CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT.
Several days had passed, and the _Sea Hawk_ was still among theclustering islands of the Archipelago. Twice she had attempted toescape from them on her voyage to Cephalonia; but each time she had beendriven back by the appearance of suspicious sails to the westward, whichher captain believed to be British men-of-war, cruising in search ofhim.
Men were stationed all day and night on the yard-arms, and topmast-headsto look out for the first faint outline of a ship; yet, not as before,in the hopes of falling in with a richly-laden merchantman, but for thepurpose of avoiding her, lest she should prove to be one of the manyenemies on the watch to destroy them. The wind also no longer favouredthem, but shifting to the westward, had aided to baffle them in theirefforts to escape. Zappa prayed again for the gale, which had soopportunely arisen to enable him to force his way out of the harbour ofLissa; but now when he equally needed it, and had no evil purpose inview, when better intentions had been formed and better feelings hadarisen, it refused to blow. Either contrary winds or calms had alwaysbeen met with, and till he had a prospect of a quick run, it would befolly to venture out from amid the islets, which now sheltered him. Hewas afraid of anchoring, or of remaining off any place for an hourtogether, lest an enemy should suddenly appear and give him no time tomake sail to escape. He seldom went below, but wrapped in his cloak hethrew himself on the deck, when weary nature required rest, to be readyat a moment's call. His days and nights were full of toil, care, andwatchfulness, and thus the time wore on. It was a lovely day; the skywas of the most intense blue, without a cloud or speck to dim itsbrilliancy; the sea calm as a mirror, and reflecting the hue of thebright canopy above, was of so crystal a clearness that the eye seemedcapable of piercing to its very lowest depths; the sun shone forth withglowing splendour, and the wind of the gentle zephyr, which came fromthe west, blew with a balmy softness, incapable of ruffling the water,or of forcing through it the pirate brig. Her sails, spread to catchthe first breath of a stronger breeze, now hung almost idle from theyards, or ever and anon gave a loud flap of impatience against themasts.
Blue islands rose out of the water on every side of the ship; someextending a considerable distance along the horizon, others, merehillocks, appearing above it; and besides the more distant islands,several islets were seen, mostly barren rocks, some of a mile in length,and others of a few hundred yards; the largest only being of a heightsufficient to conceal a vessel behind them. Some were broken intopicturesque forms, and their sides sprinkled with moss and lichens, orcoarse grass, and a few low shrubs looked green and inviting at a littledistance--a deception which a nearer approach quickly dissipated. Hereand there also black lines and spots might be seen on the surface, beingthe summit of coral reefs, which, with any sea, were entirely concealedby the wild foaming surf breaking over them; and though the greaternumber of these were almost flush with the water, or below it, a fewrose as much as five or ten feet above it. As may be supposed, novessel would venture into this locality, unless those on board were wellacquainted with its numerous hidden dangers.
To increase them still further, strong currents set among the islands,running towards various quarters, accordingly as they encountered theopposition of the rocks, either above or below the surface, so that itwas impossible, from the appearance of the land, to say in whichdirection the vessel, exposed to their influence, would next be carried.Into one of these currents, the _Sea Hawk_ had now got, and though sheappeared to be stationary in the water, she was being driven on at arapid rate past the land to the westward. Her captain, however,apprehended no danger--he had every rock and shoal mapped out in hismind far more correctly than on any chart in existence, and he feltconfident of being able to avoid them; and thus, though the airs camefrom the westward, the brig was carried bodily to windward, and steerageway was just kept on her.
The heat of the cabin was so great, that Ada and Nina had been forced ondeck, over the after part of which an awning had been spread to shelterthem from the sun--and there they sat, silent and sad, for the longdelay which had occurred had depressed their spirits, and filled theirimaginations with forebodings of coming evil.
Paolo stood by himself, leaning over the quarter-rail, and gazing, witha vacant listlessness, at the sea; no one speaking to him, and henoticing no one.
Zappa slowly paced the deck, every now and then stopping to watch theprogress of the vessel, and to issue his orders to the helmsman or sailtrimmers, who were at their stations ready for any emergency; but thoughevery sail, to her royals, were set, with that light wind, a few handsonly were required to box about the yards, as it became necessary tokeep the vessel away, or haul her more up, to avoid the rocks and shoalsas they presented themselves.
Looking at that beautiful fabric, as she floated proudly on the waters,and observing the skill with which she was handled, it was difficult tosuppose that danger of any kind, beyond what I have mentioned, couldmenace her.
