its water, and the other its bread. Thiswas immense relief, for by this time the sufferings of the party on thewreck must be returning with redoubled force. The mate then stepped themast, and fitted the sprit to the sail, knowing that the latter wouldbe seen fluttering in the wind by those on the wreck, and carry joy totheir hearts. After this considerate act, he began to examine into theposition of the boat. It was still aground, having been left by thetide; but the water had already risen several inches, and by placinghimself on a gunwale, so as to bring the boat on its bilge, and pushingwith an oar, he soon got it into deep water. It only remained to haulaft the sheet, and right the helm, to be standing through the channel,at a rate that promised a speedy de
liverance to his friends, and, mostof all, to Rose.
Mulford glanced past the rocks and shoals, attended by the whole companyof the sharks. They moved before, behind, and on each side of him, as ifunwilling to abandon their prey, even after he had got beyond the limitsof their power to do him harm. It was not an easy thing to manage theboat in that narrow and crooked channel, with no other guide for thecourses than the eye, and it required so much of the mate’s vigilance tokeep clear of the sharp angles of the rocks, that he could not once casthis eyes aside, to look for the fluttering shawl, which now composed thestanding signal of the wreck. At length the boat shot through the lastpassage of the reef, and issued into open water. Mulford knew thathe must come out half a mile at least to leeward of his object, and,without even raising his head, he flattened in the sheet, put his helmdown, and luffed close to the wind. Then, and then only, did he ventureto look around him.
Our mate felt his heart leap toward his mouth, as he observed thepresent state of the wreck. It was dead to windward of him, in thefirst place, and it seemed to be entirely submerged. He saw the shawlfluttering as before; for Tier had fastened one corner to a button-holeof his own jacket, and another to the dress of Biddy, leaving the partwhich might be called the fly, to rise at moments almost perpendicularlyin the air, in a way to render it visible at some distance. He saw alsothe heads and the bodies of those on the schooner’s bottom, but to himthey appeared to be standing in, or on, the water. The distance may havecontributed a little to this appearance, but no doubt remained that somuch air had escaped from the hold of the vessel, as to permit it tosink altogether beneath the surface of the sea. It was time, indeed, toproceed to the relief of the sufferers.
Notwithstanding the boat sailed particularly fast, and workedbeautifully, it could not equal the impatience of Mulford to get on.Passing away to the north-east a sufficient distance, as he thought,to weather on the wreck, the young man tacked at last, and had thehappiness to see that every foot he proceeded was now in a direct linetoward Rose. It was only while tacking he perceived that all the finshad disappeared. He felt little doubt that they had deserted him, inorder to push for the wreck, which offered so much larger, and so muchmore attainable prey. This increased his feverish desire to get on, theboat seeming to drag, in his eyes, at the very moment it was leaving awake full of eddies and little whirlpools. The wind was steady, but itseemed to Mulford that the boat was set to leeward of her course by acurrent, though this could hardly have been the case, as the wreck, thesole mark of his progress, would have had at least as great a drift asthe boat. At length Mulford--to him it appeared to be an age; in truthit was after a run of about twenty minutes--came near the goal he soearnestly sought, and got an accurate view of the state of the wreck,and of those on it. The hull of the schooner had, in truth, sunkentirely beneath the surface of the sea; and the party it sustainedstood already knee-deep in the water. This was sufficiently appalling;but the presence of the sharks, who were crowding around the spot,rendered the whole scene frightful. To the young mate it seemed as ifhe must still be too late to save Rose from a fate more terrible thandrowning, for his boat fell so far to leeward as to compel him to tackonce more. As he swept past the wreck, he called out to encourage hisfriends, begging them to be of good heart for five minutes longer, whenhe should be able to reach them. Rose held out her arms entreatingly,and the screams of Mrs. Budd and Biddy, which were extorted by thecloser and closer approach of the sharks, proclaimed the imminency ofthe danger they ran, and the importance of not losing a moment of time.
