Captain Staunton's first act, after suitably acknowledging Dickinson's
expression of fealty, was to inquire how the crisis had been brought
about. The explanation made his eyes flash fire; he ground his teeth
and clenched his fists with rage as he thought of how he would have
punished the ruffian who had laid such brutal hands upon his little pet.
And when the explanation was complete, he wrung Bob's hand until it
fairly ached as he thanked him for what he had done. Meanwhile poor May
still lay in her mother's arms moaning with pain; and when the skipper
took her on his knee the little creature once more screamed out, and
complained that it hurt her shoulder. Upon this Lance, thinking that
something must be wrong, made a careful examination of the child, when
it was found that Ralli's brutal violence had resulted in the
dislocation of her shoulder. It was of course at once pulled back into
place, but the poor little creature's screams at the pain of the
operation were terrible to hear; and Captain Staunton in the hastiness
of his anger registered a solemn vow that if he ever again met Ralli he
would make the wretch pay dearly for his brutality.
How little he dreamed of the terrible circumstances under which he would
next see this miserable man.
The two whale-boats sped swiftly across the glassy surface of the bay,
propelled by six stalwart oarsmen each, a little jet of phosphorescent
water spouting up under their sharp stems, a long ripple spreading out
and undulating away on either side of them, and half a dozen tiny
whirlpools of liquid fire swirling in the wake of each as their crews
strained at the stout ash oars until they bent again. The night had
grown black as pitch, not a solitary star was visible, and the heat was
so intense as to be almost insufferable; but the men thought nothing of
this in their eagerness and zeal now that they had taken the decisive
step of throwing up their old life of crime and had fairly enrolled
themselves once more on the side of law and order.
In a very short time the boats had made the passage across the bay and
were brought with an easy graceful sweep alongside the landing at the
shipyard. The occupants quickly disembarked; and while the ladies
proceeded at once under the care and guidance of Rex and Bob to safe and
comfortable quarters in the schooner's spacious cabin, Captain Staunton
gave orders that two large fires should be immediately lighted, one on
each side of the landing, for the double purpose of affording them a
light to work by and of enabling them to perceive the approach of their
enemies.
"For," he remarked to Lance, "you may depend upon it that their
suspicions are thoroughly aroused by this time, and it will not be long
before they are after us to see what it all means."
A couple of huge heaps of shavings, chips, and ends of timber were
speedily collected and ignited, the blaze soaring high in the motionless
air and throwing a strong ruddy light for a considerable distance round.
Then Lance, with Bowles, Dickinson, Poole, and three or four other
reliable hands armed with torches, went carefully round the schooner,
inspecting the cradle. It was unfinished; but Lance thought that a
couple of hours more of energetic labour expended upon it would make it
sufficiently secure to enable them to effect the launch. Time was now
of immense value to them; they could not afford to be very particular,
and so long as the cradle would serve its purpose that was all they
cared about.
They accordingly set to with a will, and very soon the yard resounded
with the harsh rasping of saws and the heavy blows of mauls wedging the
timbers into their places.
In the meantime Captain Staunton with the rest of the party went on
board the schooner, and, after fully arming themselves with cutlass and
revolver, opened the magazine, passed a good supply of ammunition on
deck, cast loose the guns, and carefully loaded them, cramming them
almost to the muzzle with bullets, spike-nails, and anything else they
could lay hold of. This done, the skipper, unwilling to leave the ship
himself, called for a volunteer to go to the battery, spike the guns
there, and lay a fuse in the magazine. Bob at once stepped forward,
and, being accepted, provided himself forthwith with a hammer and a
sufficient length of fuse, and set out upon his errand.
He had scarcely disappeared in the gloom when Dale, who had volunteered
to keep a look-out, gave warning of the approach of two boats--the
launch and the pinnace--full of men.
They were observed almost at the same moment by Lance, who hailed:
"Schooner ahoy! Do you see the boats coming?"
"Ay, ay," answered Captain Staunton. "We see them, and we'll give them
a warm reception presently."
"Very well," returned Lance; "we shall stick to our work and leave you
to do the fighting. If you require any assistance, give us a call."
