Part 18 (1/2)
It must come, I knew, from the partly open hatchway, or from a fracture in the hatch itself This I afterwards found to have been the case, the fracture being covered up with a tarpaulin, which had at that instant been reain I endeavoured to shout out, but my voice was not under the control of my will No sounds issued fro attitude, fancying that I should be seen I atte, but ere I could reach it I sank down utterly exhausted
I had never before been so completely prostrated I didn't lose my senses, but all physical power had deserted ht that the hatch , and that I could not fail to be discovered I earnestly prayed that help ht be sentas before h I was not sleeping, strange fancies filled my brain I saw people flit about in the darkness, suddenly co Soers
Aunt Deb and Mr butterfield ca each other's hands, he in a bob ith a sword by his side, she in high-heeled red shoes and a cap decked with flowers and ribbons She shed as I saw thefleet came upon the scene as I fancied hi sword buckled to his side, high boots, a red coat, and a waistcoat braided with gold
I fancy that I must have seen some picture of the sort of a pirate captain to cause hiination He walked about flourishi+ng his sword till heher head off, as I thought he was about to do, he ures quite as bizarre and unnatural appeared before me I mention these trivial circu by ain all was quiet I lay for soht I was afraid that another night would cos for soer, if death did not put an end to them I could still hear the tread of thetheir orders Hoished that I could shout also, for then I knew I should be heard I tried once ot directly under the hatchway Although I could not shout, to ht sufficient to enable me to observe objects, rasped it with allaway on the top of a cask, which proved to be empty from the sound which emanated from it I beat on and on, but no notice appeared to be taken of the noise I wasI was too ill and weak to reason on the subject, but I re out some orders Presently there came a tramp of feet overhead, backwards and forwards and froaged in shortening orsail, which it was I was unable to tell I had sense enough re forward on deck it was not likely that notice would be taken of h it sounded loud to reater movement than I had experienced for some time, and the shi+p heeled over on one side My fear was that the cases on which I lay ht be thron to some lower depth of the hold, with bales and casks above ht happen, not as likely to occur I now guessed that a nuone aloft to shorten sail, and that even if they had heard the noise they would not have had time to ascertain what had caused it I now more than ever feared that, before I could be liberated, I should become utterly exhausted, and should fall into a swoon froht never recover
I was too weak to pray, or any longer exert ether desertup towards the hatchway The shi+p heeled overdown near the keel, it appeared at a frightful angle, and I though, she would go over altogether Again I heard voices shouting out orders, and the crew, I supposed, went aloft to take inon
Fearful would be the consequences to me if such should be the case
Presently I heard soht which had hitherto tended to keep upspirits was obscured
A tarpaulin had been placed over the hatchway Perhaps the creere about to batten down the hatches In vain I tried, while this was going forward, to strike the cask I had not sufficient strength to do it A fearful faintness was co over me Perhaps the movement of the shi+p contributed to this I think I must have fainted, for I cannot recollect what happened I had no strength to hold on or to grasp the stick, and ht have been thrown helplessly about like a shuttlecock till life was extinct
I fancy that some time must have passed When I recovered my senses, my first impulse was to feel for the stick It was close to rasp it The top of the chest on which I lay was perfectly level, but I expected to find it heeling over as before Instead of that, noforward on an even keel The storm had ceased, or probably the shi+p had only been struck by a sudden squall, which had passed over
My first iain to try and strike the cask and to shout out, but I could only utter a fe groans I ive soh the hold The noise was loud enough, I fancy, to be heard on deck, or indeed in every part of the shi+p I beat on and on Presently the tarpaulin was drawn off, and I heard so directly above me A voice said distinctly, ”Below! What's that?”
Almost immediately the hatch was reht burst down upon
Gradually I h the hatchway
”Why, what can that be?” exclaihost,” cried another
”It can't be a live thing,” said a third
”Why, Jack, I do believe it's a boy,” exclaiet him up whatever he is, but how could he have come there?”
Presently a ladder was let down None of theso the others cowards, ca me, the effect of the fresh air was to makeon the deck, surrounded by a nue faces A seaa wet cloth todoas exaster, how did you come aboard here? Where have you been ever since we sailed from the Mersey?” he asked
Too weak to answer, I could only stretch out my hand and then point to my lips, to show that I wanted food and water
”If you've been down in the hold all these weeks, no wonder that you want so to eat,” he remarked
Still he didn't move, or propose to obtain any refreshment for nised Gregory Growles, the old seaman to whom I had at first spoken with my cutter under my arm
No wonder that he didn't recollect riainst whoet ness, theto the water-butt on deck brought reedily drank
”By the feel of his ribs he wants so et the poor young chap into a berth, and feed hi his cable There doesn't seem to be much life in him now”
”That will be seen”