Vainly I stretched my eyes around the illimitable field of ocean, in
hope of discerning some indication of that power whose ships I had been
told traversed every sea; but nothing like a vessel was in sight--the
mighty waters stretched out like an endless desert on every side. There
was no sign of man in all this vast space, except our little boat; and
in comparison with this space, how insignificant were the two helpless
human beings who sat silent and motionless in that boat awaiting their
destiny.
The stars came out with marvellous brilliancy. I fancied that I had
never seen them appear so bright; but probably the gloominess of my
thoughts made them look brighter by contrast. I seemed the centre of a
glorious system of worlds revolving above me with a calm and tranquil
beauty, that appeared to reproach me for giving way to despair in a
scene so lovely.
The great mass of water, scarcely moved by a ripple, now appeared lit up
with countless fires, and a purplish haze, like a low flame, was visible
in every direction. I directed the attention of my companion to this
strange appearance. Notwithstanding the intensity of her anxiety, she
immediately entered into an explanation of the phenomenon, and
attributed it to a peculiarly phosphoric state of the sea, caused by
myriads of creatures which possess the quality of the glowworm, and
rising to the surface of the water, made the latter seem as though
enveloped in flame.
I sat a long time watching the singular appearances that presented
themselves whenever I dashed down the oar. It looked as though I was
beating fire instead of water, and flame seemed to come from the oar
with the drops that fell from it into the sea.
In this way hours passed by: we were still floating with the current;
the moon and stars were now coldly shining over our heads; the ocean
around us was still gleaming with phosphoric fires, when Mrs Reichardt
advised me to take some nourishment, and then endeavour to go to sleep,
saying she would keep watch and apprise me if anything happened of which
it might be advantageous to avail ourselves.
The only thing I desired was the appearance of a vessel, or the setting
in of a breeze, of which at present not a sign existed. I felt
disinclined either to eat or to drink: but I proposed that my companion
should make a meal and then go to sleep, as it was much more proper that
I should keep watch than herself. The fact was, we were both anxious
that the other should be the first to diminish our little stock of food;
but as neither would be induced to do this, it was decided that our
provisions should be divided into certain portions, which were only to
be taken at sunrise and sunset, and that we should during the night
relieve each other every three hours in keeping watch, that if we saw
land, or a ship, or the wind should spring up, we might consult
immediately as to our course.
I only succeeded in inducing her to lie down at the bottom of the boat,
to obtain a little sleep, previously to her taking my place, that I
might so rest myself. She first said her usual prayers for the evening,
in which I joined, and in a few minutes I was glad to hear by her
regular breathing, that she was obtaining that repose of which I was
certain she stood greatly in need.
I was now the sole observer of the stupendous spectacle that spread out
around and above me; the most sublime feature in this imposing scene
appeared to be the silence which reigned supreme over all. The heavens
were as mute as the sea. It looked as if the earth had been engulfed by
a second deluge, and all living nature had perished utterly from the
face of it.
I felt a deep feeling of melancholy stealing over me, and could not
forbear reproaching myself for embarking in this hazardous enterprise,
and risking a life that I was bound to preserve. What could become of
us both I knew not; but I was sensible that if we were not speedily
picked up, or made some friendly shore, there existed but little hopes
of our surviving many days.
I made up my mind, that the island we should never see again; and though
I had been so anxious for so many years to quit it, now that fate had
separated us for ever, I could not console myself for the loss of a home
endeared to me by so many recollections. But my great grief was the
loss of my grandfather's diamonds. He had now no chance of having them
restored to him. If they were found, they would become the property of
the discoverer; and he would never know how his daughter perished on a
rock, and how his grandson was swallowed up by the waters of the great
deep.
And then I thought of that glorious England I had so long hoped to see,
and my heart sunk within me as I gazed out upon the boundless prospect.
There was not a voice to murmur consolation, not a hand to offer me
assistance. Was I never to see those white cliffs which had been so
often described to me, that I could call them to mind as clearly as if
they stood in all their pride and beauty before my eyes?
How often had I dreamed of approaching the hallowed shores of England--
how often had I heard the cheerful voices of her people welcoming the
Little Savage to his natural home--how often had I been embraced by my
aged grandfather, and received into the happy circle of his friends,
with the respect and affection due to his heir. I had dreamed happy
dreams, and seen blissful visions; and the result was starvation in an
open boat on the illimitable ocean.
Mrs Reichardt still slept, and I would not wake her. As long as she
was insensible to the dangers of her position, she must exist in
comparative happiness; to disturb her was to bring her back to a sense
of danger and misery, and the recollection that my folly had brought her
to this hopeless state.