"All right!" answered the skipper. Then turning to the men on the
schooner's deck, he shouted:
"Run those two guns out of the stern-ports there, and train them so as
to sweep the boats just before they reach the landing. So! that's well.
Now wait for the word, and when I give it, fire."
The boats, however, were meantime lying upon their oars, their crews
apparently holding a consultation. The fire-light which revealed their
approach revealed to them also the fact that the occupants of the
shipyard were fully prepared to emphatically dispute any attempt on
their part to land; and the sight brought vividly to their minds the
aphorism that "discretion is the better part of valour."
At length, after some twenty minutes of inaction--during which the
workers underneath the schooner's bottom plied their tools with a skill
and energy that was truly astounding--the two boats were once more put
in motion, their crews directing their course toward the landing, each
boat having a rude substitute for a white flag reared upon a boat-hook
in the bow.
The moment that they were near enough for their occupants to hear him
Captain Staunton hailed them with an imperative order to keep off or he
would fire into them.
They at once laid upon their oars, and a man rising in the stern-sheets
of the launch returned an answer, which was, however, quite
unintelligible. Meanwhile the boats, still having way upon them,
continued slowly to approach.
"Back water!" shouted the skipper, seizing the trigger line of one of
the guns, whilst Brook stood manfully at the other. "Back water, all of
you, instantly, or we will fire."
The man in the stern-sheets of the launch waved his hand; the oars again
flashed into the water, and both boats dashed at the landing-place.
"Wait just a moment yet," said the skipper, raising a warning hand to
Brook and squinting along his gun at the same time. "Now, fire!"
The report of the two brass nine-pounders rang sharply out at the same
moment, making the schooner quiver to her keel, and severely testing the
construction of her cradle. A crash was heard, then a frightful chorus
of shrieks, yells, groans, and execrations; and as the smoke curled
heavily away, both boats were seen with their planking rent and
penetrated here and there, and their occupants tumbling over and over
each other in their anxiety to get at the oars--many of which had been
suffered to drop overboard--and withdraw as quickly as possible to a
somewhat safer distance.
A hearty cheer was raised by the party in possession of the shipyard.
Those on board the schooner reloaded their guns in all haste, and the
hammering down below went on with, if possible, still greater energy.
The boats were suffered to retire unmolested, and nothing further was
heard of them for over half an hour. Then Dale, who was still
maintaining a careful look-out, suddenly gave notice that they were
again approaching.
The two aftermost guns were accordingly once more very carefully pointed
and fired, Captain Staunton giving the word as before. But by some
mischance the muzzles were pointed a trifle too high, and both charges
flew harmlessly over the boats, tearing up the water a few yards astern
of them. The pirates, upon this unexpected piece of--to them--good
fortune, raised a frantic cheer of delight, and, bending at their oars
until they seemed about to snap them, dashed eagerly at the landing-
place.
There was no time to reload the guns, so, seizing his weapons and
calling upon all hands to follow him, the skipper hastily scrambled over
the schooner's bulwarks, and, making his way to the ground, rushed
forward to meet the enemy, who had by this time effected a landing.
The two opposing forces met within half a dozen yards of the water's
edge, and then ensued a most desperate and sanguinary struggle. The
pirates had by this time pretty nearly guessed at the audacious designs
of those to whom they were opposed. They had seen enough to know not
only that an escape was meditated, but that it was also proposed to
carry off the schooner--that beautiful craft which their own hands had
so largely assisted to construct, and in which they had confidently
expected to sail forth upon a career of unbounded plunder and licence,
in full reliance that her speed would insure to them complete immunity
from punishment for their nefarious deeds. Such unheard-of audacity was
more than enough to excite their anger to the pitch of frenzy, and they
fought like demons, not only for revenge, but also for the salvation of
the schooner. But if these were the motives which spurred them on to
the encounter, their adversaries were actuated by incentives of a still
higher character. They fought for the life and liberty, not only of
themselves, but also of the weak defenceless women, whose only trust
under God was in them; and if the pirates rushed furiously to the onset,
they were met with a cool, determined resolution, which was more than a
balance for overpowering numbers. Captain Staunton looked eagerly among
the crowd of ruffianly faces for that of Ralli, determined to avenge
with his own hand the multitudinous wrongs and insults which this man
had heaped upon him and his dearest ones; but the Greek was nowhere to
be seen. On the skipper's right was Lance, and on his left Dickinson,
the former fully occupying the attention of at least three opponents by
the marvellous play of his cutlass-blade, whilst the latter brandished
with terrible effect a heavy crow-bar which he had hurriedly snatched up
on being summoned to the fight. Rex and Brook were both working wonders
also. Bowles was fighting as only a true British seaman _can_ fight in
a good cause; and Dale, with a courage which excited his own most lively
surprise, was handling his cutlass and pistol as though he had used the
weapons all his life. Steadily, and inch by inch, the pirates were
driven back in spite of their superior numbers; and at last, after a
fight of some twenty minutes, they finally broke and fled before a
determined charge of their adversaries, rushing headlong to their boats
and leaving their dead and wounded behind them.
