SECOND VOYAGE TO THE WRECK--FUMIGATING AGAIN--MORE MINUTE
EXAMINATION--RETURN--ACCIDENT--DANGERS OF HELPING A DROWNING
PERSON--RECOVERING A PERSON APPARENTLY DROWNED
Next morning our young marooners endeavoured to make as early a start as
on the day before; but there being now more persons to go, each of whom
had some preparation to make; and besides that, encumbered by another
clumsy float of logs, their arrival at the wreck was fully an hour
later. Securing the two rafts to the vessel’s side, Robert and Harold
clambered to the hole they had cut, by the help of a rope tied there for
the purpose; then making a slipknot at the end, they drew up Sam, Frank,
and finally, Mary. The new comers were so anxious to enter the vessel
that they could scarcely wait for the lighting of a candle, but slid at
once into the hold, and began rummaging by means of the imperfect light
transmitted through the scuttle.
The examination of the hold on the day before had been so thorough, that
few more discoveries of importance remained to be made; and the new
comers, burning with curiosity, begged to be conducted to the rooms
below. Entering the cabin, Mary and Frank were repelled by the
unpleasant odour that, notwithstanding the former fumigation, still
continued; but the smell was on this occasion mingled more with that of
mud, and Robert managed by a quick allusion to the river slime, and the
nauseous odour of the mangroves, to prevent Mary’s suspicion of the real
cause.
"We burnt some sugar here, on yesterday," said he, "but the tide has
been up since, and we shall have to burn more. Or stay--we can try
something else. I recollect hearing father say that burning coffee is
one of the best fumigators in the world."
He brought some coffee from the hold, and wrapping it in paper, tried to
burn it, as he did the sugar; but it was not so easily ignited; and
Mary, in her impatience, took some sugar, and setting it on fire while
he was experimenting with the damp coffee, so thoroughly impregnated the
room with its fragrant fumes, that they were ready to begin their
examination.
The first thing they noticed on entering the cabin, was a handsome sofa
and set of chairs. Overhead, screwed fast to what had been the floor,
was an extension table, capable of seating from four to twelve persons.
Mary clapped her hands at this welcome sight, exclaiming:
"O, now we can sit and eat like decent people again!"
To their right was a little room, with its door open. On entering it,
they saw a boy’s cap and pair of shoes. Frank pounced upon these, and
tried them on, with several merry jests, to which the others made no
reply, for the larger boys thought immediately of the little skeleton to
which these had belonged. A trunk was there too, perched upon the
upturned bottom of what had been the lowest berth, containing the usual
wardrobe of the boy; and beside it, the trunk and carpet bag of the
girl. These last were locked. On forcing them open, Mary found many of
the articles in a state of perfect preservation; though the linen and
cotton were sadly mildewed, and almost spoiled. She saw at a glance
that the silk dresses, and other parts of attire, were nearly all the
same size with her own. But though greatly in need of clothing, and
fitted almost exactly in what she found, she manifested more sadness
than pleasure at the sight; her mind reverted irresistibly to the former
wearer, who was no doubt as fond of life as herself.
"Poor thing!" she said, as tears came into her eyes, after turning over
several articles, "and her name was Mary, too. See here, ’Marie De
Rosa,’ written so neatly on this white handkerchief. What a beautiful
name! I wish I knew her."
Fastened to the wall was a neat looking-glass, and beside it a handsome
hair-brush, hung by a blue ribbon to a small brass knob; but the water
had dissolved the glue, and the rosewood veneering had separated from
the brush. On the floor were two ivory combs, and the fragments of
pitcher, bason, and tumblers, lying with the towels. In the berths were
two hair mattresses, whose ticking was mouldy and mildewed, but they
were otherwise good; and in each, with the damp sheets, was a pair of
blankets as good as new.
Next to this room was another, whose door was jammed and swollen tight.
Forcing it open, they found two trunks and travelling bags, with various
articles of male and female attire--a hat and pair of boots, a bonnet
and rich shawl, the little boy’s boots and best cap, and the girl’s
parasol and cloak; new evidences these, to the boys, to prove that the
four skeletons belonged to one family. There were also several books,
but they were in Spanish, and so perfectly soaked and blackened as to be
useless, even had they been in their own language. The De Rosas were
evidently a family of wealth and education.
The other rooms were furnished with the usual appendages of warlike men,
and beside these there was little else to tell who or what they were.
Their papers and valuables were probably locked up in the iron chest, or
left behind where they had concealed their treasures.
