The Light Keepers: A Story of the United States Light-house Service

by Roy J. Snell

  CHAPTER XIII.

  A DISABLED CREW.

  The tears nearly blinded the lad as he lighted the lamp, started theclock, and watched to make certain it was running smoothly. Then heraised the wick until the flame was of the same size as Captain Eph hadsaid was required to get the greatest amount of light without danger ofsmoke, and, closing the door of the lantern softly lest the echoesshould be aroused, crept down to the kitchen.

  Here he lighted a small lamp; raked out the ashes from the fire, put onfresh coal, and then stood in the middle of the room asking himself ifit was possible he could stay there alone all night.

  "That's a foolish question," he said, speaking aloud as if to hear thesound of his own voice. "I've _got_ to stay, because I couldn't go awayif I was willing to leave the light alone. It isn't likely any of themwill be back before morning, and I'd be ashamed to confess that I'd madea baby of myself at a time when it is possible to be of some service tothose who have been so kind to me."

  It was as if this little self-lecture did him good, for his face wasbrighter when he ascended the stairs to make certain the lamp wasburning at its best.

  Then back to the kitchen, where he put the dishes on the table so that ameal might be made ready quickly, if it so chanced that the keeperssucceeded in gaining the ledge before another day had come. The coffeepot, full as when Uncle Zenas left it, was set on the back of the stove,and then he forced himself to eat a little.

  "I'll go into the lantern every half-hour till sunrise," he saidaloud. "There's no danger I shall feel like going to sleep while I'mhere alone, and climbing the stairs so often will take up just so muchof the time."

  As he had said, so he did; but yet the hours passed so slowly that attimes it really seemed as if the hands of the clock stood still. Hetried in vain to read; but the words danced before his eyes, and hefound himself listening to the moaning of the wind, instead of takingheed to that which was before him.

  At eight o'clock it seemed as if the night must have passed, and fromthen until nine, each second was as a minute. It was hardly more thanbed-time; eight more hours must elapse before a new day dawned, andthere would be such a long, dreary time of waiting.

  Then, suddenly, he heard what sounded like a human voice, and he ranswiftly to the door, but paused there, saying to himself it was foolishto allow such ideas to enter his mind, for none save the keepersthemselves would come to that lonely ledge in the night, and it was notpossible they had returned.

  "Ahoy! Sonny! Fetch a lantern!"

  It was Captain Eph's voice, and with a shrill cry of relief and joyfulsurprise, Sidney flung wide open the outer door, letting the lightstream out from the kitchen in rays of welcome.

  "Hello Sonny! Gettin' lonesome, eh? Bring the lantern that's hangin'behind the stove!"

  It seemed to Sidney as if he had never been so clumsy before; twice thematches went out before the wick was lighted, and when he finallysucceeded, he had difficulty in shutting down the globe.

  When it had been made ready he descended the ladder as rapidly aspossible, not stopping for coat or hat; but before gaining the rocksbelow the question came into his mind as to why all hands were remainingat the boat waiting for him to come with a lantern, when one could runher up on the ways without assistance.

  "Did you find him?" Sidney shouted as he scrambled over the jaggedrocks, and Captain Eph replied mournfully:

  "Ay, we've got the poor fellow."

  "What?" and the lad stopped suddenly. "He isn't--isn't--"

  "He's alive, Sonny, an' that's about the best that can be said; but,thank God, we overtook him before it was too late."

  Now it was possible for Sidney to see the apparently lifeless form ofMr. Peters in the bottom of the dory; but before he had time for morethan a passing glance, Captain Eph said softly:

  "Now go ahead of us, Sonny, an' hold the lantern behind you so we cansee our way over the rocks. Walk slowly, son, for we don't dare tohurry."

  Then Captain Eph and Uncle Zenas lifted with womanly tenderness the limpform, and the little procession crept over the ledge, giving due heed totheir steps lest the unconscious man should receive yet further injury.

  It was difficult to carry him up the ladder, and from the kitchen to hisown room; but the task was performed after an expenditure of much time,and when he was lying on his own bed Uncle Zenas said, in a whisper:

  "We'd better give him somethin' hot first, Ephraim. If you'll heat thecoffee, I'll get his clothes off."

  Sidney ran ahead of the keeper, rejoicing because he had made ready forthe home-coming even when it seemed impossible they could get there,and while Captain Eph was pouring out the coffee, he asked:

  "What has happened to him, sir?"

