The Three Admirals Part 55

"You may say what ye plaise, but before a sail could be thrummed an'

pa.s.sed under her keel, she'll be many fathoms down into the depths of the ocean. An' supposin' we did fall in with a ship, sure, how could we get aboard of her with this sea runnin'? Then, as to reaching land-- where's the land to reach? I niver heard speak of any land away to the south'ard, except the icy pole, an' that we should niver see if we wished it ever so much."

"Dat may be de case; I nebber could make out de meanin' ob a chart, but wheneber I hab been in de Pacific, me find many islands, and tink dere mus' be some here'bout. Why you so down-hearted?"

"Down-hearted is it, sure? I'm not down-hearted, Pater; but I'll tell ye, I dreamed a dream the night the gale came on, as I lay in me hammock; the ould mither--who's gone to glory these six years--came and stood by me side, an' I saw her face as clearly as I see yours, an' says she, 'Tim, me son, I've come to wake you;' then says I, 'Mither, what's that for?' Says she, 'I can wake ye well, although I cannot give ye dacent burial.' Upon that she sit up such a howlin' I thought it would be heard all along the deck. Says I, 'Mither, just hold fast there, or you'll be afther disturbin' the whole watch below.' But she wouldn't, an' still howled on, jist as I mind th' women doin' in ould Ireland whin I was a boy. Again I sung out, 'Mither, if ye love me, hold your peace.

I don't want to be waked just now,' and as I uttered the words I heard the boatswain pipe all hands on deck, when sure if the wind wasn't shrieking, an' the blocks rattling, an' the masts groaning, showin' that a dacent hurricane was blowin'. Me mither vanished immediately, an' I tumbled up on deck, more asleep thin awake, thinkin' of what the good soul had been saying to me."

Peter fell asleep while Pat was talking, and both in a brief time were again summoned to take their spell at baling. All efforts to discover the leak had been hitherto in vain. Peter went to the chief engineer.

"Pardon, sir, me tink find out de leak. If black Peter get drowned, easily find better man to take him place."

"I shall be very glad if you do, Peter, for I suspect if the leak is not found we shall all be drowned together," said the engineer. "What do you propose doing?"

"Jus' dive down under de water, wid rope round him waist, an' have a bright light held above where him go down. You see, sir, lantern no burn under de water, or me take him down."

"You might possibly succeed; but I fear you will lose your life,"

answered the engineer. "But you shall try if you like."

"All right, ear," said Peter, "me try, no matter what happen."

The engineer reported to the captain the offer of the black. Adair allowed him to make the attempt, and ordered the gunner to bring several blue-lights, as well as a dozen ship's lanterns, and he, with his first lieutenant, the chief engineer, the gunner, and boatswain, and three men to hold the rope, went below, where Peter stood prepared for his undertaking. The hatches overhead were taken off to allow the fumes of the blue-lights to escape.

"Now," cried Peter, "me ready," and slipping into the water, he disappeared beneath it. A blue-light was instantly ignited, the bright glare of which must, it was hoped, penetrate to the very bottom of the ship. It seemed impossible to those standing by that Peter could exist beneath the black fluid which surged over him. The seconds went slowly by, each second appearing to them almost like a minute. The doctor, who had come down, kept his watch in his hand. Adair expected him every moment to give the signal for drawing up the man.

"The poor fellow will be drowned if he stays any longer," observed Adair.

"He will endure it for twenty-five seconds more," answered the doctor.

"We must have him up by that time, if he does not return."

"Haul him up," cried Adair; "he cannot stand it longer."

Just as he spoke, the black's head appeared above the water.

"Me find it next time," he said, drawing a deep breath. In a couple of minutes Peter declared himself ready again to descend. Another blue-light was burned, irradiating the depths below. As before, the doctor watched the time Peter was under the water. Two minutes had pa.s.sed, when Adair ordered the man to be hauled up. It was not a moment too soon. At first, from his appearance, all supposed he was drowned, and the doctor began to prepare to resuscitate him, when he came to himself.

"All right!" he exclaimed; "de leak found, big 'nough to put him hand through."

Peter, as soon as he had regained his strength, showed the exact spot where the hole existed, through which the water was spouting as through a hose. Adair was satisfied that the black was right. The question was now how to stop it. The carpenter had got plugs ready, but Peter averred that no human power could force them in, unless the pressure of water was first taken off from the outside. The only way of doing this was by getting a thrummed sail under the ship's bottom. The engineer suggested that an iron plate should be screwed on, but the difficulty was to screw it in the proper position. He then proposed fixing an iron bar to the plate and securing the other end to a beam above it. The plate was quickly prepared as he suggested, but though it prevented the water spouting upwards as it had before done, it found an entrance notwithstanding, between the plate and the ship's bottom. Adair now gave orders to have a sail thrummed. The operation is as follows: A sail is stretched out and ma.s.ses of oak.u.m are fastened on to one side, so as to give it the appearance of a large rug of great thickness.

