Voyage of the Dolphin

by Gilbert L. Morris

  Josh could see Daybright's fertile mind begin at once to devise ways to fit out the boat for an ocean voyage. He heard him mumbling things like “Rudder—anchors—masts,” and finally he turned around and slapped Wash on the shoulder. “Wash, you're a genius. We'll fit this boat out and cross the ocean in it!”

  A loud “Hooray” went up, and Josh found himself hugging all the Sleepers. He hugged Sarah a little longer than the others, whispering in her ear, “What do you think now?”

  “I think Captain Daybright will get us all home. He's so big and strong and handsome.”

  Josh gave her an extra hug. “Well, you always did like us big, strong, handsome guys.” He laughed when she struck at him. Then he joined in the dance on the bank, thinking about the days to come.

  “There she is, ready for sea.”

  Daybright waved a proud hand at their ship, as he now called the fishing boat.

  It looked far different than it had when Wash found it. Daybright had informed them, first off, that a flat-bottomed boat would have no chance at sea and then had produced what he called “dagger boards.” These were two five-foot-long pieces that he fastened to the sides of the boat. They extended down into the water.

  “These dagger boards,” he said, “will cause her to ride the waves.”

  He stared up at the mast, which they had made with great labor. They had hewed down a sapling, some sixty feet tall but very thin. They trimmed it off square at the bottom. Then they cut out a hole in the middle seat and built a foundation for the mast.

  The captain used some rope to make a hoist and an overhanging tree limb to lift the mast. It took all the strength they had to get it in an upright position, but when it was up, Daybright said, “There. Now we can have a sail. That's all we need now. We've got to find lots of line and something to use for canvas.”

  So they made one more foray to the farm.

  When the sail was all rigged, it was tied to a cross-piece, and it looked somewhat like a quilt since it was made from odds and ends, but it could be raised and lowered. There was even a crow's nest that could be reached by climbing the small ratlines that held the mast in place. And lines ran from front to back to take the strain off the mast so that it wouldn't snap.

  “Well, Quartermaster, how're the supplies?”

  Josh grinned. “All loaded and ready, Captain. Water for over a month. Plenty of dried meat, smoked meat, berries. We've baked lots of biscuits, and all in all I'd say we're ready to go.”

  Josh and his crew had worked hard on the supplies. There would be no stopping at a store. Storing water had been the hardest problem until they had discovered big wild gourds. These, hollowed out and plugged, made excellent containers. They had filled them all with fresh water from the creek, and now they were stored as ballast, with a deck built over the top of them.

  “All right, we'll shove off in the morning at dawn.”

  No one slept much that night. All were excited, and at daybreak they ate their last meal on shore.

  Wash had managed to bring aboard some flat rocks to make a small oven, along with a supply of wood. “We can have something hot every now and then,” he said. “Maybe every other day or so.”

  When they were all in the ship, Daybright looked up. “Unfurl the sail,” he commanded.

  At once Reb and Dave ran up the ratlines to the crosspiece. They untied the sail, which fell into place. A puff of wind caught it, and the ship started out.

  “Here we go in Dolphin II!” Daybright cried.

  The wind took the craft, and he turned the wheel, steering out into the middle of the stream. The banks began to flow by, and the ship picked up speed. “She handles well,” Daybright said. “You've all done a good job.”

  Soon the creek began to widen, and then they came into an opening in the land, and there lay the sea.

  A silence fell upon the group as they realized how massive the sea was and how tiny their fragile little boat. It had seemed sturdy enough back on the creek, but now it was like a mere chip tossed on the ocean.

  Daybright looked at their solemn faces. “Don't worry, lads and lasses.” He pointed up. “Yonder's the sun. By night, we'll have the stars. We steer to glory. Let's have a cheer for the Seven Sleepers and the good ship Dolphin II!”

  A cheer rose up as the small vessel dipped with the first waves of the sea. The craft rocked down and up, the winds puffed the sail, and Dolphin II set sail for home.

