THE COLLISION IN THE HURRICANE.
“Now, what is he going to do?” I murmured, turning to my companion.
“Something out of the ordinary, that’s certain,” answered Dan. “He has
just enough in him to be thoroughly ugly.”
“I don’t believe he’ll let this matter drop, storm or no storm.”
“Not he, Oliver. I’m afraid we have got ourselves into a scrape. I wish
we were in sight of Manila.”
“So do I. But I haven’t done anything wrong. Somebody ought to tell the
man that he is drinking too much, Dan.”
At that instant Dawson, the mate, came up. He had been standing behind
the mainmast and had heard every word uttered. His face showed plainly
that he was greatly troubled.
“This is too bad,” he observed. “The cap’n bad enough, but you have
made him wuss, ten times over, lads.”
“He hasn’t any right to drink, Dawson.”
“We won’t talk about thet--seein’ as how he’s in command and I’m only
the fust mate. I’m sorry you quarreled, with the end o’ the voyage
almost in sight.”
“What will he do?” put in Dan.
“I dunno. Drink more, I reckon, an’ then come up twict as ugly.”
“What about this storm that is coming up?” I questioned.
“I notified him of that half an hour ago.”
“And he didn’t pay any attention? It’s a shame! I don’t want to go to
the bottom of the China Sea, whether the captain drinks or not.”
“None o’ us want to go to the bottom, lad. But then----” Tom Dawson
ended with a shrug of his shoulders. He realized more than I did what a
responsibility would rest upon him did he dare to issue orders contrary
to Captain Kenny’s wishes.
It was about three o’clock in the afternoon, and the day had been
unusually oppressive, even for this latitude, which, as most of my
readers must know, never boasts of cold weather, but can easily break
the record for scorchers. During the morning, when the sun had shone,
the seams of the deck had run with tar, and no one had exposed himself
more than was absolutely necessary. But now the sun was hidden by
clouds that kept growing darker and darker, and the wind was so strong
it could not be otherwise than refreshing.
Captain Kenny had left positive orders that the main and mizzen courses
be left as they were, fully set, and both sheets were straining and
tugging as though ready to lift the two masts out of their resting
places. The forecourse had been taken in, also the jib, but so far this
had had no effect on the riding of the _Dart_, and she dipped her nose
into every fourth or fifth wave that came along.
“If I was you I’d take in more sail,” remarked Dan, after a pause.
“Even if you don’t lose a mast, you’re running the risk of opening more
than one seam. If we founder----”
He did not finish, for at that moment Captain Kenny’s head reappeared
above the combing of the companion way. He came staggering toward us
with his right hand in his jacket pocket and a sickly grin on his
unshaven face.
“Now we’ll come to terms,” he began, with a hiccough.
“Captain Kenny, how about that mainsail?” interrupted the mate. “The
wind is freshening rapidly, sir.”
“I’ll take care o’ the--hic--mainsail, when I’ll through which
these--hic--young rascals,” was the answer. “Yarson! Carden!” he bawled
out. “Come here, you’re wanted.”
At once two of the sailors, a Swede and an American, came aft and
touched their forelocks.
“Do you know what I’m--hic--going to do?” went on the captain, closing
one eye suggestively. “I’m going to place both of you under arrest
until we arrive at Manila.”
“Arrest!” cried Dan and I simultaneously.
“You shall not arrest me,” I added, and my companion said something
very similar.
“I said--hic--arrest, and I mean it. Throw up your hands, both of you.”
“I refuse to obey the order.”
“Do you know that I am the--hic--commander of this ship?”
“You are when you are sober,” returned Dan.
“I am sober now--I never get--hic--drunk. I place you under arrest.
Yarson, Carden, conduct the two passengers to the--hic--brig and lock
’em in.”
“Keep your hands off!” I exclaimed. “Don’t you dare to touch me!”
“And don’t you dare to touch me,” added Dan.
We had scarcely spoken than Captain Kenny withdrew his right hand from
his pocket and showed us the muzzle of a revolver.
“You’ll--hic--obey or take the consequences,” he hiccoughed. “I’m a
peaceful man until I’m aroused, and then----” Another hiccough ended
the sentence.
I must say that I was both alarmed and disgusted, but my disgust was
greater than my alarm, for I knew I had right on my side and was
willing to wager that in his present condition Captain Kenny could not
hit the broadside of a barn, excepting by accident.
The two sailors advanced, but they came on slowly, evidently having no
relish for the job at hand. When the Swede attempted to take hold of me
I flung him off.
“Stand back!” I said, and at the same time Dan motioned Carden to keep
his distance.
