Several days had passed, and the _Sea Hawk_ was still among the
clustering islands of the Archipelago. Twice she had attempted to
escape from them on her voyage to Cephalonia; but each time she had been
driven back by the appearance of suspicious sails to the westward, which
her captain believed to be British men-of-war, cruising in search of
him.
Men were stationed all day and night on the yard-arms, and topmast-heads
to look out for the first faint outline of a ship; yet, not as before,
in the hopes of falling in with a richly-laden merchantman, but for the
purpose of avoiding her, lest she should prove to be one of the many
enemies on the watch to destroy them. The wind also no longer favoured
them, but shifting to the westward, had aided to baffle them in their
efforts to escape. Zappa prayed again for the gale, which had so
opportunely arisen to enable him to force his way out of the harbour of
Lissa; but now when he equally needed it, and had no evil purpose in
view, when better intentions had been formed and better feelings had
arisen, it refused to blow. Either contrary winds or calms had always
been met with, and till he had a prospect of a quick run, it would be
folly to venture out from amid the islets, which now sheltered him. He
was afraid of anchoring, or of remaining off any place for an hour
together, lest an enemy should suddenly appear and give him no time to
make sail to escape. He seldom went below, but wrapped in his cloak he
threw himself on the deck, when weary nature required rest, to be ready
at a moment's call. His days and nights were full of toil, care, and
watchfulness, and thus the time wore on. It was a lovely day; the sky
was of the most intense blue, without a cloud or speck to dim its
brilliancy; the sea calm as a mirror, and reflecting the hue of the
bright canopy above, was of so crystal a clearness that the eye seemed
capable of piercing to its very lowest depths; the sun shone forth with
glowing splendour, and the wind of the gentle zephyr, which came from
the west, blew with a balmy softness, incapable of ruffling the water,
or of forcing through it the pirate brig. Her sails, spread to catch
the first breath of a stronger breeze, now hung almost idle from the
yards, or ever and anon gave a loud flap of impatience against the
masts.
Blue islands rose out of the water on every side of the ship; some
extending a considerable distance along the horizon, others, mere
hillocks, appearing above it; and besides the more distant islands,
several islets were seen, mostly barren rocks, some of a mile in length,
and others of a few hundred yards; the largest only being of a height
sufficient to conceal a vessel behind them. Some were broken into
picturesque forms, and their sides sprinkled with moss and lichens, or
coarse grass, and a few low shrubs looked green and inviting at a little
distance--a deception which a nearer approach quickly dissipated. Here
and there also black lines and spots might be seen on the surface, being
the summit of coral reefs, which, with any sea, were entirely concealed
by the wild foaming surf breaking over them; and though the greater
number of these were almost flush with the water, or below it, a few
rose as much as five or ten feet above it. As may be supposed, no
vessel would venture into this locality, unless those on board were well
acquainted with its numerous hidden dangers.
To increase them still further, strong currents set among the islands,
running towards various quarters, accordingly as they encountered the
opposition of the rocks, either above or below the surface, so that it
was impossible, from the appearance of the land, to say in which
direction the vessel, exposed to their influence, would next be carried.
Into one of these currents, the _Sea Hawk_ had now got, and though she
appeared to be stationary in the water, she was being driven on at a
rapid rate past the land to the westward. Her captain, however,
apprehended no danger--he had every rock and shoal mapped out in his
mind far more correctly than on any chart in existence, and he felt
confident of being able to avoid them; and thus, though the airs came
from the westward, the brig was carried bodily to windward, and steerage
way was just kept on her.
The heat of the cabin was so great, that Ada and Nina had been forced on
deck, over the after part of which an awning had been spread to shelter
them from the sun--and there they sat, silent and sad, for the long
delay which had occurred had depressed their spirits, and filled their
imaginations with forebodings of coming evil.
Paolo stood by himself, leaning over the quarter-rail, and gazing, with
a vacant listlessness, at the sea; no one speaking to him, and he
noticing no one.
Zappa slowly paced the deck, every now and then stopping to watch the
progress of the vessel, and to issue his orders to the helmsman or sail
trimmers, who were at their stations ready for any emergency; but though
every sail, to her royals, were set, with that light wind, a few hands
only were required to box about the yards, as it became necessary to
keep the vessel away, or haul her more up, to avoid the rocks and shoals
as they presented themselves.
Looking at that beautiful fabric, as she floated proudly on the waters,
and observing the skill with which she was handled, it was difficult to
suppose that danger of any kind, beyond what I have mentioned, could
menace her.
