JOSHUA IS PROMOTED.
When daylight came--and oh, how they watched for it, and prayed for
it!--they saw clearly their great peril. The ship was rolling amongst
a mass of sharp rocks jutting upwards from the sea. They saw the
points of these rocks on all sides of them; but no friendly land was
in view.
"The ship is lost," said Captain Liddle to Joshua whom he looked upon
as his right-hand; "she is breaking up fast. Our next chance is the
boats."
It was a wonder indeed how the "Merry Andrew" had kept together during
the night, with the tremendous beating she had received from the
rocks; if she had been in deep water, she must inevitably have sunk.
Joshua had told Captain Liddle of the understanding between Scadbolt
and the Lascar, as overhead by Minnie; and now the captain walked to
where the two conspirators were standing in conversation with other
sailors. Scadbolt was endeavoring to persuade them to seize the jolly
boat, and leave the passengers to shift for themselves.
"What is that you are saying?" cried the captain breaking in amongst
them, and grasping Scadbolt by the shoulder with a grasp of iron.
"More incitings to mutiny! Take heed, sir! Give me but a little
stronger cause--nay, dare to lay a finger upon boats or provisions
without leave--and, by God, I'll throw you into the sea!"
"Will you stand this, men?" shouted Scadbolt, writhing in the
captain's grasp.
The Lascar made a movement towards the captain, and the glitter of a
knife flashed in the light; but a blow from Joshua sent him reeling,
and in an instant the knife was torn from his hand.
"Remember!" said Joshua in a low voice. "You had a lesson from me
years ago. What the captain does to Scadbolt, I do to you, you
treacherous cur."
"I remember," muttered the Lascar, presenting the singular aspect of a
man cowed by fear and raging with furious passion at the same time, "I
swore to have your heart's blood, and I'll have it! Look you! the end
has not yet come. Give me my knife."
Joshua looked at the knife; it was one-bladed, with a clasp--one of
the articles, indeed, which the Lascar had wrested from Solomon
Fewster's fears.
"You asked me once before for a knife I took from you," he said; "then
I broke it before I gave it back. But this--this I mean to keep."
"Now then my men," cried the captain, in a cheery voice, "this is the
second time that this damned rascal has tried to step between you and
me. What I feared then has happened now. The ship is breaking up, and
can't hold together for many days, and if the weather gets worse, may
break up in a day. There are certain chances in our favor, every one
of which will be destroyed unless we act in friendly concert and like
men. This scoundrel has tried to make you believe that your interests
and the interests of the passengers are in opposition. He lies! I
declare to you, as a captain and a man" (if he had said a gentleman,
all would have been ruined), "that your lives and your safety are as
dear to me, as those of anybody else on board--except my wife," he
said softly yet stoutly, and murmurs of "Bravo, skipper! Bravo you're
a man!" broke even from the lips of those sailors who were most
disposed to be won over by Scadbolt. "Well then, you hear me declare
now, as I have declared before, that I mean you fair. And I declare
moreover, that our only chance of safety is in union. Once again--With
me,--or Against me?"
"With you I with you, skipper!"
During this scene, Joshua did not know that Minnie was standing near
him. Now, releasing the Lascar with warning words, he turned and saw
her. She met his gaze unflinchingly, and a hot blush mantled over her
neck and face. He gazed at her for so long a time, that she drooped
her head before him, and stood in an attitude of pleading. But he
could not doubt the evidence of his senses. Her manner, no less than
her appearance, convinced him. It was Minnie, indeed, who stood before
him.
He covered his eyes with his hand, and staggered to the saloon. If a
thousand despairing and undeserved deaths had stared him in the face,
he could not have been more shocked and bewildered. He sat down and
tried to think. What was the meaning of it? What did they know at
home? What did they, know? What might they suspect? He saw himself and
the Old Sailor together in the boat at Gravesend, and heard that
faithful old friend tell him of Minnie's love for him, and what it was
his duty to do. He had seen his duty clearly then: love for Ellen no
less than duty--affection for his friend and brother, no less than
love and duty--impelled him to the right and honorable course of
making Ellen his wife. And then! Why, within three days of that
consummation of his dearest hope, he and Minnie were together on board
the "Merry Andrew." If they at home knew it, suspected it even, must
they not believe that his whole life was a monstrous lie? that he had
planned, plotted, deceived, schemed, to prove how utterly false he was
to the woman who adored him, to the man who believed in him, to the
kind mother and father who loved him better than Benjamin was loved?
