Part 4 (1/2)
”A pretty sort of commander he must be, to allow civilians, even though they may be scientific men, to interfere with the navigation of the s.h.i.+p,” he observed. ”For my part, I should tell them to keep as sharp a look-out as they liked upon the spars and s.h.i.+p, but to let me steer the course I considered the best.”
After supper we thankfully turned in--the captain politely giving his berth to Boxall, while two of the lieutenants begged that Halliday and I would occupy theirs. When we left the deck I observed that the wind had completely fallen, and I could not help wis.h.i.+ng that we had been further off from the reef. The frigate, I should have said, had come through the Straits of Gibraltar, from Malaga or some other port on the south of Spain, and was bound out to Manilla in the Philippine Islands, carrying a number of official persons, with some settlers of lower grade. But having told the captain of the danger near him, we hoped that he would do his best to avoid it, and so ceased to let the matter trouble us.
As may be supposed, we slept soundly, worn out as we were with our exertions; and it was daylight next morning when we awoke. I apologised to those whom we had kept out of their berths; but they were very civil, and replied that they had slept on sofas, and that we evidently required all the rest we could obtain.
On going on deck we found that the calm still continued, and the s.h.i.+p lay on the gla.s.s-like surface, her sails idly hanging down against the masts. I observed that a hand was in the chains, heaving the lead; and on going into the mizzen-top, I made out the reef and the sand-bank behind it,--although, had I not known it was there, I might not have been certain what it was. Going forward, I found Ben, and asked him how he had fared.
”Pretty well, thank you, sir; owing to the black Antonio, who looked after me,” he answered. ”He is a rum sort of a chap, though; and I shouldn't wish to have many such aboard a s.h.i.+p with me. He is civil enough, to be sure, as far as I am concerned; but he is bitter as olives against all above him: and it's my opinion he would work you, and Mr Boxall, and Mr Halliday a mischief, if he had the power, though you never did him any harm. I see clearly enough what he is about: he wants to gain me over to side with him--and that's the reason he's so terribly civil. Depend on it, Mr Blore, there'll be a mutiny aboard before long; and when it comes there'll be murder and fighting, and we shall fare ill among the villains. I cannot say much for the discipline of this s.h.i.+p, either; she is more like a privateer than a man-of-war. It's a wonder she has got as far as she has without meeting with some misfortune; and I only hope that we shall touch at a port before long, where we can get clear of her.”
”What you say is not pleasant; and, from certain things I have observed, I am afraid it is true,” I answered. ”If we don't touch anywhere, we may fall in with an English vessel; and I am sure Mr Boxall will agree with me, that we had better go on board her, even though she may be a merchant-man. But if we meet with a man-of-war, we shall be all right.”
”I hope we shall, sir,” said Ben. ”Antonio tells me, too, that the s.h.i.+p was on fire two nights ago, through the carelessness of some of the men, when more than half of the crew went down on their knees and cried for help to their saints, instead of trying to put out the flames; and if he and a few others had not set to work with buckets and wet blankets, the s.h.i.+p, to a certainty, would have been burned.”
”Well, Ben, keep your weather-eye open; and if anything of the kind occurs again, we must show them what British discipline and courage can do,” I said.
Going aft, I told Boxall what I had heard; and he agreed with me that it would be well to leave the s.h.i.+p as soon as we could, though we ought to be thankful that we had reached her, instead of having to make our way to land on our frail raft.
We had certainly no reason to complain of want of civility from the officers of the s.h.i.+p; but the civilians, some of whom rejoiced in high-sounding t.i.tles, treated us with marked contempt, as beings altogether inferior to themselves. We agreed, however, to take no notice of this, and made ourselves as happy as we could. Halliday, after two or three substantial meals, recovered his spirits; and I jokingly told him that it would be wise to keep his pockets, in future, well stored with provisions, in case a similar accident might occur-- though I little thought at the time that he would take my advice in earnest, and follow it.
A breeze at last sprung up, and the huge galleon began once more to glide through the water. The officers had again politely offered us their berths, but we positively refused to accept them,--saying that, as our clothes were dry, we could sleep perfectly well on sofas, or on the deck of the cabin, for that matter. The captain then begged that we would occupy the main cabin, which was only used in the daytime.