Zappa himself felt secure, for he knew that none of his enemies could
here approach him unawares; or, if they daringly ventured into that
labyrinth of dangers, he could easily elude them, or entice them to
their destruction. However, a strict look out for the appearance of any
sail was, as usual, kept; but all his attention was occupied in conning
the vessel through the intricate passage he had selected, in order thus
to make some progress on his voyage.
"If this dreadful state of uncertainty endure much longer, I feel that
it will kill me," said Nina, taking Ada's hand, and looking into her
face, as if to read the effect her words produced. Her dim, sunken eye,
and the hectic spot on her faded cheek, gave sad token that her words
were too likely to be fulfilled. "For your sake, dear friend, I will
try to live, and for his sake also. I would not quit him, even for
another and a better world, till I was assured that he had forsaken the
sinful and dangerous path he has, alas, so long followed. It is an
awful thing to think that he whom one loves, better far than one's-self,
may be speedily hurried to his eternal doom, without a prayer for
forgiveness--a hope in the future. I would not be separated from him,
and yet I dare not wish to bear him company; though I feel that, black
as are his crimes, my guilt is even greater. I deserted a fond father--
I broke his heart, Ada, and can such a one as I hope for Heaven? Will
the suffering, the agony of heart, I have endured, be any atonement in
the sight of God? Oh, promise me, Ada, that should death claim me as
his own, you will strive, by every means in your power, to lead him back
to virtue--to preserve him from the ignominy, the punishment which, even
I acknowledge, he has deserved at the hands of his fellow-men."
Ada Garden roused herself from her own despondency, to soothe the
feelings of her friend. She endeavoured to persuade her that her
prognostications regarding her own death were probably groundless; and
though she did not seek to lessen her horror of the crime she had
committed, she pointed out to her the merciful promises held forth in
the sacred writings, that her repentance was of more value than her
sufferings; that the latter was sent by a kind Heaven to produce the
former feeling, and that, trusting in Him who died for all, she might
hope confidently for pardon, and remission of her sins. She assured her
of her own belief, that Heaven is not deaf to those who pray that those
they love may be made to repent; and she entreated her, if on that
account alone, to live for her husband's sake.
"And, Nina," she continued, "what a weak girl--what one situated as I am
can do, I will do for your husband; and more, I will entreat Captain
Fleetwood, not only to save him from punishment, but to use every means
in order to persuade him to repent of the past, and to follow a noble
and virtuous course of life."
In this manner the two lovely girls had conversed for some time in tones
not above a whisper, lest it should be heard by him whom it most
concerned, when an exclamation of terror escaped the lips of Nina, and,
seizing Ada's arm with a convulsive grasp, she pointed over the larboard
side of the vessel, where a sight met their view, which was, indeed,
sufficient to make the stoutest heart quail.
Meantime the captain stood near the weather gangway, directing, as I
said, the course of the vessel, with his first mate by his side, whom he
had called to him to point out the danger yet to be passed; while, as a
precautionary, and, indeed, usual measure on such occasions, hands were
stationed at the jib-boom end, and at the weather foreyard-arm, to give
timely notice of any rocks which might lie in their course beneath the
water, from the beautiful clearness of which they were discernable, even
though many feet from the surface, at a considerable distance. The
brig's head was to the southward, and all eyes were thus turned to
windward, or in the direction towards which she was drifting with the
current, and no one thought of looking on the lee side, from which no
possible danger was apprehended.
"We have done well to come here, Baldo," observed Zappa to his mate.
"We are here far more secure than in any harbour in the world; for no
one but a mariner of our own islands would venture his ship among these
reefs. See yonder black ledge, which shows its threatening summit a few
feet only above the water--there is a passage between it and another
reef further to the southward, through which we shall easily pass,
provided the wind does not fail us altogether; and if so, we must rouse
the hands up and take to our sweeps."
"It is a dangerous place, though, captain, and one I would rather not
venture into, unless I was very sure of my weather," replied the mate.
"Even now, if it was to come on to blow, it would be no easy matter to
get clear."
"No fear of that, my friend; I who brought the craft into this place
will take her safely out again, let the wind blow with its greatest
fury. A gale is what we have day and night been praying for; and let
one come, the gallant _Sea Hawk_ will brave it, and laugh at her
enemies. But tell me, Baldo, how do the people like this hide-and-seek
life? It is not what they have been accustomed to under my command."
