 Chapter 4 of The Pirate Island, a story of the South Pacific. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. The Pirate Island, a story of the South Pacific, by Harry Collinwood. Chapter 4 The Outward Voyage By eight o'clock next morning, at which hour the passengers sat down to breakfast, the Galatea was off-dungeonous, which she rounded with a somewhat freshening breeze, and noon saw her fairly abreast of beachy head. The weather was magnificent. The breeze, whilst fresh enough to waft the good ship through the water at the rate of an honest ten knots in the hour, was not sufficiently strong to raise much sea. The only result, therefore, was a slight leisurely roll, which the passengers found agreeable rather than the reverse, and everybody was consequently in the most exuberant spirits, congratulating themselves and each other on so auspicious a commencement to their voyage. As for Bob, he was in the seventh heaven of delight, the noble proportions of the beautiful craft which bore him so gallantly over the summer sea, her spotless cloniness, the perfect order and method with which the various duties were performed, and the consideration with which he was treated by his superiors constituted for him a novel experience, in strong contrast to the wet and dirt, the often severe toil, and the rough and ready habits of the collier seamen on board the Betsy Jane. From the moment that Bob had assumed duty on board the Galatea, Captain Stanton had taken pains to make matters pleasant for him. He had spoken freely of the heavy obligation under which he considered that Bob had laid him, and had extolled in the most laudatory terms the lad's behavior during that terrible winter night upon the gun-fleet. Bob, therefore, found himself the possessor of a reputation which commanded universal admiration and respect in the little community of which he was a member. With the result that he was quite unconsciously accorded a distinction which under other circumstances it would have been vain for him to hope. Thus, when our hero found himself, as he frequently did, a guest at the saloon dinner table, Captain Stanton, following the example of the commanders in the Navy, by occasionally inviting his officers to dine with him, the passengers almost unanimously received him into their midst with a friendly warmth, which they accorded to none of the other subordinates on board, agreeing to regard in him as pleasant eccentricities those frequent lapses in grammar and pronunciation, which they would have resented in others as the evidences of a decided inferiority, to be kept at a distance by the coldest and most studied disdain. Captain Stanton took an early opportunity to speak to Bob respecting his unfortunate lack of education and culture. They were alone together in the chart room at the moment, whether the skipper had called Bob in order that their conversation might be strictly private. Robert, said he, he always addressed Bob as Robert, when what he had to say was unconnected with duty. Robert, my boy, I wish to say a word or two to you respecting your education, which, I fear, has been somewhat neglected, as indeed might reasonably be expected seeing how few educational advantages usually fall in the way of a fisher lad. Now this must be remedied as speedily as possible. I am anxious that you should become not only a first-rate seamen and thorough navigator, but also a polished gentleman, in order that you may be fitted to fill the highest posts attainable in the profession which you have chosen. When I was your age, if a man knew enough to enable him to safely navigate his ship from place to place, that was about all that was required of him. But times have changed since then. The English have become a nation of travelers, passenger ships have enormously increased in number, and the man who now commands one is expected, in addition to his other duties, to play the part of a courteous and intelligent host to those who take passage with him. To enable him to perform this portion of his duties satisfactorily, a liberal education and polished manners are necessary, and both of these you must acquire, my boy. There is only one way of attaining the possession of these requisites, and that is study. The intelligent study of books will give you the education, and the study of your fellow creatures, their speech, habits, and demeanor, will give you polish by showing you what things to imitate and what to avoid. Now you have an excellent opportunity to commence both these branches of study at once. Mr. Eastlake, the missionary, takes the greatest interest in you and has offered not only to lend you the necessary books, but also to give you two hours' tuition daily, an offer which I have ventured to thankfully accept on your behalf. And in addition to this, you have sixteen passengers to study. Some of them are perfect gentlemen, others, I am sorry to say, are anything but that. Your own good sense will point out to you what is worthy of imitation and what should be avoided in the manners of those around you. And I think you are sharp and intelligent enough to quickly profit by your observations. Keep your eyes and ears open, and your mouth as much as possible shut, just for the present, and I have no doubt you will soon make headway. In addition to the two hours' tuition which Mr. Eastlake has promised you, I intend to give you two more. Mr. Eastlake's tuition will be in various branches of useful knowledge, and mine will be in navigation. Your studies will be conducted here in the chart room, and I have very little doubt but that if you are only half as willing to learn as we are to teach, you will have made a considerable amount of progress by the time that we arrive at Sydney. Indeed, as far as navigation is concerned, it is by no means an intricate science, and there is no reason why you should not be a skilled navigator by the time that we reach Australia. Bob had the good sense to fully appreciate the immense value of the advantages thus preferred to him. He was intelligent enough to at once recognize the vast intellectual distance which intervened between himself, a poor ignorant fisher lad, and the highly educated men and women who were to be found among the saloon passengers, as well as the wide difference between his own awkward embarrassed manner and the quiet, easy, graceful demeanor which distinguished some of the individuals to be seen daily on the poop of the Galatea. The sense of his inferiority already weighed heavily upon him. The opportunity now offered him of throwing it off was therefore eagerly and gratefully accepted, and he at once plunged Conomore into the studies which were marked out for him. Mr. Eastlake, the gentleman who had undertaken to remedy as far as time permitted serious defects in Bob's education, was exceptionally well qualified for the task. Educated at Cambridge, where he had won a double first, naturally studious, a great traveller, endowed with a singularly happy knack of investing the driest subject with quite an absorbing interest, and a perfect master in the art of instructing, he superintended Bob's studies so effectively that the lad's progress was little short of marvellous. Not content with the two hours of daily tuition which had originally been proposed, Mr. Eastlake frequently joined the lad on the poop, or in the waste for the first two or three hours of the first night watch, when the weather happened to be fine and Bob's services were not particularly required, and promenading fore and aft with his pupil by his side, he was wont to launch into long and interesting disquisitions upon such topics as were best calculated to widen Bob's sphere of knowledge and cultivate his intellect. Nor was Captain Staunton any less successful in that portion of Bob's studies which he had undertaken to direct. Fortunately for our hero, his skipper was not one of those men whose acquaintance with navigation consists solely in the blind knowledge that certain calculations, if correctly performed, will afford certain information. Captain Staunton had studied nautical astronomy intelligently and thoroughly. He knew the raison d'etre of every calculation in the various astronomical problems connected with the science of navigation, and was therefore in a position to explain clearly and intelligently to his pupil every step which was necessary, as well in the simple as in the more abstruse and difficult calculations. Thus admirably circumstanced in the matter of instructors and aided by his own anxiety to improve, Bob made such steady and rapid progress that by the time the ship rounded the cape, he could work a lunar, solve a quadratic equation or any problem in the first two books of Euclid, and write an intelligently expressed, correctly spelt and grammatical letter in addition to possessing a large store of knowledge on everyday subjects. Nor was this all. The majority of the passengers, moved by Captain Staunton's frequent references to Bob's exploit on the gunfleet, had taken quite a fancy to the lad, and conversed so frequently and so freely with him that his maves-hante gradually disappeared, and he found himself able to mingle with them with an ease and absence of self-consciousness which was as pleasing as it was novel to him. Meanwhile the Galataeus sped rapidly and prosperously on her way. The breeze with which she had started lasted long enough to run her fairly into the northeast trades, and once in them the journey to the line was a short and pleasant one. Here a delay of three days occurred, during which the ship had to contend with light, baffling winds, and calms, interspersed with violent thunder and rain squalls, the latter of which were taken advantage of to fill up the water-tanks. Then on again to the southward, braced sharp up on the larbored tack, with the southeast trade wind blowing fresh enough to keep the royals stowed for the greater part of the time, and then light easterly breezes just at the time when they fully expected to fall in with strong westerly winds before which to run down their easting. Here occurred their first check, and instead of being thankful that they had been so greatly favored thus far, everybody of course began forthwith the grumble. The passengers perhaps chafed under the delay quite as much as Captain Stanton, but their outward manifestations of impatience were confined for the most part to dissatisfied glances at the hard cloudless blue sky to windward, as it met their gaze morning after morning when they came on deck, to shrugs of the shoulders whenever the subject happened to be mentioned, and to scornful, sarcastic, or despondent allusions to the proverbial longevity and obstinacy of easterly winds in general. Except Mr. Forrester Dale, and he, I regret to say, made himself a perfect nuisance to everybody on board by his snappishness and irascibility. The weather was beastly, the ship was beastly, and his demeanor was such as to suggest to the other passengers the idea that he considered them also to be beastly, a suggestion which they very promptly resented by sending him to Coventry, that this metaphorical seclusion in that ancient city was not of the very strictest kind was entirely due to the fact that his partner Rex Fortescue and the inimitable Brooke were on board. Rex bore the childish irritability of his senior partner with unparalleled good humor, his strongest protest being Amir, shut up, there's a good fellow, and let a man enjoy his book and his weed in peace for once in a while. Factotum Brooke attempted quite a different mode of soothing his superior. He demonstrated, to his own complete satisfaction, if not to that of anybody else, that it was a physical impossibility for them to have anything but easterly winds where they were. But he asserted there was a good time coming. They had had easterly winds ever since they had started. This, by an unalterable law of nature, had been gradually creating a vacuum away there in the easterly quarter, which vacuum must now necessarily soon become so perfect that, by another unalterable law of nature, the wind would come careering back from the westward with a force sufficient to more than enable them to make up for all lost time. To do Captain Stoughton justice, he left no means untried whereby to while away the time and render less oppressive the monotony of the voyage. He suggested the weekly publication of a newspaper in the saloon and energetically promoted and encouraged such sports and pastimes as are practicable on board ship. Alfresco concerts on the poop, impromptu dances, tableau vivants, charades, recitations, etc. for the evening, and decoits follow my leader shooting at bottles, fishing, etc. during the day. By these means the murmurings and dissatisfaction were nipped in the bud, harmony and good humor returning and triumphantly maintaining their position for the remainder of the voyage. The newspaper was a great success, every incident in the least out of the common being duly recorded therein. The editor was one O'Reilly, an Irishman, who enjoyed the reputation of being one of the most successful barristers in New South Wales, to which colony he was returning after a short holiday trip home. The paper was published in manuscript and consisted of twenty fool's cap pages, which O'Reilly prided himself upon completely filling at every issue. Interesting facts being for the most part very scarce commodities fiction was freely indulged in. The contributors vying with each other in the effort to produce humorous advertisements, letters to the editor upon real or imaginary grievances, and startling accounts of purely fictitious occurrences. In the meantime two of the passengers had discovered a species of amusement quite out of the line of the captain's program, and which caused that worthy seaman no small amount of anxiety and embarrassment. In a word Rex Fortescue and Violet Dudley found in each other's society a solace from the ennui of the voyage, which onlookers had every reason to believe was of the most perfect kind. Such a condition of things was almost inevitable under the circumstances. There were four ladies on board and thirteen gentlemen passengers of whom no less than nine were