The Ocean Wireless Boys and the Lost Liner Part 17

At last all was ready, and a few early-rising pa.s.sengers saw the boat lowered and pulled away for the dim speck of land on the far horizon that marked the site of Sombrero Island. A few moments later the stopping of the _Tropic Queen's_ engines aroused the other pa.s.sengers, and before the breakfast bugle blew, the ship was humming with conjecture and surmise as to the reason for the sudden check in the voyage.

A bulletin, posted by the captain's orders, dispelled the mystery. It also announced that the boat was expected back by evening at the latest.

CHAPTER XXI

A TALE OF THE SEA

The boat, urged by strong arms, fairly flew over the water.

Quartermaster Schultz served out breakfast to the crew in relays, for no time had been taken for eating before they started. Jack felt in high spirits. The morning was clear and quite cool. The scorching heat of the day would not come till later, when the sun rose higher.

"Ach, idt vos a badt ding to be on a lighdthouse midout help from der supply boat undt not knowing if you vill lif or die," said the old quartermaster, as he sat in the stern sheets with Jack. "I rememper ven I vos younger vunce I vos tired of der sea undt ships, undt I take idt a yob on a lighdthouse off der coast of Oregon on der Bacific.

"Der Big Boint Lighdt vos its name. It vos known as vun of der loneliest of all der lighdts on dot rocky coast. Budt I didn't care about dot, or I dought I didn't. Der pay vos goodt undt dere vos annunder keeper, an oldt man, oldt enough to be mein fadder, I reckon.

"Vell, der supply boat idt take me to der lighdt, budt a badt storm came up after dey hadt landed me, undt dey had to go avay again. To get to der lighdt from der schmall boat dey sendt me ash.o.r.e in, I hadt to be hoisted oop in a sordt of basket from der boat by a derrick. Der lighdt vos just as lonely as I hadt heardt idt vos. Idt stood on a big rock vich formed der endt of a sordt of peninsula of rocks dot ran out two miles from der sh.o.r.e.

"Idt vos buildt of stone undt lookedt strong undt substantial. Idt needed to pe so, I dought, as I lookedt aboudt me undt sized der place oop.

"Der oldt man on der lighdt, his name vos Abbott, velcomed me. He vos a fine-looking oldt man, midt pale blue eyes undt a long white beard.

After de boat hadt left, pecause of der rising sea, der oldt man toldt me dot ve vos in for a badt storm.

"'Let idt come,' said I, 'dis tower is as strong aber der rock idt is built on. Nuddings can harm idt.'

"He didn't say nuddings, budt showed me my quarters vich vos in der lower pardt of de tower. Den he took me oop to show me der lamp, an oil burner midt a two minute flash.

"'Many a poor sould vill bless dis lamp to-nighdt,' he saidt to me, undt den he vent on to tell me dot his son vos a sailor on de China run on a pig tea clipper.

"'He is homevard boundt now, undt ought to pe off dis coast to-nighdt,'

he said. 'His ship runs into Portlandt.'

"Vell, ve cooked our supper undt ate idt vhile der sea oudtside kept rising undt der windt hadt a sordt of a moan in idt dot made you d.i.n.k of somepody in bain. I couldt see dot ve vere in for a mighty badt nighdt.

After ve had eaten, der oldt man, his name vos Abbott, climbed oop der tower undt lighted der lamps.

"Den he sedt in motion der clockvurk dot kept der lighdt revolving all t'rough der nighdt giffing oudt der regular flashes, as sedt down on der charts. Ven dot vos done dere vosn't much to do budt to smoke undt talk.

Der oldt man vosn't much of a handt for talking, budt aboudt his son he had a lodt to say. Vot a fine poy he vos, undt how he vos going to try to gedt him to leave der sea after dot voyage, der oldt man knowing der sea undt how efery voyage may pe a sailor's last. He showed me his picture, too. A fine figure of a poy. Ach, yes, undt to d.i.n.k of vot vos to happen dot night! Poor oldt Abbott, dot vos many years ago, budt I can hear him still telling me aboudt his poy Harry, undt vot a fine poy he vos.

"Vell, py der time idt vos my turn to go to bed der vind vos howling undt tearing roundt der lighdt like a pack of wolves. Der sea vos gedtting oop, too. You could hear idt roar like vild beasts roundt der place. I foundt myself being mighty gladt dot der tower vos of solidt stone. Nudding else couldt have stoodt idt.

"Outside der lighdt vos a small stone shanty. In dis vos der boiler vich made der fog-horn blow. Oldt man Abbott toldt me pefore I go to bedt dot I hadt bedder start der fires oop undter der boiler, so dot if anyting happened to der lighdt ve vould still be able to varn der ships.

