INTO PORT
"Cast off!" said Han. "Take this one first, Perry. Gee, but it's stiff!"
They had to fumble several minutes at the wet cable before they got it
clear and let it slip over the bow. Then the other was cast off as well
and Bert swung the lantern four times above his head as a signal to haul
in. An answering dip of the light on the stern of the _Adventurer_
answered, just as Joe joined them.
"All right?" he asked anxiously.
"Yes, both clear," replied Han. "What do we do now, Joe?"
"Sit tight and wait. Some of us had better get some sleep. Perry, you
and Bert might as well turn in for awhile. I'm going to. It's ten
o'clock. I'll wake you at two, and you can relieve Han. Bert, you might
make some coffee when you tumble out again. We'll probably need it."
"I'm not sleepy a bit," protested Perry. But Joe insisted and he and
Bert followed the other below and laid down in the bunks in the
captain's cabin. In spite of his disclaimer and the noise and rolling of
the ship, Perry was asleep almost as soon as he touched the berth, and
the others were not far behind.
Joe had the faculty of waking up at any predetermined hour, and at two
he was shaking the others from their slumbers. It was at once evident
that the gale had increased, for it was all they could do to keep their
feet under them as they made their way to the galley. Bert set about
making a fire while the others made their way to the wheel. Wink greeted
them cheerfully enough from the lantern-lit darkness there, but his
voice sounded weary in spite of him.
"I had Han take the sail down," he announced. "She steers better without
it. The wind's pretty fierce, isn't it? Look out!"
A big wave broke over the rail and descended on them in bucketfulls.
"That's what makes it so pleasant," shouted Wink. "Guess I'll take a nap
if I can."
"Bert's making some coffee," said Joe. "Better have some before you turn
in."
Perry made his way cautiously forward and relieved Han. "Seen anything?"
he asked.
"Not a thing."
"Hello, where are the boats?" Perry stared ahead in surprise.
"One of them--I think it's the _Adventurer_--is back there." Han turned
Perry about until he glimpsed a faint flicker of light far off over the
starboard beam. "Don't know where the other is. Guess they're having a
rough time of it."
"I'll bet!" agreed Perry. "You're to have some coffee and turn in, Han."
"Coffee!" murmured the other gratefully. "Have you had some?"
"No, I'll get mine later. Beat it, you!"
Han disappeared in the darkness and Perry, wrapping himself as best he
could in the folds of his slicker, settled himself to his task. Now and
then he looked back for a glimpse of the friendly light at the stern or
for sight of the _Adventurer_. The wind made strange whistling sounds
through the interstices of the lumber and the battered hull groaned and
creaked rheumatically. When he stood erect the gale tore at him
frantically, and at all times the spray, dashing across the deck, kept
him running with water. He grew frightfully sleepy about three and had
difficulty in keeping awake. In spite of his efforts his head would sink
and at last he had to walk the few paces he could manage, accommodating
his uncertain steps to the roll of the boat, in order to defeat slumber.
To say that Perry did not more than once regret his suggestion of
rescuing the _Catspaw_ would be far from the truth. He felt very lonely
out there on that bow, and his stomach was none too happy. And the
thought of what would happen to him and the others if the schooner
decided to give up the struggle was not at all pleasant to dwell on. And
so he did his best not to think about it, but he didn't always succeed.
On the whole it was a very miserable three hours that he spent on
lookout duty that night. Once Bert crawled forward and shared his
loneliness, but didn't remain very long, preferring the partial shelter
of the house. No one was ever much gladder to see the sky lighten in the
east than was Perry that morning. But even when a grey dawn had settled
over the ocean the surroundings were not much more cheerful. As Wink
said, it was a bit better to drown by daylight than to do it in the
dark, but, aside from the fact that the _Catspaw_ was still afloat,
there wasn't much to be thankful for.
One of the cruisers was barely visible off to the northward, but the
other was nowhere in sight. The grey-green waves looked mountain-high
when seen from the water-washed deck of the _Catspaw_, and the wind,
while seeming to have passed its wildest stage, still blew hard. There
was no sight of land in any direction and Joe pessimistically decided
that they were then some forty miles at sea and about off the Isles of
Shoals. Soon after the sun had come up, somewhere behind the leaden
clouds, they sighted a brig to the southward. She was hardly hull-up and
was making her way under almost bare yards toward the west. She stayed
in sight less than half an hour.