bachelors. Of the four ladies, one, Mrs. Stanton, was married and therefore unapproachable. Miss Butler was an old maid, with a subdued expression and manner ill-calculated to arouse any feeling warmer than respectful esteem, so that they remained only blanche and violet, both young, pretty, and agreeable, to act as recipients of all the ardent emotions of the bachelor mind. Although the art, science, or pastime, whichever you will, of love-making, has many difficulties to contend with on board ship, in consequence of the lamentable lack of privacy which prevails there, it is doubtful whether it ever flourishes so vigorously anywhere else. Even so was it on board the Galatea, violet and blanche being weighted upon hand and foot and followed about the decks from early morn to dewy eve, each by her own phalanx of devoted admirers. These attentions had at first been productive of nothing more serious than amusement to their recipients. But gradually, very gradually, violet-dudly had manifested a partiality for the quiet, unobtrusive courtesies and attentions of Rex Fortescue, which partiality at length became so clearly marked that, one after the other, the rest of her admirers retired, and sought solace for their disappointment in the exciting sport of rifle shooting at empty bottles, dropped overboard and allowed to drift a stern, or in such other amusements as their tastes led them to favor. Blanche, however, still kept her division of admirers in a state of feverish suspense, manifesting no partiality whatever for any one of them above another. Indeed, she seemed to take greater pleasure in questioning Bob about his former career, and in listening to his quaint but graphic descriptions of the curious incidents of Fisher life, than she did in the compliments or conversation of any of her admirers, a circumstance which caused Bob to be greatly envied. Whilst this was the state of things aft, matters were not all that they should be in the foxel. The crew were a good enough set of men, and doubtless would have been all right under proper management. But thanks to the surly and aggravating behavior of Mr. Carter, the starboard watch over which he ruled, was in a state of almost open mutiny, and yet so acute was the aggressor that for a long time he gave the men no excuse for legitimate complaint. The utmost that could be said against him being that he was, in the opinion of the men, unduly particular as to the set and trim of the sails, and the superlative cleanliness of everything about the decks. This was all very well during the daytime, but when in the night watches the men were hustled incessantly about the decks, taking a pull here, there, and everywhere at the halyard's sheets and braces of the already fully distended and accurately trimmed sails, only to be ordered a few minutes later to ease up the lead braces half an inch, and take a pull upon the weather ones, or alternately stowing and setting the flying kites, or light upper canvas. They could not help seeing that these things were done less from zeal and anxiety to make a quick passage than for the purpose of indulging a spiteful and malicious temper. At length a crisis arrived. The ship was at the time somewhere about the latitude of the Cape, stretching to the southward and eastward close halt, with a fine steady breeze from east to northeast. It was the second mate's eight hours out that night, and although the weather was beautifully fine, with a clear sky, full moon, and steady breeze, he had been indulging in his usual vagaries throughout the last two hours of the first watch. He never attempted anything out of the common when Captain Stoughton or any of the passengers were on deck, as some of them generally were until midnight, and he began them again within a quarter of an hour of coming on deck at four a.m. The royals were set when he took charge of the deck, and these he had separately clued up and furled, as well as one or two of the smaller stay sails. He allowed the men just time enough to settle down comfortably, and then ordered the recently stowed sails to be loosed and set again, which was done. A short interval passed, and then he had the royals stowed once more, and finally he ordered them to be loosed and set again. Not a man took the slightest notice of the order. Did you hear there? Jump aloft, some of you, and loose the royals, shouted Carter, thinking for a moment that he had failed to make himself heard. Still, there was no response. You, Davis, away aloft, and loose the four-royal. Boyd, jump up and loose the main. And you, Nichols, up you go and loose the mizzen. Look live now, or I'll ropes in the last man down from aloft," exclaimed the second mate, his passion rapidly rising as he found himself thus tacitly opposed. As the last words left his lips, the watch came aft in a body, pausing just forward of the main mest. Looky here, Mr. Carter, said Boyd, a fine, active, willing young fellow, stepping a pace or two in front of his messmates. We think, says them, their royals would do well enough as they am for the rest of the watch. They was set when we come pondeck, and that wouldn't do, and you had them stowed. Then you weren't satisfied with them so, and you had them set. That wouldn't do, so you had them stowed again, and stowed they will be for the rest of the watch, as far as I'm concerned. The night's fine and the breeze as steady as a breeze can be, and the old barky-carry royals and skisles too, for the matter of that. But if they were set, we should have to stow them again five minutes out of words. So let them be, say I. A low murmur of assent from the rest of the watch gave the second mate to understand that these were their sentiments also upon the subject. The foolish fellow at once allowed his temper to get the mastery of him. Oh, that's what you say, is it, my fine fellows? Very good. We'll soon see whether, when I give an order, I am to be obeyed or not, he hissed through his clenched teeth. Saying which, he stepped hastily to the door of his cabin, which was situated on deck in the after-house, entered, and in a few moments reappeared with a revolver in each hand. Now, he exclaimed, planting himself midway between the poop and the main mast. Let me see the man who will dare to disobey me. I'll shoot him like a dog. Boyd, go aloft and loose the main royal, pointing one of the revolvers full at him. I refuse, exclaimed the seaman. I demand to be taken before captain. A flash, a sharp report, and the man staggered backwards and fell to the deck, while a crimson stain appeared and rapidly broadened on the breast of his checked shirt. Two of his comrades instantly raised the wounded man and bore him forward. The remainder rushed with a shout upon the second mate and disarmed him, though not before he had fired again and sent a bullet through the left arm of one of his assailants. The men were still struggling with the second mate when a figure sprang up through the companion, closely followed by a second, and captain Stoughton's voice was heard exclaiming, Good heavens, Mr. Carter, what is the meaning of this? Back men, back for your lives. How dare you raise your hands against one of your officers? The men had by this time wrenched the pistols out of Carter's hands, and they at once fell back and left him as captain Stoughton and Mr. Bowles advanced to his rescue. The newcomers placed themselves promptly, one on each side of the second mate, and then the two parties stood staring somewhat blankly at each other for something like a minute. Well, Mr. Carter, at last exclaimed captain Stoughton, have you nothing to say by way of explanation for this extraordinary scene? What does it mean? Mutiny, sir, that and nothing less, gaffed Carter, whose passion almost deprived him of speech. I thank you, sir, and you too, Mr. Bowles, for coming to my rescue. But for that I should have been a dead man by this time. Oh, no you wouldn't, Mr. Carter, exclaimed one of the men. We ain't murderers, and we shouldn't have touched you if you hadn't touched us first. That will do, exclaimed captain Stoughton. If any of you have anything to say, you shall have the opportunity of saying it in due time. At present I wish to hear what Mr. Carter has to say, turning inquiringly once more toward that individual. Thus pressed Carter related his version of the story, which was to the effect that the men had refused to obey orders to come aft in so menacing a manner that in self-defense he had been compelled to arm himself, and further that hoping to check the mutiny in the bud he had shot down the ringleader. So that is the explanation of the shots which awoke me, exclaimed captain Stoughton. And where is the wounded man? In his bonk, sir, bleeding like a stuck pig, replied one of the men, resorting to simile to aid his description, as is the want of seafaring men generally. Phew! whistled the skipper. This is serious. Run, bowls, and rouse out the doctor at once, if you please. Mr. Bowles sped to the doctor's cabin and found that individual already roused out. With an open case of surgical instruments on the table, and a drawer open, from which he was hastily selecting lint, bandages, etc., the medico having been awakened by the first pistol shot, and, like a sensible man, besturing himself at once in preparation for the repair of damages, without waiting to learn first whether there were any damages to repair or not. Well, bowls, he exclaimed, as the worthy chief made his appearance. You want me, eh? What's the nature of the case? A man shot, briefly replied Mr. Bowles. Just so, heard the shots. Where is the seat of the injury? Don't know? Well, never mind. We'll soon find out. Let me see. Ternicut, probe, splints, lint, bandage. Um, um, yes, just carry these for me, bowls. There's a good fellow, and lead the way. So sane, the worthy man put a quantity of splints, etc., into Mr. Bowles' hands, and, gathering up the rest of his chattels, followed the mate to the foxhole, where he at once busied himself in ascertaining the extent of, and finally dressing, poor boy's injury. In the meantime, Captain Staunton, assisted by Mr. Bowles, who had speedily rejoined him, had been holding his sort of court of inquiry into the case, and, after much skillful interrogation, and the giving of a most patient hearing to the statement of each member of the watch, he had succeeded in arriving at a very nearer approach to the actual truth of the matter. This, he said, is clearly a case where in both parties have been gravely in fault. I am compelled in justice to admit that you, turning to the members of the watch, appear to have received great provocation in as much as there can be no doubt that you have been greatly harassed by Mr. Carter's habit of unnecessarily interfering with the disposition of the canvas set on the ship. I have, indeed, myself noticed this, my attention often having been arrested by the sounds of making and shortening sail during the night watches, when you all doubtless thought me fast asleep in my birth, and I have had it on my mind for some time past to speak to Mr. Carter on the subject. I should have done so long ago, but for my great repugnance to interfere with my officers, except upon the most urgent grounds. I confess I had no idea that the provocation had been going on for so long a time. The master of a ship, like other mortals, requires sleep, and doubtless many things are said and done whilst he is taking his rest, of which he can know nothing unless they are brought to his notice by others. It was therefore manifestly your duty, injustice to me as well as in obedience to the law, to make complaint to me of any grievances of which you may have considered yourselves the victims. And that instead of doing so, you took it upon yourselves to resent your grievances by refusing obedience to the orders of your officer, constitute your offense, an offense which, in my opinion, has been sufficiently punished by the wounds inflicted upon two of your number. You have satisfied me that your lapse of duty was in reality a matter strictly between yourselves and the second officer, and in no wise a defiance of my authority, or I suppose I need scarcely say I should not take this lenient view of your conduct. As for you, Mr. Carter, the skipper resumed after a pause. You have placed me in the very unpleasant position of being compelled to suspend you from duty until the arrival of the ship at Sydney. You have proved yourself incompetent to command a watch with that tact and moderation which is so essential to the safety of a ship and the comfort of those on board. And, led away by your heat of temper, hastily and unnecessarily resorted to measures of extreme violence, which might, had the men been of similar temper, have led to a dreadful disaster. You may retire to your cabin, sir. Mr. Bowles, do me the favor to call Mr. Dashwood. Young Dashwood was found sitting on his chest, dressed and ready for any emergency, the entire occupants of the ship, being by this time on the Key Veeve, and he was therefore in the presence of the skipper within a minute of the mention of his name. To him Captain Staunton at once delegated the command of the starboard watch, saying at the same time a few words expressive of confidence in his prudence and seamanship. One more word, men, said the skipper, again addressing the watch. I have suspended Mr. Carter not because I regard you as in the right, or as in any way justified in your behavior, but because he was manifestly wrong. I must therefore very earnestly caution you, one and all, against again refusing obedience to any commands issued by your officers. If those commands are such as to constitute a substantial grievance, or if they should by any chance be such as to manifestly imperil the safety of the ship or the lives of any of those on board, I am always to be found, and the matter must at once be referred to me. I shall always be ready to protect you from tyranny or intemperate treatment. But remember from this time forward there must be nothing even remotely resembling insubordination. Now go back to your duty. The men walked quietly away forward, and Captain Stanton, accompanied by Mr. Bowles, retired below to make an immediate