CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
WRECKED.
"How's that, sure?" asked Mrs Gilmour. "It's early yet, for the sun'sstill overhead."
"You forget, ma'am, our old friend up there is rather a late bird atthis time of year," replied the Captain. "He hasn't crossed the lineyet, you know."
"Well, then," argued the good lady, who was sitting at her ease on apile of shawls and wraps, enjoying a second cup of tea which Nell hadjust poured out for her, "where's the hurry?"
"Oh, pray take your time, ma'am, I wouldn't like to hasten yourmovements for worlds, you look so comfortable!" said the old sailorsatirically. "Perhaps you'd allow me to mention, however, just in afriendly way, that it is now half-past five o'clock, and the steamerstarts at six!"
This made Mrs Gilmour jump up so suddenly that she spilt her tea, whichmade them laugh; and all set to work in a merry mood to collect theirtraps for the return journey, the good lady saying she would "neverforgive the Captain" for not telling her the time before.
The coastguardsman had to shoulder the hamper when packed, as well ascarry the empty water-jar; for, both Bob and Dick, whose respectiveburdens these had previously been, had rushed off soon after luncheonand when all interest in making a fire and boiling the kettle hadceased, down to the shore, where presently the truants were discovered.
They were wading in the sea, without their shoes and stockings, in highglee, and hunting amongst the rocks for anemones and corallines for theaquarium, having already nearly filled with specimens Nellie's usefullittle tin bucket, from which her poor nosegay had been ruthlesslyremoved.
"Hullo, you boys!" sang out the Captain on catching sight of them, afterconsulting his watch; "you'll have to come out of that at once. Time'sup, for the steamer will be due in another five minutes. Look sharp!"
"Do stop a moment," answered Bob, just then busy at the base of a rockclose by the pier, which was nearly awash with the incoming tide, "I'vefound such a jolly sea-anemone here. Come and see it, please, Captain."
"Are you sure it's not a weed?" called back the old sailor a trifleimpatiently. "We can't waste any time on rubbish!"
"Of course not; I should think I ought to know an anemone by now, sir!"cried Bob, rather indignant at being supposed capable of making such amistake, albeit his knowledge on the subject, it must be confessed, wasbut slight and only lately acquired. "It is coloured beautifully, andlooks like a purple chrysanthemum."
"By Jove!" exclaimed the Captain, forgetting the steamer and his fatiguealike as he hurried towards the spot where Bob was paddling in the waterand Dick standing close by, bucket in hand. "Why, it's the very thingI've been hunting for, missy, to set off your aquarium."
"Mind you don't get your feet wet!" called out Mrs Gilmour, in greatsolicitude, as he went off in keen ardour to assist the boys in securingthe prize, the good lady adding, as Nellie scampered after him, shecontenting herself with remaining higher up on the shore: "Take care, mydearie! I don't want to have you laid up, with your father and mothercoming down in a few days, when I want you to look your best."
"Never fear, I'll take care of her and myself too!" sang out theCaptain, who by this time, hopping from rock to rock, in which operationhe was closely followed and imitated by the giggling Nellie behind him,had reached the boulder where Bob was. "Keep close to me, missy."
"Don't touch it for a little while, my boy, I want your sister to see itexpanded, and it will close up if you go poking it about. Look, MissNell!" he continued, pointing it out to her with the end of his malaccacane, "The sun is just shining on it through the water, and you can seaits colours of pink, purple, and orange. This is one of the actinea, or`anthozoa,' so-called from two Greek words meaning `living flowers.' Apretty name, missy, isn't it?"
"Yes," said Nellie. "It reminds me of a fairy tale aunt Polly told meof the different flowers in the garden having a party and talkingtogether."
"Precisely, my dear; only the anthozoa can't talk!"
"But, oh, how pretty this sea-anemone is!" cried she in ecstasies, notnoticing his little bit of satire. "It is wonderful!"
"It is, my dear," replied the Captain; "although it's one of thecommonest forms of the actinea family. As Bob said just now, it is verylike a chrysanthemum; and, if anything, more beautiful, which you cansee for yourself before we try to shift its lodging. It is called by afearfully long scientific name, which to my mind does a positive injuryto the poor beast. What do you think of such a jaw-breaker as`mesembryanthemum,' eh?"
"Oh!" ejaculated Nell, "what an awful word! I'm sure I shall never beable to remember it."
