Part 5 (1/2)
Fortunately the weather remained calm, though even then it took three days to prepare the brig for the voyage. A third of her crew were received on board the _Champion_, they having volunteered to join her.
Both vessels then made sail, the _Champion_ accompanying the prize.
They had not got far, however, when the lookout at the masthead gave the welcome cry of ”There they spout! there they spout!”
”Where away?” asked the captain.
”On the weather bow,” was the answer.
The captain made the signal for the brig to proceed on her voyage, and ordered the _Champion's_ sails to be braced sharp up, to stand towards the whales which were seen to windward. There was a fresh breeze, which seemed likely to increase. After making a couple of tacks the s.h.i.+p was hove-to, and the captain ordered two boats to be lowered,--he going in one, and the second mate in the other. Away they pulled after the whales, which, however, caught sight of them, and went off in all directions. The captain made chase after one, which, taking several turns, at length came towards him. Ordering his men to lie on their oars, he stepped forward, waiting till the whale, a huge bull, came near enough, when with unerring aim he struck his harpoon deep into its side.
The whale, smarting with pain, turned round, almost upsetting the boat, and away it went dead to windward at a tremendous speed right against the sea, which flew from the bows, covering her with showers of foam.
The second mate, who had gone away after another whale, observing the course the first was taking as it came by, dashed up and fixed his harpoon into the other side of the monster. Away went both the boats, towed with undiminished speed, till in a short time neither could be seen from the _Champion's_ deck. Scarcely had they disappeared when several more whales were seen spouting at no considerable distance to windward. The opportunity of catching them was not to be lost, and Mr s...o...b..ok ordered the two remaining boats to be lowered,--he going in one and the fourth mate in the other, leaving the s.h.i.+p in charge of the surgeon.
Walter had long been anxious to see a whale actually caught; and not allowing the mate time to refuse him, he jumped into his boat.
”Do let me go,” he exclaimed. ”The whales are not far off, and we shall soon be back with a prize.” The men in their eagerness had shoved off and were giving way. Walter sprang aft to the side of the mate, who was steering. ”You won't be angry with me, Mr s...o...b..ok,” he said; ”I promise not to come again, if you object.”
”I trust that no accident will happen, my boy,” answered the mate. ”It was for your own good alone that I wished you to remain on board, otherwise I should have been glad of your company, and given you the opportunity of seeing a whale caught.”
A whole school of whales was in sight, several of them spouting together. The mates steered for them, making sure of getting hold of a couple at least. Some were spouting, others sounding, and others just coming up again to breathe. Mr s...o...b..ok steered for one which had just made its appearance above water; while the fourth mate's boat made way towards another huge monster which had already been blowing for some seconds.
The first mate's boat approached the whale he had selected. Stepping to the bows, he plunged his harpoon into the creature's side; and then taking one of the lances he thrust it deep into its body, singing out as he did so, ”Back off, all!”
At that instant Walter heard a cry from the direction of the other boat.
He looked round, when what was his horror to see that the boat had been struck by the whale and lifted into the air! The next instant down it came, dashed into fragments, while those in it were sent flying in all directions. The first mate, in his desire to go to the rescue of his s.h.i.+pmates, was on the point of heaving his own line overboard with a drogue fastened to it, when the whale he had struck, lifting up its huge flukes, sounded, nearly dragging him overboard as he let out the line.
The men were backing out of its way, when suddenly it slewed round its tail. The men, well knowing their danger, made every effort to escape, and believing that they had got to a safe distance, and that the whale had gone down, pulled back to the a.s.sistance of their drowning s.h.i.+pmates. Just then a tremendous blow was felt, and the boat, struck amids.h.i.+ps, was thrown into the air as the other had been, and smashed to fragments. The two men in the centre of the boat must have been killed instantaneously. Walter felt stunned for a moment, but, recovering his senses, found himself struggling in the water, and close to the broken stern of the boat, to which he clung fast. Only one person remained floating above the surface. Walter called to him; and Mr s...o...b..ok's voice answered, ”Hold on, my lad; I'll be with you anon.”
Walter saw that he was towing some of the fragments of the boat. The whale had disappeared, possibly having carried down some of the men in his mighty jaws. The first mate, after considerable exertion, reached Walter.
”Thank Heaven, you have escaped!” he said, helping him up on to the wreck of the boat. Fortunately the second line remained attached to it.
”We must put together a raft, Walter, and try to get back to the s.h.i.+p,”
said the mate. By means of the line he set to work, and lashed together the different pieces of the boat which he managed to pick up, till he had formed a raft sufficient to support Walter. The fragments of the other boat still remained floating at no great distance. Pus.h.i.+ng the raft before him, he shoved it on till he reached the spot, when, collecting them, with the a.s.sistance of four oars he had picked up he formed a still larger raft, on which he, as well as Walter, could sit securely. He had also got two other oars with which to urge on the raft. Thus a considerable time was occupied, and it was now evening; before long it would be quite dark, and the difficulty of finding the s.h.i.+p much increased; they had less chance, also, of being picked up by either of the two other boats on their return to the s.h.i.+p.
Walter had not uttered a word of complaint, and had done his utmost to a.s.sist the mate. He could not help feeling how wrong he had been in getting into the boat, knowing, as he did, that his father would certainly have objected; and should he not find them, how grieved he would be on getting on board the s.h.i.+p to discover that they had not returned. The accident had occurred at too great a distance for those remaining on board to see what had happened, though they might, perhaps, conjecture that the boats had been destroyed.
The sun soon set, and darkness rapidly coming on, shrouded the far-distant s.h.i.+p from sight. The mate and Walter had done their utmost to impel the raft towards her; but gathering clouds obscured the sky, and they had no longer the means of directing their course.
”It will be impossible to reach her during the night,” said the mate at length. ”We are as likely to be pulling away from her as towards her; and I have a notion that the wind has s.h.i.+fted more than once. The best thing we can do is to lie on our oars and to wait patiently till the morning. Take care, however, my boy, that you do not drop asleep and fall off. Here, make a couple of beckets, and slip your arms through them; they will awake you if you move in your sleep.”
”I have no wish to go to sleep,” said Walter; ”I feel too anxious to do that.”
”You must not trust too much to that,” said the mate. ”Nature may be too powerful for you; and you will be all the better for the rest.”
Still Walter insisted on endeavouring to keep awake. He was sitting up trying to pa.s.s the time with talking, when suddenly he exclaimed, ”Look!
look, Mr s...o...b..ok! Where can that light come from?”
The mate gazed for some time, and then said solemnly, ”Walter, I am afraid the s.h.i.+p is on fire.”
CHAPTER FOUR.