entry of the occurrence in the official logbook. The occupants of the saloon were naturally greatly exercised by the event, which formed the staple of conversation next day. It was interesting to observe the way in which the subject was regarded by the various members of the little community. O'Reilly, the editor of the Galatea Free Press, was wild with excitement at contemplation of the narrow escape they had had from a mutiny and its attendant fight, and he exhibited a curious study of mingled irritation and satisfaction, of irritation that the fight had not come off, and of satisfaction that he had not been compelled to take up arms against any of the Foxle hands, every one of whom he regarded in his free-hearted way as a personal friend, and with every one of whom he was a prime favorite. The ladies, who really understood nothing whatever of the merits of the case, with that unerring instinct which invariably leads them to a right conclusion, sided unanimously with the seamen, while a few of the more timid among the male passengers regarded Carter as a sort of hero martyr, Mr. Dale being especially loud and indiscreet in his denunciations of the recklessness manifested in encouraging the mutinous rascals in their defiance of authority. It will end, he dismally prophesied. In all our being murdered in our bed some night, oh dear, I wish I had never come to see. Brooke, and one or two more, though they said little, went about the ship for some few days afterwards in evident perturbation of mind, though to do them justice, had they been obliged they would have doubtless fought and fought well. Rex Fortescue perhaps took matters the most coolly of any. He not only went himself forward as usual to hear the yarn spinning and smoke his cigar on the foxle during the dog-watches, but he also took violet with him, he having noticed long before that the presence of a lady was always sufficient to ensure the strictest decorum on the part of the men. Thus showing the crew as clearly as he could, that he at least had no doubt of their loyalty. Carter's suspension from duty removed the only discordant element which had ever revealed itself on board, as far as the crew of the ship were concerned. And thenceforward matters went smoothly enough on board the Galatea for the remainder of the passage, which proved to be a rapid one, notwithstanding the delay experienced in running the Cape. It was also an uneventful one, the foregoing occurrence accepted. Nothing further need therefore be said respecting it than that in good time the ship safely arrived in Sydney's Noble Harbor, and, landing her passengers, began forthwith the humdrum operation of discharging cargo. End of Chapter 4 At the date of this story the discharging of a cargo was a much more leisurely operation than it is at the present day, and Bob therefore had several opportunities of taking a run ashore and looking round the town in suburbs of Sydney. The passengers, such of them that is, as were residents in or near Sydney, had one in all given Bob most pressing invitations to visit them whenever he could obtain leave. And on the day but one following the arrival of the ship, a very prettily worded and pressing little note had come to him from Blanche LaCelle to say that the friends with whom she and Violet were staying at Cookstown would be delighted to make his acquaintance, so that Bob was never at a loss for a place withered to direct his steps whenever he could get ashore. He consequently managed to see a good deal of the place and thoroughly enjoyed the seven weeks during which the Galatea lay in Sydney Harbor. The outward cargo discharged, the homeward freight of wool began to come down, and the stevedores were kept busy all day long screwing it into as small a compass as possible in the hold. Meanwhile Captain Staunton was in great tribulation. The gold fever was then at its height in Australia. The precious metal had been discovered some years before, but about a month previous to the arrival of the Galatea in Sydney, news had come down the country of the discovery of a new RFRS region, the richness and extent of which was said to be something past belief. The result of this rumor was that every idle loafer who arrived in an Australian port made it his first business to desert from his ship and start hot foot for the gold fields. If the matter had ended here, the shipmasters would have had cause to congratulate themselves rather than the reverse. But unfortunately for them it was not so. The gold fever had stricken everybody, merchants even, mechanics, clerks, all in fact but the few cool hands who realized that by remaining in the half-deserted towns they were sure of making that fortune the winning of which, at the diggings, was problematical. And one consequence of this was that when seamen deserted a ship no one could be found to take their places. And Captain Staunton could stand on his own poop and count at least fifty vessels whose cargoes were on board, hatches batten down and everything ready for sea, but there they lay, unable to sail for want of a crew to man them. Now the Galatea was not in quite so bad a plight as this, for when the last bale of wool had been screwed in and the hatches put on there still remained in her foxel eight good men who were true, six belonging to the port watch and two to the starboard who had resisted all the alluring dreams of fortunes to be made in a day at the diggings. The other eight had deserted in a body one Sunday, very cleverly alluding the police whose chief duty it then was to prevent such occurrences. The second mate and the cook were also missing, hence Captain Staunton's anxiety. On the one hand he was averse to the extreme step of taking his ship to sea half man'd, and on the other he was haunted by the constant dread of losing still more of his men if he remained in port until he had made up his compliment. At length, however, to his infinite relief he chanced upon half a dozen men who, in consideration of the payment of fabulous wages, undertook to ship for the homeward passage. They were as lawless and ruffianly looking a set of fellows as one need ever cared to encounter, but as Mr. Bowles observed, they could at least pull and haul, and once at sea and away from the demoralizing influence of the grog shops, who knew but they might settle down into steady serviceable hands. At all events they would not want for a good example on the part of their shipmates, the remnant of the original crew, for these were without exception thoroughly steady, reliable men, although one of them was buoyed, the man who had been shot by Mr. Carter for refusal to obey orders. These men secured Captain Stanton Resolve to avoid all further risk by sailing at once. It was true that the ship would be still rather short-handed, which was all the more to be regretted in as much as she was in light trim and a trifle crank, but he reflected that he might lie in port for the next six months without securing another man, and it therefore seemed to him best under the circumstances to make shift with what he had and get away to sea forthwith. Hasty summonses were accordingly dispatched to the few passengers who had taken births, and these all coming on board next day, the anchor was hove up, and evening saw the Galatea standing off the land and heading to the eastward, with every sail set and dragging at her like a cart horse. The passengers were this time only six in number, namely Blanche and Violet, Messers Dale, Fortescue and Brook, who had lost the contract, and had been out in the hope of securing entirely through the obstinacy of the head of the firm, and a Mr. Evelyn, formerly a captain in the Royal Engineers, who had thrown up his commission to go gold digging and who, thanks to his technical training, supplemented by arduous special study of geology, had been successful to an extraordinary degree and was now returning home master of a handsome fortune. Lancelot, or Lance Evelyn, was a tall, handsome man of about thirty-five, weak of a Hercules, the result of some six months' toil and exposure at the diggings, deeply bronzed, clear-cut features, half concealed by a heavy mustache and beard of a golden chestnut hue, clear gray eyes and wavy hair shade darker than the beard. He proved an immense acquisition to the ladies, who would otherwise have been almost entirely dependent on Rex Fortescue for amusement. Mr. Dale being altogether too savage at his recent failure to make an agreeable associate, which indeed he never was, even at the best of times, while Brooke, willing though he was to do his best, was too pugnacious, ill-bred, and illiterate to be more than just barely tolerated. Rex Fortescue and Violet, it was perfectly clear, were daily sinking deeper into that condition wherein people are conscious of the existence of two individuals only, their two selves, in the whole world. So that poor little Blanche would soon have found herself quite out in the cold had not Mr. Evelyn taken compassion upon her, and devoted himself to her amusement. He knew London well, and on comparing notes, it soon transpired that he knew several people with whom Blanche was also acquainted. So they got on capitally together, especially as Lance possessed, in an eminent degree, the art of making his conversation interesting. Later on, too, when he had thought a little, he would relate story after story of his adventures at the Goldfields, some of which convulsed his companion with laughter, while others made her shudder and nestle unconsciously a little closer to the narrator. But notwithstanding this, Blanche still found time to chat occasionally with Bob. The lad was very fond of steering. Indeed, he had won the reputation of being the finest helmsman in the ship, and he was always ready to take a trick at the wheel during either of the dog watches, and so give the rightful helmsman a chance to stay forward and amuse himself with his shipmates. And when this was the case, Blanche generally used to seat herself in a deck chair near him and shatter away upon any topic which came up or most. She had been thus amusing herself one evening, when, as eight bells struck, and Bob walked forward on being relieved from the wheel, Lance Evelyn, who had been smoking his cigar on the break of the poop, and watching from a distance the carrions on of the men upon the foxhole, sauntered to her side in open conversation with remark, how singularly exact a repetition of the same features you will observe in some families. Doubtless you have often noticed it, Miss LaCelle. Now, there is that fine young fellow Ledgerton. Anyone would recognize him as a connection of yours, and I have often been on the point of asking you in what manner you are related to each other. Am I unpardonably inquisitive? By no means, Mr. Evelyn. It is a question easily answered. I am not aware that we are related in the most remote degree. You are not, he exclaimed, in a tone of greatest surprise. I am sure I most earnestly beg your pardon. How very stupid of me to make such a mistake. But the resemblance between you two is so very striking that, although no one has ever said a word to lead me to such a conclusion, I have never doubted, from the moment I came on board, that you must be closely related. I am sure I am quite at a loss for words we're with to express my apologies. No apology is necessary. I assure you, Mr. Evelyn, returned Blanche. On the contrary, I feel rather flattered by your supposition, for I greatly admire Robert's many sterling qualities and what a bold, brave fellow he is, too, notwithstanding his quiet, unassuming manner. If you feel any curiosity as to his history, Captain Staunton will be only too happy to furnish you with full particulars. He can enlighten you far better than I can, and the story is worth listening to. The manner of their first acquaintance especially is a romance in itself. Lance's curiosity was aroused, but instead of referring to the skipper, he preferred to hear the story from Blanche's own pretty lips, and sinking down into a deck chair beside her, he listened with interest to all that the fair girl could tell him, respecting Bob. Poor fellow, he remarked when Blanche had finished her story. And he has never been able to find a clue to his parentage? It is very singular. There surely must be relatives of his still in existence somewhere. Did the fisherman who saved his life ever make any inquiries? No, it appears not, answered Blanche. According to Robert's own account, though he always speaks with the greatest respect and affection of the old man who adopted him, the people among whom he was thrown are very simple and ignorant of everything outside the pale of their own calling, and it would seem that they really did not know how to set about instituting an inquiry. Well, what you have told me has interested me so much, and the lad himself has made such a favourable impression of me, that I believe I shall really feel more than half-inclined to undertake the somewhat kixotic task of seeking his relatives myself when we reach England. Who knows but that it might be my good fortune to gladden the heart of a father or mother whose life has been embittered for years by the loss of perhaps an only son? Half-laughingly remarked at Blanche. Ah, do not jest upon such a subject, exclaimed Blanche. You evidently have not the least idea what a complete blight such a loss may cast upon a parent's life. I have. There is my poor uncle, Sir Richard, who has never held up his head since he lost his wife and child at sea. My mother has told me that before his terrible bereavement there was not a more genial, light-hearted, happy man living than Uncle Dick. But he has never been known to smile since the dreadful news first reached him, and though he has always struggled bravely against his great sorrow, I feel sure he looks forward eagerly to the time when he shall be called away to rejoin his wife and his baby boy. How very sad remarked Lance in sympathetic tones. I am slightly acquainted with Sir Richard LaCelle, that is to say, I have met him once or twice, and I have often wondered what great trouble it could be that seemed to be pressing so heavily upon him. If it would