For a moment I could not believe my senses. I fell like a person in a
dreadful dream. What, Jim gone! The brig again dismasted, and I left
alone on board her with the body of our dead captain! I was recalled to
myself by hearing a faint shout, and looking over the stern I saw my old
friend struggling amidst the waves some distance off.
My first impulse was to leap into the sea and swim to his rescue, but
then the thought happily came to me that if I did we should be unable to
regain the vessel; so, instead, crying out, "Keep up, Jim--keep up, I'll
help you!" I did what was far more likely to prove effectual--I unrove
the peak-halliards, cutting them clear with my knife, and fastened one
end to the wooden grating over the cabin sky-light. This I threw
overboard, and as I feared that the halliards would not prove long
enough, I bent on another rope to them. The grating appeared to be
dropping astern very fast; and yet Jim, who was swimming strongly,
seemed to be nearing it very slowly, by which I knew that the brig must
still, urged on by the impetus she had before received, be moving
through the water. Securing the line, I therefore put down the helm,
and completely stopped her way. All was done faster than I have
described it.
Springing back to the taffrail, with straining eyes I watched Jim, for
more I could not do to help him, except to give an occasional shout to
cheer him up. The dreadful thought came that there might be sharks
about, or that his strength might fail him before he could reach the
grating. I did more than cheer, though--I prayed to God with all my
soul that Jim might be saved. Often he seemed scarcely to be moving
through the water--now he threw himself on his back to rest--then he
once more struck bravely out, replying as he did so to my cheer. At
length he got near the grating. My heart gave a bound of joy as I saw
him seize it, when he gradually drew himself up and lay flat on its
surface, the best way for making it afford him support.
With a shout to Jim to hold on, I began to haul in the raft till I
brought it under the quarter.
"Wait a minute, Jim, while I get a tackle ready to haul you on board," I
cried out.
This did not take me the time I said, and forming a bowline I lowered it
to him. He seemed so exhausted that I was afraid lest in trying to pass
it over his shoulders he might slide off the grating; and I was about to
go down to assist him, when, seeing the rope, he slipped his arms
through it and exclaimed, "Haul away, Peter."
I was not long in obeying him, it may be supposed, and I almost cried
with joy as I had him at length safe on deck. I knew that the first
thing now to be done was to get off his wet clothes, and to give him a
restorative, but I had a hard job to carry him below, as he could not
help himself.
"Never mind, Peter," he said, faintly; "I shall soon be all to rights
again." But I was not going to leave him in the cold air on deck, so
going first, I let him slip gradually down the companion-ladder, and
then stripping off his clothes, in a short time had him snug between the
blankets. I then quickly relighted the fire and warmed up the broth I
had before cooked, while I hung up Jim's clothes to dry.
The hot broth seemed greatly to restore him, but as he was pretty well
worn out before he had gone overboard, it is no wonder that as soon as
the basin was emptied he fell fast asleep. I had not stopped to ask him
how the accident had occurred, but I suspected, as I afterwards found
was the case, that as the masts fell a rope had somehow or other caught
his legs and whisked him overboard. He was, however, never very clear
how it happened.
Having performed my duties below, and taken some food, which I greatly
needed, I went on deck. It was still blowing fresh, but there was not
much sea on, and the brig lay like a log on the water. To my great
relief I found that none of the spars or sails had been lost, all of
them having fallen inboard, so I set to work to secure them as well as I
could, knowing that till Jim was strong enough to help me I could do
nothing towards getting up the masts again.
I did not for a moment contemplate giving up the struggle. I next went
down into the fore-peak to see if our arrangements for keeping out the
water were secure. Nothing had moved. Still, as I knew that the water
must be coming in and might gain upon us dangerously, I took a spell at
pumping. This pretty well exhausted all my remaining strength, yet
before turning in to get some rest there was another thing to be done.
We might be in the track of some vessel or other, and should the night
prove dark might be run down and sent to the bottom while we were
asleep. I therefore trimmed the lamp in one of the lanterns, and with
great labour having lashed a spar to the stump of the foremast, hoisted
the lantern to the top of it. This done I could do no more, and
crawling into my cabin was soon fast asleep in my berth.
I slept tranquilly, knowing that He who had hitherto preserved us was
watching over us still. I was awakened by the clanking sound of the
pump. It was broad daylight; Jim was not in his berth, and on springing
on deck there I saw him in his shirt and trowsers hard at work, forcing
up the water at a great rate.
"I'm all to rights, Peter," he said, in a cheerful tone, "and as I
guessed that you had been up long after I went to sleep, I thought as
how I would take a spell at the pump before rousing you up."
Thanking him for his thoughtfulness, I seized the other brake and pumped
till my arms ached.
"Now, Peter, we must see about getting up the masts again," he said,
when he saw me knock off.
"You want some breakfast first, and so do I," I answered. "We'll then
set to work with a will."
We took some food, which rested and refreshed us, and then commenced the
task we had undertaken.
