The breeze, though it continued light and rather baffling at times,
still held when the sun rose next morning; and on looking astern, I
found that the homeward-bound ships had all disappeared; and of the
outward-bound craft, our light heels had enabled us to get so far ahead
that the topsails of the nearest were already dipping. Of course, light
winds and smooth water made exactly our kind of weather; and the
enormous spread of our lighter sails caused the little craft to slip
through the water in quite an extraordinary manner, whenever we could
show them. There was just enough wind to barely ruffle the surface of
the gently-swelling ocean, yet our patent log told us we were going
rather over six knots, mainly through the persuasive influence of our
spinnaker and gigantic balloon-topsail.
At noon our observations showed that we were nearly a degree south of
the line; and I began to be sanguine that the breeze we now had would
run us into the trades. In this, however, I was disappointed; for about
sundown the wind fell so light that we barely had steerage-way. All
night long it continued the same, and the greater part of next day; and
for about sixteen hours I considered that we did not advance more than a
knot per hour.
Towards the close of that afternoon, however, when I came on deck to
take the first dog-watch, Bob directed my attention to the appearance of
the sky in the south-eastern quarter, announcing it as his opinion that
there was a look of the trades about it. And so it proved, for the
breeze gradually freshened, and drew more round from the eastward, and
by eight bells we were doing our nine knots, with a nice fresh breeze.
This was doubtless the first of the south-east trade-winds; for by
midnight it had so far freshened that, for the sake of our spars, it
became necessary to take in our spinnaker and balloon-topsail, and to
substitute for them the working jib and our jib-headed topsail. Even
this would have been deemed perilous sail for so tiny a craft by most
persons; but we were by this time thoroughly acquainted with the _Lily_,
and knew that she would carry with ease all the canvas that her spars
would bear.
Nothing particular occurred for the next two days. The wind held, and
continued to blow with a force which was, for us, a good, staggering
breeze, but without much sea; and we kept flying to the southward at a
pace which left even my impatience no reason for complaint.
On the second day after getting the breeze, we passed the Brazilian
mail-boat near enough to show our number in the yacht-list, and to ask
him, by signal, to report us "all well."
The next morning it was my watch on deck until noon. Bob had cleared
away the breakfast, carefully washing up everything, and stowing it
away, and had been in his hammock about an hour.
I was enjoying the fresh beauty of the morning and the exultant feeling
excited by our rapid motion, and picturing to my imagination the delight
with which my father would welcome the appearance of our snowy canvas--
when we should heave in sight--when my visions were dispersed by a loud,
cracking sound like the report of a rifle, from some distance away on
our weatherbow. I looked in that direction, and caught a momentary
glimpse of some distant object whirling in the air, and immediately
afterwards the sound was repeated.
I stood up to get a better view over the low ridges of the sea, and at
the same instant caught sight of what looked like a jet of steam rising
out of the ocean.
"There she blows!" exclaimed I, involuntarily, aloud.
Again up whirled the object I had before observed; again it descended,
and again came the rifle-like report I knew in an instant now what it
was. An unfortunate whale had fallen in with his inveterate enemy, a
"thresher," and had been forthwith attacked. I could plainly
distinguish the huge creature plunging along at a great rate, and at an
angle of about forty-five degrees with our course; so that he was
standing in such a direction as would take him across our bows.
From the persistent manner in which he remained at the surface, I came
to the conclusion that he had a second enemy to contend with in the
shape of a sword-fish. Indeed, the way in which he began to plunge
about soon put the matter almost beyond a doubt I was turning over in my
mind whether I should call Bob to see this sight, when the whale, with a
mighty effort, flung his huge bulk completely out of the water, to a
height of, I should say, fifteen or twenty feet; and, sure enough,
hanging to him was a large sword-fish, with his beak driven deep into
the muscles about the root of the persecuted animal's tail.
I shouted to Bob to come on deck at once, for we had neared each other
so much by this time, that I had an excellent view of the combat. And,
moreover, it struck me that a slight deviation in the course of the
combatants might bring them within extremely unpleasant proximity to the
little _Lily_, and I thought it might be prudent to have Bob on deck.
He was up in an instant, not waiting to perform the almost superfluous
ceremony of dressing, and there we both stood, so intensely absorbed in
the interest of the exciting spectacle that the little craft was almost
left to take care of herself.
The whale had got very nearly straight ahead of us by this time, and not
more than half a mile distant.
