CHAPTER III
Dicky Hamshaw, Midshipman
"Of all the little bantams 'e's it," quoth Able Seaman Hawkins of H.M.S._Inflexible_ in a deep, hoarse whisper, leaning over the tiller of thesteam pinnace he was steering to place his thick lips close to the hugeear of his comrade. "That 'ere shaver's just it all the time and nomistake about it."
A long tongue of flame shooting out through the stumpy funnel of thevessel at that precise moment lit up the afterpart, disclosing the factthat Seaman Hawkins's face was divided by an expansive grin, while AbleSeaman Hurst's rugged and none-too-handsome features seemed to be madeup mostly of two rows of irregular teeth. The short stem of an extremelyblack pipe was gripped between those same teeth, while smoke was issuingfrom the nostrils. But a second later the pipe was dragged from itsposition and found its way with extreme rapidity into a pocket.
"Stop that talking, men! One can't hear. Silence aft!"
The command came in quick, decisive tones, and yet in a voice thatbetrayed the youth of the officer. For Dicky Hamshaw was young,painfully young, we must admit. When he stepped the decks of HisMajesty's battleships no one deplored that fact more than Mr. MidshipmanHamshaw. It was a defect which time would undoubtedly eradicate, but forthe moment it was annoying, to say the least of it. For ever on thefaces of the tars beneath his immediate command there lurked a queerdemureness, an indefinite something which he could never actuallyfathom, but which told him as plainly as words that he was almost anobject of amusement. Not of ridicule, let us explain. No other officer'sorders were obeyed more smartly than those of Mr. Midshipman Hamshaw,while your British tar is far too jealous of his good name to ridiculean officer, even if such a thing were not decidedly contrary todiscipline. No; Dicky Hamshaw was very young, and looked younger thanhis seventeen and a half years. Not a hair yet adorned his upper lip,and there was not even a suspicious down budding from the square chin ofwhich he boasted. He was merely disgustingly young in appearance, talland slim and active, and full of a dash and jollity which had long sincecaptivated the tars.
"Just it--nothing more," repeated Hawkins in a hoarse whisper to Hurst."A bantam that's full of fight, and don't you make no mistake about it."
Precisely what "it" meant on this occasion the burly Hawkins did notstoop to explain, and apparently Hurst needed no enlightenment. Henodded, expanded his capacious jaws again, and then slowly introducedthe stem of his clay between his strong teeth.
"Stop that smoking aft! There's someone smoking."
Once more the order rang out crisp and clear, and in those very juveniletones. Let us say at once that it was Dick's boyish voice, perhaps morethan his youthful appearance, which excited the smiles of his men. Butin any case the crisp tones meant business. Hurst slid his pipe backinto its receptacle with alacrity and grimaced through the gloom at hiscomrade.
"And 'e's got a nose," he ventured to Hawkins when a few moments hadelapsed. "Here are we away aft, and you'd have said as all the smoke wasblowed clear away behind us. But Dicky's got a nose for it. Blest if hecouldn't tell you what 'bacca it was. Not ship's I can tell you, mate,but a bit of cake bought ashore at a place I knows of. What's he up to?"
"Keep her away a point to starboard," suddenly came from the midshipman."That'll do. Hold her so and keep her steady on that course. I fancy wemust be somewhere near the spot Anyone hear anything?"
"Nothing, sir?" came from Hurst, while Hawkins opened his thick lips tocry "Aye! aye! sir," in recognition of the order given him. "Steady itis, sir. Fancied I heard a cry away over here a minute or more ago, butI ain't sure. There's no sayin'."
"Then keep your ears open, men, and--Hawkins."
"Aye, aye, sir."
"As we're away from the ship and it's dark I've no particular objectionto Hurst's smoking. All you men can smoke; but please don't forget tolisten carefully."
Had it not been dark expansive grins could have been seen on the facesof the half-dozen tars manning this steam pinnace. For here was aprivilege granted without the asking, and one, too, which every one ofthe men could fully appreciate. It was just one of those thoughtfulactions for which Dicky had become almost famous since he became afull-fledged midshipman, and which added so much to his popularity. Asfor Hurst, the mention of his own name caused him to bring one broadpalm with a resounding smack against his thigh. Hawkins could hear himgurgling, and then listened to his low-toned whisper.
"Did you hear that? Spotted who was smoking. Spotted it was me," he saidhoarsely, his tones betraying delight if anything. "If that don't beatme handsome! Here's he away for'ard a-listening for shouts and cries,while the pinnace steams against the wind. He spots as someone'ssmoking. And he says as sure as he can make it that it's me. That'ssmart, mate, ain't it?"
