Consequently it came to pass that the "Pilgrim," supposed by her young
commander to be making good headway due east, was in reality, under the
brisk north-west breeze, speeding along towards the south-east.
CHAPTER XI.
ROUGH WEATHER.
During the ensuing week nothing particular occurred on board. The
breeze still freshened, and the "Pilgrim" made on the average 160 miles
every twenty-four hours. The speed was as great as could be expected
from a craft of her size.
Dick grew more and more sanguine in his anticipations that it could not
be long before the schooner would cross the track of the mail-packets
plying between the eastern and western hemispheres. He had made up his
mind to hail the first passing vessel, and either to transfer his
passengers, or what perhaps would be better still, to borrow a few
sailors, and, it might be, an officer to work the "Pilgrim" to shore.
He could not help, however, a growing sense of astonishment, when day
after day passed, and yet there was no ship to be signalled. He kept
the most vigourous look-out, but all to no purpose. Three voyages
before had he made to the whale-fisheries, and his experience made him
sure that he ought now to be sighting some English or American vessel
on its way between the Equator and Cape Horn.
Very different, however, was the true position of the "Pilgrim" from
what Dick supposed; not only had the ship been carried far out of her
direct course by currents, the force of which there were no means of
estimating, but from the moment when the compass had been tampered with
by Negoro, the steering itself had put the vessel all astray.
Unconscious of both these elements of disturbance, Dick Sands was
convinced that they were proceeding steadily eastwards, and was
perpetually encouraging Mrs. Weldon and himself by the assurance that
they must very soon arrive within view of the American coast; again and
again asserting that his sole concern was for his passengers, and that
for his own safety he had no anxiety.
"But think, Dick," said the lady, "what a position you would have been
in, if you had not had your passengers. You would have been alone with
that terrible Negoro; you would have been rather alarmed then."
"I should have taken good care to put it out of Negoro's power to do me
any mischief, and then I should have worked the ship by myself,"
answered the lad stoutly.
His very pluck gave Mrs. Weldon renewed confidence. She was a woman
with wonderful powers of endurance, and it was only when she thought of
her little son that she had any feeling of despair; yet even this she
endeavoured to conceal, and Dick's undaunted courage helped her.
Although the youth of the apprentice did not allow him to pretend to
any advanced scientific knowledge, he had the proverbial "weather-eye"
of the sailor. He was not only very keen in noticing any change in the
aspect of the sky, but he had learnt from Captain Hull, who was a
clever meteorologist, to draw correct conclusions from the indications
of the barometer; the captain, indeed, having taken the trouble to make
him learn by heart the general rules which are laid down in
Vorepierre's -Dictionnaire Illustré-.
There are seven of these rules:--
1. If after a long period of fine weather the barometer falls suddenly
and continuously, although the mercury may be descending for two or
three days before there is an apparent change in the atmosphere, there
will ultimately be rain; and the longer has been the time between the
first depression and the commencement of the rain, the longer the rain
may be expected to last.
2. -Vice versâ-, if after a long period of wet weather the barometer
begins to rise slowly and steadily, fine weather will ensue; and the
longer the time between the first rising of the mercury and the
commencement of the fine weather, the longer the fine weather may be
expected to last.
3. If immediately after the fall or rise of the mercury a change of
weather ensues, the change will be of no long continuance.[1]
4. A gradual rise for two or three days during rain forecasts fine
weather; but if there be a fall immediately on the arrival of the fine
weather, it will not be for long. This rule holds also conversely.
5. In spring and autumn a sudden fall indicates rain; in the summer, if
very hot, it foretells a storm. In the winter, after a period of steady
frost, a fall prognosticates a change of wind with rain and hail;
whilst a rise announces the approach of snow.
6. Rapid oscillations of the mercury either way are not to be
interpreted as indicating either wet or dry weather of any duration;
continuance of either fair or foul weather is forecast only by a
prolonged and steady rise or fall beforehand.
7. At the end of autumn, after a period of wind and rain, a rise may be
expected to be followed by north wind and frost.
Not merely had Dick got these rules by rote, but he had tested them by
his own observations, and had become singularly trustworthy in his
forecasts of the weather. He made a point of consulting the barometer
several times every day, and although to all appearances the sky
indicated that the fine weather was settled, it did not escape his
observation that on the 20th the mercury showed a tendency to fall.
Dick knew that rain, if it came, would be accompanied by wind; an
opinion in which he was very soon confirmed by the breeze freshening,
till the air was displaced at the rate of nearly sixty feet a second,
or more[1] than forty miles an hour; and he recognized the necessity of
at once shortening sail. He had already used the precaution to take in
the royal, the main-top-sail, and the flying jib, but he now at once
resolved likewise to take in the top-gallant, and to have a couple of
reefs in the foretop-sail.
[Footnote 1: This and several of the other rules are concisely
concentrated in the couplet--
Long foretold, long last;
Short notice, soon past.]
