IN PERIL BY WATER.
"All aboard!" said Roger.
"Ay! ay! Captain!" said Hildegarde, cheerily. She handed in the
groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile
away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank
with one motion to her seat.
Roger nodded approvingly. "You are perfect in your entrances!" he
said. "Some day I shall have to drill you in your exits, as I did
the girls."
"What do you mean?" asked Hilda. "Don't I get out properly?"
"Quite well enough for ordinary occasions. But I made the girls
put on their bathing-dresses, and then took them out and tipped
them over, so that they would know just what to do."
"Thank you kindly. As I have not my bathing-dress on to-day,
please don't give me a lesson just now."
They paddled on in silence; the two had become fast friends since
the day of Madge's visit, and had had many pleasant paddles
together. Hildegarde looked about her, at peace with all the
world. Pollock's Cove was a thousand miles away, and there was
nothing to break the spirit of peace that brooded over the water.
Are you so sure, Hilda?
The girl's face was set toward the land; she saw the wooded island
with its fringe of silver birches standing like sentinels to guard
the water's edge; she saw the lovely tangle of asters and golden-rod that gave it its name of Royal Island, and the strip of sand
on which the waves were lapping gently; but she saw nothing of the
west behind her.
"What are you watching so earnestly, Captain?" she said presently.
"No boats, I hope?"
"No, no boats! we may have a shower by-and-bye; but I hope we
shall get home in time."
It was a curious sky that Roger was watching. The day had been
smoky throughout, with ragged brown clouds hanging about the
horizon, and thunder muttering low in the distance. The smoky
fringe might well come from the forest fires which were raging in
a neighbouring district, Roger thought, and the thunder was an
every-day matter of hot weather; but now the clouds were beginning
to thicken at one point, and their ragged edges turned to firmer
roundings, and their hue was fast deepening to black. Roger
paddled with strong, even strokes, and the canoe flew over the
water. The distant thunder-growl took on a more insistent voice,
and every now and then came a long rolling note, which seemed to
pass on and over their heads.
"'Hear now how dey roll de great balls about,'" quoted Hildegarde.
"If we were in the Catskills, we might look out for Hendrik Hudson
and his men, after such a peal as that."
"I am afraid we may have to look out for ourselves!" said Roger,
laughing. "I begin to feel rather doubtful about getting home
before the storm, Miss Hilda."
"It is growing dark, isn't it?" said Hilda, innocently. "Will it
be much of a shower, do you think, Captain?"
"Well,--I think we may observe slight alterations in the
atmospheric conditions. You are not afraid of a squall?"
"No, indeed! only tell me what I must do."
"Nothing but sit still--the hardest thing for some people to do;
but I have noticed that you are not fidgety. Is your hat securely
fastened?"
"As securely as my head!"
"That is well. Stand by, then, and be ready, for it is coming
pretty near."
Roger was used to every variety of weather, but he had been wholly
unprepared for the velocity of the storm which was moving down the
lake. The clouds, which, a moment before, it seemed, had been
merely a thickening of the general smoky condition, were now
gathered into a heavy mass, dense blackness fringed with a misty
gleam. It came sweeping over the water toward them, devouring the
sunlight. A rushing sound was heard, that rose into a roar.
"Steady, now!" said Roger. "Steady, child! and don't be
frightened. Here it comes!"
Next moment they were struck, beaten, blinded. For a moment
Hildegarde struggled for breath, so furious was the onset of the
storm; she crouched low in the canoe, but remained perfectly
still. The wind tore at them as if with frantic hands that sought
their life; the water hissed under them, raced past them madly. No
waves could rise under the raging gale, but black flaw after flaw
flew along the surface of the lake. The rain fell in torrents; the
falling streams were caught by the wind, tossed hither and
thither, twisted into fantastic shapes of spray, sent flying
forward, forward with the storm.
No glimpse of land could be seen now; the night was around them,--night gone mad, and they helpless toys in its grasp. Helpless? No!
for Roger's strong arm kept the tiny boat steady, as she drove
before the wind. His face was streaming with rain, his fair hair
tossed wildly over his brow, but his look was steadfast as ever,
and now and then he glanced at Hildegarde and smiled
encouragement. Bewildered at first, Hildegarde felt no fear, and
presently, seeing the quiet confidence of her companion, a wild
exhilaration possessed her. She had read of this kind of thing; it
had been a dream, a picture in her mind always; now she was
wrapped in the great storm, almost a part of it, borne along on
its wings like the birds that beat their wings past her upon the
gale. The lightning, which till now had shaken quivering lances of
flame across the black water, a flash, then darkness, then again a
flash, now became continuous, playing in lambent flames amid the
blackness, lighting up the wild turmoil of wind and wave and
cloud. The thunder rolled without pause,--overhead, around,
beneath them. Crash! boom! crash! And all the while the water
hissed past them; all the while the wind buffeted and shook them,
and the rain lashed their faces with stinging whips. The frail
canoe quivered like a living thing in mortal terror. What would be
the end?
