FOUNDERING OF THE HERMES.
I was dreaming of the party I had so recently left, and again I was
confabulating with the mild placid women, and the fair child was also
there. Oh, who can appreciate the delights of female society like the
poor devil who has been condemned, month after month, to the gruff
society of great _he_ men on shipboard, and whose horizon has during
all that time been the distant meeting of sea and sky! "Hillo, Brail,
my boy--Brail."
"What is that--who the deuce hails so uproariously?" quoth I, more than
half asleep; "why, what is the matter?"
"Oh, not a great deal," rejoined Donovan, from his berth at the
opposite side of the small cabin; "only you snore so confoundedly loud
that I could get no sleep for your trumpetings, Benjie; and as you
spoiled my rest very sufficiently last night, I thought I would take
the liberty of paying you off in the morning. But, Benjie, heard you
ever any thing like that?"
"Like what?" said I.
"Why, like the noise of the rain on deck, just now."
I listened, and perceived a low rushing noise, that gradually
increased, until the sound appeared to be produced by a cataract of
peas pouring down on the deck above.
"There's a shower for you, Master Brail--when heard you such another?"
"Seldom, I confess--seldom--but why _have_ you startled me in this way,
Donovan?--if it should rain pike-staves and old women--I cannot help
it."--_Snore_.
No rest for the wicked, however, for Lanyard now awoke, and began to
don his garments as fast as he could. During which operation, he
stumbled violently against my berth, which fairly wakened me. "Why,
Dick, where away in such a hurry this fine morning?"
"On deck, my lad--on deck,--but how it does tumble down, to be sure!"
"On deck?--Don't, Dick, do that thing now--don't--what if the lightning
should mistake you for a rusty conductor, man?"
He laughed as he vanished up the ladder, and once more I was falling
over, when I was most effectually roused by my troublesome chum, Master
Dennis Donovan, whose voice could scarcely be heard through the rushing
of another heavy shower on the hollow deck overhead. But this time he
was addressing some one on deck, and from where I lay I could see up
the companion ladder.
"I say, Mr Peak" (the little midshipman), "Mr Peak, how does the
weather look?"
It was some time before Joey heard him, from the noise of the rain; at
length, he knelt down, and inclined his ear on the head of the small
ladder, swathed in a large boat-cloak, with the water running off the
snout of his cap in a small spout.
"Any one speaking below in the cabin there?" quoth Joey.
"Yes," said I; "what does the weather look like?"
"Very black, sir, all round, but no wind as yet--it rains a little now
and then, sir."
"Rains a _little_ now and then--Oh Lord!" ejaculated Donovan; "where is
the commodore?"
"About a mile on the starboard bow."
"And the ship?"
"Close to, astern of us, sir."
"The swell seems heavy," continued I.
"Very, sir--it has been increasing during the whole of the watch; the
ship you boarded yesterday evening is rolling awfully heavy."
Here some one from aft called to little Peak, but I could not make out
what the voice said--"How do you think so?" answered the midshipman.
The man said something in reply, but still I could not distinguish the
words.
"I fear," said Joey now, "the merchantman has sprung something aloft,
sir--there is a great bustle on board of her--there, there, her
fore-topgallant-mast is gone."
Anxious to see what had befallen the ark of my interesting friends, I
rose and dressed as fast as I could, and was in the act of going on
deck, when another tremendous thunder plump came down with even greater
fury than before. I waited until it was over, and by this time the day
began to break. When I got on deck the sky was very lowering, and the
sea as black as pitch; and although the increasing light proved that
the sun was not far below the horizon, yet there was not the smallest
clear streak in the east to be seen. The whole vault of heaven was
ink-black, and I was startled by the clearness with which the
undulations of the rapidly increasing swell, and the hulls and rigging
of the two ships, could be seen. The frigate had her three topsails,
foresail, and jib set, and rolled so heavily that she appeared to be
dipping her yard arms alternately in the water. She had sent down
topgallant yards and royal masts, and I could see through the glass the
people busy in lowering the studding-sails out of the tops, so for her
I had no fear; but the merchantman astern had either been caught by the
suddenness with which the sea had risen, or the scantiness of her crew
had prevented her taking the precautions rendered necessary by the
threatening appearance of the weather, in proper time; for her main and
mizen royal masts were still up, her topgallant sails still set; and
altogether, from the evident confusion on board, now increased from the
accident already alluded to, it was clear to me, that if any sudden
squall were to overtake her before she had time to shorten sail, she
would be caught all of a heap.
