by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXII.
THE ISLANDER IN A BAD FIX.
The silver light from the Bengola enabled me to see clearly the strangesight that presented itself to our gaze. Owen was smoking his cigar,and Washburn and my father were talking about India. The whistle andthe shout from the steamer were the first intimations we had thatanything was wrong. I could see some lights in the gloom that hung overthe river, but nothing to enable me to ascertain the situation, untilthe Bengola illuminated the scene.
It was a strange sight. I could not tell whether the building was ahouse or a stable, though it appeared to have too many windows for thelatter. The Islander, it appeared, had run her bow into the structureup to the pilot-house. The steamer was still working her screw. But theodd complication floated slowly down the stream towards the bank of theriver opposite the position of the Sylvania.
"Call all hands!" I said, with energy. "Tell the engineer to stir upthe fires."
Washburn hastened to execute the orders, and the rest of us watchedwith increasing wonder the floating mass, which was every momentincreasing its distance from us.
"I say, Captain Alick, can you tell me what all that means?" asked OwenGarningham. "Was the Islander going into that house to spend thenight?"
"I really can't say whether she was or not; but it is not likely thatthe steamer went on shore for a night's lodging in the building," Ireplied.
"I dare say the Islander could not handle herself very well on theland, if she found any land to get on," added Owen.
"It is more likely that the house, or whatever it is, was afloat whenthe Islander knocked for admission," I continued.
"If the steamer knocked, the house appears to have opened to her."
"How is your steam, Moses?" I called through the tube to the engineer.
"Rather low for working in this current," came back to me through thetube.
At that moment the Islander whistled again. I pulled our whistle line,and found we had steam enough to give a smart reply; but I was notwilling to trust the Sylvania to the rapid river without a full head ofsteam. I lighted another Bengola. In its glare I saw that the othersteamer was backing her screw, as probably she had been doing from thebeginning. I judged that the building was about fifty feet long, and,as it was partly submerged, it presented a large broadside to the rapidcurrent.
"I don't see how she got into that scrape, unless she was looking for anight's lodging," said Washburn. "That building is big enough to beseen in the dark."
"Of course Captain Blastblow did not intend to run into it," I added."Probably he had not time to get out of the way when he first saw it."
"But it seems to me I should not go far with such a load before I shookit off."
"But don't you see that he can't pull out of the house?" demanded Owen."He is stuck fast in her side."
"They have axes on board the Islander; and I don't think it would takeour crew long to cut her out of that hole," added Washburn. "Why doesshe keep whistling? Her captain can imagine that we have not steamenough to work the Sylvania in such a current."
"I say, Washy, have you ever been down the Danube?" asked Owen.
"I never have been. I was never in Europe," replied the mate.
"I should say this current is quite as swift as that of the Danube atVienna; and it makes seven miles an hour there."
"The ordinary current of the Mississippi is about five miles an hour,and in such a freshet it must be as much as seven."
"What is a freshet, Mr. Mate?"
"An inundation; an overflow of the water; a flood; a----"
"Cut it short! I understand it perfectly. I never heard it called afreshet before. Has it anything to do with the fact that this is freshwater, Washy?"
"I don't think it has, though I never heard of such a thing as afreshet in salt water, which could not very well be, since a freshet iscaused by heavy rains and the melting of the snow," replied Washburn."You never heard of a freshet before! Where have you been all yourlife?"
"That's an American word, Mr. Washburn," interposed my father. "I neverheard it except in this country."
At this moment Mr. Tiffany and his daughter joined us in thepilot-house, after asking if they might come in. I gave them chairs andexplained to them the rather ludicrous situation of the Islander. Allhands were on the forecastle except the chief engineer and LandyPerkins. I ordered a Bengola to be burned on the top-gallant forecastleto enable them to see the Islander and its odd burden.
"Mr. Brickland says he has steam enough," said Landy Perkins, reportingto me at the pilothouse.
"All right," I replied. "Buck, cast off the hawser, when I bring her upto it."
The end of the fast had been passed around a pine-tree, and made fastat the bitts, so that we could unmoor without going on shore. I rang togo ahead; and when the hawser was hauled in, I backed the steamer awayfrom the bank. I directed the deck hands to keep the fireworks ablazethat I might see where to steer. I soon discovered the Islander and thebuilding, and ran for them as fast as possible. As we had the currentwith us, we made at least fifteen miles an hour.
As the Sylvania came nearer to her consort, I could better make out thecondition of things on board of her. The building appeared to be somekind of a workshop. The Islander had drove her bow through its side. Iconcluded that some of the boarding and studding had not been brokenoff. The bow had carried them within the structure, and the lower endshad dropped down on the deck, and thus prevented the vessel fromwithdrawing her forward part.
