by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XIV.
LOOKING FOR THE ISLANDER.
The captain of the bark was a man of about fifty. He was bald, and hishair and whiskers were sprinkled with gray. I had no doubt that theviolent storm had made an end of his vessel, for the wreck was exposedto the full fury of the sea, tenfold more violent after we left it thanbefore.
"Good morning, Captain; I hope you are quite well this morning," Ibegan.
"I am well enough, thank you; but I cannot forget that I have lost myship," he replied. "You had a rough night of it on deck; and I don'tthink I ever knew a vessel to pitch and roll so badly as this one did."
"It was a terrible blow, and this is a very small vessel, though she isas strong as wood and iron could make her. If she had not been wellbuilt, the sea would have taken the house off this deck."
"I thought it was going to do so as it was. I think she was exceedinglywell handled, or she would have gone to the bottom," continued thecaptain. "I have no doubt there are scores of wrecks along the Keysthis morning, and many a good fellow may miss his mess after this."
I gave him a full account of the storm, and of our being carried so farout of our course by the wind and the current. I told him that we hadbeen delayed so long by the wreck and the storm that we probably shouldnot reach Key West till three or four in the afternoon.
"I suppose we shall be lucky to get there at all after all that hashappened to us," replied the captain. "What you say about drifting sofar out of your course strikes me as being a little strange."
"What was the name of your vessel, Captain?--I have not even learnedyour name," I continued. I intended to point out to him the way inwhich the bark had been lost; but I wanted to know something more aboutthe voyage of the unfortunate vessel.
"Captain Mayfield; and the bark was the Olive, of New York, from NewOrleans, with a cargo of cotton from the latter port," replied thecaptain. "I owned a third of her myself; but she is well insured, andso is her cargo. My wife and daughter were with me, and are now in theafter cabin."
"I think you were fortunate to escape with your lives," I added.
"I know we were, Captain--I don't know your name any better than youdid mine; and it strikes me that you are a very young fellow to be incommand of a steamer, though she is a very small one."
"My name is Alexander Garningham, and I am generally called CaptainAlick. I have been on the water most of the time since I was ten yearsold, either on the sea or on the great lakes. I have had as rough atime on Lake Superior as we had last night, if not a rougher." I toldmy story as briefly as I could.
"Your education has not been neglected, Captain Alick," continuedCaptain Mayfield. "If you had not managed the Sylvania so well lastnight, most of us must have perished; for I have no doubt that theOlive went to pieces before midnight. She was a well-built vessel, butrather old. The gale kept forcing her up to the sharp coral rocks, andshe was grinding off her timbers at a very rapid rate when we left her.If there had been any chance for her I would not have left her. I hadreduced sail at dark, when it began to freshen into a gale. We had thewind on the beam, and the bark was behaving very well."
"It began to blow the heaviest about six bells," I added.
"We did not get the worst of it. We had the foretop-mast staysail, foreand main topsails, and the spanker set. The Gulf Stream was with us,and we were making not less than ten knots an hour. I expected soon tosee Carysfort Light. Our course was north, a quarter east, and I had nodoubt I was making it good."
"I am afraid not."
"Of course I know now that I did not make it good; but I can't see anyreason why I did not."
"I can," I interposed. "It was for the same reason that we were driftedso far to the northward and westward. When the wind comes strong froman easterly direction the current of the Gulf Stream is partly turnedto the westward."
"I have read that in the Coast Pilot; but I have been through thesewaters so many times without noticing anything of the kind, that I didnot think of it last night. The first hint I had that anything waswrong was when the Olive struck on the rocks. I knew from the sound ofthe crash that she had stove a hole in her bow. She flew back, and thenthe wind jammed her on again. I sent hands aloft to furl the topsails,and others to haul down the jib and take in the spanker. But she droveon the rocks all the same; and I knew that would be the end of her."
I invited the captain to visit the cabin, for I thought he would wishto see his wife and daughter. Our passengers were all at breakfast, andengaged in talking over the events of the night. Captain Mayfield wasinvited to join them, and I advised him to do so, while I went back tothe deck to attend to the wants of the rest of the ship's company ofthe Olive. The sailors were all on deck, and the mate was in thepilot-house with Washburn. Gopher had made provision for feeding theaddition to our passengers. I invited the two mates of the Olive downinto the fore-cabin to breakfast, while the cook and steward weresupplying the sailors on the forecastle. I found that Gopher had beenliberal in his supplies, both as to quantity and quality, for thewrecked people.
By eight o'clock breakfast had been served to all on board. I had notslept above four hours in two nights, though my short nap had refreshedme a little. Washburn and all the rest of the crew had been on dutymost of the night, and they were very much fatigued. Moses Bricklandhad served a double watch, and Ben Bowman had worked like a troopermost of the night. I decided, as it was pleasant and plain sailing, tosend all hands to their berths, and take the helm myself, with Ben atthe engine; for he declared that he could stand it with only two hours'sleep a week. Captain Mayfield and his two mates soon joined me in thepilot-house. I was so sleepy myself that I could not help gaping andyawning.
