"SHE BACKED!"
When Captain Burke observed the _Dunkery Beacon_ steaming in his
direction, and soon afterwards perceived a signal on this steamer to the
effect that she wished to speak with the yacht, he began to hope that he
was going to get out of his difficulties. The natural surmise was that
as one of the pirates had gone to join another just arriving upon the
scene, the _Dunkery Beacon_--the Captain and crew of which must have
turned traitors--was now coming to propose some arrangement, probably to
give up Shirley if the yacht would agree to go its way and cease its
harassing interference.
If this proposition should be made, Burke and Mrs. Cliff, in conference,
decided to accept it. They had done all they could, and would return to
Kingston to report to Captain Horn what they had done, and what they had
discovered. But it was not long before the people on the yacht began to
wonder very much at the conduct of the great steamer which was now
rapidly approaching them, apparently under full head of steam.
The yacht was lying to, her engines motionless, and the _Dunkery Beacon_
was coming ahead like a furious ram on a course, which, if not quickly
changed, would cause her to strike the smaller vessel almost amidships.
It became plainer and plainer every second that the Dunkery did not
intend to change her course, and that her object was to run down the
yacht.
Why the _Dunkery Beacon_ should wish to ram the _Summer Shelter_ nobody
on board the yacht considered for a moment, but every one, even Willy
Croup, perceived the immediate necessity of getting out of the way.
Burke sprang to the wheel, and began to roar his orders in every
direction. His object was to put the yacht around so that he could get
out of the course of the _Dunkery Beacon_ and pass her in the opposite
direction to which she was going, but nobody on board seemed to be
sufficiently alive to the threatening situation, or to be alert enough
to do what was ordered at the very instant of command; and Burke,
excited to the highest pitch, began to swear after a fashion entirely
unknown to the two ladies and the members of the Synod. His cursing and
swearing was of such a cyclonic and all-pervading character that some of
those on board shuddered almost as much on account of his language as
for fear of the terrible crash which was impending.
"This is dreadful!" said one of the clergymen, advancing as if he would
mount to the pilot house.
"Stop!" said Mr. Arbuckle, excitedly placing his hand upon the shoulder
of the other. "Don't interfere at such a moment. The ship must be
managed."
In a very short time, although it seemed like long, weary minutes to the
people on the yacht, her engines moved, her screw revolved, and she
slowly moved around to leeward. If she could have done this half a
minute sooner, she would have steamed out of the course of the _Dunkery
Beacon_ so that that vessel must have passed her, but she did not do it
soon enough. The large steamer came on at what seemed amazing speed, and
would have struck the yacht a little abaft the bow had not Burke, seeing
that a collision could not be avoided, quickly reversed his helm. Almost
in the next second the two vessels came together, but it was the stem of
the yacht which struck the larger steamer abaft the bow.
The shock to the _Summer Shelter_ was terrific, and having but little
headway at the moment of collision she was driven backward by the
tremendous momentum of the larger vessel as if she had been a ball
struck by a bat. Every person on board was thrown down and hurled
forward. Mrs. Cliff extended herself flat upon the deck, her arms
outspread, and every clergyman was stretched out at full length or
curled up against some obstacle. The engineer had been thrown among his
levers and cranks, bruising himself badly about the head and shoulders,
while his assistant and Mr. Hodgson, who were at work below, were jammed
among the ashes of the furnace as if they were trying to stop the
draught with their bodies.
Mr. Burdette was on the forward deck, and if he had not tripped and
fallen, would probably have been shot overboard; and the sailing-master
was thrown against the smokestack with such violence that for a few
moments he was insensible.
Burke, who was at the wheel, saw what was coming and tried to brace
himself so that he should not be impaled upon one of the handles, but
the shock was too much for him and he pitched forward with such force
that he came near going over the wheel and out of the window of the
pilot house. As soon as Captain Burke could recover himself he scrambled
back to his position behind the wheel. He had been dazed and bruised,
but his senses quickly came to him and he comprehended the present
condition of affairs.
The yacht had not only been forced violently backward, but had been
veered around so that it now lay with its broadside towards the bow of
the other steamer. In some way, either unwittingly by the engineer or
by the violence of the shock, her engine had been stopped and she was
without motion, except the slight pitching and rolling occasioned by the
collision. The _Dunkery Beacon_ was not far away, and Burke saw to his
horror that she was again moving forward. She was coming slowly, but if
she reached the yacht in the latter's present position, she would have
weight and force enough to turn over the smaller vessel.
Immediately Burke attempted to give the order to back the yacht. The
instant performance of this order was the only chance of safety, but he
had been thrown against the speaking-tube with such violence that he had
jammed it and made it useless. If he pulled a bell the engineer might
misunderstand. She must back! She could not pass the other vessel if she
went ahead. He leaned out of the door of the pilot house and yelled
downward to the engineer to back her; he yelled to somebody to tell the
engineer to back her; he shouted until his shouts became screams, but
nobody obeyed his orders, no one seemed to hear or to heed. But one
person did hear.
Willy Croup had been impelled out of the door of the saloon and had slid
forward on her knees and elbows until she was nearly under the pilot
house. At the sound of Burke's voice, she looked up, she comprehended
that orders were being given to which no attention was paid. The wild
excitement of the shouting Captain filled her with an excitement quite
as wild. She heard the name of the engineer, she heard the order, and
without taking time to rise to her feet, she made a bound in the
direction of the engine room.
Thrusting her body half through the doorway she yelled to the engineer,
who, scarcely conscious of where he was or what he was doing, was
pushing himself away from among his bars and rods. "Back her!" screamed
Willy, and without knowing what she said or did, she repeated this order
over and over again in a roaring voice which no one would have supposed
her capable of, and accompanied by all the oaths which at that moment
were being hurled down from the pilot house.
The engineer did not look up; he did not consider himself nor the
situation. There was but one impression upon his mind made by the
electric flash of the order backed by the following crash of oaths.
Instinctively he seized his lever, reversed the engine, and started the
_Summer Shelter_ backward. Slowly, very slowly, she moved. Burke held
his breath!
But the great steamer was coming on slowly. Her motion was increasing,
but so was that of the yacht, and when, after some moments of almost
paralyzing terror, during which Willy Croup continued to hurl her
furious orders into the engine room, not knowing they had been obeyed,
the two vessels drew near each other, the _Dunkery Beacon_ crossed the
bow of the _Summer Shelter_ a very long biscuit-toss ahead.
"Miss Croup," said Mr. Litchfield, his hand upon her shoulder, "that
will do! The yacht is out of immediate danger."
Willy started up. Her wild eyes were raised to the face of the young
clergyman, the roar of her own invectives sounded in her ears. Tears
poured from her eyes.
"Mercy on me, Mr. Litchfield," she exclaimed, "what have I been saying?"
"Never mind now, Miss Croup," said he. "Don't think of what you said.
She backed!"