CHAPTER II
CARRIED AWAY TO SEA
As the big, black hull of the steamer crashed into the sail boat, a loudshout went up from her deck. The note of fright in it penetrated eventhrough the shrieks of the gale.
"Boat under our starboard bow, sir--we've run her down."
The warning shout and the cry that announced the disaster werepunctuated only by a breath. Then followed a babel of orders and thequick clanging of signal bells in the engine room. The sudden churningof the screws in the angry waters told that the steamer's engines werereversed.
A man rushed out of the cabin and took a commanding place on thesteamer's bridge.
"Where did she go down?" he shouted in the ear of the mate, who clung tothe rail and peered back into the darkness.
"About a hundred feet aft, sir," the man answered, pointing into theblackness that enveloped the steamer.
"Lower the port lifeboat," shouted the newcomer on the scene to the menwho were collected on the forward deck.
He darted back toward the cabin as he spoke and the sound of creakingropes told that his orders were being rapidly carried out.
"The boat will never live in this sea," shouted the mate.
The man turned at the cabin door with a scowl.
"You heard my orders," he said, sharply. "There are lives to be savedand it is not a question whether the boat will live. We will make herlive. Call for volunteers if the men have any scruples about trustingthemselves with me, but get the boat into the water at once. Everyminute counts."
He was gone but a second and emerged from the cabin in a heavy suit ofoilskins. He sprang nimbly down the companionway to the deck.
"Who goes with me in the boat?" he shouted to the assembled crew.
"I, sir, and I," cried the men in chorus, all anxious to be in the boatwith their commander.
"You, and you, and you," he shouted, as he designated six men with aquick movement of his forefinger. The men tumbled over the side into theboat that was tossing like a cockle shell in the waves that threatenedto dash her to pieces against the big steamer. The captain slipped overthe side and took his place in the stern. It was a difficult task to getthe boat safely off, but it was finally accomplished by skill andstrength; and as she rode away from the side on the top of a nastyroller she was greeted with a cheer from the disappointed men who hadbeen left behind and who longed to be with their commander in hisperilous undertaking.
As they rowed away from the steamer there was no sign in the darkness ofthe little boat they had run down, but the man at the tiller steered asdeterminedly as if he knew for just what point in the blackness he washeaded. With his head bent slightly forward and his big body swayingwith the rock and pitch of the lifeboat he kept his eyes fixed straightahead.
Suddenly he half rose in the tossing boat and shouted to the rowers, whowere bending their backs to the oars that every now and then would sinkdeep into a towering wave and the next instant swing viciously throughthe air as the boat rolled up on the crest of a big billow.
"Steady all," he called in a deep growl. "Now hold her."
The men dug their oars into the tumbling sea in an effort to bring theboat to a standstill, but the waves caught her and hurried her on. Thesailors caught a fleeting glimpse in the darkness of the bottom of anupturned boat to which three boys were clinging. The man at the tillerswung the boat's head around as they swept by and, caught broadside onby a big wave, she rolled for a moment as if she was about to capsize.But the trained sailors held stoutly to the leeward oars, and the boatrighted herself and rose like a cork on the wave and settled down soclose to the wrecked yacht that the man in the stern leaned over andtossed the end of a rope beyond the heads of the boys.
"Catch it and make fast to something," he cried, as the rope fell. "Wecannot get any closer to you without smashing this boat. Jump!"
* * * * *
When Harry came to the surface after the collision he found that he wasnot hurt and, shaking his head like a dog, he prepared to make a fightfor his life against the sea. His first thought was of his companions,but it was impossible to tell what their fate had been. It took all hisstrength to battle with the waves and keep himself afloat. Now and then,as he was carried helplessly to the crest of a big billow, he tried topeer into the darkness that surrounded him. He could see nothing butempty blackness. It was impossible to swim, had he known in whichdirection to head. All he could do was to husband his strength to keepon the surface and to breast and rise with each wave that passed underhim.
He knew it would be useless to shout, for his voice was weak from hisexertions and could not be heard above the howling of the wind and thelash of the sea. He could faintly hear the commotion on the steamer andsee the lights from her portholes when she rode a high wave. But he hadno hope that any boat that might be lowered could reach him in that sea.
