On Board the Esmeralda Part 24

He did not hear my shout, being to windward; but, when I rose presently on another wave-crest nearer him, I could perceive that he saw me, from the way in which he raised one of his arms in his excitement--the effect of which was, of course, to cause his head to go under and make him believe his last hour was come.

"Help, help!" he screamed, when he got above the surface again, spluttering out words and water together; "I'm droonin', mon--help, mon, help!"

I could hear him distinctly from my being to leeward, and as I was much nearer to him now, I cried out again to encourage him--

"Hold on, Mr Macdougall! I'll be with you in a minute!"

Then, with half a dozen strong, st.u.r.dy strokes, aided by a wave that worked him towards me, I was by his side.

He was utterly exhausted, having, like most unpractised swimmers, pumped himself out by splashing about with short jerky movements of his hands and legs, which only wearied him without advancing him through the opposing billows or a.s.sisting him to keep up; and, on my coming up to him, as all drowning men in similar circ.u.mstances invariably do, he made a frantic clutch at me, when, if he had succeeded in grasping me, we should both have sunk to the bottom.

But I took very good care he should not touch me, for Tom Larkyns and I when at h.e.l.lyer's used to make a practice in fun of pretending we were going down when out bathing, and the one or other of us who acted the part of rescuer would always study how to approach the feigning drowner, so as to help him effectually without incurring any risk of being pulled below the surface; so, on Mr Macdougall stretching out his clutching hands, endeavouring to get hold of me, I was quite on my guard to avoid his grip.

Diving below him, I seized him by the back of the neck, his long sandy hair, which was streaming with water, enabling me to take a firm grip.

"Don't try to hinder me," I cried hurriedly between breaths, for the sea was very rough, and it wasn't easy to speak. "Keep perfectly quiet, and I'll save you."

The Scotsman gave a wriggle or two, but, like most of his countrymen, he had a good deal of common sense and self-command, which made him remain pa.s.sive after a bit; when, throwing myself on my back, I floated, dragging his head across my body, so that he might rest awhile and recover himself before trying to swim towards the ship.

Presently he endeavoured to look round, so as to see who it was that had come to his a.s.sistance.

"Hold hard!" I said. "You mustn't move, or I'll have to let you go;"

for, I can state, it was a difficult job supporting him in that way, and it took all my paddling to keep our united weight up.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, "I ken the voice--eet's you, Leigh, eesn't it?"

"Yes, Mr Macdougall, it's me," said I. "Do you feel better now?"

But he did not answer me for a moment, although I felt a tremble go through his frame.

A moment afterwards, with what sounded like a sob, he cried out, "You brave laddie! To theenk that you of all ithers should ha' coom to save a reckless loon lik' me, the noo! It's a joogement on me for me cruel leeing again' you, boy; you've heapit coals o' fire on me head!"

"Never mind that now, Mr Macdougall," I said. "We've got to see about getting back to the ship, and then we can let bygones be bygones! Have you got your breath back now?"

"Eh?"

"Do you think you can manage to put a hand on my shoulder, and rest quiet in the water while I tow you along?"

"Aye, I'll try it, laddie."

"Mind, you mustn't clutch hold of me too hard," I cried; and, easying him off from my chest, I turned round again in the water.

He sank about a foot at first from the change of position, but, keeping strict heed to my injunctions, and gripping my shoulder with a grasp of iron, he was presently floating half alongside and half behind, with his head well out of the water, as I struck out to where I could still see the ship as we rose every now and then at intervals on the crests of the following waves; although, when we descended again between the intervening hollows, we seemed shut in by a wall of sea.

The pampero having blown off from the pampas inland--whence the local name for these tornadoes--had come from the westwards, and, of course, the set of the waves, even after the wind had ceased to move them, continued in a south-westerly direction, whither the _Esmeralda_ had also been carried away from us, the exposed surface of her hull drifting her more rapidly away than such tiny atoms as we presented to the influence of the rollers. When, therefore, Mr Macdougall was so far recovered as to permit of my attempting to regain the ship, she was already quite a mile off, if not more!

As I looked at her distant sails, which came in sight when we got atop of the billows, they seemed to be gliding further and further away each fresh time that I saw them, showing that there was no wind; so, knowing that a boat would have to pull all that distance against a heavy head sea in order to fetch us, I almost despaired of our being picked up.

No one but those who have undergone a similar experience, can imagine the utter loneliness that strikes upon the heart of a solitary swimmer, struggling in the middle of the ocean for dear life. The sea never looks so terribly wide and vast as then, the sky never so far off, as he gazes upwards in piteous entreaty; while the elements appear to mock his puny efforts to reach the receding vessel containing his comrades of a moment ago, who now seem basely leaving him to perish!

