A Runaway Brig; Or, An Accidental Cruise

by James Otis

  CHAPTER X.

  AGROUND.

  As may be imagined, Jim felt very wide awake when he staggered to hisfeet, after being thrown so violently against Walter that both rolled tothe floor, and his first thought was that all the trouble had originatedin the engine-room.

  The escaping steam enveloped both brig and tug in a fog-like vapor sodense as to be almost stifling, and for several moments it wasimpossible to distinguish objects a dozen feet distant.

  That the old sailor had gained the Bonita's deck with wonderful celeritycould be told from the shouts of inquiry which he uttered in rapidsuccession; and before the first bewilderment, caused by the shock, hadpassed away, Jim was outside the pilot-house trying to answer thequestions.

  "Steamer ahoy! What's the matter?" Bob shouted.

  "I don't know; but it seems as if the tug has exploded somewhere!"

  "That can't be if she's still afloat," Bob cried testily, and from thesound of his voice Jim knew he was making his way toward the rail.

  "I must have fallen asleep for a second, an' was awakened by bein'knocked down," Jim said penitently.

  At that instant a dark figure could be seen coming from the engine-room,and a faint voice cried:

  "One of the boiler-tubes blew out when we struck the rock. Somebody musthelp draw the fires, for I'm burned pretty bad about the arms and face."

  "Struck a rock?" Bob shouted fiercely, as he made his way toward Joe,who had retreated aft to free his lungs of the deadly vapor. "Are weaground, Jim?"

  "Not that I know of," the young fisherman replied in a tone ofbewilderment. "My eyes couldn't have been shut more'n a minute; an'there was nothin' in sight when I closed 'em."

  "Get out the lead-line while I see if Joe is hurt very much."

  The steam was yet pouring from the engine-room in such volumes as toprevent a view from either side, and Jim groped his way to the brig,Walter following close at his heels like one dazed. Master Libbyremembered having seen the lead-line under the port rail forward, andbut a short search was necessary to find it. Fully expecting they wereyet in deep water, he reeled off twenty fathoms or more before casting,and to his surprise the greater portion remained on the rail instead ofslipping through his fingers.

  "Why, we're--we're on a shoal!" he stammered as he pulled in the corduntil the weight could be felt. "There isn't much more than two fathomsout."

  "An' as the brig don't draw less'n fourteen or fifteen feet, we cancount on your havin' slept pretty nigh through the whole watch!" Bobsaid sharply.

  Jim made no reply. He realized now that his eyes must have been closedmany minutes instead of one, and was well aware that all which hadhappened was the result of his own carelessness.

  "I'm in for it now," he whispered disconsolately to Walter. "Even if Bobdon't use up a rope's end on my back I'll know that by goin' to sleepI've shut off our chances of gettin' home."

  "I must be just as much to blame as you," Walter replied, in a tremblingvoice. "My business was to stand watch, and the very first thing I didwas to go to sleep."

  "But I had the helm, you see, an' oughter kept the sharpest lookout. Iwish Bob would turn to an' give me the worst whalin' I ever got, 'causeit seems as if it might make me feel better."

  "Can't we get the brig off somehow?" Walter asked with a sob.

  "Seein's how the crew's so slim it don't seem very likely, an' everybodywill say I cast 'em away when we was sure of gettin' home."

  "They'll have to say the same of me," Walter added, as if this thoughtmight give his companion some consolation. "Let's go an' have it outright away."

  With clasped hands the two boys walked aft, fully expecting to receive aterrible punishment for their almost criminal carelessness; but noblows, however severe, could have caused as much pain as was already intheir hearts.

  Time was too precious just then for the old sailor to spend any with theauthors of this last trouble, even had he been so disposed. Matters inthe engine-room required immediate attention, and Joe was ready toventure amid the scalding vapor once more; therefore he followed, torender all possible assistance.

  "Bend your head low, and keep this bit of waste over your mouth," theengineer said, thrusting a roll of cotton-threads in the sailor's handas he went below.

  The engine-room was filled with steam, to breathe which would be severeagony, if not death; but neither of the brave fellows faltered. Bykeeping their faces covered as much as possible they were able tocontinue on, groping their way amid what would have seemed like a densefog but for the intense heat, while the roaring of steam as it escapedgave warning of further disaster if precautionary measures were muchlonger delayed.

  Bob was unfamiliar with the interior of the tug; therefore it wasnecessary the engineer should lead the way, and after no slight troublethey succeeded in reaching the boiler from which the vapor was pouringin clouds.

  The most important work was to draw the fires, and by following Joe'sexample Bob so far aided in this that five minutes later the glowingcoals were in the ash-pan or strewn on the cement flooring immediatelyin front of the furnace door.

  Short though this time was, it seemed very long in such a place, and tenseconds after the task had been accomplished the two were leaning overthe rail aft, drinking in long draughts of pure, cool air.

  When they had recovered from the effects of the heat sufficiently to payattention to their surroundings, it was possible to see where Jim'scarelessness had brought the brig and tug. The steam had thinned downuntil it hardly obstructed their view, and at the same time day had beenapproaching so rapidly that near-by objects could be plainlydistinguished.

  The brig was on a level keel in the cove of a small island, or key, thelow-lying land, which was covered with luxuriant vegetation, hardly morethan three hundred yards distant in either direction. Had Jim tried tosteer her into this sheltered spot he could not have done it moreexactly; and the fact that she would lie there without thumping, exceptwhen the wind blew from the east, was the only bit of comfort Bob couldextract from the situation.

