THE LAST RESORT.
Mr. Emery and the sailing master had decided that the yacht should be
kept at full speed, headed for the nearest land, until the water which
was being pumped into the hold drowned the fires in the furnaces, when
recourse must necessarily be had to the boats.
There could no longer be any question but that the entire forward
portion of the hold was a mass of flames which it would not be possible
to hold in check very much longer.
By this time all on board understood that the yacht was to be abandoned,
and, with the exception of those in the engine-room and at the pumps,
every one gazed as if fascinated at the clouds of smoke arising from
near the bow. Already were tiny curls coming from between the deck
planks, and Teddy heard Mr. Walters say in a low tone to Neal's father:
"I am afraid the flames will burst through before the furnaces are
flooded. It is too late to cut another hole in the deck, and by an hour
at the latest we must take to the boats."
"Have the crew been told off?"
"I will attend to that now."
Then the sailing master announced to each man the boat to which he was
assigned, and during the next hour hardly a word was spoken. Teddy and
Neal conversed now and then in whispers, as if not daring to make a
noise, and the sailors worked in grim silence.
Nothing save the clank of the pumps and the throbbing of the screw could
be heard.
When the hour had passed it was no longer possible to force water into
the hold. The heat was so great that the hose burned as fast as it could
be pushed through the aperture, and long tongues of flame were appearing
around the edges of the hatch.
All hands, including the boys, were formed in line, and water sent below
in buckets for twenty minutes more, when the word was given to slacken
speed.
The lower deck had burst through, and there was no more than time for
Jake and his assistants to clamber up the ladders before the flames had
complete possession of the yacht from the bow to the engine-room
companion-way.
There was no time to be lost in lowering the boats, and the men were
forced to leap in regardless of the previous assignment, for once the
fire burst the bonds which had confined it so long it swept aft with
almost incredible rapidity.
Teddy and Neal, bewildered by the flames which actually burned their
flesh as they stood by the rail while the sailors let go the falls, had
only thought of reaching the craft in which their property was stowed,
and Jake followed; but as the little tenders were allowed to drop astern
beyond reach of the intense heat the boys discovered that Mr. Emery was
not with them.
He had charge of one boat; Mr. Walters commanded another; Jake was held
responsible for the safety of the third, and the last was handled by the
mate.
"Shall we come with you, father?" Teddy shouted.
"I don't think it will be advisable to make any change now, and you are
as safe in one boat as another."
"I'll answer for them," Jake cried cheerily, and the sailing master
added:
"Jake can handle a small boat better than any one here, therefore you
need not fear an accident will result through carelessness."
"How am I to steer?" the engineer asked.
"Due west. The boats must remain together, and in each one is a lantern
to be hung up during the night to lessen the chances of being separated.
Two men in every craft are to be kept at the oars all the time, and, in
order to make the work light, they should be relieved hourly. The
indications are that the weather will hold clear; it is only a couple of
hundred miles to the Cuban coast, and we are not likely to be cooped up
in these cockle shells very long."
As he ceased speaking Mr. Walters gave the word for the oarsmen to begin
the work which it was supposed would be continued without intermission
until all were in a place of safety, and the boats were pulled about a
mile from the burning steamer, when, as if by common consent, they were
brought to a standstill to watch the destruction of the Sea Dream.
The jaunty little craft was moving through the water slowly, enveloped
in flames from bow to stern, and the boys gazed at her with a feeling of
sadness which did not arise solely from the fact of their present peril.
It seemed to them as if she could understand that those who should have
saved her had fled when her need of assistance was greatest, and she was
creeping slowly away to die alone.
"The poor thing can't swim much longer," Jake said, as if speaking to
himself. "The boiler will explode----"
Even as he spoke a black cloud of smoke shot up from amidships, followed
by a shower of fiery fragments, some of which struck in the immediate
vicinity of the boats, and then the glare of the conflagration suddenly
vanished as the Sea Dream sank beneath the waves.
It would have been strange indeed if each member of the little party had
not experienced a feeling of sorrow and desolation at this moment.
The yacht which, a few hours previous, had appeared so stanch, was no
longer afloat, and their only hope of reaching land was in the tiny
boats which could hardly be expected to live in an ordinary sailing
breeze.
The tears were very near Teddy's and Neal's eyelids, and Jake's voice
was quite the reverse of steady as he gave the word for the men to
resume work at the oars.
[Illustration: Instead of releasing his hold on Neal the reptile held
firm, etc. See Page 193.]