"They wonder what your intentions are," answered the mate. "They say
that, by sailing westward, as you propose, we are more likely to meet
with our enemies, than if we kept among the islands to the northward,
where we have friends."
"The very reason I would avoid the locality," said Zappa. "We shall
certainly be sought for there; whereas, no one will expect to find us in
the broad seas to the west; and remind them besides, that where we are
going, we shall, without doubt, fall in with some richly-laden
merchantmen, which will amply repay all hands for their losses."
"There is reason in that, captain; I dare say it will content the men,"
said the mate. "But while I am on the subject, there is another
complaint which they have to make."
"What is it?" asked the pirate, angrily, for he did not like his mate's
tone. "I love not to hear complaints."
"The stranger lady," replied the mate.
"Well, what of her?" inquired the captain.
"She has brought us all into this scrape," continued Baldo.
"So it is said, is it?" remarked the captain, with a dark frown.
"No one knows why she was brought on board," continued the mate,
speaking fast, to say what he wished, before any further interruption
occurred. "Some say that Signor Paolo brought her here; but it is
supposed that he did so according to your orders."
"They do, do they?" said Zappa, compressing his lips. "And now, tell we
what would they have done?"
"They would have you get rid of her," answered the mate, boldly.
"It is what I am about to do," returned the captain. "I purpose landing
her at Cephalonia."
"What, without a ransom!" exclaimed Baldo.
"With or without a ransom, as the case may be," said Zappa, coldly.
"If without a ransom, there would be a more speedy way of getting rid of
her, and would better satisfy them," observed the mate, with a dogged
look, in which a certain amount of fear was mingled, with audacity. "We
want no women on board--all has gone ill when we have had them," he
muttered, in a lower tone, which the captain, however, did not fail to
hear.
"Speak out--what mean you?" he asked fiercely.
"That the deep sea will be the safest place for her, where she will not
trouble us more," exclaimed the mate, half trembling as he uttered the
words, for there was something in Zappa's look which warned him he had
better not say them.
Somewhat to his surprise, however, his captain suppressed whatever
feelings inspired him.
"And such is the wish of the crew, that I should destroy an innocent
girl, who has trusted to me, and, perhaps, they would desire me to cast
my wife also into the sea, to gratify their anger, because we have met
with a reverse to which all are subject. Well, tell them I will think
about the matter."
"They insist on having your instant decision, captain. Some of them
have friends in an island not far off, and they declare that they will
land, and leave you and the craft to take care of each other, if you
refuse to grant their request. Some even venture to whisper words about
deposing you, and sending you to look after your mistresses."
"And you, the loudest whisperer of them all," exclaimed the pirate, in a
fierce tone, so loud, that, had not those to whom it related been
absorbed in their own conversations, they must have been startled by it.
"That I slay you not this instant, you have to thank the critical
position in which the ship is placed. Go, tell them that I, Zappa,
their chief, intend to remain their captain as long as the _Sea Hawk_
floats proudly on the ocean, or till I absolve them from their
allegiance. Go, tell them this, and think well before you again venture
to be the bearer of such a message from the crew. First, get a pull on
the braces; we must luff all we can, to get through yonder passage."
Baldo, without venturing to answer, hurried to execute the order; and,
as soon as the yards were braced sharp up, after giving a glance at his
chief, who he had so lately been accustomed, to fear, that he felt
surprised at his own audacity, he went below to consult with his
coadjutors what was to be done. He cunningly had taken advantage of his
chief's late want of success, to ingratiate himself with the people, and
had employed all the ordinary arts of a demagogue to weaken the
authority of the man he wished to supplant; and he now gave the answer
to their message, with such exaggerations and alterations as he judged
would best suit his purpose, and inflame the minds of his hearers to the
proper pitch for executing his mutinous designs. He had, somewhat to
the surprise of Zappa, who, however, soon fathomed his reasons,
pretended to be ignorant of the navigation of the passage, through which
they were winding their way, that he might thus throw him more
completely off his guard. The largest portion of the crew had been won
over, and they were now summoned below to hear the decision of the rest,
and to put their plan into immediate execution. This may be guessed at;
it involved the instant destruction of their chief, as well as of the
unprotected girl, whom he refused to sacrifice to their fears.
Baldo had marked the ill-starred Nina as his own; and Paolo, who had
always been a favourite, and had never made an enemy, they intended to
preserve as useful to them in his former capacity of surgeon. Thus it
is, that the lawless can never depend for an instant on each other.
