Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
In Search of El Dorado, by Harry Collingwood.
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Rather strangely the book starts off with an incident very closely
resembling the loss of the "Titanic", which had occurred a few years
before the publication of this book. This episode, the sinking due to
collision with ice of the "Everest", is well told, and must indeed give
a good picture of what had happened with the "Titanic".
As a result of this our two heroes find themselves on an ice floe, from
which they are rescued, and become great friends. They decide to go
together to South America, to see what adventures befall them. Several
interesting episodes are described, but eventually they find themselves
outside what appears to be a city of gold, but down in a former crater
with no apparent means of access. Eventually they do find the way down,
and to their surprise, Earle, the American, who was wearing an amulet he
had found earlier in the trip, was treated with great reverence as a
God. All this is exceptionally well-told, and you will certainly enjoy
the book.
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IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO, BY HARRY COLLINGWOOD.
CHAPTER ONE.
ICE!
The _Everest_, newly launched, the biggest and fastest boat in the
Trans-Atlantic services, was on her maiden voyage to New York. The
fortunes of that voyage concern our story simply from the fact that it
brought our two adventurers together and helped to show the manly stuff
of which they were made. Thereafter the sea was not for them, but the
far-off swamps and forests of the mighty Amazon Valley, where most
amazing adventures befel them. On the _Everest_ Dick Cavendish was
fifth officer.
The run from Liverpool to Queenstown was made under easy steam in order
that the ship might arrive off the Irish port at a reasonable hour in
the morning; but no sooner were the Irish passengers and the
supplementary mails shipped than the word went quietly round among the
officers that the "Old Man" was bent upon breaking the best previous
record for the run across the herring pond and setting up a new one
unassailable by any other craft than the _Everest_ herself. And
certainly when, as the liner passed Daunt Rock lightship shortly after
nine o'clock on the Sunday morning following her departure from
Liverpool, and the moment was carefully noted by chronometer, the omens
were all most favourable for the weather was fine, though cold, with a
light northerly wind and smooth water, and with her turbines running at
top speed the chief engineer reported that the hands in the stokeholds
were keeping a full head of steam without difficulty. At noon the
patent log showed that the _Everest_ was within a fraction of eighty
miles from the lightship; and Captain Prowse already began to picture
himself as holding the blue ribbon of the Atlantic.
And so things continued without a hitch or break of any description
until half the journey across the Atlantic had been accomplished; the
weather remained fine, with light winds, no sea, and very little swell
to speak of, while the ship ran as smoothly and steadily as though she
were travelling on land-locked waters instead of in mid-Atlantic.
Meanwhile she kept in almost hourly touch with other ships going east or
west, reporting her position and progress and asking from time to time
for the latest news; but it was not until Tuesday afternoon, about three
o'clock, local time, that she got any intelligence of the slightest
moment, this being a message from the homeward bound liner _Bolivia_, to
the following effect--
"Warning! S.S. _Bolivia_, New York--Liverpool, Latitude 45 degrees, 7
minutes North, Longitude 37 degrees, 57 minutes West. Just cleared
large area consisting of detached masses of field ice with several
bergs, through which we have been working for the last three hours.
Very dangerous. Advise ships approaching it to observe utmost caution,
particularly at night time."
This message was duly handed to Captain Prowse in his own cabin by the
wireless operator, who waited while the skipper read it, to see whether
the latter desired to address any inquiry to the _Bolivia_. But after
cogitating over it for two or three minutes, the skipper crumpled up the
paper and thrust it into his pocket, saying--
"All right, `Sparks', that'll do. And--look here, youngster--just keep
this message strictly to yourself, d'ye see? Don't say a word to
anybody about it. I'll see that all necessary precautions are taken;
but I don't want the news of there being ice ahead to be talked about;
it'll only make the passengers unnecessarily nervous and uneasy; and I
don't want that. Besides, it will be easy enough to alter the course a
few degrees south if it should be found desirable. You understand me?"
"Perfectly, sir," answered `Sparks,' lingering for a moment at the cabin
door. "Anything else, sir?"
"No," answered the skipper, "nothing more at present, thank you. But
keep your ears open for any further messages."
The operator saluted and vanished; whereupon the skipper produced the
chart of the North Atlantic, by the aid of which he was navigating the
ship, spread it open upon the table, and studied it intently. A pencil
mark consisting of a number of straight lines--the junction of each of
which with the next was indicated by a dot surrounded by a small circle,
against which was a note indicating the date, hour and moment of the
ship's arrival at each particular spot--showed the track of the ship
across the ocean from her point of departure abreast of Daunt Rock, and
a thinner, lighter pencil line extending on to New York marked the still
untravelled portion of the route. Taking a pencil, parallel ruler and
pair of dividers in his hand, Captain Prowse proceeded carefully to jot
down the position of the _Bolivia_, as indicated by her message; having
done which he gave vent to a sigh of relief; for he saw that the course
which he was pursuing would take the _Everest_ some sixty miles to the
north of that point.