Bob went forward, and stood leaning against the mast, to get a somewhat
better view. Suddenly, the chase bore sharply up, and dashed away at
tremendous speed in exactly the opposite direction to that which he had
been pursuing before. Almost at the same instant Bob shrieked, in a
shrill unnatural tone of voice:
"Luff! Harry--luff! round with her for the Lord's sake! Oh, my God!"
Down went the helm, and up flew the little _Lily_ into the wind, and I
was just stooping to let go the head-sheets (which led aft), when I
caught a glimpse of Bob's face, white and drawn with horror, and his
eyes--almost starting out of his head--staring fixedly at something
apparently broad on our starboard-bow.
I looked, naturally, in the same direction myself, and never to my dying
day shall I forget the frightful, appalling object which met my gaze.
At a distance of not more than three cables' lengths from us, rushing
through the water at a speed equal to that of a railway train, and
lashing the water into foam with the rapid movement of his huge
convolutions, a monstrous serpent appeared, darting towards the wretched
persecuted whale.
His vast head and fully twenty feet of his body towered nearly erect
above the water, and I believe I am not exaggerating, nay, that I am
_within_ the mark, when I say that the remaining portion of his body, to
the tail, was at _least six_ times that length.
His head was shaped much like that of a python, and his enormous jaws,
which he frequently opened, disclosed a formidable array of strong sharp
fangs. His body was of a deep dead brown, broadly marked with irregular
stripes and rings of pale stone-colour; and he emitted a strong musky
odour, which, even at our distance from him, was almost overpowering.
Once, when he was closest to us, he turned his head in our direction,
and for one dread moment he paused, seeming to gather his folds together
as though about to dart upon us, and the bitterness of a frightful death
thrilled through me.
The next instant he sped on once more at still greater speed, and before
another minute passed the whale was overtaken.
The ocean was, for a single instant, lashed into the semblance of a
boiling caldron; we saw a rapid whirling movement of the creature's
enormous coils, and then followed the deep bellowing cries of the
tortured whale, and the crunching sound of its crushing bones.
During the minute or two which had passed since our helm was put down,
the _Lily_ had been lying to on the starboard tack; our head-sheets
still remaining fast on the starboard side.
The seizure of the whale awoke me, as from a horrible nightmare, to the
fearful peril to which we still remained exposed; and I jammed the helm
hard up, and wore the craft sharp round on her heel until dead before
the wind, when I eased off the main-sheet, and we hurried as fast as the
wind would take us away from the spot.
As soon as we had got the _Water Lily_ round, and were fairly running
away from our dangerous neighbour, we both, with one accord, turned a
look astern, to ascertain the condition of things in that quarter.
The serpent and the whale had both disappeared. Doubtless the former
had sunk with his prey to those profound depths which form his usual
habitat, there to enjoy his meal undisturbed.
"Well," at last exclaimed Bob, "I've been knocking about at sea now nigh
on thirty year, and many's the strange sight these good-looking eyes of
mine have looked upon in that time; but this here sarpent beats all.
_I_ never seed the likes of the thing afore, and I don't care if I never
sees it ag'in. I've heern tell of such things bein' fallen in with,
sartaintly; but I never could meet with a man as had act'ally seed the
beast with his own eyes; and I put it all down as a yarn for the
marines. But seein' is believin'; and we've had a good look at him, and
no mistake. I'm quite satisfied; I don't want to see no more to make me
a believer in sich things."
"No," replied I; "it was impossible to make any mistake, with such a
view as we obtained of the creature; and I shall henceforward be far
more ready than I have hitherto been to give credit to the accounts
which are occasionally published of such appearances. I do not at all
expect that _we_ shall be believed when we make known our adventure, any
more than others have been; but that will not alter the facts of the
case. The almost universal scepticism with which announcements of such
creatures' appearances are treated is, after all, not very difficult to
account for. They doubtless inhabit only the extreme depths of the
ocean, and are probably endowed with the means of sustaining life whilst
sunk for long periods--if not for an indefinite time--at those depths;
it is easy, therefore (supposing such to be the case) to understand that
it may be quite opposed to the creature's habits to appear at the
surface _at all_; and that, when it does so, it will be--as, indeed, we
have every reason to suppose--at very lengthened intervals; and then,
probably, only in consequence of some unusually disturbing influence.
