Part 11 (2/2)
The sh the hatchway, the black volulow of the flaained the ascendency, and set all the winds at defiance Indeed it was so now that whatever wind came only assisted the flames, and Brandon, as he looked on, aht that the as like the world of , has a tendency to crush hiained a foothold exerts all its efforts to help hiinative, he watched the progress of the fla had cru its own heat to the wood around, it sank down, a glowingfires
Here, from this central heart of fire, the flames rushed on upon the hich lay loosely on all sides, filling the hull Through that wood the dry hot wind had streamed for many weeks, till every stave and every board had become dry to its utmost possibility Now at the first breath of the flame the wood yielded; at the first touch it flared up, and prepared to receive the e
The flah the million interstices of the loose piles of wood, it penetrated every where with its subtle, far-reaching power, till within the shi+p the glow broadened and widened, the central heart of fire enlarged its borders, and the floods of flah the whole body of the shi+p
Gloith bright lustre, increasing in that brightness everyvividly as it leaped up A thousand tongues of fla deck, and between the wide orifices of the planks and tilearasp the fabric now completely at its mercy, and the hot breath of the fire shriveled up all in its path before yet its hands were laid upon it
And fast and furious, with eager advance, the flah the hatchway, around which the fiercest fires gathered, the streaht upward torrent, hurling up a vast pyraona] which, like that which once illuht fro Troy, here threw its radiance far over the deep
While the lighter wood lasted the flame was in the ascendant, and nobly it did its work Whatever could be done by bright radiance and far-penetrating lustre was done here If that shi+p which had passed held anya huns of calamity at sea, they would be able to read in this flame that there was disaster somewhere upon these waters, and if they had human hearts they would turn to see if there was not sohter and the dryer as at last consumed, and now there remained that which Brandon had never touched, the dense hteen years before Upon these the fire nowsun and fierce wind had not been without their effects, and the dampness had been subdued Besides, the fire that advanced upon thee; for one half of the brig was one glowingforces, and withered up, and blighted, and annihilated all around The close-bound and close-packed masses of staves and boards received the resistless eave forth none the less a blazeless glow
Now fro vessel the flame arose no more; but in its place there appeared that which sent forth as vivid a gleaht The fire had full sway, though it gave forth no blaze, and, while it gleamed but little, still it devoured From the sides of the shi+p the planks, blasted by the intense heat and by the outburst of the flath of the vessel the ti
Between these flashed forth the glealoith dazzling brightness and intense heat
But the wood inside, damp as it was, and solid in its fibre, did not allow a very swift progress to the fire It burned, but it burned slowly It glowed like the charcoal of a furnace froany wood yielded slowly and stubbornly to the conflagration They stood up like iron bars long after all the interior was one glowing h they yielded slowly, still they had to yield with the passage of hours to the progress of the fire
And so it ca sides, sapped by the steady and resistless assault, surrendered One by one the stout tiave way and sank down into the fervid mass beneath At last the whole centre was one accu ashes, and all that remained were the bow, covered with sand, and the stern, with the quarter-deck
The fire spread in both directions The stern yielded first Here the strong deck sustained for a ti beneath, but at last it sunk in; the tione With the bow there was a longer and a harder struggle The fire had penetrated far into that part of the vessel; the flaration went on, and smoke and blue flames issued from every part of that sandy ave way in every direction, broke into a lowing er, and here they lived and glea Brandon had fallen asleep He had stood first near the burning wreck Then the heat forced hie of sand, where this peninsula joined the island There he sat doatching the conflagration for a long tiht flashed, and if that shi+p for whon, and had exaure could be seen to any one that chose to exah the gloom in the direction in which the shi+p had vanished to see if there were any sign there None appeared The progress of the fire was slow It went on burning and gloonderful energy all through the night, till at last, not long before dawn, the stern fell in, and nothing noas left but the sand-ave forth sue, he sank down on the sand and fell into a sound sleep
In the inary land where his weary spirit wandered in sleep, he was suddenly roused A hand was laid on his shoulder, which shook hihly, and a hoarse voice shouted in his ear, ”Mess-mate! Halloo, azed ild, astonished eyes around It was day The sun o or three hours above the horizon He was surrounded by half a dozen sea but kindly eyes The one who spoke appeared to be their leader He held a spy-glass in his hand He was a sturdy, thick-set rizzled hair, weather-beaten face, groggy nose, and whiskers, coave hi'lar old salt,” ”sea-dog,” or whatever other name the popular taste loves to apply to the British tar
”Hard luck here, ht now Come! Cheer up! Won't you take a drink?” And he held out a brandy-flask
Brandon rose ood fortune, not yet knohether he was alive or dead He took the flask and raised it to his lips The inspiriting draught gave him new life He looked earnestly at the Captain as he handed it back, and then seized both his hands
”God Alhty bless you for this, noble friend, whoever you are! But how and when did you get here? Who are you? Did you not see nal on the rock yesterday--?”
”One question at a tily ”I'm Captain Corbet, of the shi+p _Falcon_, bound from Sydney to London, and these are soht on our weather-bow, and came up to see what it was We found shoal water, and kept off tillThere's the _Falcon_, Sir”
The Captain waved his hand proudly to where a large, handsome shi+p lay, about seven miles away to the south
”On your bow? Did you see the fire _ahead_ of you?” asked Brandon, who now began to comprehend the situation
”Yes”
”Then you didn't pass me toward the north yesterday?”
”No; never was near this place before this ”