Zappa still stood at his post, issuing the necessary orders; and,
although gloomy forebodings were on his mind, he resolutely determined
to dare the worst, rather than yield. He marked the mutineers gradually
gliding off below, each man eyeing him as he went, still fearful of
being perceived, till, at last, the stations of many of them were
deserted; and he saw that, should any duty suddenly be required of them,
there were not hands to perform it.
"This must not be," he muttered. "They have already carried things too
far. I must recover my authority now, or I lose it, and am destroyed."
He gave a look to windward to see that the vessel was in no danger for
some minutes to come, and was advancing to the main hatchway, with his
sword in his hand, intending to spring down boldly among the mutineers,
and bring the matter to a crisis, by daring them to attack him, when his
eye glanced, for an instant, to leeward. That instant was sufficient to
create far greater alarm in his mind than had his mutinous crew.
"All hands on deck. Up men, for your lives, up! Clew up, haul down!
Brace round the after-yards! Up with the helm!"
To the eastward, hitherto unobserved, a small, white cloud had appeared,
no bigger than a man's hand. With almost the velocity of a thunderbolt
it darted across the sky, expanding as rapidly, till, as it approached,
it seemed like a vast bank of white mist, to which the rays of the sun,
now past the meridian, gave a bright and shining appearance, the sea
below, as if swept up by its base, curling in huge, foaming waves, and
overtopping, with an angry roar, the reefs it encountered, as it bubbled
and hissed in its onward course, while it sent before it, flying high
into the air, a sheet of spray, which, almost as soon as seen, enveloped
the doomed vessel. It was the _Sea Hawk's_ pall. The intending
mutineers, startled by the fierce ringing tones of their commander's
voice, attempted, in a mass, to rush up the main hatchway; at first,
with the purpose of executing their foul project; but, in an instant, as
the roar of the tempest struck their ears, and they felt the motion of
the vessel, with wild energy, in the hopes of preserving their worthless
lives, one man impeded the other; the bond of union was no longer
thought of--the fear of their own death, not the wish to destroy
another, now urged them on. Those who had first seized the coaming
strove to spring on deck, while those below grasped them fast; and few
only succeeded in freeing themselves in the struggle, which seemed for
existence.
The moment that their services might have availed was lost, if any power
could have saved the vessel; those more faithful to their trust, who had
remained on deck, flew to the halyards and braces; but, before they
could let go the first, or haul away on the others, the white squall was
upon them. The sails were taken flat aback, and the yards pressed
against the mast would not start. Down, down she went over on her
starboard side, like a tall reed bent by the wind. Her bowsprit and the
canvas stretched on it flew to leeward. Her head turned a few points to
the eastward--she made a stern-board--the water rushed in torrents up
her decks and into her hold--the foam flew wildly over her side, and
shrieks, and cries, and oaths, extorted by the agony of despair, escaped
from her maddened crew, as they beheld their inevitable doom.
As Zappa saw the fury of the squall, he felt that all his skill and all
his courage would avail him as nought to save the _Sea Hawk_. In this,
his last dire extremity, no craven fear filled his heart, and though for
his own life he cared not, he remembered that there were others whose
lives depended on him. To fly towards the stern before the vessel's
deck had become completely perpendicular, was the work of one moment,
while in the next he dragged Ada and Nina, who, almost unconsciously,
were holding on, by what were now the weather bulwarks, to the outside
of the vessel. In this task he was aided by Paolo, when the loud cries
of "The ship is sinking, the ship is sinking," uttered by the seamen,
and the roar of the tempest had aroused from his apathy, and who had
sprung to the side of the two beings most dear to him on earth, with the
thought rather of dying with them than of having even the power of being
of any assistance to them. The dreadful position in which they were
placed was sufficient to paralyse the heart of the bravest, and the
terror of the two girls was further increased by the shrieks of the
drowning wretches which reached their ears. They now clung with
convulsive energy to the quarter-rail, their feet partly supported by
the sill of the after-port, and though expecting instant death, they
still, with the impulse which the weakest as well as the strongest feel,
endeavoured to preserve their lives. Nina was almost unconscious, but
Ada Garden still retained her faculties unimpaired, and though she thus
more acutely perceived the dangers which surrounded her, she was better
able to exert herself for her preservation; yet, in that wild vortex of
water, and with a sinking ship alone to rest on, what hope was there?
