Mother Carey's Chicken Part 37

"My dear sir," said Captain Strong angrily, "is this a time for compliments?"

"It was meant sincerely," replied the major; "but let me point out to you that however painful this may be to you we must go now."

"Why?" said the captain. "The Malay scoundrels are escaping to their praus."

"Yes, there is no doubt of that."

"Then it is my duty to call back my men, and attack the flames."

"Now, my dear Strong, even if we had the whole crew instead of half a dozen men, all more or less wounded," said the major, "you know as well as I do that we could not master a fire like this. Look out of the window yonder, how the sea is lit up, and then through that hole; why, the mainmast and rigging must be all in a blaze!"

"Yes," said the captain, as if to himself, "from deck to truck, and the burning pitch falling in a fiery rain. But if we could master the flames, now the enemy are gone--"

"They would be waiting close at hand to come back and take possession, my dear sir. Come, Strong, you've done your duty to everyone; it is now time to save life."

"I cannot go," cried the captain fiercely. "I must have one try first."

He ran to the barricade, closely followed by the major, to see that the deck had become quite a furnace, the waves of fire running upward, and seeming to be borne here and there by the strong current of air which the heat produced, and which now swept through the saloon, clearing it of the smoke and rushing out of the jagged openings to fan the flames.

The captain stood gazing through for a few minutes without speaking, and then turned sadly away.

"It would be impossible," he said.

"Is anything wrong?" came in a whisper from the boat to Mark.

"No, no," he whispered back; "they are coming directly."

"Yes, impossible, my dear fellow," said the major quietly.

As he spoke there was a sudden flash and a roar; the barricade was driven in, and Mark felt as if something soft, but of enormous power, drove him from his hold where he sat, so that he fell headlong into the boat, his fall being broken by his coming down upon the men in the bows.

He was not hurt, and as he struggled up it was to see that there was comparative darkness and a huge cloud of smoke over them; but directly after, there was a rushing noise, and a glare of light seemed to blaze out, showing the smoke rising red-edged and lurid, while the effect of the explosion seemed to be that there was more food set free for the flames.

"Help me up," said Mark excitedly. "Let me go back. They must be killed."

"Nay, nay, my lad, it's all right," whispered the first-mate; "they're coming down."

It was a fact, for the major slid quickly down the cotton rope, and the captain could be seen leaning out ready to follow, as he did directly and took his place in the boat.

"Will you give orders, or shall I?" whispered Gregory, as Mark gazed to right and left, and then back over the stern, where his mother sat by Mary O'Halloran, and as he looked he could see that there was a black shadow of the ship stretching far away over the shining waters.

"Go on," said the captain; and, taking an oar to steer, the mate gave a short order, oars were dipped, and the heavily-laden gig moved slowly out from under the stern, the mate keeping her in the shadow as soon as she was turned.

In the act of turning Mark caught sight of one of the praus glistening as if gilded, and just a slighter glimpse of the second prau, while for a minute or two all sat in silent dread of their having been seen.

But there was no yell to announce their discovery, and directly after they were back in the shelter of the shadow, and moving steadily in the face of a soft breeze farther and farther from the praus.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

HOW THEY FELL IN WITH GREATER PERIL.

The peril was still great, and there was the risk that at any moment another inadvertent movement on the part of the boat, such as that made by Mr Gregory in his ignorance of the side on which the enemy lay, might result in discovery, for the sea glowed in the intense light shed by the burning vessel, and the faces of all in the gig stood out so plainly that it seemed to be only a question of moments before they were seen.

But the mate carefully manoeuvred his steering oar; the men pulled a slow, silent, and steady stroke; and fortunately for all, the Malays were so intent upon the fire that they did not alter the positions of their vessels.

For a very short time the boat was in the black shadow cast by the stern; then they were floating as it were on golden waters; and the same feeling animated every breast, though it remained an unspoken thought: This is all in vain; we must be seen and brought back.

"A little more room there; sit close; move steadily," said the first-mate hoa.r.s.ely. "Now two more oars."

These were laid in the rowlocks silently, and with four men pulling in place of two the heavily-laden boat made more rapid progress, so that before long there was a s.p.a.ce of several hundred yards between the fugitives and the flaming ship, and they could look at the two praus lying a short distance away without so much fear of being seen.

"Steady, my lads! pull!" said the mate, whose was the only face turned from the ship, and as he stood in the stern his shadow was cast upon the water.

"Were you hurt, father?" said Mark.

"No, my lad, not much," said the captain. "The explosion struck us both down. That was all."

Nothing more was said, for everyone was too much intent upon the sight before them, one which was grand in the extreme, and lit up the ocean far and wide. The main and fore-masts were blazing right to the very trucks, and as the fugitives watched the mizzen-mast caught, and they could see the flames leap from spar to spar, running along ropes with quite a rapid motion, while great burning drops seemed to keep falling toward the deck. By rapid degrees the burning ship now a.s.sumed the aspect of a pyramid of fire, sails, yards, cordage, and masts being all involved, while from the blazing cone a steady burst of great golden sparks rose toward a huge purple canopy, all folds and wreathing volumes edged with orange and gold, the cloud of smoke that floated lazily in the heated air.

By degrees the sparks became invisible, and the flames were merged, many tongues in one, as the distance was increased; while the praus, out of whose sight it was no longer necessary to keep, looked comparatively small, with their sides still glistening in the light.

"There is no occasion to keep silence now," said the captain quietly.

"We are far out of hearing."

"What caused that explosion there?" said the mate, as he seated himself now, but continued to steer.

"We cannot tell for certain," said the captain.

"No," said the major; "but there seems to me to be no doubt that it was a powder-keg which the Malays had brought on board, I should say to blow open the cabin-door. And it did," he added grimly, "and I hope they liked it."

"What do you propose doing, captain?" said Mr Gregory at last, and the answer was eagerly listened for. "We are heavily-laden and ought to make land."

"Yes, but it must not be in the sight of the praus. It is early in the night yet, and we are evidently in a sharp current."

"Yes, a strong current," said the mate.

"Then row steadily till daybreak, and by then we shall be well out of sight, and can make for one of the islands to the south, or try and get in the route of the China ships."

"Right!" said the mate. "Give way, my lads; a slow easy stroke, and we'll all relieve you in turn."

This was done all through the rest of the night, but with great caution, for the gig was very low in the water; and while they rowed in turn those who were not at the oars sat gazing at the burning ship, and the wounded men sometimes slept.

But wounded or no, all took a turn at the oars, from the captain downward; and towards morning, when all were utterly exhausted, fair progress was still made in the boat as she was pulled by the two ladies, and Mary O'Halloran and Mark.

The night had not been without incidents, for when they were about a couple of miles from the ship the mainmast fell over the side with a rush of flame, and lay burning on the surface of the water; to be followed almost directly by the fore-mast; and the mizen alone remained standing like a pillar of light for about another hour before it fell in the opposite direction.