As the morning lightened, the Gazelle, the instant that flags could be
seen, telegraphed to send a boat on board the damaged vessel; and the
word was accordingly passed.
"I say, Dennis, I think I will go on board myself, instead of sending
any of the boys."
"As you please, Lanyard," quoth the lieutenant, who was by this time up
and shaving on deck, in a very picturesque costume certainly--"As
you--oh, confound you, you have made me cut myself--bless me, what a
gash! Give me some felt off the top of my hat, steward."--He might as
well have gleaned after an Irish tinker.--"But were I you," continued
he, "I would trust some one else--confound this bleeding. Look at the
weather, man--look at the weather, and the air."
The air indeed was hot and sultry beyond all my former experience at
the same hour of the four and twenty; and Lanyard, I saw, began to have
great doubts as to the propriety of sending a boat at all. He was
about telegraphing to this effect, when, to the southward of us, a
heavy shower fell perpendicularly from the surcharged clouds, in a grey
column--"You are mistaken; there will be no wind, for you see how
even-down the rain falls yonder," said Dick to Donovan, when he saw
this.
"Well, well, man, since you _will_ go--bless me how I have cut my
chin!" as putting his head down the companion he roared out "Steward,
why don't you bring the felt?"
"I can't scrape a _pile_ off it," answered the Scotchman, appearing
half-way up the ladder, with the castor in one hand, and a knife in the
other.
"Bring the felt, you spalpeen, and no jaw."
Lennox, poor fellow, brought the hat, an old silk one, worn white at
the edges, with the pasteboard frame-work appearing in numberless
places--a most shocking bad hat certainly. He held it up to the
lieutenant. The Irishman looked at it--"Hat!--that's not mine,
steward--that's Mr Brail's.--Mercy on me, Benjamin, a'nt you ashamed to
wear a thing like this?"--It was the vagabond's own all the while--"but
don't mind, don't mind--so good-by, Lanyard--good-by," as his brother
officer stepped into the boat, that was surging about on the
fast-rising sea alongside.
"Stop, you may as well leave me the _kay_ of the locker, for your visit
will be longer in that same ship, or I greatly mistake, than you
bargain for." He here coolly resumed his shaving, and Ricardo shoved
off, taking me with him, as I was rejoiced to have another opportunity
of seeing my amiable friends of last evening. We had not pulled above
half a dozen strokes, when poor Lennox ran to the side--"Beg pardon,
but a squall is coming, sir--there, sir, in the south-east, where we
saw the rain just now."
I had not time to look round, when Donovan having put up his razor,
again sung out--"By the powers, my lads, but the Scotchman is right; it
requires no second sight to prophesy a squall anon.--There, there it is
coming, sure enough; about ship and come back, Lanyard, or it is as
clear as mud that we shall be minus your own beautiful self and the
boat's crew in a jiffey, not forgetting Benjie there; and what's worse,
our only boat that will swim."
It is folly to despise a hint where it is well meant, so in an instant
we were on board again, and had just got the boat run up, when the
commodore telegraphed, "Keep all fast with the boat."
Once more it cleared, and the rain ceased in the quarter where we had
recently seen it falling with such violence; but the threatening clouds
had sank down right over the spot, and began to boil and whirl in sooty
convolutions; like the blackest and thickest of the smoke, as it leaves
the funnel of a steamboat immediately after the fire is mended.
Under this gloomy canopy, as far in the south-east as we could see, the
black waves were crested with white foam; and a low undefinable hoarse
murmur, more like the hollow subterranean sound that precedes the shock
of an earthquake than the roar of the ocean, gradually stole down upon
us with increasing distinctness.
"Is that thunder?" passed among the men.
