"Wha-wha-what do you want?" Llewellyn stammered out, with his usual stutter when spoken to sharply.
"Rouse up, man, and turn out at once," said Mr Meldrum. "What do you mean by hiding yourself here, cowering in a corner like a frightened hound, when the ship's in danger and there's work for all hands to do."
"I thought she was going down, sir, and--and--"
"And you hadn't the pluck to face your fate like a man, eh!" continued Mr Meldrum, finishing his sentence for him. "But you must know that brave men don't allow cowards to hamper their movements! Get up at once, sir, and see about raising up all the tinned meats and cabin stores you can fetch out of the steerage. Now, look sharp!"
"Ye-e-es, sir," replied Llewellyn, crawling unwillingly out of his corner; "but, Cap'en Dinks said--"
"No matter what Captain Dinks said," interrupted Mr Meldrum, "I've got his authority for what I am doing, and order you at once to set about getting the provisions up for the boats. We'll shortly have to abandon the ship; and, if you don't obey my orders, you shall be left behind."
"I'll do it at once, sir," answered the steward with alacrity, the threat of being abandoned in the sinking vessel being quite sufficient to expedite his movements; and he at once made for the after hatch to get down into the hold, Mr Meldrum satisfying himself that he had set about the task before leaving him, and then, with a kindly word or two to Kate and Mr Lathrope, going on deck again.
On gaining the poop, Mr Meldrum found that the snow had ceased to fall, the gale having gone down a bit. There was also a clear sky overhead, and a few stars were shining out; but the heavy misty fog still hung over the water, like a curtain, preventing the view of anything beyond a limited range from the sides of the ship, while the sea was extremely rough, the waves being nasty and choppy, as if some current or tideway was working against the wind, causing the rollers to break over the battered bows every now and then in sheets of foam.
However, the outlook was better than he expected; and, besides, he could see, on looking round, that no time had been lost by Captain Dinks and the crew since he had been below.
The wreck of the main-mast and mizzen-mast, with the yards and sails attached, which had been knocking about in the water alongside the ship--bumping against the timbers and threatening a danger almost as bad as the collision--had been cut adrift, the smaller spars being first cast loose and hoisted on board in case of need for jury-masts. The carpenter and some of the hands, meanwhile, had braced up the broken bulkhead with stout beams placed across, so as to prevent it from giving way under the strain and allowing the contents of the fore compartment to flood the main hold; for, it was utterly impossible for the present to clear it of water, although the pumps, which had been kept constantly going, sufficed to keep the rest of the ship pretty free and avert the danger of sinking for a time. It was only a question of time!
The captain was just then overhauling the longboat, which, with the jolly-boat, that had been stowed inside of the former for safety and convenience, were the only two boats that had been left, the others having been washed off the beams at the time that the cook's caboose had been carried away during the cyclone; and Mr Meldrum, going down on to the main-deck, approached the skipper.
"We'll have to take to the boats soon," said the captain, turning round as he came up, "that is, when the sea moderates a bit. I don't see anything else that can be done--do you?"
"If I were you," suggested Mr Meldrum, "I would try and run her ashore first and beach her. We're not far from Kerguelen Land, and though it is now winter time on the island and desolate enough, it would be better our stopping there than wandering about the ocean in the boats, trying to get into the track of the Australian liners, or else making for the Cape, the only place we could steer for."
"It's a bad look-out any way," said the captain despondently.
"Yes, I grant that," replied the other; "but, if we land there and manage to hold out till September or October, only three months at the outside, a lot of whaling craft generally put into Kerguelen for the seal-fishery about that time, and I daresay we could get one of these to take us to the Cape."
"Perhaps that would be the best," said Captain Dinks, reflecting a moment--"but what would you advise now--how are we to get ashore, eh!"
"Why, rig up a jury-mast or two at once and make for the land!" answered Mr Meldrum promptly. "The island must be close to us now to leeward; and with this wind we ought to be able to reach the shore by daybreak, when we would be able to look about us better. It is certainly not the slightest good our remaining here doing nothing till then, for the carpenter tells me, it is only just as much as the men can do to keep down the water by constant pumping, so by the morning they'll be pretty nigh exhausted and we be no better off. Besides, as you can observe for yourself, it would be madness while that sea is on to try to launch the boats, unless we are absolutely compelled to do so in order to save our lives; whereas, if we run the old craft ashore, we will have the boats for a last chance."