The wind had again fallen. What there was of it was fair, and the sea
was almost as smooth as a mill-pond. Had it been rough we could
scarcely have attempted the work. We had first to unreeve all the
ropes, and unbend all the sails. We then selected two much stouter
spars than before for fresh masts, got the standing rigging over their
heads, and by means of tackles got them set up to the stumps of the fore
and main masts, next securing them much more effectually we hoped than
the former jury-masts had been, with light spars of different lengths
lashed round them, and additional backstays.
We made such good progress that by night we were almost ready to hoist
the sails, having all the time rested only for a few minutes to obtain
some food and then going on again.
Nature, however, at last gave way, and if we stopped for a moment we
went fast asleep with a rope or marlinespike in our hands.
"It's no use trying to keep awake, Jim," I said.
He, in a sleepy voice, agreed, and having again hoisted the lantern we
went below to get the rest we so much needed.
The next morning I heard as before the pump going. It was still dark,
but Jim had awoke, and this was always his first thought. I joined him,
and we laboured on till there was light enough to enable us to bend
sails. The wind being fair we soon had them hoisted, and I went to the
helm, Jim pulling and hauling to trim them as required.
It must be understood that everything was done in a rough-and-ready
fashion, but it was the best we could do.
Once more the brig glided on towards the west at the rate, as we
supposed, of three or four knots an hour. Jim, having done all that was
required, took my place at the helm while I went below to get some food
for breakfast. As I was unwilling to be off the deck a moment longer
than was necessary, without stopping to light the fire I brought up a
supply of provisions and water to last us for some time, as also some
cloaks and blankets. We agreed that we must content ourselves with cold
water, and ham, and cheese, and bread, and be thankful, remembering how
many poor fellows had been much worse off than we were.
We ate a hearty meal, I feeding Jim while he steered. He did not appear
to have suffered from his long swim, except that he complained of being
very sleepy. I therefore advised him to lie down on the coats and
blankets I had brought on deck to get some rest, while I took his place
at the helm, promising to call him should the breeze freshen and it
become necessary to shorten sail. He agreed and I steered on, now
looking at the compass, now at the canvas, and now all around on the
chance of a vessel appearing from which we might learn our position. I
own that I should have been very unwilling for any one to have come on
board to take the brig into harbour, for we both thought how proud we
should feel if we could carry her in ourselves without help. Still, for
the sake of the owners we could not, we had agreed, refuse assistance
should it be offered us. At last my eyes began to close, and it was
with the greatest difficulty that I could keep them open, or prevent
myself from sinking down on the deck. I was, therefore, very thankful
when I saw Jim begin to move. I uttered his name. He was on his feet
in an instant.
"I'll take a spell at the pump first," he said, rubbing his eyes and
looking round, especially ahead; "then I'll come to the helm."
Talking to him aroused me a little, and I was able to hold on till he
relieved me. I was almost asleep before I sank down on the blanket,
only just hearing him say, "We must keep a bright look-out ahead, for we
ought soon to be making the land."
That sleep did me a great deal of good. We agreed that we would both
take as much as we could during the day, that we might be more
wide-awake at night. I had observed that there was something on Jim's
mind, and while we were at supper, soon after sunset, I asked him what
it was.
"Why, you see, as I said afore, I wish that our old skipper was, somehow
or other, out of the ship. Now if you are willing, Peter, I'll sew him
up all comfortable like in an old sail, with a pig of iron at the feet;
and as you are a better scholar than I am, you can say the prayers over
him while we lower him overboard, and to my mind he'll be just as well
off as he would be ashore."
I reminded Jim that he had before consented to our keeping the body as
long as we could, but knowing that his superstitious ideas induced him
to make the proposal, and that he was really uncomfortable, I agreed to
bury our skipper at the end of three days if we did not by that time
sight the land.
The night and another day went by, the wind still holding fair. I
pointed out to Jim how thankful we should be for this, as I was certain
that in the latitude where we were there was seldom so long a
continuance of fine weather. He, however, was far from easy in his
mind. He was sure, he said, that we ought to have seen the land before
this, and was continually, when not working the pump, going forward to
look out for it.
"I knows that England is an island, as the song says, `Our right little,
tight little island;' and don't you think that somehow we may have
passed to the nor'ard of it, and be going away into the Atlantic?"
"I hope not," I answered; "for if so we shall not get into port till we
have run right across it; but I am sure the captain never intended us to
do that when he told us to steer west; I think rather that we have not
been going as fast as we supposed. I'll heave the log and try, though
it will be a difficult job to do so."
I got out the reel and glass. The latter I gave to Jim to hold with one
hand, while he steered with the other. The handle of the reel I managed
to put into a hole in the shattered bulwarks, so that it could run round
easily. I then took the log-ship in my right hand and hove it.
"Turn!" I cried.
"Turn!" said Jim.
The line ran slowly out.
"Stop!" cried Jim.