The horizon was piled up with masses of blue-black clouds, whose ragged edges meant mischief, and scraps of greyish white scud were flying across the sky in all directions--now towards the same point as the wind, now against it, as if there were contending currents aloft and they could not decide what precise course to travel.
Captain Dinks, who, with the other officers, had been on deck all night, looked haggard and care-worn. The men, too, seemed worn-out, which could not be wondered at, as no sooner had the watch whose turn it was to be relieved, got below than they were roused up again at the call of "All hands"--when, of course, they had to tumble on deck again, without a moment's time for the rest and repose they needed after the exposure they were subjected to in battling up and down the rigging in the tempest of wind and rain and hail that had lasted through the livelong night.
"Not a very bright look-out!" said the captain, trying to speak cheerily, but failing miserably in the attempt. "Old Boreas, too, I'm afraid, is going to put on a fresh hand to the bellows, for the barometer has fallen again."
"Indeed?" answered Mr Meldrum.
"Yes," continued Captain Dinks; "it stood at 29.50 at three o'clock this morning, and when I looked just now it was at 29.25."
"That's bad," said the other; "it shows we've not got the worst of the cyclone yet."
"No," replied the captain; "we've got that all to come! Luckily, I sent down the topgallant-masts yesterday evening, or we'd have had every stick out of her by now:-- they would have been safe to go when the foretop-mast went, if not before. However, there they are, all lashed together by the longboat, not gone yet; and I hope we shall have some use for them yet bye and bye."
"I only hope so," said Mr Meldrum sadly, the despondent way in which Captain Dinks spoke affecting him too.
The ship seemed easier running before the wind than when lying-to, although there was the risk of the heavy following seas pooping her, a contingency that had already happened when a portion of the bulwarks were carried away at the time the saloon skylight was smashed, leaving an ugly gash in the ship's side; but a spare hawser had been triced up and secured fore and aft to prevent the men being washed overboard through the aperture, and life lines were rove and passed along the deck for the same purpose.
"It's safer to carry on," observed Captain Dinks, seeing the anxious glance Mr Meldrum bent to windward. "I've heard of a ship outrunning a hurricane before; and so might we again."
"So have I," said Mr Meldrum; "but not a cyclone! Look there, ahead, at that bank of storm-clouds; perhaps we're running into a worse gale than the one we've got."
"Well, we can only act for the best," replied the captain curtly, apparently not relishing this criticism of his seamanship from a landsman--as he thought--who knew nothing about the matter; and he then moved back to his post by the binnacle, leaving Mr Meldrum standing by the head of the companion, where he was presently joined by Frank Harness, the first and second mates being both forward, superintending the bending of preventer stays to secure the masts, which seemed to be ready to jump out of the ship from the leverage exercised even by the little sail she was carrying.
By noon, when it was utterly impossible to take an observation, the heavens being black all round, with showers of hail and snow coming down at intervals, and the wind, blowing over the Antarctic ice-fields, seemed to cut the face as with a knife--the temperature of the air had become bitterly cold, while the barometer fell to 29 inches. The very spirit of destruction appeared to brood over the ill-fated _Nancy Bell_.
Mr Meldrum, after a brief visit below to look after his daughters and see how the American passenger was progressing since his accident, had returned on deck, accompanied by Kate, who pleaded so earnestly to be allowed to come that he could not resist her entreaties. She now stood, sheltered behind him, in the mouth of the companionway, watching the brewing of the fresh storm with which the vessel was about to be assailed--Frank Harness close to her side as if for additional protection, although the captain had told him he might go below and have a spell off after being up all night. The young sailor, as soon as she came up, had taken off his own monkey-jacket and fastened it round her shoulders to protect her from the wind and hail, despite all Kate's protests, to which he was obliged to turn a deaf ear by reason of the force of the gale.
Suddenly, the dark looming mass of clouds in front of the ship appeared to split asunder, showing gaping ragged edges fringed with white, just like a shark's mouth.
Mr Meldrum at once rushed to where Captain Dinks was standing close to the wheel-house, where two men had all they could do to control the helm, although they were the strongest hands on board, the one being Ben Boltrope, the ex-man-o'-war's-man, and the other Karl Ericksen, the Norwegian sailor who had been rescued from the boat, and who was a perfect giant now that he was restored to health and strength--standing over six feet, and with long brawny arms that seemed as powerful as those of a windmill when he threw them about.
"For God's sake, Captain," exclaimed Mr Meldrum, "round the ship to, if you can! If that squall that's coming right forward catches her in the teeth, she will go down stern foremost in a second!"
"Nonsense, Mr Meldrum!" answered Captain Dinks hotly. "Who are you? a landsman, to give orders to a trained seaman! I don't allow passengers to interfere with me in working my own ship."
"Considering I have been in the royal navy all my life, and left the service with the rank of commander," said Mr Meldrum quietly, not a whit angered by the captain's somewhat reasonable indignation, "I think I am something of an authority on the point. But, don't let us argue that matter now, Captain Dinks. I apologise for interfering; but I have seen and been through a good many cyclones in the China seas, when I was in command of a gunboat there, and I advise you to do as I've said."
"Trust his honour, Capting, sir," chimed in Ben Boltrope, for once forgetting his sense of discipline, and speaking to his superior officer without leave; "I've sarved with Commander Meldrum, and knows what he is."
"I'm sure, sir, Mr Meldrum, I hardly know how to address you," said Captain Dinks, his old polite sell again, and smiling as if there was no storm near. "I beg your pardon for not recognising that you were of the same craft; but what could I think, or how could I judge?"
