The Black Bar Part 7

"Why not? What is it?"

"I wanted to know whether they would ever find us again."

"Find us? Yes, of course," cried the lieutenant. "They must find us.

There, it's all right. Never despair. No fear of our being washed off, and we've nothing else to mind."

"Sharks?" said Mark, involuntarily.

"Hush!" whispered the lieutenant, fiercely. And then with his lips to the lad's ear he said, "Never utter a word likely to damp your men's courage at a time like this. Do your duty and hope for the best. Trust in G.o.d for the help to come, my lad. That's how a sailor should act."

"I'll try, Mr Russell," whispered back Mark, with a curious choking feeling at his breast as he thought of home in far-away old England, and of the slight chance he had of ever seeing it again.

"Of course you will try, black as it all looks. Now then, we're a bit rested, and going to have another start."

But he gave no orders then, for with his wet hand shading his eyes, he tried to make out what was going on between the _Nautilus_ and the schooner, the firing having now ceased.

"I'm afraid the Yankee skipper's carrying on the same manoeuvre," he said at last; "and perhaps we shall have to wait for morning. Now then, I want this boat righted and baled out, but we shall be colder sitting in our wet clothes than we are now. Ready, my lads?"

"Ay, ay, sir."

Still he did not give orders for the men to renew their efforts, but hung there watching the distant vessels, while alone in the great ocean the capsized boat softly heaved and fell on the long smooth rollers.

"Yes," said the lieutenant at last, "he will be obliged to let her escape."

"Not take her?" cried Mark, rousing himself a little at this.

"No, not take her. He must heave to and pick us up. As soon as it is day gla.s.ses will be at work in the maintop; and directly they see our plight the _Nautilus_ will come down to us with every st.i.tch of canvas set."

"Hooray!" shouted the men as they heard the lieutenant's words; and when he gave his orders, they set to with a will to drag the keel down toward them. Discipline, training, all was in their favour; but the boat was heavy, and seemed to fight against them. Turning their bodies into weights, they drew it more and more over, till it was so low that the lieutenant bade one man climb up and reach over to get hold of the side.

This was done again and again, but only for the weight to disturb the equilibrium, and send it back, the man in each case going right over with it, to be plunged in, head-first, on the other side.

Sailors are light-hearted fellows, and even in times of peril they soon forget their troubles, and are ready to join in a grin.

It was so here. A roar of laughter saluted each man who went down as soon as he rose again and swam round, taking it all good-humouredly enough, as he resumed his place to renew the struggle, till at last the lieutenant was ready to give up in despair.

"Let me try this time," said Mark at last. "I'm lighter, and I think I could get hold of the side with the boathook as soon as I am on the keel."

"Hear that, my lads?" shouted Dance, "and me to have handled a hitcher all these years, and never to have thought of it. Boat's righted, messmates, now; only, by your leave, sir, if you'd let me try, I think I could do it easier than you."

"Try then, my lad," said the lieutenant; and, getting hold of the hook, the c.o.xswain moved into the centre on one side as the crew seized the keel and dragged it down, while the man, boathook in hand, climbed up, finding good foothold on the clinker-built boat, steadying himself with his pole as he worked. At last he stood upright on the side of the keel, reached over and fixed his hook upon one of the rowlocks; then holding on firmly by the pole and pressing his feet against the keel, he hung right away, his body now forming so heavy a balance-weight that upon the men making a simultaneous effort to draw the boat over, she came down more and more. Then with a sudden lurch the resistance against them was overcome, and she came right over to an even keel, plunging Dance into the water, from which he rose spitting and sputtering, to begin swimming back amidst a hearty burst of cheers.

CHAPTER SIX.

ALONE ON THE OCEAN.

"All very fine for you, my lads," grumbled the c.o.xswain, "but see what a wetting I got."

"Vandean, my lad," whispered the lieutenant, "that idea of yours saved us," and he caught and pressed the lad's cold hand. Then aloud: "Now, my lads, get the oars in under the thwarts, so that they don't float out, and then you, Dance, and you, Tom Fillot, in over the side and begin baling."