  15

  Long Voyage

  The sun burned in the sky with a pale glow. The beams it sent down were so hot that they heated the metal fastenings on the mast. When Josh touched them, he jerked his finger back.

  “Ow!”

  Sarah, sitting on a box beside him, looked up. Her lips were chapped and dry, and her face was sunburned. “It is hot, isn't it?” she whispered.

  Josh looked over at the other Sleepers, who were in various poses of recline under the canvas they had rigged up to keep off the blazing sun. All had learned, however, that the sun's reflection on the water could burn them almost as quickly as its direct rays. After two weeks of sailing, those with the fairer skin, such as Sarah, were still suffering.

  Josh looked back at the stern where Captain Daybright sat out in the sun, his cap pulled over his eyes, peering ahead at the horizon. Josh shook his head. “It looks like he'd burn to a crisp, but he just turns a little more coppery.”

  “He's lost weight,” Sarah said. “I guess we all have.”

  The voyage had been hard. They had sailed steadily. Daybright had been cheerful enough, saying that they had a following wind. “If we had to sail against the wind, I'd begin to worry a little. But as it is, we're right on course.”

  “I don't see how he knows where we are,” Josh said. He looked around the endless horizon. Nothing—nothing except water, water, water.

  “Well, we're going east, and he says if we go that way long enough we're bound to hit land. It doesn't matter much what land it is.”

  “I guess that's right.” Josh touched his swollen lips tenderly and said, “Sure could stand a little bit more water.” The very thought of water made him thirsty. He hesitated, then shook his head. “But it's getting pretty low, isn't it?”

  “Yes, we're down to a little less than a quart a day now.”

  “We lose that much sweating,” he said. “At least the food supply's all right.”

  “Yes, we won't starve. The fish makes a good change, and there's a little moisture in them.”

  The small craft drove on, plunging into the swells and rising again. Its regular rhythm made Josh sleepy. He sat down and stared at the sail, saying nothing.

  Finally Wash came over. “About time for our water ration, isn't it?”

  “I guess so.”

  They all brightened up then.

  Josh went to the small deck they had built and pulled the cover back. There were the few precious gourds filled with water. He uncapped one, and everyone lined up with his cup. He measured it out carefully, not spilling a drop, and then poured his own and capped the gourd while Sarah held his cup.

  Sarah stared down at her water, so clear and tempting. “I'd like to just drink it all up as fast as I can, but it wouldn't be enough,” she said.

  “No, I take mine just a little sip at a time, hold it in my mouth, and let it run around. I try to see how long I can make it last,” Josh said. “Make a game out of it.”

  “That's a good idea. I'll try that” Sarah smiled. “Let's each take a mouthful, and we'll see who can keep it the longest.”

  Their game gave them something to think about. They had no other games to play, nothing to read. Even talking was an exertion under the burning sun.

  They made their cups of water last for more than an hour, and then Sarah said, “Well, that's all until tomorrow. I wish you could drink seawater. There's plenty of that!”

  Dusk came at last, and Dawn came to sit by Daybright.

  He had been spelled by Dave for a time and had slept, but now, as the sun
sank into the water, he was back at the wheel. “How are you, Dawn?”

  “I'm fine,” she said cheerfully.

  “A little thirsty?”

  “A little, but we all are.”

  He smiled at her, knowing this would not have been her response at one time. He gripped the helm firmly, keeping the ship on an even keel, from time to time glancing up at the sky. The stars came out, and he began to name them off to her.

  She said, “I wish I knew all the stars.”

  “I'll teach them to you.” He pointed to a bright one right overhead. “We call that one Sirius.”

  She smiled suddenly. “A star named Serious? That's funny.”

  “Well, it's spelled S-i-r-i-u-s but pronounced serious. He's a bright one, isn't he? I like him a lot. When all the others are gone, nearly always you can find him peeping out of the clouds.”

  Daybright talked with Dawn for a while, and finally the night breeze came up, cooling them off. For a long time they listened to the hissing of the water as it passed by the sides of the small ship and to the sound of the wind whistling around the mast and whipping the canvas.