Passing from the cabin, their attention was arrested at the door by a
small closet under the companion-way. Harold stood upon a stool and
examined it. There were silver cups, of various figures, a basket of
champagne wine, and many bottles and decanters, or rather their
fragments, which appeared to have held different kinds of liquors.
"Bah!" said Harold, "liquor in the hold--liquor in the rooms--liquor in
the closets--there is more liquor than anything else aboard, except guns
and pistols."
"They naturally go together," responded Robert. "I suspect the poor
fellows needed the liquor to fit them for their wicked works."
From the cabin they went to the carpenter’s room. Sam decided in a
moment that he must have the grindstone, and the rest of the tools--they
were too good to be lost. He also looked wistfully at the work-bench,
with the iron vice attached, and said he thought they could force it
from the wall, and float it behind the rafts. But the boys mistrusted
his partiality for tools, and decided that it was not so important as
some other things.
Next to the carpenter’s room was another, into which they forced an
entrance with the ax. This was the gunner’s. Here they found
cartridges in abundance, of all sorts and sizes, bomb-shells, clusters
of grape-shot, canisters of balls, a profusion of cannon shot of several
sizes, and two small cannons of brass, with balls to suit. There were
also several large kegs of powder, but the powder appeared to be spoilt,
for the kegs were damp.
When the time came to prepare for loading, the boys united with Sam to
enlarge the scuttle. They put upon one raft a keg of rice, and another
of flour, the firkin of butter, two cheeses, six loaves of sugar, the
grindstone, the chest of tools, Sam’s box of tobacco, and more of the
hams and beef. On the other, they put the extension-table and leaves,
six chairs, the sofa, the trunks of the De Rosas, five mattresses, with
their clothing, the looking-glass, &c.
The return voyage was made in all safety until they reached the landing;
but there occurred one of those misadventures that appear to come
oftenest in seasons of greatest security.
As the rafts neared the shore, Sam hobbled to the hindmost end, to look
after his darling tobacco, and having for some reason stooped as one
raft struck the other in stopping, he lost his balance, and fell
headlong into the water. No one knew of the accident, until hearing a
great splutter, they looked around, and saw him blowing the water from
his nose and mouth, and wearing a most comical expression of surprise
and fear. They ran, of course, to his assistance, but knowing him to be
a good swimmer, they apprehended no serious consequences, and were
rather disposed to jest than to be alarmed. But Sam, who had been
already strangling for a quarter of a minute, so as to be unable to
utter a word, and who discerned at a glance that they did not apprehend
his situation, stretched out his hand imploringly, and gasped.
"He is drowning!" exclaimed Harold. "Here, Robert, help me!" then ran
to obtain something buoyant, to which Sam might cling. When he
returned, bringing with him a pair of oars (the nearest thing within
reach), he saw his cousin, heedless of danger, and moved only by
sympathy, swimming just over the place where Sam had sunk.
"Robert! Robert! COME AWAY!" he called in a voice of thunder; "he is
too strong for you, and will drown you!"
Robert turned at this earnest and even imperative call, and began to
swim back; but it was too late. Sam rose within reach, grasped his arm,
drew him up close, pinioned him firmly, and again sunk out of sight.
Mary and Frank shrieked as they saw their brother go down, and Harold
stood a moment, with clasped hands, exclaiming, "My God! What shall I
do?"
At this moment an idea occurred to him. Calling to Mary, "Bring me that
hat" (it was De Rosa’s, and water-proof), he threw off his coat and
vest, then spreading his handkerchief over the mouth of the hat, so that
he could grasp the corners under the crown, he plunged into the water,
swimming with one hand, and holding the hat as a temporary life
preserver with the other. As he expected, Robert rose to the surface
and grasped him. Harold did nothing at first but hold firmly to the hat
to prevent his own sinking, and in that short interval Robert recovered
sufficiently to know what he was about.
"Thank God for _you_, Robert!" said Harold. "I was afraid you were
gone; here, take the hat and swim to the raft, while I dive after Sam.
Has he ceased struggling?" Robert replied, "Yes."
Joining his hands high over his head, Harold rose as far as he could
from the water, and sank perpendicularly with his feet close together.
He succeeded in finding the body, but not in time to seize it, before he
was compelled to rise for the want of breath. He came to the surface,
panted for a quarter of a minute, then descended a second time, and rose
with the body. Robert reached him one of the oars, dragged him to the
raft, and then to the shore.