Captain Staunton did not follow them up, although the two whale-boats
still lay moored at the landing as they had left them. He was anxious
to avail himself of the advantage already gained in making good the
escape of his own party rather than to risk further losses by an attempt
to inflict additional punishment upon his adversaries. Besides, that
might possibly follow later on when they had got the schooner afloat.
His first act, therefore, after the flight of the pirates, was to muster
his forces and ascertain the extent of the casualties.
The list was a heavy one.
In the first place, nine of the little band were missing at the muster.
Bowles presented himself with his left arm shattered by a pistol bullet;
Brook was suffering from a severe scalp-wound; and every one of the
others had a wound or contusion of some sort, which, whilst it did not
incapacitate them for work, was a voucher that they had not shrunk from
taking their part manfully in the fight.
This first hasty examination over, an anxious search was instituted for
the missing. The first man found was Dickinson, dead, his body covered
with wounds, and a bullet-hole in the centre of his forehead. Near him
lay Dale, bleeding and insensible, shot through the body; and a little
further on Bob was found, also insensible, with a cutlass gash across
the forehead. Then Dick Sullivan was found dead, with his skull cloven
to the eyes; and near him, also dead, one of the seamen of the
_Galatea_. And lastly, at some distance from the others, Ned Masters,
with another seaman from the _Galatea_, and two of the escaped
prisoners, were found all close together, severely wounded, and
surrounded by a perfect heap of dead and wounded pirates. These four,
it seemed, had somehow become separated from the rest of their party,
and had been surrounded by a band of pirates. This made a list of three
killed and six severely wounded.
The latter were gently raised in the arms of their less injured comrades
and taken with all speed on board the schooner, where they were turned
over for the present to the care of the ladies; while those who were
still able to work resumed operations underneath the ship's bottom.
Another quarter of an hour's hard work, and then Lance's voice was heard
ordering one hand to jump on board the schooner and look out for a line.
"All right!" exclaimed Bob's voice from the deck; "heave it up here, Mr
Evelin."
"What! you there, Robert? Glad to hear it, my fine fellow. Just go
forward; look out for the line, and, when you have it, haul taut and
make fast securely."
"All right," answered Bob with his head over the bows; "heave!"
The line, a very slender one, was thrown up, and Bob, gathering in the
slack, and noticing that it led from somewhere ahead of the schooner,
bowsed it well taut and securely belayed it. He knew at once what it
was.
"Hurrah!" he shouted joyously. "That means that we are nearly ready for
launching."
Bob's unexpected reappearance, it may be explained, was due to the fact
that he had been merely stunned, and had speedily recovered
consciousness under the ministering hands of his gentle friends in the
cabin, upon which, though his head ached most violently, he lost no time
in returning to duty.
Lance now made a second careful inspection of the cradle; and upon the
completion of his round he pronounced that, though the structure was a
somewhat rough-and-ready affair, it would do; that is to say, it would
bear the weight of the schooner during the short time she was sliding
off the ways, and that was all they wanted.
"And now comes the wedging-up, I s'pose, sir?" remarked Poole
interrogatively.
