Now you might have thought that, under all circumstances, these four
passengers would have been as thick as possible together; but no; Mr
Bell seemed to have an idea of what Mr Ward's feelings were, and though
polite and pleasant, that was all; and though Miss Bell never showed a
sign of giving him a friendly look, I couldn't help thinking that she
did not quite dislike the young doctor.
That evening we had an ambassador from the fore-cabin in the shape of
the fat passenger, who brought a message to say that they wanted water
below. We let him come up after they had knocked at the hatch for some
time, but all we could do was to pass him on with the message to Van,
who swore out something, but would give no farther answer; while as to
going back, the messenger would not think of that. And our force was
strengthened, so Mr Ward said, but I only thought of the meat tins and
biscuit.
Night again, and we set our watch, wondering whether we should get
through it alive, for it was like living over one of those volcanoes, I
thought. There might be an explosion at any time; and though I didn't
make any show of my trouble, I was a good deal worried; and as for them
as had been wounded, they seemed suffering as much as me.
Mr Ward had the first watch, with Bill Smith and Mr Tomtit; and when
he woke me up, it was from a pleasant dream of home. But he reported
all right; and with Sam Brown and Mr Bell for my mates, we began the
second watch.
I said Mr Bell, but really it was his sister, for the poor chap seemed
to me to be sinking, though, with the bravest of hearts, he fought
against all of it, and held up to the last.
I'd been talking cheerfully to Miss Bell about there being safe to be a
vessel cross our course next day, when suddenly she seized my hand, held
it tightly, and pointed to something rising slowly up from the cabin
skylight. Sam Brown must have seen it at the same moment, for he left
the wheel, and the vessel fell off before the wind.
"What's that?" whispered Miss Bell; and do you think I could speak? Not
a word; for there, slowly making itself known, was an enemy which I had
never counted upon seeing, and I couldn't help giving a groan, as I felt
that now we should be beaten indeed.
Accident, or done on purpose, I could not tell, but the ship was on
fire, and the smoke in a steady column rolling slowly up, while I had
hardly roused up the sleeping men, before, with a shout, Van, closely
followed by Brassey and the other two, came over the poop on to the
deck.
Fighting seemed no good, after what was taking place before us;--our
enmity seeming quite small now before this trouble,--and besides, what
was the use of having a struggle for what would probably be burned to
the water's edge in the course of an hour or two; so giving way, we
slowly backed up under the bulwarks, leaving the mutineers free to act
as they pleased.
It was a bad plan, for the first thing they did was to loosen the men in
the forksel, when out they came yelling and savage, but only to stand
and stare for a few moments at the smoke rolling up through the
tarpaulin, which now began to blaze.
That it was an accident, was now plain enough, for, taking no notice of
us, they began, in a hurried sort of way, to draw buckets of water and
throw over it; then two men got to one of the pumps, but what they did
seemed a mere nothing. Then a panic seemed to seize them, and throwing
down the buckets, they began busily to get one of the boats ready,
throwing in a compass and anything they could lay hands on, some
fetching rum and biscuit up out of the cabin, and all in a hurried
frightened way, as if not a moment was to be lost, and they might expect
the ship to blow up any minute.
All at once Mr Ward darts forward, shouting, "Lend a hand here, and we
shall save her yet!" and for the next quarter of an hour no one would
have thought there had been a mutiny, for we were all working away side
by side against what was an enemy to both parties; and bucket after
bucket was poured into the burning hole, but with no more effect than if
the buckets had been thimbles.
The fire and smoke came rolling up, and rising higher and higher, while,
as if to fan the flames, a sharp wind blew seemingly from all four
quarters at once, making the flames roar again; and first one and then
another threw his bucket into the fire, and began running below for
provisions to put in the two boats.
I think Mr Ward was the last man to drop his bucket; and that was when
the flames had risen and risen in a column of fire to lick the rigging,
and then began leaping from rope to rope, and sail to sail, till the
mizen was one blaze of light, brightening the sea far and wide, till it
looked like so much golden oil, without a ripple upon it anywhere.
They soon had one boat lowered, and were busy over the other, getting in
everything that they thought would be useful, we all helping; and it was
in this boat that Van seemed to intend going; for, letting Brassey take
charge of the other, and telling him to push off and lay-to, he kept
back four of his party, and helped with a will.
All at once I missed Mr Tomtit; but he appeared directly after; and I
knew what he had been doing--letting loose his birds; and there were the
poor little things fluttering about, and uttering strange cries, as they
circled round and round the flames, some only to scorch themselves and
fall in; but, as he said, it was better to set them free, than leave
them there in their cages to be burned.
At last the boat seemed to contain all that could be put in, and Van's
four men were waiting, when the fat passenger, who was all in a tremble,
stepped forward to get down; but Van shoved him back, saying, "Ladies
first;" and, crossing to where Miss Bell was kneeling beside her
brother, he caught her roughly round the waist, lifted her, and made
towards the side, when she shrieked out to me to save her.
"Best go in the boat, miss," I had half said, when, like as I supposed
she did, I seemed to see through Van's designs, and stepping forward,
there was a short scuffle, and I had the panting bird tight in my arms;
while, before any one could take a step to stay him, Van slipped over
the side into the boat, and stood up in her, shaking his fist at us, and
laughing, like a demon as he was, as he told us to "burn and be damned."
It was hard to realise it at first; but there were both boats rowing
slowly away, plainly to be seen in the golden light shed by the flames;
and we eight souls, one a fair delicate woman, left to burn upon that
roaring furnace of a ship.
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