"It's jest common sense, that's all," came the rejoinder. "Dicky ain'tasleep, not by a long way. He knows his men better perhaps than a sightof the orfficers. And he knows you, Bill, and the smell of that 'erepipe. That's where his smartness comes in. He puts things togetherquick, same as he'll clear up this here little business that's broughtus away from the ship at a time when we ought to be turnin' down andalookin' forward to our suppers. Did you hear what it is exactly? Theywas mighty quick in pipin' us away. It's something particular."
"Someone lost away out beyond the Needles, that's all I heard," cameHurst's answer. "Anyways, there ain't much chance of our being able tohelp. It's blowing hardish out here, and if a boat has foundered andleft her crew in the water, why, they'll stay there I'm afeard. It don'ttake long to drown a man, even with the little sea there's running."
A sudden order had in fact disturbed the peace of shipboard life latethat evening. Mr. Midshipman Hamshaw, in all the glory of his mess kit,was on the point of making his way to the gunroom, there to sit down toan appetizing dinner, when he received an unexpected order.
"Mr. Hamshaw! Mr. Hamshaw!" he heard someone calling. "Pass the word toMr. Hamshaw, please. Ask him to step up on deck at once, bringingoilskins with him."
Dicky's servant conveyed the tidings to him. Dicky himself tore off hismess jacket with no very pleasant expression, dived into a workadaycostume, and grumbling at the ill fortune which had befallen himstumbled up on deck.
"Yes, sir," he cried, halting before the officer of the watch anddisplaying that smartness for which he was notorious. "Here, sir."
"Ah, Mr. Hamshaw, there's a Marconi in to say that someone's been lostjust outside the Needles. I can't get further information, and don'tknow what sort of a craft it is that has foundered, nor how many wereaboard. But it's urgent. Tumble into the pinnace and get out as fast asyou can steam. Don't return till you have thoroughly searched the waterout there."
"Yes, sir." Dicky's youthful heart leaped with delight. True, he longedfor that dinner which he was leaving. But this order entailed anindependent command, and Dicky loved that more than anything. "Yes,sir!" he repeated.
"And keep a lookout for another pinnace. The Admiral's sending one fromanother ship. There, off you go. I'll send down to the mess steward totell him to keep things going hot for you. Smartly does it."
Smartly was always the way aboard that ship, and particularly when DickyHamshaw was the officer. He tumbled down into the pinnace with therapidity almost of lightning. An active monkey would have been hard putto to beat him.
"Push off there for'ard!" he shouted. "Now, ahead. Give her steam,Perkins!"
The low-built pinnace went away from the ship's side into the night likea sleuthhound, and but for the light she carried at her bow was quicklyinvisible. They steamed out to the Needles at their fastest pace, andthen began slowly and thoroughly to circle the water outside, searchingevery yard of it as far as they were capable. And had they heard a cry?
"Sartin," declared Hawkins, when Dicky appealed to him after the spaceof a few minutes, and when the red glow from half a dozen pipes toldthat the men were taking advantage of the privilege of smoking. "I heardone a moment ago, faint-like, sir. Someone almost drowned already."
"Then
give 'em a call. Perhaps that'll rouse an answer," said Dickyanxiously. "Now, all together!"
A deep gruff call was sent up by the crew of the pinnace, Dicky's shrilltreble merging with the bass of the men. Then all listened, whilePerkins shut off steam and silenced his throbbing engines. Ah! A faintcry reached their ears.
"Starboard, sir, starboard," called Hawkins. "I'm certain."
"Sure," grunted Hurst, snatching his pipe from between his teeth. "Thereagain, sir--listen."
There could be no doubt that Mr. Midshipman Hamshaw and his men hadheard a call for help, and the sound, faint though it was, set them in afever. At a command from the officer, Perkins sent steam whizzing andhissing into his cylinders. Flames roared up the stumpy funnel of thepinnace, while the propeller thrashed the water into white foam at thestern, foam that could easily be seen in spite of the surroundingdarkness.
"Keep her away a couple of points then," shouted Dicky, leaning withboth hands on the gunwale of the craft and staring into the darkness."Keep a bright lookout forward there, and give me a shout if you seeanything. One thing's in our favour. There isn't another craft abouthere, so we can plug along at our fastest."
Perkins had no hesitation in giving all the available steam to hisengines. By then, the pinnace having been the better part of an hour onher journey, there was a fine head of steam, the gauge showing apressure which promised something approaching full power. It was not tobe wondered at, therefore, that the whole pinnace vibrated. The engineroared. The propeller behind even threw white foam into the afterportion of the vessel. And so, for perhaps five minutes, they continuedplunging into darkness, each man of the crew straining his eyes todetect something.
"Stop her! Let's listen again. Wait though--give another shout,"directed Dicky, and at the command once more a hoarse growl was sentacross the heaving water.
"Nothing, sir--not a sound," cried Hawkins, when they had listened afull two minutes. "Whoever it was who answered us before is drowned."