  Then she asked, “Are we going to make it, Ryland?”

  He turned to look at her. The moon was out and poured its silvery beams down over her face. “I'm going to do the best I can. If the water holds out, if we don't have a storm, if the wind holds up—a lot of ifs. I'm afraid I don't know exactly where we are,” he confessed.

  “You've done more to save us than anyone. We won't be lost.” She spoke encouraging words for a while and was rewarded by his smile. “What will you do when we get back?”

  He looked at her in surprise. “Why, get a ship—sailing is all I know to do. I'm a sailor.” He suddenly had a thought and looked at her. “Maybe your new husband will hire me to take the two of you on your honeymoon.”

  His words must have disturbed Dawn. She turned her face away. The wind blew her hair against his cheek. It was soft, and he had an impulse to reach out and touch her, but he did not.

  She walked away, not speaking again.

  “Not too much water this time,” Josh said as Dawn came with her cup. He poured it half full, then apologized. “I'm sorry that's all.”

  Dawn smiled at him, her lips cracked, and whispered, “That's all right, Josh.”

  She went over to Sarah, who had developed a fever. “Here, Sarah, take just a sip of this.”

  “No, that's yours,” Sarah protested. Her burned skin was painful, and the fever had put her out of her head for a time.

  “Just take a sip.” Dawn watched as Sarah took a swallow, moistened her lips, and said, “That's good.” Then she laid the girl back down again and went to sit alone.

  Reb was in the prow, thinking about Camelot. That was the best time of my life, he thought, riding those fine horses, jousting with those big knights, and me doing as good as any. I want to go back there someday.

  He thought of the bright colors, the pennants fluttering from shining lances, the beautiful hues of the women's dresses at the tournaments, and his heart went back there again. Even more than for Texas, he longed for the world of Camelot.

  For a long time he sat thinking; then he lifted his eyes. Small dots flitted before them, brought on by the intense heat. The saltwater made them burn. He pulled out a salt-soaked handkerchief and tried to wipe them. That made it worse.

  “This blasted salt! Can't see a thing,” he muttered. Finally he used his arm and the tail of his shirt and managed to look ahead. The sun was dancing across the water, making heat waves rise, and he blinked as he saw a tiny something on the horizon.

  He shook his head and stared. Maybe it's a ship. No, it doesn't look like a ship. He almost called to the others, then he thought, No, if it's only a cloud or something, no sense getting their hopes up. He knew how low morale was. We can't last more'n a day or two like this. The drinking water's about gone. Enough for another day, and we're dying of thirst already.

  He kept his eyes glued to the skyline, but for the next twenty minutes he thought he'd lost it. Then, suddenly, he saw it again! A lump on the horizon, very small but breaking the perfect line of the water.

  He stood and held onto the rail. He watched the lump grow. Then he turned around and croaked, “Land! There's land ahead!”

  His broken voice stirred them all, even Sarah. Everybody staggered to his feet.

  “There it is! You see it?”

  Josh had better eyes than most. “I see it,” he said. “It looks like a mountain.”

  Captain Daybright's blue eyes were burning as they looked across the distance. He had the best eyes of them all. “It's a volcano,” he said quietly. “We're coming to land.”

  Dawn looked at him, and tears came to her eyes. She whispered, “You saved us, Ryland. You've brought us through.”

  16

  A Husband for Dawn

  They landed late that day and staggered ashore.

  One of the first things they did was find a creek. They buried their faces in the fresh, cool spring water, drinking until they could hold no more. Then they just plunged in, clothes and all, splashing water on each other, yelling and screaming like children.

  When Dawn threw water in Daybright's face, he scooped her up and said, “I think maybe I'll just see how far I can throw you.”

  “No, don't!” she cried and held to him tightly.

  The captain realized suddenly that he was holding a lovely young woman—and that they were not on the island of the giants anymore. He put her down and said, “Well, I guess it's time to get down to business.”

  A shadow crossed Dawn's face, and she nodded. “All right, Captain Daybright,” she said.