"I suppose you're right," said Captain Dinks, "though I can't say that I like to leave the poor old thing's bones to bleach on this outlandish coast. What say you, Mr McCarthy, eh?"
"I agree, sure, with Mr Meldrum, son. He spakes like a sailor; and as he's a naval officer he ought to know best," answered the chief mate.
Mr Adams and Frank Harness, who were both also admitted to the "council of war," having given a similar opinion, Mr Meldrum's advice was immediately acted upon.
Without delay, a small jury-mast was rigged up aft, attached to the stump of the mizzen-mast, and one on the main-deck, close to where the main-mast bitts yet remained, as it was thought better not to step the jury-masts too far forward, for fear of the vessel plunging her bows under. After this, the mizzen-topsail and topgallant-sail, which had been cut off from the yards and saved from the wreck, were hoisted on roughly improvised yards; when, the _Nancy Bell_ being brought round with the wind abeam, was cast loose from the wreckage and headed due east towards the land--in the very direction whence had been heard the sound of breakers, and which all on board had been so anxious to give a wide berth to but so few short hours before. What had been her dire peril was now looked on as a haven of safety!
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
ALMOST A MUTINY.
Towards midnight, the slight surface fog, which had up to that time hung over the sea, lifted, when it could be seen that the ice had almost all disappeared--drifting towards the south, where some towering bergs, amongst which probably was the one that had done all the mischief to the ill-fated vessel, were conspicuous in the distance.
The wind, also, had diminished considerably in force, blowing now from a point to the westward of north, although the waves were still rolling heavily, as they always do for some time after a storm in the southern ocean, setting in towards the land that was just faintly visible right ahead of the _Nancy Bell_, and whither she was now proceeding steadily, but, of course, making but very slow progress through being waterlogged forwards and possessing such small sail-power.
There was no moon, to complete the description; but the heavens above were twinkling with bright stars that gave sufficient light to illumine the horizon for miles round, for they touched up the crests of the waves with coruscations of silver, and made the broken spray gleam like jets of flame above the dark expanse of water. Everything, in a word, looked favourable for their enjoying a quiet interval on board after all the anxiety and hard work of the preceding day and night.
Seeing that no pressing danger was imminent, and that nothing more could be done for the present, Mr Meldrum tried to induce Captain Dinks, who had been on deck for over forty-eight hours, to go below and have some rest, as he had a good deal yet before him to go through, and looked fagged and worn-out.
But the captain would not hear of the suggestion for a moment.
"No," said he; "I mistrust that mutinous chap, Bill Moody, and the lot who sided with him in making a rush for the boats when we struck. I know they would be up to some mischief or other as soon as my back is turned."
"But there is McCarthy your chief mate," replied Mr Meldrum, "surely he can take command of the vessel, as he has so often done before, while you have a spell off?"
"Ah, McCarthy, though as good an officer as ever stepped a plank, isn't myself, Mr Meldrum; and as for Adams, he wants backbone, while Frank Harness is too young a lad for the men to obey him if any difficulty arose. Besides, there are a lot of things to see to that want my supervision, which must be given while I have this breathing time--the boats have to be prepared and provisioned, for instance."
"Talking of that," interrupted the other, "I have roused up that lazy steward of yours and set him to work collecting all the tinned meats and cabin stores he can find, and getting them up out of the steerage."
"That's right," said the captain. "It was very thoughtful, and just what I had intended doing myself, only I forgo it! I have got our old friend Snowball, the cook, busy here in the same way, boiling as much salt beef and pork as he can cram into his coppers, so that it may be ready-cooked when wanted and save time. The darkey has got the galley fire in full blast now."
"A good precaution," said Mr Meldrum; "but I do wish I could get you to go below. If you like I'll remain on deck in your stead?"