not distress you too much, I should like to hear how he met with his terrible loss. I have no objection to tell you, answered Blanche. It occurred very shortly after I was born. My uncle was then a younger son, with very little expectation of ever succeeding to the baronetcy, for there were two brothers older than himself, and he had a captain's commission in the army. He had married a lady of whom, because she happened to have no money, his father strongly disapproved, and a serious quarrel between father and son was the consequence. Shortly after his marriage, my uncle's regiment was ordered off to North America, and Uncle Dick naturally took his wife with him. The regiment was moved about from place to place, and finally, when my uncle had been married about three years, was broken up into detachments, that which he commanded being sent in consequence of some trouble with Indians to an important military outpost at a considerable distance of the Ottawa River. Of course it was quite impossible for my aunt to accompany her husband into the wilds, especially as she was then the mother of a son some eighteen months old, and the question which arose was, what was she to do? It was at first proposed that she should establish herself in Montreal until the return of the expedition, but a letter reaching her just at that time stating that her mother's health was failing, it was hastily decided that my aunt should return to England, taking of course her little son with her. Everything had to be done in a great hurry, and my uncle had barely time to pack his wife's boxes and see her safely unroute for Montreal before he set out with his detachment for the post to which he had been ordered. My aunt arrived safely at Montreal, but failing to find there a ship ready to sail for England went on to Quebec, which she reached just in time to embark for London. She had written to my uncle from Montreal and she wrote again from Quebec the letter reaching her husband's hands as he was on the point of marching out of the fort on a night expedition against a band of hostile Indians who had been discovered in the neighbourhood. An engagement took place in which my uncle was desperately wounded and narrowly escaped falling into the hands of the Indians. His men succeeded however in saving him and making good their own retreat into the fort where poor Uncle Dick lay hovering for weeks between life and death. After a long and weary struggle his splendid constitution triumphed and with the return of consciousness came anxious thoughts respecting his wife and child. He remembered the letter which had been handed to him as he marched out upon that ill-starred expedition, the letter which he had never had an opportunity to read and he made eager inquiries respecting it. It was found in an inner breast pocket of his uniform coat but it had been so thoroughly saturated with his own blood poor fellow that it was practically undecipherable. By careful soaking and washing he at last succeeded in ascertaining that my aunt and her baby had actually sailed from Quebec but on what date or in what ship it was quite impossible to learn and that was the last news he ever heard of them. How very dreadful murmured Lance. Of course he made every possible inquiry respecting their fate not immediately answered Blanche. He waited patiently for news of my aunt's arrival in England but as mail after mail came without bringing him any intelligence he grew uneasy and finally wrote to his mother-in-law asking an explanation for the unaccountable silence. This letter remained unanswered but just when his uneasiness had increased to such a pitch that he had determined to apply for leave of absence in order to proceed to England it was returned to him through the dead letter office. This decided him at once. He applied for leave and it was refused. Then he threw up his commission and it once proceeded to England the fearful conviction growing upon him that something dreadful had happened. He stopped at Quebec for a fortnight on his way home making inquiry at all the ship owners and brokers' offices in the place endeavoring to learn the name of the ship in which his wife had been a passenger but strange to say he could gain no trace of them. Whether it was at the people of whom he inquired were careless and indifferent or whether it was that passenger lists were not at that time regularly kept as they are now it is of course impossible to say but it is a fact that he was compelled to leave America without the smallest scrap of information respecting his dear ones beyond that contained in the bloodstained letter. On his arrival in England he proceeded direct to his mother-in-law's former residence to find it as he feared the possession of strangers. He then, with considerable difficulty hunted up the lawyer who had managed Mrs. Percival's, his mother-in-law's money-matters and learned from him that the old lady had died some seven months before and in reply to his further inquiries he was informed that his wife and child had never reached Mrs. Percival's home. The old lady had certainly expected them the lawyer said but she had never received more than one letter which my uncle had hurriedly written in England. Poor Uncle Dick now found himself completely at a loss so as the best plan he could think of he put the affair into his lawyer's hands handing him also the bloodstained letter. This letter was soon afterwards entrusted to a chemist who, in attempting to cleanse it destroyed it altogether and thus passed away the only clue which my uncle possessed. It is now rather more than 16 years since my aunt sailed from Quebec where Uncle Dick has never succeeded in getting a trace of her fate to this day. Poor fellow ejaculated Lance in an absent sort of way. I am sure I sincerely pity and sympathize with him. What, going below already? Then allow me to conduct you as far as the companion. Blanche bade Lance good night at the head of the saloon staircase. He raised his smoking cap and then returning, sauntered up and down the poop for over an hour with his hands behind him and his eyes fixed on the deck apparently in a brown study. A few days after the narration of Blanche's story, Lance Evelyn, noticing Bob at the wheel strolled up to him and asked him for his history. Miss Lacelle gave me the outlines of it a night or two ago and it struck me as so peculiar and interesting that I should like to hear full particulars, he explained, puffing lazily at his cigar meanwhile. Where would you like me to begin, Mr. Evelyn? asked Bob. At the beginning, of course, my dear fellow strangely answered Lance. I want to know everything. Do you remember being found on board the wreck? Sometimes I think I do and at other times I think it must be only the recollection of a dream which has produced a more than usually strong impression upon me, answered Bob. Now and then, perhaps not more than a half dozen times altogether when I have been lying half asleep and half awake a confused and indistinct idea presents itself of a ship's cabin seen through a half open state room door with a lamp swinging violently to and fro, of a woman's face beautiful as, oh I cannot describe it, something like Miss Dudley's only still more beautiful if you can imagine such a thing. Then the dream or whatever it is gets still more confused. I seem to be in cold and wet and darkness and I fancy I hear a sound like men shouting mingled with the roar of the wind and the rush of the sea, then then I seem to have been kissed yes and the beautiful face seems to be bending over me again but I am in the light and the warmth once more and then it all passes away and if I try to carry my thoughts back to the first circumstance which I can distinctly remember I see myself again with other boys paddling about barefoot on the shore at Breitling Sea. Ah, ejaculated lance contemplatively I have no doubt but that if the truth could be arrived at which of course it never can be in this world this dream or whatever you like to call it is the faint recollection which still remains impressed on your memory of some of the incidents connected with the wreck of your ship. What was her name by the by, the lightning of London, hmm that's not a very difficult name to remember at all events and the beautiful face of which you spoke is your impression of it clear enough to enable you to describe it or supposing it possible for you to see a picture of the original do you think you would recognize it do you mind my asking these questions no that's alright but if it is in the least painful to you I will not put them. You see Ledgerton I have very little doubt that face was the face of your mother and I confess I feel a trifle curious to know how far back a man can carry his remembrance of his mother I cannot remember anything about mine previous to my fourth birthday well answered Bob I can scarcely remember the face clearly enough to describe it all I can say about it it was very beautiful with tender loving eyes and dark hair which I am almost sure must have been worn in curls but I think that if I ever saw a really good picture of it I should recognize it directly you would a said lands very well now go ahead if you are not tired of talking and tell me about the old fellow who found you and the sort of life you led as a fisherman and so on it is all very interesting I assure you quite as much so as any of the novels in the saloon book case Bob accordingly went ahead his companion occasionally interrupting him with a question and when the story was finished Lance rose and stretched himself saying as he turned to walk away thank you very much your story is so interesting that I think I shall make a few notes of it for the benefit of a literary friend of mine so if you meet with it in print some day you must not be very much surprised and as Bob saw him shortly afterwards notebook in hand and as this story actually is in print it is to be presumed that Mr. Lance Evelyn really carried out his expressed intention on the day following this conversation the wind which had been blowing steadily from the westward for some time suddenly dropped and by four bells in the afternoon watch it had fallen to a dead calm the ship rolling like a log on the heavy swell not the faintest trace of cloud could be discerned in the stupendous vault which sprang in delicate carnation and primrose tints from the encircling horizon passing through a multitude of subtle gradations of color until it became at the zenith a broad expanse of clearest purest deepest blue the atmosphere was transparent to an almost extraordinary degree the slow moving masses of swell rising sharply outlined to the very verge of the horizon while the mast heads of a far distant ship stood out clear and well defined two minute and delicately drawn thin lines on the pale primrose background of the sky suddenly however a curious phenomenon occurred a subtle but distinct and instantaneous change of color took place which made it seem as though the spectators were regarding the scene through tinted glass all the brilliance and purity and beauty of the various hues had died out the dazzling ultramarine of the zenith became indigo the clear transparent hues of the horizon seemed and deepened to a leaden gray the sun gleamed a loft pallid and rayless like a ghost of its former self and the ocean black and turbid heaved restlessly writhing as if in torture an intense and unnatural silence too seemed suddenly to have fallen upon nature in wrapping the scene as with a mantle a silence in which the flap of the canvas the pattering of the reef points the cheap of blocks and the occasional clank of the rudder chains fell upon the ear with a sharpness which was positively painful the occupants of the galatea's deck glanced from one to another dismayed violet dudley's startled whisper directs fortescue of what dreadful thing is about to happen being but the utterance of the thought which flashed through every brain captain staunton turning to mr. bowls who was standing beside him in low tones requested that trusty officer to keep a look out for a minute or two and then hurried down to the saloon to consult his barometer he returned to the deck in less than a minute his face wearing a look of anxiety and concern which was very rarely to be seen there the glass has fallen a full inch within the last half hour he muttered as he rejoined the mate then in a louder tone of voice he added call all hands mr. bowls if you please and shorten sail at once stow everything except the lower four and main topsills and the four not mass stay sale I think we are going to have a change of weather the semen were as much startled as the occupants of the poop by the preternatural change in the aspect of the sky and they sprang to their posts with all the alacrity of men who anticipate a deadly struggle and believe they have none too much time for preparation the work of shortening sail proceeded rapidly but methodically and in an orderly manner captain staunton had never before in all his experience witnessed anything quite like what was now passing around him and was oppressed by an undefined foreboding of some terrible catastrophe but he was too brave a man and too thorough a semen to allow ought of this to appear in either countenance voice or manner nor would he allow the work to be hurried through with inconsiderate haste he saw that the men were startled and it rested with him to study them restore their confidence and so prepare them for the coming struggle whatever its nature be meanwhile the atmospheric phenomena were momentarily assuming a more and more portentous aspect the sky deepened intent from indigo to a purple black the sun lost its pallid sickly gleam and hung in the sable heavens a lurid blood red ball until it became obscured by heavy masses of dusky vapor which had gathered imperceptibly in the firmament and now seem to be settling slowly down upon the ship's mass heads arriving like huge tortured serpents meanwhile the silence broken though it was by the sounds of preparation on board grew even more oppressively intense and death like them before the darkness now came to add new terrors to the scene not the wholesome solemn darkness