To an inexperienced crew, the last operation was far from easy; but
there was no symptom of shrinking from it. Followed by Bat and Austin,
Dick mounted the rigging of the foremast, and with little trouble got
to the top-gallant. Had the weather been less unpromising he would have
been inclined to leave the two yards as they were, but anticipating the
ultimate necessity of being obliged to lower the mast, he unrigged
them, and let them down to the deck; he knew well enough that in the
event of the gale rising as he expected, the lowering of the mast as
well as the shortening of sail would contribute to diminish the strain
and stress upon the vessel.
It was the work of two hours to get this preliminary operation over.
There still remained the task of taking in the reefs in the top-sail.
The "Pilgrim" in one respect differed from most modern vessels. She did
not carry a double foretop, which would very much have diminished the
difficulty attending the reefing. It was consequently necessary to
proceed as before; to mount the rigging, by main force to haul in the
flapping canvas, and to make the fastening secure. But critical and
dangerous as the task was, it was successfully accomplished, and the
three young men, having descended safely to the deck, had the
satisfaction of seeing the schooner run easily before the wind, which
had further increased till it was blowing a stiff gale.
For three days the gale continued brisk and hard, yet without any
variation in its direction. But all along the barometer was falling;
the mercury sank to 28° without symptom of recovery. The sky was
becoming overcast; clouds, thick and lowering, obscured the sun, and it
was difficult to make out where it rose or where it set. Dick did his
best to keep up his courage, but he could not disguise from himself
that there was cause for uneasiness. He took no more rest than was
absolutely necessary, and what repose he allowed himself he always took
on deck; he maintained a calm exterior, but he was really tortured with
anxiety.
[Illustration: For half an hour Negoro stood motionless.]
Although the violence of the wind seemed to lull awhile, Dick did not
suffer himself to be betrayed into any false security; he knew only too
well what to expect, and after a brief interval of comparative quiet,
the gale returned and the waves began to run very high.
About four o'clock one afternoon, Negoro (a most unusual thing for him)
emerged from his kitchen, and skulked to the fore. Dingo was fast
asleep, and did not make his ordinary growl by way of greeting to his
enemy. For half an hour Negoro stood motionless, apparently surveying
the horizon. The heavy waves rolled past; they were higher than the
condition of the wind warranted; their magnitude witnessed to a storm
passing in the west, and there was every reason to suspect that the
"Pilgrim" might be caught by its violence.
Negoro looked long at the water; he then raised his eyes and scanned
the sky. Above and below he might have read threatening signs. The
upper stratum of cloud was travelling far more rapidly than that
beneath, an indication that ere long the masses of vapour would
descend, and, coming in contact with the inferior current, would change
the gale into a tempest, which probably would increase to a hurricane.
It might be from ignorance or it might be from indifference, but there
was no indication of alarm on the face of Negoro; on the other hand
there might be seen a sort of smile curling on his lip. After thus
gazing above him and around him, he clambered on to the bowsprit, and
made his way by degrees to the very gammonings; again he rested and
looked about him as if to explore the horizon; after a while he
clambered back on deck, and soon stealthily retreated to his own
quarters.
No doubt there was much to cause concern in the general aspect of the
weather; but there was one point on which they never failed to
congratulate each other;--that the direction of the wind had never
changed, and consequently must be carrying them in the desired course.
Unless a storm should overtake them, they could continue their present
navigation without peril, and with every prospect of finding a port
upon the shore where they might put in. Such were their mutual and
acknowledged hopes; but Dick secretly felt the misgiving lest, without
a pilot, he might in his ignorance fail to find a harbour of refuge.
Nevertheless, he would not suffer himself to meet trouble half-way, and
kept up his spirits under the conviction that if difficulties came he
should be strengthened to grapple with them or make his escape.
Time passed on, and the 9th of March arrived without material change in
the condition of the atmosphere. The sky remained heavily burdened, and
the wind, which occasionally had abated for a few hours, had always
returned with at least its former violence. The occasional rising of
the mercury never encouraged Dick to anticipate a permanent improvement
in the weather, and he discerned only too plainly that brighter times
at present were not to be looked for.
A startling alarm had more than once been caused by the sudden breaking
of storms in which thunderbolts had seemed to fall within a few cables'
lengths of the schooner. On these occasions the torrents of rain had
been so heavy that the ship had appeared to be in the very midst of a
whirlpool of vapour, and it was impossible to see a yard ahead.
The "Pilgrim" pitched and rolled frightfully. Fortunately Mrs. Weldon
could bear the motion without much personal inconvenience, and
consequently was able to devote her attention to her little boy, who
was a miserable sufferer. Cousin Benedict was as undisturbed as the
cockroaches he was investigating; he hardly noticed the increasing
madness of either wind or wave, but went on with his studies as calmly
as if he were in his own comfortable museum at San Francisco. Moreover,
it was fortunate that the negroes did not suffer to any great degree
from sea-sickness, and consequently were able to assist their captain
in his arduous task, Dick was far too experienced a sailor himself to
be inconvenienced by any oscillations of the vessel, however violent.
The "Pilgrim" still made good headway, and Dick, although he was aware
that ultimately it would probably be necessary again to shorten sail,
was anxious to postpone making any alteration before he was absolutely
obliged. Surely, he reasoned with himself, the land could not now be
far away; he had calculated his speed; he had kept a diligent reckoning
on the chart; surely, the shore must be almost in sight. He would not
trust his crew to keep watch; he was aware how easily their
inexperienced eyes would be misled, and how they might mistake a
distant cloud-bank for the land they coveted to see; he kept watch for
himself; his own gaze was ever fixed upon the horizon; and in the
eagerness of his expectation he would repeatedly mount to the
cross-trees to get a wider range of vision.