"No--I heard something. Silence!" called Dicky. "There! Hear it, any ofyou men?"
"Yes, sir. There it is again," cried Hurst, now filled with eagerness."Listen, sir--there again! Well, I'm blistered!"
It was one of the seaman's choicest expressions, reserved for moments ofunusual excitement. He let his still-smouldering pipe drop into a pocketand scratched his head with one rugged forefinger. And no wonder that hewas puzzled. A moment before he and Hawkins, and Dicky Hamshaw and theremaining members of his crew would one and all have declared that theyheard a shout come from a point almost directly ahead. They felt sure ofthe fact, could have made an oath upon it. And now it came from aloft,from the sky in fact.
"I'm blistered!" repeated Hurst, stupefied at such a strange occurrence."Must be a sort of echo, sir."
"Hardly likely. Why, there it comes again, and from the sea this timewithout doubt. Dead ahead, too. Put her at it, Perkins."
Once more the process of giving steam to the engine was repeated, andpresently the pinnace was tearing along through the water. Then of asudden her onward progress was arrested. She struck some object heavily,canted to one side till the water poured in over the gunwale, andrighted all in a moment. There was a tearing, grating noise for'ard,followed almost instantly by the hiss of water meeting somethingintensely hot, and by dense clouds of vapour.
"Holed, sir!" shouted Perkins. "There's water pouring in and floodingthe furnace. I'm up to my knees in it already."
"Stand by there! Get hold of that light, Seaton, and let's see what'sthe damage. Stand by there, men. This looks like a bad business."
Dicky did not plunge into hysterics. On the contrary he was as cool asone could possibly have wished. That the matter was serious he guessedat once, though his inexperience left him doubting what had actuallyhappened. However, the rapidly rising water within the pinnace, the factthat he already stood knee deep himself, went a long way to convince himthat his little command had met with an unfortunate accident. But he washardly prepared for the amazing swiftness of its termination. Hardly hadone of his men seized the light for'ard and held it aloft when, as ifthat was the prearranged signal, the pinnace filled, waves washed inover the gunwale while clouds of steam were shot from the furnace. Then,with a heave and a wriggle and an almost audible sob the pinnace shotaway from beneath the feet of the crew who had manned her. Perhaps onehalf-minute later Dicky's head appeared from beneath the water which hadsubmerged him. He opened his mouth and shouted:
"Stand by there, men! There's wreckage here. Hold on to it."
"Aye, aye, sir," came from Hawkins, his deep tones easily recognizable."Now, lads, answer to your names as I call 'em. Hurst."
"Here, sir."
"Perkins."
"Here, sir."
The answer was given with a gulp. Perkins was endeavouring to eject thevolume of water which he had so recently swallowed.
"Seaton, Carew, Tomkins."
"Here, sir! here, sir! here, sir!" came with varying degrees ofquickness, and for the most part in distinctly gasping fashion.
"All present and aboard, sir," cried Hawkins, using that formula byforce of habit. "All clinging tight, sir."
"But to what? And there's that shout again. This is getting beyond me,"declared the youthful Dicky, not in despondent tones it must bedeclared, for never was there a lighter-hearted nor more courageousindividual. But in a manner which showed that the speaker was sorelypuzzled. No wonder, too, for that elusive call sounded now as if it camefrom the sky again. It made the bulky Hurst actually tremble. He wasshivering already, for the water was cold, and this sudden immersion wasno joke under the circumstances. But now that call, three timesrepeated, sent a cold shiver down his back, as if someone had suddenlyadded a huge block of ice to the water.
"I'm jiggered," he stuttered, his strong teeth chattering. "From away upaloft. Why, there's a man here, sir, tied up to this here wreckage."
It was too dark to see more than an inch in front of one's nose, butHurst could feel, and rapidly ran his fingers over the form of a mansupported on the wreckage to which he and his companions were clinging.Was that wreckage the remains of a boat? Undoubtedly no. Then what wasit? Both Hawkins and Hurst endeavoured to elucidate what had become amystery. They ran their hands far and wide over spars and timber. Theystretched as far as they were able, while Dicky Hamshaw did likewise,puzzled beyond expression by the strangeness of his immediatesurroundings. And then that far-away cry again fell on his ear.
"Silence, men," he commanded, in his most peremptory manner. "Now, give'em a call--all together!"