“Are you going to do as I ordered?” fumed the captain.
“I vos reatty to opey orders, captain,” said Yarson.
“So am I, cap’n, if you say it’s all right,” added Carden.
“It is all--hic--right. Arrest ’em--arrest ’em on the spot!”
vociferated the skipper of the _Dart_.
“You keep your distance,” I ordered. “If you don’t it will be the worse
for you.”
“The first man who touches me will get knocked down,” said Dan, and
caught up a marline spike which hung by the mast.
“Captain, I think we really ought to look to those sails,” pleaded
Dawson, taking hold of his chief’s arm. “It won’t do to lose ’em, you
know.”
“Didn’t I say I’d take care of ’em when I’m--hic--through with these
fellows?” was the surly return. “Stand back, Dawson!” and now the
captain rushed forward and leveled his pistol at my head. “You march to
the brig, and be quick about it, or I’ll----”
What Captain Kenny would have done, had I refused to march as ordered,
I never learned, for while he was speaking Dan made a rush forward and
caught the pistol from his hand and sent him flat on his back, in the
bargain. Then my companion stepped to my side, and both of us backed up
toward the companion way.
For fully a minute Captain Kenny lay where he had fallen, nobody caring
to go to his assistance. Then he cried loudly to the sailors to help
him get up, and they did so. In the meantime Tom Dawson stood by,
scratching his head in perplexity.
“Captain, we must attend to the sails,” he began, when there came a
sudden puff of air, and the _Dart_ seemed to fairly stand up on ends. I
had to catch hold of the companion-way rail to keep from falling, and
Dan held on, too. Captain Kenny collapsed and went sliding into the
mainmast, and then toward the lee rail.
“Save me!” he yelled, when he felt that he could not help himself.
“Save me!” And Dawson and the American sailor immediately ran to his
assistance.
It was all I could do now to save myself from being thrown down the
companion way, and for the time being I lost interest in Captain Kenny.
“This is awful!” I said to Dan. “I believe we are in for another
hurricane.”
“The fools ought to take in every rag of canvas,” was the reply. “Tom
Dawson hasn’t any backbone, or he’d take matters in his own hands.”
“Let us go below,” I went on, as a wave swept the deck, drenching us
both. “There is no use of remaining here.”
Dan tumbled down the companion way and into the cabin, and I came after
him, stumbling over an empty rum bottle which was rolling over the
floor. From the cabin we went to our stateroom, to see that the port
was tightly closed.
“I think I’ll keep this pistol until we reach Manila,” observed my
companion. “You know I haven’t any weapon of my own. I wish I had some
extra cartridges.”
“Perhaps the caliber of my pistol is the same as Captain Kenny’s
weapon,” I suggested, and produced my little six-shooter. Both pistols
used the same size of cartridge, and I divided a box of those articles
between us, and shoved my share and my revolver in my pocket.
We now heard a hurried tramping on deck, and soon the creaking of
blocks as the main and mizzen courses came down on the run. Soon every
rag of canvas was furled, this being done by Dawson’s directions, as I
afterward learned, Captain Kenny having been knocked partly unconscious
by his tumble upon the lee rail.
A half hour went by, a time that to Dan and I seemed an age. The _Dart_
tumbled and tossed, and it was all we could do to keep from having our
brains dashed out against the stateroom walls.
“We would have done much better had we taken a steamer to Manila,” I
remarked, when the hurricane seemed to be at its height. “If we get out
of this storm we have still our row with the captain to be settled up.”
“Never mind, Oliver, we ought to reach Manila in a couple of days. If
the captain attempts to arrest us again, I’ll give him warning that
I’ll have him up before the court at the first landing we make.”
“He ought to have his vessel taken away from him. Do you suppose the
owners would keep him in command if they knew of his habits?”
“As it happens he owns a one-fourth interest in the _Dart_, and his
contract says he shall be skipper, so Dawson told me,” answered Dan.
“I’ll wager Dawson will have a story to tell when he comes below. My,
what a sea must be running!” And my companion swung forward and back
with the motion of the schooner. “And see how dark it is getting!”
It was so gloomy we could scarcely see each other. It had now begun to
lighten and thunder, while the rain came down in perfect sheets. We
huddled together, as if feeling instinctively that something out of the
ordinary was about to occur.
And it did occur a moment later. A clap of thunder had just rolled away
when there came a cry from the deck, so appalling that it could be
distinctly heard above the fury of the elements.
“Ship, ahoy! Don’t run us down!”
The cry was followed by a tearing, grinding, sickening crash that I
shall never forget. The crash threw me headlong and I lay at Dan’s feet
for several seconds, completely dazed.