  "That's what we don't jest know, Sonny. We overtook the raft ten milesor more from here, an' poor little Sammy was stretched out at fulllength on it as if he was dead, with the waves washin' clean over himevery now an' then. It didn't take us long to find that there was somelittle life left in his body, an' you can make up your mind that wejumped it to the dory after takin' him aboard, for the only hope offetchin' him around was to get back here. Uncle Zenas an' I were feelin'mighty glum, as you can well guess; but there was a big lot of gladnesscome inter our hearts when we saw the light streamin' out from Carys'Ledge, an' knew that the little shaver we'd left behind was bucklin'right down to duty."

  Having said this, Captain Eph went hurriedly up the stairs with thesmoking-hot coffee, and Sidney said to himself as he put on the tablesuch food as had been cooked for dinner:

  "I'm afraid Captain Eph wouldn't have said quite what he did, if he'dknown how lonesome and discouraged I got because of being alone here onthe reef."

  Not until nearly an hour had passed did either of the keepers comedown-stairs, and then it was Uncle Zenas who entered the kitchen,exclaiming as he saw the preparations for supper:

  "I declare for it, Sonny, you've done the work up in proper shape! Iwouldn't have believed sich a little chap had it in him to look afterthings so well!"

  "Is Mr. Peters any better, sir?" Sidney asked, feeling more than alittle ashamed because of being praised when he believed it was notdeserved.

  "I'm hopin' he is, Sonny. He came to long enough to ask how we knew hewas adrift, an' then it seemed as if he fell off to sleep. Cap'n Eph. issittin' with him so's I can get supper; but, 'cordin' to the looks ofthings, it's already got."

  "Do you think Mr. Peters hurt himself in any way?"

  "It must be, Sonny, else he wouldn't act so kind of queer. All Cap'n Ephan' I can figger out is that he got squeezed in some way between thetimbers of the raft, for it stands to reason he didn't put 'em togethervery carefully. Oh Sonny, Sonny, if only I hadn't refused to give thepoor fellow his breakfast when he asked for it! Somehow I felt lastnight as if it wasn't right for him to go off to the wreck alone, an'when he came down-stairs this mornin' reg'larly achin' to be off, I lostmy temper, an' that's the fact. The worst part of this world is thatafter you say or do anythin' that's wrong or mean, you can't take itback agin! Jest as likely as not he'd be in better shape now, if he'dhad a full stomach when he went away!"

  Uncle Zenas paced to and fro as if in great mental distress, untilCaptain Eph stole softly down the stairs, and said:

  "There's no question but that he's asleep, an' I thought I'd get a cupof coffee, for I'm chilled clean through to the bone. Brace yourself up,Zenas, an' don't take on so 'bout the words you had this mornin'. I'llventure to say that Sammy had forgot all about 'em by the time he wentaboard the wreck."

  Uncle Zenas refused to be comforted for some time; but by alternatelyscolding and coaxing, Captain Eph succeeded in soothing him to such anextent that he finally ate supper, much to Sidney's relief of mind.

  All hands stood watch during the night. Sidney felt positive he couldnot close his eyes in slumber if he went to bed, and Captain Eph did noturge him, understanding full well how the lad felt. Uncle Zenas claimedthat it was his right, because of what had happened in the morning, tosit b
y the side of Mr. Peters, even though it might not be possible todo him any good, and thus it was that the crew remained on dutythroughout the hours of darkness.

  BOON ISLAND.]

  Shortly after midnight, when he and Sidney were in the watch-room alone,Captain Eph told all he knew concerning the accident.

  "When we found Sammy it looked to me as if he was pretty far gone; butyet I took note of everything to be seen, with the hope of gettin' anidee as to how the trouble came about. The top part of the raft was madeof heavy timbers, which appeared as if they'd been thrown there the lastthing because he'd seen that it would be jest as easy to take 'em along,an' he was kind'er between the two biggest. Now it's possible that inmovin' 'round he got jammed badly; but Uncle Zenas claims he tried toswim after the dory an' over-worked himself, though I can't figger itout that way, for if he'd started after the boat he'd most likelydrowned, in case of strainin' himself."

  "Hasn't he said anything since you found him?" Sidney asked when the oldkeeper ceased speaking.

  "Only after we got him into bed. He groaned now an' then in the dory,an' if it hadn't been for that we'd never been able to make out whetherhe was dead or alive. Was you lonesome here all by yourself, Sonny?"