Mulford took his distance with a seaman’s eye, and the boat went aboutlike a top. The latter fell off, and the sail filled on the other tack.Then the young mariner saw, with a joy no description can pourtray, thathe looked to windward of the fluttering shawl, toward which his littlecraft was already flying. He afterward believed that shawl aloneprevented the voracious party of fish from assailing those on the wreck,for, though there might not yet be sufficient depth of water to allowof their customary mode of attack, creatures of their voracity did notalways wait for such conveniences. But the boat was soon in the midstof the fins, scattering them in all directions; and Mulford let go hissheet, put his helm down, and sprang forward to catch the extended armsof Rose.
It might have been accident, or it might have been the result of skilland interest in our heroine, but certain it is, that the bows of theboat came on the wreck precisely at the place where Rose stood, and herhand was the first object that the young man touched.
“Take my aunt first,” cried Rose, resisting Mulford’s efforts to lifther into the boat; “she is dreadfully alarmed, and can stand withdifficulty.”
Although two of Rose’s activity and lightness might have been drawn intothe boat, while the process was going on in behalf of the widow, Mulfordlost no time in discussion, but did as he was desired. First directingTier to hold on to the painter, he applied his strength to the armsof Mrs. Budd, and, assisted by Rose and Biddy, got her safely into theboat, over its bows. Rose now waited not for assistance, but followedher aunt with a haste that proved fear lent her strength in despite herlong fast. Biddy came next, though clumsily, and not without trouble,and Jack Tier followed the instant he was permitted so to do. Of course,the boat, no longer held by its painter, drifted away from the spot, andthe hull of the schooner, relieved from the weight of four human beings,rose so near the surface again as to bring a small line of its keel outof water. No better evidence could have been given of the trifling powerwhich sustained it, and of the timely nature of the succour brought byMulford. Had the boat remained near the schooner, it would have beenfound half an hour later that the hull had sunk slowly out of sight,finding its way, doubtless, inch by inch, toward the bottom of the Gulf.
By this time the sun was well up, and the warmth of the hour, season,and latitude, was shed on the sufferers. There was an old sail in theboat, and in this the party dried their limbs and feet, which weregetting to be numb by their long immersion. Then the mate produced thebag and opened it, in quest of bread. A small portion was given to each,and, on looking farther, the mate discovered that a piece of boiledship’s beef had been secreted in this receptacle. Of this also he gaveeach a moderate slice, taking a larger portion for himself, as requiringless precaution. The suffering of the party from hunger was far lessthan that they endured from thirst. Neither had been endured long enoughseriously to enfeeble them or render a full meal very dangerous, but thethirst had been much the hardest to be borne. Of this fact Biddy soongave audible evidence.
“The mate is good,” she said, “and the bread tastes swate andrefreshing, but wather is a blessed thing. Can you no give us one dhrapof the wather that falls from heaven, Mr. Mulford; for this wather ofthe saa is of no use but to drown Christians in?”
In an instant the mate had opened a breaker, and filled the tin potwhich is almost always to be found in a boat. Biddy said no more, buther eyes pleaded so eloquently, that Rose begged the faithful creaturemight have the first drink. One eager swallow went down, and then a cryof disappointment succeeded. The water was salt, and had been put in thebreaker for ballast. The other breaker was tried with the same success.
“It is terrible to be without one drop of water,” murmured Rose, “andthis food makes it more necessary than ever.”
“Patience, patience, dearest Rose--patience for ten minutes, and youshall all drink,” answered the mate, filling the sail and keeping theboat away while speaking. “There is water, God be praised, on the rockto which I first swam, and we will secure it before another day’s sunhelp to make it evaporate.”
