Owen found himself in a very different position to what he had ever
before been on board. He at once received the rating of a midshipman,
and donned his new uniform. No one was inclined to snub him, and even
Ashurst treated him with respect, though at the same time with marked
coldness.
"I wonder that you do not show more gratitude to Hartley, who was
undoubtedly the means of saving your life," remarked Langton to Ashurst
one day.
"He save my life!" answered Ashurst. "You had an equal share in that
important act. My heart is not big enough to be grateful to both. I am
very much obliged to you, I can assure you."
"I consider that Hartley had the largest share," answered Langton,
laughing; "his courage inspired me, and it was he, at all events, who
rescued you with the captain when you were on the boat's bottom."
"Well, some day I may prove that I am grateful," said Ashurst, turning
away, evidently unwilling to continue the subject.
The frigate remained some time at Batavia. During that period several
of the men who had formerly belonged to the "Sylvia" were transferred
from the "Venus" to her, among whom were Mike Coffey and Nat Midge.
Owen was very glad to see his old friends again. He had now an
opportunity of showing them occasionally little acts of kindness in
return for the regard which they had always exhibited towards him.
"Didn't I say, Mr Hartley, that you'd be a captain some day, and so I'm
shure you will if you stick to the sarvice," said Mike. "And shure a
fine captain you'll be afther making. When you want a crew you'll only
have to hold up your hand, and the men will flock on board, I'll stake
my davy."
Nat, although he had been so intimate with Owen never presumed in
consequence, but ever showed an eagerness to obey him on duty.
The "Sylvia" again sailed on a cruise in one direction, while the
"Venus" went in another.
Owen rapidly gained a knowledge of his new duties, and became one of the
smartest midshipmen on board. The captain showed him unusual favour,
frequently inviting him to dine in the cabin, and treating him as if he
were his son.
"I am not afraid of spoiling Hartley," he remarked to Mr Leigh; "he
remains as modest as at first, and would evidently not think of
presuming on the service he has rendered me and his other shipmates. I,
of course, do not forget Langton, and will take good care that he
obtains his promotion on our return home. In my last report to the
admiral I specially mentioned his gallant conduct. I received a pretty
strong hint to favour Ashurst, but he has managed never to do anything
which would allow me to say a word to his advantage."
The frigate was chiefly engaged in capturing Malay and other piratical
craft, which at that time swarmed in those seas. She had just taken a
large proa, with a villainous crew, and lay at anchor in a channel
between Mindano and one of the Sooloo islands. The prize was anchored a
short distance astern, most of her crew having been removed, while a
guard was placed over the remainder. It was a calm and lovely night.
The moon shed a pale light over the smooth surface of the sea, while the
land appeared on either hand covered with graceful trees coming down to
the very edge of the water. Here and there fantastic rocks rose above
the surface. It was the middle watch, which Owen was keeping under
Langton, who now did lieutenant's duty. Owen was walking the deck,
gazing on the calm sea, now on one side then on the other, now going
forward to ascertain that the ship was not by chance dragging her
anchors.
The first stroke of four bells was just sounding when, having just
reached the forecastle, he suddenly saw a bright light astern, followed
by a loud roar, which he knew alone could proceed from the Malay proa.
She had blown up. He heard Langton's voice ordering a boat to be
lowered, and was on the point of running aft when he felt the deck
beneath his feet tremble. A roar far greater than that which had just
been heard sounded in the midnight air. For a moment the ship appeared
to be enveloped in flame. He experienced the sensation of being lifted
up, when he lost all consciousness. How long he continued senseless he
could not tell. On recovering he found himself in the water, amid a
mass of spars and rigging and fragments of timber, and he caught a
glimpse of the upper works of the frigate descending beneath the waves.
Here and there, scattered over the surface, were struggling human forms.
Arms held up, and hands clasped together. One by one they speedily
disappeared. Although almost overcome with horror, he struck out
towards a spar of a size which promised to afford him support. As he
got nearer, he saw that two other persons had just reached the spar, and
were in the act of climbing up to place themselves on it.
