Bert Wilson, Marathon Winner Part 11

The sailor was gazing intently ahead, and did not look up at the sound of Bert's approach, or even when he spoke to him. He knew that the safety of the whole ship and those on board rested on him, and he was taking no chances.

He answered Bert's salutation civilly enough, however, but answered his questions only in monosyllables, and Bert soon gave him up as a bad job.

He realized, moreover, that the man was right, as it was against the ship's rules to talk while on duty.

So Bert leaned against the bulwarks in silence, having little else to do at the time, and gazed ahead in an abstracted fashion. No sound was to be heard save the wash of the water against the bows, and occasionally a shout or laugh from the athletes amidships.

Suddenly Bert was roused from his reverie by a call from the lookout.

"Ice ahead! Ice ahead!" yelled the sailor, and dashed madly toward the stern, waving his arms wildly.

Bert gazed intently ahead, and could faintly make out a luminous ma.s.s some distance from the ship, but directly in its path. He was conscious of a feeling of damp chill in the air, too, and felt that they were nearing an iceberg. Suddenly the vibration of the engines ceased, and then started again, and Bert knew they had been reversed. The ship seemed to lose little of its speed at first, though, and the huge 'berg loomed up closer and closer. The helm had been put over, and the ship swung around obediently, and so approached the 'berg at an angle. Shouts and cries arose from the crew and some of the pa.s.sengers, and it was an exciting moment.

Gradually the ship lost its momentum under the reverse pull of the big propellers, but to Bert it seemed impossible that they could stop in time. Nearer and nearer they came, and the ship seemed wrapped in an icy fog. Now Bert could make out details of the 'berg, and even in such a time as this, when it seemed that he was approaching certain death, he noted idly the huge spires and needles of ice that rose into the blue sky like church steeples.

Now the good ship was almost touching the 'berg, but was at a long angle with it. Bert saw that the impact would not be as great as he had at first imagined, but nevertheless he awaited it with bated breath.

Then it came--a jarring, grinding, glancing blow, and the ship trembled from bow to stern. Huge fragments of ice clattered down on her decks, and some of her crew were badly hurt by flying ice splinters.

There was great confusion then, and a few of the crew started a rush for the boats, but were met before they could get there by Captain Everett and his first and second officers, all with revolvers in their hands.

"Back there! Back!" shouted the captain, and his ordinarily mild eyes blazed with an angry light. "The first man who moves another step forward dies! Get back to your posts, every one of you, and be glad I don't shoot you like the dogs you are!"

Cowed by his determined demeanor, and that of the other officers, the men slunk back, and Captain Everett set about finding what damage had been done. Two sailors were sent below to inspect the hold, and the captain awaited their report with keen anxiety.

Soon the two men returned, and one said: "There seems to be nothing the matter, sir, as far as we can make out. She doesn't seem to be taking in any water."

"That's well!" exclaimed the captain, after the two men had saluted and gone forward. "It's barely possible that the ship may not be much damaged, after all, although it seems almost incredible. However, we won't find any fault with providence if it isn't."

Strange as it may seem, by what appeared to be almost a miracle the ship had come off from the encounter with a few bent bow plates and the loss of considerable paint.

Before long the ship had resumed its course, and the iceberg was falling rapidly to the rear. Bert had been the only person in the vessel's bows at the time of the collision, and he was soon encircled by a group of athletes anxious to hear the story.

"Believe me, fellows," he said, in a sober voice, "I gave us all up for lost. I thought our goose had been cooked, sure. Why, that 'berg looked as high as a mountain to me, and if we had hit it head-on it would have been all over but the shouting. It's a lucky thing the captain got warning in time to veer the steamer around a little."

Everybody realized that they had had a very close escape from death, and for the rest of the day little else was talked about. It was just such a collision as had been responsible for the speedy sinking of the great liner _t.i.tanic_ with over two thousand souls on board. That ship had struck a glancing blow, in the same way that the _Northland_ had, but was less fortunate as to the result. A great projecting sliver of ice had penetrated the ill-fated vessel's hull, and within a few hours she was lying at the bottom of the sea. Indeed, at the present moment they were but a short distance from the leviathan's last resting place, and this made them realize all the more strongly what a miraculous escape they had had.

Needless to say, every precaution was taken to insure against a repet.i.tion of their recent experience, and the ship fairly crawled along at one-quarter speed. They sighted other 'bergs at intervals, but never near enough to give them any concern, and a day or so later were safely out of the danger zone. Then Captain Everett ordered full speed resumed, and the _Northland_ began to plow through the blue water at its customary good clip.

Training, which had been more or less interrupted by the recent exciting events, was resumed in good earnest, and everybody worked with a will to make up for lost time. Reddy had an eye for every athlete on board, and woe betide the man who was found shirking, even in the slightest degree.

He was sure to be forced to make up his deficiencies, with some extra hard training "stunt" for good measure.

The second day after the encounter with the iceberg the sky became very overcast, and bore every sign of an approaching storm. The haze veiling the heavens became thicker and thicker, and the sun could be seen shining through it only at rare intervals, and then very faintly.

The barometer fell lower and lower, and there was every evidence of the approach of a severe storm. Nor were these warnings groundless, as they soon had occasion to find out.

Everything aboard ship was made ready, and no movable object on the decks was left unsecured. The athletes regarded the approach of the storm with feelings more of interest than anything else, but Reddy snorted his disgust.

