CHAPTER XV
THE STORM
Bob came down, wondering why he was not allowed to stay at themaintop for a while longer.
"Oh! Oh!" exclaimed Mr. Tarbill when the boy reached the deck."You've given me such a fright!"
"I didn't mean to," replied Bob honestly enough.
"Oh, but you did! I think I'll have to go to my cabin and take somenerve medicine."
The passenger left the deck, and Mr. Carr said:
"Don't do that again, Bob."
"No, sir; not if you don't want me to."
"It's too dangerous," added the first mate.
Bob was not very sharply reprimanded by Captain Spark for thisescapade, as the commander realized that the boy meant no harm.But it was several days before Mr. Tarbill got over the shock.
Urged on by brisk winds the _Eagle_ made excellent speed, andseveral days before he calculated he would reach it Captain Sparkfound his vessel "crossing the line"; that is, passing over theimaginary circle which marks the equator. Bob enjoyed his life onboard the ship more than ever, now that the tropics were reached.The usual pranks were indulged in by the sailors when FatherNeptune came aboard the day the line was crossed, and Bob came infor not a little horse-play. But he did not mind it, and in turnhe played several jokes on the sailors and was not rebuked. It wasa time of freedom from restraint.
Continuing on south, the _Eagle_ passed from the hot region, andonce more was in the temperate zone. But now the weather, whichhad been fine for several weeks, began to show signs of a change.
"We'll soon be in for a troublesome time," said the captain as hesat in the main cabin one night, looking over some charts.
"How?" asked Bob.
"We're approaching the Horn. To navigate the Straits of Magellanis no small matter. There are always more or less storms in thatregion, and I wish I was well through it."
"Then we're liable to have a hard passage?"
"More than likely."
The captain's fears were verified. A few days later, when theywere within a hundred miles of the dreaded Straits, it began toblow. There was a steady increase to the wind, and Captain Sparkwore an anxious look as he paced the quarterdeck.
Still there seemed to be nothing more than a heavy blow, and Bobwas beginning to hope they might get through with less trouble thanthe commander anticipated. The captain had decided to try thepassage of the Straits rather than to actually go around Cape Horn.
But it was not to be. The next day, toward evening, when they werepreparing to navigate the difficult passage, there came a veritablehurricane.
Fortunately Captain Spark had in a measure anticipated it, and hadtaken in sail, bending on some heavy storm canvas which, small asit was, sent the ship ahead at a terrific pace.
As night came on the _Eagle_ was seen to be in a mass of swirling,tumbling waves which seemed anxious to overpower the stanch craft.
Mr. Tarbill was in a great fright. He tried to stay in his cabin,but when the ship began to pitch and toss he could not stand it.So donning a life-preserver, he came on deck. Here he was much inthe way, for the sailors had to be constantly rushing here andthere, making ropes fast and attending to their duties. To add tothe discomforts of the situation, it began to rain in torrents.
"Oh, I know we're going to sink!" cried the nervous passenger. "Doyou think it will be soon, captain?"
"What soon?" asked the commander, who was too busy to pay muchattention to Mr. Tarbill. "Will we sink soon?"
"Sink? We're not going to sink at all if I can help it! This is noworse than lots of storms. You had better go to your cabin and liedown."
"Oh, I wouldn't dare to! The ship might sink while I was there. Iknow we'll get caught in a whirlpool, or in a waterspout, or someother dreadful thing! This is terrible! Awful! Fearful!"
The wind was increasing, and great waves dashed over the _Eagle's_bow.
"It's bad luck to have such a storm-croaker as that aboard,"murmured one of the sailors. "He's a regular Jonah!"
"I wish he'd go below," muttered the captain, and Bob overheardhim. "He's frightening every one up here, and we're going to havea hard enough time as it is without a nervous man on deck."
Bob, though he was frightened at the storm, which was constantlygrowing worse, determined to stick it out. He wanted to see whatwould happen. But he saw a chance to do a service to the captain,though it would involve playing an innocent trick on Mr. Tarbill.
Accordingly, when there came a little lull in the wind, Bob madehis way to where the nervous passenger stood with his back bracedagainst a deckhouse.
"It'll be here pretty soon now," said Bob, shouting to make himselfheard above the noise of the storm.
"What will, my dear young friend?" asked Mr. Tarbill, forgettinghis former anger at Bob under the stress of the circumstances. "Doyou mean to tell us anything else is going to happen?"
"Something surely is, Mr. Tarbill," said Bob, with an air of greatearnestness, moving closer to the man, so as to get away from thedriving rain, as Mr. Tarbill stood under shelter.
"What is coming? Do tell me. I am so very nervous."
"The Jilla-Jilly wind! We'll be in the midst of it soon. You'dbetter look out!"
"The Jilla-Jilly wind? For mercy sakes, what's that?"
"It's a kind of a hurricane," said Bob, inventing something on thespur of the moment. "Only, instead of blowing straight ahead oraround in a circle it blows up and down. It's liable to snatch youright up to the clouds, or suck you down into the ocean!"
"That is terrible, my dear young friend!"
"Terrible! I should say it was!"
"What had I better do?"
"You'll surely be blown overboard if you stay on deck. ThatJilla-Jilly wind is the most terrible wind you ever heard of!We'll soon strike it! There, that sounds like it now! Don't youfeel as if you were being lifted up?"
The nervous fears of Mr. Tarbill made him anticipate almost anysensation that was vividly described to him. He was in such astate of mind that he would have believed almost anything he heard.
"Yes! Yes!" he exclaimed. "I feel it coming! Oh, dear! Whatshall I do?"
"Go below quickly!" yelled Bob, for that was the object he had inmind in inventing the Jilla-Jilly wind for the occasion.
"I will! I'll go at once!" And, holding on to hand-lines whichhad been stretched about the deck for safety, the nervous passengermade his way to his cabin, while the ship tossed more than ever.