"Oh, never mind that now," said Mr Meldrum eagerly. "Put her about at once, as you value all our lives."
"All right!" replied Captain Dinks; "down with the helm there, sharp!"
The men strained every sinew to get the wheel round, the muscles on the Norwegian's arms standing out in relief like wire ropes, and Ben Boltrope using his utmost strength and assisting him with a will.
"Look out forward!" shouted the captain in the meantime, to warn McCarthy and the men what was going to be done so that they might hold on; "were going to 'bout ship." And although they could not hear a word he said, they judged what he meant by his motions and prepared themselves accordingly.
The manoeuvre was executed at last, but very nearly a moment too late.
As the ship came round, she met the sea full butt, and was for the instant almost buried--the water coming in high over the forecastle and falling like a cataract into the waist, engulfing the men there in a well of green wave and foam; while, at the same moment, the squall ahead struck her on the port bow, the vessel, between the two opposing forces, being like a piece of iron 'twixt hammer and anvil. The concussion was tremendous, knocking everybody off their feet just as if the ship had struck on a rock.
Crash went the remains of the foremast over the side, carrying with it the maintop-mast and the solitary scrap of sail that was set; and for a moment the ship broached to, heeling over as if she were going to founder.
However, the same expedient that had been tried in the night, that of a tarpaulin in the weather-rigging, was again resorted to; and the helm being kept down, the vessel's head was got to the sea, the wreck of the foremast, which had swung clear of the ship although still kept attached by the gear forwards, acting as a sort of breakwater, and tempering down the strength of the waves, so that after a time she rode somewhat easy.
Meanwhile, Kate had a terrible fright.
As the shock came when the _Nancy Bell_ was put about, Frank Harness threw his arm round Kate's waist to prevent her from being thrown down, holding on himself at the same time like grim death to the rail of the companion; and on the ship steadying, he released the girl and let go his hold. At that moment, however, a wave came over the poop, and he, being taken off his guard, was rolled over on the deck and washed towards the opening in the broken bulwarks.
Kate instantly, without hesitating for a second, made a snatch at his collar; and, clutching hold of it, in the very nick of time, saved him by a miracle--had he been carried overboard, no earthly power could have rescued him!
"Oh, Frank!" she exclaimed, "I thought I had lost you!" And, as he scrambled to his feet, pale with the suddenness of his peril and her effort to rescue him, the brave girl sank down, apparently lifeless, on the deck--all of a heap.
"Good heavens, she is dead!" cried Frank. "She has been killed in trying to save me!" and in the desperation of grief he looked as if he were going to throw himself into the sea.
"No, no, my boy," said Mr Meldrum, who had witnessed the incident from the wheel-house, and had now come to his aid; "she has only fainted from revulsion of feeling and the strain on her nerves. Help me to carry her below."
And, as the two descended the companion-way with their apparently inanimate burden, the young sailor could not help furtively kissing the floating tresses of dark brown hair that swept across his face as he tenderly supported Kate's head on his shoulder, guarding it jealously in the passage below. His anxiety was soon afterwards relieved by Mr Meldrum coming out from the cabin where they had deposited poor Kate, and telling him that she was getting better.
It was a bad case with the ship, however; worse than anyone thought.
Soon after Frank and Mr Meldrum had left the deck, Ben Boltrope, who was still in the wheel-house with the Norwegian, called out to Captain Dinks:-- "I think there's something wrong with the rudder, sir," he said.
"Wrong with the rudder!" repeated the captain. "What do you mean?" and he came nearer to look himself at the steering gear.
"Why; the wheel goes round either way, just as you please, without any strain at all, as if the ropes were parted, or the rudder gone adrift!"
"Mercy on us! That would be a calamity!" exclaimed Captain Dinks; and, watching his opportunity, when the stern of the ship rose up in the air, he looked over the rail below. "It is really the case!" he said, in grave accents. "The rudder and rudder-post have both been carried away.
What a blessing that they did not go before we got her about; if they had, nothing could have saved us."
"True for you, sir," responded Ben in acquiescence; while the Norwegian nodded his head and said, "Ja! ja!"
"Come away from there, my men," presently said the captain after a long silence, as if he were thinking to himself what should be done; "it's no use your stopping there any longer. But, stay, it is best not to alarm the crew too soon. You stop, Norwegee," calling that sailor by the name the men had dubbed him; "and you, carpenter, go and sound the well to see what water we have taken in. Mind and do it quietly, now, so as not to be seen; and you need not tell any of the hands about the loss of the rudder, you know."
"Aye, aye, sir, I twig," said Ben, going forwards and then down the main hatchway, slipping off the cover for the purpose.
Presently he returned aft, looking very serious.
"There's four feet water in the hold, sir," said he.
"Only four feet?" replied Captain Dinks, pretending to treat the matter with great unconcern; "why, I thought she would have had ever so much more in her, with all the straining she has gone through in the last twenty-four hours, besides the lot of seas she took in before we had the hatches battened. Still we'd better get rid of it, carpenter, as there's no use our carrying more cargo than we are obliged, eh?"
"No, sir," said Ben somewhat dubiously, not taken in by the captain's manner.
"Just what I think," said Captain Dinks. "Here, McCarthy," he cried out to the first mate, who, ever intent on duty, was busily engaged in trimming matters amidships, having the lashings of the longboat and spare spars overhauled in readiness for the next sea that might flood the decks--for nothing could be done about the wreck of the foremast till the gale moderated, as to loose it now would be to lose their sheet-anchor. "McCarthy, just have the chain-pumps rigged and pump out the hold to get rid of all that water we have taken on board."