This announcement quieted the longings of those who endured a thirstwhich disappointment rendered doubly hard to bear; and away the boatglided toward the rock. As he now flew over the distance, lessened morethan one-half by the drift of the wreck, Mulford recalled the scenethrough which he had so painfully passed the previous night. As oftenhappens, he shuddered at the recollection of things which, at themoment, a desperate resolution had enabled h
im to encounter withfirmness. Still, he thought nothing less than the ardent desire to saveRose could have carried him through the trial with the successwhich attended his struggles. The dear being at his side asked a fewexplanations of what had passed; and she bowed her head and wept,equally with pain and delight, as imagination pictured to her thesituation of her betrothed, amid that waste of water, with his fearfulcompanions, and all in the hours of deep night.
But that was over now. There was the rock--the blessed rock on whichMulford had so accidentally struck, close before them--and presentlythey were all on it. The mate took the pot and ran to the littlereservoir, returning with a sweet draught for each of the party.
“A blessed, blessed thing, is wather!” exclaimed Biddy, this timefinding the relief she sought, “and a thousand blessings on _you,_ Mr.Mulford, who have niver done us anything but good.”
Rose looked a still higher eulogy on the young man, and even Mrs. Buddhad something commendatory and grateful to say. Jack Tier was silent,but he had all his eyes about him, as he now proved.
“We’ve all on us been so much taken up with our own affairs,” remarkedthe steward’s assistant, “that we’ve taken but little notice of theneighbourhood. If that is n’t the brig, Mr. Mulford, running throughthis very passage, with stun’sails set alow and aloft, I do n’t know theMolly Swash when I see her!”
“The brig!” exclaimed the mate, recollecting the vessels he had seen atthe break-of-day, for the first time in hours. “Can it be possible thatthe craft I made out to the southward, is the brig?”
“Look, and judge for yourself, sir. There she comes, like a race-horse,and if she holds her present course, she must pass somewhere within amile or so of us, if we stay where we are.”
Mulford did look, as did all with him. There was the Swash, sure enough,coming down before the wind, and under a cloud of canvas. She mightbe still a league, or a league and a half distant, but, at the rateat which she was travelling, that distance would soon be past. She wasrunning through the passage, no doubt with a view to proceed to the DryTortugas, to look after the schooner, Spike having the hope that he haddodged his pursuers on the coast of Cuba. The mate now looked for theship, in the north-western board, believing, as he did, that she wasthe sloop-of-war. That vessel had gone about, and was standing to thesouthward, on a taut bowline. She was still a long way off, three orfour leagues at least, but the change she had made in her position,since last seen, proved that she was a great sailer. Then she was morethan hull down, whereas, now, she was near enough to let the outline ofa long, straight fabric be discovered beneath her canvas.
“It is hardly possible that Spike should not see the vessel here in thenorthern board,” Mulford observed to Tier, who had been examining theship with him. “The lookout is usually good on board the Swash, and,just now, should certainly be as good as common. Spike is no dawdlerwith serious business before him.”
“He’s a willain!” muttered Jack Tier.
The mate regarded his companion with some surprise. Jack was a veryinsignificant-looking personage in common, and one would scarcely pauseto give him a second look, unless it might be to laugh at his rotundityand little waddling legs. But, now, the mate fancied he was swellingwith feelings that actually imparted somewhat more than usual statureand dignity to his appearance. His face was full of indignation, andthere was something about the eye, that to Mulford was inexplicable.As Rose, however, had related to him the scene that took place on theislet, at the moment when Spike was departing, the mate supposed thatJack still felt a portion of the resentment that such a collision wouldbe apt to create. From the expression of Jack’s countenance at thatinstant, it struck him Spike might not be exactly safe, should accidentput it in the power of the former to do him an injury.