"Thunder!" quoth old Dogvane, "I wish it were, my lads."
"It is Davy putting on the coppers for the parsons, and nothing else,"
said Drainings.
"What is that?"
The frigate had fired a gun to attract our attention, for the darkness
had settled down so thick around us, that we could not have seen flags.
She had furled every thing but the close-reefed main-topsail, and
reefed foresail. "A nod is as good as a wink," said I, as Lanyard
called all hands to shorten sail. When we had every thing snug, I
looked out in the direction from whence we expected the wind to come.
The white crests had increased, and again in the distance the grey
screen descended from the clouds perpendicularly, like a watery
avalanche, hiding every thing beyond it from our view.
Presently this column bent at the lower extremity, and drove away to
the northward and westward, as if a shallow vein of wind had skimmed
furiously along the surface of the sea, while all above was as yet dead
calm. But the upper part of the shower gradually assumed the same
slanting direction, indicating that the agitation of the air was
extending upwards. Suddenly the rain fell right down from the heavens,
and once more concealed the agitated billows beyond, like a black
curtain dropped before them, indicating that it had again fallen calm.
"Come, I don't think it will end in wind of any consequence to speak of
after all," said I.
"Don't you be too sure, my lovely little man," quoth the imperturbable
Dennis. "Lanyard, pray have the kindness to furl every inch of
canvass, or--fetch me a prayerbook--look there."
I followed the direction in which he pointed; the column of rain was
still falling perpendicularly, and as well defined as if it had been a
waterspout in reality; when suddenly the lower part of it again
inclined to an angle of thirty degrees with the horizon, becoming much
more dense and opaque than before. In a few moments the whole pillar
of water took the same oblique direction, until it slanted straight as
a sunbeam shooting forth from heaven. It continued thick and
impenetrable to the sight for the space of half a minute; when, as if
scattered by the fury of the tornado, it suddenly vanished in smoke,
and the weather cleared. Right to windward, however, a white line
crept down towards us, like dust flying along the road in a stormy day,
after a long drought. The roar of the approaching squall increased, as
did the swell, which now rolled on in mountainous undulations; and
although it was calm as death where we lay tumbling about, the little
vessel groaned and lurched like an evil spirit on his bed of liquid
fire; while the tops of the seas began to break and growl as if the
very waves had become conscious of the approaching _tormenta_.--It was
now eight o'clock in the morning: but in place of getting lighter the
clouds had settled down so darkly that the frigate had to make the
night signals with lanterns to heave-to with our head to the southward,
until we saw what might turn up. Sharp was the word--we prepared to do
so--but before a single rope could be let go, the squall struck us; and
for a minute, notwithstanding all our precautions, the Midge was fairly
laid down on her beam ends, and I thought she would have turned keel
up; however, the moment we were enabled to lay her to with her head to
the southward and westward, she breasted it like a sea-gull, and,
confident in her weatherly qualities, I had time amidst the row to cast
a glance at the commodore and the merchantman. The former was lying-to
under storm-staysails, rolling and plunging most delightfully, now
rising on a heavy sea and making a bow to us, and then descending
entirely out of sight--but the poor ship! All seemed confusion on
board of her. Whether it was that they had been deceived by the long
time the wind hung in the distance, and had persuaded themselves that
there would be no squall worth dreading after all; or the accident of
losing the fore-topgallant mast had confused them, I cannot tell; but
they had not been able to get in their canvass in time, so that every
thing had to be let go by the run when the squall came down; and the
consequence was, that the fore and maintopsails had been fairly blown
out of the bolt ropes, and were now streaming straight out in ribbons;
while the foresail, which had stood, laid her over on her beam ends.
The crew were, while I looked, endeavouring to set the jib, in order to
get her away before the wind; but a sea at the very moment struck her,
washing the boats off the booms, and everything else that would part
company; for a moment I thought she would never have risen again. But
there was another lull, and after having got some way on the vessel,
she was brought to the wind, and enabled to heave-to also. This was
not of long continuance, however, for it soon began to breeze up again,
but steadily; and I thought, that the puff being over, we should have
no more bother, although the heavens continued as black and threatening
as ever. The commodore appeared to be of the same opinion, and now
made the signal to bear up; a manoeuvre that was promptly followed both
by the Midge and the ship, and old Donovan and I went below to
breakfast, leaving the lieutenant in command looking out on deck.
