"God be merciful to him, and take him unto His rest! We've lost a good
captain, gentlemen, and I a very faithful old friend."
Another deafening roar came from ahead. Away to the east it appeared to
be one minute--to the west, south, north, the next, for the needle of
the compass was all on the quiver, and appeared as if it followed a
wandering magnetic attraction in the air.
Silence again, all but the hissing and splashing of the troubled sea,
and the creaking of the beams as the brig rolled slowly from side to
side.
The crew were all grouped together close by the mate, who had succeeded
to the command of the little vessel, and as he stood there gazing over
the side, thoughtfully, the three young men glanced at each other, and
then at the man who had their lives in charge.
At last the mate turned, and the light of one of the lanterns shone full
upon his haggard countenance.
"There's no doubt about it, gentlemen," he said, "we're near some
volcano in a terrible state of eruption, and there is nothing to be done
but wait. I am perfectly helpless till we get light and a breath of
air. Ah, here's a change. There's no doubt now. I was wrong; we have
got something to do."
For as he spoke the thick darkness suddenly became blacker; inasmuch as
before it was all overhead, now it appeared to have gradually settled
down upon the sea and obscured the light of the lanterns. For plainly
enough there was the convincing proof of their being in the
neighbourhood of some volcanic disturbance in the mighty band which runs
through the Eastern Archipelago. The air became suddenly full of a
thick, fine ash falling softly upon the deck, and to such an extent that
the gangways were thrown open and the crew were set to work to sweep the
powder off into the sea.
Here too, a strange effect was produced, for the ship gradually began to
roll less violently, the soft fine ash which fell being sufficiently
buoyant to float, and it became so thick that the rough waters were
quieted, and the surface was rapidly covered with a thick coating of
floating ash.
At first this dust settled softly down upon the deck, then it came down
more thickly, lodging on the yards and sails, every rope and stay, too,
taking its load till it was filled up so that it could bear no more, end
consequently every now and then avalanches of ash were started from on
high and came down with a soft rush and a heavy thud upon the deck.
This rapidly accumulated, and the men had to work harder and harder
shovelling it to the gangways where others threw it overboard, where it
fell silently and without a splash.
"Work away, everyone," cried the mate. "It will soon be all down, and
then we shall get light."
But the fearsome detonations continued, and it was evident that at every
discharge fresh clouds of the volcanic dust were formed, and the
darkness remained as profound as ever.
"This can't go on," said Oliver Lane, in a husky whisper to his nearest
companion as they both paused breathless, dropping with perspiration,
choked, and blinded by the volcanic dust.
"I hope not," was the reply. "It seems to fall more quickly than we
shovel it off."
"What's that?" cried Lane excitedly, and a low murmur full of horror and
despair, arose from the ship as men threw down shovel and broom and made
for the boats, for following close upon another of the awful explosions
there was a sudden rushing noise, evidently in the opposite direction,
and the vessel quivered from stem to stern as if it had suddenly, and
without warning, struck upon a rock.
So startling was the concussion that the immediate conclusion was that
she was going down, and it was not until a couple of similar concussions
had been suffered that it was realised that the blows were shocks
communicated through the water, which was once more in a fearful state
of disturbance.
"We're in for it now, gentlemen," said the mate, in awe-stricken tones.
"Look out!" he roared, directly after.
"Hold on everyone, rope and stays."
His words were hardly heard, for there was once more a deafening roar
apparently somewhere ahead, and almost simultaneously a heavy sea struck
them astern, making the vessel heel over as the wave swept the deck, and
as she recovered herself another and another deluged her, and for the
moment it seemed as if she must sink.
But the buoyant vessel rose again as the falling ashes were succeeded by
cinders which came rattling and crashing down, literally bombarding the
deck, while to add to the horror the black darkness began to give place
to a blood-red lurid glare. Toward this they were now being drawn,
slowly at first, then faster and faster: as, after the three waves that
had struck the vessel, another came towering on astern, threatening to
engulf them, but plunging beneath the stern, lifting and bearing them
along upon its tremendous crest with a rush and deafening hissing roar.
Faster and faster, and on and toward the deep glow now right ahead.
Oliver Lane was clinging to the fore shrouds and awake to the fact that
his two friends, Panton and Drew, were at his side, for their faces
loomed out of the black darkness, lit up by the blood-red glow from
which now came a perceptible sense of heat. The next moment they were
joined by the mate, who yelled to them, his voice plainly heard over the
hiss and roar,--
"Earthquake wave! It's all over now."
He said no more, and they all clung there, with the vessel still
balanced accurately upon the huge crest and borne on at almost express
speed.
In his agony of despair and horror Lane now glanced to right and left to
see by the blood-red glow the rolling hill of water upon which he rode
spreading out to right and left, while from the clouds above it was as
if the whole of the firmament were casting down its stars in one great
shower of light as the fiery stones came rushing, hissing into the sea
and many of them crashing upon the doomed ship.
Death was upon them in its most awful form, and as the young man was
conscious of two hands gripping his arms, a voice close to his ear
shouted,--
"The end of all things, my lad; we can never live through this!"