Poor girl--in that moment how many thoughts passed rapidly through her
mind. Death to her could have few terrors, but life had many joys, pure
and bright, and even these, presented to her mind in all their glowing
colours, yet she tried to banish earthly things, to contemplate the life
eternal, towards which she was hastening, to offer up a prayer to Heaven
for herself, and for those who were being hurried to their doom with
her--she prayed as earnestly for herself as for them, for it did not
occur to her that she had less need of prayer than they, and who will
venture to pronounce that she had?--her advantages had been many, theirs
few. Yet, do all she could, that image of one so truly loved would
present itself to her eyes, and it added many an additional pang to her
heart, to feel the bitter grief her loss would inflict on him. Months,
years would pass away, her fate unknown, he still would be vainly
searching for her throughout those seas, till, perchance, some spars, or
part of the hull, might be washed on some distant shore, and recognised,
and a rumour might reach his ears of the destruction of the pirate's
bark, and the suspicions of her doom might at length be confirmed. This
thought was, perhaps, the most cruel she had to bear. These and many
more passed through her mind more rapidly than I have taken to write
them.
"She sinks, she sinks!" was the only intelligible cry which reached her
ears.
"She does not sink," was heard in answer, in Zappa's deep-toned voice.
"She floats still--come aft here, and aid me in lowering this
quarter-boat into the water."
The men he spoke to who were in the fore-rigging, could scarcely hear
his words, but they comprehended his signs and intentions. Eight of
them came aft to assist him in lowering the boat, a light gig lashed to
the main rigging. Paolo remained with his sister and her friend, to aid
them in holding on in their perilous position, in which they were
further assisted by some ropes which Zappa had fastened to the rail, and
placed in their hands. The operation required great caution, as the
only chance of her swimming was to launch her on the lee-side, or, as it
were, in board. The attempt was made. All looked on with anxiety, for
they saw that on its success their lives depended--the boat gone, they
had no other hope of being preserved. The lashings were cut adrift, the
boat was lifted up to stand on her keel, on the rigging, and her stern
was slewed round for launching, when a wave, larger than any which had
yet struck the vessel, came roaring towards them.
"Hold on for your lives, hold on," cried Zappa.
Some heard him, others, paralysed with fear, let go their hold of the
rigging, and the boat, torn from their grasp, was carried over the side,
and being stove to pieces, was washed far away from them, while several
unfortunate wretches found at the same time a watery grave.
"Lost--all lost!" was the general cry, and this time the captain did not
contradict them. The coolest and the bravest abandoned all hope. The
foaming waves dashed wildly over the vessel, the wind roared, the thick
mist enveloped them with its funereal pall; down, down she went, when a
loud crash was heard, the stout timbers and planks were rent and torn
asunder; he lifted on the summit of a wave, the bow was seen to twist
and writhe, and separating from the after part, to sink in the foaming
whirlpool, while the stern was cast with terrific violence on the
rocks--another wave lifted it yet higher, and there it remained securely
and immovably fixed, though with difficulty the few survivors could
maintain their hold. Still their prospect of salvation was small
indeed. Another wave might come and wash them off, or dash their last
place of refuge into a thousand fragments.
Every instant they expected the coming of the fatal wave; but sea after
sea whirled foaming by them, making their eyes giddy, and sickening
their hearts with apprehension; yet instead of increasing, each seemed
diminished in size.
The last effort of the white squall had been made--its fury was appeased
with the sacrifice offered to it. Onward it passed, clothed in its
mantle of glittering mist, to other realms: the blue sky appeared, the
troubled sea subsided into calmness; and the trembling beings who clung
to the shattered wreck beheld, close to them, a reef of black rocks
rising some four or five feet above the surface of the water.
"Courage, my Nina--courage, lady!" exclaimed Zappa. They were the first
words he had uttered for some time. "A seaman, with abundance of planks
and a few feet of firm rock on which to plant his foot, should never
despair. Stay where you are for a few minutes, while I try to find a
_more_ secure resting-place for you."
As he said this, he stood up on the side of the vessel, to examine their
position. They had struck on the very centre of the reef, forming one
side of the channel, through which the _Sea Hawk_ had been endeavouring
to pass, and at the only part which was any height above the water;
perhaps, indeed, not another spot could have been found which could have
so securely wedged in the stern, as to have prevented its following the
rest of the vessel to the bottom.
The nearest land where assistance might be obtained was some ten miles
off to the southward and westward, and in that direction the current I
have spoken of was setting. To the north were interminable reefs and
shoals, from which direction no vessel could approach them; nor was it
probable, indeed, that a craft of any description would pass near them,
as few even of the Greek vessels ever came that way, and the utmost they
could hope for was to be seen by some fishing-boat belonging to the
neighbouring island.
