CHAPTER XXII
INTO PORT
"Cast off!" said Han. "Take this one first, Perry. Gee, but it's stiff!"They had to fumble several minutes at the wet cable before they got itclear and let it slip over the bow. Then the other was cast off as welland Bert swung the lantern four times above his head as a signal to haulin. An answering dip of the light on the stern of the _Adventurer_answered, just as Joe joined them.
"All right?" he asked anxiously.
"Yes, both clear," replied Han. "What do we do now, Joe?"
"Sit tight and wait. Some of us had better get some sleep. Perry, youand Bert might as well turn in for awhile. I'm going to. It's teno'clock. I'll wake you at two, and you can relieve Han. Bert, you mightmake some coffee when you tumble out again. We'll probably need it."
"I'm not sleepy a bit," protested Perry. But Joe insisted and he andBert followed the other below and laid down in the bunks in thecaptain's cabin. In spite of his disclaimer and the noise and rolling ofthe ship, Perry was asleep almost as soon as he touched the berth, andthe others were not far behind.
Joe had the faculty of waking up at any predetermined hour, and at twohe was shaking the others from their slumbers. It was at once evidentthat the gale had increased, for it was all they could do to keep theirfeet under them as they made their way to the galley. Bert set aboutmaking a fire while the others made their way to the wheel. Wink greetedthem cheerfully enough from the lantern-lit darkness there, but hisvoice sounded weary in spite of him.
"I had Han take the sail down," he announced. "She steers better withoutit. The wind's pretty fierce, isn't it? Look out!"
A big wave broke over the rail and descended on them in bucketfulls.
"That's what makes it so pleasant," shouted Wink. "Guess I'll take a napif I can."
"Bert's making some coffee," said Joe. "Better have some before you turnin."
Perry made his way cautiously forward and relieved Han. "Seen anything?"he asked.
"Not a thing."
"Hello, where are the boats?" Perry stared ahead in surprise.
"One of them--I think it's the _Adventurer_--is back there." Han turnedPerry about until he glimpsed a faint flicker of light far off over thestarboard beam. "Don't know where the other is. Guess they're having arough time of it."
"I'll bet!" agreed Perry. "You're to have some coffee and turn in, Han."
"Coffee!" murmured the other gratefully. "Have you had some?"
"No, I'll get mine later. Beat it, you!"
Han disappeared in the darkness and Perry, wrapping himself as best hecould in the folds of his slicker, settled himself to his task. Now andthen he looked back for a glimpse of the friendly light at the stern orfor sight of the _Adventurer_. The wind made strange whistling soundsthrough the interstices of the lumber and the battered hull groaned andcreaked rheumatically. When he stood erect the gale tore at himfrantically, and at all times the spray, dashing across the deck, kepthim running with water. He grew frightfully sleepy about three and haddifficulty in keeping awake. In spite of his efforts his head would sinkand at last he had to walk the few paces he could manage, accommodatinghis uncertain steps to the roll of the boat, in order to defeat slumber.
To say that Perry did not more than once regret his suggestion ofrescuing the _Catspaw_ would be far from the truth. He felt very lonelyout there on that bow, and his stomach was none too happy. And thethought of what would happen to him and the others if the schoonerdecided to give up the struggle was not at all pleasant to dwell on. Andso he did his best not to think about it, but he didn't always succeed.On the whole it was a very miserable three hours that he spent onlookout duty that night. Once Bert crawled forward and shared hisloneliness, but didn't remain very long, preferring the partial shelterof the house. No one was ever much gladder to see the sky lighten in theeast than was Perry that morning. But even when a grey dawn had settledover the ocean the surroundings were not much more cheerful. As Winksaid, it was a bit better to drown by daylight than to do it in thedark, but, aside from the fact that the _Catspaw_ was still afloat,there wasn't much to be thankful for.
One of the cruisers was barely visible off to the northward, but theother was nowhere in sight. The grey-green waves looked mountain-highwhen seen from the water-washed deck of the _Catspaw_, and the wind,while seeming to have passed its wildest stage, still blew hard. Therewas no sight of land in any direction and Joe pessimistically decidedthat they were then some forty miles at sea and about off the Isles ofShoals. Soon after the sun had come up, somewhere behind the leadenclouds, they sighted a brig to the southward. She was hardly hull-up andwas making her way under almost bare yards toward the west. She stayedin sight less than half an hour.