  "Yes, sir, and I made a fool of myself by crying at first. When I gotover that it seemed as if the minutes were as long as hours, and Iwondered how I would get through the night. The worst of it all was thatI didn't believe you could get back to-night, and I knew if a storm cameyou wouldn't be able to land on the ledge."

  "We'll get the storm all right, Sonny, more's the pity, for I made up mymind I'd go ashore for a doctor, providin' Sammy wasn't actin' anydifferent by mornin', if the weather was sich that a boat would livefrom here to the mainland an' back."

  The conversation was interrupted at this point by Uncle Zenas, who cameto report that Mr. Peters had opened his eyes, swallowed a few mouthfulsof coffee, and then, apparently, sank into deep slumber again.

  "I don't like the looks of it," Captain Eph muttered as he rose to hisfeet. "If we only knew what had happened, there'd be some chance ofdoctorin' him up from the medicine chest. Let's take another squint athim, Uncle Zenas."

  Sidney was left alone in the watch-room while the keepers visited thepatient, and, he improved the opportunity by making certain the lamp wasburning brightly, smiling despite his grief as he did so, for either heor one of the keepers had gone into the lantern every ten minutes sinceMr. Peters had been put to bed, whereas, under ordinary circumstances,it was not considered necessary to look at it oftener than once everyhour.

  Shortly after midnight Uncle Zenas prepared a hearty meal, what hecalled "a little snack," and for the first time since breakfast didSidney feel any desire for food.

  It was not yet daylight when the storm broke, not furiously, but withsufficient force to lash the waves into foam, and Captain Eph said withthe air of one who considers himself a weather prophet:

  "I'd rather seen it come on blusterin', for then there'd be a chance ofblowin' itself out quickly; but this one will hang on quite a spell, an'I don't see that Sammy is gettin' any better."

  There was no change in the invalid at sunrise next morning, save that heawakened oftener; but he either could not or would not answer thequestions which were asked of him, and Captain Eph pored over his"Medical Suggestions" in vain for that which might give any light on thematter.

  Sidney sat by Mr. Peters' bedside while Uncle Zenas cooked breakfast andCaptain Eph put the lantern in order, and once he fancied the invalidlooked up and smiled faintly; but the glance of recognition, if therehad been one, faded away so quickly that he could not be positive it wasa reality.

  After the morning tasks had been performed, and the sick man was leftalone while the others ate breakfast, Captain Eph said:

  "It stands to reason that somebody must stay with Sammy a good part ofthe time till he gets better, so we'd better have reg'lar watches,'cause we're bound to get our sleep. Of course Uncle Zenas must be inthe kitchen an hour or more every mornin'. At night, whoever is on dutywill be with the poor fellow, for he can be left long enough at a timeto allow a flyin' visit to the light--"

  "Put Sonny in Sammy's place, an' keep the watches goin' by day the sameas by night," Uncle Zenas interrupted, and thus it was settled, CaptainEph agreeing to stand his first trick in the invalid's room as soon ashe finished breakfast.

  The old keeper did not spend any more time in the kitchen than wasabsolutely necessary; but hurried up-stairs even before his breakfastwas really at an end, for he took a cup of coffee with him, saying as hedid so:

  "I don't feel jest right about leavin' Sammy alone so long, an' I'lldrink this 'ere in his room."

  "Why don't you try to get a little sleep, Sonny?" Uncle Zenas asked whenhe was alone with the lad, and the latter replied:

  "I don't feel sleepy now, sir. Let me do what I can down here, so you'llbe ready to take a turn at watching, and the minute my eyes grow heavy,I'll go to bed."

  "It's astonishin' what a difference there is in boys," the cook saidhalf to himself when Sidney began to sweep the floor. "I allers allowedthat I'd never rest easy with one under foot, an' yet this little shaverdoes his share of the work like a man. I reckon, Sonny," he added,raising his voice a trifle, "that I may as well make a batch ofdoughnuts while I've got the chance, for there's no tellin' when I'llhave so much time on my hands. If it so be you're willin', s'posen youwash the dishes?"

  Sidney was not only willing, but eager, to do a full share of the work,and Uncle Zenas began his task by putting on the stove a kettle in whichwas a goodly quantity of lard, after which he set about mixing thedough.

  The two worked in silence until the cook suddenly exclaimed, as if hismind had been wandering to other subjects than that of the task on hand:

  "I declare if that fat ain't boilin', an' I'm not half ready to use it."

