"Stop, by-the-by, you may frighten the ladies, and he will not know what
you mean. I will go myself, and you remain and see what you and our
sailor friend here can do in the meantime, should the brig strike."
My uncle hurried off to the house, and Roger and I, watching the brig,
proceeded a short distance along the shore to a point whence a reef of
rocks ran out, towards which it appeared to us that she was driving.
How fearfully sharp and rugged did those rocks seem! I had thought
little about them before; but now, when I feared that my friends were
going to be hurled against them, I wished they were rounder, and covered
with sea-weed, to which they might cling. We had each of us, as we left
the house, seized a long bamboo pole. With this Roger and I made our
way towards the point of a ledge of rock above water. Merlin, who had
come with us down to the beach, followed close at our heels, seeming
fully to understand the danger of our friends; for, as we stood watching
the brig, he stretched out his head and uttered strangely loud barks,
which seemed to have a tone of melancholy in them.
Nearer and nearer came the brig. Part of the bay, under the protection
of the headland I spoke of, was rather more sheltered than it was
further on. This gave us some hopes of the vessel holding together till
the sea had sufficiently moderated to allow Mr Hooker to reach the
shore. The rain continued pouring in torrents, driving in our faces.
Often we could scarcely see the vessel. Then again a vivid flash of
lightning, followed by a crash of thunder, showed her to us as she
heeled over to the blast, driving slowly but surely towards the fatal
rocks. Sometimes with difficulty we could keep our footing on the reef.
I was anxiously looking for the return of my uncle and Tanda. Perhaps
Tanda might swim to her. I myself felt greatly inclined to make the
attempt, in spite of the sea rolling in. Now for an instant the rain
partially ceased, and shading our eyes, we could see the brig still
nearer than before. Then a huge sea came rolling in. She rose on its
crest, driven onwards with greater rapidity than before. Suddenly she
seemed to stop. The sea washed over her.
"She has struck! she has struck!" cried Roger.
Her masts, however, still stood; but we expected them every instant to
go.
"Poor fellows! poor fellows!" cried Roger. "Master Walter, I have no
kith nor kin; I will try and get off to them; and if I am lost, you will
tell them that I wished to lend them a hand, but had not the power."
"Stop!" I said; "here come my uncle and the black man, and they may
have some plan, without your being obliged to risk your life."
"As to that, it is not worth thinking about," answered Roger; "but we
will see what they propose."
In the meantime we endeavoured to ascertain what the people on board the
brig were going to do. The darkness, however, was so great, that we
could not distinguish anything going forward among them. There the brig
lay, however, hard and fast; the seas breaking now over one end, now
over the other, but not with such violence as we dreaded.