"You must, missy, if you want to describe properly the inmates of youraquarium, where this gentleman is now going to make a move for. Now,Bob," went on the Captain, turning round to the boys, who were anxiouslywaiting, all eagerness to commence proceedings, "put that knife ofyours, that you have been brandishing all this time, carefully under thebase of the poor beggar, and try to peel him off, as I see the rock istoo smooth for us to break away. Mind you don't touch the animal withthe sharp point, though; for the slightest scratch will kill him."
Nellie watched Bob with eager attention from the top of the boulder;while Dick held the little tin bucket below the sea-anemone, so as tocatch it as soon as it had been separated from the rock. At the firsttouch of Bob's knife, the anemone shrunk in, showing nothing but a rowof blue turquoise-like beads around its top or mouth; the rest of theanimal appearing to be but a dull lump of jelly, all its vivid coloursand iridescent hues having vanished on the instant of its being assailedby Bob with that formidable weapon of his.
"It's wounded!" cried Nellie impulsively. "Don't hurt it, Bob, poorthing!"
"It's all right, missy," said the Captain, consolingly. "It alwaysshrinks like that when any one interferes with it. But, look sharp,Bob, there's your aunt waving her handkerchief like mad from the pier-head to say that the steamer's coming in; and, by Jove, there she is,rounding the point!"
They did look sharp; the boys, after the anemone was secured, scamperingashore in extra high spirits on account of the old sailor telling themthat they had no time to put their shoes and stockings on, and wouldhave to go on board the _Bembridge Belle_ without them, like a pair ofmudlarks.
The Captain hurried, too, jumping from rock to rock and boulder toboulder, a precaution now even more necessary than before, from the tidehaving risen considerably even during their short delay and being nownearly at the flood.
Sure-footed himself as an old sailor, though holding Nellie's hand toprevent her slipping, he found time, in spite of his hurry, to point outto her, growing on the beach under the low cliff, beyond where thekeeper's lodge stood, a solitary specimen of the "sea cabbage," whosebright yellow flowers and fleshy green leaves, he suggested, would be anaddition to the general effect of her bouquet, which, by the way, MrsGilmour had taken charge of while she went anemone-gathering, after thishad been discarded from the bucket.
"It isn't bad eating, either, when on a pinch for green stuff," addedthe old sailor; "and I've seen boys hawking the plant about for sale atDover. But, let us push ahead, missy--run, boys, run, the steamer'salongside!"
With their shoes and stockings slung over their shoulders, Bob and Dickpattered along the shaky suspension bridge to the pier in advance,making good way in their bare feet; but, old as he was, the Captain wasnot far behind, going at a jog-trot that made Miss Nell step out to keeppace with him.
However, they were not sorry when they reached the pier-head, for, allthe while they were running, the steam-whistle of the _Bembridge Belle_was screeching away, as if telling them they would be too late, andthreatening to start off without them if they did not hurry.
"Just did it!" gasped the Captain, setting foot on the gangway andjumping on board, dragging poor Nellie almost in as breathless a stateafter him, Bob and Dick having already preceded them. "By Jove, it wasa near squeak, though!"
"Sure, it's your own fault you're not cool and comfortable like mesilf,"said Mrs Gil
mour, whom Hellyer had escorted to the pier. He had,likewise, secured a good seat for her in the stern-sheets of the boat,as the Captain had previously done; and here she was now snuglyensconced when the late-comers arrived-- "How hot you do look, to besure!"
"Humph!" growled the Captain, not making any further reply to her ratherexasperating remark until he had finished mopping his flushed face witha bright bandana handkerchief of the same red hue; when he added grimly,as if somewhat out of temper, "If I'm hot, ma'am, you're _cool_, that'sall I can say!"
Mrs Gilmour, however, was used to his ways and knew how to humour him.
"Now, don't you go pretending you're angry," she said, laughing merrily."You needn't, sure, for I know better!"
"As you please, ma'am, as you please, ma'am," he replied, adding withhis usual chuckle-- "I know you are bound to have your own way, ma'am,whether I like it or not!"
They both laughed at this, these little tiffs between them being offrequent occurrence, especially of an evening over the cribbage-board;and, matters being again on a comfortable footing, they turned to thechildren, who were looking out, as before, over the side at the variousobjects that presented themselves as the _Bembridge Belle_ ploughed herway back to Southsea.