"Thank God! that's all right," he murmured. "There's nothing to fear.
That patch of drift ice is not in the least likely to extend as far
north as our track. Besides, with the precautions that we are
observing--taking the sea temperature every half-hour, and so on--and
the maintenance of a good look-out, we are perfectly safe. I suppose I
ought to tell Brown" (the chief officer) "about this message; but I
won't--no; I'll keep it to myself, for the chap's as nervous as a cat,
and would want to slow down as soon as the dusk comes. And I don't want
that; I mean to make this a record passage, and don't intend to be
frightened into losing several precious hours merely because a ship
sixty miles to the south'ard of my track reports a little floating ice.
No; I'll just issue instructions that everybody is to be on the alert
and keep a specially sharp look-out, and let it go at that."
Having come to which conclusion, Captain Prowse left his cabin and
joined the officer of the watch on the bridge.
"By Jove! What glorious weather we are having," he remarked genially,
as the officer came to his side. "I cannot remember such a spell of it
as we have had ever since leaving Queenstown. What's she doing, Mr
Dacre?"
"Twenty-six point six, sir, at the last reading of the log, about half
an hour ago," answered the second officer; "and she hasn't slackened
down any. At this rate we ought to be berthed in New York by noon the
day after to-morrow, with a record passage to our credit."
"Ay," agreed the skipper, "that's what I am hoping for in a quiet way.
It will be a feather in our caps if we can pull the thing off--and
please the owners, too. Have you seen any sign of ice yet?"
"Not yet, sir," answered Dacre, "though I suppose we may expect to see
some at almost any moment, now. But the temperature of the water
remains quite steady. It is only half a degree colder than it was this
time yesterday, and that is no more than one would reasonably expect
about here."
"Quite so," assented the skipper. "Well, let the temperature continue
to be taken every half-hour regularly, and keep the look-outs on the
alert. We don't want any accidents--or even any narrow escapes, on our
first trip. The officers of the fleet have a reputation for
carefulness, and we must live up to it. Let me know at once if any ice
is sighted."
"Certainly, sir," replied the second officer, as the skipper turned away
and retired to his cabin.
At half-past nine o'clock that night the ship's band was playing in the
grand lounge, and most of the first-class passengers who were not in the
smoke-room were promenading or sitting about in that spacious and
handsome apartment, listening to the music, or chatting together in
couples or little groups. The smoke-room, too, was pretty well
occupied, a few of the men reading while the rest were either seated at
the tables, playing poker, or standing round watching the play.
At the same hour a little party of the ship's officers who were off
duty, of whom Dick Cavendish was one, were gathered in the ward-room,
engaged in the conduct of an informal smoking-concert, and Dick was
standing at the piano warbling "Dear Heart" to the doctor's
accompaniment--it is no longer the fashion for sailors to sing
sea-songs--when the proceedings were abruptly interrupted by a jolt--it
was scarcely severe enough to merit the term "shock"--instantly followed
by a perceptible lifting of the ship's bows and a slight list of her to
starboard, while to her smooth, steady, gliding progress succeeded a
rapid succession of jerks, accompanied by a sound of rending, distinctly
audible in the ward-room in the dead silence that suddenly fell upon the
party. Then the bows of the ship were felt to dip and her stern to
rise, while her speed slackened so abruptly that those who were standing
only retained their footing with difficulty; a final jar, succeeded by a
crash, came, and the ship once more settled to her bearings, floating
smoothly and tranquilly as before.
By this time the occupants of the ward-room were all upon their feet,
staring at one another, speechless, with horrified eyes. But as the
stern of the ship settled and she again came to her bearings, Mr Brown,
the chief officer, who was one of the party, exclaimed:
"Ice--by the Living Jingo!--and we've hit it! More than that she's torn
the bottom off herself, unless I'm very greatly mistaken; and in another
minute there'll be the deuce and all to pay--a panic, as likely as not.
To your stations, gentlemen, and remember--the first thing to be done is
to keep the boat deck clear. Come on!" And he led the way up the
companion-ladder to the deck.
As Dick emerged into the open air, the first thing of which he became
conscious was a distinctly keener edge of chill in the atmosphere; next,
that the ship's engines had stopped; and third, that the second-class
passengers were swarming out of their quarters like angry bees, each
demanding of the other to be told what had happened. They were
evidently heading with one accord for the promenade deck, doubtless _en
route_ for the boat deck; and Dick only reached the foot of the ladder
in the nick of time to meet the rush of the foremost.
"Hillo!" he cried, good-humouredly, planting himself square in front of
the ladder. "Whither away, good people? No, no; that is the
first-class quarters; you know that you have no right on the promenade
deck. Keep to your own part of the ship, please."
The crowd checked at the cool authoritativeness of Dick's tones; but a
big, burly man elbowed his way through the crush until he came face to
face with the young officer.
"Out of the way, youngster," he shouted. "Who are you, to talk of
`right' at a time like this? The ship is on the rocks and sinking,
and--"
"Oh, my dear good man," interrupted Dick, wearily. "You make me tired.
