XI

We went along in silence for some time, the fog seeming to fall like a

pall upon the spirits of the men. The wash of the oars and the gurgle of

the bow-wave were the only sounds that were audible. After half an hour

of this I arose and sent a hail through the bank of mist, which I thought

would reach a vessel within half a mile. There was no sound of an answer,

the dank vapor appearing to deaden my hail and swallow up all noise a

short distance beyond the boat. It was uncanny to feel how weak that yell

appeared. I saw Jim looking at me with a strange light in his eyes as

though he felt danger in the air.

After an hour more of it, the faces of the men plainly showed their

anxiety. Phillippi, the Dago, was chewing the corner of his dank

mustache, and his eyes wandered aft and then forward. Jenks, with his

large wrinkled face gray with the vapor, sat staring ahead, straining his

ears for the slightest sound that would locate the vessel. I put both

hands to my mouth again, and strained away my hardest. There was no

response, the sound falling flat and dull in the wall of mist. Then I

knew we were in danger, and gave the order to stop rowing.

The silence around us was now oppressive. We were all waiting to hear

some sound that would locate either one or the other of the vessels. The

breeze carried the masses of vapor in cool spurts into our faces, and I

felt sure the _Pirate_ would soon change her bearings under its

influence. We had been running away from the main heave of the sea, as I

supposed, but now there appeared to be a sidelong motion running with the

swell and at an angle to its general direction.

"'Tis no manner av use tryin' to keep along as we are, d'ye think so?"

suggested Chips. "We must have passed her."

I hailed again, and after waiting for an answer, headed the boat around

in the hope that we had overreached the ship, and would come within

hailing distance on our way back. The order was given to pull very

easily, and listen for sounds.

"This is most disgusting," said Miss Sackett. "I'm as hungry as a bear,

and here we'll be out for the Lord only knows how long. I think you might

have seen to it that I had some breakfast." And she looked at Mr. Bell,

our third officer.

"There's water under the stern sheets," suggested that officer, meekly.

But the young lady gave a pretty pout, and shrugged her shoulders.

In a little while we stopped again and hailed loudly. The only sound in

answer was the low hiss of a sea, which had begun to make with the

breeze, and which broke softly ahead.

Suddenly we heard the distant clang of a ship's bell. It sounded far away

to starboard.

"Give way, bullies, strong," I cried, and the next instant we were

heading toward it. Then it died away, and we heard it no more.

After ten minutes' pull, we stopped again, for fear of overreaching our

mark. We hailed and got no answer. Then we rowed slowly along, listening

in the hope they would ring again. In a little while we lay drifting, and

all hands strained their ears for sound.

Suddenly something alongside gave a loud snort. I started up, and the

men turned their faces forward. A deeper shadow seemed to hang over us,

and the breeze died away. Then the snort was repeated, and a voice

spoke forth:--

"Of all the damned fools I ever see, that second mate stands way ahead.

Now I onct thought Trunnell didn't know nothin', but that young whelp is

a pizenous fool, an' must be ripped up the back. Sackett, old man, your

daughter can't leave ye. Here she be alongside with them boatmen agin."

The voice was drawling and not loud, but I recognized it fast enough.

In an instant the boat's bow struck the side of the _Sovereign_, and

we saw Andrews leaning over the rail near us, looking down with a

sour smile.

There was nothing to do but go aboard, for we had nothing to eat in the

small boat, and the danger of getting lost entirely was too great to make

another attempt to get back to the _Pirate_ while the fog lasted.

Miss Sackett was helped over the rail by her father, who came up

immediately, and the rest scrambled over with some choice English oaths

as they commented upon their luck. Andrews gave me a queer look as I

climbed past him, and for an instant I was ready to spring upon him. But

he gave a snort of disgust and turned away.

Chips, Jim, and the others of our crew came aboard, and the small boat

was dropped astern where she towed easily, the breeze just giving the

sunken ship steering way under the storm topsail.

The beef barrels were in no way injured by their immersion in salt water,

so Captain Sackett gave the steward orders to prepare a meal for all

hands upon the cabin stove. Salt junk and tinned fruits were served for

everybody who cared to eat them, and afterward all hands felt better. The

ship's water-tanks were full of good water, and as she listed

considerably to starboard under the gentle breeze, owing to her

water-logged condition, the port tank was accessible from the deck pipe.

