Part 6 (2/2)
On they came, swimming with long powerful strokes, and threatened quickly to overtake us. Unwilling to injure them, we continued to row away as fast as we could--now and then turning our heads to watch them.
They had got about half-way when a piercing shriek rent the air, and one of them, throwing up his arms, disappeared beneath the surface: a shark had seized him. His companions, seeing what had happened, turned round and endeavoured to regain the raft. We watched them anxiously, for we had no desire for their destruction, and gladly would we have saved them if we could. They had got some way back, and we hoped that they would succeed in reaching the raft; but when about a dozen fathoms from it, another huge shark rose to the surface, and dragged down a second shrieking victim. The third swam on frantically, crying out to his companions for a.s.sistance. They stretched out their arms to him, and we were thankful to see that he at length gained the raft in safety.
What the fate of those miserable wretches would be, with no one to command them, to maintain discipline, or to direct them how to gain the land, we dared not think. As for ourselves, we felt in comparative safety on our small but well-constructed raft.
Boxall consulted with Ben whether we could take off any of the unfortunate people; but the latter was strongly opposed to the attempt being made.
”In the first place, it would be impossible to get off those we might select,” said Ben. ”And then,” he added, ”this craft carries us very well in smooth water; but should it come on to blow, and a heavy sea get up, it's more than she would do if we had half-a-dozen more people on board. Then, you see, we have water and provisions for ourselves; but we should be on short commons if we had more people to consume it.”
Ben's arguments prevailed; and though we felt sad at the thought of having to leave so many people to almost certain destruction, yet we could do no more.
The wind had now completely fallen, and as Ben and his companion, as well as ourselves, had been awake all the previous night, we felt too weary to continue working the oars. We were, also, both hungry and thirsty, though we had hitherto been too much excited to think about it.
Halliday was, as usual, the first to cry out.
”Of course, we will get some food for you, sir. I forgot how sharp set you must have been,” said Ben; ”but as we have no galley aboard this craft of ours, you must be content to eat your supper raw.”
”We shall be content to eat anything we can get our teeth into,” cried Halliday. ”Oh, do give me a cup of water, as we had only a few thimblefuls on board the big raft.”
Ben quickly drew a small-sized cupful from one of several casks ranged round the raft.
”I should like to serve out more, gentlemen; but Mr Boxall will agree with me that it's necessary to be careful, as our stock is but small, and we shall not get more till we reach the sh.o.r.e--and perhaps not even then.”
Ben had secured some flour, which he rolled up into small b.a.l.l.s. We ate these thankfully, with some salt fish, from which they a.s.sisted to take off the saltness. We made a better meal than we had enjoyed since we left the s.h.i.+p; but I observed that neither Ben nor his companion ate anything.
Night now came on. The ocean was as calm as a mirror, and the stare came forth from the cloudless sky and shone down upon us, their soft light tending greatly to tranquillise our spirits. One of us kept watch at a time, while the rest lay down, with the sail as an awning, on the planks with which Ben had formed a raised deck to the raft. We could dimly distinguish the large raft in the distance; while voices, borne over the tranquil ocean with peculiar distinctness, reached our ears, though I could not make out what was said. Again there came shrieks and cries, then all was quiet. Once more loud voices--as if the people were holding a violent debate, or were fiercely disputing--reached us. After all was quiet, I lay down and slept as soundly as I had ever done in my life.
CHAPTER FIVE.
A FRIGHTFUL ENCOUNTER WITH SHARKS--A CHASE, AND AN ESCAPE--LAND!
LAND!--BREAKERS AHEAD.
I was aroused by a cry from one of my companions; and, sitting up, I saw a small raft with four men on it approaching from the direction of the large one. I at once knew that it must have been formed by them during the night, for the purpose of trying to overtake us. The men were urging it on with frantic efforts, evidently resolved to board us; so we got out our oars, and began to row away to keep ahead of them. Day was just breaking. They probably had wished to surprise us during the darkness of night, but had been unable to finish their raft in time. We were, it must be understood, to the eastward of them, and a somewhat stiffish breeze had just got up, blowing from off the sh.o.r.e, which, although the water remained pretty calm, impeded our progress,--for our raft, though strongly put together, and able to contend with a heavy sea, was deep in the water, and could not be impelled by rowing at much speed. If overtaken, we must expect, we knew, a fearful struggle; for though we outnumbered those who were approaching, four desperate men, all armed, might overpower us, as we possessed no missiles, not even a boarding-pike or boat-hook with which to drive them off--nor could we prevent them from getting alongside, or commencing the fight till their feet were actually on our raft.
On they came, uttering fearful oaths. ”They have probably attacked the spirit-cask, and in their drunken fury are indifferent to consequences,”
observed Boxall. ”It will be madness to show them the slightest mercy if they get up with us.”
While we rowed away with all our might, I could not help frequently turning my head to watch their progress. They had, I should have said, stepped a mast on their raft, but had no sail; indeed, they could not have used it had they possessed one. This was another sign of the haste in which they must have embarked. Their raft was also, it was evident, carelessly put together; and as it drew nearer we saw that the men could with difficulty keep their feet on it--for the wind by this time having caused the sea to get up slightly, it rocked from side to side.
They were within half a cable's length of us, when the feet of one of the men slipped, and overboard he fell. His companions, not seeing him, continued to row on. He shrieked to them to stop; the man next to him was stooping down, holding out his hands to haul him in, when suddenly he too was drawn into the water. Piercing cries sounded in our ears.
”See, see,” exclaimed Ben; ”the sharks have got them!” In an instant they had disappeared, while their companions looked on horror-struck.
The next moment a huge shark rose to the surface. One of the men struck it with his oar, which was immediately torn from his grasp; and directly afterwards another shark darted at him. He seized his axe, and, holding on to the mast, attempted to defend himself, while the remaining man continued to row as desperately as before. We would gladly even then have saved the wretched men, but we were unable to do anything to help them. There must have been half-a-dozen sharks or more surrounding the raft, one after the other attacking the frail structure, and threatening every instant to capsize it. In vain the man on the fore-part of the raft attempted to turn it round; again and again the savage creatures a.s.sailed it; and at length one, more ferocious than its companions, threw itself upon the raft, and over it went--the two unhappy beings instantly becoming the prey of the monsters.
We turned our eyes away from the sight, not without a dread that we might ere long be attacked in the same way. We had, however, the advantage of a strong raft, considerably higher out of the water than the other; and thus we had less reason to fear that the sharks would succeed in upsetting it.
”It serves the fellows right,” observed Ben; ”though, villains as they were, I could have wished them a better fate.”
Wearied with our exertions, and as there was no immediate necessity for rowing--seeing we could not hope to reach the sh.o.r.e until a breeze got up in our favour--we put in our oars to rest.
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