CHAPTER XII.
WEATHERING A STORM IN THE OPEN SEA.
In profound silence they continued to paddle until there was no chanceof their being seen by the party on the islet. Then Van der Kemp restedhis paddle in front of him and looked slowly round the horizon and up atthe sky as if studying the weather.
Nigel longed to ask him more about the men they had seen, and of this"enemy" whom he had mentioned, but there was that in the hermit's gravelook which forbade questioning, and indeed Nigel now knew fromexperience that it would be useless to press him to speak on any subjectin regard to which he chose to be reticent.
"I don't like the look of the sky," he said at last. "We are going tohave a squall, I fear."
"Had we not better run for the nearest land?" said Nigel, who, althoughnot yet experienced in the signs of the weather in those equatorialregions, had quite enough of knowledge to perceive that bad weather ofsome sort was probably approaching.
"The nearest island is a good way off," returned the hermit, "and wemight miss it in the dark, for daylight won't help us yet awhile. No, wewill continue our course and accept what God sends."
This remark seemed to our hero to savour of unreasoning contempt ofdanger, for the facing of a tropical squall in such an eggshell appearedto him the height of folly. He ventured to reply, therefore, in a toneof remonstrance--
"God sends us the capacity to appreciate danger, Van der Kemp, and thepower to take precautions."
"He does, Nigel--therefore I intend to use both the capacity and thepower."
There was a tone of finality in this speech which effectually sealedNigel's lips, and, in truth, his ever-increasing trust in the wisdom,power, and resource of his friend indisposed him to further remark.
The night had by this time become intensely dark, for a bank of blackcloud had crept slowly over the sky and blotted out the moon. This cloudextended itself slowly, obliterating, ere long, most of the stars also,so that it was scarcely possible to distinguish any object more than ayard or two in advance of them. The dead calm, however, continuedunbroken, and the few of heaven's lights which still glimmered throughthe obscurity above were clearly reflected in the great black mirrorbelow. Only the faint gleam of Krakatoa's threatening fires was visibleon the horizon, while the occasional boom of its artillery sounded intheir ears.
It was impossible for any inexperienced man, however courageous, toavoid feelings of awe, almost amounting to dread, in the circumstances,and Nigel--as he tried to penetrate the darkness around him and glancedat the narrow craft in which he sat and over the sides of which he coulddip both hands at once into the sea--might be excused for wishing, withall his heart, that he were safely on shore, or on the deck of hisfather's brig. His feelings were by no means relieved when Van der Kempsaid, in a low soliloquising tone--
"The steamers will constitute our chief danger to-night. They come onwith such a rush that it is not easy to make out how they are steering,so as to get out of their way in time."
"But should we not hear them coming a long way off?" asked Nigel.
"Ay. It is not during a calm like this that we run risk, but when thegale begins to blow we cannot hear, and shall not, perhaps, see verywell."
As he spoke the hermit lifted the covering of the forehatch and took outa small sail which he asked Nigel to pass aft to the negro.
"Close-reef it, Moses; we shall make use of the wind as long aspossible. After that we will lay-to."
"All right, massa," said the negro, in the same cheerful free-and-easytone in which he was wont to express his willingness to obey orderswhether trifling or important. "Don' forgit Spinkie, massa."
"You may be sure I won't do that," replied the hermit. "Come along,monkey!"
Evidently Van der Kemp had trained his dumb companion as thoroughly toprompt obedience as his black follower, for the little creatureinstantly bounded from its place by the mast on to the shoulder of itsmaster, who bade it go into the place from which he had just extractedthe sail. Nigel could not see this--not only because of the darkness,but because of the intervention of the hermit's bulky person, but heunderstood what had taken place by the remark--"That's a good littlefellow. Keep your head down, now, while I shut you in!"
From the same place Van der Kemp had drawn a small triangular foresail,which he proceeded to attach to the bow of the canoe--running its pointout by means of tackle laid along the deck--while Moses was busy reefingthe mainsail.
From the same repository were extracted three waterproof coats, which,when put on by the canoe-men, the tails thrust below-deck, and theaprons drawn over them and belted round their waists, protected theirpersons almost completely from water.
