"A pretty sort of commander he must be, to allow civilians, even though
they may be scientific men, to interfere with the navigation of the
ship," he observed. "For my part, I should tell them to keep as sharp a
look-out as they liked upon the spars and ship, but to let me steer the
course I considered the best."
After supper we thankfully turned in--the captain politely giving his
berth to Boxall, while two of the lieutenants begged that Halliday and I
would occupy theirs. When we left the deck I observed that the wind had
completely fallen, and I could not help wishing that we had been further
off from the reef. The frigate, I should have said, had come through
the Straits of Gibraltar, from Malaga or some other port on the south of
Spain, and was bound out to Manilla in the Philippine Islands, carrying
a number of official persons, with some settlers of lower grade. But
having told the captain of the danger near him, we hoped that he would
do his best to avoid it, and so ceased to let the matter trouble us.
As may be supposed, we slept soundly, worn out as we were with our
exertions; and it was daylight next morning when we awoke. I apologised
to those whom we had kept out of their berths; but they were very civil,
and replied that they had slept on sofas, and that we evidently required
all the rest we could obtain.
On going on deck we found that the calm still continued, and the ship
lay on the glass-like surface, her sails idly hanging down against the
masts. I observed that a hand was in the chains, heaving the lead; and
on going into the mizzen-top, I made out the reef and the sand-bank
behind it,--although, had I not known it was there, I might not have
been certain what it was. Going forward, I found Ben, and asked him how
he had fared.
"Pretty well, thank you, sir; owing to the black Antonio, who looked
after me," he answered. "He is a rum sort of a chap, though; and I
shouldn't wish to have many such aboard a ship with me. He is civil
enough, to be sure, as far as I am concerned; but he is bitter as olives
against all above him: and it's my opinion he would work you, and Mr
Boxall, and Mr Halliday a mischief, if he had the power, though you
never did him any harm. I see clearly enough what he is about: he wants
to gain me over to side with him--and that's the reason he's so terribly
civil. Depend on it, Mr Blore, there'll be a mutiny aboard before
long; and when it comes there'll be murder and fighting, and we shall
fare ill among the villains. I cannot say much for the discipline of
this ship, either; she is more like a privateer than a man-of-war. It's
a wonder she has got as far as she has without meeting with some
misfortune; and I only hope that we shall touch at a port before long,
where we can get clear of her."
"What you say is not pleasant; and, from certain things I have observed,
I am afraid it is true," I answered. "If we don't touch anywhere, we
may fall in with an English vessel; and I am sure Mr Boxall will agree
with me, that we had better go on board her, even though she may be a
merchant-man. But if we meet with a man-of-war, we shall be all right."
"I hope we shall, sir," said Ben. "Antonio tells me, too, that the ship
was on fire two nights ago, through the carelessness of some of the men,
when more than half of the crew went down on their knees and cried for
help to their saints, instead of trying to put out the flames; and if he
and a few others had not set to work with buckets and wet blankets, the
ship, to a certainty, would have been burned."
"Well, Ben, keep your weather-eye open; and if anything of the kind
occurs again, we must show them what British discipline and courage can
do," I said.
Going aft, I told Boxall what I had heard; and he agreed with me that it
would be well to leave the ship as soon as we could, though we ought to
be thankful that we had reached her, instead of having to make our way
to land on our frail raft.
We had certainly no reason to complain of want of civility from the
officers of the ship; but the civilians, some of whom rejoiced in
high-sounding titles, treated us with marked contempt, as beings
altogether inferior to themselves. We agreed, however, to take no
notice of this, and made ourselves as happy as we could. Halliday,
after two or three substantial meals, recovered his spirits; and I
jokingly told him that it would be wise to keep his pockets, in future,
well stored with provisions, in case a similar accident might occur--
though I little thought at the time that he would take my advice in
earnest, and follow it.
A breeze at last sprung up, and the huge galleon began once more to
glide through the water. The officers had again politely offered us
their berths, but we positively refused to accept them,--saying that, as
our clothes were dry, we could sleep perfectly well on sofas, or on the
deck of the cabin, for that matter. The captain then begged that we
would occupy the main cabin, which was only used in the daytime.
After supper, we all three walked the deck till the great men had
retired to their berths. It was a lovely night; the sea was smooth, and
the moon shone brightly; a light air filled the sails, while the tall
ship glided calmly onward. It was indeed such a night as one might have
thought it impossible any accident could happen to a ship in. While we
were walking the deck, Boxall stepped up to the binnacle and glanced at
the compass. On returning to us, he observed--
"It seems extraordinary that, notwithstanding the warning we gave the
captain, the ship is being kept more to the eastward of south than
otherwise. I should say that south or south-south-west would be a safer
course."