"That chap was nearly caught, Benjie," said Dennis.
"Very. Shall I help you to coffee?"
"If you please."
"A slice of beef?"
"Thank you."
"Very nearly caught indeed. I hope nothing has happened to her beyond
what we saw--beyond the loss of her boats and sails, and
foretopgallantmast--she laboured so dreadfully before they could get
her before the wind--what a state the poor women on board must have
been in!"
"Terrible," said Donovan. "Bad enough for the men, but how I do pity
tender women in such a predicament!"--and here he heaved a sigh that
would have blown a candle out--"But you must have lost your heart,
Brail, aboard there; you are so awfully sentimental since you returned.
Come, now, describe the beauties of the fair creatures--give me as good
a notion of them as you can--that's a good boy."
"Why, Donovan, they were both, I mean the ladies, as _unlike_ Miss
Cathleen, the affianced wife of a certain lieutenant of the navy, the
son of widow Donovan, who lives at 1060, Sackville Street, as you can
well imagine."--
Dennis laughed.--"Why, you have me there, Benjie. sure enough, so"----
Here Lennox interrupted him, as he hastily entered the small cabin.
"The ship has made a signal of distress, sir."
"The devil she has!" We both jumped up the ladder as quick as we
could. The frigate was steering large, about a mile on our lee-bow.
All was right and snug with her; but the ship, that lay about half a
mile abeam of us to windward, had her ensign flying at the mizen-peak,
with the union down; and the signal for a boat flying at the head of
the foretopmast.
To send her assistance before the sea went down was utterly impossible;
no boat could have lived for a minute; so that all we could do was to
haul by the wind, and close under her lee quarter. It was still
blowing so fresh, that when the master hailed I could not hear him; but
as she lay over, we could see that both pumps were manned, and the gush
of _clear_ water from the scuppers was a sad indication of what had
befallen. I could distinguish the two young missionaries, in their
trowsers and shirts, labouring most vigorously amongst the crew; while
the patriarchal old man was holding on by the mizen-rigging, close to
the master; evidently keeping his footing on the deck of the tumbling
vessel with great difficulty. Seeing me on deck, he took off his hat,
which was instantly blown overboard, and his long grey hairs streamed
straight out in the wind. This to me was a moving incident, simple as
it may appear to others, and it seemed to affect Donovan also.
"What a very fine-looking old man he is indeed!" said Dennis.
The lady passengers were both below, at least I could see nothing of
them. When we closed, the captain hauled down the ensign, and as the
flow of water from the pumps seemed to decrease, I began to hope that
they were gaining on the leak. Lanyard now steered as near as he could
without danger, and hailed, that the moment it was possible he would
send assistance to them. The captain heard him, and made his
acknowledgment with his trumpet.
We kept as close to her as was safe the whole forenoon; and although we
saw that the crew were every now and then taking a spell at the pumps,
yet they seemed quite able to keep the leak under; and every thing once
more appeared to be going on orderly on board.
"Come," said I, to old Shavings the carpenter, who was looking out at
her alongside of me, "if the weather would only moderate a bit, a small
touch of your quality, Master Shavings, and a forenoon's spell of your
crew, would set them all to rights again--eh?"
The warrant officer turned his quid, and thereby poisoned a dolphin or
two, I make no doubt; by the jet of tobacco juice that he squirted
overboard. He then took a long squint before he spoke.
"I ben't sartain of that, sir. The water flowing there from the
scuppers is cruel clear still, sir. I fear she has started something
serious; I don't think she would make so much by mere straining." I
began to fear he was right. "And I sees some signs of a bustle on
board again, sir; there, if the bloody fool of a cook has not set fire
to the boarding of the small galley--the caboose they calls it in
marchantmen."
However this accident seemed very trivial, for the man immediately to
all appearance extinguished it again; but the alarming part of it was,
that it seemed to have taken place while _he_ was taking his spell at
the pumps, a sure indication that the crew were more exhausted than I
had allowed for, since they could not spare a hand to look after the
fire in such boisterous weather.