"Wedging-up?" returned Lance with a joyous laugh. "No, thank you,
Poole; we'll manage without that. Do you see these two pieces of wood
here in each keel-block? Well, they are wedges. You have only to draw
them out and the top of the block will be lowered sufficiently to allow
the schooner to rest entirely in the cradle. Get a maul, Poole, and you
and I will start forward, whilst you, Kit, with another hand, commence
aft. Knock out the wedges on both sides as you come to them, and work
your way forward until you meet us. The rest of you had better go on
board and see that everything is clear and ready for launching."
"When you're quite ready to launch, let me know, if you please, Mr
Evelin, and I'll go and light the fuse that's to blow up the battery,"
said Bob.
"Ah! to be sure," answered Lance, "I had forgotten that. You may go up
now if you like, Bob, and I'll give you a call when we're ready."
Bob thereupon set off on his mission of destruction, while Lance and
Poole with a couple of mauls began to knock out the wedges which Evelin,
foreseeing from the very inception of the work some such emergency as
the present, had introduced in the construction of the keel-blocks.
In a few minutes both parties met near the middle of the vessel, and the
last pair of wedges were knocked out.
"That's a good job well over," exclaimed Poole; "and precious glad I am
now that I thought of soaping them ways this morning. I _knowed_ this
here business must come afore long, and I detarmined to get as far ahead
with the work as possible. Now I s'pose, sir, we're all ready?"
"Yes, I think so," answered Lance, "but I'll just go forward and take a
look along the keel to see that she is clear everywhere."
He accordingly did so, and had the gratification of seeing by the still
brilliant light of the fires that the keel was a good six inches clear
of the blocks, fore and aft.
"All clear!" he shouted. "Now, go on board, everybody. Light the fuse,
Robert, and come on board as soon as possible."
"Ay, ay, sir," answered Bob from the not very distant battery.
A tiny spark of light appeared for an instant in the darkness high up on
the face of the rock as our hero struck a match, and in another couple
of minutes he was running nimbly up the steep plank leading from the
rocks beneath to the schooner's deck.
"Kick down that plank, Robert, my lad, and see that it falls clear of
everything," said Lance. "Are we all clear fore and aft?"
"All clear, sir," came the hearty reply from various parts of the deck.
"Are you ready with the axe forward there, Kit?"
"All ready, sir."
"_Then cut_."
A dull _cheeping_ thud of the axe was immediately heard, accompanied by
a sharp _twang_ as the tautly strained line parted; then followed the
sound of the shores falling to the ground; there was a gentle jar, and
the schooner began to move.
"She moves!--she moves!" was the cry. "Hurrah! Now she gathers way."
"Yes," shouted Lance, joyously. "She's going. Success to the
_Petrel_"--as he shivered to pieces on the stem-head a bottle of wine
which the steward, anxious that the launch should be shorn of none of
its honours, had brought up from the cabin and hastily thrust into his
hand. "Three cheers for the saucy _Petrel_, my lads--hip, hip, hip,
hurrah!"
The three cheers rang lustily out upon the still air of the breathless
night as the schooner shot with rapidly increasing velocity down the
ways and finally plunged into the mirrorlike waters of the bay, dipping
her stern deeply and ploughing up a smooth glassy furrow of water
fringed at its outer edge with a coruscating border of vivid
phosphorescent light.
"The boats--the boats again!" suddenly shouted Bowles, as the schooner,
now fairly afloat, shot rapidly stern-foremost away from the rock--"Good
God! they are right in our track; we shall cut them in two."
"That is their look-out," grimly responded Captain Staunton; "if they
had been wise they would have accepted their defeat and retired to the
shore; as, however, they have not done so, they must take the
consequences. Remember, lads, not a man of them must be suffered to
come on board."
A warning shout from the helmsman of the pinnace announced his sudden
discovery of the danger which threatened the boats, and he promptly
jammed his helm hard a-starboard. The launch was on his port side; and
the result was a violent collision between the two boats, the pinnace
striking the launch with such force as to send the latter clear of the
schooner whilst the pinnace herself, recoiling from the shock, stopped
dead immediately under the schooner's stern. There was a sharp sudden
crash as the _Petrel's_ rudder clove its irresistible way through the
doomed boat, and a yell of dismay from its occupants, several of whom
made a spring at the schooner's taffrail, only to be remorselessly
thrust off again.