Why do you start talking about things of which you know nothing, and try
to frighten your fellow passengers? You are the sort of chap who yells
blue murder if the lights in a picture theatre go out before you think
they ought, and starts a panic in which a lot of women and children get
badly hurt. Rocks! Why, we're hundreds of miles from the nearest land.
And as to the ship sinking, don't you know that she's unsinkable--that
she _can't_ sink? The fact is that we've hit a bit of ice in the
darkness, and all the bumping that you felt was just the ice being
broken up by the ship as she ran past it. Now, take my advice, all of
you; go back to your cabins and turn in, or some of you will be catching
bad colds. Where are the parents of those children in night-dresses?
Whoever they are, they ought to be ashamed of themselves for bringing
the poor little kiddies into the cold in that rig! Take 'em below and
put 'em to bed again, there's good people. And go to bed yourselves;
it's the most comfortable place in the ship on a night like this. I
wish I had the chance to go there."
Dick's one idea in talking had been to subdue the tendency towards panic
which he had observed in the crowd before him, and to a certain extent
he had succeeded. That is to say, the parents of the children in
nightgowns had sheepishly herded their flock back into the deck-house,
while a few of the other passengers had followed them. But the majority
still lingered, waiting perhaps to hear further particulars. And these
the big, burly man--who, from his somewhat "loud" costume, might be
taken for a pugilist or a doubtful frequenter of race courses--seemed
determined to have. Dick's sarcasm had produced no more effect upon him
than rain does upon a duck, and he still stood staring aggressively at
the young officer.
"That's all very well," he declared truculently; "but if there's no
danger, what are all them sailors so busy about the boats up there for?"
The boat deck was by this time a scene of feverish but orderly activity,
every available seaman being mustered there, busily engaged, under the
supervision of the chief and second officers, on the task of stripping
the boats of their canvas, casting them loose, hoisting them out of
their chocks, and swinging them outboard ready for lowering.
"Why, you chump," answered Dick, "they are doing that for the express
purpose of reassuring people like yourself, who always go badly scared
if they get half a chance. Besides, it is one of the standing orders of
the ship, and gives the men a bit of exercise in handling the boats.
They will hang there for a bit, and then they will be swung inboard and
stowed again. Now,--_please_ go back to your cabins, all of you, and
make yourselves comfortable. Or, if you don't care to do that--if you
are determined to hang about out here on deck in the cold, at least go
and put some warm clothes on. For I tell you candidly that it may be an
hour or more before those boats are swung in and stowed."
"All right!" returned Dick's opponent, "I'll stay where I am until
that's done, and chance it. I'd rather have a cold than be drowned in
my cabin, like a rat in a trap."
"Very well," retorted Dick. "Do as you please, by all means. It's your
look-out, not mine. Only you are setting a very bad example to the
others. And by this time to-morrow you will all be sorry that you did
not take my advice."
Meanwhile, from where Dick stood, at the foot of the ladder leading to
the promenade deck, he could hear the purser up there suavely assuring a
crowd of first-class passengers that there was not the slightest
occasion for alarm, that the boats were merely being swung out as a
precautionary measure always adopted in such cases, and that if they
would kindly retire to the dining-saloon they would find a hot supper
awaiting them which he had taken it upon himself to order, just to
fortify his charges against any possible ill effects from the cold to
which they were so foolishly exposing themselves. And while he spoke,
the purser was busily but very politely shepherding the promenade deck
crowd toward the doorway giving access to the dining-saloon.
But above the suavely jocular accents of the purser's voice Dick's quick
ears caught other and more sinister sounds, to wit, the persistent
crackling of the ship's wireless installation, and he very shrewdly
suspected that that meant something much more serious and important than
"Sparks" swapping good-nights with some other operator--that, in short,
it meant nothing less than that most urgent of all wireless calls, the
S.O.S. of a ship in dire distress summoning other ships to her aid.
Further than that, although the work of preparing the boats for lowering
was proceeding in a perfectly quiet and orderly manner, Dick was
conscious, even above the roar of escaping steam, of a strenuous haste
in the movements of the men engaged upon the task, as well as of a
certain note of sharpness and urgency in the tones of the officers who
were supervising the work, all of which combined to impress upon the
young officer the conviction that matters were taking a distinctly
serious turn for the _Everest_.
In the brief interval during which the above impressions were printing
themselves upon Dick's consciousness, a few of the people confronting
him had turned, and, in a half-hearted, hesitant way, were drifting back
toward the entrance of the deck-house, although the greater part of them
seemed disposed to follow the burly man's example and remain where they
were until authoritatively assured that all was well with the ship. It
was during this momentary lull that a brass-buttoned steward came nimbly
down the ladder before which Cavendish was standing, and said to him:
"Purser's compliments, sir, and would you be so good as to tell the
second-class passengers that, on account of their bein' disturbed by the
ship hittin' a lump of ice, and turnin' out in the cold, tea, coffee,
and hot soup is bein' served in the dinin'-room to warm 'em up a bit
before they goes to their beds."