The master now came suddenly on deck, and at the same moment a man
bolted up the fore-hatchway, and ran aft to him; showing by the energy
of his action that the matter he was communicating was alarming,
whatever its nature might be. The pumps were instantly manned again,
and after a long spell, I noticed the carpenter sound the well, and
then shake his head. At this several of the men threw off their
shirts, as if preparing for a tough bout, and set to, working harder
than ever; the water once more gushing out over the ship's side in
strong clear jets.
The young missionaries, who had for a minute disappeared, were again on
deck, and as well as the master himself now took their spell at the
pumps with the crew; but still there was no rushing nor alarm
apparently amongst them. By and by, I noticed the master go aft, and
take upon his knee one of the black boards used to shut up the front of
the hencoops in bad weather; on which he appeared to write something,
in order, as I conjectured, to communicate with us, as, from the
increase of the gale and the sea, there was no use now in attempting to
be heard through the trumpet. Evidently with a desire not to alarm the
crew, he now quietly slipt the board over the side. On it was written
in chalk.
"THE LEAK IS GAINING ON US."
The gale now came thundering down with such violence, that we found it
necessary to clew up every thing but the close-reefed foresail, and the
tremendous seas that roared astern of us made it doubtful how long we
should be able to scud. The distress of the ship was fast increasing;
and I noticed that the poor helpless women were now on deck clinging to
the old man, whose age rendered it out of the question his attempting
to be of any use at the pump.
I shall never forget the group. He was holding on by the
mizen-backstay, in a half kneeling position; the youngest woman was
beside him in her nightdress, with her long hair hanging lank down and
drenched with rain over her deadly pale features, while her fair and
taper naked arms were clasped convulsively round his neck, as she hid
her face in his bosom. The elder lady was sitting covered with a
boat-cloak on the small bench, that ran along the larboard-side of the
companion, with one of her arms over the top of it to keep her in her
seat, which she seemed to accomplish with great difficulty, as the
labouring ship sweltered about on the boiling sea. A sheep, apparently
a pet lamb, stood, or rather staggered about, on the deck beside her,
every now and then turning up its innocent face and bleating, and
trying to poke its head under her cloak.
A sea at this moment broke over the starboard quarter of the ship, and
drenched all of them, washing aside the skirt of the cloak that covered
the oldest of the females, and disclosing, alas, alas! my poor dear
little boy, crying in his mother's arms, and stretching and struggling
with his little limbs, as if he had slept through it all, until the
very moment when the unruly surge washed him in his nest.
"Mind your helm," sung out Mr Marline, sharp and suddenly.
I turned to look aft from whence the voice came. Heavens, what a
sight! A huge green wave was curling its monstrous crest, like
revolving wheels of foam, close aboard of us astern, and pursuing us
with a hoarse growl, increasing to a roar, like a sea monster rushing
on its prey.
Lanyard had only time to sing out, "All hands, secure yourselves," when
it rolled in over the tafferel, and swept the deck fore and aft,
washing boats, hen-coops, spare spars, and every thing that was not
part and portion of the solid deck and upperworks, overboard, and
submerging us several feet under water.
I thought the little Midge's buzzing and stinging were for ever over,
and that she never would have risen again; but the buoyant little craft
gallantly struggled from under the sea, and rose gaily to the surface
like a wild-duck shaking her feathers after a long dive; and having
hove-to, we soon made capital weather of it again--her strong bows
dancing over the advancing surges, as if in contempt, until they hissed
away under foot, like serpents foiled in their attack. It was a
fearful sight every now and then to look down from the summit of a
gigantic sea, on the frigate and shattered merchantman, as they were
tossed to and fro beneath us like objects seen from a hillside; and
then to feel yourself _sinking_, and see them _rising_, as you in your
turn sank into the trough, until they appeared to hang above you in act
to slide down and swamp you, and again to lose sight of them
altogether, as a roaring wave rose between us.
