CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.
A CLIMAX.
Three of those who had tumbled thus unceremoniously on the deck of the_Sunshine_ were soon sufficiently recovered to sit up and look around indazed astonishment--namely Nigel, Moses, and the monkey--but the hermitstill lay prone where he had been cast, with a pretty severe wound onhis head, from which blood was flowing freely.
"Nigel, my boy!"
"Father!" exclaimed the youth. "Where am I? What has happened?"
"Don't excite yourself, lad," said the mariner, stooping and whisperinginto his son's ear. "We've got _her_ aboard!"
No treatment could have been more effectual in bringing Nigel to hissenses than this whisper.
"Is--is--Van der Kemp safe?" he asked anxiously.
"All right--only stunned, I think. That's him they're just goin' tocarry below. Put 'im in my bunk, Mr Moor."
"Ay ay, sir."
Nigel sprang up. "Stay, father," he said in a low voice. "_She_ mustnot see him for the first time like this."
"All right, boy. I understand. You leave that to me. My bunk has binshifted for'id--more amidships--an' Kathy's well aft. They shan't belet run foul of each other. You go an' rest on the main hatch till weget him down. Why, here's a nigger! Where did you pick him? oh! Iremember. You're the man we met, I suppose, wi' the hermit on Krakatoathat day o' the excursion from Batavia."
"Yes, das me. But we'll meet on Krakatoa no more, for dat place amblown to bits."
"I'm pretty well convinced o' that by this time, my man. Not hurt much,I hope?"
"No, sar--not more 'n I can stan'. But I's 'fraid dat poor Spinkie'sa'most used up--hallo! what you gwine to do with massa?" demanded thenegro, whose wandering faculties had only in part returned.
"He's gone below. All right. Now, you go and lie down beside my son onthe hatch. I'll--see to Van der Kemp."
But Captain David Roy's intentions, like those of many men of greaternote, were frustrated by the hermit himself, who recovered consciousnessjust as the four men who carried him reached the foot of thecompanion-ladder close to the cabin door. Owing to the deeper thanmidnight darkness that prevailed a lamp was burning in the cabin--dimly,as if, infected by the universal chaos, it were unwilling to enlightenthe surrounding gloom.
On recovering consciousness Van der Kemp was, not unnaturally, under theimpression that he had fallen into the hands of foes. With oneeffectual convulsion of his powerful limbs he scattered his bearersright and left, and turning--like all honest men--to the light, hesprang into the cabin, wrenched a chair from its fastenings, and, facinground, stood at bay.
Kathleen, seeing this blood-stained giant in such violent action,naturally fled to her cabin and shut the door.
As no worse enemy than Captain Roy presented himself at the cabin door,unarmed, and with an anxious look on his rugged face, the hermit setdown the chair, and feeling giddy sank down on it with a groan.
"I fear you are badly hurt, sir. Let me tie a handkerchief round yourwounded head," said the captain soothingly.
"Thanks, thanks. Your voice is not unfamiliar to me," returned thehermit with a sigh, as he submitted to the operation. "I thought I hadfallen somehow into the hands of pirates. Surely an accident must havehappened. How did I get here? Where are my comrades--Nigel and thenegro?"
"My son Nigel is all right, sir, and so is your man Moses. Make yourmind easy--an' pray don't speak while I'm working at you. I'll explainit all in good time. Stay, I'll be with you in a moment."
The captain--fearing that Kathleen might come out from curiosity to seewhat was going on, and remembering his son's injunction--went to thegirl's berth with the intention of ordering her to keep close until heshould give her leave to come out. Opening the door softly and lookingin, he was startled, almost horrified, to see Kathleen standingmotionless like a statue, with both hands pressed tightly over herheart. The colour had fled from her beautiful face; her long hair wasflung back; her large lustrous eyes were wide open and her lips slightlyparted, as if her whole being had been concentrated in eager expectancy.
"What's wrong, my girl?" asked the captain anxiously. "You've no causefor fear. I just looked in to--."
"That voice!" exclaimed Kathleen, with something of awe in hertones--"Oh! I've heard it so often in my dreams."
"Hush! shush! my girl," said the captain in a low tone, lookinganxiously round at the wounded man. But his precautions wereunavailing,--Van der Kemp had also heard a voice which he thought hadlong been silent in death. The girl's expression was almost repeated inhis face. Before the well-meaning mariner could decide what to do,Kathleen brushed lightly past him, and stood in the cabin gazing as ifspell-bound at the hermit.
"Winnie!" he whispered, as if scarcely daring to utter the name.
"Father!"
She extended both hands towards him as she spoke. Then, with a piercingshriek, she staggered backward, and would have fallen had not thecaptain caught her and let her gently down.
Van der Kemp vaulted the table, fell on his knees beside her, and,raising her light form, clasped her to his heart, just as Nigel andMoses, alarmed by the scream, sprang into the cabin.
"Come, come; away wi' you--you stoopid grampusses!" cried the captain,pushing the intruders out of the cabin, following them, and closing thedoor behind him. "This is no place for bunglers like you an' me. Wemight have known that natur' would have her way, an' didn't need no helpfrom the like o' us. Let's on deck. There's enough work there to lookafter that's better suited to us."
Truly there was enough--and more than enough--to claim the most anxiousattention of all who were on board of the _Sunshine_ that morning, forhot mud was still falling in showers on the deck, and the thunders ofthe great volcano were still shaking heaven, earth, and sea.