"Ven I open der door to go to der boiler room der vind almost knocks me off my feedt. Der spray blows in my face like knives. Der sea vos all vhite, like idt vos boiling. I dell you, dot vos a nighdt, budt idt vos nudding to vot vos to come.

"I got steam oop undt banked der fires. Den I turned in till oldt man Abbott should rouse me for my vatch. I didn't sleep much, vhat vith der devils howling of vind, and der roar of der sea. Ven oldt man Abbott vake me, he say dot I shall come oop into der lantern.

"I hurried on a few clo'es and climbed oop. Himmel! At der top of der tower you couldt feel dot stone shake, der vind vos so fierce! Oldt man Abbott, he vos yust sitting dere saying nudding, budt staring out. He didn't turn ven I came in, budt yust kept on staring. Budt at last he turn round to me undt holdt oop vun of his vingers, solemn like.

"'Hark!' he say.

"'I don't can hear idt nuddings,' I saidt.

"He shook his oldt vhite head.

"'Don't you hear dem calling?' he saidt. 'Listen!'

"I began to d.i.n.k dot der oldt man hadt gone crazy, as lighdt keepers sometimes do. For der life of me I could hear nuddings budt der vind undt der sea. All at vonce a vave came crashing against der gla.s.s of der lantern. You could hear der vater swish undt crash on der lenses.

"Der tower shook as if idt hadt been struck a blow. I pegan to feel a bidt scared. A few more vaves like dot undt nudding dot man buildt could standt idt. Budt oldt man Abbott, he say nudding. Py undt py I saw his lips move undt I dought maype he vos praying.

"I not interrupt him budt come downstairs again. I know I must see to der furnace under der boiler in der vistle house. But ven I opened der door I vos blown in again. Dot vind vos so strong dot idt drove me righdt back, undt I vos a strong young man den, too, midt my muscles hardened on ships all ofer der vurld. I saw dot if I vanted to endt idt my life, all I had to do vos to try to gedt to dot boiler house. So I gif idt oop, undt come in py der tower again.

"I go oop py der lighdt. Ach, it vos terrible oop dere! Der seas vos so pig dot dey sweep righdt ofer der tower. Small rocks undt stones hammered against der lenses till you vould haf dought dey must be smashed in! Budt dey vere of t'ick, strong gla.s.s undt dey stoodt idt.

"Oldt man Abbott, he asks me to go pelow undt gedt him some coffee. Py dot time idt is gedtting on toward morning. Der storm is schreeching undt howling undt ramping like ten t'ousand teufels. Sometimes ven a big vave hit der tower idt shake like dere vos an eart'quake gotd idt in its teef!

"'Schultz,' I say by meinselfs, 'you are one pig fool, mein fine fellow, to leave der sea. Aber idt is bedder to die on a goodt ship dan in der wreck of a lighdthouse.'

"I haf youst aboudt G.o.dt der coffee ready ven der oldt man comes down.

Dere vos a vild look in his eyes like he hadt seen a ghost.

"'Dere's a ship, a fine ship, she's driven ash.o.r.e on der Squabs,' he said. Der Squabs peing vot ve called der long neck of small rocks petween der Big Lighdt undt der sh.o.r.e.

"'Impossible!' saidt I. 'Ve vould half heardt idt der rockets aber der guns if such hadt been der case.'

"'Pelief idt or nodt as you like,' he said, 'budt dere is a ship ash.o.r.e.

I heardt der poor soulds on her screaming undt praying.'

"I looked at him, d.i.n.king he had suddenly gone crazy. Budt he looked quite sane undt serious.

"'Idt is a terrible ding,' he said, 'to die like dot midtoudt a grave budt der sea to lay your headt in, till der judgment day ven der good book tells us dere shall pe no more sea.'

"'Mr. Abbott,' I saidt, 'I d.i.n.k you hadt bedder dake your coffee undt go to bedt. You are overtired.'

"'I shall keep oop till der storm dies oudt,' he saidt, undt I shall nefer forget his voice as he saidt dot. 'I must see vot ship dot vos dot drove ash.o.r.e.'

"Suddenly, above us, ve heardt a terrible noise as if der lighdthouse vos peing torn to bits. Idt came from der oopper pardt of der tower. I rushed to der foot of der steps undt vos medt py a rush of vater.

"As idt swept py me idt almost knocked me off my feedt! Righdt avay I know vot hadt happened. A big vave hadt smashed in der light, or more likely a big rock, hurled py der vave, hadt done der damage.

"Midt oldt man Abbott close behindt me, I fought my vay oop der steps.

"Himmel! I nefer forget vot ve findt!

"Der whole top of der lantern, idt hadt been cut off as if py a knife!

Only ragged edges of stone showed vhere idt hadt been. Der lighdthouse vos no longer a lighdthouse, undt vos of no goodt to varn ships of der danger.