"I have a great mind to tell the captain," I said. "I suspect that he
does not believe we are so close in with the coast as is really the
case. He seems a sensible man, and will, at all events, be obliged to
me."
I entered the cabin, but found that the captain had gone to bed. I then
went up to the raised poop, on which the officer of the watch was
standing, and, in as polite a way as I could, reminded him of the
dangerous reef on our larboard beam. "Or rather, I may say, on our
larboard bow," I added; "and if we stand on much longer on the course we
are now keeping, we shall strike on it to a certainty."
"If there is a reef where you say, we must have passed it long ago,"
answered the lieutenant carelessly. "My directions are to steer the
course we are now on; and I am surprised that a stranger should venture
to interfere with the navigation of the ship."
"I beg your pardon, Don Lopez," I answered. "I have given you what my
brother officers and I consider sound advice; and we, sir, should be as
sorry as you would be to see the ship cast away."
"Really, Mr Englishman, we Spaniards understand navigation as well as
you do!" exclaimed the lieutenant in an angry tone. "You seem to forget
that we discovered the New World, and had explored a large portion of
the globe before your countrymen even pretended to be a maritime people,
as you now call yourselves."
I saw that it was useless saying more, and so rejoined my companions.
Boxall was becoming more and more anxious. "We shall, to a certainty,
be on the reef before many hours are over, if the ship's course is not
altered," he said. "I suspect that the lieutenant has mistaken east for
west, and that the captain really directed him to steer
south-south-west."
I again went up to the lieutenant, and, as politely as I could, inquired
if he did not think it possible that some mistake might have been made
as to the course to be steered, and suggesting that he should alter it
to south-west. This made him very indignant, and he hinted that if I
again interfered with him he should order me under arrest. Making him a
polite bow, I returned to Boxall, and we continued our walk. The air,
after the heat of the day, was comparatively cool and pleasant, and
neither of us felt any inclination to turn in. No one interfered with
us; and we were talking eagerly about the probability of falling in with
an English man-of-war, or of making our way home on board a
merchant-man, when we suddenly felt a shock, but not of sufficient force
to throw us off our feet.
"The ship has struck!" exclaimed Boxall. "What are the fellows about?
They ought to clew up everything, and she might be got off."
In spite of the manner in which the officer of the watch had treated me,
I ran aft to him, and urged him to do as Boxall advised, "The reef, do
you say!" he exclaimed; "that was no reef, but a sunken vessel. See! we
are gliding on as smoothly as before."
Scarcely had he said this when the ship again struck, and with far
greater violence than before. The tall masts quivered, and seemed ready
to fall. The captain, and most of the officers and crew who were below,
came rushing on deck; the lead was hove, and shallow water found on
either side. The captain immediately ordered the sails to be clewed up,
and the boats to be lowered, that anchors might be carried astern, to
haul off the ship.
"If it's high-water her fate is sealed," observed Boxall; "but if low,
she might possibly be hauled off: and she has not, I hope, received much
damage."
I ran to the chains, and observed that the lead-line was up and down--
the ship was evidently not moving. By this time the civilians and other
passengers had come on deck, and great confusion prevailed. Everyone
wanted to know what had happened, and what was to be done. Several came
to me. "We must first try to heave the ship off," was my answer to all.
The capstan was manned, and the crew commenced heaving; but not an inch
did the ship move. The first anchor earned out, not holding, came home,
and had with great labour to be lifted; the second held, though the
strain on the cable was tremendous.
Boxall had carefully sounded the water alongside.
"She is moving!" he exclaimed at length. "Hurrah! work away, my fine
lads!" he could not help crying out, though the men could not understand
him. The water continued to rise, the ship moved faster and faster, and
there appeared every probability of our getting off.
While the crew were thus busily engaged, several soldiers and passengers
came rushing up the fore-hatchway shouting out, "Fire! fire! fire!"
Halliday and I, who were standing together, hurried forward, hoping that
it might be a false alarm, though I could not help recollecting what Ben
had told me the previous day. Though no flames were visible, I
discovered, even in the gloom of night, that the atmosphere was
peculiarly thick, while I could smell an odour of burning wood. More
people rushing up with the same fearful shouts, the alarm soon became
general. Halliday and I cried out to the men nearest us to get buckets
and blankets, and that we would try to discover from whence the fire
proceeded, and endeavour to put it out; but no one listened to us. Some
of the soldiers and passengers were rushing about the deck like madmen;
others were on their knees calling to the saints to assist them; while a
number of the seamen rushed below, returned with axes, and began hacking
at the shrouds and stays--as if, having made up their minds that the
ship would be lost, they intended to cut away the masts. Some of the
officers were endeavouring to recall the men to their duty, but others
seemed to have lost their senses; while the civilians were as frantic as
the rest: indeed, a panic had too evidently seized the greater part of
those on board.