"There is a chance for them yet," said the skipper, as the schooner
continued to drive astern leaving the wretches struggling in the water,
"the launch has escaped; she can pick them up."
At length the schooner's way slackened sufficiently to enable Lance, by
looking over the bow and stern, to ascertain her exact trim.
"It is perfect," he exclaimed to Captain Staunton as he rejoined the
latter near the companion, "she sits accurately down to her proper
water-line everywhere, thus proving the correctness of all my
calculations--a result which pleases as much as it surprises me, since I
have had to depend entirely on my memory for the necessary _formula_.
Well, Captain Staunton, my task is now finished; here is the schooner,
fully rigged and fairly afloat; take charge of her, my dear sir; and may
she fully answer all your expectations!"
"Thanks, Evelin; a thousand thanks!" exclaimed the skipper, heartily
grasping Lance's proffered hand. "You have indeed executed your self-
imposed task faithfully and well. Let me be the mouth-piece of all our
party in conveying to you our most hearty expressions of gratitude for
the noble manner in which you have aided us in our great strait. To you
is entirely due the credit of bringing our project thus far to a
successful issue; but for your skill, courage, and resolution we might
have been compelled to remain for years--Ha! what is that?"
A low rumbling roar was faintly heard in the distance, rapidly
increasing in volume of sound, and breaking in with startling effect
upon the breathless stillness of the night.
"It is another earthquake," exclaimed Lance. "Thank Heaven, we are
afloat! Had it caught us upon the stocks it would doubtless have shaken
the cradle to pieces, and, in all probability, thus frustrated our
escape."
The ominous sound drew swiftly nearer and nearer, filling the startled
air with a chaos of sound which speedily became absolutely deafening in
its intensity; the waters of the bay broke first into long lines of
quivering ripples, then into a confused jumble of low foaming surges;
the schooner jarred violently, as though she was being dragged rapidly
over a rocky bottom; there was a hideous groaning grinding sound on
shore, soon mingled with that of the crashing fall of enormous masses of
earth and rock, above which could still be feebly heard the piercing
shriek of horror raised by the occupants of the launch. The shock
passed; but was immediately followed by one of still greater intensity;
the waters were still more violently agitated; the schooner was swept
helplessly hither and thither, rolling heavily, and shipping great
quantities of water upon her deck as the shapeless surges madly leaped
and boiled and swirled around her. Finally, a long line of luminous
foam was seen to be rushing rapidly down upon the schooner from the
harbour's mouth, stretching completely across the bay. As it came
nearer it was apparent that this was the foaming crest of a wall of
water some twelve feet in height which was rushing down the bay at
railway-speed.
"Hold on, every one of you, for your lives!" hoarsely shouted the
skipper, as the wave swept threateningly down upon the schooner; and the
next moment it burst upon them with a savage roar.
Luckily, the _Petrel's_ bows were presented fairly to it, or the
consequences would have been disastrous. As it was it curled in over
the stem, an unbroken mass of water, filling the decks in an instant and
carrying the schooner irresistibly along with it toward the shore at the
bottom of the bay.
"Let go the anchor," shouted Captain Staunton, as soon as he could get
his head above water.
But before this could be done the wave had swept past, rushing with a
loud thundering roar far up the beach even to the capstan-house, and
then rapidly subsiding.
"Get the canvas on her at once," ordered Captain Staunton--"close-reefed
main-sail, fore-sail, and jib; we shall have some wind presently, please
God, and we'll make use of it to get out of this as speedily as
possible--Merciful Heaven! what now?"
A sullen roar; a rattling crash as of a peal of heaviest thunder; and
the whole scene was suddenly lit up with a lurid ruddy glow. Turning
their startled glances inland, our adventurers saw that the lofty hill-
top, dominating the head of the ravine, near which was situated the gold
cavern, had burst open and was vomiting forth vast volumes of flame and
smoke. As they looked the top of the hill visibly crumbled and melted
away, the flames shot up in fiercer volumes, vast quantities of red-hot
ashes, mingled with huge masses of glowing incandescent rock, were
projected far into the air; a terrific storm of thunder and lightning
suddenly burst forth to add new terrors to the scene; and to crown all,
a new rift suddenly burst open in the side of the hill, out of which
there immediately poured a perfect ocean of molten lava.