"Now, Nigel," said the hermit, "unship the mast, reeve the halyard ofthis foresail through the top and then re-ship it. Moses will give youthe mainsail when ready, and you can hook the halyards on to it. Thething is too simple to require explanation to a sailor. I attend to theforesail and Moses manages the mainsheet, but you have to mind thehalyards of both, which, as you would see if it were light enough, rundown alongside the mast. All I ask you to remember is to be smart inobeying orders, for squalls are sometimes very sudden here--but I doubtnot that such a caution is needless."
"I'll do my best," said Nigel.
By this time a slight puff of air had ruffled the sea, therebyintensifying, if possible, the blackness which already prevailed. Thetiny sails caught the puff, causing the canoe to lean slightly over, andglide with a rippling sound through the water, while Moses steered bymeans of his paddle.
"You have put Spinkie down below, I think," said Nigel, who had beenstruck more than once with the hermit's extreme tenderness and care ofthe little creature.
"Yes, to prevent it from being washed overboard. I nearly lost the poorlittle thing once or twice, and now when we are likely to be caught inbad weather I put him below."
"Is he not apt to be suffocated?" asked Nigel. "With everything made sotight to prevent water getting into the canoe, you necessarily preventair entering also."
"I see you have a mechanical turn of mind," returned the hermit. "Youare right. Yet in so large a canoe the air would last a considerabletime to satisfy a monkey. Nevertheless, I have made provision for that.There is a short tube alongside the mast, and fixed to it, which runs alittle below the deck and rises a foot above it so as to be well abovethe wash of most waves, and in the deck near the stern there is a smallhole with a cap fitted so as to turn the water but admit the air. Thusfree circulation of air is established below deck."
Suddenly a hissing sound was heard to windward.
"Look out, Moses," said Van der Kemp. "There it comes. Let go the sheet.Keep good hold of your paddle, Nigel."
The warning was by no means unnecessary, for as the canoe's head wasturned to meet the blast, a hissing sheet of white water swept rightover the tiny craft, completely submerging it, insomuch that the threemen appeared to be sitting more than waist-deep in the water.
"Lower the mainsail!" shouted the hermit, for the noise of wind and seahad become deafening.
Nigel obeyed and held on to the flapping sheet. The hermit had at thesame moment let go the foresail, the flapping of which he controlled bya rope-tackle arranged for the purpose. He then grasped his single-bladepaddle and aided Moses in keeping her head to wind and sea. For a fewminutes this was all that could be done. Then the first violence of thesquall passed off, allowing the deck of the little craft to appear abovethe tormented water. Soon the waves began to rise.
The mere keeping of the canoe's head to wind required all the attentionof both master and man, while Nigel sat waiting for orders and lookingon with mingled feelings of surprise and curiosity. Of course they wereall three wet to the skin, for the water had got up their sleeves anddown their necks; but, being warm, that mattered little, and the oiledaprons before mentioned, being securely fastened round their waists,effectually prevented any of it from getting below save the little thatpassed through the thickness of their own garments.
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bsp; No word was spoken for at least a quarter of an hour, during which time,although they rose buoyantly on the water, the waves washed continuallyover the low-lying deck. As this deck was flush with the gunwale, orrather, had no gunwale at all, the water ran off it as it does off awhale's back.
Then there came a momentary lull.
"Now, Moses--'bout ship!" shouted Van der Kemp. "Stand by, Nigel!"
"Ay, ay, sir."
Although the canoe was long--and therefore unfitted to turn quickly--thepowerful strokes of the two paddles in what may be calledcounteracting-harmony brought the little craft right round with herstern to the waves.
"Hoist away, Nigel! We must run right before it now."
Up went the mainsail, the tiny foresail bulged out at the same moment,and away they went like the driving foam, appearing almost to leap fromwave to wave. All sense of danger was now overwhelmed in Nigel's mind bythat feeling of excitement and wild delight which accompanies some kindsof rapid motion. This was, if possible, intensified by the crashingthunder which now burst forth and the vivid lightning which began toplay, revealing from time to time the tumultuous turmoil as if inclearest moonlight, only to plunge it again in still blacker night.
By degrees the gale increased in fury, and it soon became evident thatneither sails nor cordage could long withstand the strain to which theywere subjected.
"A'most too much, massa," said the negro in a suggestive shout.
"Right, Moses," returned his master. "I was just thinking we must riskit."
"Risk what? I wonder," thought Nigel.
He had not long to wait for an answer to his thought.