  Rising to his feet after his own clumsy fashion, he lifted the kettle ofhot lard, intending to take it off the stove, when Captain Eph shoutedfrom the head of the stairs in a voice somewhat resembling distantthunder:

  "Glory be to God! Glory be to God! Sammy is sittin' up as pert as achicken!"

  Uncle Zenas started violently at the first outcry, but as the welcometidings came to his ears he half-turned to replace the kettle on thestove, when his knee struck the open oven-door with such force that helurched forward, uttering an exclamation of pain, and in a twinkling theold man was on the floor with the kettle of fat uppermost upon him.

  Sidney heard a shrill cry of mingled fear and pain, and, turningquickly, saw that which terrified him, for he knew full well Uncle Zenasmust be seriously burned.

  Before there was time for the lad to speak, or even make the slightestmove toward offering assistance, that portion of the boiling lard whichhad been spilled upon the stove burst into a flame, and instantly it wasas if the entire kitchen was ablaze.

  "Help! Captain Eph! Everything is on fire, and Uncle Zenas is burnin' todeath!"

  Fortunately Sidney remembered that water would be of no avail at such atime, and even while crying for help he caught up his coat which thecook had made for him, and threw it over Uncle Zenas.

  At the same moment Captain Eph began to descend the iron stairs at thebest possible speed, and, on arriving at the landing immediately overthe kitchen, saw that which caused him to believe the disaster wasfully as great as Sidney had announced. In his eagerness he leaped, hisfeet struck the stair midway from the bottom, and down he came like alog, lying motionless on the floor as if he had been killed.

  "He's dead! He's dead!" Sidney screamed involuntarily in an agony ofterror; but instinctively continuing his efforts to extinguish theflames which seemingly enveloped Uncle Zenas.

  Then occurred that which at any other time would have frightened thelad, even more than the apparently fatal series of accidents; but whichin his terror seemed no more than the natural sequence of events.

  Mr. Peters, clad only in his under-clothes, came down the stairs sorapidly that i
t seemed as if he was sliding instead of running, and ashe appeared Captain Eph staggered to his feet; but only to fall backupon the floor again with a shrill cry of pain.

  Hanging on the wall of the kitchen were the outer garments which CaptainEph and Uncle Zenas had worn when they went in search of the raft, and,gathering these in his arms, Mr. Peters threw them over the prostratecook, smothering the flames, after which he dragged him, with no littledifficulty, away from the stove.

  Sidney was doing all in his power to check the fire which rapidly creptout over the floor, and Mr. Peters shouted as he thus rescued UncleZenas:

  "The flour! The flour, Sonny! Throw it over the fat!"

  The pan in which Uncle Zenas had been mixing the dough was close athand, and Sidney flung its contents upon the blaze, the sweet, stickystuff acting like a blanket on the burning fat, but sending forth dense,stifling clouds of smoke.

  Delaying only sufficiently long to make certain that the cook was nolonger in danger of being burned to death, Mr. Peters ran swiftly to thehead of the stairs, closed the door in the floor, and then darted backto open the windows lest all hands be suffocated.

  In the meanwhile Captain Eph had made several vain efforts to rise, buteach time his left leg bent under him, causing such agony of pain thathe could not repress deep groans, which frightened Sidney almost as muchas had the fire.

  "What is the matter?" the lad cried tremulously, as he knelt by the sideof the keeper, giving no further heed to the possibility that the towermight soon be in flames.

  "I don't know whether my leg is broken or not," the old man replied ashe strove to prevent any sign of suffering from escaping his lips."Don't spend your time on me, Sonny, but fight the fire, else we're alllikely to be burned alive!"

  Until this moment Uncle Zenas had not spoken; but continued to roll overand over on the floor as if suffering severely, and Mr. Peters devotedall his attention to him. Now when Captain Eph gave a decided command,the first assistant set about obeying it, and, with Sidney, laboredfeverishly to extinguish the flames which had already eaten into thefloor and around the window.

  Fresh water was a precious liquid on Carys' Ledge, where the entiresupply must be brought from the mainland; but now it was used freely,and while the two injured men lay upon the floor unable to care forthemselves, the kitchen was literally flooded before the last spark offire had been extinguished.

  Not until then did either Mr. Peters or Sidney give heed to thesuffering keepers, but when the lad and the first assistant would haveattended to Captain Eph, he said hoarsely:

  "Look after Zenas first; his hurts must be worse than mine."