of nightfall but a weird unearthly gloom which was neither night nor day a gloom which descended encompassed them stealthily and menacingly contracting the horizon until nothing could be seen further than a mile from the ship and which still seemed to be saturated with a pale spectral shimmering light in the which men looked in each other's eyes like reanimated corpses the ocean presented an aspect no less appalling at one moment black as the waters of the sticks an indistinguishable beyond the distance of a cable's length and a non gleaming into view to the very verge of the horizon a palpitating sheet of greenish ghastly phosphorescent light the canvas was stowed down to the lower four and main topsail and the four top mass stay sail and the men were about to hurry down from aloft when captain Stanton stopped them clue up and stow the lower topsails as well he shouted adding in an undertone to Mr. Bowles I don't know what to expect but it threatens to be something terrible and the less canvas we show to it the better the stay sail will be quite as much as we shall want I expect the topsails were stowed and the men came down on deck again evidently glad to find themselves there once more and huddling together on the foxhole like frightened sheep the passengers were clustered together on the poop standing in a group somewhat apart from the skipper and the mate awaiting pale and silent the denoment Bob who had been aloft helping to stow the mizzen canvas stepped up to them as he swung himself out of the rigging and addressing himself more particularly to violet and blanche recommended them to go below at once these warnings said he are not for nothing the precautions which captain Stanton has taken show clearly enough that he expects something quite out of the common and the change is likely enough to come upon us suddenly bringing perhaps some of our top hamper about our ears so if you ladies will be advised I would recommend you to go below where you will certainly be in much less danger blanche and violet looked at each other inquiringly I shall remain here said violet unconsciously tightening her hold upon Rex Fortescue's arm as she spoke whatever happens I would very much rather be here where I can see the full extent of the danger then pent up in a cabin picturing to myself I know not what horrors Blanche expressed the same determination but Mr. Dale hurried at once to the companion loudly lamenting that he had ever entrusted his precious self to the beastly treacherous sea his remarks attracted captain Stanton's to the party and he at once stepped hurriedly toward them exclaiming good heavens ladies and gentlemen let me beg you to go below at once I had no idea you were here the saloon is the safest place for you all at a time like this you will be out of harm's way there while here look out shouted Mr. Bowles here it comes with a vengeance take care of yourselves everybody the gloom had visibly deepened until it became difficult for those grouped together on the poop to distinguish each other's features and a low deep humming sound was now audible which increased in volume with startling rapidity go below all of you I beg repeated captain Stanton in anxious tones and be as quick as you can about it please what is the matter Mr. Dale as that individual stood a few steps down the staircase grasping the handrail on each side neither descending himself nor allowing anyone else to do so my book exclaimed Dale I left a book on one of the hencoops and his further remarks were drowned in the deafening din of the tempest which at this moment swooped down upon the ship with indescribable fury striking her full upon her starboard broadside and hurling her over in an instant on her beam ends the group gathered about the companion way made an instinctive effort to save themselves Rex Fortescue flinging his arm about Violet Dudley's waist and dragging her with him to the Misenvest where he hung on desperately to a belaying pin the book nimbly scrambled upon the upturned weather side of the companion Evelyn exasperated by Mr. Dale's ill timed anxiety about his book had stepped inside the companion way and down a stair or two to summarily remove the obstructor and the two were flung together to the bottom of the staircase Blanche left thus without a protector clung convulsively for a moment to one of the open doors of the companion but her strength failing her she let go and fell backwards with a shriek over the lee rail Bob who had made a spring for the weather Misenrigging was just passing a turn or two of rope round his body when happening to turn his head he saw Blanche fall to cast himself adrift and spring headlong after her was the work of an instant and he succeeded in grasping her dress just in the nick of time for in another instant the ship would have driven over her and Blanche's fate would have been sealed as it was they both had a very narrow escape and Bob in his haste had omitted to take a rope's end with him and had consequently no means of returning inboard or rather for the lee side of the deck was buried in the water of regaining a place of safety in this emergency Brook who was a witness of the scene acted in a very prompt and creditable manner the rope by which Bob had been in the act of securing himself streamed out in the wind in such a way as to come within Brook's reach and by its aid he at once drew himself and climbing out on the weather side of the ship dexterously dropped from thence a coiled up rope's end which he had taken off a Blaine pin directly down upon Bob's head Bob at once grasped the rope with his disengaged hand and with a rapid twist through two or three turns round his arm where upon Brook, exerting all his strength drew his prizes steadily up the steeply inclined deck until they were able to scramble into the place he had vacated upon the companion End of Chapter 5 Chapter 6 of the Pirate Island a story of the South Pacific by Harry Collinwood this LibriVox recording is in the public domain Dismastered As the hurricane swooped down upon the ship Captain Staunton and Mr. Bowles sprang with one accord aft to the helm it was well that they did so for when the vessel was thrown upon her beam's end the wheel flew suddenly and violently round taking unawares the unfortunate man who was stationed at it and hurling him far over the lee quarter into the sea where he immediately sank being probably disabled by a blow from the rapidly revolving spokes the two officers saw in a moment that the poor fellow was irretrievably lost so without wasting time and useless efforts to save him they devoted themselves forthwith to the task of preserving the ship the wheel was put hard up with the object of getting the craft before the wind and then the two men stood anxiously watching and awaiting the result two or three minutes passed and there still lay the ship prone on her side with her lee topsel and lower yard arms dipping in the water she would not pay off Bowles said Captain Staunton lashing the wheel as he spoke make your way forward muster the carpenter and one or two of the most reliable men you have and bring them aft with axes to cut away the mizzen mast we must get her before it somehow should it come any stronger she will turn the turtle with us station your men but do not cut until I hold up my hand Mr. Bowles nodded his head and then set out upon his difficult journey climbing up to windward by the grating upon which the helmsman usually stood and then working his way along the deck by grasping the bow works which on the poop were only about a foot above the deck on reaching the wake of the mizzen mast he was compelled to pause in order to help Rex Fortescue and Violet out of their dangerous position a position of course altogether untenable that the order had been given to cut away the mast this with Brooke's assistance he with some difficulty accomplished landing them safely alongside Blanche and Bob upon the companion the slight delay thus incurred threatened to have the most disastrous consequences for when the chief mate was once more free to proceed upon his errand he became aware that the ship's inclination had sensibly increased to such an extent indeed that he momentarily expected to feel her rolling bottom up glancing aft once more he caught the eye of Captain Staunton who immediately raised his hand this the mate took to mean in order to cut away the mast with all possible expedition and whipping out his keen broad-bladed knife he thrusted into Brooke's hand and tapping the lanyards of the mizzen rigging roared in his ear the one word cut then without pausing another instant he proceeded as rapidly as he could forward much impeded by the continuous blinding shower of spin drift across the vessel and compelled to cling with all his strength to whatever he laid hold of in his progress in order to escape being literally blown away meanwhile, Brooke who now showed that he was made of far better stuff than anyone had hitherto suspected began without a moment's delay to vigorously attack the rigid and tightly strained lanyards of the weather mizzen rigging being speedily joined by Bob who turned Blanche over to Rex Fortescue's care the moment he saw that he could be of use steadily and rapidly they hacked and notched away at the hard rope working literally for their lives for it was now no longer possible to doubt that the Galatea was slowly but surely capsizing the upturned side which supported them was becoming every moment more nearly horizontal the Lee yard arms were steadily burying themselves deeper and deeper in the water and he became apparent that unless relieved another minute would see the ship bottom up Mr. Bowles meanwhile a sight forward hidden by the gloom and the cloud of spin drift at last one of the lanyards was severed by the keen blade in Brooke's hand the others attached to the same shroud immediately began to render through the dead eye throwing an extra strain upon the lanyards of the other shrouds one of which immediately parted under Bob's knife then twang twang twang one after the other they rapidly yielded until as the last lanyard parted crash went the mizzen mast short off by the deck and away to Leeward carrying away the saloon skylight as it went a perceptible shock was felt as the mast went over the side and everyone watched anxiously to see what the effect would be the disappointment was extreme when it was seen that the relief was not sufficient to enable the ship to recover herself she still lay down upon her side and though she now no longer threatened momentarily to capsize she neither righted nor paid off the chief mate now reappeared upon the poop having by this time mustered a gang of men whom he had left clinging to the main rigging thinking it not unlikely the main mast would also have to go by the time he reached captain Stoughton's side the mind of the latter was made up it is no good bowls he said she will do nothing we must part with the main mast also cut it away at once and let us get her upon an even keel again if we can Mr. Bowles hurried forward and as soon as he became visible to the men the main rigging he made a sign to them to cut the axes gleamed in the darkened air a few rapid strokes were struck upon the lanyards of the rigging and the main mast bowed crashed off at about 10 feet from the deck and was carried by the wind clear of the lee rail into the sea another shock almost as if the ship had struck something accompanied the fall of the main mast and then laboriously at first but finally with an almost sudden jerk the Galataeus swung upright and pain off at the same time began to draw through the water her speed increasing to some seven knots when she got fairly away before the wind and was relieved of the wreckage towing alongside the well was sounded and to everybody's intense relief some six inches only of water was found in the hold the pumps were rigged manned and set to work and the water was so speedily got rid of as to show that it had penetrated only through some portion of the upper works the first mad fury of the hurricane was by this time over but it still blew far too heavily to admit of any other course than running dead before it the sea which had hitherto been a level plane of fleecy white foam now showed symptoms of rising and the aspect of the sky was still such as to force upon the voyagers the conclusion that they were not yet by any means out of danger what could be done however was done and the entire crew were set to work some to get up, prevent her back stays and secure the four mast and others to convert the spare spars into jury masts the passengers meanwhile had made their way down into the saloon directly the ship recovered herself where they found Lance Evelyn pale, dazed and barely conscious bleeding from a very ugly wound in the temple caused by his having fallen heavily against the brass bound edge of one of the saloon's stairs Mrs. Stoughton was doing her best and handed to staunch the blood and bind up the wound with little may on her knees beside the patient sobbing as though her tender child's heart would break for Lance had taken greatly to the sweet little creature and grave and quiet though he was in general was always ready to romp with her or tell her the most marvelous tales Mr. Dale had retired to his cabin and shut himself in the new arrivals very promptly afforded their assistance and in a short time Lance was laid carefully in his birth and packed there with flags, shawls and other yielding materials in such a way as to prevent the increasing motion of the ship from causing him any avoidable discomfort dinner that day was a very comfortless meal by the time that it was served the sea had risen so much as to render the fiddles necessary on the cabin table and even with their aid it was difficult to prevent the vines from being scattered upon the floor the ship running before the wind and with only the four masts to steady her rolled like a hog's head and the act of dining was therefore quite an acrobatic performance demanding so much activity of eye and hand as to completely mar the enjoyment of the good things which in spite of the weather graced the board the conversation at table turned