"Down wi' the mainsail," was quickly followed by the lowering of theforesail until not more than a mere corner was shown, merely to keep thecanoe end-on to the seas. Soon even this was lowered, and Van der Kempused his double-blade paddle to keep them in position, at the same timetelling Nigel to unship the mast.
"And plug the hole with that," he added, handing him a bit of wood whichexactly fitted the hole in the deck.
Watching for another lull in the blast, the hermit at last gave theorder, and round they came as before, head to wind, but not quite soeasily, and Nigel felt that they had narrowly escaped overturning in theoperation.
"Keep her so, Moses. You can help with your paddle, Nigel, while I getready our anchor."
"Anchor!" exclaimed our hero in amazement--obeying orders, however, atthe same moment.
The hermit either did not hear the exclamation or did not care tonotice it. He quickly collected the mast and sails, with a couple ofboat-hooks and all the paddles excepting two single ones. These he boundtogether by means of the sheets and halyards, attached the whole to ahawser,--one end of which passed through an iron ring at the bow--andtossed it into the sea--paying out the hawser rapidly at the same timeso as to put a few yards between them and their floating anchor--if itmay be so called--in the lee of which they prepared to ride out thegale.
It was well that they had taken the precaution to put on theirwaterproofs before the gale began, because, while turned head to windevery breaking wave swept right over their heads, and even now whileunder the lee of the floating anchor they were for some time almostcontinually overwhelmed by thick spray. Being, however, set free fromthe necessity of keeping their tiny craft in position, they all bowedtheir heads on the deck, sheltered their faces in their hands andawaited the end!
Whilst in this attitude--so like to that of prayer--Nigel almostnaturally thought of Him who holds the water in the hollow of His hand,and lifted his soul to God; for, amid the roaring of the gale, theflashes of lightning, the appalling thunder, the feeling that he was inreality all but under the waves and the knowledge that the proverbialplank between him and death was of the very thinnest description, asensation of helplessness and of dependence on the Almighty, such as hehad never before experienced, crept over him. What the thoughts of thehermit were he could not tell, for that strange man seldom spoke abouthimself; but Moses was not so reticent, for he afterwards remarked thathe had often been caught by gales while in the canoe, and had beenattached for hours to their floating anchor, but that "dat was out obsight de wust bust ob wedder dey'd had since dey come to lib atKrakatoa, an' he had bery nigh giben up in despair!"
The use of the floating breakwater was to meet the full force of theseas and break them just before they reached the canoe. In spite of thissome of them were so tremendous that, broken though they were, theswirling foam completely buried the craft for a second or two, but thesharp bow cut its way through, and the water poured off the deck and offthe stooping figures like rain from a duck's back. Of course a good dealgot in at their necks, sleeves, and other small openings, and wet themconsiderably, but that, as Moses remarked, "was not'ing to speak ob."
Thus they lay tossing in the midst of the raging foam for several hours.Now and then each would raise his head a little to see that the ropeheld fast, but was glad to lower it again. They hardly knew when daybroke. It was so slow in coming, and so gloomy and dark when it didcome, that the glare of the lightning-flash seemed more cheerful.
It may be easily believed that there was no conversation during thosehours of elemental strife, though the thoughts of each were busy enough.At last the thunder ceased, or, rather, retired as if in growlingdefiance of the world which it had failed to destroy. Then the sky beganto lighten a little, and although the wind did not materially abate inforce it became more steady and equal. Before noon, however, it hadsubsided so much that Moses suggested the propriety of continuing thevoyage. To this Van der Kemp agreed, and the floating anchor was hauledin; the large paddle was resumed by the hermit, and the dangerousprocess of turning the canoe was successfully accomplished.
When the mast was again set up and the close-reefed main and foresailswere hoisted, the light craft bounded away once more before the windlike a fleck of foam. Then a gleam of sunshine forced its way throughthe driving clouds, and painted a spot of emerald green on the heavingsea. Soon after that Van der Kemp opened the lid, or hatch, of theforehold, and Spinkie, jumping out with alacrity, took possession of hisusual seat beside the mast, to which he clung with affectionatetenacity. Gradually the wind went down. Reef after reef of the two sailswas shaken out, and for several hours thereafter our travellers spedmerrily on, plunging into the troughs and cutting through the crests ofthe stormy sea.