"Right-o!" answered Dick. "I will inform them at once. Ladies and
gentlemen," he continued, "lest you should not all have heard the
message which the steward has just delivered, let me repeat it. It is a
message from the purser to the effect that since so many of you have
unfortunately been scared out of your warm cabins by the collision of
the ship with a small piece of ice, tea, coffee, and hot soup are now
being served in the dining-room to those who care to have something to
warm them before turning in. If you take my advice, you will lose no
time in going below to get it, because only a limited quantity will be
served, and those who get below first will have the best chance.
Good-night, all of you. Turn in as soon as you have had your hot drink,
and get a good night's rest."
And therewith the young man turned and with much deliberation ascended
the ladder, his intention in so doing being to convey the impression
that the scare was over and the entire incident ended.
The ruse was brilliantly successful, for the moment at least, for when,
upon reaching the head of the ladder, he turned to see what was
happening on the deck which he had just left, he saw that the whole
crowd of second-class passengers was in full retreat, with the burly man
elbowing his way through it, that he might secure his full share of
whatever might happen to be going in the dining-room.
Pausing for a moment to watch the gradual disappearance of the people
through the deck-house door, Dick waited until the last of them had
vanished, and then darted along the now deserted promenade deck and up
the ladder to the boat deck, where he found himself in the midst of a
scene of the most strenuous activity; the men still feverishly working
at the task of clearing and swinging out the boats, the officers
supervising and assisting in the work, as though every second of time
were more precious than gold, stewards hurrying up from below with
provisions with which to stock the boats, and the captain on the bridge
overlooking all, the whole deck brilliantly illuminated by every
available electric lamp, while overhead the steam still roared out of
the pipes, and the crackle of the wireless obtruded itself insistently
through all other sounds.
Cavendish knew that Mr Brown, the chief officer, was up here somewhere,
and he presently found him and briefly reported what had happened down
on the main deck.
"Good!" returned Brown. "But go back and guard the head of the ladder
leading from the main to the promenade deck. We're holed in nearly
every compartment, and the leaks are gaining upon us in spite of the
steam pumps. The ship's doomed--that's the long and the short of it;
nothing can save her; and as soon as all the boats are ready there will
be a call for the women and children. Your duty then will be to see
that no men from the second-class are allowed to slip past you until all
women and children have been safely got off. Likely enough some of the
men may try to rush you. Got a revolver?"
"I have a pair down in my cabin, but--"
"Good!" interrupted Brown. "Don't waste time going down to fetch them.
Collar a steward and tell him to get them for you. Now, off you go.
Those people down below may take the alarm again at any moment. One
word more. When all the women and children are up, don't let any men
pass you until you get word from me. Now--scoot!"
Dick "scooted," dispatching a steward for his revolvers on the way, not
that he had the slightest intention of using them; but he knew how
efficacious a revolver--even though empty--is in stopping a rush, and he
decided that it would be a good thing to have them. A minute later--his
visit to the boat deck having occupied some ten minutes--he reached his
post at the head of the ladder which he was to guard--just in time. For
as he posted himself, the head of the burly man swung into view, wagging
from side to side as its owner climbed the ladder, with quite a little
crowd behind him, while others were streaming out on deck.
"What! my friend, you here again?" exclaimed Dick as he planted himself
at the head of the ladder, with a hand grasping the rail on either side
of him, thus converting himself into a human closed gate. "Have you
come to tell me that there were not enough hot drinks to go round and
that you didn't get your fair share? No you don't"--as the man strove
to dislodge Cavendish from his position--"your place is down there on
the main deck, as I've told you before--ah! would you? Then take that,
as a little lesson that when you're aboard ship you must behave yourself
and obey orders!"
"That" was a blow straight between the eyes, administered to the burly
man, who now seemed determined to fight his way up to the boat deck at
all costs. The fellow went reeling back under the impact of the blow,
and would undoubtedly have fallen some ten feet to the deck below had he
not been caught and supported by the people beneath him on the ladder.
These instantly raised a loud clamour, in which the words "Shame!
shame!" were distinctly audible, while some of the women began to cry
and manifest a disposition to become hysterical. Then another big man
suddenly started to elbow his way through the crowd now thickly grouped
about the foot of the ladder which Dick was guarding, shouting, as he
came--
"Here, let me get at him. Officer or no officer, I'll soon shift him!"
"Yes, yes; that's right, governor," shouted others, also pressing
forward. "Let's get him out of the way. What right has he got to keep
us down here while the ship's sinking? Our lives are just as good as
other people's, and we've a right to save 'em if we can."
Dick saw that a crisis was imminent and that unless he acted with
decision the people on the deck below would very quickly get out of
hand. Luckily for him, the steward whom he had dispatched for his
revolvers at this moment appeared, thrust the weapons into his hand, and
dashed off again without saying a word. The youngster was reluctant to
display the weapons, for he was by no means sure that the sight of them
would produce the desired effect. Yet there seemed to be no
alternative, for the little band of men below--some eight or ten in
number--were evidently determined to force the passage of the ladder.