I had enough to eat before coming out, and the predicament we were in did

not tend to strengthen my appetite. I, however, made out to sit down at

the cabin table with Captain Sackett, Andrews, who was now his mate, and

our third officer. Miss Sackett joined us, and we fell to.

No sooner had Andrews started to shovel in the good junk, and Mr. Bell

the fruit, than Sackett arose from the table and looked severely down

upon them. Fortunately, my satisfied appetite had prevented any

unnecessary hurry to eat on my part, for our new skipper frowned heavily.

"I wish to give thanks, O Lord," said he, raising his eyes toward the

skylight and dropping his voice into a dignified tone, "for thy kind

mercy in delivering us from the perils of the deep. Make us duly thankful

for thy mercy and for the food thou hast seen fit to place before us."

"Amen," sounded a gruff voice beside me.

I looked at Andrews, but he appeared to pay no attention whatever to what

was transpiring. Then I turned to Sackett to see if he had taken offence.

The stout, ruddy-faced skipper seemed to be changed to stone for an

instant, and his fixed glare was full upon Andrews.

The ruffian appeared to enjoy the situation, for he gave a fierce snort

and turned his face to the skipper.

"No offence, old man, sit down and eat your grub. There's no use working

up unchristian-like feeling between us simply because I'm not going to

let any damn foolishness stand between me and my vittles. Eat while ye

may, says I, and God bless you for a kind-hearted, gentle skipper. You

says yourself that the Lord helps them as helps themselves, which goes to

show I'll just make a stab for another piece o' that junk before some

other son of a gun runs afoul of it an' helps himself. Which would be

goin', o' course, agin the will o' the Lord."

Sackett hardly breathed. His face turned purple with rage. Andrews took

no notice of him save to draw a revolver from his pocket and place it on

the table beside his plate.

"Sit down and eat, papa," said Miss Sackett, who was at his right hand,

and as she did so she placed her hand upon his shoulder.

The touch of his daughter's hand seemed to bring the skipper back to his

senses, or rather seemed to enable him to thrust his present feelings

aside for her sake. He sat down and stared at Andrews for fully a minute,

while that ruffian ate and winked ofttimes at Mr. Bell. Once in a while

he would give a loud snort and hold his face upward for an instant. Then

a sour smile would play around his ugly mouth as though he enjoyed his

humor intensely. The third officer frowned severely at him several times,

and then asked in his silly voice if he would please behave himself.

The effect was altogether too ludicrous to be borne. Miss Sackett

smiled in spite of herself and I almost laughed outright. Then, feeling

sorry for my host, I began to eat as an excuse to hide my feelings.

Sackett ate little, and in silence. When he was through, he arose and

left for the deck, leaving the rest of us at the table. Miss Sackett

followed him quickly, as though she instinctively felt what might

happen if she remained.

I sat there looking at Andrews for some moments. He raised his head

several times and gave forth his peculiar snort, smiling at Mr. Bell.

"Young fellow," said he, slowly, "we've had a turn or two, an' nothin'

much has come of it. Let's shake an' call it square." And he held out his

hand toward me.

"I suppose you really had some cause to lose your temper," I answered,

"the day I hailed you from the poop, because you were used to commanding

there. I've heard many unpleasant things about you, Captain Andrews, but

if you will let matters pass, I'm willing. I never turned down a man yet

on hearsay when he was willing to see me half way."

Here I took his hard, muscular hand and held it for a moment. He smiled

sourly again, but said no more about our fight.

"Ye see," he went on, after a moment's pause, "I'm second in command

here now, and I'll show you no such treatment like what I got aboard the

_Pirate_. This gun I has here is only to let a man see his limit afore

it's too late. If I didn't show it, he might go too far, and then--well,

I reckon ye know just what might happen, being as Trunnell has told you

what a gentle, soft-hearted fellow I am. He's a rum little dog, that

fuzzy-headed fellow, Trunnell. Did ye ever see sech arms in anything but

an ape? 'Ell an' blazes, he could squeeze a man worse than a Coney

Island maiden gal. Speakin' of maidens, jest let me hint a minute in

regard to the one aboard here. She's a daisy. An out an' out daisy. An'

if there's a-goin' to be any love-makin' going on around, I'll do it.

Yes, sir, don't take any of my duties upon yourself. I'll do it. I'll do

it. Jest remind yourself of that, Mr. Rolling, an' we'll get along fust

rate. The old man don't know me yet, but Mr. Bell here--well, Mr. Bell

knows a thing or two concernin' captains which'll be worth a heap of

gold to some people."