"I'll swim on and find another position on the wreck to support me!"
Owen cried out.
"Hurrah! 'shure it's Mr Hartley. No, no, sir; come here. Bedad
there's room enough for you, and half a dozen more of your weight!"
cried out Mike Coffey, who was one of the persons, and Nat was the
other. "I'd sooner swim off myself, Mr Hartley."
Owen accordingly complied, and found that the spar would support them
all.
"What has been and happened?" asked Nat, still not recovered from the
terror.
"The frigate has blown up by accident, or through treachery, of that
there is no doubt," answered Owen. "It is dreadful, most dreadful, and
I fear that the greater number of our shipmates have been lost; still a
few may have escaped, and we must try to help them. Hark! I heard some
one cry out not far off. If we cut away the rigging from this spar, we
may be able to move it through the water." They got out their knives
and worked away. Again the voice was heard. "Help! help!"
"I'll swim off and see if I can render any assistance," said Owen. He
swam towards a mass of wreck. On getting near it he saw that a person
was hanging on with his body in the water, without apparently strength
enough to climb up and secure himself. Owen immediately clambered on to
the wreck, and was then able to drag up the other person.
"Ashurst, is it you?" he asked, recognising his messmate.
"Yes, but I am fearfully hurt in the side and leg, and have no strength
left to help myself."
Ashurst continued to groan. He had not yet discovered that it was Owen
who had assisted him.
The first impulse of Owen was to stand up and try and ascertain whether
any other persons were floating near whom he and Mike might help. He
listened. A few faint cries, apparently from a distance, reached his
ear, but he could not tell from which direction they proceeded; he could
only hope that others had succeeded in getting on portions of the wreck.
In a short time Mike and Nat managed to get up to him. Owen proposed
that they should form a raft with the spars and smaller pieces of timber
floating about, on which they might be able to make their way to the
land. The large piece of wreck on to which Mike and Nat had now climbed
seemed to be stationary. They were therefore able to move about it, and
began to form the proposed raft from the spars which they secured
alongside.
Scarcely had they commenced the work, when a voice was heard at no great
distance.
"Who is that?" shouted Owen. "Do you want help?"
"Langton," was the answer. "I thought I heard voices. Do not move, I
will be with you presently."
In a short time Langton swam up. Owen and his two companions greeted
him warmly. Ashurst lay still, occasionally uttering a groan.
"I am indeed thankful that you have escaped," said Owen to Langton. "We
were doing our best for poor Ashurst; he wants assistance, and I should
have been much troubled how to act. Do you think any one else has
escaped?"
"I hope a few have," replied Langton; "but the greater number of our
shipmates are, I fear, lost."
"Although our lives have been saved for the present, we are still
surrounded by dangers. We must do our duty and trust to God. I'll now
turn to and help you to build the raft. It is the first thing we have
to do, that is certain."
Langton's assistance was of great value, as he was experienced, and very
active. Having lashed all the spars they could find of about the same
length side by side, they crossed them with others of a smaller size,
and pieces of plank, placing a sort of platform in the centre, the whole
being lashed together with ropes which they cut off the spars. It was,
of course, roughly formed, but was large enough to support, not only
themselves, but any other people they were likely to pick up. By the
time it was finished, Ashurst had somewhat recovered, and Langton and
Owen carried him and placed him on the platform where he could be out of
the wet. They had kept two of the lighter spars for a mast and yard,
and they picked up a royal unburnt, which would serve as a sail.
Dawn broke just as they were ready to shove off from the wreck.
"Where are we going?" asked Ashurst, in a faint voice.
"To the nearest shore we can reach," answered Langton; "when there we
must consider what next to do."
"Can't you give me some water, or some fruit? I am very thirsty," said
Ashurst.
"I am sorry we have nothing to give you," answered Langton; "we may
possibly pick up something when we have daylight."
"I've a chaw of baccy, sir," said Mike; "it's me last, but it's at yir
sarvice."