"You've had a hard night of it, Captain Alick, while I have had a wholenight below," said Captain Mayfield. "Myself and my mates have all seenservice in a steamer, and we should be very glad to relieve you."
"Thank you, Captain. I acknowledge that I am rather worn out; but alittle steamer like the Sylvania has her ways, and is peculiar," Ireplied.
"Let Beach take the wheel, and you shall see whether he can handleher," persisted Captain Mayfield.
Beach was the second mate, and I assented. I gave him the course, andhe kept her steady to it. I lay down on the bench abaft the wheel, andbefore I knew it I didn't know anything. But I slept only a fewminutes, and when I waked I found the first mate at the wheel. He wassimply trying his hand at it. A little while after the captain took histurn. We could see the Keys, the spindles and buoys on the reefs, andit was hardly possible for any mishap to occur on board.
I asked one of them to help me heave the log, as I had sent all myship's company below to make up their sleep, except the secondengineer. Captain Mayfield would not permit me to do anything about it.He called a couple of his seamen, and went aft to do it. He soonreported twelve knots, with the remark that he did not suppose thesteamer to be capable of such a high rate of speed. He then begged meto turn in. He was perfectly familiar with the coast and the soundings.He sent two of his men on the topgallant forecastle to serve aslookouts, and declared that the mates should keep the wheel all thetime. I was too sleepy to resist, and I turned in. I was soon fastasleep. The motion of the vessel was now quite steady, though she roseand fell upon the long seas.
It was two o'clock in the afternoon when I woke, for the new captainwould not permit me to be called. Gopher had dined all on board but thecrew, who had turned in before I did. Ben Bowman had waked himself, andgone to the engine-room to relieve Moses, at eleven. The attentive cookhad a fresh dinner ready for me; and before I had finished it most ofthe other sleepers appeared.
I went to the pilot-house and looked at the log-slate. It had beenfaithfully kept during the absence of Washburn and myself. The lastentry was American Shoal, with the time of passing it.
"Where are we now, Captain Mayfield?" I asked.
"Do you see that beacon with a big B on the vane?" he said, pointing tothe beacon, which was within fifty yards of the steamer's bow. "Tha
t isthe Eastern Sambo, about a dozen sea miles from Key West."
"You have been making time since I went to sleep."
"We have logged twelve knots every time," he replied. "We shall have ahead wind after we have passed the Western Sambo, or soon after, and wemust take in sail."
I directed Washburn to call all hands and take in sail, with theassistance at the sheets and halyards of the crew of the Olive.
"Where do you suppose the Islander is about this time?" I asked ofWashburn, after he had taken in sail and squared the yards.
"She may be at the bottom," replied the mate.
Captain Mayfield asked me what I meant, and I told him all about theIslander.
"Her captain must have understood the navigation, or he would not havegone inside on such a night as last we had," added Captain Mayfield. "Idon't think you will see the other steamer till you get to Key West, inlittle more than an hour."
"He may have gone to the bottom in the hurricane," I suggested.
"He could make a harbor in several places; at Tavernier, for instance.He may even have run through some opening to the other side of one ofthe Keys, and been entirely protected from the heavy sea. He had to bepretty well acquainted in there to do this. Do you know where heshipped his crew?"
"At Jacksonville, Florida," I replied.
"Then very likely he had one or more of the Conchs, or natives, whocome from the Bahama Islands, on board. They are fishermen andwreckers, and know every inch of bottom all along the reefs. I thinkyou will see the other steamer as soon as you get to Key West, for Ihave no doubt she has got there first, if she was going there at all.Western Sambo, three, five," continued Captain Mayfield. "Make a noteof it, Mr. Dana."
After some further conversation with the captain, I was confident theIslander could not get by Key West without being seen by Cornwood, ifthe steamer in which he was to come to Cedar Keys had not been detainedby the storm. Captain Mayfield did not believe the steamer withJacksonville passengers on board had been detained, as she had aninside passage during all the worst of the hurricane. It was probablethat the agent of Colonel Shepard had arrived in the fore-noon, if notin the morning.
Our pilot ran the Sylvania about two miles beyond the Western Sambo,and then headed the vessel to the north-west. He asked me the draughtof the Sylvania, and I gave it to him as nine feet, which was her depthin the water when her coal-bunkers were full of anthracite coal. Thecourse was varied considerably to avoid shoal places and reefs; butCaptain Mayfield gave me the sailing directions as we went along, and Icompared them with those in the Coast Pilot. All the passengers hadcome on deck when it was announced that we were close in to Key West.Colonel Shepard was very anxious about the Islander.
The city of Key West is located on the western end of an island of thesame name. Near it is Fort Taylor, a vast structure built on anartificial island, and connected with Key West by a long bridge. On ahill is Whitehead Light, and on the north side of the island areseveral observatories. The town, consisting mostly of cottages, is nearthese towers.
When we were off Fort Taylor, we had a full view of the harbor, but theIslander was not to be seen.
"There she goes!" exclaimed Washburn, pointing to the north-west.
She carried no sail; but when I looked through the glass I made out herrig, though she was four miles away.
