CHAPTER VI
ADRIFT
Captain Dodge stood near by urging on his men. Nor did he shirk any ofthe work himself. He fought the flames with all the fury of a determinedman, but it soon became plain that it was an unequal struggle and thatthe _Josephine_ would never reach Buenos Aires or any other portfor that matter.
"Man the boats!" shouted the captain.
The lifeboats were loosened on the davits and made ready to launch. Astock of provisions was placed on board of every one of them andpreparations were made to embark. The four Go Ahead boys were assignedto one boat, together with Sam the cook and Petersen the Finn sailor.
"That'll never do," said John in a low voice to Grant. "Sam and Petersenin the same boat are bound to have trouble."
"I'm afraid so myself, String," said Grant, "but what can we do? CaptainDodge gave the orders and we must do as he says."
"Wouldn't he change them?"
"He might, of course, but I'm not going to ask him to."
"No," said John ruefully, "I don't suppose we could do that. I guesswe'll have to put up with it."
The wind had been steadily increasing in violence since the fire startedand now was blowing almost a gale. It whipped the waves into foam andwhistled and shrieked through the rigging. The fire, fanned by thebreeze, now roared menacingly while its volume increased steadily. Itwas only too evident that it would be impossible to remain on board the_Josephine_ many moments more.
"We'd better get away from here," said Fred nervously, as he watched themass of flame and smoke which now enveloped the whole forward part ofthe ship.
"When we do leave we won't be much better off," said Pop gloomily.
"Just the same I'd rather take my chances with the ocean than with thisfire," exclaimed Grant.
"Where are we going!" demanded John.
"How do I know!" said Grant. "We must leave, that's sure. What we are todo after we leave is another matter."
"Stand by to lower away!" came the order.
The four boys sprang to their positions. Petersen and Sam joined them amoment later. The negro cook was half-crazed with fear and still keptmumbling to himself, "Dat Finn, dat Finn." Undoubtedly he did notunderstand that Petersen was to go on the same boat with him or he wouldnot have consented to step aboard. Now, in the darkness it was almostimpossible to recognize anybody and Sam probably had no idea who any ofhis companions were to be.
"Lower away."
The boats descended rapidly and soon rested upon the water where theydanced and bobbed about like corks on the angry waves.
"Get aboard, Sam," urged Grant.
Making no objection, the negro quickly lowered himself into the waitingboat. Fred, John, Grant and George followed in order, leaving onlyPetersen on board the brig. He stood with the painter in his hand,awaiting the word to leave.
"Unship your oars," he called.
"All right," answered Grant.
There were two pairs of oars in the boat and every one of the four boystook charge of one of them. Sam cowered in the bow of the boatshuddering and still murmuring over and over again, "Dat Finn, datFinn."
At the sound of Petersen's voice from the deck above, however, he halfraised himself. "Who dat talkin'?" he demanded.
"One of the sailors," said Grant carelessly, knowing what was passing inthe black man's mind.
"Dat Petersen," said Sam. "Am he comin' on dis heah boat?"
"I don't know," Grant answered evasively.
"He bettah not. He bettah not," said Sam fiercely. "We's had enough hardluck on account ob dat man already."
"It wasn't his fault," said Grant trying to quiet the excited negro.
"It was! It was!" Sam fairly shouted, at the same time trying to standup in the skiff.
"Sit down, Sam," ordered Fred sharply.
"Ah won't sit down," the cook cried menacingly. "Ah won't do nothin' ifdat Finn am gwine git in dis heah boat. Ah tells yo' all we's had enoughhard luck on account of dat man."
"You'll sit down or get out of the boat," said Grant threateningly. "Wewon't take any fooling here either."
Sam subsided, but he still mumbled to himself incessantly.
"All right, get aboard," John called to Petersen, though he took carenot to call him by name.
Petersen threw the painter and jumped into the stern of the life-boat.The four oarsmen dug their blades into the water and the little craftshot forward. The other boats had also left and the _Josephine_ wasnow a blazing mass of wood. Sparks shot high into the air and in alldirections only to fall with a hiss into the angry waters of the sea.The roar of the flames could be heard even above the noise of the stormwhich seemed to be increasing in intensity.
The four boys rowed a couple of hundred yards away from the burning brigand then rested on their oars and watched the destruction of the ship onwhich they had expected to go to South America. She was entirelyenveloped in flames now and presented a wonderful but terrible sight asshe was rapidly being devoured by the hungry fire.
All the occupants but one of the boat watched the fire. That one wasSam. He still remained huddled in the bow and never once did he lookback. He moaned and groaned and raved until the rest of the party beganto think that perhaps he was losing his mind.