But land was not to be seen.
Next day as Dick was standing at the bow, alternately considering the
canvas which his ship carried and the aspect presented by the sky, Mrs.
Weldon approached him without his noticing her. She caught some
muttered expressions of bewilderment that fell from his lips, and asked
him whether he could see anything.
He lowered the telescope which he had been holding in his hand, and
answered,--
"No, Mrs. Weldon, I cannot see anything; and it is this Hiat perplexes
me so sorely. I cannot understand why we have not already come in sight
of land. It is nearly a month since we lost our poor dear captain.
There has been no delay in our progress; no stoppage in our rate of
speed. I cannot make it out."
"How far were we from land when we lost the captain?"
"I am sure I am not far out in saying that we were scarcely more than
4500 miles from the shores of America."
"And at what rate have we been sailing?"
"Not much less than nine score knots a day."
"How long, then, do you reckon, Dick, we ought to be in arriving at the
coast?"
"Under six-and-twenty days," replied Dick.
He paused before he spoke again, then added,--
"But what mystifies me even more than our failing to sight the land is
this: we have not come across a single vessel; and yet vessels without
number are always traversing these seas."
"But do you not think," inquired Mrs. Weldon, "that you have made some
error in your reckoning? Is your speed really what you have supposed?"
"Impossible, madam," replied Dick, with an air of dignity, "impossible
that I should have fallen into error. The log has been consulted,
without fail, every half-hour. I am about to have it lowered now, and I
will undertake to show you that we are at this present moment making
ten miles an hour, which would give considerably over 200 miles a day."
He then called out to Tom,--
"Tom, lower the log!"
The old man was quite accustomed to the duty. The log was fastened to
the line and thrown overboard. It ran out regularly for about
five-and-twenty fathoms, when all at once the line slackened in Tom's
hand.
"It is broken!" cried Tom; "the cord is broken!"
"Broken?" exclaimed Dick: "good heavens! we have lost the log!"
It was too true. The log was gone.
Tom drew in the rope. Dick took it up and examined it. It had not
broken at its point of union with the log; it had given way in the
middle, at a place where the strands in some unaccountable way had worn
strangely thin.
Dick's agony of mind, in spite of his effort to be calm, was intensely
great. A suspicion of foul play involuntarily occurred to him. He knew
that the rope had been of first-rate make; he knew that it had been
quite sound when used before; but he could prove nothing; he could only
mourn over the loss which committed him to the sole remaining compass
as his only guide.
That compass, too, although he knew it not, was misleading him entirely!
Mrs. Weldon sighed as she witnessed the grief which the loss manifestly
caused poor Dick, but in purest sympathy she said nothing, and retired
thoughtfully to her cabin.
It was no longer possible to reckon the rate of progress, but there was
no doubt that the "Pilgrim" continued to maintain at least her previous
speed.
Before another four-and-twenty hours had passed the barometer had
fallen still lower, and the wind was threatening to rise to a velocity
of sixty miles. Resolved to be on the safe side, Dick determined not
only to strike the top-gallant and the main-top-mast, but to take in
all the lower sails. Indeed, he began to be aware that no time was to
be lost. The operation would not be done in a moment, and the storm was
approaching. Dick made Tom take the helm; he ascended the shrouds with
Bat, Austin, and Actæon, making Hercules stay on deck to slacken the
halyards as required.
By dint of arduous exertion, and at no little risk of being thrown
overboard by the rolling of the ship, they succeeded in lowering the
two masts; the fore-top-sail was then reefed, and the fore-sail
entirely struck, so that the only canvas that the schooner carried was
the reefed fore-top and the one stay. These, however, made her run with
a terrific speed.
Early on the morning of the 12th, Dick noted with alarm that the
barometer had not ceased to fall, and now registered only 27.9°. The
tempest had continued to increase, till it was unsafe for the ship to
carry any canvas at all. The order was given for the top-sail to be
taken in, but it was too late; a violent gust carried the sail
completely away, and Austin, who had made his way to the fore-top-yard,
was struck by the flying sheet; and although he was not seriously hurt,
he was obliged at once to return to deck.
Dick Sands became more uneasy than ever; he was tortured by
apprehensions of reefs outlying the shore, to which he imagined he must
now be close; but he could discern no rocks to justify his fears, and
returned to take his place at the helm.
The next moment Negoro appeared on deck; he pointed mysteriously to the
far-off horizon, as though he discerned some object, as a mountain,
there; and looking round with a malevolent smile, immediately left the
deck, and went back to his cabin.
[Illustration: Under bare poles]
CHAPTER XII.
HOPE REVIVED.
The wind had now increased to a hurricane; it had veered to the
south-west, and had attained a velocity little short of ninety miles an
hour. On land, the most substantial of erections could with difficulty
have withstood its violence, and a vessel anchored in a roadstead must
have been torn from its moorings and cast ashore. The memorable storm
that had devastated the Island of Guadaloupe on the 25th of July, 1825,
when heavy cannon were lifted from their carriages, could scarcely have
been more furious, and it was only her mobility before the blast and
the solidity of her structure that gave the "Pilgrim" a hope of
surviving the tempest.
