Part 15 (1/2)
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DANGERS MULTIPLY
For a moment I could not believe my senses I fell like a person in a dreadful dreaain dismasted, and I left alone on board her with the body of our dead captain! I was recalled toover the stern I sawamidst the waves some distance off
My first impulse was to leap into the sea and swiht happily caain the vessel; so, instead, crying out, ”Keep up, Jim--keep up, I'll help you!” I did as far more likely to prove effectual--I unrove the peak-halliards, cutting therating over the cabin sky-light This I threw overboard, and as I feared that the halliards would not prove long enough, I bent on another rope to the astern very fast; and yet Ji it very slowly, by which I knew that the brig ed on by the ih the water Securing the line, I therefore put down the helm, and completely stopped her way All was done faster than I have described it
Springing back to the taffrail, with straining eyes I watched Jiive an occasional shout to cheer hiht be sharks about, or that his strengthI did h--I prayed to God with all ht be saved Often he seeh the water--now he threw himself on his back to rest--then he onceas he did so to ave a bound of joy as I saw hiradually drew hi it afford hian to haul in the raft till I brought it under the quarter
”Wait a et a tackle ready to haul you on board,” I cried out
This did not takea bowline I lowered it to hi to pass it over his shoulders he o down to assist hih it and exclai him, it may be supposed, and I alth safe on deck I knew that the first thing now to be done was to get off his wet clothes, and to give him a restorative, but I had a hard job to carry him below, as he could not help himself
”Never hts again” But I was not going to leave hiradually down the co off his clothes, in a short tihted the fire and war up Jireatly to restore hione overboard, it is no wonder that as soon as the basin was emptied he fell fast asleep I had not stopped to ask him how the accident had occurred, but I suspected, as I afterwards found was the case, that as the s and whisked him overboard He was, however, never very clear how it happened
Having perforreatly needed, I went on deck It was still blowing fresh, but there was not reat relief I found that none of the spars or sails had been lost, all of the fallen inboard, so I set to work to secure theh to help ain
I did not for a le I next went down into the fore-peak to see if our arrange hadin andThis pretty well exhausted all et soht be in the track of soht be run down and sent to the bottom while ere asleep I therefore trireat labour having lashed a spar to the stump of the foremast, hoisted the lantern to the top of it This done I could do nointo my cabin was soon fast asleep inthat He who had hitherto preserved us atching over us still I akened by the clanking sound of the puht; Ji on deck there I saw hi up the water at a great rate
”I'hts, Peter,” he said, in a cheerful tone, ”and as I guessed that you had been up long after I went to sleep, I thought as hoould take a spell at the puhtfulness, I seized the other brake and pumped tillup the ain,” he said, when he saw me knock off
”You want some breakfast first, and so do I,” I answered ”We'll then set to ith a will”
We took some food, which rested and refreshed us, and then coain fallen What there was of it was fair, and the sea was alh we could scarcely have attempted the work We had first to unreeve all the ropes, and unbend all the sails We then selected two ot the standing rigging over their heads, and by ot them set up to the stu them much more effectually we hoped than the forths lashed round theress that by night ere al all the time rested only for a few ain
Nature, however, at last gave way, and if we stopped for a moment ent fast asleep with a rope orto keep awake, Jiain hoisted the lantern ent below to get the rest we soI heard as before the pu It was still dark, but Jiht I joined hih to enable us to bend sails The wind being fair we soon had the to trim the was done in a rough-and-ready fashi+on, but it was the best we could do
Once lided on towards the west at the rate, as we supposed, of three or four knots an hour Ji done all that was required, took et so to be off the deck a ht the fire I brought up a supply of provisions and water to last us for soreed that we must content ourselves with cold water, and ha how many poor fellows had been much worse off than ere
We ate a heartyJim while he steered He did not appear to have suffered fro very sleepy I therefore advised hiht on deck to get so to call him should the breeze freshen and it becoreed and I steered on, now looking at the compass, now at the canvas, and now all around on the chance of a vessel appearing froht learn our position I own that I should have been very unwilling for any one to have coht how proud we should feel if we could carry her in ourselves without help Still, for the sake of the owners we could not, we had agreed, refuse assistance should it be offered us At last reatest difficulty that I could keep the down on the deck I was, therefore, very thankful when I saw Jiin to move I uttered his name He was on his feet in an instant
”I'll take a spell at the pu round, especially ahead; ”then I'll co to him aroused me a little, and I was able to hold on till he relieved me I was almost asleep before I sank down on the blanket, only just hearing hiht soon to be ood We agreed that ould both take as ht be ht I had observed that there was so on Jim's mind, and while ere at supper, soon after sunset, I asked him what it was