Strong ropes are secured to the four corners; it is then dragged under the ship's bottom, when, by the force of the water rushing in, it is sucked into the leak, and although some water still finds its way through, it is calculated greatly to impede its entrance. Happily there came a lull, and during it the ropes were got over the ship's bows, and dragged on until the part where the leak existed was reached, when the thrummed sail was hauled under the bottom, and firmly secured.

A hundred more hands were now told off to bale at the different hatchways with canvas buckets, which the sailmaker's crew and other men had been employed in making to supplement the iron ones. Adair anxiously watched the result of their labours.

"If the weather improves we shall do well yet," observed Green to the first lieutenant.

"One does not see much prospect of that," was the answer.

The sky indeed was as gloomy as ever, the wind blew a perfect hurricane, while the thick mist and spray which flew over the deck wetted every one to the skin. As the hours went by there was no relaxation for the hard-worked crew. The seamen and marines, engineers, and stokers, as well as the officers, laboured away with but short intervals for rest.

No sooner were the men relieved, than, overcome by their exertions, they threw themselves down on the deck and waited until it was their turn again. The carpenter reported the water diminishing.

"We ought, howsumever, to have got more out of the ship by this time than we have," he observed. "To my mind, there must be another leak somewhere."

Adair feared that the carpenter was right, and Peter, hearing his opinion, volunteered again to do down and grope about until he could discover it. The same precautions were taken to save him from destruction.

He persevered until he was so utterly exhausted that the doctor declared him to be unfit again to go below. Though he had not succeeded, Adair thanked him for his gallant conduct, and promised that it should not be overlooked.

"Me berry happy, cap'n, if de ship get into harbour. No want reward,"

answered the brave negro.

Scarcely had the thrummed sail been got under the ship, than it began to blow as hard as ever. Should the gale continue for many days longer, all hope of saving the ship must be given up, and probably every soul on board would perish. Adair did not conceal this from himself, although neither by word nor look did he show what was pa.s.sing in his mind.

There were rocks, rather than islands, he knew to the southward, one of which might possibly be reached, but much depended on the state of the weather. Should the sea go down, the ship might be kept afloat, but he could not hope to get back to the Cape nor even to the Mauritius. At present he could steer no other course than directly before the wind.

On examining the chart, he discovered that about 200 miles off to the southward of east was a rock marked Virginia Island, but he could not find any description of it. Whether its sides were precipitous and could not be scaled, whether low and easy of access, or whether it possessed a harbour of any description, not a word was said. It might be a barren rock without water, or any means of affording sustenance to even a small number of men. He could scarcely expect it to be otherwise, for in that lat.i.tude, he knew, where exposed to the icy blasts of the southern pole, all vegetation would be stunted if not destroyed, while he could scarcely entertain a hope that springs existed. Still it was the nearest land of any description, and land is eagerly sought for by those on board a foundering ship. He was aware that other rocks in this lat.i.tude were the product of volcanic action, and that this was so likewise he had little doubt; should such be the case, it was very improbable that water would be found.

Poor Adair felt his position keenly. Through no fault of his, the lives of all entrusted to him were placed in jeopardy. Often and often his thoughts went wandering away to his dear Lucy. Although he would not have allowed any fear of losing his own life to oppress him, he could not help dreading the idea of plunging her in grief and exposing her to long months of anxious suspense. Still his officers, as they watched his calm countenance and brisk manner, fancied he was as light-hearted as ever, and some thought that he could not have realised the fearful position in which they were placed.

They were now running across a little-known sea. The chart showed dangers, but marked as somewhat uncertain. Still the storm-driven ship could pursue no other course. A hundred miles at least had yet to be accomplished before the island they hoped to sight could be reached; but even should that prove to be correctly marked on the chart, Green had some doubt about sighting it. The ship might pa.s.s it and yet it might not be seen, or the gale, continuing, might drive her on with headlong force, so that she might not be able to haul up in time to get under its lee. Twelve or fourteen hours would decide the point, perhaps even less.

The wind had begun to moderate slightly, and some of the older hands on board, accustomed to the southern ocean, prognosticated a change of weather. All prayed that it might come. Night returned, but it brought no rest to the labouring crew. Every man and boy on board, except those on the look-out, were engaged in pumping or baling, unless lying down recruiting their strength for renewed exertions. They were working spell and spell, knowing full well that unless such were done, the ship could not be kept afloat. As she had before being recommissioned undergone a thorough repair, no one could account for the leak. Many did anything but bless the ship-builders. Some declared that the outer coat of wood was rotten, and that the inner one of iron had become corroded and had just been patched up to deceive the eye of the surveyor.

"Bedad! I belave it must be one of thim big fishes with the long noses has run against us, an' drilled a hole before he could get off again,"

said rat Casey to his shipmate Peter; "or, maybe, the big say sarpint was swimmin' by and gave us a whisk of his tail unbeknown."

"Me tink, Ma.s.sa Pat, dey make you officer, if eber we get into harbour, if you swear to dat."