The opportunities of seeing the reptile must necessarily, under such
circumstances, be extremely few; and it is quite possible, or rather I
should say, very likely, that many of its visits to the upper world have
been entirely unwitnessed. In the present instance, for example, no
eyes but ours were witnesses of the scene which so lately took place;
and had we been but a dozen miles from the spot, it would have passed
unnoticed even by us. And my observation of mankind, Bob, has led me to
the conclusion that the race are extremely sceptical as to the existence
of everything but what is _well_ known."
"Very true, Harry, my lad," returned Bob; "you reels it all off just
like a book, and therein you shows the advantages of larning. I knows
by my own feelin's how difficult 'tis to believe a thing a man don't
understand. But it seems to me, `to return to the practical'--as I've
heard the poor old skipper say--that we might as well haul up on our
course ag'in now; and I'll go and look after the dinner; for I shall be
afraid to go to sleep ag'in for the next fortnight; that blamed old
sarpent 'll ha'nt me like a nightmare now, if I so much as shut my eyes
for five minutes."
The sheets were flattened in, and the little craft's jaunty bowsprit
once more pointed southward; whilst Bob dived below, and in a few
minutes more a thin wreath of smoke issuing from the galley-funnel
betrayed his whereabouts and his occupation.
Suddenly he reappeared at the companion, and with a serious countenance
remarked:
"I say, Harry, lad, I s'pose there's no chance of that devil,"--with a
jerk of the thumb in the direction of our weather-quarter--"getting a
sniff of our dinner, and making sail in chase, is there?"
I assured him that, in my belief, there was a strong probability that
the serpent was, at that moment, perhaps _miles_ deep in the ocean,
banqueting royally on the dead whale; and, seeing the reasonableness of
this supposition, he retired, satisfied.
Nothing further occurred that day to disturb us. We continued to bowl
away to the southward; and as we kept our canvas a good rap full, the
little barkie tripped along a good honest nine knots every hour. The
weather was as fine as we could possibly wish, with every appearance of
being thoroughly settled; and there seemed to be a good promise of our
making an exceptionally rapid passage.
It was my eight hours out that night; and when Bob relieved me at
midnight the sky was as clear as a bell; and, though there was no moon,
the stars were shining brilliantly, and with that mellow lustre so
peculiar to the tropics.
Bob declared he was glad to be on deck again, for he had been tormented,
all his watch below, by "that villainous sarpent;" visions of which so
disturbed his restless slumbers that it was a real comfort to have the
craft to look after, and something to occupy his mind.
I anticipated no such disturbing influence myself; for though I candidly
confess I was awfully frightened at the moment, the effect had passed
away almost with the disappearance of the monster; and the cool
freshness of the night breeze had induced a feeling of drowsiness,
particularly welcome to a man about to retire to his hammock.
In less than five minutes I was fast asleep. When I awoke, which I did
without being called, I was surprised to find the sun streaming down
through the skylight; and still more so when I observed that we seemed
to have gone about during the night. The _Water Lily_ was now certainly
on the starboard tack; whereas, when I turned in, we were on the port
tack.
"It _can't_ be a change of wind, here in the heart of the trades,"
thought I. "What can Bob be about? and why has he allowed me to overrun
my watch? Surely the old fellow was not _afraid_ to come below and turn
in? Hallo! Bob ahoy! what's wrong on deck?" shouted I, springing out
of my hammock.
Just as I did so, I heard the mainsail fluttering, as though the boat
had luffed into the wind; and at the same moment I caught sight, through
the companion-way, of the vacant tiller swinging about.
"Gone forward to shift the jib," thought I; and I jumped on deck to lend
a hand.
_Bob was nowhere to be seen_.
"Good heavens!" exclaimed I, "what dreadful thing has happened?"
I thought of the sea-serpent for one moment, but dismissed the idea the
next, as being both too horrible and too unlikely.
The creature could hardly have approached without giving Bob the alarm,
which I knew he would have instantly communicated to me.
At that moment my eyes fell upon the main-boom, and I missed the life-
buoy which we kept suspended from it in readiness for any sudden
emergency. Bob then had gone overboard, taking the life-buoy with him,
and that too upon an impulse so sudden that there had been no time or
opportunity to arouse me.
The _Lily_ was indeed hove-to, as I had observed when I first awoke; but
it was with _both_ jib and fore-sheet to windward. The probability was
then that, on Bob quitting the helm, she had flown up into the wind
until her head sails were taken aback, when she would, of course, or
_most probably_, pay off on the opposite tack, and remain hove-to. This
must necessarily have happened _at least_ four hours ago (it was now
eight o'clock), because, had Bob been on deck at eight bells, he would,
of course, have called me. And during all this time the boat had been
sailing away from him, not very rapidly it is true, being hove-to, but
probably at a rate of at least three knots an hour. What might not have
happened to the poor fellow in that time? He was a splendid swimmer, I
knew, having acquired the art on our last voyage, and well able to take
care of himself in the water; and there was very little sea on.