The boat was floating with its gunwale level with the water, and the two men had only to press the side a bit and literally roll in, to squat down and begin baling; for, to the great delight of all, it was found that the locker in the bows was unopened, though full of water, and a couple of tin balers were fished out from amidst some tackle. Directly after, working with all their might, the men began to make the water fly out in showers.

Meanwhile the oars were collected and thrust down into the boat beneath the thwarts, along with the hitcher, and the rest of the little crew held on by the gunwale outside.

For a time this seemed to remain level with the surface, but the two balers toiled so hard that in a short time the lieutenant turned to Mark, and said shortly--"In with you."

The lad looked at him in wonder, but junior officers have to obey, and he crept in over the side, and getting right aft, began to scoop out the water with his joined hands.

A quarter of an hour later a fresh order was given, and two more men got into the boat to seat themselves and take the balers, while the pair who had been acting prepared to get out again and hang on.

But a short, sharp order checked them.

"There is no need, my lads," said the lieutenant. "You can begin scooping out water as soon as you are a bit rested. The boat will hold you now."

He was quite right, for, though the presence of four men weighed her down heavily, and sent her gunwale once more nearly level with the surface, it soon began to rise again as, pint by pint, the interior was relieved, until another man crept in, and soon after another, till the whole crew were back, and the lieutenant got in last.

Ten minutes later two men forward were steadily baling, whilst two others seized their oars, under the lieutenant's direction, and getting the boat's head round as they sat there with the water still well up over their ankles, they began to pull steadily in the direction of the _Nautilus_, now nearly invisible in the distant silvery haze.

They were still so heavily water-logged that progress was very slow, but this was no discouragement, for their position improved minute by minute, and the men were so much cheered that they put plenty of spirit into their work.

But before they had taken many strokes the lieutenant gave the order to stop, and Mark shuddered as he saw the reason. Mr Russell had turned to the rudder-lines, and there was a terrible burden towing astern.

Those were solemn moments which followed. The lieutenant signed to the c.o.xswain to come, and then helped him to draw the lifeless body of the poor fellow over the gunwale, and, as decently as was possible, laid the remains of what had once been a big, strong man in the bottom of the boat. A flag was then taken from the locker and covered over him, just as, by a strange coincidence, and very faintly heard, came the report of a gun.

The c.o.xswain then went forward and helped with the baling, while the men recommenced rowing in silence.

"The lads will think all this unnecessary, Vandean," said the lieutenant in a low voice, as Mark sat by his side; "but it would be horribly un-English to leave the poor wretch floating at the mercy of the waves.

He was free enough, poor fellow, before we shaded him with the British flag. What would you have done?"

"As you have, sir," replied the lad. "I couldn't have left him behind, though it seems very horrible to have taken him on board, and to have him here with us in the night."

"All fanciful sentiment, Van, my lad. What is there in that poor fellow now to excite our fear? Come, you must be more manly than that. Cold?"

"Yes; very, now."

"So am I, my lad. These wet things are not comfortable. We'll take to the oars and row for a bit to keep off the chill. Why, Vandean, you ought to be well praised for this night's work. I feel quite ashamed of myself for letting you suggest a way out of our difficulty with the capsized boat."

"Oh, it was nothing, sir. It just occurred to me," replied Mark.

"I wish it had just occurred to me, my lad; and what is more, I wish we could see the _Nautilus_ coming towards us with the slave schooner astern, but there is no such good fortune in store for us till morning."

By this time the water was getting very low in the bottom of the boat, and ordering the c.o.xswain aft to steer, the lieutenant took the oar of Tom Fillot, who was rowing stroke, sent him forward, and then made Mark take the oar of the next man. They both pulled steadily together for the next half hour, Mr Russell telling the c.o.xswain how to steer, so as to keep steadily in the wake of the _Nautilus_, which had now for long enough been out of sight.

The long row thoroughly circulated Mark's blood, driving away all the feeling of chill, so that it was with a pleasant glowing sensation that the lad took his place once more in the stern-sheets to sit beside the lieutenant, and with him anxiously look-out ahead in the hope of seeing some sign of the ship.

"She may send up a rocket, mayn't she, Mr Russell?" said Mark, after a long silence, during which the boat had risen and fallen with the swell, and felt beating with a living pulsation as the men toiled steadily on at their oars.