For a few moments he lost all consciousness of present peril. The ship
beat amongst the rocks; the seas dashed over the deck: he heard them
not, felt them not. He took from his breast Ellen's picture and the
lock of hair she had given him at their parting, and kissed them
again and again while his tears ran on them. Strangely enough, there
came to his ears then, in the midst of his agony, his father's hearty
exultant voice, saying, "This is better than being a wood-turner all
one's life, isn't it, Josh?" He shivered and sobbed and cried, "O Dan,
Dan, do not forsake me!" and stretched forth his hands as if his
friend were near. A hand upon his shoulder aroused him, He looked up,
and saw the captain's wife. She was a brave woman, and had done much
during the night to sustain the courage of the others.
"There is a man's work to do on deck," she said to him gravely and
sweetly. "You are not growing faint-hearted?"
"No, my lady," he answered, "not faint-hearted at the prospect of
death; but I have received a shock worse than death."
She did not stop to ask for an explanation of his meaning--time was
too precious; but she took the picture of Ellen and looked at it.
"My wife, my lady," he said, with a sob.
A troubled expression crossed her features, and she said
encouragingly,--
"Nay, all hope is not gone; we may succeed in reaching land, or some
ship may see us and pick us up. But all private grief must give way
now for the general good. There are not too many faithful men on
board; the lives of others depend on them. If they lose heart, and
yield to the selfishness of their grief, we are lost."
Joshua jumped to his feet and wiped his tears.
"They are not unmanly tears, my lady," he said bravely; "I can justify
them to you when there is no pressing work to do. Thank you for
calling me to my duty."
She smiled brightly on him and shook hands with him. When he got on
deck, the captain was giving orders to lower the jolly-boat; but as
the boat was being lowered, the broken water caught her and splintered
her to pieces. The sailors and passengers looked with dismay at the
fragments of the boat drifting away and dashing against the jagged
rocks. "What next?" they all thought.
"Try the long-boat, men," cried the captain. And in accordance with
his instructions, the long-boat--the only one left--was launched over
the vessel's side; but as she hung in the tackle a huge wave dashed up
and filled her. It was imperative that the water should be bailed out
of her.
"Who will do it?" asked the captain, loath to give an order in which
there was almost certain death. Joshua was about to start forward,
when Minnie's hand upon his arm restrained him. Before he could shake
off the grasp, the first mate, crying, "I'm a single man; I've no wife
and children waiting for me at home!" jumped into the boat up to his
waist in water, and began to bail it out. But he had not bailed out a
dozen gallons when the stern-post was jerked out of the boat, which
was left hanging in the tackle. The shouts of the men and the screams
of the women apprised him of his danger; and as he looked about to see
how he could remedy the disaster, the fore-tackle got adrift, and the
boat was battling with cruel rocks and water. The force of the current
was too powerful for her. The captain threw out lines to the
unfortunate man, but he could not catch them. But if he had, he would
have been bruised to death by the sharp rocks. The moment before he
went down, he waved a good-by to those on board. A long silence
followed. The women looked anxiously at the captain, but saw no hope
in his face. Then with a gesture to all to follow him, he went down to
the saloon, and there read prayers, and commended them to God. He was
not what is understood as a religious man; but knowing the danger in
which they stood, he conceived this to be a duty. That done, he said,
"Men and passengers, we have one chance left, and only one. Out of
our masts and spars we can make a raft sufficiently large to hold all
of us. Then we may be able to reach some friendly land. To stay on
board and wait, and not work, is certain death. Even as it is, a raft
will take us some days to make, and the ship may break to pieces
before it is done. But we must trust to God for that. What we've got
to do is to work like men, for our own sakes, for the sake of the
women, and for the sake of wives and children at home. Some of you
have these, I know. It is not for me, now that we are in such a
strait, to say, do this, or do that; although under any circumstances
I shall insist upon discipline and order. I can't make you work, and
therefore I submit for your approval the plan I think best for general
safety. Have any of you a better one to propose?"
"No, no!" was the unanimous cry.
"Very well; then we'll determine upon this. And for the better
carrying out of our design, I appoint Mr. Marvel second in command. He
is first mate now. If any thing happens to me, you will look to him.
When the raft is made, and safely launched--if it please God that it
shall be so--we will set down necessary rules for all on board. Until
that time there is but one rule--to work. Every man on board must
work--passengers and all; and every man must aid me in preserving
order."
The captain's manly speech infused hope into every heart; and
exclamations of "Good!" "Bravo skipper!" "Well said, sir!" followed
his last words.
"One other thing," he said, in a more determined voice: "to my certain
knowledge, we have unfortunately among us two men who have endeavored
to spread dissatisfaction and add to our confusion. I will not point
out these men; they are known to me and all of you. They are men,
though, as we are, so far as the value of life to each of us goes; and
it is only fair that they should have equal chances with us. But this
I declare, by my dear wife's life! If these men do not work, and if
they attempt any thing that is not for the general good, I will shoot
them with my own hand! Now then, to the deck!"