In the face of this stupendous phenomenon Captain Staunton's order to
make sail passed unheeded; the entire faculties of every man on board
the schooner were wholly absorbed in awe-struck contemplation of the
terrific spectacle.
Onward rolled the fiery flood. It wound in a zigzag serpentine course
down the side of the hill, and soon reached the thick wood at its base
and at the head of the valley. The stately forest withered, blazed for
a brief moment, and vanished in its fatal embrace, and now it came
sweeping down the steep declivity toward the bay.
This terrible sight aroused and vivified the paralysed energies of those
on board the _Petrel_. Without waiting for a repetition of the order to
make sail they sprang with panic-stricken frantic haste to cast off the
gaskets, and in an incredibly short time the schooner was under canvas.
Still there was no wind. Not the faintest breath of air came to stir
the flapping sails of the now gently rolling vessel; and her crew could
do nothing but wait in feverish anxious expectancy for the long-delayed
breeze, watching meanwhile the majestic irresistible onward sweep of
that fiery deluge.
At last, thank God! there was a faint puff of wind; it came, sighed
past, and died away. And now, another. The sails caught it, bellied
out, flapped again, filled once more, and the _Petrel_ gathered way.
She had gradually swung round until her bow pointed straight for the
capstan-house; and Captain Staunton sprang to the wheel, sending it with
a single vigorous spin hard over. The breeze was still very light, and
the craft responded but slowly to her helm; but at length she came up
fairly upon a wind and made a short stretch to the eastward, tacking the
moment that she had gathered sufficient way to accomplish the manoeuvre.
She was now on the port tack, stretching obliquely across the bay in a
southerly direction, when a startled call from Poole, repeated by all
the rest, directed Captain Staunton's gaze once more landward.
"Look--look--merciful powers, it is Ralli!" was Lance's horrified
exclamation as he grasped the skipper convulsively by the shoulder and
pointed with a trembling hand to the shore.
Sure enough it _was_ Ralli. The pirates had either not waited to seek
him, or had not thought of looking for him in the cottage before setting
out on their expedition against the shipyard, and he had consequently
been left there. But somehow--doubtless in the desperation of mortal
fear excited by the dreadful phenomena in operation around him--he had
at last succeeded in freeing himself from his bonds, and was now seen
running toward the beach, screaming madly for help.
The stream of lava was only a few yards behind him, and it had now
spread out to the entire width of the very narrow valley. The unhappy
wretch was flying for his life; terror seemed to have endowed him with
superhuman strength and speed, and for a moment it almost appeared as
though he would come out a winner in the dreadful race.
"'Bout ship!" sharply rang out the skipper's voice; "he is a fiend
rather than a man, but he must not perish thus horribly if we can save
him."
He put the helm hard down as he spoke, and the schooner shot up into the
wind, with her sails sluggishly flapping. But before she had time to
get fairly round the helm was suddenly righted and then put hard up.
"Keep all fast," commanded Captain Staunton, "it is too late; no mortal
power can save him. See! he is already in the grasp of his fate."
Such was indeed the case. The fierce breath of that onward-rolling
flood of fire was upon him; its scorching heat sapped his strength; he
staggered and fell. With the rapidity of a lightning flash he was up
and away again; but--Merciful God--see! his clothing is all ablaze; and
listen to those dreadful shrieks of fear and agony--Ah! miserable
wretch, now the flood itself is upon him; see how the waves of fire curl
round him--he throws up his arms with a harsh despairing blood-curdling
yell--he sinks--he is gone--and the surging fiery river sweeps grandly
on until it plunges with an awful hissing sound into the waters of the
bay and the whole scene becomes blotted out by the vast curtain of steam
which shoots up and spreads itself abroad.
"What a night of horror! it is hell upon earth!" gasps the skipper, as
he turns his eyes away and devotes himself once more solely to the task
of navigating the schooner; "thank God the breeze is freshening, and we
may now hope to be soon out of this and clear of it all. Phew! what
terrific lightning, and what an infernal combination of deafening
sounds!"