He therefore pointed both weapons straight at the group as he shouted:
"Halt there, you men! If you dare to move another step, I'll shoot.
What do you mean by your outrageous conduct, pushing and hustling your
way violently through a crowd of helpless women and children in that
brutal fashion? You wouldn't do it if any of them belonged to you, and
I am surprised that the husbands and fathers put up with it. Call
yourselves Englishmen? Pah! I'm ashamed of you. You make me sick!"
Dick's appeal to the husbands and fathers of those whom the gang had
been hustling so roughly was a happy inspiration, and produced an
immediate effect, the said husbands and fathers at once raising their
voices in remonstrance, while the women also joined in, with the result
that a heated altercation quickly ensued which threatened to speedily
develop into a free fight. But that was only a shade less desirable
than the other, wherefore, slipping his revolvers into his pockets, Dick
intervened.
"Now then, below there, none of that!" he shouted. "I'll allow no
fighting. The first man who strikes a blow shall be clapped in irons.
And just listen to me a moment, if you please," he continued, as the
faces below turned again toward him. "Will one of you men who seem so
extraordinarily anxious to come up here kindly explain _why_ you want to
come?"
For a moment there was dead silence among the crowd, then the burly man
whom Dick had struck, and who had retired crestfallen to the foot of the
ladder, looked up and replied:
"The ship's sinking--you can't deny it--and our lives are worth just as
much as other people's. We want to have a fair chance of saving 'em,
and--"
"Stop a moment," interrupted Dick, thinking he saw a chance to create a
diversion and avert the inevitable rush for a few minutes. "You say
that the ship is sinking and that you want to save your lives by taking
to the boats. Have you all taken the precaution to put your money and
other valuables in your pockets? And have you all seen to it that you
are dressed in your warmest clothes? You know," he continued,
banteringly, "if you were at this moment called to get into the boats,
you would be very sorry when you afterwards remembered that in your
hurry you had left all your valuables behind you. And boating in this
weather is a most unpleasantly cold business, I assure you."
A rather lengthy silence followed this speech of Dick's. Those whom he
had addressed were thinking very seriously about what he had said
touching money and valuables. Probably not one of them had dreamed of
adopting the precautionary measures suggested, and many of them were
painfully conscious at that moment that every penny they possessed was
locked up in the trunks in their cabins. Several of them began to move
hesitatingly towards the deck-house entrance. Then a man who was
leading the way, suddenly halted and shouted--
"Look here, mister. Tell us the plain truth, as man to man. Is this
ship going to sink, or isn't she? That's all that we want to know."
The question set Dick's mind working at lightning speed. Should he or
should he not deny the dreadful truth? He felt that he could not
unreservedly deny it, yet, on the other hand, unreservedly to admit it
might precipitate a panic. He quickly decided that the proper thing to
do would be to prepare those people for the inevitable, but to do so in
such a fashion as to reassure them to the utmost possible extent.
Therefore he answered:
"As man to man I tell you that we hope to take this ship safely into New
York harbour. But I will not attempt to conceal from you the fact that
she has sustained a certain amount of damage from her collision with a
mass of ice and she is leaking a bit--stop! Don't run away until I have
told you everything," he continued, as he saw the listening crowd below
bracing itself for a rush. "As I have said, the ship is leaking a bit,
but the steam pumps are at work--listen! you can hear the beat of them--
and the water is pouring out of her almost, if not quite, as fast as it
is pouring in." (This was very far from being the truth, and Dick knew
it, but he considered that the circumstances justified the
prevarication). "But it is a rule with this company, as it is with many
others, that the moment a ship sustains any damage, however slight, the
first step taken is to provide for the safety of passengers, and that is
why you see the boats being got ready. If the leak should be found to
be gaining on the pumps, ample notice will be given you, and plenty of
time will be allowed for transferring everybody to the boats without
rush or confusion of any kind. So now you know all that there is to
know. If you take my advice you will all go to your cabins, dress
yourselves in your warmest clothes, secure money and valuables about
your persons, and then lie down and get a comfortable sleep. If it is
considered desirable that you should be transferred to the boats you
will be told so in good time. And don't hurry. It may be hours yet
before you will be summoned to the boats--if indeed you are summoned at
all."
Again Dick's eloquence had triumphed, and this time the triumph was
distinctly of a more decisive character than on the previous occasion;
his candour--so far as it went--had convinced the people whom he
addressed that if there was any danger at all it was certainly not
imminent; and in a body they turned away, intent upon acting on his
advice.