The boys had breakfast about half-past six. Except coffee and bread
there was little left, and the outlook, in case the gale continued, was
not inspiring! Perry declared that he'd much rather drown than starve to
death. The first cheerful event that happened was the drawing near of
the _Adventurer_. The white cruiser came plunging up to within a quarter
of a mile about nine o'clock and signals were exchanged. An hour later
the _Follow Me_ appeared coming up from westward and at noon the
schooner and the two convoys were reunited. But there was still no
chance of getting lines aboard. All that they could do was wait. Dinner
hour aboard the _Catspaw_ was dinner hour in name only. There was
coffee, to be sure, but the sugar was low and the condensed milk had
given out completely. All else had disappeared at breakfast time. The
spirits of the "prize crew" got lower and lower as the afternoon began
and they were faced with another night aboard the schooner. Twice they
sighted other craft, once a steamer headed toward the northeast and once
a schooner dipping along under reefed sails. Neither craft showed any
curiosity and each went on its way without a sign.
Once the _Adventurer_ circled close to the windward and Steve shouted
encouragement through his megaphone. Just what was said they couldn't
make out, and Joe's attempts to acquaint the cruiser with the fact that
they were out of provisions was unsuccessful, since he had only his
hands to shout through and the wind was unsympathetic. But having the
cruisers at hand was comforting, and when, at about four, there was a
brief glimpse of sunlight to the south their spirits arose somewhat. The
wind now began to go down perceptibly and by five it no longer roared
down on them from the northwest, but, swinging around to the northeast,
became quite docile and friendly. They put up their sail again and
gradually the _Catspaw_ pointed her nose toward the coast. Just before
darkness came the sea had quieted enough to make possible an attempt to
get the cables aboard again and those on the schooner saw the cruisers
draw together. Steve and Phil caught the line hurled from the _Follow
Me_ after several attempts and then the tender was dropped over and with
the two cables aboard the boys made for the _Catspaw_.
Those on the schooner watched anxiously. At one moment the tiny dingey
was seen poised on the summit of a great green sea and the next was
quite gone from sight. The sun came out momentarily before saying Good
Night, as though to watch that struggle. At last the tender came sidling
down the slope of a wave, the occupants striving hard at the oars, and
after one breathless moment, during which it seemed that the little boat
would be crushed to splinters against the old black hull of the
schooner, Joe caught the painter, Steve made a flying leap for the deck
and gained it in safety, and Phil, boat-hook in hand, worked manfully
and skilfully to fend off while the cables were brought aboard. The
dingey had fetched food as well and a shout of joy went up as Phil,
taking advantage of the calm moments between the rushing waves, hurled
the bundles to the deck.
There was little time for conversation, for darkness was coming fast,
but Steve heard a brief account of the _Catspaw's_ experiences, and,
while helping to make fast the cables, told of the night aboard the
_Adventurer_. "It was fierce," Steve said. "No one had much sleep, I
guess. We almost pitched on our nose time and again. If it hadn't been
for you chaps we'd have cut and run about midnight. We lost sight of
your lights several times; they were so low in the water, and thought
that you'd gone down at first. The _Follow Me_ had to run for it, and I
guess they weren't very happy either. But we'll make it this time. It's
clearing up nicely and we're only forty miles from Portsmouth. Keep your
lips stiff, fellows, and we'll be eating breakfast ashore!"
The dingey pulled off again, narrowly escaping capsizing more than once,
and ten minutes afterwards the _Catspaw_ was once more wallowing along
in the wake of the cruisers. Supper, with bacon and potatoes and lots of
bread, perked the crew up mightily, and when the stars began to peep
through the scudding clouds and the sea stopped tormenting the poor old
_Catspaw_ they got quite cheerful. That second night was an easy one
for all hands. The weather cleared entirely by two o'clock and the sea
calmed to almost normal conditions. The _Catspaw_ strained along at the
ends of the cables at about three miles an hour until she got close
enough to the shore to feel the tide. After that she went more slowly.
At early dawn--and it was a real dawn this time, with sunlight on the
water and a golden glow in the eastern sky--the Isles of Shoals lay six
miles to the southwest and the blue shore line was beckoning them. At a
little before eleven that forenoon the _Catspaw_ passed Portsmouth Light
and half an hour later, having been given over to the care of a tug, was
lying snugly against a wharf.
It was a tired but triumphant dozen that stretched their legs ashore at
noon and set out in search of dinner. Already they had answered a score
of questions and told their story half a dozen times, and even after
they were seated at table in the best restaurant that the city
afforded--and it was a very good restaurant, too--an enterprising
newspaper reporter found them out and Steve, as spokesman, recounted
their adventures once more between mouthfuls.
And when at last they could eat no more and the reporter had gone off
to write his story, Steve, Joe and Wink set forth to an address they had
secured on the wharf and the others adjourned to the porch of a nearby
hotel to await their return. "Tell him," instructed Perry as they
parted, "that we won't accept a cent less than a thousand dollars! And,"
he added to himself, "I wouldn't go through it again for fifty
thousand!"