Zappa himself felt secure, for he knew that none of his enemies couldhere approach him unawares; or, if they daringly ventured into thatlabyrinth of dangers, he could easily elude them, or entice them totheir destruction. However, a strict look out for the appearance of anysail was, as usual, kept; but all his attention was occupied in conningthe vessel through the intricate passage he had selected, in order thusto make some progress on his voyage.
"If this dreadful state of uncertainty endure much longer, I feel thatit will kill me," said Nina, taking Ada's hand, and looking into herface, as if to read the effect her words produced. Her dim, sunken eye,and the hectic spot on her faded cheek, gave sad token that her wordswere too likely to be fulfilled. "For your sake, dear friend, I willtry to live, and for his sake also. I would not quit him, even foranother and a better world, till I was assured that he had forsaken thesinful and dangerous path he has, alas, so long followed. It is anawful thing to think that he whom one loves, better far than one's-self,may be speedily hurried to his eternal doom, without a prayer forforgiveness--a hope in the future. I would not be separated from him,and yet I dare not wish to bear him company; though I feel that, blackas are his crimes, my guilt is even greater. I deserted a fond father--I broke his heart, Ada, and can such a one as I hope for Heaven? Willthe suffering, the agony of heart, I have endured, be any atonement inthe sight of God? Oh, promise me, Ada, that should death claim me ashis own, you will strive, by every means in your power, to lead him backto virtue--to preserve him from the ignominy, the punishment which, evenI acknowledge, he has deserved at the hands of his fellow-men."
Ada Garden roused herself from her own despondency, to soothe thefeelings of her friend. She endeavoured to persuade her that herprognostications regarding her own death were probably groundless; andthough she did not seek to lessen her horror of the crime she hadcommitted, she pointed out to her the merciful promises held forth inthe sacred writings, that her repentance was of more value than hersufferings; that the latter was sent by a kind Heaven to produce theformer feeling, and that, trusting in Him who died for all, she mighthope confidently for pardon, and remission of her sins. She assured herof her own belief, that Heaven is not deaf to those who pray that thosethey love may be made to repent; and she entreated her, if on thataccount alone, to live for her husband's sake.
"And, Nina," she continued, "what a weak girl--what one situated as I amcan do, I will do for your husband; and more, I will entreat CaptainFleetwood, not only to save him from punishment, but to use every meansin order to persuade him to repent of the past, and to follow a nobleand virtuous course of life."
In this manner the two lovely girls had conversed for some time in tonesnot above a whisper, lest it should be heard by him whom it mostconcerned, when an exclamation of terror escaped the lips of Nina, and,seizing Ada's arm with a convulsive grasp, she pointed over the larboardside of the vessel, where a sight met their view, which was, indeed,sufficient to make the stoutest heart quail.
Meantime the captain stood near the weather gangway, d
irecting, as Isaid, the course of the vessel, with his first mate by his side, whom hehad called to him to point out the danger yet to be passed; while, as aprecautionary, and, indeed, usual measure on such occasions, hands werestationed at the jib-boom end, and at the weather foreyard-arm, to givetimely notice of any rocks which might lie in their course beneath thewater, from the beautiful clearness of which they were discernable, eventhough many feet from the surface, at a considerable distance. Thebrig's head was to the southward, and all eyes were thus turned towindward, or in the direction towards which she was drifting with thecurrent, and no one thought of looking on the lee side, from which nopossible danger was apprehended.
"We have done well to come here, Baldo," observed Zappa to his mate."We are here far more secure than in any harbour in the world; for noone but a mariner of our own islands would venture his ship among thesereefs. See yonder black ledge, which shows its threatening summit a fewfeet only above the water--there is a passage between it and anotherreef further to the southward, through which we shall easily pass,provided the wind does not fail us altogether; and if so, we must rousethe hands up and take to our sweeps."
"It is a dangerous place, though, captain, and one I would rather notventure into, unless I was very sure of my weather," replied the mate."Even now, if it was to come on to blow, it would be no easy matter toget clear."
"No fear of that, my friend; I who brought the craft into this placewill take her safely out again, let the wind blow with its greatestfury. A gale is what we have day and night been praying for; and letone come, the gallant _Sea Hawk_ will brave it, and laugh at herenemies. But tell me, Baldo, how do the people like this hide-and-seeklife? It is not what they have been accustomed to under my command."
"They wonder what your intentions are," answered the mate. "They saythat, by sailing westward, as you propose, we are more likely to meetwith our enemies, than if we kept among the islands to the northward,where we have friends."