Within a minute of the disappearance of the last of the second-class
passengers, a loud hissing, shearing sound rent the air, heard
distinctly above the now somewhat moderated roar of the escaping steam,
and, leaning far out over the rail of the promenade deck, Dick was just
in time to mark the heavenward flight of a rocket--the first visible
signal of distress which the _Everest_ had thus far made--and to see it
burst, high up, into a shower of brilliant red stars. It was the light
shed by these stars as they floated downward that first revealed to the
young officer the fact that a thin veil of haze enveloped the ship,
through which, scattered here and there, were several small blocks of
field ice; while away on the starboard quarter, distant about half a
mile, was a much larger mass, standing perhaps two or three feet above
the water's surface, which might well be the berg that had done all the
mischief. But Dick was horrified, as he stared down into the water, to
note how much nearer was the surface than usual, as seen from the level
of the promenade deck--quite three feet nearer, he estimated. And the
ship had sunk to that extent within little more than half an hour!
The lad glanced eagerly about him. The deck below, set apart for the
exclusive use of the second-class passengers, was now tenantless, but
the port of every cabin was aglow with light, showing pretty
conclusively that the people there were following Dick's advice. The
same held good with regard to the cabins on the promenade deck; every
window--and many doors as well--revealed the fact that the occupants
were busy within; but even while Cavendish looked, a few people emerged
from adjacent cabins, all of them warmly clad and evidently prepared as
well as they could be for the hardships of exposure in open boats.
Also, far away for'ard, Dick could just distinguish that the smoke-room
door was open and that men were passing in and out, their movements
suggesting uneasiness and expectancy.
Again Dick glanced over the rail. The water was perfectly smooth,
unwrinkled by even the faintest zephyr of a breeze, and the great ship
lay almost as motionless and steady as though she were in dock. Thank
God! when the moment came there ought to be no difficulty in getting the
laden boats safely lowered and afloat. At the thought of the boats he
glanced upward and saw that the whole of them on the starboard side were
swung out and lowered sufficiently to permit of the people stepping
easily into them from the deck above. Then he ran across the deck to
the port side, and saw that all boats but one on that side were also
ready, while the last one was even at that moment being lowered to the
same level as the rest.
As Dick walked back to his station at the head of the ladder another
rocket went screaming its way aloft into the black sky, and with the
bursting of it the lad became conscious of the fact that the wireless
was no longer insistently clamouring; there were moments now when it
remained silent for quite a minute or more, followed by a few sharp
cracklings, and again silence. The _Everest_ had evidently at last got
into touch with another ship and was exchanging confidences with her.
Dick began to feel cold up there on the promenade deck, and to promote
warmth, proceeded to walk briskly to and fro athwart the broad space of
deck abaft the long range of cabins. And as he did so, he caught a
momentary view of one of the quartermasters entering the doorway which
led toward the main companion-way, and, incidentally, to the library,
ladies' boudoir, grand saloon, and dining-hall. The man held a small
slip of paper in his hand, and Dick instantly surmised that the slip
might be a communication from either the captain or the chief officer to
the purser.
The lad paused in his walk, awaiting results. And they were not long in
coming, for a few minutes later the quartermaster emerged, quickly
followed by the purser, who, taking up a position midway between the
smoke-room and the block of cabins abaft it--which space Dick now saw
was occupied by several groups of men and women--cleared his voice and
then proclaimed in ringing accents:
"Ladies and gentlemen, this paper which I hold in my hand is a message
which has just been brought to me from Captain Prowse, and it contains
news which I am sure will be very welcome to you all. It is to the
effect that our wireless operator has succeeded in getting into touch
with the _Bolivia_ and acquainting the captain of that vessel with our
somewhat unfortunate plight. The _Bolivia_, as some of you are
doubtless aware, is homeward bound, but upon learning the news of our
accident, her captain has unhesitatingly interrupted his voyage and is
at this moment heading for our position as rapidly as his powerful
engines will drive him. He expects to arrive alongside in about three
hours from now; you have therefore the assurance of perfect safety, let
what will happen. This is as gratifying news to Captain Prowse as I
expect it is to you; for I may now tell you that the _Everest_ is much
more seriously damaged than we at first anticipated, and--purely as a
measure of precaution, I assure you--the captain, in consultation with
his officers, has decided temporarily to transfer all passengers to the
boats, thus ensuring their safety, whatever may happen to the ship. And
if the worst should come to the worst and the leak continue to gain upon
us, the _Bolivia_ will receive you upon her arrival and convey you to
New York. It was in anticipation of some such contingency as this that
I advised you all, a little while ago, to change into warmer clothing,
and I am glad to see that you have taken my advice. A call for you to
enter the boats--women and children first--will shortly be made;
therefore, if any of you have any valuables in your cabins, let me
advise you to secure them at once. Several of you have deposited money
and jewels in my charge. I am now about to proceed to my office for the
purpose of delivering those deposits to their rightful owners; and I
shall be much obliged if you will all kindly bring your deposit notes
with you to facilitate the distribution."
And, so saying, the purser, cool and imperturbable as ever, bowed and
withdrew, his departure being instantly followed by a hurried rush of
the passengers to their cabins.