It was now necessary to decide on the course that ought to be pursued.The bag contained sufficient food to last the party several days, and agallon of water still remained in the cavity of the rock. This last wascollected and put in one of the breakers, which was emptied of the saltwater in order to receive it. As water, however, was the great necessityin that latitude, Mulford did not deem it prudent to set sail with sosmall a supply, and he accordingly commenced a search, on some of theadjacent rocks, Jack Tier accompanying him. They succeeded in doublingtheir stock of water, and collected several shell-fish, that the femalesfound exceedingly grateful and refreshing. On the score of hunger andthirst, indeed, no one was now suffering. By judiciously sipping alittle water at a time, and retaining it in the mouth before swallowing,the latter painful feeling had been gotten rid of; and as for food,there was even more than was actually needed, and that of a very goodquality. It is probable that standing in the water for hours, as Rose,and her aunt, and Biddy had been obliged to do, had contributed tolessen the pain endured from thirst, though they had all suffered a gooddeal from that cause, especially while the sun shone.
Mulford and Tier were half an hour in obtaining the water. By the end ofthat period the brigantine was so near as to render her hull distinctlyvisible. It was high time to decide on their future course. The sail hadbeen brailed when the boat reached the rock, and the boat itself layon the side of the latter opposite to the brig, and where no part ofit could be seen to those on board the Swash, with the exception of themast. Under the circumstances, therefore, Mulford thought it wisest toremain where they were, and let the vessel pass, before they attemptedto proceed toward Key West, their intended place of refuge. In order todo this, however, it was necessary to cause the whole party to lie down,in such a way as to be hid by the inequalities in the rock, as itwas now very evident the brig would pass within half a mile of them.Hitherto, it was not probable that they had been seen, and by using duecaution, the chances of Spike’s overlooking them altogether amountednearly to certainty.
The necessary arrangements were soon made, the boat’s masts unstepped,the party placed behind their covers, and the females comfortablybestowed in the spare sail, where they might got a little undisturbedsleep after the dreadful night, or morning, they had passed. Even JackTier lay down to catch his nap, as the most useful manner of bestowinghimself for a couple of hours; the time Mulford had mentioned as theperiod of their stay where they were.
As for the mate, vigilance was his portion, and he took his position,hid like all the rest, where he could watch the movements of his oldcraft. In about twenty minutes, the brig was quite near; so near thatMulford not only saw the people on board her, who showed themselvesin the rigging, but fancied he could recognise their persons. As yet,nothing had occurred in the way of change, but, just as the Swash gotabreast of the rock, she began to take in her studding-sails, and thathurriedly, as is apt to occur on board a vessel in sudden emergencies.Our young man was a little alarmed at first, believing that they mighthave been discovered, but he was soon induced to think that the crew ofthe brigantine had just then begun to suspect the character of the shipto the northward. That vessel had been drawing near all this time, andwas now only some three leagues distant. Owing to the manner in whichshe headed, or bows on, it was not a very easy matter to tell thecharacter of this stranger, though the symmetry and squareness of hisyards rendered it nearly certain he was a cruiser. Though Spike couldnot expect to meet his old acquaintance here, after the chase he had solately led her, down on the opposite coast, he might and would have hismisgivings, and Mulford thought it was his intention to haul up closeround the northern angle of the reef, and maintain his advantage of thewind, over the stranger. If this were actually done, it might expose theboat to view, for the brig would pass within a quarter of a mile of it,and on the side of the rock on which it lay. It was too late, however,to attempt a change, since the appearance of human beings in such aplace would be certain to draw the brig’s glasses on them, and theglasses must at once let Spike know who they were. It remained,therefore, only to await the result as patiently as possible.
A very few minutes removed all doubt. The brig hauled as close roundthe reef as she dared to venture, and in a very sh
ort time the boat layexposed to view to all on board her. The vessel was now so near thatMulford plainly saw the boatswain get upon the coach-house, or littlehurricane-house deck, where Spike stood examining the ship with hisglass, and point out the boat, where it lay at the side of the rock.In an instant, the glass was levelled at the spot, and the movementson board the brig immediately betrayed to Mulford that the boat wasrecognised. Sail was shortened on board the Swash, and men were seenpreparing to lower her stern boat, while everything indicated that thevessel was about to be hove-to. There was no time now to be lost, butthe young man immediately gave the alarm.