Poor Ashurst uttered an expression of disgust. Just then Owen
thankfully recollected that he had put a couple of small limes, some of
which he had been eating late on the previous evening, into his pocket.
He immediately skinned one of the refreshing fruit, and handed it in
small pieces to Ashurst.
"This from you, Hartley?" he said, as he swallowed it eagerly.
"I have another which will be at your service when you want it," said
Owen, not noticing the remark, and feeling intense pleasure at thus
being able to help his suffering messmate. Every thought of the
ill-treatment he had received vanished from his mind. Langton and Owen
now examined Ashurst's hurts. They found that his left arm had either
been dislocated or broken, and that a splinter had torn his side and
severely wounded him.
"He is in a bad way," whispered Langton to Owen; "had one of the
surgeons been with us, he might have been doctored, but as it is, I do
not think he will weather out what we shall have to endure. I ought to
tell him so if he gets worse, but we will do our best for him."
As daylight increased, they saw other masses of wreck floating about,
while a portion of the shattered upper works of the frigate appeared
above the water with several men clinging to them. A current, however,
was running from the wreck, slowly drifting the raft away. Who the
people were it was impossible to say at that distance.
"Unless a breeze springs up to blow us back we cannot get up to them,"
said Langton; "we will rig our sail, however, in case it should come."
While engaged in setting up the mast, Mike and Nat especially were
keeping an eye on the water around them, in the hopes of picking up
something that might be floating by.
Without giving notice of what he was about to do, Mike suddenly sprang
off the raft and swam out towards an object of which he had just caught
sight.
"This will serve us for mate and drink too," he exclaimed, as he swam
back, pushing before him a couple of melon-like fruit. He handed them
up to Nat, and without getting on the raft, swam off to the other side,
where he saw a small barrel, which proved to contain biscuits. This was
but a small supply of food; but the fact that they had found it made
them hope that more might be obtained. The water remained perfectly
smooth, which was an advantage.
As the sun rose the heat became intense. Poor Ashurst suffered greatly,
even though Owen gave him piece by piece the remainder of the lime, and
then supplied him with small bits of the melon.
At Langton's suggestion they attempted to get up to the wreck, but as
they had only pieces of plank to row with, and the raft was heavy, they
made no progress against the current. They saw, however, that their
shipmates were endeavouring to imitate their example, and were engaged
in making another raft; but several, it was too evident from the way
they clung to the wreck, were severely injured and unable to exert
themselves. As far as Owen and his companions could make out, the
people they saw had on only their shirts and trousers. It was
impossible to ascertain, therefore, whether any were officers. Langton
feared not.
The land appeared on either side of them, and another island stretched
away to the southward, closing the channel, so that they might hope, in
the course of a few hours at most, should a breeze spring up from the
east or west, to reach the shore. Still hour after hour went by, the
raft driving further and farther to the southward, and away from the
wreck, until the people moving about on it could no longer be
distinguished.
In the meantime they had been unsuccessful in obtaining any further
provisions. Owen regretted that they had not secured another piece of
canvas with which to form some sort of shelter above poor Ashurst. All
they could do was to hoist up the sail, so as to throw a shadow over his
head. Langton, who had had a long swim, felt much fatigued, and
charging Owen to call him should any change take place, he lay down to
obtain the rest he so much needed.
Owen, meanwhile, was seated by Ashurst's side. The latter was
continually speaking, though Owen thought that he occasionally rambled.
"Hartley," he said at last, "do you think that I'm dying?"
"You are evidently very ill; but I hope, if we can get you on shore,
that you may yet pull through it."
"Do you wish me to recover?" asked Ashurst.
"Of course I do," answered Owen; "and I have been praying to God that
you may."
"You do not know what you have been praying for then," murmured Ashurst.
"I have ill-treated you, and have shown in every way I could the hatred
I felt."
"Pray do not talk of that," said Owen. "I never hated you."
"You had infinitely more cause to do so than I had to hate you,"
answered Ashurst.