Had the felucca been a deep-waisted vessel, she must have inevitably
been swamped; but having no ledge or rail whatever, and the hatches
having been got on and well secured early in the forenoon, we took
little or no water below. We lost one hand overboard, however, more
lamented for the time, I believe, than if he had been the best man in
the ship. It was poor Dicky Phantom, the monkey, who, when the word
was passed for the men to hold on and make themselves fast, seeing them
lay hold of ropes, in imitation caught one too; but, alas for Dicky! it
was the slack end he had got in his paw, so that the sea washed him
overboard like smoke, when, being unable to stand the drag through the
water, the poor brute had to let go, and perished miserably.
As his little black gibbering face, with the eyes starting from his
head, and his mouth open and grinning, while he coughed and spluttered
out the sea water, looked its last at us from the curling ridge of a
wave, a general "Ah! there goes poor Dicky Phantom," burst from all
hands.
The ship had also hove to; but in the few minutes that had passed since
I had last seen her, her condition was clearly much altered for the
worse.
The crew had knocked off from the pumps, and several, I could see, were
employed casting loose the hen-coops, spare spars, and every thing that
would float; while the greater part appeared absolutely insane, and
rushed about the deck stretching out their hands towards us with
imploring faces, as if we could have helped them; while others, alas,
alas! were drunk--brutally, bestially drunk--and grinned and gibbered,
and threatened us with their fists.
It was indeed a humiliating and a heart-breaking sight, to see
fellow-beings, endowed with sense and reason like ourselves, debasing
themselves in their last moments below the level of the beasts that
perish, and recklessly rushing into the presence of the Almighty in a
state of swinish intoxication.
"What is that?" cried Mr Marline. "Heavens, if they have not set fire
to the rum in the spirit-room!"
As he spoke, a wavering flash of blue flame gleamed for a moment up the
after hatchway, the hatches of which, in the increasing confusion, had
been knocked off. Presently this was followed by a thick column of
white smoke, speaking as plain as tongue could have told, that the fire
had caught. The column became suddenly streaked with flame, which
drove the miserable group of women and men forward into the waist. In
a minute, the fire burst out of the main hatchway also, and scorched
away the two young missionaries and the captain from the pumps, to
which, although deserted by the crew, they had, with noble intrepidity
and calm resolution, clung until this very moment.
The eldest lady was now lying motionless on the wet deck, as if she had
been dead or in a faint, with her bare arms clasped round her child,
who, poor little fellow, was tossing his tiny hands, and apparently
crying piteously, while the younger woman was clinging convulsively
round her husband's neck, as, along with his companion and the old
captain, he now sat on the deck; the whole grouped round the
patriarchal old Moravian, who was kneeling in the middle, seemingly
with outstretched hands imploring Heaven for mercy; while over all, the
sea, now lashed into redoubled fury by the increasing gale, broke in
showers of spray.
The whole after part of the ship was by this time on fire; and falling
off before the wind under her foresail, she ran down in the direction
of the frigate that was lying to about a mile to leeward. As she bore
up and passed us, the old captain, drenched, half-naked, and
bareheaded, with a face pale as death, was endeavouring to seize the
ensign union down in the main rigging, but it was torn from his feeble
hands by the strength of the wind; and, as if it had been the last
faint gleam of hope finally deserting them, flew down to leeward like a
flash of red flame. He then again hung the board on which he had
formerly telegraphed over the gangway. The following fearful legend
was now written on it:
ON FIRE, AND SINKING!
To have followed her, after having once been pooped, and nearly swamped
already, would have been downright madness, especially as we could
render no earthly assistance. We had therefore nothing for it but to
keep the Midge lying to.
The firmament now became black as night. A thick squall, with heavy
rain, that had been some time brewing to windward, burst down on us
with the most terrific fierceness. For a minute we could neither see
nor hear any thing but the roaring of the tormented waters, and the
howling, or rather thundering of the wind. The shred of sail that we
had set flew out of the bolt-rope into ribbons, with a sound like a
cannon-shot, and I thought the little vessel would never have righted
again. At length it passed us, and cleared where we were, only to show
us the poor disabled ship overtaken by it. And now it was evident that
she was water-logged, from the heavy sickly way in which she rolled and
pitched, while the fire tinged the whole dark sky overhead with a red
murky glare, as if it had been midnight.