I noticed that a small cloud was making its appearance in the horizon,
and almost at the same instant I observed it, I felt a breeze that was
just sufficient to flap the sail against the mast. In a few minutes the
cloud had greatly increased, and the wind filled the sail. I fancied it
blew in a direction contrary to the current; but in the belief that it
did so, I soon got the boat round, and to my great joy she was presently
scudding before the wind at a rate that was sensibly increasing.
But the cloud presently began to envelop the heavens, and a thick
darkness spread itself like a veil in every direction. The wind blew
very fresh, and strained the mast to which the sail had been fixed; and
now I began to entertain a new fear: some sudden gust might take the
sail and capsize us, or tear it from its fastenings. I would gladly
have taken in the sail, but I considered it as rather a hazardous
experiment. Mrs Reichardt lay in a position that prevented my getting
at it without disturbing her, or running the risk of tipping the boat
over, when it would be sure to fill immediately, and sink with us both.
Though we could both swim, I felt assured that if we were once in the
water, there would remain very little chance of our protracting our
lives beyond a few hours.
The boat, therefore, continued to run before the wind at a rapid rate,
the slight mast creaking, and the sail stretching so tight, I expected
every minute that we should be upset. At this moment Mrs Reichardt
awoke, and her quick eye immediately took in the full extent of our
danger.
"We shall be lost," she said, hurriedly, "if we do not take in that
sail!"
I was fully aware of this, but she had seen more of a sailor's perils
than I had, and knew better how to meet them. She offered to assist me
in taking in the sail, and directing me to be very careful, we
proceeded, with the assistance of the awning, to the mast, and after a
good deal of labour, and at some risk of being blown into the sea, we
succeeded in furling the sail, and unshipping the mast.
We were now in quite as much danger from another cause--the surface of
the sea, which had been so smooth during the calm, was now so violently
agitated by the wind, that the boat kept ascending one great billow only
to descend into the trough of another. We often went down almost
perpendicularly, and the height seemed every moment increasing; and
every time we went thus plunging headlong into the boiling waters, I
thought we should be engulfed never to rise; nevertheless, the next
minute, up we ascended on the crest of some more fearful wave than any
we had hitherto encountered, and down again we plunged in the dark
unfathomable abyss that, walled in by foaming mountains of water,
appeared yawning to close over us for ever.
It was almost entirely dark; we could see only the white foam of the
wave over which we were about to pass: save this, it was black below and
black above, and impenetrable darkness all around.
Mrs Reichardt sat close to me with her hand in mine--she uttered no
exclamations of feminine terror--she was more awe-struck than
frightened. I believe that she was fully satisfied her last hour had
come, for I could hear her murmuring a prayer in which she commended her
soul to her Creator.
I cannot say that I was in any great degree alarmed--the rapid
up-and-down motion of the boat gave me a sensation of pleasure I had
never before experienced. To say the truth, I should have greatly
enjoyed being thus at the mercy of the winds and waves, in the midst of
a black and stormy night on the trackless ocean, had it not been for my
constant thoughts of my companion, and my bitter self-reproaches for
having led her into so terrible a danger.
I was now, however, called from these reflections, by the necessity of
active employment. The boat I found shipped water at every plunge, and
if speedy means were not taken to keep the water under, there was little
doubt that she would soon fill and go down. I therefore seized the iron
kettle we had brought with us to cook our dinner, and began rapidly
baling out the water, which was already over our ankles. We continued
to ship water, sometimes more and sometimes less; and Mrs Reichardt,
actuated no doubt by the same motives as myself, with a tin pan now
assisted me in getting rid of the treacherous element.
By our united exertions we kept the water under, and hoped to be able to
get rid of the whole of it. About this time it began to rain very
heavily, and although the awning protected our heads, so much fell into
the boat, that notwithstanding our labours, we continued to sit in a
pool.
We were, however, glad to find that as the rain fell, the wind abated
and as the latter subsided, the sea became less violent, and we shipped
less water. I was now able by my own exertions to keep the boat
tolerably dry, and Mrs Reichardt, ever provident, spread out all the
empty vessels she had brought with her to catch the rain; for as she
said, we did not know how valuable that water might become in a short
time.
The rain continued to pour down in a perfect torrent for several hours;
at the end of which the sky gradually cleared. The sea, though still
rough, presented none of those mountainous waves that a short time
before had threatened to annihilate us at every descent, and there was
just sufficient breeze to waft us along at a brisk rate with the
assistance of our sail.
Mrs Reichardt helped me in putting up the mast, and directly we began
to feel the breeze, she insisted on my taking some refreshment. It was
vitally necessary to both, for our labours had been heavy for several
hours. We therefore ate sparingly of our provisions, and washed down
our meal with a pannikin of water mingled with a little spirit.