  "How badly off are you?" Mr. Peters asked as he bent over the sufferingman, who was lying in a pool of water, and Uncle Zenas replied, strivingin vain to prevent his voice from trembling:

  "That's what I don't know, Sammy; but it seems as if my legs were onfire."

  "Strip off his clothes, what there is left of 'em, Sammy, an' you set towork, Sonny, scrapin' potatoes till you get enough to cover all theburned flesh," Captain Eph said in a tone of command. "Bring mesomethin' to work with, an' I'll help you."

  All this was done as speedily as possible, and when the partially burnedclothing had been removed from the lower portion of Uncle Zenas' body,it was seen that both legs and feet were seriously injured, the blistersalready beginning to appear.

  As rapidly as the potatoes could be scraped into a thick paste, it wasspread generously over the reddened flesh, and fastened in place by theold linen cloths which had been used for cleaning the lens.

  Nearly an hour was spent in this work, and then the suffering man wasleft on the floor near the window where there was but little water,until the extent of Captain Eph's injuries could be ascertained.

  "I didn't break any bones, that's certain, for I've been feelin' of myleg," the keeper said when Mr. Peters and Sidney knelt by his side; "butI came as near as a man could without splinterin' 'em, an' it looks asif I might be laid up quite a spell."

  He had already taken off his shoe and stocking, exposing to view a limbswollen to fully twice its natural size, and Sidney was filled withwonder because the captain had been able to hide all evidences of thepain from which he was undoubtedly suffering.

  "What shall I do for you, Captain Eph?" Mr. Peters asked helplessly.

  "The only thing I know of is to tie it up in wet cloths, an' when that'sbeen done you two had best get things dried out here, so's you'll have achance to go into the lantern. I'm allowin' that the whole place isfilled with smoke."

  "We won't bother 'bout the light till we get you two fixed up in somekind of decent shape," Mr. Peters said decidedly, as if he consideredhimself in command. "I'll see to your leg while Sonny mops up thewater."

  Then Mr. Peters closed the windows on the easterly side of the tower,through which the moisture-laden snow was driving, and Sidney turned allhis attention to making the room look more habitable.

  "How are you gettin' on, Zenas?" Captain Eph asked as the secondassistant beat his hands together to prevent a cry of pain from escapinghis lips.

  "I'm in misery, Ephraim, clear misery; but I know I've every reason tobe thankful that I wasn't burned worse, an' am tryin' not to show myselfa baby."

  "Don't try, Uncle Zenas," the keeper said, himself striving to chokeback a groan as Mr. Peters jarred the injured limb. "Yell all youwant'er, an' we won't call it babyish, for when a man gets a kettle ofhot fat poured over him he's like to be in a bad way."

  It seemed to Sidney that he had never worked so slowly before, not evenwhile he tried to light the lantern when Mr. Peters was brought home. Hebelieved it in the highest degree necessary that the injured men betaken from the wet floor as speedily as possible, and yet he was makingbut little headway in mopping up the water.

  Mr. Peters worked rapidly and dextrously, apparently in as good bodilycondition as before he went adrift on the raft, and so great was thegeneral excitement and suffering that no one appeared to consider hissudden recovery in any degree odd.

  However clumsy Sidney may have thought himself, his work was finishedwithin a reasonably short time. The floor was freed from water, thepartially burned and saturated garments thrown out of the window, andthe kitchen restored as nearly as possible to its former condition.

  When this had been done Sidney brought from the sleeping rooms aplentiful supply of blankets and pillows, with which two beds could bemade on the floor, and within three hours from the time the accidentsoccurred, the injured keepers had at least the appearance of beingcomfortable.

  "There's nothin' else you two can turn your hands to here yet awhile,an' I _do_ wish you'd go into the lantern. It stands to reason thateverything there is in bad shape, an' the sooner it is set to rights thebetter I'll feel," Captain Eph said in such a tone of entreaty that Mr.Peters and Sidney made all haste to do as he desired.

  As was to be supposed, the smoke had ascended to the very top of thetower; but the lantern was by no means in a bad condition, and the firstassistant said cheerily as he set about wiping the lens:

  "Cap'n Eph hasn't got any great call to worry 'bout this 'ere light. Itwon't take us half an hour to put things in as good shape as they werebefore; but what's worryin' me is how we're to get along while two ofthe crew are laid up for what's likely to be a long spell."