The steamer passed quite close to one of the harbour forts in the sea,guarding the approaches to Spithead; and, of course, Bob, who with Dickhad now again donned his shoes and stockings, wanted to know all aboutthe imposing structure with its frowning guns, by the side of which theboat they were in seemed a veritable cockleshell, although a fairlygood-size; vessel.
Equally, of course, the Captain had to tell him what he knew--how thefort was built of solid masonry, sixteen feet thick, with two feet ofarmour-plating outside that; and how the little fortress, as itundoubtedly was, had a well dug deep down into the sands below the sea,to supply its garrison with fresh-water in the event of communicationbeing cut off with the mainland. To provide against which contingencyit was also provisioned and furnished with every requisite to stand asiege.
He was explaining all this, when a large screw-steamer, high in the bowsand low in the stern, crossed the _Bembridge Belle_ making forPortsmouth.
"Hullo, ma'am!" cried the Captain, glad to have the opportunity of a slydig at Mrs Gilmour in remembrance of her previous amusement at hisexpense, "there's your pig-boat!"
"What!" said she innocently. "I don't understand you."
"The Irish pig-boat, ma'am," he repeated, his beady black eyes twinklingand his bushy eyebrows moving up and down, as they always did when hesaid anything funny. "It brings your fellow-countrymen over here twicea week."
"You're very complimentary, sir," said she. "Very complimentary, Ideclare!"
"Not a bit of it, ma'am," he replied, delighted at the idea of hertaking his remark seriously. "Don't you, in your `swate little island'call poor piggy `the jintleman who pays the rint,' eh?"
"Sure," she retorted with a smile, taking up the cudgels on behalf ofher country, "there are more pigs in England than what come over fromIreland!"
"I cry a truce!" exclaimed the old sailor laughing heartily, Bob andNell, too, as well as Dick, appreciating the joke hugely; "you had methere, ma'am, you had me there!"
The _Bembridge Belle_ was now well across the waterway, rapidly nearingthe pier from which they had originally started in the morning, and MrsGilmour was just saying what a very enjoyable day they had passed, inspite of all mishaps, while Nellie was priding herself on the grandcollection of wild-flowers she had made with her aunt's help, and Boband Dick busy over the bucket, showing Hellyer the various treasuresthey had picked up amongst the rocks on the shore; when, all at once,the bows of the steamer struck against something in the channel, with aconcussion that threw nearly everybody off their feet--the shock beingsucceeded by a harsh grating sound as if her hull was gradually beingripped open.
"Good gracious me!" cried out Mrs Gilmour, "what on earth is that?"
Nobody, however, for the moment, attended to her: nobody, indeed, evenheard the question; for the scene of quiet enjoyment which the deck hadpresented the moment before was changed to one of utter confusion, theshrieks of frightened women and hoarse cries of some of the men minglingwith the screams of children and the noise of escaping steam, roaring upthe funnel.
Captain Dresser had hastened forwards to the forecastle of the ill-fatedvessel to see with his own eyes what had happened as soon as the steamerstruck, being immediately followed by Dick and Bob, who left Nellieclinging to her aunt in great consternation.
As for the skipper of the poor steamer, he seemed to have lost his headcompletely, for he was shouting out orders one moment from the bridgeand contradicting them the next: while the crew were rushing about thedecks aimlessly, one going here and another there, without apparent endor purpose, every one looking bewildered from the want of properleadership.
"Keep calm, ladies!" the skipper sang out at intervals between hisorders to the seamen and firemen, whom the incessant sounding of theengine-room gong had brought up from below. "Keep cool; there's nodanger, I tell you!"
He himself, however, appeared so perturbed, that his assurancesincreased, instead of lessened, the panic amongst the passengers, whohuddled together in groups like startled sheep; and Nell clasped heraunt's hand tightly, the two awaiting in great anxiety Captain Dresser'sreturn from his inspection of the vessel forwards.
They were not long kept in suspense.
After a brief interview, which seemed an eternity, the old sailor re-appeared aft.
His face looked very grave.
"I'm sorry for the old _Bembridge Belle_" he said in a low tone to MrsGilmour, so as not to be overheard by the other passengers standingnear. "The poor thing has a large hole knocked through her forecompartment, and is filling with water fast!"
Bob Strong's Holidays Page 14
