The Three Admirals Part 54

"You have indeed escaped from a terrible danger," said Tom. "But I wish that you could have given more perfect information about the rock on which you saw the signal flying, and its position."

"I noted it down at the time, sir, but my log was lost, and the events which have since occurred have put that and many other things out of my head, though I have been trying in vain to recall it. I do not remember at all clearly how many weeks' sail we were from Hobart Town, or how far I ran after sighting the rock; nor, indeed, how long I must have been on the raft, though while I retained my consciousness it seemed an age. On considering over the matter, I conclude that the gale could not have lasted much less than a week, and perhaps longer."

Tom, on obtaining this important information, at once communicated it to Jack, who immediately went to Captain Cooper, and had a conversation with him.

"It is within the range of possibilities that the _Empress_ may have been lost on the rock sighted by Captain Cooper, though how she could have got so far to the east, when she should have hauled up long before for Aden, it is difficult to say," observed Jack, when afterwards talking the matter over with the lieutenant and master. "Probably her machinery broke down, as ours did."

"And meeting with a gale, she had to run before it," remarked the master. "These steam-kettles of ours can never be depended upon. I wish we could go back to the good old sailing ships. When we had them we knew what we were about, and took good care to keep off a lee sh.o.r.e; or, when it came on to blow, we hove the ship to and rode it out comfortably. Now we trust to the machinery, and it fails us in time of need. I shouldn't like to say that to the engineer, for he sticks up for his engines, and wonders how ships used to cross the ocean before they got steam power."

Jack smiled. The master was a thorough seaman, and he was allowed always to have his say against the "new-fangled notions of the day," as he called them. Both Gordon and Tom agreed with the master that there was a great probability that the _Empress_ had been lost on the rock seen by Captain Cooper, as she had not touched at Aden nor been heard of further to the eastward. Some of her crew might have escaped, although it was too probable that many were lost, and if so that Adair was among them; he certainly would not have quitted the wreck until the last--they knew him too well to suppose that.

"The signal seen by Captain Cooper may, however, have been hoisted by the people who escaped from some other wreck," observed Tom.

"Perhaps the _Empress_ went down during the gale in which we lost sight of her," said the master.

"I trust that such was not the case; she was as likely to keep afloat as we were, unless some unforeseen accident happened--"

"To the machinery," put in the master. "If the steam was shut off and Captain Adair had trusted to his stout canvas, I should have no fear on the subject."

"Heaven forbid that she should have foundered. If she did, we shall never obtain proof positive of the fact," said the captain. "I am far rather inclined to believe that she struck on some unknown reef, and that the rock or island was reached in the boats, or that the ship herself gained it, unless too much damaged to continue her voyage. One thing I am determined to do as soon as our repairs are completed, to obtain leave to go in search of her, and should any other unfortunate persons be on the rock, we shall at all events have the satisfaction of rescuing them."

Fortunately the weather continued fine, and the _Bellona_, without further misadventure, reached Simon's Bay. The repairs, however, took longer than was expected, as the damage received was far more serious than at first supposed. However, the work was such as could be accomplished while the ship was in Simon's Bay.

"Take care your machinery don't break down again, Mr Rivett," observed Mr Scales, the master, who was generally known as Gunter Scale. "We've got a ticklish part of the ocean to navigate, I can tell you, and if your engines fail just at the moment they are wanted to back astern off a coral reef, or keep the ship from being drifted on a lee sh.o.r.e, I shan't have much to say in their favour."

"I beg, Mr Scales, that you will not take the ship into any such position. I understood that every rock and shoal between us and the south pole was well laid down, and it will be your fault if we come upon danger without knowing it beforehand."

"You were wrongly informed, Mr Rivett; and there is many a rock, and many a shoal, and many an island, too, between us and the pole which no one alive knows anything about, although many a poor fellow has found them out too late, when his ship has run right upon them."

"What you say reminds me of the Irish pilot who told the captain of a ship he was taking to an anchorage, that he knew every rock on the coast. The captain doubted him, and five minutes afterwards the ship went crash upon one. 'Bedad! I tould your honour I knew thim, an'

that's one of thim. There's many a rock I've found out in the same manner,'" said Tom, who thought it better to put an end to the discussion.

"I hope we shall find out none in that fashion," said Mr Rivett.

"That will depend on your machinery," said Mr Gunter Scale, chuckling.

