We had no time for sadness and sorrow; there was too much to be done. I
would not fly a signal at the mast-head, for fear of its bringing back
the mutineers; for, though it did not seem likely that it would, I did
not wish to run any risk. But with the help of Mr Ward and the others,
I set to, and we made a good strong raft, and provisioned it, in case of
a change of weather, for, though keeping us up well now, I felt sure
that a fresh wind must send the ship to the bottom. All I thought would
be of use to us I got on the raft; and I spent a many days lashing on a
cask here and a spar there, and even rigged up a little mast with a
lug-sail, and had an oar or two for steering. I couldn't get myself
away from that raft, feeling to want to make it perfect, which it wasn't
at all. But there it was, and the best I could make; and day after day
we rolled about in the long gentle swell of the great ocean, looking for
something to heave in sight.
There was very little to occupy us beyond looking out, for sailing the
ship was out of the question, since, if she had careened over, the water
would have come pouring in at one of the rents in her side; so we waited
on day after day, during which time it seemed to me that a sort of
jealous feeling was springing up between Mr Ward and Mr Tomtit, for
Miss Bell used to keep away all she could from the young doctor, and sit
and talk hour after hour with Mr Tomtit about his birds. But Mr
Tomtit, though he used to look pleased, only looked so in a quiet, sad
sort of way, and I used to think that he felt it did not mean anything
for him; and he'd go and feed his birds afterwards, and sigh as he did
it, and always try to be good friends, as far as he could, with Mr
Ward.
It was a fine thing for us that we had a doctor on board, for I believe
he saved both Bill Smith's and Sam's lives, poor chaps, for they had
been sadly mauled about by the mutineers, and for days and days all they
could do was to lie still and talk wildly about things. Sam in
particular would rouse us all of a night, by shouting out that Van was
striking him. But they both got better by degrees.
Last of all, what I was afraid of happened--the wind changed, and it
came on to blow a little. It was nothing more than a pleasant fresh
breeze, but enough to make the sea dance a bit, and the old Sea-mew to
roll and pitch, so that I was obliged to have a man at the wheel, and a
bit of sail set, to keep her out of the trough; but handle her how I
would, I couldn't keep the water out, and the question got to be, how
long could we wait without taking to the raft? And another question
was, too, how long could we keep to the raft without being washed off?
Thinking of this made me rig lines round it, and give an extra lashing
here and there just where I could.
The next day, there was not a doubt about what our duty was; and getting
the raft round to the lee quarter, we lowered Miss Bell down, and then
made ready to join her; when, more from use than anything, I ran up the
rigging to take a sweep round, when--I could hardly believe my eyes--
there was a brig bearing down under easy canvas, and not three miles
off! We were so busy, or we must have seen her before. Howsoever, my
first act now was to hoist a signal; and then, there being no time to
lose, I got aboard the raft, being last man to leave the vessel; and we
hoisted a bit of sail, and made towards the brig.
We had not left the Mew a minute too soon, for just as we had got about
two hundred yards away, a squall took her, and she bent right over,
righted, careened again, and then settled rapidly down, and was gone.
We were all so taken up with the sight, that, for a moment, we forgot
the brig, and when we turned to her again, she was bearing away. I
thought that she had seen our ship, when we hoisted the signal; but,
from her acts, this could not have been the case, and now every second
she was increasing her distance. We shouted, we yelled, and hoisted a
handkercher, on the end of a boat-hook; but she did not see us; and
gradually we saw sail after sail dip down out of sight, and we were once
more all alone on the great ocean.
If we had seen no ship, I should not have cared; but this seemed such
tantalising, despairing work, and but for Miss Bell, I should have been
about ready to give up.
That night I was sitting steering our lubberly craft, when Miss Bell
came and sat beside me, and, after being silent for some time, she
points out seaward, and asks me if what she saw was a star.
I looked at it for a few minutes, for I hardly dared to answer at first;
but I felt sure directly after, as I told her it was, and a bright one
for us, being a ship's lantern.
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