This occurred to the pirate as he stood up to look around him.
Steadying himself, he walked to the end of the taffrail, which he found
hung directly over a lodge of rock communicating with the main reef.
Securing the end of a rope to the quarter-rail, he lowered himself down
to the rock, and found that there was tolerably firm footing on it, and
that it would be easy to carry to it a rope-ladder, from where Ada and
Nina were clinging, by which they might descend with tolerable security,
and from thence gain the main rock, which embraced an area of some
hundred square yards or so. Having made this discovery, he again
climbed up to the wreck--of the whole crew of the _Sea Hawk_, but six,
besides himself and Paolo, now remained alive. The others had either
been drowned in the hold of the vessel as she first capsized, or had
subsequently been washed off, or carried away with the bow when it
parted.
The corpses of some of the latter were still seen floating about in the
eddy round the rocks, and a few more wretched survivors were perceived
clinging to portions of the wreck, and carried by the current far away
from their companions, who had no power of rendering them any
assistance. Ada Garden shuddered as she witnessed their dreadful fate;
and yet she felt that her own and that of those with her might not be
preferable, but at the same time she and they had been as yet almost
miraculously preserved, contrary to all expectation; and she could not
help still indulging in the belief that, by some means or other, their
deliverance might be achieved.
On Zappa's return to the wreck, he roused up his men, who still clung to
it, stupified with terror, and ordered them to exert themselves for
their own preservation, as well as for the rest of the survivors.
They had been so long accustomed to obey his voice, that they quickly
returned to their senses. The mainmast had gone, as had the main
chains, but part of the main rigging, the backstays and shrouds still
hung on to the wreck, and these he ordered them to haul up, and by
securing the shrouds to the stern, and carrying the other end to the
rocks, he formed an easy means of communication, by which Ada and Nina
could gain the main rock. They accomplished the passage without fear;
and as they found their feet resting once more on firm ground, although
it was a barren rock, they followed the natural impulse of their hearts,
and bent down on their knees to return thanks to the Great Being who had
preserved them.
The hardened pirates, unused as they were to prayer, felt the genial
influence, and at the spot where each happened at the moment to be, they
stopped in the work in which they were engaged, and knelt likewise in an
endeavour to imitate them in act, if not in feeling.
"To work, my friends," exclaimed Zappa. "We have no prospect of release
from hence, unless we can construct a raft by which we may escape, while
the calm which has now returned continues. I tell you, one hour's
moderate gale would render the spot on which we stand untenable, and we
must all perish; but do not despair, we may, if we employ our time to
advantage, form out of the wreck a raft, which will, with perfect
security, convey us to yonder island, where we may find shelter and
protection among friends who will gladly receive us."
The men, on hearing their chief's address, expressed their willingness
to obey him. His first care was to collect such articles as were
floating about in the water near them, and others which had been thrown
on different parts of the rock. Among them were chests, and casks, and
spars, some of the running rigging, and two or three of the lighter
sails, which had floated attached to the spars. The most welcome and
the most important prize was a cask of water--the second was a cask of
biscuit which had been taken out of an English vessel, and there were
two or three of olives; some boxes of figs, rather the worse for their
immersion in salt water, but still very acceptable, and two trunks of
wearing apparel, which had come on board with the biscuits--altogether,
on surveying the provisions, there appeared sufficient to last them with
care for several days. Tools, with which to cut up the wreck to form
the raft, were the next great desideratum, and the carpenter's chest
could not be found. They hunted in all directions without success, till
at last, in despair, they began to tear up the bulwarks with their
hands, as making a commencement of collecting materials. On doing so,
great was their satisfaction on finding three boarding axes secured with
beckets to the side. They had now tools to enable them to progress
faster with the work. They ripped off all the planking from the
bulwarks, and cut up as much of the deck as was above water, and by this
means got into one of the larboard cabins just before the bulkhead of
the state cabin. It had been occupied by the chief mate, and in it were
found another axe, some nails, and several carpenters' tools, as well as
a coil of small line, which was very useful for lashing the various
parts of the raft together. As the materials were collected they were
carried to the rock, and in a short time the captain considered that
they had sufficient to commence operations, as with the few people it
would have to carry, a small raft only was necessary. They first lashed
some of the spars they had saved, together, forming an oblong square,
while others where placed diagonally to strengthen the framework, and
the stoutest was secured beneath to form a keel. As their strength
would afterwards have been unequal to the task, they were obliged to
launch it before they commenced planking it over, and they then secured
it on the west side of the reef, as it was in that direction they
proposed going, and the water was there much smoother than on the other,
where it was still agitated by the effects of the squall.