An interval of some twenty minutes now elapsed, during which nothing
particular happened, except that the second-class passengers began again
to emerge from their quarters in little groups and congregate about the
foot of the ladder, as though holding themselves in readiness to obey an
expected call. At regular intervals distress rockets continued to be
fired from the upper deck, each discharge being followed by a little
movement of restlessness on the part of the rapidly increasing crowd,
while Dick noticed that the ship's wireless was again insistently
calling. He also noticed that the burly man and a small group of
kindred spirits were quietly but unobtrusively edging their way through
the gathering crowd towards the foot of the ladder, and he decided to
check the movement forthwith. Therefore, raising his arm to attract
attention, and then pointing downward at the culprits, he said:
"Now, look here, you men! Stop that at once, if you please. I see your
game; but it won't do. You are trying to get in front of all the
others, so as to be first in the boats if you are called to take to
them. But it won't do, my fine fellows. If it is decided to send away
the boats, the women and children will be the first to go; therefore the
men will be pleased to fall in in the rear. Let all the children come
forward, and their mothers with them--no, no; don't rush and crowd, for
there is not the least occasion for hurry; make a lane, there--a good
wide lane to the foot of the ladder--do you hear what I say? That's
better--open out wider yet. So! Good! Now, you mothers, come to the
front with your kiddies, and sit down on deck until further orders. Let
the youngsters come up the ladder and sit down on the steps. They may
come up as far as the top step, but no farther. That's right. Now,
little folks, sit close together and keep each other warm. That's
capital. Now you will do very well."
As Dick finished, a quartermaster, accompanied by half-a-dozen seamen,
came along the deck, and while the latter ranged themselves immediately
behind Cavendish, the quartermaster murmured in the young man's ear:
"They're goin' to begin launchin' the boats, sir, and the chief officer
wants you up on the boat deck to help. I'm to stay here with these men,
to see that there's no rush. You're to go at once, please, sir."
"Right!" responded Dick, and turned to go. Then a thought suddenly
occurred to him, and he faced round to the people on the deck below, now
evidently all agog to learn what fresh development was impending.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said. "A message has just been brought to me
that the captain has decided to put you all into the boats, as a measure
of safety. But I see that none of you have as yet put on life belts.
You will find them in your cabins. Please go there and fetch them, and
two of these men will come to you and help you to put them on. There is
no hurry, so, when the call comes, please take your time, and let there
be no crowding. You will get away much quicker by behaving in a quiet
and orderly manner."
Then, with a few words of warning to the quartermaster and the seamen,
Dick turned and made a dash for the boat deck.
CHAPTER TWO.
THE FOUNDERING OF THE "EVEREST."
Upon reaching the ladder leading to the boat deck, which was the
uppermost deck of all, he found it packed with first-class passengers,
among whom the word had already been passed round, so, rather than
incommode them, he sprang up on the rail and swarmed up a stanchion.
Arrived on the boat deck, he found the preparations for lowering the
boats complete, and he also found the captain and chief officer
preparing to supervise the embarkation. These he at once joined, and
upon reporting himself, was immediately stationed at the after end of
the deck on the starboard side, to supervise the dispatch of four boats.
The deck was now rapidly filling with passengers, who were coming up
from below, both fore and aft, men, women and children indiscriminately,
despite the efforts of those below to keep them apart. But they were
received upon their arrival by a number of quartermasters and seamen,
who firmly, but with rough courtsey, herded the men along the middle
part of the deck while the women and children were allowed to go to the
port and starboard sides of the deck, where the officers received them.
Dick stationed himself abreast the aftermost of his quartette of boats,
and as the anxious mothers with their children came crowding up, he
quickly passed them through the opening in the rail and into the boat,
where the three men in charge of it received them and directed them
where to place themselves. So far, there was very little confusion,
except that a few women clamoured for their husbands to be allowed to go
with them, so causing a certain amount of delay; but on the whole
matters were going very well, and within forty minutes the whole of the
boats that had been swung out were safely lowered and dispatched, with
orders to lie off at least half a mile, and there wait for further
orders. These boats took not only all the women and children, but also
as many men as room could be found for.
But all told there still remained nearly two thousand men aboard the
doomed ship, whose safety depended upon the possibility of launching the
collapsible boats and life rafts before the now rapidly sinking liner
foundered. And this possibility had become very questionable, for the
water had gained so much that the furnace fires had been extinguished
and steam was rapidly failing, with the result that the pumps were no
longer working at anything like full power. Moreover, although every
possible arrangement had been made to facilitate the launching of the
collapsible and other craft, much still remained to be done before they
would be ready to receive their complement of passengers and be
dispatched. Meanwhile the _Everest_ had settled so low in the water
that many of those still waiting were beginning to betray much
uneasiness, not to say restiveness, at the inevitable delay, this
restiveness being most apparent among the steerage passengers and, in a
lesser degree, among the second-class, while the first-class passengers,
almost to a man, not only displayed the most perfect coolness, but even
united with the officers of the ship in their efforts to allay the
rapidly growing impatience of the others.