"The very reason I would avoid the locality," said Zappa. "We shallcertainly be sought for there; whereas, no one will expect to find us inthe broad seas to the west; and remind them besides, that where we aregoing, we shall, without doubt, fall in with some richly-ladenmerchantmen, which will amply repay all hands for their losses."
"There is reason in that, captain; I dare say it will content the men,"said the mate. "But while I am on the subject, there is anothercomplaint which they have to make."
"What is it?" asked the pirate, angrily, for he did not like his mate'stone. "I love not to hear complaints."
"The stranger lady," replied the mate.
"Well, what of her?" inquired the captain.
"She has brought us all into this scrape," continued Baldo.
"So it is said, is it?" remarked the captain, with a dark frown.
"No one knows why she was brought on board," continued the mate,speaking fast, to say what he wished, before any further interruptionoccurred. "Some say that Signor Paolo brought her here; but it issupposed that he did so according to your orders."
"They do, do they?" said Zappa, compressing his lips. "And now, tell wewhat would they have done?"
"They would have you get rid of her," answered the mate, boldly.
"It is what I am about to do," returned the captain. "I purpose landingher at Cephalonia."
"What, without a ransom!" exclaimed Baldo.
"With or without a ransom, as the case may be," said Zappa, coldly.
"If without a ransom, there would be a more speedy way of getting rid ofher, and would better satisfy them," observed the mate, with a doggedlook, in which a certain amount of fear was mingled, with audacity. "Wewant no women on board--all has gone ill when we have had them," hemuttered, in a lower tone, which the captain, however, did not fail tohear.
"Speak out--what mean you?" he asked fiercely.
"That the deep sea will be the safest place for her, where she will nottrouble us more," exclaimed the mate, half trembling as he uttered thewords, for there was something in Zappa's look which warned him he hadbetter not say them.
Somewhat to his surprise, however, his captain suppressed whateverfeelings inspired him.
"And such is the wish of the crew, that I should destroy an innocentgirl, who has trusted to me, and, perhaps, they would desire me to castmy wife also into the sea, to gratify their anger, because we have metwith a reverse to which all are subject. Well, tell them I will thinkabout the matter."
"They insist on having your instant decision, captain. Some of themhave friends in an island not far off, and they declare that they willland, and leave you and the craft to take care of each other, if yourefuse to grant their request. Some even venture to whisper words aboutdeposing you, and sending you to look after your mistresses."
"And you, the loudest whisperer of them all," exclaimed the pirate, in afierce tone, so loud, that, had not those to whom it related beenabsorbed in their own conversations, they must have been startled by it."That I slay you not this instant, you have to thank the criticalposition in which the ship is placed. Go, tell them that I, Zappa,their chief, intend to remain their captain as long as the _Sea Hawk_floats proudly on the ocean, or till I absolve them from theirallegiance. Go, tell them this, and think well before you again ventureto be the bearer of such a message from the crew. First, get a pull onthe braces; we must luff all we can, to get through yonder passage."
Baldo, without venturing to answer, hurried to execute the order; and,as soon as the yards were braced sharp up, after giving a glance at hischief, who he had so lately been accustomed, to fear, that he feltsurprised at his own audacity, he went below to consult with hiscoadjutors what was to be done. He cunningly had taken advantage of hischief's late want of success, to ingratiate himself with the people, andhad employed all the ordinary arts of a demagogue to weaken theauthority of the man he wished to supplant; and he now gave the answerto their message, with such exaggerations and alterations as he judgedwould best suit his purpose, and inflame the minds of his hearers to theproper pitch for executing his mutinous designs. He had, somewhat tothe surprise of Zappa, who, however, soon fathomed his reasons,pretended to be ignorant of the navigation of the passage, through whichthey were winding their way, that he might thus throw him morecompletely off his guard. The largest portion of the crew had been wonover, and they were now summoned below to hear the decision of the rest,and to put their plan into immediate execution. This may be guessed at;it involved the instant destruction of their chief, as well as of theunprotected girl, whom he refused to sacrifice to their fears.
Baldo had marked the ill-starred Nina as his own; and Paolo, who hadalways been a favourite, and had never made an enemy, they intended topreserve as useful to them in his former capacity of surgeon. Thus itis, that the lawless can never depend for an instant on each other.