The spar used for the keel was the upper part of the mainmast, or rather
the topmast--for, it must be remembered, she was a polacca-rigged
craft--and which had been broken completely off when the lower shrouds
went over it; and as this was considerably longer than the raft, planks
were fastened to each corner of the square to both the ends, so as to
form a pointed bow and stern.
Several casks were picked up which had lost their contents, and these
were now bunged up afresh, and secured on either side of the framework,
and this being done, the business of planking over the whole now
commenced. Nails were little used or required, and it was found more
secure and expeditious to lash the ends of each plank down to the
framework, securing it also in the middle; and on the top of these,
others were placed at right angles, and either lashed or nailed down to
them, till the whole was exhausted, thus forming a solid and somewhat
strong mass of planking, sufficient, it was to be hoped, to bear them to
the island they wished to reach.
On the top of this the chests were placed on either side to serve as
bulwarks, one being secured in the centre on a platform of planks, for
Ada and Nina to sit on, and round it were arranged the casks of water
and provisions which had been hauled out of the water. Some of the
smaller spars had been reserved for other purposes. Out of one was
formed a mast, out of another a yard, on which the main
top-gallant-sail, somewhat reduced, was spread to form a sail. From
three oars, a rudder and two oars were manufactured, and a fourth was
kept to pole off from any rocks towards which they might be driven.
Altogether, a very complete raft was constructed, much superior to many
which have borne wave-tossed mariners for days or weeks together on the
broad waters of the Atlantic. Not till every arrangement was made did
Zappa and his followers desist from their labour.
Meantime Ada and Nina had not been neglected, and the pirate seemed to
be endeavouring to make such amends as were in his power for his past
conduct. On the further end of the rock a tent was erected with some of
the sails, which had been saved, and a case of female wearing apparel
was placed within it to enable them to clothe themselves, while their
own dresses were drying in the sun, which, when spread out on the hot
rock, a very few minutes sufficed to do. Paolo had also collected small
pieces of wood, which dried quickly, and he then piled them together to
be in readiness to light a fire should it be required.
The formation of the raft afforded them ample matter of interest, and as
they sat there, secure and without discomfort, on that solitary rock,
with the ocean smiling calmly around them, the awful event, which so
short a time before had cast them there, seemed almost like a dream,
which is, with difficulty, recalled to the recollection.
Such food as could be prepared, they were supplied with; but, as may be
supposed, they were little inclined to partake of it, nor would they,
perhaps, have done so, had they not felt the importance of sustaining
their strength to enable them to undergo the dangers and exposure to
which they saw they would most probably be subjected.
Thus the day passed rapidly away, and the sun was already verging
towards the horizon, by the time the raft was completed. It was now too
late, Zappa asserted, to embark, and by waiting for the early dawn, they
might have the whole of a day to perform the voyage without the risk of
being exposed at night on the raft, and might hope, with certainty, to
reach the island before sunset.
The men willingly agreed to their chief's proposal, while the remainder
of the party had no choice, but to submit had they objected to it; but
it seemed so reasonable, that, anxious as they were to reach a more
secure position, they uttered no complaint at his decision.
The tent was, therefore, secured and strengthened, and a flooring formed
inside it, on which were placed the portions of sail which had been
collected and dried, and the clothing from the chests, so as to make a
couch, which, although very rude, afforded a resting-place, for which
the two poor girls were most grateful.
Paolo stationed himself outside the tent, at a short distance only from
them, and Zappa arranged a resting-place among the casks of water, and
the provisions, and chests, which he had taken care should not be
embarked. The men, after a supply of food had been served out to them,
huddled together, wrapped up in their _capotes_, on the bare rock, near
where they had been working, and held a whispered conversation together,
which lasted for some time after darkness covered the face of the deep.
Paolo's mind, troubled and unhinged with the thoughts of the past, and
the darkening prospect of the future, for long refused to allow sleep to
visit his eyelids. He listened to ascertain whether his sister and Miss
Garden were still awake; but from the perfect silence in their tent, he
trusted that they had been more blessed. He then stood up to look round
the rock. The irate chief was sitting on a chest, with his arms folded
across is breast, and apparently, from his upright position, still full
of care, and on the watch on all around. The people had thrown
themselves down where they had been sitting, and seemed to be fast
asleep. The sea was calm, as it had been in the morning before the
squall; and, though no moon was up, the myriads of stars, which
glittered in the sky, threw a light over it even to a far distance, and
enabled him to discern many of the reefs and rocky islets which
surrounded them, while close at hand was seen, like a skeleton of some
huge monster of the deep, the last remnant of the once gallant _Sea
Hawk_.
