To ward off the enquiries that sprang to Mrs Vansittart's lips the
moment I appeared was a little difficult, but I managed it by simply
declining to say a word until after breakfast. When, however, we
presently all sat down at the table together, I soon perceived that the
task of breaking to her the full extent of the night's disaster, to
which I had been looking forward with dread, was likely to be less
painful than I had anticipated. For Mrs Vansittart was far too
experienced in nautical matters to be easily deceived. Moreover, during
my absence there had been time for her to think, and to draw her own
conclusions, not only from what she saw and heard, but also from what
she failed to see and hear--particularly the sound of men's voices and
footsteps. So that, as the meal progressed, I began to understand that
it would require very little effort on my part to bring complete
realisation home to her.
Poor lady! I felt very sorry for her--not so much on account of the
possible hardships, privations, and dangers that only too probably
awaited her, for she was "grit" all through, and I knew that she would
face them all without a murmur; but it was easy to see that she was
grieving over the terrible loss of life that had attended the disaster.
Also, I rather imagined she blamed herself for it. For when I ventured
to beg her not to take the matter too much to heart, she looked at me
through her tears and retorted:
"How can I help taking it to heart, Walter? If I had been content to
enjoy life in the same way that other women of my class do, this would
never have happened. But I must needs go gadding about the world in a
yacht; and this is what has come of it!"
I replied that yachting was not in itself more dangerous than many other
forms of amusement which could easily be named; that thousands indulged
in it year after year with impunity; and that what had befallen us was
neither more nor less than a pure accident, for which she certainly
could in nowise hold herself responsible, since she had navigated the
ship with skill and the observance of every necessary precaution. I
went on to say that the accident had arisen simply from the existence of
a coral reef which nobody had thus far suspected. But my arguments,
sound as I felt them to be, seemed to influence the lady very little, if
at all. I could only hope that time, reflection, and the difficulties
that lay before us would gradually divert her thoughts from the sorrow
that just then seemed to possess her.
At the conclusion of the meal I took her up on the poop and allowed her
to view our surroundings, expounded my theory of the various happenings
that had brought us to our present pass, and explained the steps which I
suggested should be immediately taken. To which she responded by
saying:
"Very well, Walter. Whatever you think necessary do, and we will all
help you to the utmost of our ability. I can sail and navigate a ship,
as you have seen, but there my seamanship ends. I have not the
knowledge, the skill, the experience, the intuitiveness and
imaginativeness to deal adequately with, such a matter as a shipwreck.
And when people are in such a plight as ourselves it is the man who must
take hold of the situation and handle it. I trust entirely to you to do
what you think best; and, as I said before, we women will help you all
we can."
I thanked her very heartily for her trust in me, and proposed that we
should forthwith set to work, our first task being to free the habitable
portions of the ship from water, so that they might become dry and
comfortable again with the least possible delay. And I suggested that
we should begin with her own sleeping cabin, to which she made no
objection.
"There is one other matter," I added, "which demands our immediate
attention. We must at once determine the exact position of the wreck,
and, having done so, must prepare a statement briefly setting forth our
plight and requesting assistance. This statement must be copied out
several times--as many times as you please, indeed--and the copies,
enclosed in sealed bottles, sent adrift at, say, daily intervals. It
will be strange indeed if, out of four or five dozen bottles, not one is
picked up."
The suggestion appealed to Mrs Vansittart. She pronounced the idea a
good one, and as the time and conditions were alike favourable we
forthwith proceeded to carry it out, she first taking a set of five
sights for the determination of the longitude while I noted the
chronometer times, and then, vice versa, I taking the sextant and she
the chronometer. Then we adjourned to the chart-room and worked out our
calculations independently, the results agreeing within ten seconds of
longitude, or a difference of only a few hundred feet. This, of course,
was quite near enough for all practical purposes, but it did not
completely satisfy either of us, Mrs Vansittart being, like myself,
something of a stickler for absolute accuracy. We therefore tried
again, this time working the problem of "equal altitudes", and before
the day was out we had arrived at identical results, both as to latitude
and longitude.
Then, while I tackled the task of clearing our living quarters of water,
Mrs Vansittart set to work to draft out a statement setting forth the
circumstances of the wreck and appealing for help. I have still a copy
of the document in my possession, which runs as follows:--
"Yacht _Stella Maris_; New York Yacht Club, U.S.A.;
Mrs Cornelia Vansittart, Owner.
Latitude -- North; Longitude -- East.
"To all whom it may concern.
"The full-rigged, auxiliary-screw yacht _Stella Maris_, stranded on an
uncharted coral reef, situate in the above-mentioned position, during
the night of Wednesday the -- day of December, 19--, with the lamentable
loss of all hands excepting the owner, her son and daughter, chief
officer Walter Leigh, of Newton Ferrers, Devonshire, England; Lizette
Charpentier, chief stewardess, and Susie Blaine, second stewardess, both
of New York, U.S.A.
"As the only land in sight is a very small, bare sandbank, quite
uninhabitable, the above-named survivors are remaining upon the wreck,
which, although totally dismasted and badly bilged, will afford them a
refuge so long as the weather remains fine, but may break up during the
next gale that chances to occur.
"Mrs Vansittart offers a reward of ten thousand dollars (American), and
the reimbursement of all expenses incurred, to the person or persons who
will effect the rescue of herself and her companions in misfortune; and
the finder of this document is earnestly besought to make public its
contents as soon as found.