Zappa still stood at his post, issuing the necessary orders; and,although gloomy forebodings were on his mind, he resolutely determinedto dare the worst, rather than yield. He marked the mutineers graduallygliding off below, each man eyeing him as he went, still fearful ofbeing perceived, till, at last, the stations of many of them weredeserted; and he saw that, should any duty suddenly be required of them,there were not hands to perform it.
"This must not be," he muttered. "They have already carried things toofar. I must recover my authority now, or I lose it, and am destroyed."
He gave a look to windward to see that the vessel was in no danger forsome minutes to come, and was advancing to the main hatchway, with hissword in his hand, intending to spring down boldly among the mutineers,and bring the matter to a crisis, by daring them to attack him, when hiseye glanced, for an instant, to leeward. That instant was sufficient tocreate far greater alarm in his mind than had his mutinous crew.
"All hands on deck. Up men, for your lives, up! Clew up, haul down!Brace round the after-yards! Up with the helm!"
To the eastward, hitherto unobserved, a small, white cloud had appeared,no bigger tha
n a man's hand. With almost the velocity of a thunderboltit darted across the sky, expanding as rapidly, till, as it approached,it seemed like a vast bank of white mist, to which the rays of the sun,now past the meridian, gave a bright and shining appearance, the seabelow, as if swept up by its base, curling in huge, foaming waves, andovertopping, with an angry roar, the reefs it encountered, as it bubbledand hissed in its onward course, while it sent before it, flying highinto the air, a sheet of spray, which, almost as soon as seen, envelopedthe doomed vessel. It was the _Sea Hawk's_ pall. The intendingmutineers, startled by the fierce ringing tones of their commander'svoice, attempted, in a mass, to rush up the main hatchway; at first,with the purpose of executing their foul project; but, in an instant, asthe roar of the tempest struck their ears, and they felt the motion ofthe vessel, with wild energy, in the hopes of preserving their worthlesslives, one man impeded the other; the bond of union was no longerthought of--the fear of their own death, not the wish to destroyanother, now urged them on. Those who had first seized the coamingstrove to spring on deck, while those below grasped them fast; and fewonly succeeded in freeing themselves in the struggle, which seemed forexistence.
The moment that their services might have availed was lost, if any powercould have saved the vessel; those more faithful to their trust, who hadremained on deck, flew to the halyards and braces; but, before theycould let go the first, or haul away on the others, the white squall wasupon them. The sails were taken flat aback, and the yards pressedagainst the mast would not start. Down, down she went over on herstarboard side, like a tall reed bent by the wind. Her bowsprit and thecanvas stretched on it flew to leeward. Her head turned a few points tothe eastward--she made a stern-board--the water rushed in torrents upher decks and into her hold--the foam flew wildly over her side, andshrieks, and cries, and oaths, extorted by the agony of despair, escapedfrom her maddened crew, as they beheld their inevitable doom.
As Zappa saw the fury of the squall, he felt that all his skill and allhis courage would avail him as nought to save the _Sea Hawk_. In this,his last dire extremity, no craven fear filled his heart, and though forhis own life he cared not, he remembered that there were others whoselives depended on him. To fly towards the stern before the vessel'sdeck had become completely perpendicular, was the work of one moment,while in the next he dragged Ada and Nina, who, almost unconsciously,were holding on, by what were now the weather bulwarks, to the outsideof the vessel. In this task he was aided by Paolo, when the loud criesof "The ship is sinking, the ship is sinking," uttered by the seamen,and the roar of the tempest had aroused from his apathy, and who hadsprung to the side of the two beings most dear to him on earth, with thethought rather of dying with them than of having even the power of beingof any assistance to them. The dreadful position in which they wereplaced was sufficient to paralyse the heart of the bravest, and theterror of the two girls was further increased by the shrieks of thedrowning wretches which reached their ears. They now clung withconvulsive energy to the quarter-rail, their feet partly supported bythe sill of the after-port, and though expecting instant death, theystill, with the impulse which the weakest as well as the strongest feel,endeavoured to preserve their lives. Nina was almost unconscious, butAda Garden still retained her faculties unimpaired, and though she thusmore acutely perceived the dangers which surrounded her, she was betterable to exert herself for her preservation; yet, in that wild vortex ofwater, and with a sinking ship alone to rest on, what hope was there?Poor girl--in that moment how many thoughts passed rapidly through hermind. Death to her could have few terrors, but life had many joys, pureand bright, and even these, presented to her mind in all their glowingcolours, yet she tried to banish earthly things, to contemplate the lifeeternal, towards which she was hastening, to offer up a prayer to Heavenfor herself, and for those who were being hurried to their doom withher--she prayed as earnestly for herself as for them, for it did notoccur to her that she had less need of prayer than they, and who willventure to pronounce that she had?--her advantages had been many, theirsfew. Yet, do all she could, that image of one so truly loved wouldpresent itself to her eyes, and it added many an additional pang to herheart, to feel the bitter grief her loss would inflict on him. Months,years would pass away, her fate unknown, he still would be vainlysearching for her throughout those seas, till, perchance, some spars, orpart of the hull, might be washed on some distant shore, and recognised,and a rumour might reach his ears of the destruction of the pirate'sbark, and the suspicions of her doom might at length be confirmed. Thisthought was, perhaps, the most cruel she had to bear. These and manymore passed through her mind more rapidly than I have taken to writethem.
