Swiftly and successfully the little brig retraced her steps,
careering like a sea-fowl over the watery mountains that rose in her
path, ever and anon plunging into the yawning abyss; but gallantly
she rose again, and, shaking herself from brine and foam, bounded
onward. Having ventured, after awhile, on the smallest show of
canvas possible, the captain gave orders to sound the pumps, and sent
Mogford below to ascertain how things looked in the hold.
The mate slipped down the fore hatchway, making his way over tightly
packed bales, empty crates and barrels, which were stowed on an
extemporized half orlop-deck; and, watching his opportunity, Jim
Ortop, the 'prentice, descended too, for the purpose of getting an
hour or two's undisturbed sleep. Discovering a crate half-filled
with straw, he quietly stole into it, and, almost before the mate
reached the deck again, was wrapped in slumber.
'There are two feet of water, sir, or a little more,' said Mogford,
when he reappeared; 'but I don't think there is much wrong, and the
weather is moderating.'
'See that there's a good look-out kept,' replied the captain. 'We
shall soon, at this rate, be upon the coast.' And scarcely were the
words uttered, when a voice was heard from the forecastle, struggling
for audience against the humming wind, 'Land on the starboard bow!'
A misty line of elevated land was speedily traceable in the distance;
and, wishing to avoid proximity to such a shore, the captain directed
that the vessel should be brought up towards the wind. Such,
however, was the force of the gale, and such the difficulty of
spreading even a modicum of canvas, that Stauncy's seamanship was
taxed to the utmost to save the ship from the grasp of that
rock-bound coast. They were driven sufficiently near to discern, by
the dusky moonlight, its frowning precipices, against which the sea
broke heavily with deafening roar, sending up jets of spray into
nooks and crannies where gulls and puffins had sought a
roosting-place, and scaring them away to seek, with angry scream, a
quieter retreat; but as yet there was no manifest danger.
'We're handy Bude Bay,' said Pickard, who was assisting Cole at the
wheel; 'I know the look of that ugly headland well enough. We were
coming home from America one time, and by our dead reckoning we
ought'--
'Down helm! run up the jib, and shake out the foretopsail,' said the
captain sharply. 'We're well in for Bude Bay, and shall hardly clear
the land without making all the sail we can.'
The vessel answered well to her helm, springing her luff to Stauncy's
satisfaction, but yawed alarmingly when a heavy sea struck her on the
beam; so that he perceived at once how much depended on vigorous
measures.
Accordingly, the closely-reefed maintopsail and mainsail were set, an
experiment which made the Sarah Ann heel over so much that she was
well-nigh on her beam ends; but it succeeded, so that the brig was
kept at a respectful distance from the grim-looking rocks which
scowled behind snowy foam; and every heart felt light and hopeful
when Hartland Point stood out in the distance, like a huge fog-bank,
and the arms of Bideford Bay seemed stretched out rejoicingly, to
welcome them back again.
'Sound the pumps again,' said the captain, 'and I'll go below myself.'
'The water has gained on us rapidly, Mr. Mogford,' was his first
remark on emerging from the hold, where he had unconsciously
disturbed the slumbers of Jim Ortop. 'Every time she pitches, it
seems to pour in; we'll run up under Lundy, and wait for the tide.
Keep the pumps agoing.'
In less than half an hour he descended again, and seemed to examine
with some care the state of the seams. The lantern carried in his
hand was suddenly extinguished, and the apprentice, who had fallen
into a doze, was aroused by a harsh rasping sound which startled him,
and stirred his curiosity. It went on for some minutes, and then, as
though every barrel in the hold had been pierced at once, a gurgling,
gushing noise assailed his ears, which taxed his powers of
consideration no little; and, as it lasted for a considerable time,
his brain became greatly excited. A scrambling over bales and crates
succeeded; and, as the captain swung himself up the hatchway, Jim
heard him say, 'Mr. Mogford, I've been watching the water below, and
it's gaining on us every minute;' and then, in a louder tone, 'All
hands to the pumps! Where's that skulking Ortop got to?'
Now, Ortop was just beginning to engage in a small expedition on his
own account. Creeping quietly down to the part from whence the
grating noise had proceeded, he passed his hands inquiringly in all
directions; but nothing could he discover save a little trickling
stream, which seemed to spring from under a projecting trenail,
standing out from the ship's side like a giant vent-peg. So he made
his way to the crate again, and, considering that he might as well be
rope's-ended for a long nap as a short one, made himself as
comfortable as he could.
Daylight at length began faintly to appear, and the ship rolled and
laboured as before; for, though the tempest had spent itself and was
hushing up, she had now a considerable depth of water in her, as
Stauncy had reported.
'Land ahead, sir!' said the mate.
'I see it, Mogford. Up helm! We'll run round off the cave.'
The brig fell off, and before she had passed Rat Island, to the south
of Lundy, the captain made another descent into the hold, guided by
the light of a lantern. The candle was extinguished, the old
creaking sound followed, and then that self-same rushing, splashing
commotion which had astonished the apprentice before astonished him
again, as though the skipper were tapping the casks for his private
gratification. On, and on, and on, the mysterious rush continued;
and the captain, having once more groped his way upward, exclaimed,
'Get the boats ready for lowering: we're water-logged, sure enough!
See that everything is right, Mr. Mogford, and I'll have another
look.'
And, lantern in hand, he visited the mysterious spot once more, and
the same harsh notes and hissing chorus chimed in with creaking
timbers and splashing waves.
By this time the water had gained the aforesaid orlop-deck, and was
slushing amongst the stowage; so that, after the captain had again
ascended, the apprentice began to look out for a favourable time to
accomplish his escape.
'Is all ready?' said Stauncy.
'All ready, sir,' replied the mate.
'Then get what you can out of the ship, all of you, for she's
settling down fast.'
The jolly-boat was lowered first, and manned by six of the crew; but
the painter snapped before they had settled themselves, and away she
went astern, dancing over the billows, soon lost to view in the hazy
morning twilight.
'Look sharp there!' said the captain; 'lower away quick!' and the
other boat took the water like a gull. The 'prentice, who had turned
up in the nick of time, Sam Pickard, the mate, and Stauncy jumped
into her; and scarcely had they cleared the vessel when her
death-struggle came on. It was soon over, however. A heavy sea
raised her by the stern, and, unable to recover herself, she swayed
and writhed for a moment, and then sunk headlong into the leaping
waters, which closed over her hurriedly, clashing and seething amid
the moaning of the wind and the booming of the broken surges against
the beetling cliffs of Lundy Isle.