The end came soon enough. Hildegarde was suddenly brought down
from her airy castle of storm-wrapped bliss by hearing Roger's
voice, high-pitched to carry across the uproar, saying with calm
emphasis, "Take off your shoes! We shall very likely go over when
we round this point. If we do, strike out at once, and swim till I
get hold of you."
Hildegarde nodded, and pulled off her low shoes; then she tried to
think how it would feel to be flung into this mad water. The next
moment the wind, which had lulled for an instant,--or had it only
recoiled to take a fresh spring?--the wind rushed out of the
darkness, and caught the canoe. It was a breathless struggle, man
against the powers of air and of water. Hilda saw the powerful
arms braced like steel to meet the onset, saw the quiet face set
like marble, clenched teeth and frowning brow,--and saw no more,
for here the canoe, having borne all that birch-bark could bear,
capsized, and the girl found herself in the black water.
Down, down, down! Was she going to the bottom? She struck out
blindly, as she had been told, trying to keep her thoughts
together. They said that drowning was pleasant; but she did not
want to drown. Should she ever be able to breathe again? Her dress
clung about her ankles, the water hummed and buzzed in her ears,
in her nostrils; but still she swam bravely. Suddenly she felt a
strong arm thrown round her, and in another moment her head was
out of water. Oh, the blessed air of heaven! how she drank it in,
in deep, gasping breaths! Just to be alive, to breathe, was
happiness enough. Roger was swimming strongly and steadily with
one arm, holding her with the other. He caught the paddle in his
teeth as it floated by, and at first Hildegarde could think of
nothing but how funny he looked, like a great fair-haired dog
swimming about. He had righted the canoe, and now flung the paddle
into it, and turned to Hildegarde. "All right? Thank Heaven! Take
hold by the bow, and I will tow you ashore."
"I can swim," said Hildegarde. "I am all right, truly. Can't I
swim on the other side and help her along, instead of hindering?"
"To be sure. Hurrah for you!"
Hilda grasped the canoe with her left hand and tried to swim with
her right. She could do little, however, against the furious
battling of wind and wave; and Captain Roger set his teeth, and
wondered whether he was going to be beaten this time. "I won't!"
he said aloud to the storm; and shook his head, lion-like, and
braced his strong shoulders, and swam on grimly. A few moments of
silent, breathless fighting, the wind screeching, like Bedlam
loose, the foam driving and hissing, the lightning blazing,
incessant, maddening.
Could they reach the shore? Hildegarde asked herself. Was this
only prolonging the agony, dragging this brave man to death with
her, on her account? If he were not hampered with her, he would
have been safe on shore before this. If she were a girl in a
story-book, she would loose her hold now, and sink silently; but
she was not a girl in a story-book. She was a very real Hilda
Grahame, and she did not want to sink. And how could our poor
Hilda know that the Merryweather obstinacy was roused, and that
Roger meant to save her and himself, and the canoe, too, if he had
to swim across the lake to do it? But now she heard him cry out,
in a joyful tone: "Courage, little girl! here we are, all right!"
Next moment,--oh, joy! oh, wonder past belief! she felt the ground
beneath her feet. She was walking, standing upright on the good,
solid, blessed earth. The canoe touched bottom, grazed, floated
again, then grounded gently and was still.
"Shake yourself as well as you can," said Roger, "while I haul her
up. So, now then! under this, and here we are!"
In the turn of a hand he hauled the canoe up on the sand, turned
it over, and drew Hildegarde beneath the shelter. A clump of
bushes broke the force of the wind, so they could breathe in
peace, without having to fight for every breath.
For a few minutes they sat in silence, panting, dripping, gazing
at each other with dilated eyes. Their thoughts were utterly
irrelevant, as thoughts are apt to be after a great crisis. Roger
was thinking that a pretty face looked much prettier wet than dry,
and compared apples and flowers; Hildegarde wondered if Saint
Bernard dogs could swim. "Because Newfoundlands are black, you
know," she found herself saying aloud in an explanatory tone.
