CHAPTER XII
ANOTHER ACCIDENT AT SEA
It was four hours later, and Captain Blossom was just preparing tocome on deck, when there, came a fearful shock which threw the GoldenWave back and over on her side.
"We have struck! We are on the rocks!" came a shrill cry from thedeck, and immediately there was an uproar.
The Rover boys were thrown to the floor from their berths, and itwas several seconds before they could realize what had happened.
"We have struck something, that is sure!" gasped Sam.
As quickly as they could they donned their clothing and made theirway to the large state-room occupied by the girls.
"Oh, what a shock!" came from Nellie.
"Are you safe?" asked Tom.
"I am, but poor Grace struck her head on the wall, and is unconscious."
Without ceremony Tom picked up the unconscious girl, wrapped her ina blanket, and, aided by Sam, carried her to the deck, the othersfollowing. A minute later Grace revived.
On deck they found all in confusion. The bowsprit of the _Golden Wave_was gone, and also the main topmast, while a mass of the rigginglittered the forecastle. It was also announced that the rudder wasbroken and the vessel was pounding helplessly on the rocks, with abig hole in the bow directly below the waterline.
"Who changed the course?" demanded Captain Blossom. "We should befifty miles away from these rocks."
"The first mate made me change the course," said the man who had beenat the wheel. "I told him you had said southwest by south, and hemade it south by west."
"He don't know what he's talking about!" howled Jack Lesher. Theshock had partly sobered him. "He was steering due south, and I toldhim to make it southwest by south."
But little more could be said on the point, for it was feared thatthe schooner would go down at any moment.
"We must man the boats," said the captain. "Bring up the provisionsand the kegs of water, and be quick about it."
"Are we near land?" asked Dick.
"There should be some islands four or five miles south of this spot,"answered Captain Blossom.
Now that there was danger of going down some of the sailors seemedto grow crazy. Half a dozen tumbled into one of the boats and beganto lower it of their own accord.
"Stand back there!" shouted the captain. "The girls must go first."
"Not much!" shouted one of the sailors. "It's everybody for himselfnow!" And in a moment more the small boat had left the ship's sideand disappeared in the darkness.
There were three other boats and the remaining sailors, along withthe first mate and Dan Baxter, wanted to crowd into these. But CaptainBlossom said he would shoot the first man who tried to row awaywithout his orders. Then some provisions were put into the boats,and the captain divided the whole company among the three boats.
"Let us stay together, captain," pleaded Dick. "We can row."
"And what of the girls, Rover?"
"Let us go with the Rover boys," pleaded Dora, and Nellie and Gracesaid the same. Old Jerry also stood by his friends.
While this talk was going on there was a rush for two of the boats,and before Captain Blossom could do anything his men were off, takingJack Lesher and Dan Baxter with them.
"You can go down with the ship!" cried Dan Baxter mockingly. Aninstant later the darkness hid the speaker from view.
"They have left us," cried Captain Blossom. "But, thank fortune, thebest and largest boat is also left."
Some provisions had been tumbled into this boat, and a cask of waterfollowed. Then the girls were placed on board, the Rover boys followed,and the captain and old Jerry came behind, to cut away. Down wentthe small boat into the mighty waves, and each of the boys caught upan oar.
"Pull!" roared Captain Blossom. "Pull for your lives!" And they didpull, two boys on one side, and Sam and old Jerry on the other. Thegirls huddled in the stern, expecting every moment to see the littlecraft turn bottom side up. They scraped along the side of the doomedship, and then along some rocks. Captain Blossom was in the bow,peering ahead.
"To the left!" he yelled. "Quick!" And then came a shock, and thecaptain disappeared beneath the waves.
"The captain is gone!" screamed Dora, but she was hardly heard, forthe ship was pounding on the rocks, and the spray was flying in alldirections. The boys and old Jerry continued to pull, knowing notwhat else to do, and at last the spot was left behind and they foundthemselves on the bosom of the mighty Pacific, in the black darkness,out of sight of everything, with only the sounds of the wind and thewaves filling their ears.