naturally upon the disaster which had befallen the ship the passengers being all curious to know how it would affect them I suppose it means another beastly detention grumbled Dale the ship can't sail all the way to England with only one mast can she captain well scarcely replied captain Stanton the trip home might be made under jury masts but it would be a longer and more tedious voyage than any of us would care for I fancy and at all events I have no intention of attempting it our nearest port is Otago but as we are pretty certain to get westerly winds again as soon as this breeze has piped itself out and as the current would also be against us if we attempted to return to the westward I shall endeavor to reach Valparaiso where we may hope to restore the poor old Barquis clipped wings I thought so snarled Dale and how long shall we be detained at that wretched hole it will depend on circumstances answered captain Stanton but I think you may reckon on being a month there a month ejaculated Dale too much disgusted to say another word a month exclaimed Rex Fortescue jolly I shall explore the Andes and do a little shooting I dare say Evelyn will join me or us rather for I suppose you will go as well won't you Brooke oh yes I'll go certainly taint often as I has a holiday so I may as well take one when I can get it but what's them Handes were to explore Mr. Fortescue Mr. Dale will come with us too I'm sure he's fond of sleeping in a tent ain't you sir don't be such a fool Brooke retorted that worthy if ever we get to Valparaiso which I think is very doubtful I shall go home overland I'm afraid that before you can do that Mr. Dale you or someone else will have to bridge the Atlantic remarked captain Stanton as he leisurely sift his wand I am extremely sorry for the untoward event which has interrupted our voyage but it was one of those occurrences which no skill or foresight could have prevented so I think the best thing you can do is to make as light of it as possible worse things than being dismasted have happened at sea before now and I for one am sincerely thankful that we are still above water instead of beneath it as seemed more than likely at one time so saying the skipper rose and with a bow left the saloon for the deck the sky still looked wild but there were occasional momentary breaks in it through which the lustrous stars of the southern heavens beamed gloriously down for an instant ere they were shut in again by the scurrying clouds and the sea which now ran high afforded a magnificent spectacle as the huge billows raced after the ship each with its foaming crest a cataract of liquid fire and as the ship rolled and the water washed impetuously across her decks the dark planking gleaned with millions of tiny fairy like stars which waxed and waned with every oscillation of the vessel the formast had by this time been made secure and it being too dark to work any longer to advantage the men were busy relashing the spars which had been cast adrift in the process of overhauling and selecting those with most suitable for jury masts mr. bulls who had hurried up from the saloon after swallowing the mirrors topology for a dinner had charge of the deck and captain staunton joining him the pair began to discuss the future with its plans and probabilities two days later saw the galatea making her way to the northward and eastward under a very respectable jury barkerig which enabled her to show her four top mass to the vessel and double reefed for top on the formast a main top so with top gallant sail over it on the spar which did duty for a main mast and a reefed mizzen set upon the jib boom which had been rigged in past aft and set on end properly stayed with its heels stepped down through the hole in the poop from which the mizzen masts had erstwhile sprung the gale had blown itself out the sea was rapidly going down the wind had hauled round from the westward once more and the ship was slipping along at the rate of some five knots an hour the minor damages had all been made good accepting that done to the saloon skylight by the fall of the mizzen mast and upon this job the carpenter who was an ambitious man in his own way and not altogether devoid of taste was taxing his skill to the utmost in an effort to make the new skylight both a stronger and a more handsome piece of work than its predecessor the barometer was slowly but steadily rising and everything seemed to point in the direction of fine weather lucky was it for our voyagers that such was the case the passengers had by this time got over their recent alarm and were settling back into their old ways even the impatient and discontented dale seemed to have got over to a great extent his annoyance at the delay which the loss of the mast involved and catching the contagion of the good spirits which animated the rest of his effort or two to make himself agreeable that evening at the dinner table so amiable was this generally irritable individual that he positively listened with equanimity to the plans which Fortescue and Evelyn the latter with a broad patch of plaster across his brow were discussing relative to a properly organized sporting excursion into the cordilleras or andes as they indifferently termed them much to the perplexity of brook nor did he when the last named individual sought to ruffle his dales feathers as he elegantly termed it by urging him to join the expedition on the contrary to the secret but carefully concealed consternation of rex and lance the prime movers in the matter Mr. Dale seemed more than half disposed to yield to brooks is jesting in treaties that he would make one of the party it almost seemed as though this intensely selfish and egotistical individual were at last becoming ashamed of his own behavior and had resolved upon an attempt to improve it dinner over the ladies retired to the poop to witness the sunset rex and lance accompanying them while Dale and brook remained below lingering over their wine oh how refreshing this cool evening breeze is after the closeness and heat of the saloon exclaimed violet as leaning on rex fortescue's arm she gazed to stern where the sun was just sinking out of sight beneath the purple horizon leaving behind him a cloud the sky which glowed in his track with purest gold and rose tints merging insensibly into a clear ultramarine deepening in tone as the eye traveled up to the zenith and thence downward toward the eastern quarter where almost before the upper rim of the sun's golden disc had sunk out of sight a great star beamed out from the velvety background glowing with that soft mellow effulgence which seems peculiar to southern skies yes responded rex it is cool and decidedly pleasant do you not think it is almost too cool however to be braved without a shawl or wrap of some kind after being cooped up for an hour in that roasting saloon I cannot think why it should have been so warm this evening to my mind it was hotter even than when we were crossing the line on the outward voyage blanche and lance who were standing near enough to overhear these remarks were also of the opinion that it had been quite uncomfortably warm below and the two gentlemen who by this time arrived at that stage of intimacy with the ladies which seemed to justify them in their own eyes for assuming an occasional dictatorial air toward their fair companions forthwith insisted on returning below to seek for shawls or wraps of some kind few it is like walking into a Turkish bath to come in here exclaimed rex as he passed through the saloon doors and what a peculiar smell yes a scented lance smells like oil or grease of some kind I expect the steward has spilled some lamp oil down in the lazarette and the heat is causing the odor to rise I hope it will pass off before we turn in tonight for it has decided the objectionable do you know miss Lacell said lance as he settled himself comfortably in a chair by that young lady's side after carefully enveloping her in a soft fleecy wrap I have an idea in connection with that touching story you told me the other night respecting your uncle's loss of his wife and infant son have you indeed said Blanche and pray what is it Mr. Evelyn simply this replied lance I have an impression almost a conviction that your cousin is living and that I can put my hand upon him when required oh Mr. Evelyn what is this you say exclaimed Blanche eagerly have you indeed met anyone in the course of your wanderings whose history is such that you believe him to be my dear long lost cousin dick I do not think you would speak heedlessly or without due consideration upon such a subject and if your supposition should be correct and you can furnish a clue to the discovery of my missing relatives you will give new life to my uncle and lay us all under such an obligation as we shall never be able to repay do not place too much confidence in the idea that it would be quite impossible to repay even such an obligation as the one of which you speak said lance in a low and meaning tone which somehow caused Blanche's cheek to flush and her heart to flutter a little you are right in supposing you continued that I would not make such an assertion without due consideration I have thought much upon the story you confided to me and comparing it with another which I have also heard I am of opinion that I have discovered a clue which is worth following up if only for the satisfaction of ascertaining whether it be a true or a false one if true your poor aunt is without doubt long since dead but your cousin is still alive and there he stands pointing to Bob who was in the waist leaning musingly over the lee rail where ask Blanche looking quite bewildered there replied Evelyn again pointing to Bob if my supposition is correct that lad Bob is your cousin Miss Lacell impossible exclaimed Blanche oh Mr. Evelyn tell me what has led you to think so I will answer Lance but I hope the idea is not very distressing to you it is true that the lad's present position is well not perhaps exactly worthy of the cousin of oh no do not say that Mr. Evelyn I beg interrupted Blanche I was not thinking of that in the least if Bob indeed proved to be my cousin I shall certainly not be ashamed of him quite the contrary but you took me so completely by surprise I have ever pictured my lost cousin as a chubby little flaxen haired baby boy from always having heard him so spoken of I suppose and I had forgotten for the moment that if alive he must necessarily have grown into a young man but let me hear why you have come to think that Robert may be my cousin I am all curiosity and impatience woman like you see in the presence of a mystery well said Lance you doubtless remember that on one occasion I remarked upon the striking resemblance he bears to you and I might have added the still more striking resemblance between him and your uncle Sir Richard but bungling remark as I at the time considered it led to you relating to me first the history of your friend Bob and then that of your uncle's loss as I listened to you the idea dawned upon me that Bob and your lost cousin might possibly be one in the same individual I got the lad to tell me his story which was naturally somewhat more full and circumstantial than your own sketch and comparing dates and so on I have been led to the conclusion that he may indeed prove to be Sir Richard's son in the first place in the first place his age which of course can only be approximately guessed at is about the same as your cousins would be if alive next there is the very extraordinary likeness almost too striking I think to be merely accidental and lastly the clothes he wore when found and which are still in existence I understand are marked with the initials RL which may stand for Richard Lacell the name as I understood you which your cousin bore at this moment Captain Stanton made his appearance at the head of the saloon staircase and calling to the chief mate said Mr. Bowles passed the word for the carpenter to come after the saloon at once if you please let him look smart the skipper then disappeared below again but not before the passengers who were all by this time on the poop had had time to observe that his features were a somewhat anxious expression the word was passed and ships who was on the fox all smoking his pipe once came shambling aft at the head of the companion way he encountered the steward who went up to Mr. Bowles said a word or two to him in a low tone of voice and then returned below again Mr. Bowles nodded stepped quietly down to the main deck and put his head inside the door of the deck house where Mr. Dashwood was lodged and in another moment the second mate came out followed the chief up to the poop and took charge of the deck Mr. Bowles immediately proceeding below no one but Lance appeared to take any particular notice of these movements so quietly were they executed and if he suspected that anything was wrong he took care not to show it but went on chatting with Blanche upon the same subject as before it may be however that his thoughts wandered a little from the matter in hand for once or twice he halted and hesitated somewhat in his speech and seemed to forget what he was talking about a quarter of an hour passed away and then Captain Staunton followed by the chief mate came on deck they walked as far as the break of the poop together and then Mr. Bowles gave the word to pipe all hands aft there is something to miss, thought Lance in less than a minute the men were all mustered in the waste of the ship waiting wonderingly to hear what the skipper had to say for it was perfectly evident that Captain Staunton was about to address them when the men were all assembled the captain turned to the passengers on the poop and said gentlemen have the goodness to come a little nearer me if you please what I have to say concerns all hands alike those in the saloon as well as those in the foxel the passengers moved forward as requested Lance taking Blanche's hand upon his arm and giving it a little reassuring squeeze as he did so Captain Staunton then turned himself so that he could be heard by all and began my friends I have called you round me in order to communicate to you all a piece of very momentous intelligence it