No sooner did the party arise and show themselves, than the crew ofthe Swash gave three cheers. By the aid of the glass, Spike doubtlessrecognised their persons, and the fact was announced to the men, byway of stimulating their exertions. This gave an additional spur to themovements of those on the rock, who hastened into their own boat, andmade sail as soon as possible.
It was far easier to do all that has been described, than to determineon the future course. Capture was certain if the fugitives venturedinto the open water, and their only hope was to remain on the reef. Ifchannels for the passage of the boat could be found, escape was highlyprobable, as the schooner’s boat could sail much faster than the brig’sboat could row, fast as Mulford knew the last to be. But the experienceof the morning had told the mate that the rock rose too near thesurface, in many places, for the boat, small as it was, to pass overit; and he must trust a great deal to chance. Away he went, however,standing along a narrow channel, through which the wind just permittedhim to lay, with the sail occasionally shaking.
By this time the Swash had her boat in the water, manned with fourpowerful oars, Spike steering it in his own person. Our young mateplaced Tier in the bows, to point out the deepest water, and kept hissail a rap full, in order to get ahead as fast as possible. Ahead he didget, but it was on a course that soon brought him out in the open waterof the main passage through the reef, leaving Spike materially astern.The latter now rose in his boat, and made a signal with his hat, whichthe boatswain perfectly understood. The latter caused the brig to wareshort round on her heel, and boarded his foretack in chase, hauling upinto the passage as soon as he could again round the reef. Mulford soonsaw that it would never do for him to venture far from the rocks, thebrig going two feet to his one, though not looking quite as high as hedid in the boat. But the Swash had her guns, and it was probable theywould be used rather than he should escape. When distant two hundredyards from the reef, therefore, he tacked. The new course brought thefugitives nearly at right angles to that steered by Spike, who stooddirectly on, as if conscious that, sooner or later, such a rencountermust occur. It would seem that the tide was setting through the passage,for when the boat of Mulford again reached the reef, it was considerablyto windward of the channel out of which she had issued, and opposite toanother which offered very opportunely for her entrance. Into this newchannel, then, the mate somewhat blindly ran, feeling the necessity ofgetting out of gun-shot of the brig at every hazard. She at least couldnot follow him among the rocks, let Spike, in his boat, proceed as hemight.
According to appearances, Spike was not likely to be very successful.He was obliged to diverge from his course, in order to go into the mainpassage at the very point where Mulford had just before done the samething, and pull along the reef to windward, in order to get into thenew channel, into which the boat he was pursuing had just entered. Thisbrought him not only astern again, but a long bit astern, inasmuch ashe was compelled to make the circuit described. On he went, however, aseager in the chase as the hound with his game in view.
Mulford’s boat seemed to fly, and glided ahead at least three feet tothat of Spike’s two. The direction of the channel it was in, brought itpretty close to the wind, but the water was quite smooth, and our matemanaged to keep the sail full, and his little craft at the same timequite near the weatherly side of the rocks. In the course of ten minutesthe fugitives were fully a mile from the brig, which was unable tofollow them, but kept standing off and on, in the main passage, waitingthe result. At one time Mulford thought the channel would bring him outinto open water again, on the northern side of the reef, and more thana mile to the eastward of the point where the ship-channel in which theSwash was plying commenced; but an accidental circumstance prevented hisstanding in far enough to ascertain the fact. That circumstance was asfollows:
In running a mile and a half over the reef, in the manner described,Mulford had left the boat of Spike quite half a mile astern. He wasnow out of gun-shot from the brig, or at least beyond the range of hergrape, the only missile he feared, and so far to windward that he kepthis eye on every opening to the southward, which he fancied might allowof his making a stretch deeper into the mazes of the reef, among whichhe believed it easiest for him to escape, and to weary the oarsmen ofhis pursuers. Two or three of these openings offered as he glided along,but it struck him that they all looked so high that the boat would notlay through them--an opinion in which he was right. At length he cameabreast of one that seemed straight and clear of obstacles as far ashe could see, and through which he might run with a flowing sheet. Downwent his helm, and about went his boat, running away to the southward asfast as ever.
