The _Horolusa_ had left Norfolk with the sun shining, but after she had
steamed a day on her way to Boston the weather changed, the sun becoming
obscured by heavy clouds and the air growing sultry and heavy. The
passengers took little note of this, except in a casual way, but the
ships' officers wore a somewhat worried look as they went about their
duties, for the barometer had been falling steadily all the morning and
had now reached a low point that forecasted trouble, and that in the
near future. The sea was calm, with a long, oily heave that soon sent a
number of the passengers to the seclusion of their staterooms.
Dr. Dale and his party were fairly good sailors, however, and they
stayed in a corner of the deck that they had preempted, and discussed
the various happenings during the trip. Everybody had had an enjoyable
time, and they could look back and think of a dozen pleasant incidents
that had made the tour one to be remembered in after years.
"I think it was nothing short of an inspiration that led you to propose
this trip, Doctor Dale," said Mrs. Layton. "I anticipated a good time,
but I never imagined that it could be half so enjoyable as it has turned
out to be."
"It has indeed been a memorable one," agreed the doctor. "In fact, it
has been so very successful that I think we should take others from time
to time. The change is good for all of us, too. Mrs. Dale claims to feel
infinitely better than when we started, and I am sure we can all say the
same thing."
"Yes, indeed," agreed Mrs. Plummer. "I hope the weather will continue as
perfect as it has been so far, although it doesn't look very promising
just at present."
"It has clouded over rather rapidly," said the doctor, surveying the
gloomy sky. "But I hardly imagine it will amount to anything. It is very
unlikely that we shall have a storm at this time of year, you know."
Even as he spoke a sharp puff of wind blew across the decks, whistled in
the rigging, and died away. A few minutes later another gust came, this
time a little stronger, and before they fairly realized it, a brisk
breeze was blowing. Meanwhile, the cloudiness had deepened, and the sea
was beginning to rise. Under the lowering sky the ocean turned a dull
gray color, flecked by little white caps as the breeze continually
freshened.
By the time the dinner gong sounded, the little party was glad to go
below decks out of the wind, which had a raw edge to it. The boat was
now rolling and pitching considerably, and there was a comparatively
scanty gathering around the long tables. Conversation was rather
limited, and immediately after dinner the ladies of the party retired to
their staterooms.
Dr. Dale and Mr. Layton went up on deck again, and they were astonished
at the change which had taken place even in the short time they had been
below.
The wind had risen to a gale, and was driving before it big rolling seas
crested with foam. The vessel plowed into these, at times plunging her
bows completely under and sending a flood of green water back over her
decks as she rose and shook herself free of the weight of water. Life
lines had been rigged about the decks, and without these it would have
been almost impossible to get about at all. The doctor and Mr. Layton
and a few other men sought the lee of a deck house, where they gazed out
over the wild waste of waters with astonishment not unmixed with alarm.
Still, they knew that their ship was a staunch one and that they had
little to fear unless some unforeseen accident took place.
All that afternoon the ship wallowed and plunged through the angry seas,
her speed reduced until she had only enough to keep her head into the
wind. At times the stern would rise high in the air, until the propeller
was lifted clear of the water, whereupon the engines would race madly
for a few seconds before the stern went down and the propeller bit into
the water once more. Everything moveable about the decks had been lashed
down, or it would have been over the side long ago.
Darkness came early over the tossing waste of waters, and the men
retired to the snug smoking room, where they discussed the storm in a
desultory manner.
Those who felt so inclined had just risen to go to the dining room for
supper when they were thrown back into their chairs by a shock that
caused the vessel to shiver from stem to stern. It seemed to hesitate
and stand still for a moment, and then started on again as though
nothing had happened. Excited voices and footsteps were heard all over
the ship, and those in the smoking room gazed at one another in
consternation.
A few minutes later the engines stopped, and as her steerage-way
slackened the great vessel fell into the trough of the waves, where she
rolled and wallowed in a helpless manner.
"We'd better go and look after the ladies," said Dr. Dale. "I'm afraid
something serious has happened."
Dr. Dale and Mr. Layton made their way with all possible speed to the
staterooms occupied by the ladies, whom they found grouped together in
the corridor anxiously awaiting their arrival.
Meanwhile events were moving quickly on the ship's bridge and in her
wireless room. The _Horolusa_ had struck a derelict, floating awash with
the surface of the sea, and a big rent had been torn in her bows. The
ship's officers realized at once the serious nature of the accident. The
pumps were set going and the wireless man was instructed to send a call
for assistance. For what seemed an age he repeated the S. O. S. call
without receiving any answer, but at last his receiver buzzed, and he
listened eagerly for the answer. But at once a puzzled look came over
his face, and he turned to his fellow wireless man.
"Whoever's answering our message gives the call of the Ocean Point
station, and yet it can't be either of the regular radio men there," he
said. "This message is being sent by an amateur, I'll swear to that."
"Sounds that way," the other agreed, after listening to the head set a
moment. "But you can tell by the strength of the signals that it can't
be just an amateur station. Possibly the regular operator is away or
sick, and some amateur has taken his place."
"Well, he says he will relay our call, anyway," said the other. "Amateur
or not, he seems to be on the job and doing the best he can for us. And
Heaven knows we need all the help we can get, because we're in a bad
way."
The _Horolusa_ was indeed in sore straits. Her bow had settled low in
the water and the big waves broke over it continually. The crew had made
several attempts to launch the lifeboats, but the vessel was rolling so
badly that they were smashed to splinters against her sides before they
could reach the water. The wind howled wildly around the superstructure
and in the rigging, and it was also raining heavily, soaking the
shivering passengers to the skin as they stood huddled about the decks.
Life preservers had been handed about and nearly everybody wore one of
these.
