Part 17 (1/2)

”Lawry, the work is nearly done,” said Ethan.

”That's so; I think a couple of those barrels will finish it,”

answered the young pilot. ”I see two anchors at her bow.”

”Yes, there are two anchors and about forty fathoms of small chain-cable on board of her.”

”I see them; and I think we had better fish them up.”

”That's a good idea.”

With the long boat-hook which Ethan had made, the cables were hauled up and coiled away on the raft, which had been placed over the bow of the sunken vessel. When the chains, which were bent onto the anchors, were hauled taut, the sinker rope, still in the block, and wound on the windla.s.s of the derrick, was made fast to one of them, and the anchor drawn up. The operation was then repeated on the other anchor.

”Hurrah! hurrah!” shouted Lawry, as they began to turn the windla.s.s.

”She's coming up.”

”Hurrah!” repeated Ethan, and the faces of both boys glowed with excited joy, as the sunken vessel followed the anchor up to the surface of the water.

It was necessary to move the raft, and the anchor was hauled out over the top of the bulwarks. The _Woodville_ rose till her plank-sheer was even with the surface of the water. The boys shouted for joy; they were almost beside themselves with the excitement of that happy moment. They had conquered; success had crowned their labors.

”The job is done!” cried Lawry.

”That's so! Where is your brother now?” exclaimed Ethan.

”We have got her up sooner than I expected. I move you we have our dinner now.”

”I don't feel much like dinner.”

”I do.”

”What is to be done next?”

”We must get her up a little farther out of the water. We can easily get some more casks under her now; but let us have some dinner first.”

They sat down on a timber on the raft, and ate the dinner they had brought with them. They could not keep their eyes off the steamer during the meal, and they continued to discuss the means of completing the work they had begun.

After dinner the labor was renewed with redoubled energy. Four more casks were attached to the bow, and four removed from the stern; the effect of which was to lift the bow out of the water, while the deck at the after part was again submerged. This was Lawry's plan for ascertaining the extent of the injury which the hull had received. It now appeared that, when the _Woodville_ struck the Goblins, she had slid upon a flat rock, while a sharp projection from the reef had stove a hole, not quite three feet in diameter, just above her keel.

”Now we must stop this hole,” said Lawry; ”and we may as well do it here as anywhere.”

”That's just my idea,” responded Ethan. ”There's a painted floor-cloth in the kitchen, which will just cover it. I will get it.”

”Have you any small nails on board?”

”Plenty of them.”

The kitchen and the engineer's storeroom were now out of water, so that Ethan had no difficulty in procuring the articles needed in stopping up the hole. A couple of slats were placed over the aperture to prevent the floor-cloth from being forced in by the pressure of the water. Both of the boys then went to work nailing on the carpet, which was new and very heavy. The nails were put very close together, and most of them being carpet-tacks, with broad heads, they pressed the oilcloth closely down to the wood-work. It was not expected entirely to exclude the water; but the leakage could be easily controlled by the pumps.