Had Spike followed, doubled the same shoal, and kept away again in thesame channel as had been done by the boat he chased, all his hopes ofsuccess must have vanished at once. This he did not attempt, therefore;but, sheering into one of the openings which the mate had rejected, hecut off quite half a mile in his distance. This was easy enough for himto accomplish, as a row-boat would pull even easier, near to the wind,than with the wind broad on its bow. In consequence of this short cut,therefore, Spike was actually crossing out into Mulford’s new channel,just as the latter had handsomely cleared the mouth of the openingthrough which he effected his purpose.
It is scarcely necessary to say that the two boats must have been for afew minutes quite near to each other; so near, indeed, did the fugitivesnow pass to their pursuers, that it would have been easy for themto have conversed, had they been so disposed. Not a word was spoken,however, but Mulford went by, leaving Spike about a hundred yardsastern. This was a trying moment to the latter, and the devil temptedhim to seek his revenge. He had not come unarmed on his enterprise, butthree or four loaded muskets lay in the stern-sheets of his yawl. Helooked at his men, and saw that they could not hold out much longer topull as they had been pulling. Then he looked at Mulford’s boat, and sawit gliding away from him at a rate that would shortly place it anotherhalf mile in advance. He seized a musket, and raised it to his shoulder,nay, was in the act of taking aim at his mate, when Rose, who watchedhis movements, threw herself before Harry, and if she did not actuallysave his life, at least prevented Spike’s attempt on it for thatoccasion. In the course of the next ten minutes the fugitives had againso far gained on their pursuers, that the latter began to see that theirefforts were useless. Spike muttered a few bitter curses, and told hismen to lay on their oars.
“It’s well for the runaway,” he added, “that the gal put herself betweenus, else would his grog have been stopped for ever. I’ve long suspectedthis; but had I been sure of it, the Gulf Stream would have had thekeeping of his body, the first dark night we were in it together. Layon your oars, men, lay on your oars; I’m afeared the villian will getthrough our fingers, a’ter all.”
The men obeyed, and then, for the first time, did they turn their heads,to look at those they had been so vehemently pursuing. The other boatwas quite half a mile from them, and it had again tacked. This lastoccurrence induced Spike to pull slowly ahead, in quest of another shortpassage to cut the fugitives off; but no such opening offered.
“There he goes about again, by George!” exclaimed Spike. “Give way,lads--give way; an easy stroke, for if he is embayed, he can’t escapeus!”
Sure enough, poor Mulford _was_ embayed, and could see no outlet bywhich to pass ahead. He tacked his boat two or three times, and he woreround a
s often; but on every side shoals, or rocks that actually roseabove the surface of the water, impeded his course. The fact was not tobe concealed; after all his efforts, and so many promises of success,not only was his further progress ahead cut off, but equally so wasretreat. The passage was not wide enough to admit the hope of getting byhis pursuers, and the young man came to the conclusion that his bettercourse was to submit with dignity to his fate. For himself he hadno hope--he knew Spike’s character too well for that; but he did notapprehend any great immediate danger to his companions. Spike had acoarse, brutal admiration for Rose! but her expected fortune, which wasbelieved to be of more amount than was actually the case, was a sort ofpledge that he would not willingly put himself in a situation that wouldprevent the possibility of enjoying it. Strange, hurried, and somewhatconfused thoughts passed through Harry Mulford’s mind, as he brailed hissail, and waited for his captors to approach and take possession of hisboat and himself. This was done quietly, and with very few words on thepart of Spike.