  The boys were on the Bonita's forecastle silently gazing at the oddfoliage everywhere around, while Joe and the old sailor stood on theafter deck of the tug, the latter saying, as he concluded a long surveyof the scene:

  "It might be worse, for a fact; but I reckon both crafts will be tied uphere till we're sick of lookin' at mangrove trees."

  "Where do you suppose we are?" Joe asked.

  "This must be some part of the Bahamas. Look at the keys all around.There is but one other place anywhere near the spot we oughter be whichshows up like it, an' that is the Florida reefs. We couldn't a' madethem without sightin' Cuba or the Bahamas, consequently we must befurther to the nor'ard."

  "Should we be near any seaport?"

  "Nassau is somewhere about; but it may be two or three hundred milesaway, an' seein's how I can't take an observation, we wouldn't knowwhether it was north or south. Did you get burned very bad?"

  "I thought so at first," Joe replied with a laugh; "but I guess it'sonly skin deep--more painful than serious."

  "You got out of it luckily; how can the engine be patched up again?"

  "If no more damage has been done than the blowing out of a tube I willsoon have it in working order."

  "We'll get something to eat, and then see what's to be done. Jim!" headded, raising his voice, "cook the best breakfast you know how, to makeup for this mess you've brought us into."

  Master Libby, who had been expecting a sound rating at the very least,because of his carelessness, was so thoroughly surprised at the friendlytone that he lost no time in obeying this order, and, as a partialatonement for his misdeeds, prepared a meal which in quantity andvariety would have been sufficient for twenty hungry men.

  The sorrow which all hands felt because of the disaster did not preventthem from doing full justice to the unskillfully prepared food, and thetable had been relieved of a large portion of its burden before anyattempt at conversation was made.

  "While you're see
in' how much damage has been done to the tug, me an'the boys will get an anchor out aft so's the brig can't work furtherinshore." Bob said to the engineer. "If you can get up steam, an' thetug's afloat, it oughtn't take very long to pull us off this sand-bank."

  "So far as I know it's only a case of blowing out one of the tubes," Joereplied.

  "Can it be fixed without much work?"

  "Yes, by driving in a piece of soft wood to hold the steam; but ofcourse it'll make no end of bother until it is repaired properly. For ajob like pulling the Bonita off the mud a plug will be as serviceable asa new tube, which can't be had until we reach some port."

  "Then you're to find out exactly what's needed, an' after the brig is indeep water agin we can lay here a day or two to get things ship-shape.Perhaps some craft will come in sight, an' we'll be able to find outjust where we are."

  "I'll let you know----"

  Joe stopped speaking suddenly as what sounded very like a human voicerang out on the still air, and in obedience to his gesture all listenedintently until it was repeated.

  "Brig ahoy! ahoy!"

  Bob actually looked alarmed. He had believed the key to be uninhabited,and, knowing there was no craft in sight when they came below, all hissuperstitious fears were aroused by the cry. Just for an instant hehesitated, as if not daring to go on deck, and then ran up thecompanion-ladder, closely followed by the remainder of the party.

  Surely there was nothing in that which met their gaze to cause alarm. Onthe shore stood three men, and when the old sailor made his appearanceone of them repeated the hail.

  "Ahoy on shore," he replied.

  "Send a boat, will you? Our craft went away leaving us here, and we'vebeen cooped up on this island nearly a week."

  "It won't do much good for us to take you aboard. We're hard and fastaground."

  "Somethin' to eat is what we're wantin' pretty bad," the man on shorecried; and Bob said, as he turned to Joe:

  "I reckon we oughter go after 'em; but somehow I don't jes' believe hisyarn."

  "Why not?"

  "'Cause there's no reason why an honest vessel would stop here longenough for her crew to go ashore; an' then, agin, they haven't got asailor cut about 'em."

  Having thus given words to his suspicions, Bob set about lowering theTrade Wind's yawl with as much alacrity as if some one in sore distressstood in need of their services, and five minutes later he and Joe wererowing ashore.

  The strangers stepped into the boat the instant her bow grated on thesand with the air of persons who are conferring rather than receiving afavor, and making no attempt to push the craft into deep water.

  "It's a sailor's rule for the last aboard to shove off," Bob said withjust a shade of anger in his tone, and the man in the bow leaped ashoreto perform that duty, after which the yawl was pulled toward the brig.

  The three boys were standing at the rail forward watching all whichoccurred, but saying nothing until the boat was near enough to admit oftheir seeing the strangers clearly. Then Jim whispered:

  "That's what I call a mighty hard-lookin' crowd, an' I don't wonder Bobsays they haven't got the sailor cut. I wouldn't like to meet either oneof 'em alone in the dark."

  Two of the three strangers appeared to be Americans, but of adisagreeable type, while the third was unmistakably a Mexican; and itwas this last upon whom Jim looked with the most suspicion.

  There was no further opportunity for him to criticise them, however,since the boat was rapidly approaching the brig, and Bob had alreadyshouted:

  "Heave that gangway-ladder over, an' then set about gettin' up anotherbreakfast."

  The first order was quickly obeyed, and Jim went into the galley tocomply with the second as the new-comers stepped on board and haltednear the mainmast to gaze curiously around, as if taking a mentalinventory of the brig's general condition.