High up in the wireless cabin the two operators could hear the call for
help flashing out loud and clear from the powerful land station as it
was repeated over and over by the unknown sender there. Little did Bob's
father and mother suspect that their son was aware of their peril and
was trying desperately to save their lives and those of the hundreds of
other passengers on the big ship.
At last, after what seemed an interminable time to the anxious wireless
men, they heard an answering call from some ship laboring through the
black and stormy night, and a little while later they heard still
another ship promise to go to their assistance.
"Glory be!" they exclaimed, in unison. "I hope they're not far away,"
said one. "I'm afraid the old _Horolusa_ has taken her last voyage. If
the forward bulkhead gives way, she'll go down like a shot."
"They can't make much speed in a sea like this, either," said the other
anxiously. "But I see the YS station has stopped sending. I guess he
must have heard those boats promise to come to our help. And they sure
can't get here a bit too soon."
The _Horolusa_ was indeed in a desperate condition. Below decks the
engineer force was laboring mightily to brace the forward bulkhead so
that it would stand against the tremendous pressure of the water
without. The bulkhead was sagging inward, and even as the men labored
they could see flakes of paint come off the iron as it bent inward. It
took the highest kind of courage to work in the face of such peril,
because they knew if the bulkhead once gave way they would be drowned
under tons of water without any chance whatever to escape. They braced
big timbers against the frail wall that meant the only barrier between
them and instant death.
"I guess that's about all we can do, men," said the chief engineer at
length. "I'll call for a few volunteers to stay below and keep the pumps
running, and the rest of you had better get up on deck. She's likely to
go at any minute."
A few hardy souls volunteered, and the rest swarmed up the long iron
ladders, thankful to get away from the awful menace of that bulging
bulkhead. Arrived on deck, they found conditions there little better
than those they had just left below. Several of the lifeboats had been
wrecked by big seas, and the remainder had been stove in when the crew
attempted to lower them down the side.
Dr. Dale's little party kept together, and they all did the best they
could to encourage each other. The passengers had been informed that two
vessels were coming to their assistance, but even to the inexperienced
eye of a landsman it was evident that the _Horolusa_ was settling
steadily lower in the water. Big seas broke constantly over her bows and
encroached further and further up the sloping decks as the passengers
were driven steadily toward the stern. The ship's officers passed about
the decks, keeping order and doing the best they could to reassure the
passengers. The captain had ordered rockets sent off from the bridge,
and these soared aloft at intervals and cast a momentary light over the
wild and endless succession of mountainous waves that seemed like a
victorious army marching on a helpless city.
Dr. Dale offered up an earnest prayer for their safe deliverance from
this terrible peril, in which all those within hearing joined; and it
seemed indeed as though nothing short of divine interposition could save
them from a watery grave.
The clank of the pumps resounded through the ship and sounded to the
passengers like the knell of doom. The crew worked in relays, and as
fast as one shift had toiled to the verge of exhaustion another group
took their places. They worked with the energy of desperation, for they
knew that they were fighting for their own lives as well as for those of
the passengers.
In the meantime the engineers were risking their lives a dozen times
over in trying to patch up the rent in the damaged bow of the boat. Some
of them had been lowered over the side by means of ropes, and the sea
dashed over them constantly as they sought to cover the rent with heavy
canvas. If this could be done successfully it would keep out the bulk of
the water, and the pumps might be able to keep the vessel going until
the promised help arrived.
That help seemed an endless time in coming, but at length the captain's
night glasses caught sight of a point of light upon the waves. It came
nearer and nearer until it became evident that a ship was bearing down
upon them. A great rocket soared into the air in answer to those sent up
by the _Horolusa_, and in the light from it could be seen the outline of
a large steamer that changed its course and swept around until it was
parallel with the _Horolusa_ and yet at a sufficient distance to prevent
the vessels being driven into each other.
The roar of the storm prevented any call being heard from one captain to
the other, but down in the wireless room the operators were busy and a
plan of action was agreed upon. By this time the patch of sail had been
fastened over the hole in the bow of the _Horolusa_, and she had ceased
to settle in the water. With the sea shut out from the bow, the pumps
speedily cleared out the water that was already in the hold of the ship
and she was perceptibly rising in the water. If the patch held, the
vessel might still be saved, or at least kept afloat until the sea
calmed down, when permanent repairs could be made.
As the fate of the _Horolusa's_ lifeboats had proved that it was
impossible for small boats to live in such a sea, it was arranged that
the _Falcon_ as the rescuing vessel was named, would stand by until
morning or until the storm abated, and then either take the _Horolusa's_
passengers aboard or try to help the vessel itself into port.
Two hours later the lights of another vessel loomed above the horizon
and the steamer _Esperanto_ came hurrying to help. She too offered to
stand by and give every assistance in her power.
The relief of the passengers of the _Horolusa_, who for hours had been
gazing into the very eyes of death, were beyond the power of words to
express. When Dr. Dale, who had visited the wireless room, came back to
report that the S. O. S. message that had brought the two vessels to
their aid had been relayed from Ocean Point the wonder of those from
Clintonia broke out in exclamations.
"And a curious thing," the doctor added, "is that the operators feel
sure that the call was sent by amateurs. There was something about
it--something halting, uncertain--that made them sure it didn't come
from a professional. Perhaps--who knows?--it may have been Bob or Joe
whose message saved the ship!"
"If we are really saved," came with a shudder from Mrs. Layton. "If only
the storm were over!"
"And we were safe on land," added Mrs. Plummer.
She had scarcely spoken when the steamer gave a mighty heave and they
heard the rush of water over her bow.
"We're sinking! We're sinking!" came a scream from one frightened
passenger.
"Not yet," added another quickly. "But it looks mighty bad."