Besides, I felt pretty certain he had the life-buoy; and, with its
assistance, I knew he could keep himself afloat in such weather until
worn out with exhaustion from want of food. But there were other perils
than that of drowning; and, if attacked by a shark, what chance had he?
These thoughts flashed through my mind whilst busily employed in taking
the necessary steps to return in search of him, for I had no idea of
continuing the voyage without making such a search; indeed, it would
have been impossible. And my chances of success were not so meagre as
might at first sight be supposed.
In the first place, knowing how difficult it would be to see such an
object as a life-buoy, even with a man in it, at any great distance,
from so low an elevation as our deck, I had taken the precaution to have
each buoy fitted with a contrivance for hoisting a signal.
This consisted of a small bundle of jointed rods, which could be put
together like a fishing-rod, and on the topmost of these was a white
flag two feet square. On the buoy itself was firmly lashed a step
similar to the "bucket" (I believe it is called) in which a carriage-
whip is placed when not in use by the driver. The rods, taken to
pieces, were securely lashed in a compact bundle to the buoy, and the
bucket was a fixture. Thus, if Bob had the life-buoy, he also had the
means of indicating his whereabouts, and that, too, at a considerable
distance. And I knew pretty nearly in what direction I ought to steer,
in order to take the most effectual means of finding him.
Whilst hove-to, the _Lily's_ course or drift was, on the whole, as
nearly as possible at right angles to the direction of the wind. It
only remained then to turn her round and keep the wind directly abeam,
and I should be going back pretty nearly over the same ground I had been
traversing since Bob went overboard.
Accordingly, I lost no time in getting the _Lily_ round, when I once
more hove her to, and went aloft to the cross-trees with my glass to see
if the white flag were visible.
A long and anxious scrutiny followed, but without any discovery. I did
not feel any very great disappointment at this, for I thought it very
probable I was too far away to discover so small an object, even with
the aid of my glass.
Once satisfied that it was nowhere to be seen, I quickly descended to
the deck, trimmed the sheets flowing, and away the little craft bounded
over the bright flashing sea.
I stood on for an hour exactly, when I once more hauled the fore-sheet
to windward, and went aloft with my glass again.
My first look was ahead, first with the naked eye, and then with the
glass; but not a speck could I discern to break the monotony of the
blue-grey of the sea, except an occasional curling foam-crest. I next
carefully swept the ocean from forward round to windward, thinking I
might have run too far off the wind.
Once or twice I thought I detected a flickering of something white, but
it instantly disappeared again; and I was obliged to believe it was only
the foam of a breaking wave. I was about to descend once more to the
deck, when it occurred to me to take a glance to leeward. I once more
levelled my glass, and swept it over the surface of the sea; but again I
could see nothing. I reluctantly closed it, slung it over my shoulder,
and swung myself off the cross-trees to go down by the mast-hoops, when
my eye was arrested for a moment by what I _knew_ at once to be the
flag.
Almost as I caught sight of it, I lost it again; and as the craft was
constantly falling off or coming up again into the wind, I hardly knew
exactly in what point to look for it. However, I regained my position
upon the cross-trees, levelling my glass, rather inconveniently, on the
fore side of the topmast, to clear the topsail, and presently I caught
it again.
Yes, there it was, sure enough, about three miles dead to leeward; and
what was more, I could not only see the flag, but also the buoy, and Bob
in it. He seemed to be waving his arms about in a most frantic manner,
and making a tremendous splashing, doubtless, I thought, with the view
of making his position more apparent, as, of course, he could see the
cutter, and knew I must be looking for him.
I slipped down on deck, quick as lightning, triced up the main tack just
high enough to enable me to see under the foot of the sail, and squared
dead away before the wind.
Ten minutes afterwards I caught a glimpse of the flag right ahead, as
the boat rose on a sea; and then I edged away, taking room to run up
alongside him on the port tack with my head-sheets to windward. I could
now see Bob away on the port bow, every time the _Lily_ rose on the top
of a wave, and he was still, to my great surprise, splashing away
furiously; and now I caught the sound of his voice, shouting.
"Surely," thought I, "the poor fellow has not become insane through the
dreadful strain to which his nerves have been subjected!"