"I beg your pardon!" said Roger, remorsefully. "I--I am afraid you
are very wet."
Hildegarde felt that she must either cry or laugh, so she laughed.
"If it were not for you, Captain, I should not be alive now. I
should have gone down, down,--and the water was so black. Was it
ever anything but black in that place?" Her voice shook, but she
pulled herself together instantly. "Why do you look troubled,
Captain?" she asked. "The island is solid, isn't it?"
"You are so wet!" said Roger again, more ruefully than before.
"No wetter than you!" said Hilda, with a little laugh. Indeed,
they were both streaming with water, and looked like a merman and
mermaid very much out of their element.
"I? Oh, I never know whether I am wet or dry. But it is different
for you; you will take cold, or--or something, won't you?"
"You are afraid I shall melt?" asked Hildegarde. She stooped down
and gathered her skirt together, wringing little floods of water
from it. "No, I don't think I shall melt, really, Captain. Do I
look as if I were melting?"
"You look--" began Roger, and stopped suddenly, and then wondered
why he stopped, and told himself he was an ass.
"Speaking of melting, reminds me," he said, laughing. He felt in
his pockets, and produced a small parcel. "I hope this is not
melted. No, it is all right. Have some chocolate, and let us make
merry on our desert island! See! the worst of the squall is over.
It is lightening already; I can see the nearest island."
"Yes, and the water begins to show grey, instead of all black and
white. But has this really been nothing more than a squall,
Captain Roger?"
"Oh, if you like the dignities of meteorology, I think we might
very properly call this a tornado."
"A tornado! I have been out in a tornado! And how splendid it all
is!"
Roger laughed again. "Splendid, eh? So it is! Rather good fun,
too, now we are on dry land."
"Glorious fun!" cried Hildegarde.
The water still raced past at their feet; the rain still poured
down, the thunder cracked and roared and bellowed, and the
lightning blazed. But under the canoe it was really quite dry,
considering; and the chocolate was excellent, and, on the whole,
both Hildegarde and Roger thought well of tornadoes.
Meanwhile, there were some anxious faces at the camp. The storm
had broken there as suddenly as out on the lake. Bell and Gertrude
were out fishing, but fortunately near the shore, and they reached
home just as the fury broke loose. Obadiah and Ferguson were blown
in on the gale, turning handsprings as they came, and singing
"Oh, I'd give a sight
For to be a kite
When the wind is howly-wowling!"
Willy and Kitty were discovered, after a few minutes' anxious
search, under the great apple-tree, in high glee because it was
raining apples, and the wind would mash them, and the lightning
would cook them, and there was no need of coming home to tea, with
apple-sauce growing on every tree. Being hoisted on the shoulders
of the twins, they changed their point of view, and turning into
Arabs mounted on camels, capered joyously into the house, to
escape the sand-storm of the desert. Mr. Merryweather, who was
spending a day or two in camp, came in from the boathouse, where
he was tinkering boats as usual. The whole party sat down, wet and
dishevelled, and drew breath as they looked at each other.
"Well, this is a visitation!" said Mr. Merryweather. "Why didn't
some of you tell me what was going on?"
"None of us knew till we found our faces slapped and our hair
pulled out," said Bell. "This is a surprise-party, I think, got up
for our special benefit."
"Are we all here?" asked Mrs. Merryweather. "Let me count! One,
two, three, four, five, six, and you and I, Miles, make eight. But
where are Roger and Hilda?"
"Out in the Cheemaun!" was the reply in chorus. There was a
general exclamation of dismay, then each one commented in his
fashion.
"Cricky!" said Phil. "The Professor will have a great chance for
meteoro-lolli-lolli-logical observations, won't he?"
"I fear, my gentle Roger,
You'll be as wet as Bodger!"
said Gerald.
"Who is Bodger?" asked little Kitty.
"Bodger, my blessed child, was a stodger, and a codger, and a very
artful dodger; he carried his bones to David Jones, and asked to
be took as a lodger."
"Do be quiet, Jerry!" said Bell. "Father, can the canoe stand such
a gale as this?"
"And Hilda had on her BEST DRESS!" said Kitty, with tragic
emphasis.
"Ho! Hilda doesn't care for dresses!" said Willy, scornfully. "I
got wheel-grease all over her skirt, the other day, and she didn't
say a word."