And now what was to be done? Robert knew well that when a person has
been under water four minutes and more it is exceedingly difficult to
restore life, and that whosoever would render aid must do it quickly.
His preparations were few and simple.
Begging Mary and Frank to make a fire as soon as possible, and to heat
one of the blankets, he laid the body with the head lowest, to allow the
water to run from the mouth and throat, while he hastily unloosed the
clothing. Then laying the body with the head highest, as in sleep, he
and Harold rubbed the skin with all their might, for the double purpose
of removing the moisture and restoring the heat.
This friction was continued for several minutes, when Robert, requesting
Harold to keep on, tried another means. He inserted a reed into one of
Sam’s nostrils, which he pressed tightly around it, and closing also the
other nostril and the mouth to prevent the egress of the air, he blew
forcibly until he felt the chest rise, when, by a gentle pressure, he
expelled the air as in natural respiration.
By this time Mary and Frank had warmed one of the blankets brought from
the vessel. This Robert wrapped closely around the body, and while Mary
and Frank were engaged in warming still another, Harold greatly
increased the effectiveness of his friction by tearing a third blanket
into strips, and using the hot pieces as rubbers.
Persisting for an hour in these simple means, the anxious company were
at last rewarded by the signs of returning life. Sam’s heart began to
beat softly, and shortly after he gave a sigh. The boys were nearly
exhausted by their protracted efforts, but still they kept on; and it
was well they did, for many a person has been lost by neglect after life
seemed to have been restored. When the patient was sufficiently
recovered to swallow, Robert poured down his throat some warm water and
sugar, remarking it was a pity they had brought none of the wines or
spirits which were so abundant on shipboard.
"There is some in the box of tobacco," observed Frank. "I saw Sam put a
bottle there; and when I asked him what it was, he said it was rum to
rub on his weak leg."
Robert and Harold exchanged a significant smile; for though Sam might
have intended only what he professed, they knew that he loved rum as
well as tobacco. It was fortunate, however, that the spirits were
there, for it was the best stimulant they could administer. Sam soon
opened his eyes, and began to speak. His first words, after looking
around, were, "Bless de Lord! Poor Sam here again!"
Leaving him now to recover slowly, the boys brought each a chair from
the raft, and sat down to rest.
"Why, Robert," said Harold, "you seem to know by heart the whole rule
for restoring a drowned person."
"And why not? There is nothing mysterious in it?"
"So it seems, and I wish you would teach it to me."
"I can do that in half a breath," replied Robert. "In father’s words,
all that you have to do, is to _restore the warmth and excite the
respiration_."
"That, certainly, is simple."
"Father always said," continued Robert, "that he did not see why boys
should not all be taught how to help one another on such occasions.
’Send for a doctor,’ he said to me, ’but don’t wait for him. Go to work
at once before life is gone. If you can do nothing else strip off the
wet clothes, and rub, rub, RUB, and blow into the lungs. Start the
breath, and you will start the blood, or start the blood, and that will
start the breath, for each comes with the other. Apply heat
inwardly--outwardly by friction, by clothing, by fire, by hot bottles,
by sand-bags, by any means, and keep trying for hours.’ That is the
rule."
"A good one it is," said Harold. "But it is a pity your father did not
give you some rule also about keeping out of the way of drowning people
so that you might put your knowledge to some use, instead of getting
drowned yourself."
"He did," replied Robert, laughing, "but I forgot it. It was
exceedingly thoughtless in me to do as I did. However, I tried to make
up for it in another way; for after Sam had pinioned my arms, I made no
effort whatever, except to take a long breath, and retain my presence of
mind. When we were going down, I learned exactly what kind of a grip he
had taken, and by the time we reached bottom, I had drawn up my knees,
and put my feet against the pit of his stomach. When that was done I
felt safe, for I knew that my legs were stronger than his arms, and that
I could break his hold. But what did you intend to do when you called me
to help you?"
"I had no exact plan," Harold answered, "except to keep you from putting
yourself in danger, and then to throw or reach Sam something by which to
help himself. I had seen drowning people before, and knew very well
that unless you had something to prevent your own sinking, as I had when
you seized me, or unless you were strong enough (as in this case you
were not) to hold him at arm’s length, he would be almost sure to drown
you."
This untoward accident delayed the work of transportation until near
dark, and then it was only the lighter and more necessary articles that
they carried. Sam gradually recovered, and about dusk, supported by the
boys, he staggered slowly to the tent.