  To everyone's amazement, a fisherman informed Daybright that they were on an island next to the one where Dawn's future husband was king.

  The man stared at Dawn and said, “You new wife for King Fazor?” When she nodded, he grinned at her crookedly and shook his head.

  The fisherman gave them instructions, and the next morning the travelers boarded their ship and sailed once again.

  “It's only a half-day's sail from here,” Daybright said to the Sleepers. “I'm sure that the king will be able to supply us with something to wear instead of these rags we've got on.”

  He looked at Dawn, seeming to expect some response, but she simply nodded.

  “What's the matter with Dawn?” Josh said. “Here's she's going to be queen, and she doesn't act at all happy. Maybe she's just tired, though.”

  Sarah looked at him in disgust. “I declare. I've told you before. You're blind as a bat, Josh Adams!” She would say no more, but she and Abbey talked a long time about Dawn's marriage.

  “I still don't see how she could marry a man she's never seen,” Abbey said. “But I guess that's the way things are here.”

  Later Abbey found opportunity to talk to Daybright. He was sitting alone in the stern; the others were forward. She asked, “What do you think about Dawn's marriage, Captain?”

  He stared at her in surprise. “What do you mean, what do I think about it?”

  “I mean, she's not just a woman now. Not after what we've all gone through together. Why, I feel like a sister to her.”

  “Well, I feel like a brother,” he blustered, “and her father's given her to my care.”

  “Haven't you seen how unhappy she is?”

  “Well, I can't do anything about that.”

  Abbey stared at him, her eyebrows going up. “She's going to be miserable,” she warned.

  “How can she be miserable? She'll be a queen. She'll have all kinds of clothes and jewelry and honor—be able to tell people what to do.”

  “I don't think she's like that anymore. As a matter of fact,” Abbey said firmly, “I know she's not.” She looked up to the prow, where Dawn was staring out at the dark smudge that marked her new home. “She's changed a lot on this voyage. She's actually become a sweet young lady.”

  Daybright shifted his weight and gave a twitch to the wheel, look
ed up at the sail blankly, then turned to stare at Abbey. “Well, she's the one who decided to marry him.”

  “No woman's happy getting married to a man she doesn't know.”

  Daybright seemed to have no answer for that. He muttered, “I don't know anything about that. Her father and the king are paying me to deliver her to him, and that's what I'm going to do.”

  They arrived in port and were greeted by a shocked welcoming group. It appeared to Abbey that the natives had been expecting the arrival of their new queen, but they had not expected her to arrive in such a ramshackle ship.

  Nevertheless, the leader, a tall, thin, dark man wearing little more than a loincloth, said, “I take you to king.” He bowed down before Dawn. “You come with us, Queen.”

  A procession started with Dawn at the front along with the skinny leader. She looked to one side and the other as they moved along. The houses were nothing but mud huts, and the people that followed had to be more savage in appearance than any she'd ever seen. They wore few clothes, and their hair was treated with dried mud.

  Daybright was walking to the rear of the procession with Josh, Abbey, and Sarah. He took it all in and said, “Somehow I don't think this king is going to be exactly what I've always thought of as royalty.”

  “It does look like poor pickings, doesn't it? Maybe he keeps all the people poor, and he has all the money,” Josh suggested. “That's the way some kings are.”

  They arrived at a hut much bigger than the rest. It had obviously been added to several times, so that it looked like a wart with monstrous growths on it.

  As the parade of people approached, a man came out of the hut, and all the attendants with the arriving party began to cry, “Hail, King! Hail, King Fazor!”

  Dawn stopped abruptly and looked at the king. Her heart seemed to sicken within her.

  For Fazor was a thin man of some sixty years. He wore a piece of leather around his loins, and his legs and arms were skinny as sticks. He had lost most of his teeth, and his lips appeared to be stained with the dried juice of some kind of tobacco.

  “Ha!” he said. “My new wife!” He came forward and pinched Dawn's arm. “I give your father much gold for you. You work hard. Make it up!” Then he turned to an attendant. “Pay the ship captain what was promised to bring my wife.”