As we came nearer to her, I had our fenders hung over the port side. Wehad two gilded axes slung on the front of the pilot-house, which hadprobably never been taken from their resting-places. I told Ben Bowmanto take one of these, and Dyer Perkins the other, for both of them hadhad some experience in the woods. I had made up my mind just where thetrouble was. I directed Washburn to go on board of the Islander when wegot alongside of her, and superintend the cutting away of the boardsand joists, with two more men from the other steamer.
Buck and Hop were to stand by the hawsers by which we were to make fastto the Islander. As soon as we came up abreast of the consort, I sawColonel Shepard and his family on the quarter-deck. They were very muchalarmed at the situation, for Mrs. Shepard was wringing her hands interror, and the colonel was trying to comfort her. As soon as our bowcame abreast of the party, Owen made a long leap to the deck of theIslander. It was a careless trick, and he deserved to fall overboardfor risking his life when there was not the least need of it. As soonas we were fairly alongside our consort, the deck hands leaped on boardof her with the fasts, and we were soon securely lashed together.
"Stop your screw, Captain Blastblow!" I shouted, though I realized amoment later that I had no business to give orders to him, or toundertake to manage the business of the occasion.
Washburn leaped on board with his two axe-men, and I heard him politelyask the captain to send two of his men with axes to assist him. CaptainBlastblow not only stopped the steamer, but he instantly ordered hismate and another man to do what the mate of the Sylvania desired.
"I think we had better go ahead, Captain Blastblow," I continued,trying to be less imperative than before.
"If you see the way out of this scrape, Captain Alick, I am willing todo anything you say," replied the captain of the Islander.
"I think I do see the way out of it; and the best plan is to go ahead,full steam," I answered.
I had a theory, though I had had as yet no opportunity to test itscorrectness. I called Buck to the wheel, and told him to steer for themiddle of the river. I was afraid if the building struck the bank itmight be tumbled over on the steamers. I went on board of the Islander.I asked the captain to steer for the middle of the river, and then wentforward into the building. My theory in regard to the boarding andstudding was correct. Washburn was directing the four men, andassisting them himself, to pull out the boards and joists. They hadlittle occasion to use the axes after the two steamers began to goahead. Backing the Islander had tightened
up every piece of lumber thathad been forced in by the bow. The harder the boat pulled back, themore firmly the joists were held in their places. It was no wonder tome that the captain had not been able to shake off this unwieldyburden.
My first thought, in having the steamers go ahead, was to prevent theIslander from drawing out of the building while my men were in it, forthey might have been crushed by the swaying of the structure. When wewent ahead, we not only loosened the timbers and boards, so that theycould be removed from their positions, but we prevented the Islanderfrom coming out of her lodging-place until the hands were in a safepart of the boat.
"There, sir, I think she is all clear now," said Washburn.
I could find nothing to impede the withdrawal of our consort's bow, andI sent my hands back to the Sylvania, and directed the others to goabaft the pilot-house of the Islander. I requested Captain Blastblow tokeep his craft going till I rang my gong. I returned to the pilot-houseof the Sylvania, and rang to stop her. The gong of the Islanderfollowed suit instantly. I waited a minute to notice the effect. Iexpected the consort would draw out of her "chancery" at once; but shedid not. I told the mate to see that our hawsers were good for a hardpull, and he soon reported them fast and strong.
"Now, back her, if you please, Captain Blastblow," I called to theIslander.
At the same time I rang two bells. Both steamers began to back at thesame time. The Islander immediately went clear of the building, whichcontinued on its way down the river. No crash, or severe wrench, as Ihad anticipated, attended the separation of the steamer and its burden.
"You are all right now, Captain Blastblow!" I shouted, rejoiced that hehad got rid of his incubus.
"Thank you, Captain Alick, for your assistance; and I think we will lieup with you," answered the captain of the Islander.
We cast off the fasts, and the consort followed us up to the placewhere we had moored before, and made fast to a tree just below us.Presently the captain came up to pay us a visit. I inquired about hisprisoners first, and learned that they were under the care of CaptainCayo in the fore-cabin.
"Our people seem to think you were looking for a night's lodging inthat floating building, Captain Blastblow," I said.
"Well, not exactly," added the captain. "We have been very sorry, forthe last hour and a half, while we were dragged down the river by thatbuilding, that we did not follow your example, and hang up for thenight."
"Where did you pick up that house, captain?" asked Owen.
"I kept a sharp lookout on the top-gallant forecastle; but none of ussaw the building until it was too late to get out of the way," repliedCaptain Blastblow. "Following the example of Captain Alick, I kept asclose to the shore on the port side as possible. About an hour after weleft you, I saw something black loom up before me, and the next instantwe struck her at full speed. The house had floated out of a bayou, Ifound, which was the reason we did not see it sooner. It was a buildingwhere they worked on rice. It was stretched across a creek, so that therice could be dropped into a boat under it. We have a white man and twonegroes on board that we saved from it."
After a long talk, in which Captain Blastblow did me the honor to saythat I was a "smart boy," he returned to his craft, and the rest of usturned in.
