CHAPTER XV
THE CASTAWAYS OF THE GULF
"It vos der earthkvake!" yelled Hans, as he scrambled to his feet."Der oceans vos all busted up alretty! Safe me!" And he ran for thecabin doorway.
"We must have struck something in the fog!" cried Dick, as he, too,arose. "Oh!"
Another crash had come, heavier than the first, and the _Mascotte_careened far over to port. Then came wild screams from the deck,followed by orders delivered in rapid succession. All in a momentthe passengers were in a panic, asking what had been struck and ifthe steamer was going down.
The Rovers and their friends tried to make their way on deck, butanother shock threw Fred and Songbird back into the cabin and partlystunned them. Then Harold Bird ran to his stateroom, to get a pocketbookcontaining his money.
Out on the deck all was misty, the lights gleaming faintly throughthe darkness. To one side loomed up another steamer, of the "tramp"variety, heavily laden with a miscellaneous cargo from Central Americanports.
"The _Mascotte_ is going down!" was the cry, as the steamer gave asuspicious lurch. Then came another crash, and before he knew it DickRover went spinning over the side, into the dark and misty waters ofthe gulf!
It was certainly a time of extreme peril, and had not poor Dick kepthis wits about him he must surely have been drowned. Down he wentover his head and it was fully quarter of a minute before he came tothe surface once more, spluttering and clashing the water from hiseyes. He looked around, felt something hard hit him, and then wentunder once more.
He knew he was near the bottom of some ship and held his breath aslong as possible. When he again arose it was to gasp for air. Now hewas free of the ship, and the rolling waters of the Gulf of Mexicolay all around him.
His first impulse was to cry out for help, and again and again heraised his voice. But the confusion on board the _Mascotte_ and theother steamer was so great that nobody heard him, or, at least, paidany attention.
Dick strained his eyes and could make out the steamer lights dimly.He was about to yell again, when something floated near and struckhim down once again. But as he came up he caught at the object andheld fast to it. It was a large crate, empty, and with considerabledifficulty he climbed on top.
"This is better than nothing," he thought. And then, catching hisbreath, he set up a long and lusty cry, in the meantime watching witha sinking heart the lights of both steamers as they faded from view.
A quarter of an hour passed--it seemed much longer to poor Dick,--andthe lights disappeared entirely. His heart sank like lead in his bosom.
"They won't come back for me now," he reasoned. "Perhaps the steamboatis sinking and the others have enough to do to think of savingthemselves."
The crate Dick was upon was not extra large, and it merely allowedhim to keep his head and shoulders out of water. Fortunately thenight was not cold, so he suffered little from his involuntary bath.But he realized the seriousness of his situation and was correspondinglysober.
"I must be a good way from land," he reasoned. "I'll have my owntroubles saving myself, even if the mist clears away."
Another quarter of an hour went by and then Dick thought he heardvoices. He strained his ears.
"I think Dick went overboard too, although I am not sure," came, inSam's tones.
"Yah, I dink dot," answered Hans Mueller. "Und I dink Tom he fallsofer also alretty!"
"Hullo, there!" cried Dick.--"Is that you, Sam?"
"Who calls?" came the answering query. "It is I, Dick Rover!"
"Dick!" came from Sam and Hans.
"Where are you?"
"This way!" called Sam, and kept on calling until Dick drew closerand at last made out his brother and the German boy clinging toanother crate.
"This is lucky--as far as it goes," said Sam. "Are you hurt?"
"Not at all. And you?"
"I got a scratch on my wrist, that is all, and Hans says he twistedhis left ankle a little. But we are glad we weren't drowned."
"What of the others?"
"I am almost sure Tom went overboard. I think the others remained onthe steamer."
"Was she sinking?"
"I think she was. I heard somebody say there was a big hole stove inher near the port bow."
After that the three youths pulled the two crates together. A grassrope was fastened to one of the affairs and they used this in joiningthe two, and then the castaways made themselves as comfortable aspossible on their improvised raft.
