Sir Ludar Part 56

Ludar alone looked grave when the order came, and pointed to the furious, livid swirl of purple clouds that crowded round the setting sun.

"I have seen yon sky before," said he, "often when I was a boy. And they taught us, when we saw it, to pray the saints for those at sea."

"May be there are saints ash.o.r.e who see it and pray for us to-night,"

said I.

"There had need be," said he, solemnly.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

HOW WE CAME INTO CALM WATER AFTER ALL.

Ludar's forecast was destined to a swift and sudden fulfilment. The red glare was scarcely out of the west when the wind began to howl and whistle through our rigging with a presage of the tempest that was to come. What was of worse omen still, the long streamer on the main-mast, which hitherto had spread due eastward, now suddenly flapped to south- east, showing that the gale was coming upon us from the one quarter we had most cause to dread, namely, the north-west.

For, as Ludar well knew by this time, unless we could keep the _Gerona's_ head out so as to clear the far Antrim Headlands of Bengore and Benmore, we ran the peril of being driven in on an iron-bound sh.o.r.e, which had short shrift and little mercy for such as fell upon it.

The danger soon became manifest to others beside Ludar, and once again the oars were ordered out and the ship's head put across the wind.

Ludar and I were among the party of cursing and mutinous rowers whose turn it was to be relieved, and we were about to crawl below for a s.n.a.t.c.h of repose, when a messenger came from Don Alonzo bidding Ludar attend him.

"Come with me," said Ludar, and we followed the man.

Don Alonzo, who, from the moment he could stand upright, had resumed his post of command, stood in his cabin, pale and stern, surrounded by his officers, who, by their uneasy study of the charts before them, were plainly alive to the peril that threatened the ship.

"Sir Ludar," said he, "your presence on board is not without a fortunate meaning for us. The account betwixt us runs high already. I have no means to pay you, but by demanding a further service at your hands. You know this Irish coast well?"

"I have sailed from Malin Head to Cantire in an open galley many a time as a boy," said Ludar.

"And you know specially the coast about your father's castle, and this great causeway of rocks near it?" said he, pointing on the chart to Dunluce and the jagged headlands beyond.

"I know them, every inch," said Ludar.

"Then," said Don Alonzo, "I make a request of you, Sir Ludar, in the name of my master, the King of Spain."

"'Tis more than enough," said he. "Ask me in your own name. I owe you, Sir Don, more than I do the King of Spain."

"Well, then, will you honour me and my company by taking the helm, and, if it be possible, clearing us of the peril which this foul wind threatens?"

"I will do my best," said he. "But I doubt the ship's power to keep a course across the wind. 'Twill need more than one man at the tiller; and, by your leave, I appoint my comrade here to a.s.sist me."

"So be it," said Don Alonzo. "And, whatever befall, we thank you, Sir Ludar, for this service."

Thus honourably did Ludar McDonnell step, where he deserved, to a post of command on board this ship. As for me, 'twas glory enough to stand his second; and, so soon as I saw his hand on the helm, all my doubts of our safe pa.s.sage round the headlands and on to Scotland, were at an end.

Not so his.

"I have undertaken more than I can perform," said he, "and the Don knows it. If this wind hold, nothing can persuade this lob-sided, ill-trimmed craft out of the bay. Away with sleep, man! and chain down the helm across the wind. Bid them put all their strength on the starboard oars."

An hour after that the gale broke in full fury from the north-west. It must have caught us some two leagues north of Malin Head; for, as we drove down before it, we could hear a thunder of breakers on our right, which Ludar p.r.o.nounced to be the Tor Rocks, off the island of Instrahull.

"'Tis a mercy to be past them, anyhow," said he. "But see, for all our turning of the helm, we are driving down the wind."

So indeed we were. To our dismay, the _Gerona_ sailed almost as far sideways as she did forward; and, had we not been well out to seaward to start with, we might have been hard put to it even to clear the headlands of Innishowen.

About midnight there was nothing for it but to order the sails to be let go, and depend only on the oars for our course. After that, for a while, we went better. But the men, worn-out and dispirited, pulled with but half a heart; and hour by hour the vessel drifted in, until it was clear that nothing but a shifting of the wind or standing to at anchor could keep us off the opposite rocks.

Off Innishowen, as we crossed the mouth of the Foyle river, we fell on a shoal of terrible shallows, which spun the _Gerona_ round like a top, and washed her in raging foam from stem to stern.

"Go and tell the Don he must either let go his anchors, or double the men at the oars," said Ludar, when presently we had staggered out again into blacker water.

Word was given immediately to try the former, and the only two anchors we had were let over. For a moment or two, as the ship swung round, creaking in every joint, it seemed as if she would ride out the gale thus. But with a report like the crack of a gun, first one, then the other of her cables broke short at the gunwale, and we knew we had only lost time and water in the attempt.

Instantly the Don called upon his n.o.bles to volunteer for the oars.

Gallantly they responded; and occupied the after benches, while all the slaves rowed forward. Then, for an hour, the _Gerona_ seemed to hold her own, and reeled across the bay on an eastward course.

But, presently, even the lordlings of Spain flagged, and once again we drove in, amid the thunder of surf, on an ever nearing sh.o.r.e.

"We should be near the Bann mouth," said I. "To think of the last time we heard that thunder together!"

"We are clear of that," said Ludar, quietly. "Tell the Don his lordlings must work harder if we are to weather the next point."

I told the Don as much, hat in hand; and once again the gentles gathered themselves together and made a course for the labouring ship.

Ludar was breathing hard when I returned to his side.

"That may put us past Ramore," said he. "In the bay beyond that lies Dunluce. If we be driven in there, Heaven help us indeed!"

"I would as soon perish there as anywhere else."

"Talk not of perishing, fool, while a hope remains! Bid the Don cut away his poles forthwith. They are worse than useless now."

So, one after another the stately masts of the _Gerona_ went by the board, and the ease their going gave us, added to the fresh vigour of the rowers, helped us, as Ludar foretold, round the rough little head of Ramore.

No sooner had we pa.s.sed it than the wind and current together got hold of us again and swept us in betwixt the islands of the Skerries and the mainland. Not even twice the number of rowers could have saved us then.

"Listen!" said Ludar presently.

I listened, and could hear ahead of me a thunder deeper and more awful than any we had yet pa.s.sed.

"What is it?" I asked.

"My father's castle," said he. "We are going home with a vengeance now!"

Scarce a man remained at the oars. We could hear shouts of praying and cursing intermingled, as all hands crowded to the decks and gazed forward in the direction of that warning sound.

A lanthorn on the quarter-deck showed us the Don, standing there alone, bare-headed, in his steel breastplate, and sword in hand, quietly waiting the end. Beyond was a troubled crowd of doomed men, counting the moments and straining their eyes into the darkness.