But, no! Captain Dinks would not hear of leaving the deck until the fate of the poor _Nancy Bell_ was settled for good or ill; and there he remained amidships--the mates sticking by him and lending a willing hand so as to inspire the crew with an equal energy--superintending the constant pumping operations which were necessary to keep the water from gaining, one watch at a time being engaged solely on the task. Others were preparing the longboat and jolly-boat for service, which was a tedious job, for the gunwales and bottom planking of both had been damaged greatly by the knocking about they had sustained since leaving England, even if they had been properly seaworthy then--a very problematical point, for many of the boats of merchant ships which carry passengers on distant voyages are never taken off the chocks or tested from year's end to year's end, in spite of all marine codes and Passenger Acts or Board of Trade ordinances to the contrary, and Mr Plimsoll's effort notwithstanding!
When Mr Meldrum got below again he found that matters had quieted down in the cuddy. Mrs Negus, persuaded at last that the ship was not immediately going to engulf herself and her darling boy, had been induced to take some refreshment--Snowball sending in a splendid hot supper by the direction of the captain, as the regular routine of the meals in the cuddy had been somewhat revolutionised through the calamities of the vessel. If she had any scruples, Mr Lathrope set the good lady a praiseworthy example in looking after the necessities of the inner man.
"S'pose we air gwine down to Davy Jones's Locker," said the American, with a comical twinkle in his cunning grey eyes; "thar's no reason why we shouldn't go with a full stummick as well as one like an empty meal sack, hey? Look at me, marm. I treats it philosopherically, I dew, fur I find thars nothin' like feedin' to keep up a coon's grit."
Mrs Major Negus murmured something about "somebody" being "shockingly vulgar," but, whether inspired by Mr Lathrope's "philosopherical"
remark or not, she could not resist a second helping of some capital "lobscouse" which the darkey cook had dished up most appetisingly; after which the good lady retired to her cabin for the night in much more cheerful spirits.
Florry's cut head was easier, too, and by Mr Meldrum's directions she and Kate turned in comparatively early. They really both wanted a good night's rest, and their father was not long in following out his own precept, advising Mr Lathrope to do likewise, to which he was nothing loth; so that, soon after eight bells had struck, all the occupants of the saloon were buried in repose and the ship quiet--with the exception of an occasional tinkering sound from the main-deck, coupled with the "clink-clank" of the chain-pumps and the wash of the waves past the sides, all of which were almost inaudible aft.
About four bells in the morning watch, Mr Meldrum awoke; and, without disturbing any of the others, he rose and went on deck.
He seemed to have a presentiment of something happening.
It was quite dark now, the stars having gone in and the sky become clouded over; while the wind had changed and was blowing in short sharp gusts from the southward, which, with the chopping sea, made the ship labour a good deal, taking in lots of water forward. She seemed to bury her head in every wave, her bows being so depressed from the fore compartment being full; and this compelled the crew in consequence to work double spells at the pumps, which caused much grumbling, for the men were almost dead beat, although Captain Dinks still kept them hard at it.
The disaffection had almost reached a head before Mr Meldrum came up, on account of the captain keeping the port watch, in which was Moody and two of his special chums--at the unpleasant task, without allowing them a turn off below, as he had done the other watch, the members of which, however, had had their spell of duty before "all hands" had been called, and thus were fully entitled to the relief. But, the grumblers, in considering their own grievance, did not recollect this, and the appearance of the passenger, whom some of them were already inclined to dislike from something Ben Boltrope had dropped of his being a naval man, and the fact of his now ranging himself alongside of the captain, as if to support his authority, brought matters to a crisis.
"Spell ho!" shouted Bill Moody defiantly, dropping his arms and striking work. "I'm hanged if I pump another stroke! The blessed old hulk can go to the bottom as soon as she likes."
"Nor I," exclaimed another, likewise leaving off. "Nor I!" chorused half a dozen more; and, in a second, the pumps were at a standstill.
Adams, the second mate, who was in charge of the men on the main deck-- Mr McCarthy and Frank Harness having been sent below by Captain Dinks along with the starboard watch--stood meanwhile, staring aghast at the delinquents and not knowing what to do, "like a stock fish," as Mr Meldrum thought, looking on the scene.
It was a critical moment.
Captain Dinks, of course, hearing the steady "clink, clank" of the pumps stop, knew that something had occurred, and guessed the cause; but he waited to hear what the second mate would say before he interfered, nudging Mr Meldrum to call his attention, although the latter was already listening with keen interest.
"Do, my men," they could hear Adams entreat the rebellious gang, "do put your hearts into it and start work again! It won't be for long, you know."