Dick saw that trouble was brewing, and stimulated his gang of workers
both by voice and example, with the result that very soon he had a big
collapsible boat hooked on to the davit tackles and swung outboard. But
she still needed a certain amount of preparation before she would be
ready to receive her living cargo, and to complete that preparation
Cavendish ordered four of his gang of six men into her. Instantly a
crowd of excited foreigners from the steerage, probably mistaking the
action for an indication that the boat was ready, made a rush for her
and, thrusting Dick and his remaining two assistants aside, hurled
themselves frantically into her, shrieking and jabbering like maniacs.
The result, of course, was that the boat promptly collapsed, and taking
the intruders entirely by surprise, precipitated the greater number of
them into the water beneath, while the four seamen in her only escaped a
like fate by making a spring for and seizing the tackles and guys.
Dick, who with his two assistants had been knocked down and nearly
overboard by the rush, quickly scrambled to his feet and dropped
overboard every rope's end he could lay his hands upon, and by this
means contrived to rescue some twenty of the now thoroughly sobered and
frightened men; but, of course, this involved a most lamentable delay
and loss of time; and meanwhile it became apparent to all that the ship
was now fast settling in the water. Even worse than that, however, was
the effect which the conviction produced upon the ignorant foreigners
among the passengers. These were fast developing a tendency to panic,
which manifested itself in a determination to assist the seamen; and
since their efforts to assist were unaided for the most part by the
smallest glimmering of knowledge as to the proper thing to do, they
naturally hindered instead of helping, and not only Dick but the other
officers as well soon had all their work cut out to keep the zealous but
ignorant foreigners in anything like order.
The worst characteristic of panic is that it is so horribly contagious.
Let a crowd of people once get the idea into their heads that they are
in peril, and they will fight together like wild beasts in their anxiety
to escape. And the officers of the _Everest_ knew this; therefore they
devoted the whole of their energies to the task of reassuring that great
crowd of men who now filled the boat deck of the sinking ship, arguing,
pleading, and even threatening, while the Dagos crowded around them ever
more menacingly, with eyes ablaze with mingled terror and ferocity, lips
contracted into savage snarls, and hands in many cases gripping long,
ugly-looking, dagger-like knives.
Then suddenly there came, unceremoniously elbowing his way through the
excited crowd, the well-known form of the purser, his face wreathed with
smiles, and a paper in his hand.
"Make way, there, make way, good people," he shouted. "I have good news
for you. The wireless operators have succeeded in getting into touch
with three more ships, and now not only the _Bolivia_, but also the
_Cotopaxi_, the _Platonic_, and the _Nigerian_ are hastening to our
rescue and will all be alongside us in the course of a few hours.
Therefore, cheer up, there is help and room for everybody on the way."
"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah! Three cheers for the purser and his good
news," shouted a man with a strong American accent; and all who
understood him heartily took up the cheering; while the foreigners, who
had failed to catch the meaning of the purser's remarks, at least
understood from the cheering that good news of some sort had come to
hand, and their attitude at once became less menacing.
"Good for you, sir," exclaimed Dick to the men who had started the
cheering. "Those hurrahs of yours are worth more than diamonds to us
just now. Hurry up lads with that boat and let's get her afloat. Are
you ready, Simpson? Good! Now then, come along, good people, but don't
crowd, there's plenty of time. Jump in, sir--" to the man with the
American accent; "you deserve a place, if only in return for those
cheers."
"Not I, my son," answered the man addressed--he was only about
twenty-eight to thirty years of age. "I have neither wife, child, nor
relative of any kind, as far as I know. Let the married folk go first.
Now then, you husbands and fathers, step out. Any more for the shore?"
He spoke with a smile on his good-locking face, and that and the little
jest of "Any more for the shore?" were as comforting to many a man there
as all the assurances of the ship's officers had been; nay, more, for
they had been accompanied by a wave of the hand toward the boat and a
voluntary stepping aside that seemed to say as plain as words--"Pass
along, you who are afraid. I am not, and am entirely willing to wait my
turn."
But although the peril of panic was less imminent than it had been, it
was by no means banished, and probably none recognised this more clearly
than the American, for while the boat just filled was being lowered, he
edged up to Dick and murmured:
"Say, young man, unless you are looking for trouble I would advise you
to get all those Dagos out of the ship quick. I know their sort, sir,
and I can tell by the look in their eyes, that the smallest thing in the
way of an extra scare will just send the whole crowd jumping mad. So
get rid of them in a hurry. That's my advice."
"And I believe you are right, too," answered Dick. "But I can't act on
your advice, all the same. There are others who are entitled to as good
a chance as the Dagos, and they must have it. There is yourself, for
instance--"
"Nix! I guess not!" interrupted the American. "Of course, I know what
you mean," he continued, in a low tone; "the ship can't last much
longer, and a good few of us are in for a cold swim; but I guess I'll
take my chance with the rest of the bathers."