"She sinks, she sinks!" was the only intelligible cry which reached herears.
"She does not sink," was heard in answer, in Zappa's deep-toned voice."She floats still--come aft here, and aid me in lowering thisquarter-boat into the water."
The men he spoke to who were in the fore-rigging, could scarcely hearhis words, but they comprehended his signs and intentions. Eight ofthem came aft to assist him in lowering the boat, a light gig lashed tothe main rigging. Paolo remained with his sister and her friend, to aidthem in holding on in their perilous position, in which they werefurther assisted by some ropes which Zappa had fastened to the rail, andplaced in their hands. The operation required great caution, as theonly chance of her swimming was to launch her on the lee-side, or, as itwere, in board. The attempt was made. All looked on with anxiety, forthey saw that on its success their lives depended--the boat gone, theyhad no other hope of being preserved. The lashings were cut adrift, theboat was lifted up to stand on her keel, on the rigging, and her sternwas slewed round for launching, when a wave, larger than any which hadyet struck the vessel, came roaring towards them.
"Hold on for your lives, hold on," cried Zappa.
Some heard him, others, paralysed with fear, let go their hold of therigging, and the boat, torn from their grasp, was carried over the side,and being stove to pieces, was washed far away from them, while severalunfortunate wretches found at the same time a watery grave.
"Lost--all lost!" was the general cry, and this time the captain did notcontradict them. The coolest and the bravest abandoned all hope. Thefoaming waves dashed wildly over the vessel, the wind roared, the thickmist enveloped them with its funereal pall; down, down she went, when aloud crash was heard, the stout timbers and planks were rent and tornasunder; he lifted on the summit of a wave, the bow was seen to twistand writhe, and separating from the after part, to sink in the foamingwhirlpool, while the stern was cast with terrific violence on therocks--another wave lifted it yet higher, and there it remained securelyand immovably fixed, though with difficulty the few survivors couldmaintain their hold. Still their prospect of salvation was smallindeed. Another wave might come and wash them off, or dash their lastplace of refuge into a thousand fragments.
Every instant they expected the coming of the fatal wave; but sea aftersea whirled foaming by them, making their eyes giddy, and sickeningtheir hearts with apprehension; yet instead of increasing, each seemeddiminished in size.
The last effort of the white squall had been made--its fury was appeasedwith the sacrifice offered to it. Onward it passed, clothed in itsmantle of glittering mist, to other realms: the blue sky appeared, thetroubled sea subsided into calmness; and the trembling beings who clungto the shattered wreck beheld, close to them, a reef of black rocksrising some four or five feet above the surface of the water.
"Courage, my Nina--courage, lady!" exclaimed Zappa. They were the firstwords he had uttered for some time. "A seaman, with abundance of planksand a few feet of firm rock on which to plant his foot, should neverdespair. Stay where you are for a few minutes, while I try to find a_more_ secure resting-place for you."
As he said this, he stood up on the side of the vessel, to examine theirposition. They had struck on the very centre of the reef, forming oneside of the channel, through which the _Sea Hawk_ had been endeavour
ingto pass, and at the only part which was any height above the water;perhaps, indeed, not another spot could have been found which could haveso securely wedged in the stern, as to have prevented its following therest of the vessel to the bottom.
The nearest land where assistance might be obtained was some ten milesoff to the southward and westward, and in that direction the current Ihave spoken of was setting. To the north were interminable reefs andshoals, from which direction no vessel could approach them; nor was itprobable, indeed, that a craft of any description would pass near them,as few even of the Greek vessels ever came that way, and the utmost theycould hope for was to be seen by some fishing-boat belonging to theneighbouring island.
