It was with no good feeling that I went below to get the old man a drink.
The steward met me and grinned as he brought forth the liquor.
"Yessah, it's nine ob dem he takes endurin' de watch. Lord, man, he's got
something pow'rful on his mind. Did yo' ebber feel the heft ob his trunk
he brought aboard, sah? No, sah, dat yo' didn't. Well, it's pow'rful
heavy fo' a man's baggage."
"What's in it?" I asked.
"'Deed, I doan know, man, jest what is in it, but I reckon it's something
what worries him. Dat an' Cap'n Andrews forrads worries him some. Chips,
he say as dey goes aft an' have matters straightened out a bit. Dey is
fo' either weldin' irons on de cap'n forrads or puttin' him on de beach.
Jim, Hans, Bendin, an' Frenchy an' a lot more are fo' doing' somethin'
with him. Yessah, dey is dat. Hab a leetle nip 'fore yo' goes?"
I took one and went back to the quarter-deck. The speck to leeward showed
a bit of storm canvas flying, and we soon could make out she was a large
ship hove to like ourselves on the port tack. Her hull showed now and
again on the seas, and after drifting down toward her for about an hour,
the light grew strong enough to make her out plainly. She was a large
ship, English built, with a turtle-backed stern, painted white on the
tumble-home of the quarter. Her hull was black, and the foam showed in
long white lines of streamers as it was blown across her topsides. She
was making heavy weather of it, and every now and again she would ram her
nose clear out of sight in the high-rolling sea. Then she would rise
heavily, with the white water pouring from her dripping forefoot and
wallow dismally, until her weather rail would appear to roll under.
The stump of a foremast showed forward and a stout maintopsail strained
away amidships, while aft, where the mizzen should have been, there was
nothing showing above her deck. Her main topgallant mast was also gone at
the cross-trees, but the maintopsail held strongly. Altogether she was
pretty well wrecked aloft.
While we watched her we drew nearer, and when she came within a couple of
miles I could make out a flag, the English ensign, union down, in the
main rigging. This showed pretty plainly that she was doing badly and
wanted help, but it was absolutely useless to think of doing anything for
her while the wind held and the sea showed no signs of going down.
Being much lighter than she was, we drifted off more, and we came nearer
and nearer as the morning brightened into a dirty day. In a short time we
had her close under our lee, not half a mile distant. Indeed, it looked
as though we might get closer than we wished to. The wind slacked
gradually, however, and before long we managed to get out our
main-topmast staysail. Then followed a close-reefed foresail balanced aft
by the mizzen lower topsail, which we had saved. This, with the spencer
and canvas already set, gave us a good hold of the ship in spite of the
sea, and we were ready to wear if necessary. The _Pirate_ drifted much
faster under the extra canvas and went to leeward so far that we saw that
she would go clear of the stranger. As we drew near, we now saw how deep
she sat in the water, the seas rolling over her, amidships, with every
plunge. Still she headed up well and was under control.
While we gazed, a string of flags fluttered from her yard-arm. I dived
below for the code and soon read the signal for help. They were sinking.
Trunnell turned out on deck, and we waited to see if Captain Thompson
would give the word to do anything. He stood near the rail and gazed
through his glass without saying anything or exhibiting any concern
whatever for the people we could now see upon the stranger's high poop.