For nearly a fortnight, the work upon the stockade continued without any
intermission, when a circumstance occurred which created the greatest
alarm and excitement. One day, as the party returned to dinner, Mrs
Seagrave said with surprise, "Why, was not Tommy with you?"
"No," replied Mr Seagrave; "he has not been near us all day; he went
with us after breakfast, but did not remain a quarter of an hour."
"No, Missy; I tell Massa Tommy to help carry cocoa-nut leaves, and then
he go away directly."
"Goodness! where can he be?" exclaimed Mrs Seagrave, alarmed.
"I dare say he is picking up shells on the beach, ma'am," replied Ready,
"or perhaps he is in the garden. I will go and see."
"I see him--oh, mercy!--I see him," said Juno, pointing with her finger;
"he in the boat, and boat go to sea!"
It was but too true: there was Tommy in the boat, and the boat had
drifted from the beach, and was now a cable's length away from it, among
the breakers.
William ran off like the wind, followed close by Mr Seagrave and Ready,
and at a distance by Mrs Seagrave and Juno; indeed, there was no time
to be lost, for the wind was off the shore, and in a short time the boat
would have been out to sea.
William, as soon as he arrived at the beach, threw off his hat and
jacket and dashed into the water. He was already up to his middle, when
old Ready, who had followed him, caught him by the arm and said:
"William, go back immediately. I insist upon it. Your going can do no
good, as you do not understand the thing so well as I do; and go I will,
so there will be double risk for nothing. Mr Seagrave, order him back.
He will obey you. I insist upon it, sir."
"William," said Mr Seagrave, "come back immediately, I command you."
William obeyed, but before he was clear of the water Ready had swam
across to the first rocks on the reef, and was now dashing through the
pools between the rocks, towards the boat.
"Oh, father!" said William, "if that good old man is lost, I shall never
forgive myself. Look, father, one--two--three sharks, here, close to
us. He has no chance. See, he is again in deep water. God protect
him!"
In the meantime, Mr Seagrave, whose wife was now by his side, after
glancing his eye a moment at the sharks, which were within a few feet of
the beach, had kept his gaze steadily upon Ready's movements. If he
passed through the passage of deep water between the rocks he might be
considered safe, as the boat was now beating on a reef on the other
side, where the water was shallow. It was a moment of intense anxiety.
At last Ready had gained the reef, and had his hands upon the rocks, and
was climbing on them.
"He is safe, is he not?" whispered Mrs Seagrave faintly.
"Yes; now I think he is," replied Mr Seagrave, as Ready had gained a
footing on the rocks, where the water was but a little above his ankles.
"I think there is no deep water between him and the boat."
In another minute Ready was over the rocks, and had seized the gunnel of
the boat.
"He is in the boat," cried William. "Thank God!"
"Yes, we must thank God, and that fervently," replied Mr Seagrave.
"Look at those monsters," continued he, pointing to the sharks; "how
quick they swim to and fro; they have scented their prey on the water.
It is fortunate they are here."
"See, he has the boat-hook, and is pushing the boat off the reef into
the deep water. Oh! he is quite safe now."
Such, however, was not the case. The boat had been beating on the rocks
of the reef, and had knocked a hole in her bottom, and as soon as Ready
had forced the boat into deep water, she began to fill immediately.
Ready pushed as hard as he could with the boat-hook, and tearing off his
neck-cloth, forced as much as he could of it into the hole. This saved
them; but the boat was up to the thwarts with water, and the least
motion on the part of Ready, or even Tommy, would have upset her
immediately, and they had still to pass the deep water between the reef
and the beach, where the sharks were swimming. Ready, who perceived his
danger, called out to them to throw large stones at the sharks as fast
as they could, to drive them away. This was immediately done by Mr
Seagrave and William, aided by Juno and Mrs Seagrave.
The pelting of the stones had the desired effect. The sharks swam away,
and Ready passed through to the beach, and the boat grounded just as she
was up to the gunnel in water, and about to turn over. He handed out
Tommy, who was so dreadfully frightened that he could not cry.
As soon as Ready landed, William sprang into his arms, crying, "Thank
God, you are safe, Ready!" Mrs Seagrave, overpowered by her feelings,
sank her head upon William's shoulder, and burst into tears.
"It was touch and go, William," observed Ready, as they walked up to the
house, preceded by Mr and Mrs Seagrave. "How much mischief may be
created by a thoughtless boy! However, one can't put old heads on young
shoulders, and so Tommy must be forgiven."
"He has been punished enough, as far as fright goes," replied William;
"I'll answer for it, he'll never get into the boat again by himself."
"No, I think not. But now, William, you saw how nearly I was swamped in
the boat; indeed, it was only by his mercy that I was preserved; but
taking the question merely as far as our endeavours could help us, do
you think that if you had gained the boat instead of me, you would have
brought her to the beach as I did?"
"No, Ready; I never could have managed her so skilfully as you did, and
therefore I must have been swamped before I got on shore."
"Well, William, as I am an old sailor and you are not, therefore it is
not vanity which makes me say that you could not have managed the boat
so well as I did. Now, as I had not three or four seconds to spare,
you, as you say, must have been swamped. I mention this to prove to you
that I was right in desiring your father to order you back."
"Certainly, Ready; but Tommy is my brother, and I felt that it was more
my duty than yours to risk my life for him."
"A very proper feeling, William; but you have other duties, which are,
to look after your father and mother, and be a comfort and solace to
them. Your life is more valuable than mine. I am an old man on the
brink of the grave, and a year or two makes no difference, but your life
is, I hope, of more consequence."
That evening the prayers were more than usually solemn, and the
thanksgivings more heartfelt and sincere. Exhausted with the exciting
scene of the day, they all retired early to bed.