The bellow which the half-submerged members of the crew sent out musthave penetrated some considerable distance. They waited for an answeringcry, and then were more completely bewildered. For of a sudden thedarkness overhead was split in twain by a beam of brilliant light, whichshot from a point far above them, a point so brilliant that they darednot gaze at it. A moment before they were struggling in the watersurrounded by the densest darkness. Now, they and a huge circle aboutthem were brilliantly illuminated, showing seven forlorn figures bobbingin the ocean about a mass of wreckage of curious formation secured towhich was the body of a man more forlorn than themselves. Dicky Hamshawwondered whether he were dreaming. He stretched out a hand and pulled atthe sleeve of that unconscious figure. And then he gazed aloft,wondering from whence that light came, who could have cast it upon them,and what manner of ship it was that floated there, invisible andstationary yet a ship for all that; for a man or men were aboard it.Cries had come from that direction, while their own shouts had beenfollowed by the sudden jet of light which now played about them. Was hedreaming indeed? or could that actually be the figure of a mandescending through the very centre of the beam towards them, descendingat a speed which made him giddy, treading steps which there was noseeing?
"Jingo!" he gasped. "This is getting too hot for anything. Why--why, theman's on a rope. Now, what in the dickens supports him?"
What indeed? Not one of the men clinging to that strange wr
eckage in thewater illuminated so wonderfully could guess to what class of vesselthat rope could be attached. For nothing was visible aloft save that onepenetrating eye, that brilliant orb which shot down upon them itsdazzling beams. Hurst shivered yet again. Even Mr. Midshipman Hamshawwas decidedly disconcerted and nonplussed by the uncanniness of thesituation. For that man, dangling from a rope, turning like a spiderhanging by a single thread, and swaying from side to side as the windcaught him, appeared to be supported by nothing in particular. And yethe was descending towards them at an amazing rate, and that too with noeffort on his own part. Someone above must be paying out the rope towhich he was attached. But who? Where was the spot from which he hadstarted? What sort of vessel hovered aloft?
"I'm hanged," ventured Dicky.
"It's just the queerest thing as ever I seed, sir," admitted Hawkins."But there's one thing I'm sure of. This here wreckage is what's left ofa waterplane. See there--one of the floats is on the top of the water.There's generally two, so one can guess that the other's foundered, andif it wasn't for this here one the whole affair would have sunk. It'slucky for us and lucky for the man here. French, sir."
"Yes," agreed the young officer. "Looks it. Hallo!"
His last exclamation had been drawn from him by the sudden discoverythat the man at the end of that strange rope was now within a matter often feet of him, swaying just overhead. In fact, in those few secondsduring which Dicky had turned to inspect the wreckage to which he wasclinging, the newcomer, descending as it were from the sky, had droppedto within speaking distance. Who was he? Of what nationality?
"Ahoy!" shouted Dicky, nothing daunted. "Where do you come from?"
A face looked down upon him, a face cast into shadow by that brilliantbeam from above, and yet distinguishable to some extent by reason of thereflection from the water. It was a bearded face, that of a man in hisearly prime, strong, reliant, and dauntless, and bearing an expressionfamiliar to the young officer. Did he know this man? Impossible.
"Who's that?" came in stentorian tones.
"Mr. Midshipman Hamshaw, sir," bellowed Hawkins, taking upon himself toanswer; "he and the crew of the steam pinnace away from the Solent.We've struck against the wreck of a waterplane, and the pinnace hasfoundered."
"All present, I hope?"
"Aye, aye, sir!" shouted Dicky, for without a doubt the man above was anaval officer. He had the cut of a nautical man from head to foot,while whoever saw a man hang so comfortably in midair at the end of buta single rope but a sailor?
"And you can stick tight for a while?"
"Certainly," answered Dicky.
"Then hang on; I'll be down again in a minute."
The man waved his hand. There came a cry from far up aloft, and then thedangling figure was whisked upward at express speed, for all the worldas if he were seated in an elevator going aloft in a New Yorkskyscraper.
"I'm jiggered!" gasped Hurst, silenced up till now by the novelty of thesituation. "Why, look what's coming."
Down through the very centre of the beam, appearing once more to haveactually no point of support, there dropped a wide platform, over oneedge of which a man's head protruded. At lightning speed it fell towardsthe wreckage, halting abruptly within two feet of the water as the mansignalled. Then it dropped a few inches lower, while a hand wasstretched out to Hawkins.
"Come aboard," that same cheerful, brisk voice commanded. "Where's theofficer?"
"Here, sir," shouted Dicky.
"How many men are you responsible for?"
"Six, sir; and this fellow lashed to the wreckage."
"Good! Then we'll soon finish this business. Now, on you come."
Very rapidly was the crew of the pinnace transferred to this strangeplatform, and following them the unconscious figure of the man they hadcome out to rescue.
"Hold tight!" came the order.
"Tight it is, sir," responded Hawkins.
"Then hoist."
The stranger signalled. Dicky felt the platform move upward. Then itshot towards the sky, while of a sudden the beam died out, leaving themall in darkness. It sent a chill down his back. Even the jovial andcareless midshipman was impressed by the uncouthness of this adventure.Where was this stranger bearing them? What was to be the end of thisamazing rescue?