Part 13 (1/2)

”No, not in August,” Bill a.s.sented; ”but you see these here fogs may last just as long down here in August as they do in London in November.”

”I don't think so, Bill. Anyhow it doesn't matter to us; we have got the land for a guide, and I hope we shall be back in Gravesend before it's quite dark.”

”But if we don't, George?”

”Well, if we don't we must run her ash.o.r.e before it gets too dark, and wait till it is morning. We shall be all right if we keep quite cool and use our senses. If we had something to eat I shouldn't mind a bit, except that mother will be getting anxious about us. It's a regular adventure, and we shall have something to talk about for a long time.

Look out, Bill, we must push her further off--she's getting aground!”

For an hour they sat and chatted.

”Hullo! what's that?” Bill exclaimed at last. ”That's the rattle of a chain. I expect it's a barge anchoring somewhere near. Listen; I can hear voices. I vote we hollo.”

George lifted up his voice in a l.u.s.ty shout. The shout was repeated not very far off, and was followed by the shout of ”Who are you?”

”We have drifted down from Gravesend and lost our way,” George shouted back. ”We will come on board if you will let us.”

”All right!” the voice replied; ”I will go on shouting and you row to my voice.”

It was but a hundred yards, and then a voice close at hand said sharply:

”Row bow hard or you will be across the chain.”

Bill rowed hard, and George, looking round, saw that they were close to the bows of a barge. Half a dozen more strokes and they were alongside. Bill seized a hand-rope and sprang onto the barge, and the boat was soon towing astern.

”Well, young men, however did you manage to get here?” one of the bargemen asked. ”It's lucky for you you weren't taken out to sea with the tide.”

George related the history of their voyage and how they had managed to reach the sh.o.r.e.

”Well, you are good-plucked uns anyhow,” the man said; ”aint they, Jack? Most chaps your age would just have sat in the boat and howled, and a good many longsh.o.r.emen too. You have done the best thing you could under the circ.u.mstances.”

”Where are we?” George asked.

”You are on board the _Sarah and Jane_ topsail barge, that's where you are, about three parts down Sea Reach. We know our way pretty well even in a fog, but we agreed it was no use trying to find the Swashway with it as thick as this, so we brought up.”

”Where is the Swashway?” George asked.

”The Swashway is a channel where the barges go when they are making for Sheerness. It's well buoyed out and easy enough to follow with the help of Sheerness lights on a dark night; but these fogs are worse than anything. It aint no use groping about for the buoy when you can't see ten yards ahead, and you might find yourself high and dry on the mud and have to wait till next tide. Mayhap this fog will clear off before evening, and we shall be able to work in; and now I expect you two young uns would like some grub. Come below.”

The two boys joyfully followed into the little cabin, and were soon satisfying their hunger on bread and cold meat. The bargee drew a jug of water from the breaker and placed it before them.

”The fire has gone out,” he said, ”or I would give yer a cup of tea--that's our tipple; we don't keep spirits on board the _Sarah and Jane_. I like a drop on sh.o.r.e, but it aint stuff to have on a barge, where you wants your senses handy at all times. And now what are you thinking of doing?” he asked when the boys had finished.

”What we had made up our minds to do was to lie where we were at the edge of the mud till tide turned, and then to keep as close to the sh.o.r.e as we could until we got back to Gravesend. The steamer we came by does not go back till late, and we thought we should be back by that time.”

”No, you wouldn't,” the man said. ”Out in the middle of the stream you would be back in two hours easy, but not close insh.o.r.e. The tide don't help you much there, and half your time you are in eddies and back-currents. No, you wouldn't be back in Gravesend by eight noway.”

”Then what would you advise us to do?”

”Well, just at present I won't give no advice at all. We will see how things are going after a bit. Now let's take a look round.”