"Faith, me boy, swear, is it?" observed Pat. "It's just th' sort of yarn a dockyard matey would swear to, if only to plaise his superiors; but there's one thing I believe, an' that is, that the wood an' iron are both rotten. Bad luck to thim who didn't repair the damage whin they found it out! You are of the same opinion, though it wouldn't have become ye to say so. All you'd got to do was to find out where the hole was, an' ye did it like a brave man, an' sure I'd be sorry not to get home, if it were only because you'd be afther losin' your reward."

What other reflections might have been cast on the dockyard officials it is impossible to say, when a grating sound was heard, and the ship quivered fore and aft. For a moment her way seemed to be stopped, and the cry rose from many a mouth, "We are lost! we are lost!" A tremendous sea came rolling up astern.

"Hold on, for your lives!" shouted Adair, and the order was echoed along the decks. The wave struck the vessel's stern. A portion broke over her, but the next moment she was again driven forward. That fearful, dread-inspiring sound, which tells that the keel has come in contact with a hard rock, continued. Every instant Adair dreaded that the terrific crash would come which would denote the doom of all on board.

Still he stood calm, and apparently unmoved, as before.

"Keep to your stations, my lads! we will not yet let the old ship go down," shouted Adair.

The order was repeated along the deck. The magnificent discipline which prevails in the British navy, even at that terrible moment, triumphed.

Not a man deserted his post, but continued pumping or baling away as if no rugged reef was beneath the ship's keel. Several times she rose and surged onwards, but it was only to feel the rock still under her. On she went. At that instant the wind began to abate, and even the sea was calmer than it had been before she had touched the reef. Still it could not be doubted that she had received a serious injury. As the howling of the tempest abated, Adair could make his voice heard along the decks.

"My lads," he said, "I know you to be true British seamen. Things may be bad enough, but we must not give way to despair. Maintain the discipline of which we are justly proud, obey your officers, and don't give in while a plank remains above water. The weather is moderating, and as soon as it is calm enough we will try and discover the amount of damage the ship has received. Stick to the pumps and buckets, and we will see if we cannot heave the water out of her faster than it comes in. Now, turn to again!" The men, while Adair was speaking, had knocked off for a few minutes. He saw, however, that he had gained time, by the energy with which they again set to work, he himself showing an example by handing along the buckets, as did all his officers. Adair and Green, however, had to knock off to try and take an observation, for the clouds gave signs of breaking, and they hoped every moment to see the sun burst forth. It was all-important indeed to ascertain the ship's exact position on the chart, that they might steer for the nearest spot where she might, if necessary, be beached, or at all events under the lee of which she might anchor, and an endeavour be made to repair damages. Whether this could be done or not could only be ascertained by a more thorough examination of her bottom than had yet been possible. The midshipmen were summoned to a.s.sist. Adair and his officers stood with their s.e.xtants in their hands ready to note the sun's alt.i.tude should he burst forth, while the first lieutenant watched the chronometer. The tossing seas rose round the labouring ship. They had already lost their leaden hue, and here and there bright green tints could be seen, while their crests no longer hissed and foamed as before.

Suddenly, as if by a stroke of the magician's wand, the clouds parted, and the bright sun shone forth in a clear s.p.a.ce of blue. The men on deck cheered as they saw it. To them it seemed an augury of safety. A satisfactory observation was taken, the exact longitude was obtained, at noon they would find the true lat.i.tude, and then, should Virginia Island have been laid down correctly, they might steer with confidence towards it. According to the chart, it was still to the eastward, and might, if the ship had not run too far south, be sighted before night.

Noon was anxiously waited for. The crew continued labouring away with the same energy as before, though in the case of some it was the energy of despair. Again Adair took his place in the line of men pa.s.sing the buckets up and down. Still all their efforts did not avail to lessen the amount of water within the ship, but they kept it from increasing-- that was something. As long as their strength held out, they might continue to do that. Every one knew that, should they relax in their efforts, the water would conquer them; the great point was to keep it sufficiently low to prevent the fires being put out. Should that occur and a calm come on, their case would then be desperate, even though in sight of land. Some, it is true, might be saved in the boats and others on rafts, should the ship float long enough to enable them to be constructed, but the bulk--two-thirds, probably--must be doomed to perish. Adair knew that he must be among the latter. While a soul remained on board, he could not quit his ship. Dear as life might be to him, for the sake of others it must be sacrificed. When also the trying moment should come, would discipline be maintained? Would not the crew scramble into the boats and swamp them? or leap headlong on the rafts and render them useless?

Frequently the captain and master looked at their watches. Once more they returned to the p.o.o.p, with their s.e.xtants in hand. Noon was approaching. Clouds were still pa.s.sing slowly across the sky; they might too probably rest between the sun and the ship, rendering it impossible to take an observation. The officers watched their progress.

A large cloud was floating by; would it pa.s.s onwards before the sun gained its extreme alt.i.tude?

"Now, master!" cried Adair, in a cheerful tone.

The western edge of the cloud, tinged with a golden hue, was seen, and the sun came forth. The captain and Green with the first lieutenant had their s.e.xtants to their eyes in a moment: the sun was still rising.