Fortunate was it for the schooner and her crew that the wind was from
the southward, or blowing directly down into the bay; otherwise they
would speedily have been lost in the thick clouds of steam which rose
from the water, or set on fire by the dense shower of red-hot ashes
which now began to fall thickly about them. As it was, though the wind
was against them, and they were compelled to beat up the bay, the wind
kept back the steam, and also to a great extent the falling ashes. But,
notwithstanding these favourable circumstances, the crew were obliged to
keep the decks deluged with water to prevent their being ignited.
Gradually, however, the _Petrel_ drew further and further beyond the
influence of this danger; and soon the rock at the harbour's mouth was
sighted. Captain Staunton was at first somewhat anxious about risking
the passage out to sea, being doubtful whether the explosion of the
magazine had yet taken place; but a little reflection satisfied him that
it _must_ have occurred, as they had been drifting about the bay for
nearly an hour, and he determined to push on.
Suddenly there was a shout from the look-out forward: "Boat ahead!"
immediately followed by the information, "It's the launch, sir, bottom-
up!"
Such indeed it proved to be when the schooner a minute later glided past
it. But where were her crew? They had disappeared, leaving no sign
behind them.
The hoarse angry roar of the breakers outside was now distinctly
audible; and in another five minutes' time the _Petrel's_ helm was eased
up, she was kept away a couple of points, and, shooting through the
short narrow passage on the eastern side of the rock, began to plunge
with a gentle swinging motion over the endless procession of long
slowly-moving swell outside.
The crew of the schooner had time to note, as they swept past the rock
and through the passage, that the battery no longer frowned down upon
the bay. In its place there appeared a yawning fire-blackened chasm;
and the shipyard was thickly strewed with masses and fragments of rock
of all sizes; both whale-boats were swamped; and a solitary gun, with a
fragment of its carriage still attached, lay half in and half out of the
water. The timbers of the dismembered cradle still floated huddled
together like a raft, close to the landing.
"Now," said Lance to Captain Staunton, as soon as they were fairly
outside of the harbour, "_we are free, thank God_! and, as there seems
to be no immediate prospect of your further needing my help, I will go
and look after the wounded and the ladies. Poor souls! what a fearful
time of suspense and terror they must have passed, pent up there in the
cabin, listening to all these fearful sounds, and not knowing what it
means or what will be the end of it."
Lance accordingly descended, to find the ladies pale as death, and their
eyes dilated with fear, resolutely doing their best with the aid of the
steward to assuage the agonies of the wounded. He was, of course, at
once assailed with a hundred questions, to which, however, he put a stop
by holding up his hand and laughingly saying--
"Pray, spare me, and show me a little mercy, I beseech you; to answer
all your questions would occupy me for the remainder of the night. Be
satisfied, therefore, for the present with the general statement that we
have successfully launched the schooner--as doubtless you have long ago
found out for yourselves; that there has been a terrible earthquake,
accompanied by a volcanic eruption which bids fair to completely destroy
the island; that we are now in the open ocean, having made good our
escape, and that there is at present nothing more to fear. Where is
May?"
"She is asleep in that berth," answered Mrs Staunton, "so I hope the
worst of the poor child's pain is over."
"No doubt of it," answered Lance; "the fact that she is sleeping is in
itself a sufficient indication of that. And now, let me first thank you
for your care of my patients here--to whom I will now myself attend--and
next order you all three peremptorily off to bed. Away with you at once
to the most comfortable quarters you can find, and try to get a good
night's rest."
Utterly worn out, the ladies were only too glad to obey this order; and
they accordingly forthwith retired to the cabins which the steward had
already prepared for them.
The more severely wounded were then speedily attended to, their injuries
carefully dressed, and themselves comfortably bestowed in their
hammocks; after which came the turn of the others.
By the time that Lance had fully completed his arduous task the first
faint streaks of dawn were lighting up the eastern horizon; and he went
on deck to get a breath or two of fresh air. He found the schooner
slipping along at a fine pace under every stitch of canvas she could
spread, including studding-sails, with the breeze about two points on
the starboard quarter, a clear sky above her, and a clear sea all round.
