By the roaring sound they heard when they awoke, the lads knew that the
storm was still raging.
They ate sparingly of their store of food for breakfast; and then
calculating that it must be once more daylight, they made their way
towards the mouth of the cavern. They were not mistaken as to its being
day, but how long the sun had risen they could not tell, as the sky was
still thickly overcast with clouds.
The sea was washing, as before, heavily into the cavern, throwing up all
sorts of articles, among which were a number of oranges, melons, and
other fruits of a southern clime.
The melons were mostly broken, but they got hold of two unbroken, and
very welcome they were. The oranges were mostly green, though a few had
turned sufficiently red to be eaten.
"I would rather have had more substantial food," observed Jack; "but I
am glad enough to get these."
"What's that?" asked Bill, pointing to the opposite side of the cavern,
where a creature was seen struggling in a hollow half filled with water.
Jack dashed across at the risk of being carried off by the receding sea;
and, grasping a large fish, held it up as he rushed away to escape from
the following wave, which came rolling in with a loud roar.
"Here's a prize worth having," he shouted. "Hurrah! we may spend
another week here without fear of starving."
He carried his prize well out of the reach of the water, and a knock on
the head put an end to its struggles.
The lads piled up their various waifs, contemplating them with infinite
satisfaction; but it was evident that what was their gain was somebody
else's loss.
"Some unfortunate ship has gone on shore, or else has thrown her cargo
overboard," observed Bill.
He went first to one side of the cavern, and then to the other, so as to
obtain as wide a prospect as possible.
"See! there's a vessel trying to beat off shore," he exclaimed; and just
then a brig with her foretopmast gone came into view, the sail which she
was still able to carry heeling her over till her yard-arms seemed
almost to touch the foaming summits of the seas.
"She'll not do it, I fear," said Jack, after they had been watching her
for some time. "It's a wonder she doesn't go right over. If the wind
doesn't fall, nothing can save her; and even then, unless she brings up
and her anchors hold, she's sure to be cast on shore."
They watched the vessel for some time. Though carrying every stitch of
canvas she could set, she appeared to be making little headway, and to
be drifting bodily to leeward.
The lads uttered a cry of regret, for down came her mainmast, and
immediately her head turned towards the shore.
In a few minutes she struck, though no rock was visible, and the sea
swept over her deck, carrying her remaining mast, boats, caboose, and
round-house overboard, with every person who could be seen. In an
instant, several human forms were discernible struggling in the seething
waters alongside, but they quickly disappeared.
"They are all gone," cried Jack; "not one that I can see has escaped."
"Perhaps some were below," observed Bill. "If they were, it won't much
matter, for in a few minutes she will go to pieces."
He was mistaken as to the latter point, for another sea rolling in,
lifted the vessel, and driving over the ledge on which she had first
struck, carried her between some dark rocks, till she stuck fast on the
sandy shore. Had the people been able to cling to her till now, some
might possibly have been saved, but they had apparently all been on deck
when the vessel struck, and been swept away by the first sea which
rolled over her. The seas still continued to sweep along her deck, but
their force was partly broken by the rocks, and being evidently a stout
vessel, she hung together.
It was at the time nearly high-water, and the lads longed for the tide
to go down, that they might examine her nearer.
"Even if anybody is alive on board, we cannot help them," observed Jack;
"so I vote that we take our fish to the camp, and have some dinner. I
am very sharp set, seeing that we had no breakfast to speak of."
Bill, who had no objection to offer, agreed to this; so carrying up
their newly-obtained provisions, they soon had a fire lighted, and some
of the fish broiling away before it.
The fate of the unfortunate vessel formed the subject of their
conversation.
"I have an idea," cried Bill. "It's an ill wind that brings no one good
luck. If we can manage to get on board that craft which has come on
shore, we might build a boat out of her planking, or at all events a
raft; and should the wind come from the southward, we might manage to
get across the Channel, or be picked up by some vessel or other. We are
pretty sure to find provisions on board. Perhaps one of her boats may
have escaped being knocked to pieces, and we could repair her. At all
events, it will be our own fault if that wreck doesn't give us the
opportunity of escaping."
Jack listened to all Bill was saying.
"I cannot agree with you as to the chance of getting off," he observed.
"As soon as the wreck is seen, the Frenchmen are sure to be down on the
shore, and we shall be caught and carried back to prison instead of
getting away. The boats are pretty certain to have been knocked into
shreds before this, and as to building a boat, that is what neither you
nor I can do, even if we had the tools, and where are they to come
from?"
"Perhaps we shall find them on board," said Bill. "The vessel has held
together till now, and I don't see why she should not hold together till
the storm is over. `Where there's a will there's a way,' and I don't
see that we have so bad a chance of getting off."
"Well, I'll help you. You can show me what we had best do," said Jack.
"I am not going to draw back on account of the risk. All must depend on
the weather. If the wind comes off shore, and the sea goes down, I
should say that our best chance would be to build a raft. We can do
that, if we can only find an axe and a saw, and we might get launched
before the Frenchmen find out the wreck. The first thing we have to do
is to get on board, and when we are there, we must keep a bright
look-out to see that none of the natives are coming along the shore to
trap us."