Once he thought he heard faint cries for help near him, and as he sankinto the trough of a sea, a black mass swept by him. He groped wildly toreach it and his hand touched a dangling rope. He seized it with thefrenzy of a drowning man and the next instant had pulled himselfalongside of what proved to be the wreck of the yacht. He draggedhimself up and threw his arms over the keel and for the first time sincehe had been swept under the surface of the water drew a long breath. Thetouch of something solid in that angry sea put new life into him and heshouted feebly for very joy.
An answering cry, weak as his own, came from the other side of the wreckand he saw two heads just above the line of the keel. Bert and Mason hadalso been fortunate enough to reach the upturned half of the boat, andfor a time at least all were saved from the maw of the sea.
Just then the lifeboat reached them and the rope cast by the captain'sstrong hand fell over their heads. Harry caught it and managed to makeit fast to a ring bolt. Then without hesitation the boys one by onedropped off into the water and half swimming and half draggingthemselves by the rope, made their way from the wreck to the lifeboatinto which they were pulled by strong hands. As soon as they weredragged aboard, the boys sank to the bottom of the boat exhausted.
"How many of you were there?" asked the captain, as the last of thethree boys was pulled into the boat.
"Only three," answered Harry, weakly.
"All right, then," said the captain, with a tone of relief in his voice,"You are all accounted for. Pull men."
By the time they reached the steamer the boys had revived and were ableto scramble up the rope-ladder that was lowered over the side. Thecaptain was the last to go aboard. As he reached the deck he looked atthe bedraggled youngsters with a good-natured smile.
"Better come below and get on some dry clothes," he said, as he noddedhis head to the mate on the bridge.
The bells in the engine-room jingled and the big steamer began to forgeahead again into the storm as if nothing had happened to delay hervoyage. The drenched boys gladly followed the captain into his cabin. Hewas a man of enormous build, big-boned and muscular. His head wascovered with a mass of curling blond hair and his face was clean-shaven.As he threw off his oilskins and tossed them into a corner of the cabinthe boys saw to their astonishment that he wore a fashionable suit ofsummer flannels and a handsome negligee shirt. His trousers, which wereturned up at the bottom in the latest mode, were suspended by a fancyleather belt and his feet were encased in low tan shoes. He looked likethe owner of a yacht off on a summer pleasure cruise, but to the eye ofthe veriest land lubber it would be at once apparent that the steamerwhich he commanded was not a yacht. He was about thirty years old andcarried his size and weight with an ease that showed the training of anathlete.
After he had thrown aside his oilskins, he began to rummage through abig chest and finally threw out a lot of old togs for the inspection ofhis involuntary guests.
"Good deal like a Baxter Street fit, I guess," he said, laughing. Therewas just a touch of brogue in his voice. "Never mind. Chuck off the wetones. These will have to do until we can get the others dried in th
eengine-room. Roll up the trousers and sleeves and look out that I don'ttread on the tails of your coats."
The boys were glad to get out of their wet and chilled clothing andneeded no second invitation. They were a funny looking trio when theyhad rigged themselves out in the captain's duds. The sleeves of theMidget's coat hung to the ground and his trousers' legs doubled up twicebefore he could walk. Harry was the tallest of the three and yet thecaptain's clothes hung on him like a sack on a pole.
"Now I'll bet you are hungry," said the captain as he surveyed the boyswith a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "What do you say to a cup ofhot coffee and bite of biscuit? This ship is no hotel, as you will findbefore you get through with her. Nothing better in the cabin than in thefo'c'sel. But we have plenty of the sort we have and as often as we wantit."
He stepped to the door of the cabin as he spoke and called to a man ondeck:
"Send the cook aft."
"Aye, aye, sir," came an answering shout through the howling of thewind. Presently another man appeared in the doorway and stoodrespectfully awaiting orders.
"Cook, have these clothes taken to the engine-room to dry and then bringus a pot of coffee and some biscuits. And serve coffee to the men onwatch--it is a nasty night."
"Aye, aye, sir," answered the man cheerily. It was plain the men wereglad to serve their captain.
In a short time the boys were sitting around the small table in thecabin eagerly discussing the coffee and hardtack as if it had been themost delicious repast.
A remark made by the captain had stuck in Harry's mind, and he took thefirst opportunity to put the question that was bothering him.
"Where are you going to land us, captain?"