A few minutes after the topsail had been lost, the small jib was
carried away. Dick Sands contemplated the possibility of throwing out a
storm-jib, made of extra strong canvas, as a means of bringing the ship
a little more under his control, but abandoned the idea as useless. It
was, therefore, under bare poles that the "Pilgrim" was driven along;
but in spite of the lack of canvas, the hull, masts, and rigging, gave
sufficient purchase to the wind, and the progress of the schooner was
prodigiously rapid; sometimes, indeed, she seemed to be literally
lifted from the water, and scudded on, scarcely skimming its surface.
The rolling was fearful. Enormous waves followed in quick succession,
and as they travelled faster than the ship, there was the perpetual
risk of one of them catching her astern. Without sail, there were no
means of escaping that peril by increase of speed; the adroit
management of the helm was the only chance of avoiding the hazardous
shocks, and even this repeatedly failed.
To prevent his being washed overboard Dick lashed himself to his place
at the wheel by a rope round his waist, and made Tom and Bat keep close
at hand, ready to give him assistance, in case of emergency. Hercules
and Actæon, clinging to the bitt, kept watch at the bow. Mrs. Weldon
and her party, at Dick's special request, remained inside the stern
cabin, although the lady, for her own part, would much rather have
stayed on deck; she had, however, yielded to the representation that
she would thus be exposing herself to unnecessary danger.
The hatchways were hermetically closed, and it was to be hoped that
they would withstand the heavy sea that was dashing over them; only let
one of them give way to the pressure, and the vessel must inevitably
fill and founder. It was a matter of congratulation that the stowage
had been done very carefully, so that notwithstanding all the lurchings
of the ship, the cargo did not shift in the least.
The heroic young commander had still further curtailed his periods of
rest, and it was only at the urgent entreaty of Mrs. Weldon, who feared
that he would exhaust himself by his vigilance, that he was induced to
lie down for a few hours' sleep on the night of the 13th.
After Tom and Bat had been left alone at the wheel they were, somewhat
to their surprise, joined by Negoro, who very rarely came aft. He
seemed inclined to enter into conversation, but found little
encouragement to talk on the part either of Tom or his son. All at once
a violent roll of the ship threw him off his feet, and he would have
gone overboard if he had not been saved by falling against the binnacle.
Old Tom was in a frantic state of alarm lest the compass should be
broken. He uttered a cry of consternation so loud that it roused Dick
from the light slumber into which he had fallen in the cabin, and he
rushed to the deck. By the time he had reached the stern, Negoro had
not only regained his feet, but had managed successfully to conceal the
bit of iron which he had again extracted from beneath the binnacle
where he had himself laid it. Now that the wind had shifted to the
south-west, it suited his machinations that the magnetic needle should
indicate its true direction.
[Illustration: Quick as lightning, Dick Sands drew a revolver from his
pocket.]
"How now?" asked Dick eagerly; "what is the meaning of all this noise?"
Tom explained how the cook had fallen against the binnacle, and how he
had been terrified lest the compass should be injured. Dick's heart
sank at the thought of losing his sole remaining compass, and his
anxiety betrayed itself in his countenance as he knelt down to examine
its condition; but he breathed freely as he ascertained that the
instrument had sustained no damage; by the dim light he saw the needle
resting on its two concentric circles, and felt his fears at once
relieved; of course, he was quite unconscious of the fact that the
removal of the bit of iron had made the magnet change its pointing. The
incident, however, excited his misgiving; although he felt that Negoro
could not be held responsible for an accidental fall, the very presence
of the man in such a place at such a time perplexed him.
"And what brings you here, this hour of the night?" he asked.
"That's not your business," retorted Negoro insolently.
"It is my business," replied Dick resolutely; "and I mean to have an
answer; what brought you here?"
Negoro answered sullenly that he knew of no rule to prevent his going
where he liked and when he liked.
"No rule!" cried Dick; "then I make the rule now. From this time
forward, I make the rule that you shall never come astern. Do you
understand?"
Roused from his accustomed doggedness, the man seemed to make a
threatening movement. Quick as lightning, Dick Sands drew a revolver
from his pocket.
"Negoro, one act, one word of insubordination, and I blow out your
brains!"
Negoro had no time to reply; before he could speak he was bowed down
towards the deck by an irresistible weight. Hercules had grasped him by
the shoulder.
"Shall I put him overboard, captain? he will make a meal for the
fishes; they are not very particular what they eat," said the negro,
with a grin of contempt.
"Not yet," quietly answered Dick.
The giant removed his hand, and Negoro stood upright again, and began
to retreat to his own quarters, muttering, however, as he passed
Hercules,--
"You cursed nigger! You shall pay for this!"
The discovery was now made that the wind apparently had taken a sudden
shift of no less than forty-five degrees; but what occasioned Dick the
greatest perplexity was that there was nothing in the condition of the
sea to correspond with the alteration in the current of the air;
instead of being directly astern, wind and waves were now beating on
the larboard. Progress in this way must necessarily be full of danger,
and Dick was obliged to bring his ship up at least four points before
he got her straight before the tempest.