The boys had breakfast about half-past six. Except coffee and breadthere was little left, and the outlook, in case the gale continued, wasnot inspiring! Perry declared that he'd much rather drown than starve todeath. The first cheerful event that happened was the drawing near ofthe _Adventurer_. The white cruiser came plunging up to within a quarterof a mile about nine o'clock and signals were exchanged. An hour laterthe _Follow Me_ appeared coming up from westward and at noon theschooner and the two convoys were reunited. But there was still nochance of getting lines aboard. All that they could do was wait. Dinnerhour aboard the _Catspaw_ was dinner hour in name only. There wascoffee, to be sure, but the sugar was low and the condensed milk hadgiven out completely. All else had disappeared at breakfast time. Thespirits of the "prize crew" got lower and lower as the afternoon beganand they were faced with another night aboard the schooner. Twice theysighted other craft, once a steamer headed toward the northeast and oncea schooner dipping along under reefed sails. Neither craft showed anycuriosity and each went on its way without a sign.
Once the _Adventurer_ circled close to the windward and Steve shoutedencouragement through his megaphone. Just what was said they couldn'tmake out, and Joe's attempts to acquaint the cruiser with the fact thatthey were out of provisions was unsuccessful, since he had only hishands to shout through and the wind was unsympathetic. But having thecruisers at hand was comforting, and when, at about four, there was abrief glimpse of sunlight to the south their spirits arose somewhat. Thewind now began to go down perceptibly and by five it no longer roareddown on them from the northwest, but, swinging around to the northeast,became quite docile and friendly. They put up their sail again andgradually the _Catspaw_ pointed her nose toward the coast. Just beforedarkness came the sea had quieted enough to make possible an attempt toget the cables aboard again and those on the schooner saw the cruisersdraw together. Steve and Phil caught the line hurled from the _FollowMe_ after several attempts and then the tender was dropped over and withthe two cables aboard the boys made for the _Catspaw_.
Those on the schooner watched anxiously. At one moment the tiny dingeywas seen poised on the summit of a great green sea and the next wasquite gone from sight. The sun came out momentarily before saying GoodNight, as though to watch that struggle. At last the tender came sidlingdown the slope of a wave, the occupants striving hard at the oars, andafter one breathless moment, during which it seemed that the little boatwould be crushed to splinters against the old black hull of theschooner, Joe caught the painter, Steve made a flying leap for the deckand gained it in safety, and Phil, boat-hook in hand, worked manfullyand skilfully to fend off while the cables were brought aboard. Thedingey had fetched food as well and a shout of joy went up as Phil,taking advantage of the calm moments between the rushing waves, hurledthe bundles to the deck.
There was little time for conversation, for darkness was coming fast,but Steve heard a brief account of the _Catspaw's_ experiences, and,while helping to make fast the cables, told of the night aboard the_Adventurer_. "It was fierce," Steve said. "No one had much sleep, Iguess. We almost pitched on our nose time and again. If it hadn't beenfor you chaps we'd have cut and run about midnight. We lost sight ofyour lights several times; they were so low in the water, and thoughtthat you'd gone down at first. The _Follow Me
_ had to run for it, and Iguess they weren't very happy either. But we'll make it this time. It'sclearing up nicely and we're only forty miles from Portsmouth. Keep yourlips stiff, fellows, and we'll be eating breakfast ashore!"
The dingey pulled off again, narrowly escaping capsizing more than once,and ten minutes afterwards the _Catspaw_ was once more wallowing alongin the wake of the cruisers. Supper, with bacon and potatoes and lots ofbread, perked the crew up mightily, and when the stars began to peepthrough the scudding clouds and the sea stopped tormenting the poor old_Catspaw_ they got quite cheerful. That second night was an easy onefor all hands. The weather cleared entirely by two o'clock and the seacalmed to almost normal conditions. The _Catspaw_ strained along at theends of the cables at about three miles an hour until she got closeenough to the shore to feel the tide. After that she went more slowly.At early dawn--and it was a real dawn this time, with sunlight on thewater and a golden glow in the eastern sky--the Isles of Shoals lay sixmiles to the southwest and the blue shore line was beckoning them. At alittle before eleven that forenoon the _Catspaw_ passed Portsmouth Lightand half an hour later, having been given over to the care of a tug, waslying snugly against a wharf.
It was a tired but triumphant dozen that stretched their legs ashore atnoon and set out in search of dinner. Already they had answered a scoreof questions and told their story half a dozen times, and even afterthey were seated at table in the best restaurant that the cityafforded--and it was a very good restaurant, too--an enterprisingnewspaper reporter found them out and Steve, as spokesman, recountedtheir adventures once more between mouthfuls.
And when at last they could eat no more and the reporter had gone offto write his story, Steve, Joe and Wink set forth to an address they hadsecured on the wharf and the others adjourned to the porch of a nearbyhotel to await their return. "Tell him," instructed Perry as theyparted, "that we won't accept a cent less than a thousand dollars! And,"he added to himself, "I wouldn't go through it again for fiftythousand!"