is of a somewhat trying nature and therefore before I go further I must ask you to listen to me patiently to obey orders implicitly and above all to preserve coolness and presence of mind with these I have not a doubt that we can successfully battle with the difficulty without them it will be impossible for us to work effectively and the consequences must necessarily be proportionately grave he paused a moment and then seeing that everyone appeared to be perfectly cool and steady he added I greatly regret to say I have some cause for suspicion that fire has broken out somewhere below steady now steady lads wait and hear all I have to say I repeat I have a suspicion that fire may have broken out on board the temperature of the saloon is unaccountably hot and there is a strange smell below which may or may not be caused by fire it is necessary that the matter should be looked into at once and I ask everyone here to lend me their best assistance in case of my serve my's proving correct keep cool and work your hardest every man of you and then there is no reason whatever why we should not come easily out of the scrape Mr. Bowles and Mr. Dashwood will each take charge of his own watch Mr. Dashwood get the fire engine rigged and underway Mr. Bowles rig the force pump build and arrange your watch in a line along the deck with all the buckets you can muster gentlemen turning to the passengers be so good as to keep out of the men's way and hold yourselves in readiness to assist in whatever manner may be required now lads go quietly to your posts and do your duty like Englishmen End of Chapter 6 Chapter 7 of the Pirate Island a story of the South Pacific by Harry Collinwood this LibriVox recording is in the public domain a fiery ordeal the chief and second mates had when named by Captain Stoughton gone down upon the main deck and upon the conclusion of the skipper's address they at once marshaled their watches and led them to their proper stations the third mate, Bozen Sailmaker, Cook, Steward and Apprentices were embodied with the chief mate's gang part of whom were told off to work the force pump which was to feed the tank of the fire engine while the remainder were formed to line along the deck to pass buckets to the seat of the fire the fire engine, which had luckily been frequently in use at fire drill was in perfect order and the men knowing exactly what to do it was rigged and ready for action with tank filled the hose screwed on and laid along the deck in a remarkably short time Captain Stoughton on seeing that the men were cool and thoroughly under control had immediately gone below again to rejoin the carpenter whom he had left busily engaged in seeking the locality of the fire of the actual existence of which he had no manner of doubt indeed one had need only to go to the companion and breathe the heated and pungent atmosphere which ascended thence to have resolved any doubt he might have entertained upon the subject oh how dreadful exclaimed Blanche turning with white quivering lips to Evelyn as the skipper disappeared below do you think there really is fire Mr. Evelyn it is quite impossible to say answered Evelyn calmly keeping to himself his own convictions but if there is it cannot have yet gained much hold and I daresay a half an hour or so of vigorous work with the fire engine will effectually drown it out and if it does not if looking at the matter in its worst possible light the fire should after all get the upper hand and drive us out of the ship the night is fine and the water smooth enough to enable us easily and comfortably to take to the boats then the boats themselves are amply sufficient to take everybody without crowding they are in perfect order and the best equipped boats I have ever seen so that what will happen I think we need not alarm ourselves in the least I think however he added the other passengers having gathered around him that it could do no possible harm and might be of advantage supposing that the worst happens if you ladies were to go to your births and make up a package of your warmest clothing together with any valuables you may have with you so as to be in perfect readiness to leave the ship if need be but take matters quietly I entreat you for I sincerely hope it will prove that there is no necessity for any such decided step the two girls turned away and went together to the cabin which they jointly occupied Mrs. Stanton had already followed her husband below and Dale also hurried away bewailing his ill luck and ever having embarked on board such an unfortunate vessel for heaven's sake follow him Fortescue and stop his clamor exclaimed Lance he is enough to demoralize an entire regiment let alone a small ship's company like this Rex nodded and followed his partner seizing him by the arm and leading him aft instead of allowing him to go below as he evidently intended just then the carpenter came on deck and advancing to the break of the poop shouted pass along the hose boys and start the engine there is a spark or two of something smoldering down below but we'll soon have it out the men stationed at the engine gave a ringing cheer and one of them starting an inspiring shanty began at once to work away at the handles well this here is a pretty go ain't it? observed Brooke addressing himself to Evelyn as the two stood together at the break of the poop watching the men at work a most unfortunate circumstance replied Lance luckily there are no signs whatever of anything approaching to panic and if all keep as cool as they are at present we may hope to get out of this difficulty one way or the other without mishap you seem tolerably collected Mr. Brooke so perhaps there may be no harm in telling you that I fear matters are much more serious than they at present appear to be all day today the saloon has appeared to me to be extraordinarily hot and the presence of fire in the ship now sufficiently accounts for it and if it has been burning for some time it may prove to have obtained so strong a hold as to defy mastery in such a case it behoves each one of us to set an example of quiet self-possession to all the rest you behaved so nobly the other day during the gale that I think we may depend on you not to fail in that respect oh I'm alright returned Brooke I don't believe in being put out about anything I'm ready to help anywhere and I'd begin at once if I knowed where I could do any good and if the governor, referring presumably to Mr. Dale, makes any fuss I shall roll him up in a blanket like a parcel and take care of him myself a thin vapor of smoke was by this time rising from the companion accompanied by a strong and quite unmistakable smell of fire and in a minute or two more Captain Staunton in his shirt sleeves appeared on deck and called forward for more water there is rather more of it than we had first thought lads, he said but stick steadily to your work and we'll conquer it yet the gang at the fire engine was rapidly relieved a fresh shanty was struck up the chain of men with buckets got to work and the quickened clank of the engine handles showed that the crew were still confident and determined now is our time, exclaimed Lance to Brooke cut in here as a rather wide gap in the chain of men revealed itself just at the head of the saloon staircase and in another moment both were hard at work with their coats off passing buckets another 20 minutes might have elapsed when Captain Staunton and the carpenter staggered together up the saloon staircase to the deck gasping for breath their clothes and skin grimy with smoke and the perspiration streaming down their faces send two fresh hands below if you please Mr. Bowles, shouted the skipper and you lads drop your buckets and lend a hand here to cut some holes in the deck the fire is spreading forward and we must keep it to this end of the ship if possible two of the most determined of the crew at once stepped forward and volunteered to go below Captain Staunton nodded his permission and led them to the scene of their labors while the chain of men who had been passing buckets along the deck dropped them and under the carpenter's supervision at once commenced the task of cutting through the deck the smoke was by this time pouring in volumes up the companion and through the skylight Lance had been too busy to take much notice of this whilst engaged in passing the buckets but now that a respite came he had time to look about him he saw the great done cloud of smoke surging out of the companion and streaming away to Leeward and he saw indistinctly through it at intervals a small group gathered together aft by the weather taffero he thought he would join this group for a moment if only to ascertain whether the girls had succeeded in securing such things as they were most anxious to save and he sauntered toward them in his usual easy and deliberate manner as he drew near, Violet rose and said, oh Mr. Evelyn I am so glad you are come I was beginning to feel quite anxious about Blanche but where is she? I do not see her with you she is not with me Miss Dudley answered Lance, what led you to suppose she would be not with you oh Mr. Evelyn, where is she then? if she is not with you then she must still be in her cabin I stayed there until the smoke was too thick to see or breathe any longer and then I came on deck I spoke to her, urging her to come also and receiving no reply thought she had left without my noticing it but she is not here anywhere the latter part of this speech never reached Lance's ears for upon fully realizing that Blanche his own sweet darling who called her in his inmost thoughts a thousand times was missing he darted to the companion way and plunged down the stairs three or four at a time into the blinding, pungent, suffocating smoke which rushed momentarily in more and more dense volumes up through the opening on reaching the foot of the staircase he found that several of the planks had been pulled up to allow the men tending the hose to get below the saloon floor and approach as near as possible to the seat of the fire so dense was the smoke just here that it was only by the nearest chance he escaped falling headlong into the abyss catching sight however of the aperture just in time to spring across it he did so and glancing back for an instant on reaching the other side he saw a broad expanse of glowing white hot bales of wool and dimly through the accurate smoke and steam the forms of the men who were applying the engine hose groping his way into the saloon which was by this time so full of smoke that he could barely distinguish through it a feeble glimmer from the cabin lamp he made his way in the direction of the state room appropriated to blanch and violet the smoke got into his eyes and made them water into his throat and made him cough violently into his lungs producing an overpowering sense of suffocation and impressing unmistakably upon him the necessity for rapidity and decision of movement blind, giddy, breathless and staggered onward groping for the handle of the state room door at length he found it wrenched the door open and rapidly felt with hands and feet about the floor and in each birth no one there where then could Blanche be she was not on deck and it was hardly probable she could have fallen overboard then as he hastily began the search anew his foot kicked against something on the floor which he at once picked up it was a boot probably from its size and weight this at once satisfied him that in the obscurity he had groped his way into the wrong state room and he must prosecute his search further but he was suffocating already his brain began to reel there was a loud humming in his ears his eyes ached and felt as though they would burst out of their sockets and he found his strength ebbing away like water should he at once prosecute his search further that seemed physically impossible but if Blanche were in that fatal atmosphere she must soon die if not dead already and if he left the cabin to obtain a breath of fresh air was he not likely to go astray again and lose still more precious time no the search must be preceded with at once and reeling like a drunken man Lance felt for the state room door staggered into the saloon and felt along the bulkhead for the handle of the next door oh heavens what a search that was his head felt as though it would burst he gasped for breath and inhaled nothing but hot pungent smoke the saloon seemed to be miles instead of yards in length thank god at last the handle was found and turned and the door flung open Lance with the conviction that unless he can escape in a very few seconds he will die groups wildly round and into the births ah what is this something coiled up at the foot of the bottom birth a human body a woman Lance grasps it tightly in his arms stumbles out through the door with it along the saloon through the passage a roaring as of a thousand thunders is in his ears stars innumerable dance before his eyes he sees as in a dream the yawning golf in the floor a broad glare of fierce white light reels madly to and fro before him a confused sound of horse voices strikes upon his ear he feels that the end is come that he is dying but with a last supreme effort he staggers up the saloon staircase to the deck turns instinctively to windward out of the smoke and with his precious burden still tightly clasped in his arms falls prostrate and senseless to the deck Rex Fortescue who had been present when Violet spoke to Lance of Blanche's absence and who had witnessed the hasty departure of his friend upon his perilous search was at the head of the companion on his way below having grown anxious that Lance's prolonged absence when the latter reappeared on deck and assistants having been hastily summoned the pair who had so nearly met their deaths from suffocation were with some little difficulty at length restored to consciousness meanwhile it had become apparent to Captain Staunton that the fire was of a much more serious character than he had anticipated and that it was every minute assuming more formidable proportions he therefore at length decided as a precautionary measure to get the boats into the water without further delay he was anxious more particularly about the launch