Not a man among them who did not take off his coat and set to work
with a will. There were a great many loose spars on board, which, with
the mizenmast, were found to be sufficient for their purpose. They
tried to cut down the mainmast; but there was so much danger in the
attempt that it was relinquished. For three days they worked like
slaves. The rocks served as a resting-place for the ends of the
largest spars, which were firmly lashed together and nailed; the light
and short spars were used for the centre of the raft, upon which a
kind of platform was raised on which many of the shipwrecked persons
could lie out of the water; a mast, to carry sails was also rigged up.
The raft was not finished too soon; they could not have stopped
another day on the ship. While the work was going on, three of the
sailors lost their lives, so that already their number was lessened by
four. The raft being ready, it was launched with great difficulty. The
next anxious question was provisions; and the result of their inquiry
blanched many a cheek. All the bread was spoiled by the salt water,
and most of the preserved meat had been lost, in consequence of having
been brought on deck when they tried to launch the boats. They also
made another disheartening discovery. They could only find two small
kegs to hold water. Still, when the first shock of these discoveries
was over, they were borne bravely, almost cheerfully. The women,
excepting Rachel Homebush, were the cause of this; they smiled upon
the workers, encouraged them, and made them hopeful in spite of
themselves. Even Mrs. Pigeon recovered some of her good spirits; and
knowing that her merry laugh was a comfort to the men, she laughed
often when she was not inclined for mirth. The little child, Emma, was
the only truly happy one of the party, and her presence drove away
many a hard thought. Rough-and-Ready had his anxious intervals, but he
worked with a will. Between him and Joshua a strong attachment sprung
up; each admired the manliness of the other. He was also particularly
kind to Minnie, and she grew accustomed to look upon him with
confidence, and to trust in him. The night before the raft was
launched, Joshua persuaded Captain Liddle to take a night's rest.
"It will be all the better for you and all of us, sir," said Joshua.
"But you too, Marvel," said Captain Liddle, "you want rest as much as
I. I don't believe you have had two hours' sleep since we struck."
This was really true; both Joshua and the captain had been in
defatigable.
"Never mind me, sir," said Joshua, with a sad sweet smile. "You have
your wife to attend to. Besides, I promise that I will rest to-morrow
night, if you will give me leave."
"You are a noble fellow, Marvel;" and Captain Liddle gazed admiringly
at the young sailor. "I have often wondered how you acquired certain
qualities that are not common to the ordinary sailor."
"I don't know, sir; I doubt if they were ever in me. They must have
been put there by my friend Dan, who is nobleness itself."
"Dan? Ah! the lame boy with the wonderful birds; that I saw at your
house. I liked his face."
"He is the dearest fellow"--Joshua turned away his head.
The next day the provisions and the charts and instruments, and many
things that would be useful, such as blankets, tools, and writing
materials, were stowed safely on the raft. Of the provisions there was
a very small store: twenty tins of preserved meat, a small quantity of
sugar, about a gallon of rum, and two kegs of water. By the time every
thing useful was stowed away and secured, and the passengers were
safely on the raft, it was evening, and within three hours the "Merry
Andrew" broke completely up. The raft, having parted its moorings,
forced by the strong current, was carried to sea, and the passengers
watched the last of the ship with unmixed feelings of sadness. The
women shed tears, and all of them, men and women, felt as if they had
lost a friend. When the vessel was out of sight a stronger feeling of
desolation stole upon the unhappy group, and Rough-and-Ready had many
looks of astonishment cast upon him as he rubbed his hands and said in
a cheerful voice, "This is splendid. Now we can be comfortable." But
it was well for them that they had some stout hearts on board.
The direct allusion made by Captain Liddle to Scadbolt and the Lascar
had had its effect upon those worthies; they knew that their lives
depended upon their conduct. But they found means to exchange
confidences, and they resolved to revenge themselves on both Joshua
and the captain when opportunity served. "Wait till we make land,"
said Scadbolt; "they shall smart then the pair of them. I'll teach
both of them the meaning of 'general good!'" The Lascar's old feeling
of hate for Joshua had been revived in all its intensity by the late
scene between them.
"I'll have my knife back," he muttered to himself as he lay on the
raft the first night, at a little distance from Joshua, watching him
with venomous looks, "and his heart's blood with it."
Not a movement, not a glance, escaped Minnie's notice. Aware of the
feelings of hate entertained by the Lascar for Joshua, she set herself
the task of watching over Joshua's safety. He, overpowered by fatigue,
had been persuaded by the captain to take some sleep, and when he lay
down Minnie crept to his side and remained there during the night. He
slept long and peacefully through the solemn night and after the gray
morning had dawned, dreaming of home, of Dan and Ellen, and murmuring
their names with a smile upon his lips.