This occurred to the pirate as he stood up to look around him.Steadying himself, he walked to the end of the taffrail, which he foundhung directly over a lodge of rock communicating with the main reef.Securing the end of a rope to the quarter-rail, he lowered himself downto the rock, and found that there was tolerably firm footing on it, andthat it would be easy to carry to it a rope-ladder, from where Ada andNina were clinging, by which they might descend with tolerable security,and from thence gain the main rock, which embraced an area of somehundred square yards or so. Having made this discovery, he againclimbed up to the wreck--of the whole crew of the _Sea Hawk_, but six,besides himself and Paolo, now remained alive. The others had eitherbeen drowned in the hold of the vessel as she first capsized, or hadsubsequently been washed off, or carried away with the bow when itparted.
The corpses of some of the latter were still seen floating about in theeddy round the rocks, and a few more wretched survivors were perceivedclinging to portions of the wreck, and carried by the current far awayfrom their companions, who had no power of rendering them anyassistance. Ada Garden shuddered as she witnessed their dreadful fate;and yet she felt that her own and that of those with her might not bepreferable, but at the same time she and they had been as yet almostmiraculously preserved, contrary to all expectation; and she could nothelp still indulging in the belief that, by some means or other, theirdeliverance might be achieved.
On Zappa's return to the wreck, he roused up his men, who still clung toit, stupified with terror, and ordered them to exert themselves fortheir own preservation, as well as for the rest of the survivors.
They had been so long accustomed to obey his voice, that they quicklyreturned to their senses. The mainmast had gone, as had the mainchains, but part of the main rigging, the backstays and shrouds stillhung on to the wreck, and these he ordered them to haul up, and bysecuring the shrouds to the stern, and carrying the other end to therocks, he formed an easy means of communication, by which Ada and Ninacould gain the main rock. They accomplished the passage without fear;and as they found their feet resting once more on firm ground, althoughit was a barren rock, they followed the natural impulse of their hearts,and bent down on their knees to return thanks to the Great Being who hadpreserved them.
The hardened pirates, unused as they were to prayer, felt the genialinfluence, and at the spot where each happened at the moment to be, theystopped in the work in which they were engaged, and knelt likewise in anendeavour to imitate them in act, if not in feeling.
"To work, my friends," exclaimed Zappa. "We have no prospect of releasefrom hence, unless we can construct a raft by which we may escape, whilethe calm which has now returned continues. I tell you, one hour'smoderate gale would render the spot on which we stand untenable, and wemust all perish; but do not despair, we may, if we employ our time toadvantage, form out of the wreck a raft, which will, with perfectsecurity, convey us to yonder island, where we may find shelter andprotection among friends who will gladly receive us."
The men, on hearing their chief's address, expressed their willingnessto obey him. His first care was to collect such articles as werefloating about in the water near them, and others which had been thrownon different parts of the rock. Among them were chests, and casks, andspars, some of the running rigging, and two or three of the lightersails, which had floated attached to the spars. The most welcome andthe most important prize was a cask of water--the second was a cask ofbiscuit which had been taken out of an English vessel, and there weretwo or three of olives; some boxes of figs, rather the worse for theirimmersion in salt water, but still very acceptable, and two trunks ofwearing apparel, which had come on board with the biscuits--altogether,on surveying the provisions, there appeared sufficient to last them withcare for several days. Tools, with which to cut up the wreck to formthe raft, were the next great desideratum, and the carpenter's chestcould not be found. They hunted in all directions without success, tillat last, in despair, they began to tear up the bulwarks with theirhands, as making a commencement of collecting materials. On doing so,great was their satisfaction on finding three boarding axes secured withbeckets to the side. They had now tools to enable them to progressfaster with the work. They ripped off all the planking from thebulwarks, and cut up as much of the deck as was above water, and by thismeans got into one of the larboard cabins just before the bulkhead ofthe state cabin. It had been occupied by the chief mate, and in it werefound another axe, some nails, and several carpenters' tools, as well asa coil of small line, which was very useful for lashing the variousparts of the raft together. As the materials were collected they werecarried to the rock, and in a short time the captain considered thatthey had sufficient to commence operations, as with the few people itwould have to carry, a small raft only was necessary. They first lashedsome of the spars they had saved, together, forming an oblong square,while others where placed diagonally to strengthen the framework, andthe stoutest was secured beneath to form a keel. As their strengthwould afterwards have been unequal to the task, they were obliged tolaunch it before they commenced planking it over, and they then securedit on the west side of the reef, as it was in that direction theyproposed going, and the water was there much smoother than on the other,where it was still agitated by the effects of the squall.