Farther and farther from the burning ship drifted the tiny boat. Allthat the crew of it could do was to keep the stern straight into thewaves and straighten her out when a great roller sent them flying. Lowerand lower appeared the hull of the _Josephine_, when an occasionalglimpse could be had of her from the crest of some huge wave. At lengthshe disappeared, entirely burned to the water's edge, and thus came theend of another brave ship. One more was added to the great oceangraveyard, already thick with the bones of many a gallant merchantman.
"She's gone," said George soberly.
"Yes," said John, "and what's going to happen to us?"
"We may be picked up," exclaimed Fred hopefully.
"And we may not," added Grant.
"Do you know where we are?" he asked of Petersen.
"I've no idea," was the answer. "Somewhere near the West Indies, ormaybe we're right in them now for all I know."
"Then we'll soon find land," said Fred as cheerfully as was possibleunder the circumstances.
"I hope it isn't the land that's at the bottom of the ocean," saidGeorge.
"Don't be so pessimistic, Pop," urged Fred. "What's the matter with youlately?"
"Nothing. We're in a bad fix, that's all."
"Look out for this wave!" warned Grant suddenly as a great mountain ofwater loomed up behind them.
The little boat was driven along at the speed of a race horse for many,many yards, but fortunately she remained right side up. The four boysmanaged their oars skillfully and Petersen steered marvelously. Now andthen some water was shipped but aside from that no harm came to them.
Gradually the wind died down and the storm abated. Night had now comeupon them, however, and they were in a sorry plight.
"Where are the other boats?" asked Grant when an hour of silence hadelapsed.
"I've no idea," said Fred. "Has any one seen them?"
No one had. At least every one denied it but Sam, and as he had not oncelooked around him there was no chance that he had seen anything. Now hewas asleep. He had made no move to help in any way and seemed to take itfor granted that the others would look after him. His last words beforehe had closed his eyes were, "Dat Finn."
"We've got some provisions, anyway," said John.
"Yes," agreed George, "but how long do you think they'll last?"
"Plenty long enough to keep us going until we are picked up."
"Don't be so sure of that," George advised. "At any rate, we have nowater, and that's even more important than food."
"Yes, we have, too, Pop," corrected Fred. "It's right under my feet."
"Yes, salt water, though," grumbled George.
"Not at all. There's a cask of fresh water right here in the bottom ofthe boat."
"Give me some,
then," exclaimed George eagerly. "I'm half dead withthirst as it is now."
"Don't drink it now, Pop," urged Grant. "We may be hard pressed forwater, as you say, and I think we'd all better wait till morning. Thenwe can take stock of just what we have here."
"That's right, Grant," agreed John heartily. "Don't you think so, too,Petersen?"
"I do. We can surely get along without food and water until light comes,but in a day or so we may need it very badly."
"You think we'll be out here that long?" demanded Fred.
"I don't know. Still you never can tell, and it's always well to beprepared."
"You're right," acknowledged George. "At any rate, I don't want anywater."
It was a characteristic of these four boys that they were usuallycheerful under any and all conditions. No matter how hard a thing mightbe, they bore it willingly if it was necessary. They made complaints ifthey thought it was unnecessary, but when they knew it was the onlything to be done they never raised a murmur. No sportsman ever complainsof a thing that is fair, and what is best for the most people is alwaysfair.
Hour after hour dragged by. To the little band on board the life-boat itseemed as if morning would never come. The storm had passed, but thewater was still rough and the night still inky dark. Now and again theboys dozed off and caught a few winks of sleep. No attempt to row hadbeen made for several hours. Petersen steered the boat and was the onlyone who did not rest. Incessantly through the long night he guided thelittle craft and watched over the safety of those on board.
At last morning came. The first faint streaks of light thrust their rosyfingers up over the eastern horizon and soon the whole sky was coveredwith an orange glow. Little by little the faint outlines of theoccupants of the life boat became visible. What a sorry looking crew itwas, too. Disheveled, dirty and unkempt, they plainly showed the effectsof their harrowing experience.
As the light crept over the ocean it showed some of the party asleep.The others were haggard and worn looking and seemed to have but smallconcern as to what happened to them. They lolled on the cross seats in alistless way, not at all interested in the beautiful sunrise. They weremore concerned in their own welfare than in the beauties of Nature.
"Oh, hum," yawned Sam, raising himself from the position in which he hadlain all night. "We sho' has had a powerful lot of hard--"
He caught sight of Petersen and suddenly ceased talking. A change cameover his face as he recognized the man to whom he charged the hard luckthat had overtaken them. Hate spread itself over the features of thesuperstitious negro and his breath came in short gasps as if some onewas choking him.
"Dar yo' are!" he exclaimed fiercely. "Dar yo' are, yo' hard luck Finn.I'll fix yo'," and he started to make his way towards the stern of theboat to the spot where his enemy was seated.