I was not so much affected by this laconic piece of intelligence, as I
might have been had I known more of the sea; and perhaps I should have
regarded it still less, but for the gloomy glances and apprehensive air
of those around me. I was not stunned by it at the first announcement;
but it was not long before I became sufficiently alive to the terrible
meaning of those simple words--"The water be out."
Puzzled by the ungrammatical construction of the phrase, you are
probably inquiring what it meant. I shall tell you.
It meant that all the fresh-water on board the _Pandora_ had been used--
that the water casks were empty, and that we were in the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean, with not the slightest chance of obtaining a fresh
supply--that it would be weeks before we could possibly reach land--that
under the burning tropic sun that was shining constantly down upon us,
one week would be enough for thirst to do its work; but if any should
survive that period, then a second week would finish them--in short,
within two weeks one and all of us were doomed to perish! Black slaves
and white masters--tyrants and victims--the innocent and the guilty,
must all succumb to the same fate--every living thing on board the
_Pandora_ must die!
This then was the meaning of the four short words that were muttered so
despondingly by the sailor. Words of dread import were they, a phrase
of fatal meaning.
I say that at first I did not clearly feel the full significance of the
information given me by Brace; but a very little reflection enabled me
to comprehend it; and I soon became as apprehensive as an of the others,
and took as earnest a part in the investigation that was going forward.
There was an investigation, and it was about this the crew of the
_Pandora_ were engaged. It was not yet clearly made out that the casks
were empty. In fact they were not--not half of them were so; and if it
had been a simple question of whether empty or full, it could have been
decided at once. More than half of them were full--full to the very
bung.
But what were they full? That was the serious question. Of
fresh-water? No. The appalling discovery that had been made was, that
the water within them was salt! in fact, water out of the sea itself,
salt as brine!
This was indeed a fearful discovery; but it was easily explained. It
was known from the beginning that these butts had been filled with
salt-water--to serve as ballast on the out voyage from England; and the
intention had been to empty them all into the African river and
substitute fresh-water instead. It appeared now that this had only been
partially done!
Various explanations were offered for the dangerous neglect. Neither
captain nor mate had superintended the duty. Both had been too busy in
bartering and carousing with King Dingo Bingo and his boon companions--
and the irresponsible hands who had been set about the work were
half-drunk while executing it--many of the casks that had been emptied
of the sea-water were found to have been only partially refilled; and it
was also discovered that more than half of the others had never been
emptied at all! Some of the crew alleged that others had told them that
these already contained fresh-water--that it would be no use bothering
about them--while the men who were named as having given this assurance
now stoutly denied it. Mutual recriminations took place--the lie was
given and returned--filthy language was used profusely; and, what with
the quarrelling of the men, and the shouting and swearing of the
officers, a scene was carried on that might have rivalled an Irish row
in the infernal regions.
The principal reason why such a culpable error had been committed--and
this all hands knew--had been the appearance of the cruiser. She had
caught them at their work, and suddenly put a stop to it.
Had she not arrived, it is probably enough that the men--however idle
and drunken--would have finished their work and provided water enough
for the voyage, but the unexpected appearance of the warship had driven
all ideas of the water casks out of their heads; and they had thought
only of shipping the "freight" and getting out of the river as speedily
as possible.
In reality the skipper was the man answerable for the whole misfortune.
He had allowed no time to complete the filling of the casks; and,
indeed, had he done so, he would never have set sail, but must have lost
both his barque and his cargo in the river.
It is probable enough he had never thought of the other horn of the
dilemma; indeed, it is certain he had not--else he would long before
have discovered the shortness of his supply, and taken some means to
remedy it. No means had been used either to provide more water, or to
economise what there was. Neither crew nor cargo had been upon rations
since the beginning of the voyage; water had been dealt out to all as
freely and lavishly as if the ocean itself had been a fresh-water lake.
I watched the investigation with painful forebodings. I waited, as
patiently as I could for the result.
The report was at length delivered in presence of the whole crew. Its
effect was like that of an electric shock upon all of them. There were
but two casks on board that contained fresh-water, and these were only
half-full!