The spar used for the keel was the upper part of the mainmast, or ratherthe topmast--for, it must be remembered, she was a polacca-riggedcraft--and which had been broken completely off when the lower shroudswent over it; and as this was considerably longer than the raft, plankswere fastened to each corner of the square to both the ends, so as toform a pointed bow and stern.
Several casks were picked up which had lost their contents, and thesewere now bunged up afresh, and secured on either side of the framework,and this being done, the business of planking over the whole nowcommenced. Nails were little used or required, and it was found moresecure and expeditious to lash the ends of each plank down to theframework, securing it also in the middle; and on the top of these,others were placed at right angles, and either lashed or nailed down tothem, till the whole was exhausted, thus forming a solid and somewhatstrong mass of planking, sufficient, it was to be hoped, to bear them tothe island they wished to reach.
On the top of this the chests were placed on either side to serve asbulwarks, one being secured in the centre on a platform of planks, forAda and Nina to sit on, and round it were arranged the casks of waterand provisions which had been hauled out of the water. Some of thesmaller spars had been reserved for other purposes. Out of one wasformed a mast, out of another a yard, on which the maintop-gallant-sail, somewhat reduced, was spread to form a sail. Fromthree oars, a rudder and two oars were manufactured, and a fourth waskept to pole off from any rocks towards which they might be driven.Altogether, a very complete raft was constructed, much superior to manywhich have borne wave-tossed mariners for days or weeks together on thebroad waters of the Atlantic. Not till every arrangement was made didZappa and his followers desist from their labour.
Meantime Ada and Nina had not been neglected, and the pirate seemed tobe endeavouring to make such amends as were in his power for his pastconduct. On the further end of the rock a tent was erected with some ofthe sails, which had been saved, and a case of female wearing apparelwas placed within it to enable t
hem to clothe themselves, while theirown dresses were drying in the sun, which, when spread out on the hotrock, a very few minutes sufficed to do. Paolo had also collected smallpieces of wood, which dried quickly, and he then piled them together tobe in readiness to light a fire should it be required.
The formation of the raft afforded them ample matter of interest, and asthey sat there, secure and without discomfort, on that solitary rock,with the ocean smiling calmly around them, the awful event, which soshort a time before had cast them there, seemed almost like a dream,which is, with difficulty, recalled to the recollection.
Such food as could be prepared, they were supplied with; but, as may besupposed, they were little inclined to partake of it, nor would they,perhaps, have done so, had they not felt the importance of sustainingtheir strength to enable them to undergo the dangers and exposure towhich they saw they would most probably be subjected.
Thus the day passed rapidly away, and the sun was already vergingtowards the horizon, by the time the raft was completed. It was now toolate, Zappa asserted, to embark, and by waiting for the early dawn, theymight have the whole of a day to perform the voyage without the risk ofbeing exposed at night on the raft, and might hope, with certainty, toreach the island before sunset.
The men willingly agreed to their chief's proposal, while the remainderof the party had no choice, but to submit had they objected to it; butit seemed so reasonable, that, anxious as they were to reach a moresecure position, they uttered no complaint at his decision.
The tent was, therefore, secured and strengthened, and a flooring formedinside it, on which were placed the portions of sail which had beencollected and dried, and the clothing from the chests, so as to make acouch, which, although very rude, afforded a resting-place, for whichthe two poor girls were most grateful.
Paolo stationed himself outside the tent, at a short distance only fromthem, and Zappa arranged a resting-place among the casks of water, andthe provisions, and chests, which he had taken care should not beembarked. The men, after a supply of food had been served out to them,huddled together, wrapped up in their _capotes_, on the bare rock, nearwhere they had been working, and held a whispered conversation together,which lasted for some time after darkness covered the face of the deep.Paolo's mind, troubled and unhinged with the thoughts of the past, andthe darkening prospect of the future, for long refused to allow sleep tovisit his eyelids. He listened to ascertain whether his sister and MissGarden were still awake; but from the perfect silence in their tent, hetrusted that they had been more blessed. He then stood up to look roundthe rock. The irate chief was sitting on a chest, with his arms foldedacross is breast, and apparently, from his upright position, still fullof care, and on the watch on all around. The people had thrownthemselves down where they had been sitting, and seemed to be fastasleep. The sea was calm, as it had been in the morning before thesquall; and, though no moon was up, the myriads of stars, whichglittered in the sky, threw a light over it even to a far distance, andenabled him to discern many of the reefs and rocky islets whichsurrounded them, while close at hand was seen, like a skeleton of somehuge monster of the deep, the last remnant of the once gallant _SeaHawk_.