After supper, we all three walked the deck till the great men had retired to their berths. It was a lovely night; the sea was smooth, and the moon shone brightly; a light air filled the sails, while the tall s.h.i.+p glided calmly onward. It was indeed such a night as one might have thought it impossible any accident could happen to a s.h.i.+p in. While we were walking the deck, Boxall stepped up to the binnacle and glanced at the compa.s.s. On returning to us, he observed--
”It seems extraordinary that, notwithstanding the warning we gave the captain, the s.h.i.+p is being kept more to the eastward of south than otherwise. I should say that south or south-south-west would be a safer course.”
”I have a great mind to tell the captain,” I said. ”I suspect that he does not believe we are so close in with the coast as is really the case. He seems a sensible man, and will, at all events, be obliged to me.”
I entered the cabin, but found that the captain had gone to bed. I then went up to the raised p.o.o.p, on which the officer of the watch was standing, and, in as polite a way as I could, reminded him of the dangerous reef on our larboard beam. ”Or rather, I may say, on our larboard bow,” I added; ”and if we stand on much longer on the course we are now keeping, we shall strike on it to a certainty.”
”If there is a reef where you say, we must have pa.s.sed it long ago,”
answered the lieutenant carelessly. ”My directions are to steer the course we are now on; and I am surprised that a stranger should venture to interfere with the navigation of the s.h.i.+p.”
”I beg your pardon, Don Lopez,” I answered. ”I have given you what my brother officers and I consider sound advice; and we, sir, should be as sorry as you would be to see the s.h.i.+p cast away.”
”Really, Mr Englishman, we Spaniards understand navigation as well as you do!” exclaimed the lieutenant in an angry tone. ”You seem to forget that we discovered the New World, and had explored a large portion of the globe before your countrymen even pretended to be a maritime people, as you now call yourselves.”
I saw that it was useless saying more, and so rejoined my companions.
Boxall was becoming more and more anxious. ”We shall, to a certainty, be on the reef before many hours are over, if the s.h.i.+p's course is not altered,” he said. ”I suspect that the lieutenant has mistaken east for west, and that the captain really directed him to steer south-south-west.”
I again went up to the lieutenant, and, as politely as I could, inquired if he did not think it possible that some mistake might have been made as to the course to be steered, and suggesting that he should alter it to south-west. This made him very indignant, and he hinted that if I again interfered with him he should order me under arrest. Making him a polite bow, I returned to Boxall, and we continued our walk. The air, after the heat of the day, was comparatively cool and pleasant, and neither of us felt any inclination to turn in. No one interfered with us; and we were talking eagerly about the probability of falling in with an English man-of-war, or of making our way home on board a merchant-man, when we suddenly felt a shock, but not of sufficient force to throw us off our feet.
”The s.h.i.+p has struck!” exclaimed Boxall. ”What are the fellows about?
They ought to clew up everything, and she might be got off.”
In spite of the manner in which the officer of the watch had treated me, I ran aft to him, and urged him to do as Boxall advised, ”The reef, do you say!” he exclaimed; ”that was no reef, but a sunken vessel. See! we are gliding on as smoothly as before.”
Scarcely had he said this when the s.h.i.+p again struck, and with far greater violence than before. The tall masts quivered, and seemed ready to fall. The captain, and most of the officers and crew who were below, came rus.h.i.+ng on deck; the lead was hove, and shallow water found on either side. The captain immediately ordered the sails to be clewed up, and the boats to be lowered, that anchors might be carried astern, to haul off the s.h.i.+p.
”If it's high-water her fate is sealed,” observed Boxall; ”but if low, she might possibly be hauled off: and she has not, I hope, received much damage.”
I ran to the chains, and observed that the lead-line was up and down-- the s.h.i.+p was evidently not moving. By this time the civilians and other pa.s.sengers had come on deck, and great confusion prevailed. Everyone wanted to know what had happened, and what was to be done. Several came to me. ”We must first try to heave the s.h.i.+p off,” was my answer to all.