Mulford would have liked the appearance of things better had his oldcommander cursed him, and betrayed other signs of the fury that wasboiling in his very soul. On the contrary, never had Stephen Spikeseemed more calm, or under better self-command. He smiled, and salutedMrs. Budd, just as if nothing unpleasant had occurred, and alluded tothe sharpness of the chase with facetiousness and seeming good-humour.The females were deceived by this manner, and hoped, after all, that theworst that would happen would be a return to their old position onboard the Swash. This was being so much better off than their horriblesituation on the wreck, that the change was not frightful to them.
“What has become of the schooner, Mr. Mulford?” asked Spike, as theboats began to pass down the channel to return to the brig--two of theSwash’s men taking their seats in that which had been captured, alongwith their commander, while the other two got a tow from the use of thesail. “I see you have the boat here that we used alongside of her, andsuppose you know something of the craft itself.”
“She capsized with us in a squall,” answered the mate, “and we only leftthe wreck this morning.”
“Capsized!--hum--that was a hard fate, to be sure, and denotes badseamanship. Now I’ve sailed all sorts of craft these forty years, orfive-and-thirty at least, and never cap-sized anything in my life. Standby there for’ard to hold on by that rock.”
A solitary cap of the coral rose above the water two or three feet,close to the channel, and was the rock to which Spike alluded. It wasonly some fifty feet in diameter, and of an oval form, rising quiteabove the ordinary tides, as was apparent by its appearance. It isscarcely necessary to say it had no other fresh water than that whichoccasionally fell on its surface, which surface being quite smooth,retained very little of the rain it received. The boat was soonalongside of this rock, where it was held broadside-to by the twoseamen.
“Mr. Mulford, do me the favour to step up here,” said Spike, leading theway on to the rock himself. “I have a word to say to you before we geton board the old Molly once more.”
Mulford silently complied, fully expecting that Spike intended to blowhis brains out, and willing the bloody deed should be done in a way tobe as little shocking to Rose as circumstances would allow. But Spikemanifested no such intention. A more refined cruelty was uppermostin his mind; and his revenge was calculated, and took care to fortifyitself with some of the quibbles and artifices of the law. He might notbe exactly right in his legal reservations, but he did not the less relyon their virtue.
“Hark’e, Mr. Mulford,” said Spike, sharply, as soon as both were on therock, “you have run from my brig, thereby showing your distaste for her;and I’ve no disposition to keep a man who wishes to quit me. Here youare, sir, on _terrum firm,_ as the scholars call it; and here you havemy full permission to remain. I wish you a good morning, sir; and willnot fail to report, when we get in, that you left the brig of your ownpleasure.”
“You will not have the cruelty to abandon me on this naked rock, CaptainSpike, and that without a morsel of food, or a drop of water.”
“Wather is a blessed thing!” exclaimed Biddy. “Do not think of lavin’the gentleman widout wather.”
“You left _me,_ sir, without food or water, and you can fit out your ownrock--yes, d--e, sir, you left me _under fire,_ and that is a thing notrue-hearted man would have thought of. Stand by to make sail, boys; andif he offer to enter the boat, pitch him out with the boat-hooks.”
Spike was getting angry, and he entered the boat again, withoutperceiving that Rose had left it. Light of foot, and resolute of spirit,the beautiful girl, handsomer than ever perhaps, by her excited feelingsand dishevelled hair, had sprung on the rock, as Spike stepped intothe boat forward, and when the latter turned round, after looseningthe sail, he found he was drifting away from the very being who wasthe object of all his efforts. Mulford, believing that Rose was tobe abandoned as well as himself, received the noble girl in his arms,though ready to implore Spike, on his knees, to return and at leastto take her off. But Spike wanted no solicitation on that point. Hereturned of his own accord, and had just reached the rock again when areport of a gun drew all eyes toward the brig.