To clear the decks and sails of mud occupied every one for some time soearnestly that they failed to notice at first that the hermit had comeon deck, found a shovel, and was working away like the rest of them.The frequent and prolonged blazes of intense light that ever and anonbanished the darkness showed that on his face there sat an expression ofcalm, settled, triumphant joy, which was strangely mingled with a lookof quiet humility.
"I thank God for this," said Nigel, going forward when he observed himand grasping his hand.
"You knew it?" exclaimed the hermit in surprise.
"Yes. I knew it--indeed, helped to bring you together, but did not dareto tell you till I was quite sure. I had hoped to have you meet in verydifferent circumstances."
"`It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps,'" returned thehermit reverently. "God bless you, Nigel. If you have even aimed atbringing this about, I owe you _more_ than my life."
"You must have lost a good deal of blood, Van der Kemp. Are you muchhurt?" asked Nigel, as he observed the bandage round his friend's head.
"Somewhat. Not much, I hope--but joy, as well as blood, gives strength,Nigel."
A report from a man who had just been ordered to take soundings inducedthe captain at this time to lay-to.
"It seems to me," he said to Nigel and the hermit who stood close besidehim, "that we are getting too near shore. But in cases o' this kind thebottom o' the sea itself can't be depended on."
"What part of the shore are we near, d'you think, father?"
"Stand by to let go the anchor!" roared the captain, instead ofanswering the question.
"Ay, ay, sir," replied the second mate, whose cool, sing-song,business-like tone at such a moment actually tended to inspire a measureof confidence in those around him.
Another moment, and the rattling chain caused a tremor through thevessel, which ceased when the anchor touched bottom, and they rode headto wind.
Coruscations of bluish light seemed to play about the masts, and ballsof electric fire tipped the yards, throwing for a short time a ghastlysheen over the ship and crew, for the profound darkness had againsettled down, owing, no doubt, to another choking of the Krakatoa vent.
Bef
ore the light referred to went out, Moses was struck violently on thechest by, something soft, which caused him to stagger.
It was Spinkie! In the midst of the unusual horrors that surroundedhim, while clinging to the unfamiliar mizzen shrouds on which indesperation the poor monkey had found a temporary refuge, the electricfire showed him the dark figure of his old familiar friend standing notfar off. With a shriek of not quite hopeless despair, and aninconceivable bound, Spinkie launched himself into space. His earlytraining in the forest stood him in good stead at that crisis! Asalready said he hit the mark fairly, and clung to Moses with a tenacitythat was born of mingled love and desperation. Finding that nothingshort of cruelty would unfix his little friend, Moses stuffed him insidethe breast of his cotton shirt. In this haven of rest the monkey heaveda sigh of profound contentment, folded his hands on his bosom, andmeekly went to sleep.
Two of the excessively violent paroxysms of the volcano, above referredto, had by that time taken place, but the third, and worst--that whichoccurred about 10 a.m.--was yet in store for them, though they knew itnot, and a lull in the roar, accompanied by thicker darkness than ever,was its precursor. There was not, however, any lull in the violence ofthe wind.
"I don't like these lulls," said Captain Roy to the hermit, as theystood close to the binnacle, in the feeble light of its lamp. "What isthat striking against our sides, Mr Moor?"
"Looks like floating pumice, sir," answered the second mate, "and Ithink I see palm-trees amongst it."
"Ay, I thought so, we must be close to land," said the captain. "Wecan't be far from Anjer, and I fear the big waves that have alreadypassed us have done some damage. Lower a lantern over the side,--no,fetch an empty tar-barrel and let's have a flare. That will enable usto see things better."
While the barrel was being fastened to a spar so as to be thrust wellout beyond the side of the brig, Van der Kemp descended the companionand opened the cabin door.
"Come up now, Winnie, darling."
"Yes, father," was the reply, as the poor girl, who had been anxiouslyawaiting the summons, glided out and clasped her father's arm with bothhands. "Are things quieting down?"
"They are, a little. It may be temporary, but--Our Father directs itall."
"True, father. I'm _so_ glad of that!"
"Mind the step, we shall have more light on deck. There is a friendthere who has just told me he met you on the Cocos-Keeling Island, NigelRoy;--you start, Winnie?"
"Y-yes, father. I am _so_ surprised, for it is _his_ father who sailsthis ship! And I cannot imagine how he or you came on board."
"Well, I was going to say that I believe it is partly through Nigel thatyou and I have been brought together, but there is mystery about it thatI don't yet understand; much has to be explained, and this assuredly isnot the time or place. Here, Nigel, is your old Keeling friend."
"Ay--friend! humph!" said old Roy softly to himself.
"My dear--child!" said young Roy, paternally, to the girl as he graspedher hand. "I cannot tell you how thankful I am that this has beenbrought about, and--and that _I_ have had some little hand in it."
"There's more than pumice floating about in the sea, sir," said MrMoor, coming aft at the moment and speaking to the captain in a lowtone. "You'd better send the young lady below--or get some one to takeup her attention just now."
"Here, Nigel. Sit down under the lee of the companion, an' tell Kathyhow this all came about," said the captain, promptly, as if issuingnautical orders. "I want you here, Van der Kemp."
So saying, the captain, followed by the hermit, went with the secondmate to the place where the flaming tar-barrel was casting a lurid glareupon the troubled sea.