The young captain felt that he must be more than ever on the alert; he
could not shake off the suspicion that Negoro had been concerned in the
loss of the first compass, and had some further designs upon the
second. Still he was utterly at a loss to imagine what possible motive
the man could have for so criminal an act of malevolence, as there was
no plausible reason to be assigned why he should not be as anxious as
all the rest to reach the coast of America. The suspicion continued,
however, to haunt him, and when he mentioned it to Mrs. Weldon he found
that a similar feeling of distrust had agitated her, although she, like
himself, was altogether unable to allege a likely motive why the cook
should contemplate so strange an act of mischief. It was determined
that a strict surveillance should be kept upon all the fellow's
movements.
Negoro, however, manifested no inclination to disobey the captain's
peremptory order; he kept strictly to his own part of the ship; but as
Dingo was now regularly quartered on the stern, there was a tolerably
sure guarantee that the cook would not be found wandering much in that
direction.
A week passed, and still the tempest showed no signs of abating; the
barometer continued to fall, and not once did a period of calmer
weather afford an opportunity of carrying sail. The "Pilgrim" still
made her way northeast. Her speed could not be less than two hundred
miles in twenty-four hours. But no land appeared. Vast as was the range
of the American continent, extending for 120 degrees between the
Atlantic and the Pacific, it was nowhere to be discerned. Was he
dreaming? was he mad? Dick would perpetually ask himself: had he been
sailing in a wrong direction? had he failed to steer aright?
But no: he was convinced there was no error in his steering. Although
he could not actually see it for the mist, he knew that day after day
the sun rose before him, and that it set behind him. Yet he was
constrained in bewilderment to ask, what had become of those shores of
America upon which, when they came in sight, there was only too great a
fear the ship should be dashed? what had become of them? where were
they? whither had this incessant hurricane driven them? why did not the
expected coast appear?
To all these bewildering inquiries Dick could find no answer except to
imagine that his compass had misled him. Yet he was powerless to put
his own misgivings to the test; he deplored more than ever the
destruction of the duplicate instrument which would have checked his
registers. He studied his chart; but all in vain; the position in which
he found himself as the result of Negoro's treachery, seemed to baffle
him the more, the more he tried to solve the mystery.
The days were passing on in this chronic state of anxiety, when one
morning about eight o'clock, Hercules, who was on watch at the fore,
suddenly shouted,--
"Land!"
Dick Sands had little reliance upon the negro's inexperienced eye, but
hurried forward to the bow.
"Where's the land?" he cried; his voice being scarcely audible above
the howling of the tempest.
"There! look there!" said Hercules, nodding his head and pointing over
the larboard side, to the north-east.
Dick could see nothing.
Mrs. Weldon had heard the shout. Unable to restrain her interest, she
had left her cabin and was at Dick's side. He uttered an expression of
surprise at seeing her, but could not hear anything she said, as her
voice was unable to rise above the roaring of the elements; she stood,
her whole being as it were concentrated in the power of vision, and
scanned the horizon in the direction indicated by Hercules. But all to
no purpose.
Suddenly, however, after a while, Dick raised his hand.
"Yes!" he said; "yes; sure enough, yonder is land."
He clung with excitement to the netting; and Mrs Weldon, supported by
Hercules, strained her eyes yet more vehemently to get a glimpse of a
shore which she had begun to despair of ever reaching.
Beyond a doubt an elevated peak was there. It must be about ten miles
to leeward. A break in the clouds soon left it more distinct. Some
promontory it must be upon the American coast. Without sails, of
course, the "Pilgrim" had no chance of bearing down direct upon it; but
at least there was every reason to believe that she would soon reach
some other portion of the shore; perhaps before noon, certainly in a
few hours, they must be close to land.
The pitching of the ship made it impossible for Mrs. Weldon to keep
safe footing on the deck; accordingly, at a sign from Dick, Hercules
led her back again to her cabin.
Dick did not remain long at the bow, but went thoughtfully back to the
wheel.
He had, indeed, a tremendous responsibility before him. Here was the
land, the land for which they had longed so eagerly; and now that their
anticipations were on the point of being realized, what was there, with
a hurricane driving them on towards it, to prevent that land being
their destruction? What measures could he take to prevent the schooner
being dashed to pieces against it?
[Illustration: "There! look there!"]
At the very moment when the promontory was just abreast of them, Negoro
appeared on deck; he nodded to the peak familiarly, as he might have
saluted a familiar friend, and retired as stealthily as he had come.
Two hours later, and the promontory was lying to the larboard wake.
Dick Sands had never relaxed his watchfulness, but he had failed to
discover any further indications of a coast-line. His perplexity could
only increase; the horizon was clear; the Andes ought to be distinct;
they would be conspicuous twenty miles or more away. Dick took up his
telescope again and again; he scrutinized the eastern horizon with
minutest care; but there was nothing to be seen; and as the afternoon
waned away the last glimpse had been taken of the promontory that had
awakened their expectation; it had vanished utterly from their gaze; no
indication of shore could be seen from the "Pilgrim's" deck.