The squall crept up to her, thickened round her, and gradually
concealed both her and the frigate, hiding them entirely from our view
within its watery veil; but the conflagration still lit up, and shone
through the grey mist-like shroud (alas, in very truth a shroud to one
of them!) giving horrible indications as to her whereabouts.
It suddenly disappeared, and the tornado of wind and rain drifted down
to leeward. The clouds rose--the weather cleared away--Great God, what
do I see!--The frigate is there----BUT THE SHIP IS GONE!
* * * * *
For several minutes, the thunder-storm continued with great violence.
At one time I thought the lightning had struck our mast-head; but it
was the breaking up of the weather, for with startling suddenness a
bright slanting beam from the evening sun pierced through the dark
masses of cloud in the west, and floated on the tempestuous surface of
the troubled waters where the ship had gone down, like a ray of hope
breaking through clouds and shadows on the tumultuous agitations of a
departing spirit. Was it in very truth the eye of Providence glancing
on the watery grave of the innocent and virtuous, and evincing, through
our senses, that the quenching of their gentle light amidst the howling
waste of waters, although unseen of men, was not unmarked of the
Eternal, "who maketh the clouds his chariot, and who walketh on the
wings of the wind?" And was the doom of the wicked in the rolling
thunder? The thought stirred me like a trumpet-note.
The sunbeam travelled on, as if drifting before the wind, until it
glanced on the dark hull, and lofty spars, and storm staysails of the
noble frigate; and the weather moderating at the same time, we ran off
the wind to close the commodore, sailing over the spot where the ship
had foundered, as near as we could judge. Several hencoops and spars
were floating about; but the whole crew were gone to "where the wicked
cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest."
"Keep her away a bit," sung out Lennox, in a sharp excited tone, from
forward--"keep her away a bit, Mr Lanyard, there is something
struggling in the water close to. More yet--more yet," as the noble
fellow fastened a rope round his waist; "that will do--now, messmates,
hold on, and mind you haul me in if I miss." In a twinkling the poor
fellow was overboard, striking out gallantly amongst the choking spray.
"I see the object," I exclaimed, forgetting all etiquette in the
excitement of the moment, "that is flashing and struggling in the
water; whatever it may be, he has it; down with the helm, and bring her
to the wind; down with it, hard-a-lee. He has it--he has it!--No,
missed it, by Heaven! No, no, he has fast hold; gently, haul him in,
men--gently, that's it; now, handsomely, in with him. Hurra, well
done, Lennox! You are on board again, my lad."
"Why, what _have_ they hauled in with him?" said Donovan, who was
standing aft beside me, while Lennox was got on board at the bows. I
was myself confoundedly puzzled. "A sheep, and a bundle of clouts, ha,
ha, ha!" shouted Joe Peak. I jumped forward. A bundle of
clouts--alas, alas! it was the breathless body of the beautiful child I
had seen on board the ship.
It was lashed to the neck of the pet lamb with a silk handkerchief, and
now lay at my feet a little blue and ghastly corpse. I snatched it up
in my arms, more from the impulse of the moment, than any expectation
of the ethereal spark being still present in the little cold clammy
body; and, to the great surprise of the crew, I called Lennox, and
desiring him to get some hot salt in a piece of flannel, and two
bottles of hot water, and to bring some warm cloths into the cabin
immediately, I descended, stripped the child, and drying his little
limbs with a piece of blanket, clapped him into my own berth--Donovan
and Lennox followed; and, against all appearances, we set to, and
chafed and manipulated the frigid limbs of the darling boy, and applied
hot bottles to his feet, and the hot salt to his little chest and
stomach; but it was all in vain. It was a moving sight to see great
rough bushy-whiskered hard-a-weather seamen, in despite of all
formality and discipline, struggling like children at a _raree show_ to
get a peep at what was going on below, through the open skylight that
ventilated the little well cabin.