These thoughts flashed through my mind as I struck out in the direction of the _Esmeralda_. All the sins and omissions of my past life then rose before my mental kaleidoscope, making me conscious of my unpreparedness to die, and yet want of justification to live; but I struck out bravely nevertheless, and I need hardly say, I did not whisper a word of my fears to the mate, who kept silent and motionless the while, without incommoding my efforts.

My strokes got slower and slower, for the wash of the sea over us every now and then was terribly fatiguing; for, although I was very strong for my age, and powerfully built, still the strain of supporting Mr Macdougall besides myself, was more than I was able to manage--the strongest man couldn't have done it.

He saw this even before I did, and took away his hand from my shoulder.

"Let me bide, laddie," he said. "You've doon your best to save me, but you canna do't mair; gang awa' and save your ain sel'."

"No I won't, Mr Macdougall," I cried, stopping and treading water for a minute or two, while he imitated my example. "If I'm saved, you shall be saved; and if you drown, I'll drown too!"

"That's bravely said, laddie," he replied, "but your streength will na let you bear my lumpy karkus. I'm a meesereeble sinner, ye ken, and it's na richt as a brave lad lik' you should lose his ain life for a worthless loon lik' me!"

"No more of that, Mr Macdougall!" I cried, stoutly. "I made up my mind to try and save you when I jumped overboard after you; and save you now I will, with G.o.d's help--so there's no use trying to prevent me!

Now put your hand on my shoulder again, for it's time for us to be moving on after our rest."

The short "spell off" from swimming had rested me, and I struck out once more with renewed vigour, my progress with the mate in tow being now much more rapid, for the sea was calming down, beginning to feel the cessation of the wind.

"We'll reach the ship, never fear!" I said presently, seeing her still in the distance when we rose upon a wave from the watery abyss in which the previous dialogue had taken place.

"I hope so, laddie, I hope so," said Mr Macdougall, but his words did not sound very cheering, and I went on swimming hard, saying nothing further. By-and-bye, just when my strength began to fail again, and I felt that I could never get over the distance that separated us from the vessel, I saw to my joy a large object floating near.

"Hullo!" I cried, "here's a boat, or raft, or something in sight; cheer up, Mr Macdougall, we're saved!"

But, he was so worn out with the exposure, and his previous efforts to keep up before I went to his a.s.sistance, that he had now almost lost the power of speech, only moaning something like "Eh, laddie?" behind me.

I saw, therefore, that I must now trust entirely to my own exertions for our joint safety--the more so since that, as the mate lost his consciousness, although still keeping hold of me in the way I had directed him, his limp, pa.s.sive weight pressed me down lower and lower in the water; so, putting out all my energies for a final effort, and clenching my teeth together with grim determination, I struggled forward, swimming as hard as I could towards the floating object I had seen, and which I had caught sight of only just in time.

One stroke--two--three--and a roller throws me back again. I renew the contest--another stroke, accompanied by as vigorous a kick out as I can manage, with Mr Macdougall's prostrate body touching my legs; and then--I clutch hold of the thing at last--hurrah!

It was a large hencoop, which used to be fixed on the starboard side of the _Esmeralda's_ p.o.o.p; so I suppose some one must have pitched it overboard after me the moment I gave the alarm.

But, no matter when it was sent adrift or why, it now saved both our lives; for I don't believe I could have swum a stroke further, while as for Mr Macdougall, he was already like a man dead.

There was a piece of rope lashed round the coop, and with this I at once made the mate fast to it, raising his head well up, and shouting in his ears to revive him.

In a minute or two, he opened his eyes, and appeared more like himself, a smile spreading over his face, as if in thankfulness for escaping death.

As for me, I was as right as a trivet now that I had come across such a splendid raft; and, climbing on top, and balancing myself so as not to let it lurch over, I proceeded to look for the ship--which I had almost forgotten while striving to reach this nearer haven of refuge.

No sooner, however, had I mounted the hencoop, which floated nearly a foot above the surface, even with my weight on it--for it was a big piece of woodwork, with plenty of timber in it, and as light as a cork-- than I felt a faint current of air blowing in my face from a direction quite opposite to that of the drift of the waves, the tops of which now began to curl and break off.

"Hullo, the wind has changed!" I sang out to Mr Macdougall, as he looked up at me to hear my report; and then, glancing round, there I saw the _Esmeralda_, with her yards squared, approaching us rapidly, the breeze having caught her up long before it reached us.

I could have shouted aloud for joy.

"Cheer up, Mr Macdougall!" I said, repressing my emotion as much as it lay in my power. "The ship is making for us, and we'll be on board again in a brace of shakes."

"Nae, ye're jookin', laddie!" he cried despairingly. "She'll never reach us 'fore dark."