Dick Sands uttered a sigh of mingled amazement and relief. He went into
Mrs. Weldon's cabin, where she was standing with her party.
"It was only an island!" he said; "only an island!"
"How? why? what island? what do you mean?" cried Mrs. Weldon
incredulously; "what island can it be?"
"The chart perhaps will tell us," replied Dick; and hurrying off to his
own cabin, he immediately returned with the chart in his hands.
After studying it attentively for a few minutes, he said,--
"There, Mrs. Weldon; the land we have just passed, I should suppose
must be that little speck in the midst of the Pacific. It must be
Easter Island. At least, there seems to be no other land which possibly
it could be."
"And do you say," inquired Mrs. Weldon, "that we have left it quite
behind us?"
"Yes, entirely; almost to windward."
Mrs. Weldon commenced a searching scrutiny of the map that was
outspread before her.
"How far is this," she said, after bending a considerable time over the
chart; "how far is this from the coast of America?"
"Thirty-five degrees," answered Dick; "somewhere about 2500 miles."
"What ever do you mean?" rejoined the lady astonished; "if the
'Pilgrim' is still 2500 miles from shore, she has positively made no
progress at all. Impossible!"
In thoughtful perplexity, Dick passed his hand across his brow. He did
not know what to say. After an interval of silence, he said,--
"I have no account to give for the strange delay. It is inexplicable to
myself, except upon that one hypothesis, which I cannot resist, that
the readings of the compass, somehow or other, have been wrong."
He relapsed into silence. Then, brightening up, he added,--
"But, thank God! at least we have now the satisfaction of knowing where
we really are; we are no longer lost upon the wide Pacific; if only
this hurricane will cease, long as the distance seems, we are on our
proper course to the shores of America."
The tone of confidence with which the youthful captain spoke had the
effect of inspiring new hope into all who heard him; their spirits
rose, and to their sanguine mood it seemed as if they were approaching
to the end of all their troubles, and had hardly more to do than to
await the turning of a tide to bring them into a glad proximity to port.
Easter Island, of which the true name is Vai-Hoo, was discovered by
David in 1686 and visited by Cook and Lapérouse. It lies in lat. 27°
S., and long. 112 E.; consequently, it was evident that during the
raging of the hurricane the schooner had been driven northwards no less
than fifteen degrees. Far away, however, as she was from shore, the
wind could hardly fail within ten days to carry her within sight of
land; and then, if the storm had worn itself out, (as probably it
would,) the "Pilgrim" would again hoist sail, and make her way into
some port with safety. Anyhow, the discovery of his true position
restored a spirit of confidence to Dick Sands, and he anticipated the
time when he should no longer be drifting helplessly before the storm.
To say the truth, the "Pilgrim" had suffered very little from the
prolonged fury of the weather. The damage she had sustained was limited
to the loss of the topsail and the small jib, which could be easily
replaced. The caulking of the seams remained thoroughly sound, and no
drop of water had found its way into the hold. The pumps, too, were
perfectly free. Dick Sands did not fear for the stability of his ship;
his only anxiety was lest the weather should not moderate in time. Only
let the wind subside, and the schooner once more would be under his
control; but he never forgot that the ordering of the winds and waves
were in the hands of the Great Disposer of all.
CHAPTER XIII.
LAND AT LAST.
It was not long before Dick's sanguine expectations were partially
realized, for on the very next day, which was the 27th, the barometer
began to rise, not rapidly, but steadily, indicating that its elevation
would probably continue. The sea remained exceedingly rough, but the
violence of the wind, which had veered slightly towards the west, had
perceptibly diminished. The tempest had passed its greatest fury, and
was beginning to wear itself out.
Not a sail, however, could yet be hoisted; the smallest show of canvas
would have been carried away in an instant; nevertheless Dick hoped
that before another twenty-four hours were over, the "Pilgrim" might be
able to carry a storm-jib.
In the course of the night the wind moderated still more and the
pitching of the ship had so far diminished that the passengers began to
reappear on deck. Mrs. Weldon was the first to leave her enforced
imprisonment. She was anxious to speak to Dick, whom she might have
expected to find looking pale and wan after his almost superhuman
exertions and loss of sleep. But she was mistaken; however much the lad
might suffer from the strain in after-years, at present he exhibited no
symptoms of failing energy.
"Well, Captain Dick, how are you?" she said, as she advanced towards
him holding out her hand.
Dick smiled.
"You call me captain, Mrs. Weldon," he answered, "but you do not seem
disposed to submit implicitly to captain's orders. Did I not direct you
to keep to your cabin?"
[Illustration: "You have acquitted yourself like a man."]
"You did," replied the lady; "but observing how much the storm had
abated, I could not resist the temptation to disobey you."
"Yes, madam, the weather is far more promising; the barometer has not
fallen since yesterday morning, and I really trust the worst is over
now."
"Thank Heaven!" she replied, and after a few moments' silence, she
added.--
"But now, Dick, you must really take some rest; you may perhaps not
know how much you require it; but it is absolutely necessary."
"Rest!" the boy repeated; "rest! I want no rest. I have only done my
duty, and it will be time enough for me to concern myself about my own
rest, when I have seen my passengers in a place of safety."
