DRIFTING ON.
As the delusive fog was swept away before the breeze, Brand uttered a
howl, and throwing himself down, dashed his head against one of the
planks of the raft.
"Eat--drink! I must have something! Come, it is time!"
And he drew forth a clasp knife, eyeing Mary at the same moment with a
wolfish gleam in the eyes not to be mistaken.
The bare thought seemed to inspire Harry with a rage almost demoniacal.
He threw himself upon the man, wrenching the knife from his grasp, and
hurling it into the sea.
Then he caught the captain by the throat, and seemed on the point of
hurling him overboard.
Turk, however, interfered.
"That work won't do, lad! You'd be sorry for it when you got over sich
feelin's as at present agitates you. Let him alone, sir. We'll all
have sufferin' enough yet, I'll warrant ye!"
Thus prevailed upon, not only by the old sailor but by the mingled
pleadings of Mary, Harry relaxed his hold of the fellow, who, with a
baffled howl, sank down, glaring at the water, as if hoping to see his
knife again rise to the surface.
Meanwhile a fresh breeze now came along, wrinkling the water, and
falling upon the heated brows and parched lips of the raft's people,
inspiring sensations of relief.
Harry took off his outside shirt, and with one of the raft poles, thus
formed a sail.
"A queer piece of canvass, sartinly," said Tom Turk, mournfully; "but
as there's a to'gallant sail, we may as well have a topsail, do you
see?"
So saying, he took off his shirt, which was also put upon the pole.
The impetus thus given to the raft can be hardly credited.
Away it went, rippling the water, at the rate of about three knots.
It was nearly sundown, when Tom Turk suddenly balancing himself upon
his toes, was heard singing out:
"Land, oh!"
"Another delusion," bitterly exclaimed Harry, not even attempting to
rise from his position by Mary's side.
"I'm sartin, this time!" exclaimed the old sailor; "fog never looks
like them black things thereaway," pointing westward.
Harry and Brand were up in a moment, to discover that the old tar had
indeed spoken truth.
Far away a number of rocks were seen, protruding from the sea.
"Better no land at all than that," growled Brand, in a disappointed
voice. "We'll find no water there."
On went the raft, and in due time the rocks were gained. They were
found to be about ten in number, and to rise several feet above the
surface of the sea.
Brand was the first to spring ashore. Rushing forward, he was suddenly
seen to throw himself down.
Harry and Turk were soon by his side, to perceive that he had found,
in a hollow of one of the rocks, a quantity of water, evidently lodged
there by a recent waterspout, and prevented from drying up by the
shadow from an overhanging cliff.
It seemed as if the captain would never get his fill.
He drank and drank, drawing in the water with a noise like that of a
horse at a trough.
At last he rose.
There was a gallon and a half of water still in the rocky basin.
What a contrast now was presented between the conduct of Brand and
that of his shipmates. Turk filled his flask with the pure element,
and presented it to Harry, who at once passed it to Mary.
"Drink first!" said the poor girl.
Finding, however, that she could not prevail upon him to do so, Mary
at length drank her fill.
The effect was magical. Her eyes brightened--the feverish hue seemed
to leave her cheek--she breathed a grateful sigh of relief.
At the basin, Turk would not drink until his companion had first done
so.
When all had partaken, there was still a quart of water left.
Turk went to the raft, and, procuring his flask, in which there still
remained a few drops, he filled it from the hollow, and returning,
presented it to Mary.
"This is for you, my lass," said he.
Meanwhile, Brand filled his bottle, holding about twice as much as
Turk's.
Neither Harry nor the old seaman said anything; but they exchanged
glances, which said plainly:
"When we want water for the girl, we will know where to get it."
Walking about the rocks, Harry suddenly uttered a glad cry.
In some crevices among the rocks, he beheld a number of fat-looking
fish.
"It seems as if heaven has sent these especially for our benefit, at
the right time," said the young man, joyfully, as Turk came to his
side.
The old tar, however, looked sober.
"It is easy enough," said he, "tellin' how them fish came here."
"I don't understand you."
"Well, then, I'll tell you. These rocks, is covered up at high tide.
That is how them fish came to be left here!"
"We have our raft," said Harry, joyfully, "so that if the rocks do
overflow, we may thus get more fish!"
"Ay, ay, it's all right, so long as the raft holds together," answered
Turk, "which I'm mighty afraid, won't be long," pointing at the
lashings holding the timbers together.
These lashings were, in fact, much worn; some of them could not long
be made use of.
"We must try to fix the raft," said Harry, "I dare say we can contrive
it so that we may keep afloat."
From the raft the hungry men soon turned their attention to the fish.
These were cooked with a couple of planks--there were plenty to
spare--torn from the raft and split up against the jagged edges of
the rocks, some of the fragments to be afterwards cut by Turk's
pocketknife, and lighted by matches which, sailor-like, the old tar
always carried with him in a small tin box, that they might be kept
dry.
Meanwhile, Brand, while taking no part in these preparations, sat like
a hungry tiger eyeing the cooked fish.
A portion was given to him; in fact, the whole party made a hearty and
palatable meal.
Now, Mary, her wants having been relieved, again spoke of the volcanic
island.
"I so wish we could fall in with some sail, which would take us
there," said she. "Oh, if I could only see my dear papa!"
Brand shrugged his shoulders.
"Hark!" he suddenly screamed, as the night shadows gathered, "I
fancied I heard a gurgling sound!"
Neither of the rest had heard anything.
"P'raps it was the wash of the waves against the rock," said Brand.
Next morning the whole party rose after a slight rest--the men having
stood watch--to perceive that the water had risen nearly to the top of
the first rock.
"The rock will soon be flooded," remarked Harry.
"Ay, ay, so I'm afraid," said Turk. "We had better try to make the
raft stronger."
Unfortunately, the men having no rope with them, succeeded but poorly.
"Truth is," said Turk, aside to his friend, "I wouldn't trust
ourselves two days on them planks!"
At this time the party stood upon one of the rocks.
Suddenly Mary pointed down at the water, through which, all around
their position, a number of dark-looking fins now were seen, moving
hither and thither.
"What are those things?" she inquired.
"Sharks!" answered Harry and Turk, as they simultaneously drew the
young girl upon the raft.