The lads, having come to this resolution, hurried back to the entrance
of the cave.
They forgot all about the smugglers' stores, and their intention of
making clothes for themselves; indeed, they only thought of getting on
board the vessel. They watched eagerly for the tide to go down. The
day passed by and the night came on, but the clouds clearing away, a
bright moon shed her light over the scene. The wind had also sensibly
decreased, and the waves rolled in with far less fury than before.
The water, however, seemed to them a long time moving off; still it was
evidently going down. Rock after rock appeared, and looking over the
ledge they could see the sand below them.
Knowing full well that the water would not again reach the beach it had
once left till the return of the tide, they leaped down without
hesitation, and began to make their way in the direction of the vessel.
They had again to wait, however, for, as they pushed eagerly forward, a
sheet of foam from a wave which came rolling up nearly took them off
their legs.
They retreated a short distance, and in a few minutes were able to pass
the spot over the uncovered sand. On and on they pressed, now
advancing, now having to retreat, till they stood abreast of the vessel.
The water still surrounded her, and was too deep to wade through.
They looked round on every side, but not a trace of a boat could be
discovered, though fragments of spars and the bulwarks of the vessel
strewed the beach. Among the spars they found two whole ones, which
they secured.
"These will help us to get on board if we find no ropes hanging over the
side," observed Bill; "or they will enable us to withstand the sea
should it catch us before we can climb up." They now advanced more
boldly.
The vessel lay over on her bilge, with her deck partly turned towards
the shore, the sea, after she struck, having driven her round.
They waded up to her, for their impatience did not permit them to wait
till the water had entirely receded. The risk they ran of being carried
off was considerable, but, dashing forward, they planted the spars
against the side.
Bill swarmed up first, Jack followed, and the deck was gained.
Scarcely were Jack's feet out of the water, when a huge sea came rolling
up, which would inevitably have carried him off.
They knew that they had no time to lose, for the wreck once seen from
the shore, crowds of people were certain to visit it to carry off the
cargo.
The after-part of the vessel was stove in, and nothing remained in the
cabin; but the centre part, though nearly full of water, was unbroken.
The water, however, was rushing out like a mill-stream, both at the
stern and through some huge holes in the bows. Nothing whatever
remained on deck.
The lads plunged down below, and gained the spar-deck, which was already
out of the water. Here the first object their eyes alighted on was a
chest.
It was the carpenter's, and contained axes, and saws, and nails, and
tools of all sorts.
There were a good many light spars and planks stowed on one side.
"Here we have materials for a raft at hand!" cried Bill. "We must build
one; for I agree with you, Jack, that there's no use in attempting a
boat. It would take too much time, even if we could succeed in making
her watertight."
"I said so," replied Jack. "I wish we had some grub, though; perhaps
there's some for'ard. I'll go and find it if I can."
Jack made his way into the forepeak, while Bill was cutting free the
lashings, and dragging out the spars. Jack returned in a short time
with some cold meat, and biscuit, and cheese.
"See! we can dine like lords," he exclaimed; "and we shall be better
able to work after it."
They sat down on the chest, and ate the provisions with good appetites.
Bill cast a thought on the fate of the poor fellows to whom the food had
belonged; their bodies now washing about in the breakers outside.
Every now and then they alternately jumped up, and looked east and west,
and to the top of the cliff, to ascertain if any one was coming. The
vessel had been driven on shore out of sight of both the villages, or
they would not have been left long alone. It was to be hoped that no
one would come along the cliff and look down upon the wreck.
Their meal over, they set to work to plan their raft.
They were obliged to labour on deck, as they could not hoist it up
through the hold, or they would have preferred keeping out of sight. It
would be a hard job to launch it, but that they hoped to do by fastening
tackles at either side leading to the ring bolts on deck.
As there were no bulwarks to stop them, they laid the foundation, or, as
they called it, the keel, projecting slightly over the side. They would
thus have only to shove it forward and tip it up to launch it.
Their plan was to form an oblong square, then to put on bows at one end;
and two pieces crossing each other with a short upright between them, on
which to support the steering oar. The interior of the framework they
strengthened by two diagonal braces. They lashed and nailed a number of
crosspieces close together, and on the top of the whole they nailed down
all the planks they could find, which were sufficient to form a good
flooring to their raft.
They discovered also a number of small brandy casks, which they
immediately emptied of their contents, letting the spirits flow without
compunction into the water, and then again tightly bunged them down.
They fastened ropes around the casks, with which, when the raft was
launched, they could secure them to either side, to give it greater
buoyancy. They also brought up a couple of sea-chests, which they
intended to lash down to the centre, so as to afford them some
protection from the sea, and at the same time to hold their provisions.
Bill was the chief suggester of all these arrangements, though Jack ably
carried them out.
They worked like heroes, with all the energy they could command, for
they felt that everything depended on their exertions.
The night being bright, they were able to get on as well then as in the
daytime.