The thought that Tom might have been drowned cast a gloom over Samand Dick and also made Hans feel bad. Consequently but little wassaid for the next few hours. All kept their eyes strained for thesight of some friendly light, but none came to view.
"How many miles do you think we are from shore?" asked Sam, presently.
"I haven't any idea," answered Dick. "At least fifty or a hundred."
"Ve vill nefer see der land again!" groaned Hans. "I vish ve had goneto dot Dampa py railroad drain, ain't it!"
"Well, even railroad trains occasionally have smash-ups," answeredDick, philosophically.
At last it began to grow light and with the coming of morning themist lifted a trifle, so that they were able to see around them. Agentle breeze was blowing, causing the bosom of the gulf to ruffleup. Sam climbed up to the top of the crates.
"See anything?" queried his brother.
"Well, I never!" ejaculated the youngest Rover. "If that doesn't beatthe nation!"
He pointed off to their left and then all looked--and actually laughed.And well might they do so.
There, on the waters, rode a rude raft made of several empty boxesand crates. On the top of this affair stood a campstool, and on thestool sat Tom Rover, making himself as comfortable as possible.
"Tom!" the others yelled in concert, and the fun-loving Rover lookedaround eagerly.
"Hello, you!" he called back. "How many?"
"Three," answered Sam. "Dick, Hans, and myself."
"Good enough."
"You certainly seem to be taking it easy," said Dick, as the two ruderafts floated close to each other.
"Well, why not take it easy if it doesn't cost any more?" demandedTom, coolly. "I either had to sit on the chair or in the water, andI preferred to sit on the chair."
"Do you know anything about the others, Tom?"
"No, but I am afraid they are drowned," and now the fun-loving Roverbecame serious. "What makes you think that?" asked Sam.
"I think the steamer went down with nearly everybody on board."
"Dot is terrible!" burst out Hans. "Poor Fred! Und poor Songpird!Vot vill der folks say ven da hear dot?" And he shook his head,dubiously.
"And poor Harold Bird!" added Dick. He had taken a strong liking tothe young Southerner.
As it grew lighter those on the bosom of the gulf looked vainly forsome sign of land or a sail, but hour after hour passed and nothingcame to view but the waters under them and the mist and sky overhead.
"I am more than hungry," grumbled Tom. "I didn't get half enough toeat on that steamer and now I could lay into almost anything."
"Ditto here," answered his younger brother.
"Der poat must haf gone town," said Hans. "Of not, den da vould lookaroundt and pick us ub, hey?"
"I don't believe Captain Fretwood would put himself out to look forus," answered Dick. "He hated our whole crowd and would gladly getrid of us."
A little later Sam shifted his position and chanced to place a handin one of his coat pockets.
"Here's luck!" he cried. "Not much, but something." And he drew fortha thick cake of sweet chocolate, done up in tinfoil and paper.
"Oh, it's salted and will make us thirsty," said Dick.
The chocolate was examined and found to be in fairly good condition,and despite the salt they could not resist the temptation to dividethe cake and eat it up. As my readers must know, chocolate is verynourishing and they felt much better after the brief lunch, althoughvery thirsty.
"I bought that on the train
from Bay St. Louis to Mobile," explainedthe youngest Rover. "Sorry now I didn't get half a dozen."
"And a bottle of lemon soda with it," added Tom, who was bound tohave a little fun no matter how serious the outlook.
Slowly the morning wore away. About eleven o'clock it looked as ifthe sun might come out, but soon it clouded over as before and thenthe mist began to crawl up.
"This is terrible," sighed Sam, at last. "Dick, what can we do?"
"I don't know, Sam. If we knew in what direction the land lay wemight make some effort to reach it."
"We couldn't paddle the rafts fifty or a hundred miles."
"I am in hope that some steamer or sailing vessel will come this wayand pick us up," answered Dick.
Then a silence fell on the little crowd. Matters were growing seriousindeed, and all wondered how the adventure would end.