Wearied with standing, Paolo again sunk down on the rock. He was awoke
by a voice which he knew to be that of Zappa.
"Rouse up, Paolo!" he said. "You have taken your share of sleep, and I
would fain snatch some moments of rest to prepare me for the toils of
to-morrow; and yet I dare not sleep without leaving some one in whom I
can confide on the watch."
"Why, what mean you?" asked Paolo, starting up. "I will gladly watch--
but what have you to fear? Surely, no enemies are near us."
"Ah! you know not what was nearly occurring this morning, or you would
not ask the question," said Zappa, in a tone of bitterness. "See you
yonder six men. Are they, think you, friends or enemies? I tell you I
do not trust them. Not long ago, I would have trusted them, as I would
have trusted their comrades who have gone to their account; and yet they
were about to destroy those two defenceless girls and you, and me, their
chief. Ah! you start! You doubtless think the shipwreck we have
suffered is a misfortune; and yet, I tell you, Paolo, that I believe by
it our lives have been preserved. I can trust to you, Paolo; and while
I sleep you must watch. To add to our security, light a small fire with
the wood you collected, and keep yourself awake by feeding it. Should
any of them move, they will clearly be seen; and perceiving that you are
awake, it will make them hesitate what to do. They know also that I
have arms--and that my pistols are never unloaded--and that you can call
me in a moment, to use them. Two hours' sleep will be sufficient for
me--you can, I hope, watch for that time."
Paolo assured Zappa that he would keep a faithful watch, for all their
sakes; and then, aided by him, he lighted a fire between themselves and
the men, while he kept a store of wood on their side to feed it as it
began to decay. The pirate, wrapping himself in a cloak, immediately
threw himself down among the stores, and was instantly fast asleep. As
Paolo stood by the fire he thought that he beheld the tall masts and
white sails of a ship gliding by, but she took no notice of the fire and
disappeared in the darkness. Thus the night passed on. He no longer
felt any sleepiness; and, as the pirate chief slept soundly, he could
not bring himself to awaken him. The first faint streaks of dawn had
just appeared in the sky when Zappa started up.
"What has occurred? Why did not you summon me. Paolo?" he exclaimed.
"Ah! you were unwilling to awaken the angry lion. I thank you, though,
for your consideration. You have kept our watch-fire in well, I
perceive. Throw more wood on it, and we will presently kindle such a
blaze as will light us on our way before the sun arises. Go, call your
sister and the English girl, your voice will alarm them less than mine.
I will rouse up my traitorous followers--for we must be away from hence
without delay. We know not what weather the morning's sun may bring."
It was still almost as dark as at midnight, when Paolo summoned the two
ladies. They soon made their appearance, prepared for their perilous
voyage, and refreshed by their night's slumber, notwithstanding their
extraordinary position and the rudeness of their couch.
Zappa's first care was to arrange the provisions in the centre of the
raft; over them he erected the tent, which, though much reduced in size,
afforded sufficient shelter for the ladies. He then summoned them to
take the seats he had arranged; but it was not without some fear and
hesitation that they left the firm rock for so frail an ark, and it was
not till Ada recollected the danger of remaining, that she could
persuade herself to go on board, followed by Nina.
Leaving them under charge of Paolo, Zappa summoned his men, and each of
them was seen to take a bundle of the burning embers in their hands, and
to proceed with them to the ship. Once again they came back for more
embers, and the remainder of the wood, and almost before they could
return to the ship, a bright volume of flame was seen to burst forth
from every part of the wreck. The pirate hurried on board, followed by
his men. Two went on either side to work the oars; the others tended
the halyards and sheet, while he stood at the helm. The ropes which
secured the raft to the rock were cast off, the crew gave way with the
oars, the sail was hoisted to catch a light northerly air, and a strong
shove sent it gliding through the water at a rapid rate.
"Farewell, farewell," exclaimed Zappa, turning round to gaze at the
burning wreck. "No enemy can now boast that they have made a prize of
the bark which has for so long been the terror of the seas, nor even of
her shattered timbers. Long, long will it be before your like is met
with again."
The raft glided onward, guided by the flames. The light was seen far
off by many eyes; but little wist they at the time that there was
consuming the last remnant of the long much dreaded _Sea Hawk_.