The third mate looked at me with his boyish eyes for an instant, and his

ruddy cheeks seemed to blush. Then he said softly:--

"What he means is, that you and the rest are only passengers, now. All

the men from the _Pirate_, you know. There'll be some salvage for the

four who elected to stay aboard this vessel, and if you understand it in

this light, you, Chips, Jim, and the rest are welcome as passengers. If

you don't, the boat is at your disposal any time."

"I see," I said. "You are also of the party elected to stay with Captain

Sackett and draw salvage?"

"That's about the size of it."

I went on deck, and Chips, Jim, and the men went below to get something

to eat. Sackett was standing at the break of the poop as I came up, and

his daughter stood beside him. They were evidently in earnest

conversation over the scene below, for as I drew near, Miss Sackett

turned to me and said with some show of contempt in her voice:--

"Your captain was very kind to send us your volunteer, and we appreciate

it, Mr. Rolling. Perhaps the reason he had no more men offer their

services for a dangerous mission was because he was short of irons."

"If you mean that American sailors have to be ironed into danger, you are

mistaken," I answered, somewhat nettled. "However, I quite agree with you

in regard to this one as an awkward fellow. Better wait and see how he

acts in time of danger before condemning him."

I had not the heart to tell her what a ruffian they had turned loose upon

her father. It would do little good, for Sackett had passed his word to

make Andrews second in command, and I knew from what I had seen of this

religious skipper, that he would keep it at any cost. As for Chips,

myself, and the rest of the men, seven of the _Sovereign's_ crew and

ourselves, we were simply passengers, as Mr. Bell had informed us. We had

no right whatever to take any part in affairs aboard, for the salvage

would fall to those who elected to stay.

Captain Sackett moved away from me as I stood talking to his daughter and

showed he did not wish to discuss Andrews. He went to the edge of the

poop and stared down on the main deck where the water surged to and fro

with the swell. He had a badly wrecked ship under him, and there was

little time to lose getting her in better condition, for a sudden blow

might start to break her up, or roll the seas over her so badly that no

one could live aboard.

I stood for some minutes talking to the young girl, and when her father

spoke to me she held out her hand, smiling. "We'll be shipmates now and

you'll have a chance to show what a Yankee sailor can do. I believe in

heroes--when they're civil," she added.

"Unfortunately for the worshipper of heroes, there is a great deal left

to the goddess Chance, in the picking of them," I answered. "Admiration

for human beings should not be hysterical."

"From the little I've seen of men during the six voyages I've made around

the world in this ship with papa, your advice is somewhat superfluous,"

she said, with the slightest raising of the eyebrows. Then she went aft

to the taffrail and stood gazing into the fog astern.

"Mr. Rolling," said Sackett, "there's no use of thinking about leaving

the ship while the fog lasts, now. You might have made the _Pirate_ by

close reckoning before, but she must have changed her bearings fully a

half a dozen points since you started. She's under canvas, and this

breeze will send her along at least six knots and drift her two with her

yards aback. You might as well take hold here and get some of your men to

lend a hand. The foremast is still alongside, and we might get a jury rig

on her without danger of heeling her on her bilge. She's well loaded, the

oil and light stuff on top, so she won't be apt to turn turtle."

It was as he said. We were all in the same ship, so as to speak, wrecked

and water-logged to the southward of the Cape. The best thing to do was

to take it in the right spirit and fall to work without delay, getting

her in as shipshape condition as possible. The fog might last a week, and

the _Pirate_ might get clear across the equator before stopping a second

time in her course. I knew that even Trunnell would not wait more than a

few hours; for if we did not turn up then, it was duff to dog's-belly, as

the saying went, that we wouldn't heave in sight at all. The ocean is a

large place for a small boat to get lost in, and without compass or

sextant there would be little chance for her to overhaul a ship standing

along a certain course.

The dense vapor rolled in cool masses over the wreck, and the gentle

breeze freshened so that the topsail, which still drew fair from the

yard, bellied out and strained away taut on a bowline, taking the wind

from almost due north, or dead away from the Cape. The _Sovereign_ shoved

through it log-wise under the pull, the swell roaring and gurgling along

her sunken channels and through her water ports. She was making not more

than a mile an hour, or hardly as fast as a man could swim, yet on she

went, and as she did so, she was leaving behind our last hope of being

picked up.