"You have acquitted yourself like a man," said Mrs. Weldon; "and you
may be assured that my husband, like myself, will never forget the
services you have rendered me. I shall urge upon him the request which
I am sure he will not refuse, that you shall have your studies
completed, so that you may be made a captain for the firm."
Tears of gratitude rose to Dick's eyes. He deprecated the praise that
was lavished upon him, but rejoiced in the prospect that seemed opening
upon his future. Mrs. Weldon assured him that he was dear as a son to
her, and pressed a gentle kiss upon his forehead. The lad felt that he
was animated, if need be, to yet greater hardships in behalf of his
benefactors, and resolved to prove himself even more worthy of their
confidence.
By the 29th, the wind had so far moderated that Dick thought he might
increase the "Pilgrim's" speed by hoisting the foresail and topsail.
"Now, my men, I have some work for you to-day," he said to the negroes
when he came on deck at daybreak.
"All right, captain," answered Hercules, "we are growing rusty for want
of something to do."
"Why didn't you blow with your big mouth?" said little Jack; "you could
have beaten the wind all to nothing."
Dick laughed, and said, "Not a bad idea, Jack; if ever we get becalmed,
we must get Hercules to blow into the sails."
"I shall be most happy," retorted the giant, and he inflated his huge
checks till he was the very impersonation of Boreas himself.
"But now to work!" cried Dick; "we have lost our topsail, and we must
contrive to hoist another. Not an easy matter, I can tell you."
"I dare say we shall manage it," replied Actæon.
"We must do our best," said Tom.
"Can't I help?" inquired Jack.
"Of course you can," answered Dick; "run along to the wheel, and assist
Bat."
Jack strutted off, proud enough of his commission.
Under Dick's directions, the negroes commenced their somewhat difficult
task. The new topsail, rolled up, had first of all to be hoisted, and
then to be made fast to the yard; but so adroitly did the crew carry
out their orders, that in less than an hour the sail was properly set
and flying with a couple of reefs. The foresail and second jib, which
had been taken down before the tempest, were hoisted again, and before
ten o'clock the "Pilgrim" was running along under the three sails which
Dick considered were as much as it was prudent to carry. Even at her
present speed, the schooner, he reckoned, would be within sight of the
American shore in about ten days. It was an immense relief to him to
find that she was no longer at the mercy of the waves, and when he saw
the sails properly set he returned in good spirits to his post at the
helm, not forgetting to thank the temporary helmsman for his services,
nor omitting his acknowledgment to Master Jack, who received the
compliment with becoming gravity.
Although the clouds continued to travel all the next day with great
rapidity they were very much broken, and alternately the "Pilgrim" was
bathed in sunlight and enveloped in vapours, which rolled on towards
the east. As the weather cleared, the hatchways were opened in order to
ventilate the ship, and the outer air was allowed again to penetrate
not only the hold, but the cabin and crew's quarters The wet sails were
hung out to dry, the deck was washed down, for Dick Sands was anxious
not to bring his ship into port without having "finished her toilet,"
and he found that his crew could very well spare a few hours daily to
get her into proper trim.
[Illustration: They both examined the outspread chart.]
Notwithstanding the loss of the log, Dick had sufficient experience to
be able to make an approximate estimate of the schooner's progress, and
after having pointed out to Mrs. Weldon what he imagined was the
"Pilgrim's" true position, he told her that it was his firm impression
that land would be sighted in little more than a week.
"And upon what part of South America do you reckon we are likely to
find ourselves?" she asked.
"That is more than I dare venture to promise," replied Dick; "but I
should think somewhere hereabouts."
He was pointing on the chart to the long shore-line of Chili and Peru.
They both examined the outspread chart with still closer attention.
"Here, you see," resumed Dick, "here is the island we have just left;
we left it in the west; the wind has not shifted; we must expect to
come in sight of land, pretty nearly due east of it. The coast has
plenty of harbours. From any one of them you will be able easily to get
to San Francisco. You know, I dare say, that the Pacific Navigation
Company's steamers touch at all the principal ports. From any of them
you will be sure to get direct passage to California."
"But do you mean," asked Mrs. Weldon, "that you are not going yourself
to take the schooner to San Francisco?"
"Not direct," replied the young captain; "I want to see you safe on
shore and satisfactorily on your homeward way. When that is done, I
shall hope to get competent officers to take the ship to Valparaiso,
where she will discharge her cargo, as Captain Hull intended; and
afterwards I shall work our way back to San Francisco."
"Ah, well; we will see all about that in due time." Mrs. Weldon said,
smiling; and, after a short pause, added, "At one time, Dick, you
seemed to have rather a dread of the shore."
"Quite true," answered Dick; "but now I am in hopes we may fall in with
some passing vessel; we want to have a confirmation as to our true
position. I cannot tell you how surprised I am that we have not come
across a single vessel. But when we near the land we shall be able to
get a pilot."
"But what will happen if we fail to get a pilot?" was Mrs. Weldon's
inquiry. She was anxious to learn how far the lad was prepared to meet
any emergency.