and penis as these boats were stowed over the main hatch and would have to be hoisted out by means of yard tackles this would be a long and difficult operation the ship being under jury rig and should the fire attack the heel of the main mast before these craft were in the water the two largest and safest boats in the ship might be seriously damaged if not destroyed in the process of launching or perhaps might defy the unaided efforts of the crew to launch them at all there would be no difficulty about the other boats as they could be lowered from the davits the mates were busy super-intending in directing the efforts of their respective gangs toward the extinguishing of the fire Captain Staunton therefore after a moment or two of anxious deliberation confided to Bob the important duty of provisioning and launching the boats giving him as assistance the cook, steward, and two able seamen and soliciting also the aid of the male passengers now it happened that the Galatea's boats were somewhat different in character from the boats usually to be found on board ship Captain Staunton had when quite a lad been compelled with the rest of the ship's company of which he was then a junior and very unimportant member to abandon the ship and take to the boats in mid ocean and then he learnt a lesson which he never forgot and formed ideas with respect to the fitting of boats which his nautical friends had been want to rather sneer at and stigmatize as queer but when the Galatea was in process of fitting out he had with some difficulty succeeded in persuading his owners to allow him to carry out these ideas and the boats were fitted up almost under his own eye the chief peculiarity of the boats lay in their keels these were made a trifle stouter than usual and of ordinary depth but they were so shaped and finished that a false keel some eight or nine inches deep could be securely fastened on below for very few minutes this was managed by having the true keel bored in some half a dozen places along its length and the holes bushed with copper the copper bushes projected a quarter of an inch above the upper edge of the keel and were so finished as to allow of copper caps screwing on over them thus effectively preventing the flow of water up through the bolt holes into the interior of the boat the false keel was made to accurately fit the true keel and was provided with bolts coinciding in number and position with the bolt holes in the true keel to fix the false keel all that was necessary was to unscrew the caps from the top of the bushes apply the false to the true keel pushing the bolts up through their respective holes and set them up tight by means of thumb screws the whole operation could be performed in a couple of minutes and the boats were then fit to beat to windward to any extent as far as the gigs were concerned the whaleboat gig, which was an exquisitely modeled boat fitted with air chambers so as to render her self-writing and unsinkable beyond greater attention than usual to the model of the craft this was the only difference which captain Stoughton had thought it necessary to make between the boats of the Galatea and those of other ships but in the cases of the launch in Penis he had gone a step further by fitting them with movable decks and sections which covered in the boats forward and aft and for about a foot wide right along each side these decks were bolted down and secured with thumb screws to beams which fitted into sockets under the gunnel and when the hull was once fixed each section contributed to keep all immovably in place the decking being but light it was not difficult to fix and in an hour after the order was given to launch the boats the launch in Penis were in the water alongside and the gigs hanging at the davits ready to lower away at a moment's notice thanks also to captain Stoughton's never ceasing care with regard to the boats they were all in perfect condition and not leaky as baskets as are too many boats when required to be lowered upon an unexpected emergency the gigs in the launch were regularly half filled with water every morning before the decks were washed down and emptied at the conclusion of that ceremony while the Penis which was stowed bottom up in the launch was liberally sourced with water at the same time in addition to this the proper complement of ores and rollocks the stretchers, boat hook mop, baler, anchor rudder, yoke and tiller together with the compass, masts and sails were always stowed in the boat to which they belonged and were carefully overhauled once every week under the skipper's own eye thus on the present occasion there was none of that bewildered running about and searching high and low for the boat's gear it was all at hand and ready for use whenever it might be wanted there was nothing therefore to do but to make sure each boat was antly provisioned this, the launch and Penis being safely in the water was Bob's next task to which he devoted himself coolly but with all alacrity the boat's water breakers which were slung, ready filled between the fore and after gallows under two of the gigs each breaker bearing painted upon it the name of the boat to which it belonged were cast adrift and passed into the proper boats as they were lowered and then followed as large a quantity of provisions as could possibly be stowed away without too much encumbering the movements of the occupants meanwhile the scuppers had all been carefully plugged up the decks pierced and all hands set to work with buckets, etc. to flood them and still the fire increased in volume it was 11.30 p.m. by the time that the boats were veered astern fully equipped and ready to receive their human freight and at midnight the main mast fell flames at the same time as the saloon companion in skylight upon perceiving this it became evident to Captain Staunton that it was quite hopeless to further prolong the fight the crew had been for four hours exerting themselves to their utmost capacity and the fire gaining steadily upon them the whole time they were now completely exhausted and the fire was blazing furiously almost throughout the devoted ship he therefore considered he had done his full duty and was now quite justified in abandoning the unfortunate Gallatea to her fiery doom he accordingly gave orders for the crew to desist from their efforts to collect their effects and to muster again on the quarter deck with all possible expedition the men needed no second bidding they saw that the moments of the good ship were numbered and throwing down whatever they happened to have in their hands they made a rush for the foxhole and there in the midst of the already blinding and stifling smoke proceeded hurriedly to gather together their few belongings in less than five minutes all hands were collected in the waste waiting the order to pass over the side the boats had meanwhile been hauled alongside and the ladies with little may carefully handed into the launch this when the attempt came to be made proved a task of no little difficulty for the ship's sides were found to be so hot that it was impossible to touch them however by the exercise of great caution it was accomplished without mishap and then the male passengers were ordered down over the side wrecks and lance going into the launch with the ladies while Dale and Brooke were told off to the penis the crew were then sent down each man as he passed over the rail being told what boat he was to go into Mr. Bowles was appointed to the command of the penis and Mr. Dashwood was ordered to take charge of the whaleboat gig with six hands as his crew the passengers and crew of the Galatea were distributed thus the launch under the command of Captain Stanton carried Mrs. Stanton her little daughter May Violet Dudley, Blanche LaCelle the bosom friends Rex and Lance Bob and his three fellow apprentices and the steward twelve and all the penis commanded by Mr. Bowles had on board Mr. Forester Dale Brooke, the carpenter the sailmaker and two of the seamen numbering seven all told the whaleboat gig the smartest boat of the fleet was manned as already stated by Mr. Dashwood and six picked hands she was to act as tender to the launch the second gig of which the bosom was given charge carried the remainder of the crew five in number or six including the bosom Captain Stanton was of course the last man to leave the ship and it was not until the moment had actually arrived for him to do so that the full force of the calamity appeared to burst upon him up to that moment he had been working harder than any other man on board and whilst his body had been actively engaged his mind was no less busy devising expedience for the preservation of the noble ship with the lives and cargo which she carried and for the safety of all of which he was responsible but now all that was done with the ship and cargo were hopelessly lost and the time had come when they must be abandoned to their fate it was true that many precious lives were still as it were held in his hands that upon his skill and courage depended to a very large extent their preservation but that was a matter for the future the immediate future no doubt but at that supreme moment Captain Stanton seemed unable to think of anything but the present that terrible present in which he must abandon to the devouring flames the beautiful fabric which had borne them all so gallantly over so many thousand leagues of the pathless ocean through light and darkness through sunshine and tempest with the wind and the wave in their most unbridled fury to succumb helplessly at last under the insidious attack of that terrible enemy fire the last of the crew had passed down over the side and had been received into the boat to which he was appointed the boats had all accepting the launch shoved off from the ship's side and retired to a distance at which the fierce heat of the victorious flames were no longer a discomfort and it was now high time that the skipper himself also leave the flames were roaring and leaping below above and around him the scorching air was surging about him torrents of sparks were whirling around him yet he seemed unable to tear himself away there he stood in the gangway his head bare with his cap in his hand and his eyes roving lingeringly and lovingly foreign aft and then aloft to the blazing spars and sails at length the formast was seen to tremble and totter it wavered for a moment and then with a crash and in a cloud of fiery sparks plunged hissing over the side the opposite side fortunately to that on which the launch lay this aroused captain Stanton he gazed about him a single moment longer in a dazed bewildered way and then as the ship rolled and the launch rose upon the sea sprang lightly down into the boat and in a voice stern with emotion gave the order to shove off oh papa cried little may i's so glad you's come i sought you weren't coming and the sweet little creature threw her arms lovingly about her father's neck do not deem him unmanly that he hid his eyes for a moment on his child's shoulder perchance to pray for her safety in the trials the troubles and the dangers which now lay before them then handing the little one back to her mother he hailed in a cheery voice the rest of the boats to close round the launch as soon as she had withdrawn to a safe distance in a few minutes the little fleet lay on their oars close together at a distance of about a hundred yards from the blazing ship captain Stanton then in a few well chosen words first thanked all hands for the strenuous efforts they had made to save the ship and then explained to them his plans for the future he proposed in the first place he said to remain near the Galatea as long as she floated because if any other craft happened to be in their neighborhood her crew would be certain to notice the light of the fire and bear down to see what it meant in which case they would be spared the necessity of a long voyage in the boats but if no friendly sail appeared within an hour or two of the destruction of their own ship it was his intention to continue in the boats the course to Valparaiso which they had been steering when the fire broke out by his reckoning they were a trifle over 1800 miles from this port a long distance no doubt but he reminded them that they were in the Pacific and might reasonably hope for moderately fine weather their boats were all in perfect order well supplied and in good sailing trim instead of being loaded down to the gunnel as was too often the case when a crew were compelled to abandon their ship and he believed that unless some unforeseen circumstance occurred to delay them they could make the passage in a fortnight and finally he expressed to hope that all hands would maintain strict discipline and cheerfully obey the orders of their officers as upon this would to a very great extent depend their ultimate safety his address was responded to with a ringing cheer after which the occupants of the various boats subsided into silence and sat watching the burning ship the Galatea was by this time a massive flame for a naft her masts were gone her decks had fallen in and her hull above water was in several places red hot while as she rolled heavily on the long swell burying her heated sides gunnel deep in the water great clouds of steam rose up like the smoke of a broadside and hit her momentarily from view the fire continued to blaze more and more fiercely as it spread among the cargo until about a couple of hours after the boats had left the ship when the intense and long continued heat appeared to cause some rivets to give way or to destroy some of the iron plates for a great gap suddenly appeared in the Galatea side a long strip of plating curling up and shrilling away like a sheet of paper and momentarily revealing the white hot contents of the glowing hold then the water poured in through the orifice there was a sudden up bursting of a vast cloud of steam accompanied by a mighty hissing sound the hull appeared to writhe like a living thing in mortal agony and then darkness upon the face of the waters the scorched and distorted shell of iron which had once been as gallant a ship as ever rode the foam was gone from sight forever End of Chapter 7