Night was close at hand. The sun had already set, and the short-lived
twilight cast a sinister grayish hue over the waters. Mr. Walters' boat
had the lantern raised at the bow on the end of an oar where it swung
gently to and fro, and in a few moments all the others could be
distinguished by the same signal.
During such time as they had been waiting to witness the end of the Sea
Dream the little crafts had drifted farther apart, until the one in
charge of Neal's father was nearly half a mile away, and the sailing
master could be heard shouting for them to be brought nearer together.
"We shall probably have a breeze to-night," he cried when Jake's boat
approached within easy hailing distance, "and if it should come you must
rig up something to serve as a sail, for your only chance of keeping
afloat will be to run before it. You have a compass, and remember that
land is to be found to the westward."
"Ay, ay," the engineer replied, as he looked around in vain for some
sign of the wind, and then he added in a low tone to the boys:
"I allow Mr. Walters is off in his reckonin' this time, for there isn't
a breath of air stirring now."
"We may get it later," Neal said apprehensively, and Jake muttered to
himself; but yet so loud that Teddy could hear him:
"It'll be tough on us if it comes out of the wrong quarter."
In ten minutes from the time the word had been given to bring the boats
into closer order the mantle of night had fully fallen, and the
location of the other crafts could only be told by the tiny, swaying
lights, or the hum of voices.
Jake's boat was loaded less deeply than the remainder of the little
fleet. In addition to himself and the two boys, there were but three
sailors on board, and the stock of provisions was correspondingly small.
As a natural consequence she rode higher out of the water, and although
built on the same model as the others, the engineer insisted she was by
far the fastest sailing craft.
An hour had not elapsed before it was possible to test her quality in
this respect.
The breeze which Mr. Walters predicted came up from the east, and as its
first influence was felt Jake shouted in a tone of relief:
"We're in luck this time, lads. Here's what will shove us along in the
right direction, an' we can count on striking land without too much
work. Lash a couple of coats to the oars, an' set them up close by the
forward thwart; you'll find a chance there to make 'em fast."
This apology for a sail was soon gotten in place, and, small as was the
surface presented to the wind, the little boat surged ahead, rippling
the water musically under her bow.
Jake held the rudder lines, the boys sitting either side of him on the
bottom of the boat where they could stretch out at full length in case
they felt inclined to sleep, and after they had listened to the swish of
the sea under the stern for some time Neal asked as he raised his head
to look over the side:
"Where are the others?"
"Considerable distance astern. I knew this one could show them her
heels."
"But the orders were that we must not separate," Neal exclaimed in
alarm.
"That is true; but how can we help ourselves just now? We can't shorten
sail, because there would be nothing left, and we're bound to run ahead
of the waves, small as they are, or be swamped."
"But suppose we never see them again?"
"Don't worry about that; we're all headin' in the same direction, an'
have only got to wait till they overtake us after land is sighted."
Although Jake spoke in a positive tone Teddy and Neal were far from
feeling comfortable in mind; but, as he had said, nothing different
could be done, and each tried to hide his fears from the other.
The weight of the wind increased as the night advanced, and by the words
of caution which the sailors uttered from time to time, the boys knew
that those who should best understand such matters were anxious
regarding the outcome of this night run.
Now and then a small quantity of water would dash over the side; but it
was quickly bailed out, and, as one of the men said, "did more good than
harm, for it gave them something to do."
Notwithstanding the gravity of the situation, Neal and Teddy fell asleep
before midnight, therefore they were unconscious of the fight which
their companions were making for life. It was necessary the frail craft
should be kept dead before the wind; otherwise she would have been
swamped by the following waves, which were now running dangerously high,
and the skill of the helmsman was all that prevented her from
destruction.
Not for a single moment during the hours of darkness was it safe to
relax the vigilance, and the constant strain on one's nerves was more
fatiguing than the real labor.
Just as the day was breaking Neal awoke, and then he aroused Teddy by
asking Jake:
"Can you see the other boats?"
"Not yet; but some of them may be in sight at sunrise. It isn't possible
their lights would show up more than a mile off."
"Isn't the sea running very high?" Teddy asked timidly as he attempted
to stand erect; but Jake grasped him by the shoulder as he said quickly:
"It isn't safe to move around very much. Lie quiet until the wind dies
away a bit; we've got more'n we want, and the boat must be kept trimmed
mighty carefully or there'll be trouble."
It was only necessary for the boys to watch their companions in order to
learn the dangers which beset them, and, clasping each other's hands,
they waited in anxious suspense for the rising of the sun to learn if
the remainder of the party was near.