"I do feel anxious, Miles," said Mrs. Merryweather. "This is an
awful gale."
"Pooh! pooh!" said her husband. "Roger knows how to take care of
himself, and Hilda too. Boys, is the skiff well moored?"
The boys knew it was, but thought it would be well to see, and
disappeared by handsprings into the darkness. A double splash,
followed by joyous shouts, announced their arrival on and
departure from the wharf; and they shortly reappeared, dripping
and gleeful.
"Boys, how can you!" exclaimed their mother. "This is the fifth
time you have been in to-day; besides, I have just tidied up this
room. Go away with you, and drip in the tent."
"He pushed me off, and I pulled him in!" said Phil, in
explanation. "Very sorry, shall not occur again."
"I wanted to see how deep the water was," said Gerald. "Very
important, you know, to take soundings in a storm."
"Still more important to quicken the circulation after a cold
bath," said Mr. Merryweather, taking up a leather strap from the
table. The boys shrieked, and vanished through the window in a
fine harlequin act.
The lightning blazed incessantly, the wind howled and roared about
the camp, and the thunder pounded and smashed the clouds overhead.
Bell and her mother drew closer together, and Kitty nestled down
between them, and held a hand of each, "to keep herself safe."
"If the lightning strikes the camp, what shall we do?" asked
Willy.
"I think we shall be very likely to keep still!" said his father,
dryly.
"Miles, how can you?" said Mrs. Merryweather. "I wonder you can
joke, with those two children out in the canoe in this horror!"
"My dear, I would gladly weep, if I thought it would be of any
assistance to Roger; as it is, I rather fancy he is quite as well
off as we are, if not bet--"
Crack! The world turned to blue light, showing a ring of ghastly
faces, looking terror at each other; then the sky fell, and all
was night.
"All speak who are unhurt!" said Mr. Merryweather's calm voice;
and no one would have guessed the anguish of suspense in which he
waited for the reply. But it came in a chorus: "Miranda!" "Bell!"
"Gertrude!" "Will!" "Kitty!"
"Thank God!" said Miles Merryweather. "That was a close call.
Boys, are you all right?" He stepped to the window as he spoke.
"All right, father!" For once the boys' voices sounded grave; as
the pall of darkness lifted, they entered, very pale, and holding
each other tightly by the hand. "The big oak is struck!" they
said. "Shivered into kindling-wood. We were just going to climb
it, to look at the storm."
"We don't like this!" said Gerald. "We feel very much
uncomfortable inside us, and we want our mother."
And sure enough, the two tall fellows sat down on the floor by
their mother, and put their heads in her lap; and she patted the
curly heads, and talked to them soothingly, and forgot that they
were not still her little lads, whom she had rocked in her arms
together many and many a time.
"Your nerves are upset," said their father. "Always the case when
a stroke comes so near as that. If you ever feel inclined to climb
a tree in a thunderstorm again, just mention it to me, and I will
see to you." He spoke lightly, but he took occasion to pass near
the boys, and laid his hand on them, as if to make sure that they
were really there and safe, and rubbed their shoulders and gave
them a little affectionate slap.
For a while they sat quiet, for all were still quivering from the
blow that had passed so near them. Gradually the fury of the storm
abated; the lightning ceased to play continuously, and though each
separate flash was still terribly vivid, yet the pauses between
gave strength and refreshment to the wearied eyes and nerves. The
great shocks of thunder rolled heavily, but still farther and
farther away. The storm was moving off across the lake, and one
thought was in the hearts of all--the birch canoe. How was it with
those two, alone in that frail boat in the wild tempest? It seemed
hours that they sat there, waiting and listening. At length--"It
is lighter now," said Mr. Merryweather. "Come, boys, let us go
down to the wharf, and see what we can see. Hark! what was that?"
For a moment every heart stood still. Then Mrs. Merryweather began
to cry, and Bell and Gertrude and Kitty all fell into her arms and
round her neck, and sobbed in chorus; but the boys started to
their feet with a wild "Hurrah!" and dashed out of the house,
followed by their father and Willy. For now, clearer every moment
and clearer, came ringing across the water the words of the Skye
Boat Song, sung by joyous voices of a youth and a maiden.
"Speed, bonny boat, like a bird on the wing,
Onward, the sailors cry.
Carry the lad that's born to be king
Over the sea to Skye."
"But Roger is not a king!" said Gerald, with a queer little break
in his voice. "He is only a codger!"