"We shall have to keep a bright look-out ahead and the lead going, and if your piston rods and boilers prove faithful, well and good. If not, I cannot warrant that the ship will keep out of the danger into which that screw of yours will run us. Let me have her under canvas and I'll know where I'll go and where I'll not go, and I'll answer for it that I won't run a ship under my charge into a place where her sails can't take her off again."

"Then you have not perfect confidence in my machinery?" observed Mr Rivett.

"No, I have not, and I wonder that you expect me to have. I say again, give me tough masts, sound spars, well set-up rigging, and stout canvas, with a properly built ship under my feet, and I'll keep the sea in all weathers, and carry her safely round the world."

The discussion might have continued for many hours had not both officers been summoned to their respective duties.

Jack, according to his intention, reported to the admiral the account he had received from Captain Cooper, who afterwards repeated it.

"I'm afraid that there is but little chance of your finding the missing ship, but at all events you shall go in search of her," was the answer.

The repairs at length being completed, the _Bellona_ sailed in search of the _Empress_.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

THE EMPRESS LOSES SIGHT OF THE BELLONA--A GALE--SAILS BLOWN AWAY--RUNS BEFORE THE WIND--A LEAK--THE PUMPS MANNED--CREW SET TO BALE--PAT'S DREAM--PETE DISCOVERS THE LEAK--A THRUMMED SAIL GOT UNDER THE BOTTOM-- ANOTHER LEAK--THE GALE INCREASES--STEER FOR VIRGINIA ISLAND--ALL HANDS SPELL AND SPELL--THE SHIP Pa.s.sES OVER A REEF--FALSE KEEL CARRIED AWAY-- THE WATER GAINS ON THEM--ADAIR ADDRESSES THE CREW--THE MIDSHIPMAN AND SHIP'S BOY WITH THEIR WATER JUGS--LAND IN SIGHT--REACHED AT NIGHT--A BEACON FIRE APPEARS ON Sh.o.r.e--SHIP DRIFTS FROM HER ANCHOR--SURMISES AS TO ITS BEING FLY-AWAY ISLAND--THE SHIP REGAINS AN ANCHORAGE--TWO BOATS SENT ON Sh.o.r.e--GREEN GRASPS THE HAND OF LORD SAINT MAUR--STORES AND PART OF THE CREW LANDED--THE SHIP AGAIN DRIVEN OFF THE Sh.o.r.e.

We must now go back to the _Empress_, which we left somewhere about the Tropic of Capricorn, in a heavy gale of wind, approaching to a hurricane. The weather having come on very thick, she soon lost sight of her consort, when the heavy sea which got up compelled Captain Adair either to heave the ship to or to run before the wind. He chose the former alternative, the steam still being kept up. Waiting for a lull, he brought her to the wind under a close-reefed main-topsail. Heavy ship as she was, and deep in the water with stores and provisions of all sorts, she did not ride it out in the comfortable fashion of an old wooden frigate. A fierce blast blew her canvas to ribbons, and a sea striking her carried away the bulwarks forward, and swept her deck, knocking two of her boats to pieces, and doing other serious damage.

Her screw working brought her up again, or the consequences might have been still more serious. It took a long time with all the strength that could be applied to set another sail, when the ship for a time rode rather more easily.

She thus continued hove to for a couple of days, the weather in no way moderating. Adair felt anxious about the _Bellona_, which he hoped to have seen, not being aware that by running south he would have got out of the gale as she did. Many a good seaman under similar circ.u.mstances has made the same mistake. Suddenly the engines stopped. Adair sent to inquire the cause. Part of the machinery had got out of gear, but the engineer reported that it would be soon again in order if the ship could be induced to remain steady for a time.

"He might as well tell us to land him and his engines and to set up a forge and shop," observed Jos Green, the master, who had no greater affection for "steam-kettles" than had old Gunter Scale, his brother master of the _Bellona_.

The ship was now in an uncomfortable position, to say the best of it another blast might blow away a second topsail, and if she fell oil it would be a difficult task to bring her to the wind again; her only resource would then be to run before the gale. The danger apprehended came upon her: the ship fell into the trough of the sea.

"Hold on, hold on, all of you for your lives!" shouted Adair, as he saw a heavy wave come rolling on. It struck the ship, the decks were again swept, and two poor fellows, who had failed to obey the captain's orders, were carried away without the slightest hope of being rescued.

Adair sent below; he received the same answer as before from the engineer. Meantime an attempt was made again to set head sail. As she thus lay the sea broke over her several times, doing more damage.

