Sail Ho! Part 97

He shifted the direction of the nozzle, but the noise was as bad as ever.

"Well, you are hard to please, and you'll have to take it now as I like to give it you, so off you go, my lad."

"All right, Bob," I replied; "I'm going," and saturated with the moisture of my strange vapour-bath, I went along the narrow pa.s.sage by the bulwarks, to find to my astonishment that I had walked out of a dense fog into the clear sunshine; and when I looked back, it was to see the white vapour towering up as if to reach the skies.

CHAPTER FORTY THREE.

I was faint and hungry, but I could not help standing there for a few minutes in the hot sunshine, which sent a pleasant glow through my damp clothes, and watching the wonderful great wreaths of steam rolling and circling up in the bright light, which made them look as if the pearly lining of sea-sh.e.l.ls were there in a gaseous state in preparation before sinking in solution down into the sea.

Here the wreaths looked soft and pearly and grey, there they were flushed with a lovely pink which, as the steam-cloud curled over, became scarlet and orange and gold. In places where they opened as they ascended, the gold-rayed blue sky showed through, to give fresh effects of beauty, while high up, there at times were the upper parts of the masts standing out as if they belonged to some smaller ship sailing away through a thick sea-fog of an ocean far above the level where I stood.

I was gazing wonderingly at the beautiful effects produced by the bright sunshine upon the vapour, forgetting all about our danger for the moment in spite of the steady clank of the double pump, which came in regular pulsation above the hiss and roar of the steam, when my name was suddenly p.r.o.nounced behind me, and turning sharply, I saw Miss Denning standing there, looking very pale, and with a scared expression in her eyes that was painful to see.

She had evidently just come to the companion-way and caught sight of me, and now held out her hands, with a smile coming into her troubled face.

"I am so glad," she cried. "You will tell me the truth. My brother has sent me to see. Are we in great danger?"

"Oh no, I think not," I cried, as I took her hands, and felt as if I had been neglecting a sister and a sick brother to gratify my desire to watch some coloured clouds.

"You are not deceiving me?" she cried. "Tell me, is not the danger very great? Come and tell John."

She hurried me in through the saloon to where her brother was back in his own cabin, lying upon his mattress, looking terribly weak and ill.

His face brightened though as he saw me, and he too held out his hands.

"Ah, Dale," he said feebly, "I wanted to see you. It is so hard to lie here without being able to help, and I sent Lena to get news. Tell us the whole truth. Don't keep anything back."

I told him all I knew, meeting his great sunken eyes frankly enough, and he seemed relieved.

"Then there is hope?" he said at last.

"Certainly, I think so," I replied. "They are mastering the fire, and it cannot burst out afresh, for the cargo not burned will be drenched with water."

"But it may have worked its way through the ship's side," he said, with a shake of his head. Then, suddenly--"Look here, I want you, if I break down altogether, and my sister here is left alone, to take my place, and be as it were her brother. We have both liked you from the first day we met. Will you promise this?"

"I will when it becomes necessary," I said quietly; "but you are going to be better."

He shook his head, and Miss Denning gazed at me wildly.

"Oh, come," I cried, "don't look at the black side of things. It was enough to make you much worse, having to go through all that trouble; but we've got rid of the mutineers, gone through an explosion and a fire, and all sorts of other trouble. You'll soon feel better when we are all straight again."

"That's what I tell him," said Miss Denning eagerly, "but he only shakes his head at me."

"And he doesn't know so well as I do."

"Had your breakfast, Dale, my lad?" cried Mr Brymer cheerily.

"Good-morning, Miss Denning. Well, Mr Denning, we're winning the battle."

"Then you will save the ship?" cried Mr Denning.

"Oh yes, I think so now," said Mr Brymer quietly. "Miss Denning, it is almost an insult to ask you, but if you could find time to help us a little!"

"Yes," she said eagerly. "What can I do?"

"I would not ask you, but we are all forced to go on pumping to extinguish the fire, and to a man we are getting exhausted."

"And you want food--breakfast?"

"That's it, my dear young lady; and if you could collect a few sc.r.a.ps together for us--"

"It is all ready in the cabin next to the captain's."

"Hah! I might have known," cried the mate, taking Miss Denning's hand to raise it to his lips. "G.o.d bless you for all you have done for us, Miss Denning. If my little wife at home could only know everything, she would be down on her knees praying for your safety. Look here, Mr Denning, don't you be down-hearted. I can read you like a book, better than the doctor. Half your complaint is worry about your sister here."

"Well," said Mr Denning with a faint smile, "suppose I grant that it is."

"Why, then, you would be honest, that's all. Now don't you fidget about her, for there are on board this ship six men--I was going to say and a boy, but I can't, for that boy counts as a man in the spirit to do all he can, so I shall say seven good men and true--who will do everything they can to protect as sweet a young English lady as ever stepped.

There isn't one of us, from grim-looking Neb Dumlow or brown Bob Hampton up to the doctor, who wouldn't cheerfully give his life to save her from harm."

"Yes, yes," cried Mr Denning, with the weak tears in his eyes, "I know."

"And I too," said Miss Denning, in a choking voice, "though I do not know what I have done to deserve it."

"You don't?" cried Mr Brymer; "then I'll tell you, my dear. There, I say it, and mean it. You have behaved like a true, sweet English lady should, ever since you have been on board. Do you think, rough sailors as we are, we haven't seen your devotion to your brother? Do you think we haven't all loved you for your genuine patient English pluck all through troubles that would have made scores of fine madams faint.

Here, I'm getting into a knot, instead of getting something to eat, and going back to my work. Mr Denning, don't you fidget, sir. We'll pull you through. And you, Miss Denning, if you'll go on seeing that the poor fellows have a morsel now and then, we'll bless you a little more.

Come along, Dale, we must get back."

We hurried out, but I saw Miss Denning sink down on her knees sobbing by her brother's side; and, as he put his left arm round her neck, he waved his right hand to me.

"It's no use talking, Dale, my lad," said Mr Brymer huskily, "we must save the ship--we will. Now, then, let's get a handful of food a-piece and look in on the captain before we go back."

I followed him into the right cabin, where a freshly-opened tin of beef, some biscuits, and a can of fresh water stood ready on a white cloth, and we both began to eat ravenously.

"There's an angel for you, Dale," mumbled the mate, with his mouth full.

"Right kind of angel too, who can open meat-tins for hungry men, and who knows that even now it's nicer off a white cloth. I don't wonder at the doctor."

"What about the doctor?" I said curiously, as I too ate as if I had not had anything for a month.

"Never you mind. Fill your fists and come along. Eat as we go."

We each covered a biscuit with meat and laid another on the top, to form the hardest sandwiches ever made by man, and then hurried into the next cabin, where Captain Berriman was lying on a mattress.

"Ah, Brymer! At last!" he cried. "Well?"

"Yes, it's well, skipper," said Mr Brymer. "I think we shall save the ship."

Captain Berriman's lips moved, as his eyes closed for a few moments.