Away astern, as the light grew stronger, could be seen a dark patch of
smoke low down upon the horizon, indicating the position of "Albatross
Island;" but the land itself had sunk below the horizon long before.
My story is now ended; very little more remains to be told, and that
little must be told as tersely as possible.
The _Petrel_ made a very rapid and prosperous passage home, and in due
time arrived at Plymouth--long before which, however, the wounded had
all completely recovered. Here the passengers landed; whilst Captain
Staunton proceeded with the schooner to London, where the craft was
safely docked and her crew paid off. The skipper then made the best of
his way to the office of the owners of the _Galatea_, where he was
received with joyous surprise, his story listened to with the greatest
interest, and himself congratulated upon his marvellous escape from the
many perils which he had encountered. And, best of all, before the
interview terminated, his owners showed in the most practical manner
their continued confidence in him by offering him the command of a very
fine new ship which they had upon the stocks almost ready for launching.
I must leave it to the lively imaginations of my readers to picture for
themselves the rapturous welcome home experienced by the other
personages who have figured in this story, merely remarking that it left
absolutely nothing to be desired, its warmth being of itself a
sufficient compensation for all the hardship and suffering they had
endured.
The gold which Bob's forethought had been the means of securing was duly
divided equally between all who could fairly be regarded as entitled to
a share; and, though it certainly did not amount to a fortune apiece, it
proved amply sufficient to compensate the sharers for their loss of
time.
On the receipt of his moiety, Bob gave a grand supper to all his friends
in Brightlingsea, the which is referred to with justifiable pride by the
landlady of the "Anchor" even unto this day.
It was whilst this eventful supper was in full swing that Lance Evelin
unexpectedly made his appearance upon the scene. He was
enthusiastically welcomed by Bob, duly introduced to the company, and at
once joined them, making himself so thoroughly at home with them, and
entering so completely into the spirit of the affair, that he sprang at
a single bound into their best graces, and was vehemently declared by
one and all to be "a real out-and-outer."
The next day found him closeted for a full hour with old Bill Maskell,
after which, to everybody's profound astonishment, the pair left for
London. Only to return next day, however, accompanied by a fine tall
soldierly-looking old man, to whom Bob was speedily introduced, and by
whom he was claimed, to his unqualified amazement, as an only and long-
lost son. Sir Richard Lascelles--for he it was--was indebted to Lance
for this joyous discovery; and it was almost pitiful to witness the poor
old gentleman's efforts to adequately express his gratitude to Evelin
for the totally unexpected restoration of his son to his arms.
Bob, now no longer Bob Legerton but Mr Richard Lascelles, was speedily
transferred to his father's house in London; and, according to the
latest accounts, he is now busy qualifying himself to enter the navy.
Poor old Bill Maskell was in a strangely agitated condition for some
time after the occurrence of these events, being alternately in a state
of the greatest hilarity at Bob's return home, and despondency at the
reflection that henceforth the remainder of their lives must be spent
apart. Sir Richard has, however, done what he could to console the poor
old man by purchasing for him a pretty little cottage and garden in the
most pleasant part of Brightlingsea, supplementing the gift with an
allowance of one hundred and fifty pounds a year for the remainder of
his life.
Some two months or so after the arrival home of the _Petrel_ a notice
appeared in the _Morning Post_ and other papers announcing a double
marriage at Saint George's, Hanover Square; the contracting parties
being respectively Launcelot Evelin and Blanche Lascelles; and Rex
Fortescue and Violet Dudley; there is every reason therefore to suppose
that those four persons are at last perfectly happy.
It has been whispered--in the strictest confidence, of course--that
there is some idea of fitting out an expedition to the South Pacific,
for the purpose of ascertaining whether "Albatross Island" is still in
existence, and, if so, whether there is any possibility of working the
enormously rich gold mine, the strange discovery of which is recorded in
these pages.
Should the expedition he undertaken and carried out with results worthy
of note, an effort will be made to collect the fullest particulars, with
the view of arranging them in narrative form for the entertainment of
such readers as are sufficiently interested in our friends to wish for
further intelligence about them.