With unhesitating promptness Dick replied,--
"Why, then, unless the weather takes the control of the ship out of my
hands, I must patiently follow the coast until I come to a harbour of
refuge. But if the wind should freshen, I should have to adopt other
measures."
"What then, Dick, what then?" persisted Mrs. Weldon.
The boy's brow knitted itself together in resolution, and he said
deliberately,--
"I should run the ship aground."
Mrs. Weldon started.
"However," Dick continued, "there is no reason to apprehend this. The
weather has mended and is likely to mend. And why should we fear about
finding a pilot? Let us hope all will be well."
Mrs. Weldon at least had satisfied herself on one point. She had
ascertained that although Dick did not anticipate disaster, yet he was
prepared in the case of emergency to resort to measures from which any
but the most experienced seaman would shrink.
But although Dick's equanimity had been successful in allaying any
misgivings on Mrs. Weldon's part, it must be owned that the condition
of the atmosphere caused him very serious uneasiness.
The wind remained uncomfortably high, and the barometer gave very
ominous indications that it would ere long freshen still more. Dick
dreaded that the time was about to return in which once again he must
reduce his vessel to a state of bare poles; but so intense was his
aversion to having his ship so wrested as it were from his own
management, that he determined to carry the topsail till it was all but
carried away by the force of the blast. Concerned, moreover, for the
safety of his masts, the loss of which he acknowledged must be fatal,
he had the shrouds well overhauled and the backstays considerably
tightened.
More than once another contingency occurred to his mind, and gave him
some anxiety. He could not overlook the possibility of the wind
changing all round. What should he do in such a case? He would of
course endeavour by all means to get the schooner on by incessant
tacking; but was there not the certainty of a most hazardous delay? and
worse than this, was there not a likelihood of the "Pilgrim" being once
again driven far out to sea?
Happily these forebodings were not realized. The wind, after chopping
about for several days, at one time blowing from the north, and at
another from the south, finally settled down into a stiffish gale from
the west, which did nothing worse than severely strain the masts.
In this weary but hopeful endurance time passed on. The 5th of April
had arrived. It was more than two months since the "Pilgrim" had
quitted New Zealand; it was true that during the first three weeks of
her voyage she had been impeded by protracted calms and contrary winds;
but since that time her speed had been rapid, the very tempests had
driven her forwards with unwonted velocity; she had never failed to
have her bow towards the land, and yet land seemed as remote as ever;
the coast line was retreating as they approached it. What could be the
solution of the mystery?
From the cross-trees one or other of the negroes was kept incessantly
on the watch. Dick Sands himself, telescope in hand, would repeatedly
ascend in the hope of beholding some lofty peak of the Andes emerging
from the mists that hung over the horizon. But all in vain.
False alarms were given more than once. Sometimes Tom, sometimes
Hercules, or one of the others would be sure that a distant speck they
had descried was assuredly a mountain ridge; but the vapours were
continually gathering in such fantastic forms that their unexperienced
eyes were soon deceived, and they seldom had to wait long before their
fond delusion was all dispelled.
At last, the expected longing was fulfilled. At eight o'clock one
morning the mists seemed broken up with unusual rapidity, and the
horizon was singularly clear. Dick had hardly gone aloft when his voice
rung out,--
"Land! Land ahead!"
As if summoned by a spell, every one was on deck in an instant: Mrs.
Weldon, sanguine of a speedy end to the general anxiety; little Jack,
gratified at a new object of curiosity; Cousin Benedict, already
scenting a new field for entomological investigation; old Nan; and the
negroes, eager to set foot upon American soil; all, with the exception
of Negoro, all were on deck; but the cook did not stir from his
solitude, or betray any sympathy with the general excitement.
Whatever hesitation there might be at first soon passed away; one after
another soon distinguished the shore they were approaching, and in half
an hour there was no room for the most sceptical to doubt that Dick was
right. There was land not far ahead.
A few miles to the east there was a long low-lying coast; the chain of
the Andes ought to be visible; but it was obscured, of course, by the
intervening clouds.
The "Pilgrim" bore down rapidly towards the land, and in a short time
its configuration could be plainly made out. Towards the north-east the
coast terminated in a headland of moderate height sheltering a kind of
roadstead; on the south-east it stretched out in a long and narrow
tongue. The Andes were still wanting to the scene; they must be
somewhere in the background; but at present, strange to say, there was
only a succession of low cliffs with some trees standing out against
the sky. No human habitation, no harbour, not even an indication of a
river-mouth, could anywhere be seen.
The wind remained brisk, and the schooner was driving directly towards
the land, with sails shortened as seemed desirable; but Dick realized
to himself the fact that he was utterly incapable of altering her
course. With eager eyes he scrutinized his situation. Straight ahead
was a reef over which the waves were curling, and around which the surf
must be tremendous. It could hardly be more than a mile away. The wind
seemed brisker than before.
After gazing awhile, Dick seemed to have come to a sudden resolution.
He went quickly aft and took the helm. He had seen a little cove, and
had made up his mind that he would try and make his way into it. He did
not speak a word; he knew the difficulty of the task he had undertaken;
he was aware from the white foam, that there was shallow water on
either hand; but he kept the secret of the peril to himself, and sought
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499
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