The arrival of my uncle with his man, carrying a quantity of the light
ratan rope, gave us some hopes of being able to rescue our friends on
board the brig.
"To be sure, this will float as easily as a cork," exclaimed Roger; "and
I see no reason why I should not tow the end off aboard the brig. You,
Tanda, pay it out as you see I want it."
Again my uncle warned him of the danger.
"Very true, sir," he answered, fastening the end round his waist; "but,
you see, if we seamen had to stop every time we saw danger, we should
very soon have to go ashore and take to nursing babies. No, sir; my
notion is that the thing is to be done. It may fail; but if it
succeeds, why, we may manage to get most of those poor fellows safe on
shore."
While we were speaking, the dog gave another loud howl, as if to make a
signal to those on board; and we fancied it could not fail to be heard
even above the roar of the breakers, although our voices could scarcely
have reached them. It was heard at all events by the rest of our party;
for directly afterwards the two girls and Oliver were seen coming down
from the house in spite of the pelting rain, covered up in mat cloaks.
The Frau followed behind, entreating them to return.
"Oh, you will be wet; you will be washed away!" she cried out. "Come
back! come back! What is the matter?"
"We were afraid something dreadful had occurred," said Emily, as she
reached the inner end of the rocks.
I entreated her and Grace not to come further, lest the seas, which
occasionally washed up, might sweep them away. Oliver, however,
clambered along to where we were.
"I may be of some use," he said. "Let me do what I can."
"Well, then, help to pay out this rope, Oliver," said Roger Trew, who
was securing the end round his own waist, having thrown off his jacket
and shoes, retaining only his trowsers, which he fastened round his
waist. "No time to be lost!" he added. "You pray for me, Walter. It
will be a difficult job, but it ought to be done, and so it must!"
Saying this, he plunged in, and bravely buffeting the sea which broke in
showers round us, was in a short time free of the surf. He was not
alone, however. Merlin, uttering a loud bark, plunged in directly
afterwards, and soon overtook him, swimming by his side, as if wishing
to afford him support or companionship. Away they went, we gradually
paying out the light buoyant rope, which floated in a way no ordinary
rope would have done.
"I am afraid," said Mr Sedgwick, "that its strength is scarcely
sufficient to enable those on board to pass over it to the shore."
"No, sir," I said; "but if we can haul in a stouter rope by means of it,
the same end will be accomplished."
In a short time we could no longer distinguish Roger and Merlin; but we
knew by the way the rope continued to be dragged out that they were
still making progress. Now, however, the rope seemed to stop. We knew
that it could not yet have reached the vessel. After a time we felt it
again drawn on. Again there was a time of great suspense. It made but
little progress. Still we felt that it was drawn out, and that was all
that could be said. How eagerly we looked towards the vessel, and
examined the whole of the intervening space! Presently we saw an object
floating on the water. Now it sank, now it appeared on the foaming
crest of a sea which came rushing towards the shore. "Help! help!"
exclaimed a voice. "Lend a hand!"
Passing a piece of the remaining rope round my waist, I begged my uncle
and Oliver to hold it, while Tanda paid out the cable, of which but a
small part now only remained. I rushed forward as the person was borne
onward towards the rock. Stretching out my hand, I caught him as the
next sea was about to sweep him up into the bay on one side, where he
would have been dashed on the sharp rocks which lined it. I threw
myself back, my uncle and Oliver hauling in the rope, when I found I had
Roger Trew by the hand.
"I could not do it!" he exclaimed; "but there is another who will
succeed, or I am much mistaken. Merlin saw how it would be, I have a
notion, from the first; and when I found I must give in or go to the
bottom, I just threw him the bight of the rope. He seized it in his
mouth, and swam on as well as if he was in smooth water, and I let the
sea bring me back again. If Merlin does not succeed, I will have
another try at it, though; but I think he will."
While he was speaking a jerk was given, apparently at the other end of
the rope. Directly afterwards we heard Tanda utter an exclamation of
dismay.
"It is gone!" cried Mr Sedgwick. "The end is gone!"
"Then I'll have it!" exclaimed Roger, plunging into the water as the end
of the rope glided by at a little distance.
So quick was he that he caught it; and though he was carried to another
point of the rock, a few yards from where we were standing, he was able
once more to climb up and regain a safe position. With the quickness of
a practised seaman he carried it up to a point, where he made the end
fast in such a way that it was not likely again to slip.