The well was sounded, and the carpenter reported four feet of water in the hold. The donkey engine was immediately set to work. Fortunately, that not refusing to do its duty, after being some time in operation it gained on the water.

In the mean time another main-topsail was set and an attempt made to wear ship. Suddenly the wind shifted to the north-west, and filling the sails of the sorely battered ship she flew before it, though the heavy broken seas which rolled up astern threatened at any moment to p.o.o.p her.

The engineer complained bitterly of the way in which the ship tumbled about.

"Never mind it now, my good fellow," said Green; "we are under snug canvas and as much as we can carry, and your engines may have some rest.

By-and-by we shall get into a calm; it will be your turn then. We seamen have the ship to ourselves at present. If we put into Simon's Bay, and there happens to be no rollers tumbling in, you will have time enough to put your gimcrack machinery to rights."

"That's just what old Gunter Scale would have said," observed the engineer, who had once served with him on the _Bellona_, and was accustomed to his satirical remarks.

The ship, however, was not destined to touch at the Cape, for one of those terrific gales which occasionally blow off the African coast caught her when within a hundred miles of land, covering her deck with a fine impalpable sand, and having only her canvas to depend upon, she was driven so far to the southward that it would have compelled her to go considerably out of her way had she hauled up again for the Cape. She then fell in with a trade wind, which carried her under all sail to the eastward, and Adair, hoping to regain the lost time, continued in that course until in the longitude of Madagascar, outside of which he intended to stand, avoiding the Mozambique Channel, and probably, if necessary, to touch at the Mauritius, where he could get his engines repaired.

Once more, however, another gale, not inferior in power to those she had already encountered, came on from the north-west. The battered _Empress_ was but ill-prepared to encounter it. The donkey engine had been kept going, and the water had not hitherto considerably increased, but still it was evident that a serious leak existed somewhere, although where it was had not yet been ascertained. Adair and his lieutenant, as well as the carpenter and boatswain, had made repeated efforts to discover the exact spot. The only way to do this was to creep under the bunkers among the bilge water, an unpleasant and dangerous task. It was evident that the water must be reduced before the leak could be discovered.

The word was given to man the chain pumps, and the bilge pumps were also set in motion, while a double line of men were formed with all the buckets which could be found on board, from the main-deck to the hold, to bale out the water, one line pa.s.sing down the empty buckets and the other handing up the full ones, almost as quickly as a chain pump could have done it. The men worked with a will, for they knew full well the danger to which they were exposed. Perfect discipline, however, was maintained; no one showed the slightest sign of fear, no one complained.

Adair had shipped among his crew our old acquaintances Pat Casey and Peter the black, the last-named as a stoker, being better able to perform the office than most Englishmen. With one or two exceptions, the remaining stokers were either Irishmen or Germans, the latter having an apt.i.tude for becoming stokers and sugar bakers, avocations which require the power of enduring heat.

The gale continued to increase, and in spite of all the efforts of the crew the water rushed in as furiously as before. Even had the engines been in order, it would have been impossible to steam back against the wind to the Cape, and it was a great question whether the ship could be kept afloat until the Mauritius--the nearest land--could be reached.

Adair and Jos Green anxiously examined the chart.

"Should the wind shift a few points more to the westward, we might manage it under sail, but in our present circ.u.mstances the only thing to be done is to keep the ship before the gale," observed the master.

In few parts of the ocean is the sea more heavy than in the lat.i.tude in which the _Empress_ now was, except, perhaps, to the southward of Cape Horn. All the other pumps were now set going, and a fresh party was told off to bale out the water with iron hand-buckets. These were hoisted up at the rate of seventy an hour.

"Set the fiddle and fife going, it will keep up the spirits of the men,"

said Adair to the first lieutenant, who at once issued the order.

Presently merry notes were heard amid the howling of the gale, sounding strangely, and yet inspiriting the crew. Still, in spite of all that could be done, the water rose higher and higher.

"Peter," said Pat Casey to his old shipmate, when, after toiling for four hours, they knocked off to get a little rest, "it's my opinion that this is the last cruise you and I shall take together. I've been in many a mighty quare fix before now, but niver one like this. Sure, there's nothin' I hate more than a ship with a hole in her bottom, an'

that's what we've got, an' a pretty big one, I'm after thinkin'."

"You no gib up, Pat," answered Peter. "We fall in with 'nother ship, or sight some land, and we get 'sh.o.r.e, or stop de leak. When de cap'n finds de ship make too much water, he keep her 'float by fixin' a sail under her."