"Everything's agin' me," he growled. "This trip so far has been nothin'

but a bunch o' queer experiences that you could write a story book about, maybe, but that don't count for more than a plugged nickel when it comes to gettin' a bunch o' would-be athletes in shape to make better speed than the runners at a fat men's picnic. I just get things settled down and begin to kid meself that we're gettin' somewhere, when we go and b.u.mp into an iceberg, or some other fool stunt o' that kind. But if these fellers don't cop a few lovin' cups and medals over at the games it isn't goin' to be the iceberg that gets the blame, you can lay to that. Nix! Everybody'll say, 'Gee, I bet old Uncle Sam's runners and jumpers would have made good if only they'd had a decent sort of a trainer along that knew a little about his job.' That's the line of chatter that'll be handed out to me, all right. This trainin' business is a thankless job, anyway, let me tell you. If the American team wins, they get all the glory and credit, but if they lose, it's yours truly that gets the blame."

"Aw, don't you worry yourself about us, Reddy," said Drake, "we're going to win every event over there, practically, and after watching our wonderful work you ought to realize that fact," and he grinned.

"Oh, sure," replied Reddy, sarcastically. "If you boys win all you think you're goin' to win, I won't kick. But I'm from the wilds of Missouri, and I've got to be shown."

Discussion of this sort lasted until the lunch bell rang, when there was a wild dive to the tables, all disputes forgotten.

After lunch, when they returned on deck, they were surprised at the appearance of the ocean. The wind, which before they went below had been blowing in fitful gusts, had now settled down to a steady gale that was increasing in violence with every hour that pa.s.sed. The sea was rising rapidly, and already was dotted here and there with whitecaps. The sun had entirely disappeared, and the sky was a dull gray color. Clouds scudded across it with terrific speed, giving an indication of the force of the wind back of them, and as the boys gazed across the tumbling waves they every one felt a thrill of something very much like apprehension.

There is something very terrifying and awe-compelling about a storm at sea, especially to those not used to it. At such time a ship seems a very small thing in the great expanse of tumbling billows and shrieking wind, and it seems almost impossible that anything constructed by man can withstand Nature's fury.

Soon the storm became so wild that most of the pa.s.sengers retired below, and many of them experienced sea-sickness for the first time on the voyage, as the ship was now pitching and rolling wildly. Bert, d.i.c.k and Tom, however, stayed on deck, and felt that nothing could hire them to go down. This was an experience such as they might not have again in many a year, and they felt inclined to make the most of it.

They stayed on deck until supper time, and then went below. Several athletes were absent from the tables, and of those who were there many ate very sparingly. Not one would admit that this was due to sea-sickness, however, and indeed, there was less of this than might naturally have been expected.

They were all in such fine physical condition that they were less affected by such an experience than the average pa.s.senger, and there were few of them who were actually "down and out."

The storm lasted two days, but on the morning of the third day had practically blown itself out. When the three comrades went up on deck the sun was shining gloriously, but the ocean was still very rough. In a few hours it had subsided noticeably, but the great billows still ran fifteen or twenty feet high. It was a wonderful sight, and one to be remembered for a lifetime. The boys gazed spellbound, and felt they would have been contented to do nothing all day but drink in the inspiring scene.

Shortly after they got on deck the lookout cried, "Ship ho!" and the boys followed the direction of his pointing finger. At first they could make out nothing, but in a few minutes they glimpsed a vessel lifted up on the crest of a monster wave, and about a mile from their course.

As they drew nearer it became evident that the vessel was a partial or entire wreck. She had been a three-masted schooner, as they could tell from the stumps of the masts projecting from her deck, but they had all gone by the board.

One was still fastened to the ship by a ma.s.s of tangled rigging, and every once in a while would be washed against the side with a crash.

The vessel was low in the water, and it was evident that she was sinking.

The _Northland's_ course was altered so as to bring her alongside the dismantled vessel, and the athletes, every one of whom by this time was on deck, crowded to the rail, to get a closer glimpse of the wreck.

CHAPTER XII

THE OCEAN'S PREY

It was indeed a scene of awful wreckage on which they gazed. The gale had played havoc with the unfortunate vessel, and what with the aid of the mighty waves had almost completely demolished it. The bulwarks were battered and broken, where the masts had crushed them in falling overboard. Broken and splintered planks strewed the deck, and everything was bound together by tangled ma.s.ses of cordage. The bridge had been torn from its fastenings at one end, and sagged down to the deck. All the davits were empty, with the exception of two in which boats were still hanging. The reason for this was plain, as they both had huge holes stove in their planking, and could not possibly have been repaired in less than several days.

Altogether it presented a sad spectacle, and bore mute testimony to the terrific violence of the storm through which they had just pa.s.sed. There was no sign of life on board, but nevertheless Captain Everett decided to send a boat to investigate, on the off chance of picking up some wounded or sick person who might have been overlooked in the last mad launching of the boats.

Accordingly, a boat was lowered, and certain members of the crew told off to man her. "Gee!" exclaimed Tom, who with d.i.c.k, Bert, and most of the other athletes, was an interested spectator of these proceedings, "I'd give 'bout ten years of my life to be able to go with them. I don't suppose there's any chance of that, though, hang it!"

"Not a chance in the world," replied Bert, but then he hesitated a minute, and said, "But wait, hold on a minute. I may be able to get us on, after all."

"How are you going to do it?" questioned d.i.c.k, incredulously, but already Bert was making a bee-line for the captain.

When he could get Captain Everett's attention he asked to be allowed to visit the wreck with his two companions. At first he would not even listen, but Bert begged so hard that he finally consented.

"Very well," he answered, rather dubiously, "I suppose I'll have to let you go, but just the same I wish you had asked some other favor.