Wearied with standing, Paolo again sunk down on the rock. He was awokeby a voice which he knew to be that of Zappa.
"Rouse up, Paolo!" he said. "You have taken your share of sleep, and Iwould fain snatch some moments of rest to prepare me for the toils ofto-morrow; and yet I dare not sleep without leaving some one in whom Ican confide on the watch."
"Why, what mean you?" asked Paolo, starting up. "I will gladly watch--but what have you to fear? Surely, no enemies are near us."
"Ah! you know not what was nearly occurring this morning, or you wouldnot ask the question," said Zappa, in a tone of bitterness. "See youyonder six men. Are they, think you, friends or enemies? I tell you Ido not trust them. Not long ago, I would have trusted them, as I wouldhave trusted their comrades who have gone to their account; and yet theywere about to destroy those two defenceless girls and you, and me, theirchief. Ah! you start! You doubtless think the shipwreck we havesuffered is a misfortune; and yet, I tell you, Paolo, that I believe byit our lives have been preserved. I can trust to you, Paolo; and whileI sleep you must watch. To add to our security, light a small fire withthe wood you collected, and keep yourself awake by feeding it. Shouldany of them move, they will clearly be seen; and perceiving that you areawake, it will make them hesitate what to do. They know also that Ihave arms--and that my pistols are never unloaded--and that you can callme in a moment, to use them. Two hours' sleep will be sufficient forme--you can, I hope, watch for that time."
Paolo assured Zappa that he would keep a faithful watch, for all theirsakes; and then, aided by him, he lighted a fire between themselves andthe men, while he kept a store of wood on their side to feed it as itbegan to decay. The pirate, wrapping himself in a cloak, immediatelythrew himself down among the stores, and was instantly fast asleep. AsPaolo stood by the fire he thought that he beheld the tall masts andwhite sails of a ship gliding by, but she took no notice of the fire anddisappeared in the darkness. Thus the night passed on. He no longerfelt any sleepiness; and, as the pirate chief slept soundly, he couldnot bring himself to awaken him. The first faint streaks of dawn hadjust appeared in the sky when Zappa started up.
"What has occurred? Why did not you summon me. Paolo?" he exclaimed."Ah! you were unwilling to awaken the angry lion. I thank you, though,for your consideration. You have kept our watch-fire in well, Iperceive. Throw more wood on it, and we will presently kindle such ablaze as will light us on our way before the sun arises. Go, call yoursister and the English girl, your voice will alarm them less than mine.I will rouse up my traitorous followers--for we must be away from hencewithout delay. We know not what weather the morning's sun may bring."
It was still almost as dark as at midnight, when Paolo summoned the twoladies. They soon made their appearance, prepared for their perilousvoyage, and refreshed by their night's slumber, notwithstanding theirextraordinary position and the rudeness of their couch.
Zappa's first care was to arrange the provisions in the centre of theraft; over them he erected the tent, which, though much reduced in size,afforded sufficient shelter for the ladies. He then summoned them totake the seats he had arranged; but it was not without some fear andhesitation that they left the firm rock for so frail an ark, and it wasnot till Ada recollected the danger of remaining, that she couldpersuade herself to go on board, followed by Nina.
Leaving them under charge of Paolo, Zappa summoned his men, and each ofthem was seen to take a bundle of the burning embers in their hands, andto proceed with them to the ship. Once again they came back for moreembers, and the remainder of the wood, and almost before they couldreturn to the ship, a bright volume of flame was seen to burst forthfrom every part of the wreck. The pirate hurried on board, followed byhis men. Two went on either side to work the oars; the others tendedthe halyards and sheet, while he stood at the helm. The ropes whichsecured the raft to the rock were cast off, the crew gave way with theoars, the sail was hoisted to catch a light northerly air, and a strongshove sent it gliding through the water at a rapid rate.
"Farewell, farewell," exclaimed Zappa, turning round to gaze at theburning wreck. "No enemy can now boast that they have made a prize ofthe bark which has for so long been the terror of the seas, nor even ofher shattered timbers. Long, long will it be before your like is metwith again."
The raft glided onward, guided by the flames. The light was seen faroff by many eyes; but little wist they at the time that there wasconsuming the last remnant of the long much dreaded _Sea Hawk_.