A minute later the cause of his strange behaviour became apparent.
A dark object of triangular shape appeared, moving in narrow circles
round the spot where poor Bob was floating, disappearing at frequent
intervals, and then the splashing became more frantically vigorous than
ever. It was a shark that was thus blockading Bob, and the splashing
was resorted to, to frighten the creature from attacking him.
I carefully measured my distance, and exactly at the right moment jammed
my helm hard down, hauling in the main-sheet as I did so.
The _Lily_ shot into the wind, just clearing the buoy by a hair's-
breadth. I sprang to the rigging, stooped down, and seized Bob's
extended hand with mine as he came alongside, and then, exerting all the
strength I could command, I fairly jerked him out of the water upon
deck, just as the shark had apparently made up his mind to be no longer
denied.
With such impetuosity did he make his rush, that his snout rose a good
two feet fairly above our gunwale; and had not the impetus with which I
jerked Bob out of the water been sufficient to fetch him clear inboard,
the shark would have had him after all. As it was, we got a _glance_
into his open jaws, and at his six rows of teeth, the remembrance of
which makes me shudder to this day.
As the shark disappeared with a savage whisk of the tail, poor Bob
turned to me; his lips quivered convulsively for a moment in an effort
to speak, and then he fell to the deck in a dead faint.
Two or three buckets of water dashed in his face, and a glass of neat
brandy, however, soon restored him, and it was almost pitiful to listen
to the poor fellow's heartfelt and reiterated expressions of gratitude
for his rescue.
"Ever since about half an hour after sunrise was that incarnate devil
alongside of me," exclaimed he; "and hadn't it been for my seeing the
cutter's sails, and knowin' as you was on the look-out for me, I _must_
have give in. Human natur' couldn't hold out ag'in' that sort of thing
for long. And now, I feel that weak and done up, that a child might
pitch me overboard ag'in, if he was so minded, I do believe."
The life-buoy came aboard again with Bob; so I unshipped the signal-
staff and took it to pieces, made it up in a bundle once more, stopped
it to the buoy, and slung the buoy itself in its old position on the
boom.
The cutter was still hove-to, and I allowed her to remain so, whilst I
went forward to see to the breakfast, Bob meanwhile changing his wet
clothes for dry ones, and hanging the former in the rigging to dry.
I was still busy over the cookery, when Bob came into the forecastle,
and observed:
"I say, Harry, there's that spiteful devil still alongside, and with a
most onchristian longing to make a breakfast off of your old shipmate,
I'll go bail! Couldn't we contrive somehow to put a stopper on his
tormentin' purpensities?"
"Ay, ay, Bob, old man!" replied I; "I think we may manage to do that
without much difficulty. You get one of the air-guns out of the
beckets, whilst I look after this coffee--it's just on the boil--and
we'll try the virtues of cold lead upon his constitution, and the powers
of the gun at the same time."
As soon as I could leave the coffee, I got a piece of pork out of our
small harness cask, and lashed it to a piece of line, whilst Bob, under
my directions, charged the gun. This done, the pork was hung just
outside the taffrail, and full in the shark's view, but not in the
water; and I lay down on deck with the gun ready for my gentleman,
should he make a rush.
This, however, he seemed indisposed to do; eyeing the bait longingly,
but keeping at a respectful distance. Gradually this distance
shortened, however, and he finally ventured close under the boat's
stern, and within about three feet of the pork.
I kept the gun levelled at him, aiming at his eye; and now, having him
so close, and so directly under me, I thought there was little fear of
the bullet being diverted from its proper direction by the water, so I
fired.
The lead sped true; the blood spirted from the creature's eye, and with
a tremendous spring he threw himself backward, only to roll over on his
back with a convulsive writhe or two ere he floated motionless and dead.
"So much for bullyin' honest seamen when they has the misfortin' to walk
overboard," observed Bob, eyeing the carcase with much complacency. "I
shall feel more comfortable like, now I knows as _your_ cruise is over
for good and all."
"Walk overboard, Bob!" exclaimed I. "You surely do not mean to say you
_walked_ overboard?"
"'Twas little else, my lad. But I'll tell ye all about it whilst we're
getting our breakfast stowed under hatches; for I'll be bound you're
longing to hear the rights of the story."
"That indeed I am, old fellow; so come along below, and let us get the
yarn and our breakfasts at once; I am longing for both."
Having taken a look all round, to see that nothing was in sight, we went
below and seated ourselves at the cabin-table, and Bob forthwith
proceeded with his story.