The big man leaned back in his chair and laughed long and loud. The boyslooked at him in surprise. It was not an agreeable laugh although therewas no ill-humor in it.
"What in thunder does he see to laugh at?" whispered Bert to Harry in adisgusted tone.
"Wait, we shall find out in good time."
"We should like to be put ashore at Cottage City, if you please,"continued Harry, ignoring the captain's merriment, "but if that is toomuch out of your way, Nantucket will do and we can take the boat home inthe morning."
Again the captain went off into a paroxysm of laughter. The peals ofloud guffaws grated on the ears of the anxious boys.
"He can't be a bad man at heart," whispered Mason to Harry, "or hewouldn't have taken so much trouble and run so much risk to pick us upafter his steamer ran us down."
"No, I don't understand it. I feel as if I were being kidnapped," saidBert.
Presently the captain's fit of humor passed and his face became seriousagain.
"Boys," he said, "I shall have to ask you to take things as they are andask no questions. You are my guests. Do not worry."
"But, captain, we must get home," said Mason petulantly.
The man smiled at the speaker.
"I hope we will all get home sometime," he said, quietly.
"You speak as if there were some doubt about it," said Harry quickly.
"There is," answered the captain, slowly.
The boys looked at one another in dismay. What did it mean? Harry wasthe first to recover his composure.
"You surely intend to land somewhere," he said, half questioningly.
"Sure--if we are lucky."
"You mean that this storm is so bad that there is danger we may notweather it?"
Again the captain laughed his big laugh.
"We'll weather this all right. It's only a capful of wind for the old_Mariella_. She has ridden out many a storm that would make this onelook like thirty cents."
"Then if there is no danger from the weather, we demand that you land usat the nearest port."
Harry drew himself up and looked very important as he spoke. The captainonly smiled indulgently.
"You might as well learn at the start, young gentlemen," he saidquietly, "that there is no such word as _demand_ recognized by CaptainDynamite."
"Sounds like a pirate name," whispered the irrepressible Midget, loudenough to be heard by the captain.
"I am something of a pirate," said the big man as if in reply. "Now Iwill be quite frank with you. I shall not make any port except that ofmy destination and that will be, if we have luck, in about six days fromto-night. I am sorry that you will have to remain with me against yourwishes, but you will admit that I am not responsible for your comingaboard. In fact, if you will pardon the allusion to the little accidentback there, you are very lucky to be where you are and not tucked awayin Davy Jones' locker. I shall consider you my guests and you may havethe free run of the ship, but it will be impossible for you to leave ituntil we reach port. Make the best of the situation, boys. It has beenforced on us both."
Harry jumped up impulsively, and held out his hand to the big man acrossthe table.
"Do not think we are ungrateful, sir. We know that we owe our lives toyou and that you risked yours to save us from drowning. But you forgetthat we have folks ashore who will think we are drowned if we cannot getsome word to them."
The big skipper jumped to his feet, grasped Harry's outstretched handand shook it warmly.
"My boy," he said, "it is unfortunate and I regret it as much as you,but it cannot be helped. If we pull through this voyage all right, youwill be able to get a message to your folks in the course of two weeks.Now, it is pretty well into the night and I must go on deck for the lastwatch, so you had better turn in."
As he spoke, the captain opened a door that led off the cabin anddisclosed a room as large as an ordinary stateroom with two berths oneach side.
"Here are four bunks. Turn in and sleep well. By the way, begin to feelany little qualms at the stomach yet?"
The steamer, while like a house in comparison with the small boat inwhich they had been tossed about, was still rolling and heaving in theheavy seas with which she was battling. But the boys were all goodsailors and none of them felt anything like an attack of seasickness.
Harry, whose anxiety for the worry and pain which his absence wouldcause those on shore, could not get off his mind the subject, and in apersistent way returned to it like a terrier to a bone.
"Well, captain," he said, "admitting that for some reason which you donot care to tell us, it is impossible for you to land until the end ofyour voyage; will it not be possible to hail some passing vessel andsend a message back that we are safe and sound?"
The captain's face darkened, and a look such as the boys had not seenthere before, spread over his countenance. Instinctively they fell backfrom him in his anger.
"I have told you that the situation cannot be remedied. Let us notdiscuss the matter further. You are my guests. Do not force me to makeyou my prisoners."
A Voyage with Captain Dynamite Page 2
