THE BOYS FIND NEW JOBS.
Wonderment was the feeling uppermost in the minds of both Jack and Tom
as, clutching at hand-holds and rails, they followed their conductor.
He led the way up the companionway and to the deck, with a gruff
caution to “hang on” when they came into the open.
The warning was necessary. A wind that seemed to force their breath
back down their throats was sweeping across the sea, which, running
mountain high, looked grim and pitiless, under the pallid gray dawn.
No land was in sight, nothing but giant combers amidst which the yacht
seemed no more than a helpless chip. Looking at the sea the boys found
themselves wondering how the craft had kept above water as long as she
had. But almost immediately when they emerged on deck their attention
was distracted from the sea and from every other impression but one.
Lashed firmly to the boat deck on top of the main cabin house, was an
object that made their hearts give a glad bound.
The _Wondership_, securely lashed, had been hoisted there and, so far
as they could make out, no damage had been done her.
Jack gripped Tom’s arm.
“She’s all right, after all,” he exclaimed hoarsely, as if that was the
only thing that really mattered.
Tom decided to venture on a question.
“You hoisted her on board?” he half shouted above the screeching wind
to Medway.
“Yep,” was the brief reply. “Thought we might use her someway, so we
made a tackle fast under her and hauled her aboard by the main cargo
derrick.”
“That was mighty decent of you,” cried Jack warmly.
“Don’t fuss yourself,” was the rough rejoinder, “it warn’t done to
please you.”
As Medway spoke, he turned into a doorway in the after part of the
cabin house. From the hot smell of grease and oily machinery that arose
from it, the boys knew that it led to the engine-room. They climbed
down a steel-runged ladder and soon found themselves amidst a maze of
polished rods, cams and levers. But the triple expansion engine was
idle.
Hardly had they had time to notice this, when they saw that on a
leather-covered bench set against the steel wall a man was reclining.
His face was white and covered with sweat. His hand was bandaged and
one of his legs was doubled up. From his expression of mute agony it
was plain that he had been painfully injured.
“Judkins, the engineer,” explained Medway, with a sidewise jerk of
his head. “Condenser went out of business a while ago. He got busted
tryin’ to fix it. Think you boys can run this engine?”
Jack looked dubious. Tom said nothing.
“I can give ‘em a hand,” said Judkins in a weak voice.
“That’s enough then,” said Medway briskly, as if it was all settled.
“Understand,” he said, turning to the boys, “it’s a case of life or
death. The sea is increasing. If we don’t get going pretty soon, it’s
down to Davy Jones for all of us.”
“But we don’t know anything about steam engines; very little, that
is,” protested Jack, although both boys had, in addition to their
other studies gone in for a course of steam engineering at the “Tech.”
But that course, a sketchy one at best, had only comprised stationary
engines.
“Well, Judkins can tell you what you want to know. The first thing to
do, I guess, is to get that condenser going.”
“I had her going when I slipped and fell under the crank shaft,” said
Judkins weakly. “All she needs is a union on that copper piping and
she’ll be all right.”
He indicated the condenser and the place where the union would have to
be attached.
“There’s a tool kit and fittings yonder,” he said, pointing to a bench
affixed to the bulkhead that divided the engine-room from the stoke
hold. A glance at the gauges affixed to this showed Jack that, at any
rate, they had a good head of steam. The high-pressure boilers of the
_Valkyrie_ were carrying one hundred and seventy-five pounds.
Medway saw his glance.
“Lots of steam,” he vouchsafed; “only thing to do is to get her going.
Remember, it’s that or the bottom of the deep blue sea.”
For reasons that the boys did not learn till later, the _Valkyrie_
did not carry an assistant engineer. When the old crew had been set
ashore at Madeira there was no chance to secure such an officer, and
so she had proceeded to sea with Judkins as the only skilled man in
her engine-room. No doubt it was the severe strain he had been under
that had caused him to become careless and receive the injury which had
disabled him.
Jack’s natural quickness at mechanics enabled him to see what was
required on the condenser after a few words of explanation. This done
he and Tom ascended to the starting bridge and applied steam to the
engines. It was no easy task to carry out these operations on the
rolling, wallowing yacht. But at last, as Jack turned on the steam and
Tom applied the starting power, they were rewarded by the sight of the
cranks slowly revolving.
Suddenly a loud clang close by his head startled Jack.
“All right, come ahead!” hailed Judkins, “Easy now!”
Medway in the pilot house had felt the quiver of the started engines
and had given the signal. Jack allowed the engine to pick up
revolutions gradually until, at half speed, they were heading into
the big seas with the screw turning regularly and powerfully. When
this was done Judkins closed his eyes, lay back, and slipped off into
unconsciousness. Tom, alarmed, ran through the bulkhead door into the
fire-room. Here he found the stokers at work. There were three of them
and he sent one on deck after Medway. It was plain that something would
have to be done for Judkins at once. Medway soon appeared. It seemed
that the man, in a rough way, was a bit of a surgeon. At any rate he
declared that he could care for the injured man and had him carried
above by two of the crew.
Not long after, the same two men appeared with food for the boys. They
did full justice to the meal, unembarrassed by their queer situation.
After it had been despatched, Jack noticed Tom’s sleepy looks. In fact
the younger of the two lads could hardly keep his eyes open.
“You lie down on that bench and take a nap,” ordered Jack, “I’ll stand
watch.”
“But what about you?” inquired Tom drowsily.
“Oh, I’ll be all right. Just you lie down now and I’ll wake you in a
couple of hours. I guess we’ll have to hold down this job for some time
and we might as well go at it scientifically,” was Jack’s rejoinder.
Five minutes later Tom’s snoring was keeping time with the rhythmic
pulsing of the engine as the _Valkyrie_ battled with the storm.