We now all stood anxiously watching to see what would next occur. We
could do no more, unless we found the end of our rope slackening, as a
sign that another had been fastened to it. We should then haul away on
it. The minutes seemed hours as we stood on the shore anxiously looking
out towards the brig. Bits of timber came floating on shore; now a
piece of a broken spar; now parts of the bulwarks. We were afraid that
ere long the brig would begin to break up. Meantime Frau Ursula had
been urging the girls to go back to the house; but they were too deeply
interested in what was taking place to listen to her entreaties. They
thought not of the pelting rain; they thought not of the driving spray
or furious wind. Their hearts were with our friends on board--with Mr
Hooker, kind Mr Thudicumb, honest Dick Tarbox, and the faithful Potto
Jumbo. Presently we saw a round object floating towards us.
"It is a man's head!" cried Oliver. "Let me go this time."
"No, no," I answered; "I am not at all tired from my other swim, and I
will try and help him."
I was getting ready to plunge in, in spite of Oliver's entreaties, when,
on looking again, a flash of lightning at the moment lighting up the top
of the wave, we saw the head of Merlin as he bravely swam towards us.
We rushed into the water to help him, lest the send of the sea might
have driven him against the rock before he had gained a footing.
Instead of shaking himself, as a dog generally does, as soon as he was
clear of the water, he stood perfectly still. We then saw that he had
got a bottle round his neck.
"A letter from Hooker; I am sure of it!" said Mr Sedgwick. "It will
give us important information. We cannot read it here, however. Come,
young ladies, I must take you up to the house, and comfort the Frau's
heart. She is afraid you will catch ague or fever, or cold at all
events; and she has reason for her fears--so come along."
Very unwillingly the two girls left the scene; Emily entreating me, as
she went away, not to run any more risks of being drowned. Curiously
enough, Merlin, having performed his duty, accompanied Mr Sedgwick and
the girls up to the house. In a short time Mr Sedgwick returned,
saying, that the note was from Mr Hooker, to the effect that he hoped
the vessel would hold together till the hurricane was over, as she gave
no signs of breaking up, while there was a sufficient space free of
water below, to afford shelter to all who remained on board. "I am
sorry to say," he added, "that several of the crew have attempted to
swim on shore. Two of them we saw lost before they had gone many
fathoms from the ship; but we hope the others have arrived safely. We,
however, will make a hawser fast to the rope you sent us by that noble
creature Merlin, that in case we are mistaken about the brig holding
together, we may have a better prospect of saving our lives."
On hearing this we again went to the end of the point, and found that we
could haul in upon the rope; and by the resistance it made, it was
evident that a hawser had been secured to it. It was very heavy work;
but at length, by our united efforts, we got the hawser secured to a
point of the rock. We had now a communication with our poor brig, but
we trembled to think of the danger to which Mr Hooker would be exposed
should he attempt to make use of it in his present weak health.
"A short time ago he would have come along that rope without the
slightest difficulty," observed Oliver; "but now I am afraid that, were
he to make the attempt, he could scarcely resist the strength of the
waves, and would be washed off."
"I am afraid so too, Oliver," said Roger Trew. "Sooner than he should
do that, I would go out and try to help him ashore."
Attached to the end of the hawser, I should observe, we found a light
rope. This was evidently sent that we might get another stout one on
shore. We found on trying it that we were right in our conjecture, and
hauling away as before, we got a second strong rope united to the vessel
and the land. Mr Sedgwick now wanted us to go back to the house, but
we could not think of leaving the shore till our friends were in safety.
He himself said that he would remain to watch, should any change take
place. It was an anxious time, for instead of decreasing, the wind was
blowing even harder than before. It seemed a wonder that the _Dugong_
could stand so much battering. Still, we could dimly see her through
the gloom, her masts yet standing, though heeling over towards the land.
Every now and then a huge sea swept over the larger portion of the
wreck; and numerous pieces of plank thrown on the rocks showed us that
already her bulwarks at all events were giving way.
"I suspect that Dick Tarbox and the others will not desert Mr Hooker;
and they are afraid of his suffering should he attempt to come ashore,"
I observed to Roger Trew.
"That is it, Master Walter," he answered. "Depend on it they will not
leave him till they are washed out of the ship. I should like to go on
board and see how they are getting on."