The Swash had again run out of the passage, and was beating up, closeto the reef as she dared to go, with a signal flying. All the seamen atonce understood the cause of this hint. The strange sail was getting toonear, and everybody could see that it was the sloop-of-war. Spike lookedat Rose, a moment, in doubt. But Mulford raised his beloved in his arms,and carried her to the side of the rock, stepping on board the boat.
Spike watched the movements of the young man with jealous vigilance, andno sooner was Rose placed on her seat, than he motioned significantly tothe mate to quit the boat.
“I cannot and will not voluntarily, Captain Spike,” answered Harry,calmly. “It would be committing a sort of suicide.”
A sign brought two of the men to the captain’s assistance. While thelatter held Rose in her place, the sailors shoved Harry on the rockagain. Had Mulford been disposed to resist, these two men could not veryeasily have ejected him from the boat, if they could have done it atall; but he knew there were others in reserve, and feared that bloodmight be shed, in the irritated state of Spike, in the presence of Rose.While, therefore, he would not be accessary to his own destruction, hewould not engage in what he knew would prove not only a most harassing,but a bootless resistance. The consequence was that the boats proceeded,leaving him alone on the rock.
It was perhaps fortunate for Rose that she fainted. Her conditionoccupied her aunt and Biddy, and Spike was enabled to reach his brigwithout any further interruption. Rose was taken on board still nearlyinsensible, while her two female companions were so much confused anddistressed, that neither could have given a reasonably clear account ofwhat had just occurred. Not so with Jack Tier, however. That singularbeing noted all that passed, seated in the eyes of the boat, awayfrom the confusion that prevailed in its stern-sheets, and apparentlyundisturbed by it.
As the party was sailing back toward the brig, the lighthouse boattowing the Swash’s yawl, Jack took as good an observation of thechannels of that part of the reef as his low position would allow. Hetried to form in his mind a sort of chart of the spot, for, from theinstant Mulford was thus deserted, the little fellow had formed a sternresolution to attempt his rescue. How that was to be done, however, wasmore than he yet knew; and when they reached the brig’s side, Tier maybe said to have been filled with good intentions, rather than with anyvery available knowledge to enable him to put them in execution.
As respects the two vessels, the arrival of Spike on board his ownwas not a moment too soon. The Poughkeepsie, for the stranger to thenorthward was now ascertained to be that sloop-of-war, was within longgun-shot by this time, and near enough to make certain, by means ofher glasses, of the character of the craft with which she was closing.Luckily for the brig she lay in the channel so often mentioned, andthrough which both she and her present pursuer had so lately come, ontheir way to
the northward. This brought her to windward, as the windthen stood, with a clear passage before her. Not a moment was lost. Nosooner were the females sent below, than sail was made on the brig, andshe began to beat through the passage, making long legs and short ones.She was chased, as a matter of course, and that hard, the difference insailing between the two crafts not being sufficiently great to renderthe brigantine’s escape by any means certain, while absolutely withinthe range of those terrible missiles that were used by the man-of-war’smen.
But Spike soon determined not to leave a point so delicate as that ofhis own and his vessel’s security to be decided by a mere superiority inthe way of heels. The Florida Reef, with all its dangers, windings,and rocks, was as well known to him as the entrances to the port of NewYork. In addition to its larger channels, of which there are three orfour, through which ships of size can pass, it had many others thatwould admit only vessels of a lighter draught of water. The brig was notflying light, it is true, but she was merely in good ballast trim, andpassages would be available to her, into which the Poughkeepsie wouldnot dare to venture. One of these lesser channels was favourably placedto further the escape of Spike, and he shoved the brig into it after thestruggle had lasted less than an hour. This passage offered a shortercut to the south side of the reef than the main channel, and thesloop-of-war, doubtless perceiving the uselessness of pursuit, undersuch circumstances, wore round on her heel, and came down through themain channel again, just entering the open water, near the spot wherethe schooner had sunk, as the sun was setting.
Jack Tier; Or, The Florida Reef Page 9