Finding that we could do nothing, Halliday and I made our way aft to
look for Boxall, and to ask what he advised we should do--feeling that
it would be wise, at all events, to keep together. On our way we met
with Ben. "I find, sir, that the careless Spaniards have forgotten to
hoist our raft on board, as they intended doing, and she is still
alongside," he said. "Now, as I see that these fellows are not likely
to help themselves, it's our business, I have a notion, to look after
number one; so I will just slip down on the raft and try what I can do
to improve it, if you will send me over all the planks and spars you can
lay hands on."
Fortunately, just then Boxall found us out, and approved of Ben's
proposal. The officers, in the meantime, were lowering the boats which
remained on board, the larger ones being already in the water. We
offered to assist some of them who were trying to lower the starboard
quarter boat; but even those who had before been civil to us now rudely
pushed us aside; and we felt sure that, even should they succeed in
launching her, they would refuse to take us on board.
Ben having got on the raft, had hauled it under the main chains. There
was no lack of spars--the deck was piled up with a number, not only for
the use of the ship, but for other vessels on the station; and there was
also the framework and rigging complete of a small vessel. We quickly
took from these spars and ropes sufficient to enable Ben to complete the
raft--and had just sent him down the ship's fore-royal and its yard,
with a couple of oars which we found on the booms, when a number of the
crew discovered what we were about, and made a rush to get on the raft.
We shouted to Ben to shove off,--telling him to come back for us, or we
would swim to him. Before he was clear of the vessel's side, however, a
Spanish seaman sprang on the raft; and having, as he thought, secured
his own safety, he showed no inclination, notwithstanding the shouts of
his countrymen, of returning to the ship.
The example we had set was immediately followed by such of the crew as
had retained their senses--the boatswain and two or three more of the
inferior officers taking the lead.
All this time no attempt had been made to put out the fire, which, from
the slow progress it made, might, I felt sure, have easily been done.
But the people now showed more energy in forming the proposed raft than
they had hitherto done. It seemed surprising that the undisciplined
crew did not take possession of the boats; but they were somewhat kept
in awe by a party of marines or soldiers drawn up on the quarter-deck;
and they had, besides, been assured by their officers that they should
be taken on board when all was ready. The boats, which had in the
meantime kept off from the ship, under the command of the lieutenants
and other officers, were called up one by one. The barge being first
summoned, the governor and his family, with several other civilians,
ladies and children, embarked in her, with some provisions, and a few
casks of water; more order and regularity being displayed on this
occasion than on any other. The barge immediately shoved off; and then
most of the civilians and naval officers hurriedly embarked in the other
boats. I asked the captain if he would take us into his boat; but he
replied, with a shrug of his shoulders, that it was impossible, as the
Spaniards would not allow foreigners to embark while their countrymen
remained on board. On hearing this, Boxall proposed to the boatswain
that we should assist in building the large raft; and, as a considerable
number of seamen on whom he could depend had already embarked in the
boats, he thankfully accepted our offer.
Before letting ourselves over the stern, where the raft was being
formed, I looked out for Ben. At length I observed him, some way off,
with his companion, apparently busied in finishing the small raft.
Boxall agreed with me that we should be better off with him than on the
larger raft, so we hoped that as soon as he could he would come back to
the ship. In the meantime we set to work energetically to assist the
boatswain; while two or three of the officers remained on board, and,
with the few men to help them whom they could get to work, continued
heaving over all the planks and spars they could find, together with
some empty water-casks and hen-coops, through the ports. We had already
formed a good-sized raft, when an officer, who had hitherto been
labouring on deck, slipped down and joined us, together with a number of
people who were afraid of being abandoned should they not secure a place
upon it.
Among the last articles sent down to us had been a top-gallant-sail,
which Boxall, Halliday, and I at once got ready for hoisting on a long
spar set up as a mast in the fore-part of the raft, that we might,
should it be necessary, get clear of the ship; for although we were
anxious to save as many people as possible, we knew that all would be
lost should too many get upon it.
I had gone to the after-part of the raft, to suggest to the boatswain
that we should fix a rudder, when I caught sight of the captain's boat
pulling away from the ship, leaving a number of the marines on the
quarter-deck. They were shouting to the captain, asking him to come
back for them. His reply was, "I will directly; but I go to call the
other boats to take you on board." This reply evidently did not satisfy
the soldiers. Several of them shouted out, "We will fire, if you do not
return immediately;" but no notice was taken of this threat, and the
crew of the boat gave way with redoubled energy. I was expecting, the
next instant, to hear the rattle of musketry, when a fearful report,
like the sound of a hundred guns going off at once, rang in my ears; the
deck of the ship appeared to lift, her masts and spars trembled, and
bright flames burst forth from every side. It seemed impossible that
any of those remaining on deck could have survived.