Part 7 (1/2)
The yacht which, a few hours previous, had appeared so stanch, was no longer afloat, and their only hope of reaching land was in the tiny boats which could hardly be expected to live in an ordinary sailing breeze.
The tears were very near Teddy's and Neal's eyelids, and Jake's voice was quite the reverse of steady as he gave the word for the men to resume work at the oars.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Instead of releasing his hold on Neal the reptile held firm, etc. See Page 193.]
Night was close at hand. The sun had already set, and the short-lived twilight cast a sinister grayish hue over the waters. Mr. Walters' boat had the lantern raised at the bow on the end of an oar where it swung gently to and fro, and in a few moments all the others could be distinguished by the same signal.
During such time as they had been waiting to witness the end of the Sea Dream the little crafts had drifted farther apart, until the one in charge of Neal's father was nearly half a mile away, and the sailing master could be heard shouting for them to be brought nearer together.
”We shall probably have a breeze to-night,” he cried when Jake's boat approached within easy hailing distance, ”and if it should come you must rig up something to serve as a sail, for your only chance of keeping afloat will be to run before it. You have a compa.s.s, and remember that land is to be found to the westward.”
”Ay, ay,” the engineer replied, as he looked around in vain for some sign of the wind, and then he added in a low tone to the boys:
”I allow Mr. Walters is off in his reckonin' this time, for there isn't a breath of air stirring now.”
”We may get it later,” Neal said apprehensively, and Jake muttered to himself; but yet so loud that Teddy could hear him:
”It'll be tough on us if it comes out of the wrong quarter.”
In ten minutes from the time the word had been given to bring the boats into closer order the mantle of night had fully fallen, and the location of the other crafts could only be told by the tiny, swaying lights, or the hum of voices.
Jake's boat was loaded less deeply than the remainder of the little fleet. In addition to himself and the two boys, there were but three sailors on board, and the stock of provisions was correspondingly small.
As a natural consequence she rode higher out of the water, and although built on the same model as the others, the engineer insisted she was by far the fastest sailing craft.
An hour had not elapsed before it was possible to test her quality in this respect.
The breeze which Mr. Walters predicted came up from the east, and as its first influence was felt Jake shouted in a tone of relief:
”We're in luck this time, lads. Here's what will shove us along in the right direction, an' we can count on striking land without too much work. Lash a couple of coats to the oars, an' set them up close by the forward thwart; you'll find a chance there to make 'em fast.”
This apology for a sail was soon gotten in place, and, small as was the surface presented to the wind, the little boat surged ahead, rippling the water musically under her bow.
Jake held the rudder lines, the boys sitting either side of him on the bottom of the boat where they could stretch out at full length in case they felt inclined to sleep, and after they had listened to the swish of the sea under the stern for some time Neal asked as he raised his head to look over the side:
”Where are the others?”
”Considerable distance astern. I knew this one could show them her heels.”
”But the orders were that we must not separate,” Neal exclaimed in alarm.
”That is true; but how can we help ourselves just now? We can't shorten sail, because there would be nothing left, and we're bound to run ahead of the waves, small as they are, or be swamped.”
”But suppose we never see them again?”
”Don't worry about that; we're all headin' in the same direction, an'
have only got to wait till they overtake us after land is sighted.”