"Do you think we will ever get out of this alive?" asked Grace of Dora.
"Let us pray that we may all be spared," answered Dora, and they didpray, more earnestly than they had ever before prayed in their wholelives. It was a moment that put their faith to a supreme test.
The boys did not dare to stop rowing, and they kept on until theirbacks ached and their arms seemed ready to drop from their sockets.
"We had better take turns," said Dick, at last. "We can't keep thisup all night.." And his suggestion was followed out, two, rowing ata time, for a space of fifteen or twenty minutes.
They thought they might see something of the other boats, but nothingcame to view, and when they set up a shout at the top of their lungs,no answer came back.
"They have either gone down or else got out of this neighborhood,"said Tom.
"It was too bad to lose Captain Blossom," said Sam. "He was not sucha bad sort, after all."
It was not long after this that a mass of wreckage drifted pastthem. There was a bit of broken spar and some other woodwork, but nohuman being, and they let the wreckage go.
By looking at his watch Dick saw that it was three o'clock in themorning.
"It will be light in another couple of hours," he said. "If we cankeep on top of the waves until then perhaps we can sight the islandsthe captain mentioned."
"I wish it was daylight now," sighed Nellie.
Fortunately a bundle of clothing had been brought along, and as thewater was warm, nobody suffered much from the wetting received. Carewas taken to keep the provisions as dry as possible, for there wasno telling how long it would be before they would be able to get more.
Slowly the night dragged by, and, with the coming of morning, thewind went down, the storm passing to the northward.
"It is growing lighter," announced Dora. "The sunlight is beginningto, show over the rim of the sea."
Half an hour later the sun came up, like a great ball of fire froma bath in the ocean, capping the high waves with gold. As the lightspread around them, Dick stood up on a seat and gazed eagerly in alldirections.
"What do you see?" demanded the others.
"Nothing," he answered, with a sinking heart; "nothing but water onall sides of us."
"The islands--they must be somewhere!" cried Tom, and he, too, tooka look, followed by the others. The last to look was old Jerry.
"Can't see much," said the old sailor slowly. "But I kind of reckonthere's a dark spot directly southward."
"It must be one of the islands the captain mentioned!" exclaimed Dora.
"We might as well row in that direction," said Dick. "There is nothingelse to do."
"It's queer what became of the other boats," said Sam.
Some of the provisions were brought forth and they ate sparingly,and drank a little of the water. Then the boys and old Jerry took upthe oars once more and began to pull as nearly southward as theycould make it, steering by the sun.
When the sun grew higher it became very warm, so that the rowers wereglad enough to lay aside their jackets. By noon they reckoned thatthey had covered six or eight miles. One after another stood up onthe seats to take a look around.
"Nothing in sight yet," said Dick, with a sorry shake of his head."We must have been mistaken in that dark spot."
"What will you do now?" asked Grace. "The hot sun is beginning tomake my head ache."
Sam's head also ached, but he said
nothing. Nobody knew what to suggest.
"One thing is certain; we can't remain out on the bosom of the ocean,"said Dick.
"Better continue to pull southward," came from old Jerry. "There arelots of islands down that way. The map is full of 'em."
"Yes, the map is full of them," answered Dick. "But a quarter of aninch on the map means a hundred miles or two in reality."
Yet it was decided to row on, trusting to luck to strike some island,either large or small. It was now fiercely hot, and all hands perspiredfreely.
By the end of the afternoon the boys were worn out, and had to giveup rowing. The girls were dozing in the stern, having covered theirheads with a thin shawl, stretched from one gunwale to another. Tomand Sam were dizzy from the glare of the sun on the water.
"Another day like this will set me crazy," said the youngest Rover."I'd give ten dollars for a pair of blue goggles."
Old Jerry had been looking intently to the westward. Now he pointedin that direction.
"See that trail of smoke," he said. "Unless I am mistaken a steamshipis sailing toward us!"
"A steamship!" cried Tom, and the words awoke the girls. "We musthail the vessel by all means."
"If she comes close enough," said Captain Jerry pointedly. "Don't betoo hopeful, my lads. She may pass us by."