"Ah, my poor little fellow, you are gone; your unhappy mother might
have spared her dying heart the pang of parting with you, when she made
you fast to the lamb--you would then at least have died in her arms,
and beside her heart, my sweet child!" As I said this, Donovan, Dick
Lanyard, who had now joined us, and Lennox, the latter all dripping
with sea water, and still pale and breathless with his recent
exertions, were standing looking down on the body of the child, having
done all they could, but in vain.
The tears were rolling down the Scotch lad's cheek, and Dennis, honest
fellow, once or twice blew his nose very suspiciously, contriving
during the trumpetings to steal a small swab at his eyes, lest the
share which the old lady in Sackville Street, Dublin, had in him, might
become too apparent.
"He is gone," said Lennox, after a long pause, as he stepped to the
berth, with the intention of covering the dead body with the sheet. He
no sooner stooped down, however, than he suddenly started back, and
held up his hand to attract our attention. I looked--one eyelid
quivered--it opened a little, then shut again, and again the aguish
appearance passed over it; the chest heaved, and the little sufferer
drew a long sigh. "He lives, he lives!" said Lennox, in a low voice,
and speaking as if he was himself choking. The word was passed through
the skylight to the warm-hearted expectants clustered round it on their
knees on the deck above. My eye, what a row! They instantly jumped to
their feet, and began to caper about overhead as if a legion of dancing
devils had suddenly possessed them.
"He's alive," shouted one poor fellow, "and we can now spare Dicky
Phantom."
"Forward with you, men," sung out Mr Wadding; "forward with you; how
dare you lumber the quarterdeck in that way, with your lubberly
carcasses?"
We now increased our exertions, and had the inexpressible pleasure of
seeing them crowned with success; and having poured some tepid wine and
water down the child's throat--he was as yet too weak to drink it
himself, or to speak--we had the happiness to see him open wide his
fine dark blue eyes, and take a steady, and apparently, a conscious
look at us; and presently his respiration, though as yet slow and
sigh-like, became regular; the animal heat of his body over his heart
began to be perceptible--the blue clayey colour of his skin and face,
the sharpness of his features, and the blackness of his shrunk lips,
began to fade and give way before the accelerating circulation--and
after coughing up a large quantity of salt water, he turned his little
face to the ship's side, and fell into a sound sleep.
By this time it was near sunset, and the gale was rapidly abating, but
the sea was still very high. We ran down and closed the commodore,
keeping him in view the whole night.
Donovan and I were sitting in the cabin regaling ourselves with a glass
of grog, about nine o'clock in the evening--"I say, Benjie, how that
poor little fellow snores--do you hear him?"
"I do, and it is music to mine ear, my darling. What a scene it must
have been when the ship foundered! I am glad we did not see it,
Donovan."
"And so am I--why, we have rather had a stirring time of it lately, a
number of odd circumstances have happened; but what do you make of the
commodore's taking on so, as you and Sprawl said he did, when he heard
that young De Walden was missing--had he any hand in the young chap,
think you?"
"Oh, no," said I laughing, "none; besides he used to keep him tighter
set up than any other mid in the ship. However, that would neither
make nor mend as to the probability of your surmise, Donovan; but I
verily believe he was no connexion of the commodore's."
"Well, well," said Dennis, "give me t'other glass of swizzle,
Lennox--thank ye. I say, Lennox, my lad--gallant conduct enough that
of yours--after having been so ill too--I wonder you had strength."
The man bowed.--"Now since I have had time to consider, what _are_ you
going to do with the child there, Dick?" said Donovan.
"Send him on board Gazelle, I presume, when the weather moderates--but,
good-night, I am off to my cot--who has the watch, Lennox?"
"Mr Peak, sir."
"Tell him to keep close to the commodore, and call me the instant any
thing worth reporting occurs."
"Yes, sir."
"How is the weather?"
"Clearing away fast, sir," answered the marine--"and the sea is greatly
gone down."
"Very well, let them trim by the commodore, do you hear--keep way with
him, but no more; Sir Oliver likes no one to run past him--tell Mr Peak
so."
"I will, sir."
"Now, good-night, Brail--good-night, Dennis, dear."
* * * * *