CHAPTER XIV
Sunk in Collision
It was a dark, windless night. The _Titania_, under power, wasgliding through the tranquil waters of the Red Sea. The port watchhad just been relieved, and Bobby Beverley, having "handed over" toJack Villiers, lingered on the deck to have a yarn with hisparticular chum.
Already the port of Hodeida was left on the port quarter. Ahead laythe reefs surrounding the dangerous Hanish Islands. Two miles asterncould be discerned the red, green, and white lights of a vessel thatwas obviously overhauling the _Titania_ hand over fist.
"Mail boat--P. & O. most likely," observed Beverley. "We needn'tworry about her--she's the overtaking vessel. Shan't be sorry to getclear of the Red Sea. Too many Arab dhows sculling around withoutlights to my fancy."
"Enough to give a Board of Trade examiner a puzzler for the 'Rule ofthe Road' stunt," remarked Villiers. "Do you remember thatwhite-bearded old buffer? I suppose it was the same fellow whoexamined you. Tried to catch me out with the 'single red light on mystarboard bow', but I tumbled to it just in time. Narrow squeak,though."
"I remember him," replied Beverley. "He gave me a regular galaxy oflight, and asked what I would do. 'Put my helm hard down and clearout', I told him. 'The best course, too', he agreed."
"After knocking about at sea without lights for three years," saidBeverley, "it does seem a bit awkward to find yourself up against'em. Something like that prisoner in the Bastille who asked to beshut up again after he was released. Question of use, I suppose."
"Light on the port bow, sir," sung out Merridew.
At that distance only a red and a white light were visible, but bythe aid of his binoculars Villiers saw the gleam of the starboardlight.
"Port helm," he ordered.
The _Titania_ and the approaching vessel cleared each other easily,but Villiers had little time to pay further attention to her. Aheadwere a number of dhows, strung out in an irregular line, practicallymotionless in the flat calm.
"Good heavens, what's that!" ejaculated Bobby. "There's an almightysmash."
How it occurred was a mystery, but the fact remained that theovertaking liner and the vessel that had just passed the _Titania_were in collision. It was one of those instances that have takenplace and will take place in the future--unaccountable yet none theless disastrous. In clear weather and in a perfectly calm sea twosteamers crashed into each other.
Above the noise of grinding steel and the hiss of escaping steam camea clamorous panic-stricken yell from hundreds of throats.
"Not British this time," commented Jack, as he ordered the helm to beput hard over and the boats swung out ready for lowering.
"Get the searchlights running, Bobby," he added, "and inform the OldMan."
But the Old Man was at that moment bounding up the companion-ladder,a conspicuous figure in his white drill uniform.
Directly the two brilliant beams of the searchlights were broughtinto action Harborough took in the situation at a glance.
One of the colliding vessels was a liner. She was badly damagedfor'ard and was deep down by the bows. The other, a chartered Belgiansteamer conveying Mussulman pilgrims to Jiddah, the port of the HolyCity of Mecca, had already sunk, having been cut completely in two bythe impact.
"Have those boats swung inboard again, Mr. Villiers," he ordered."We'll lay right alongside that fellow. There'll be time before shegoes."
Villiers understood. The lessons learnt in the North Sea, where itwas an everyday task to place an M.L. alongside a huge lumberingtramp, were not forgotten. To avoid delay in rescuing human livesHarborough had ordered the _Titania_ to be manoeuvred alongside thefoundering liner.
Even under normal conditions it would have been no easy task, but thedifficulties were increased tenfold, for while the colliding vesselsremained locked together, nearly a hundred frantic Mussulmans hadsucceeded in clambering over the liner's shattered bows to find but atemporary refuge on her decks. These, in addition to a verycosmopolitan assortment of passengers, were already out of hand,despite the firm efforts of the liner's officers and crew to maintaindiscipline. There was a wild stampede for the boats--Arabs andEuropeans mingled in a suicidal and homicidal rush, with the resultthat by the time the _Titania_ was within hailing distance one boatonly had been successfully lowered. The rest had either capsized orwere hanging vertically from the davits. Those of the passengers whoyet remained on board were either made of sterner stuff or else theyhad been tamed by the sight of the fate that had befallen thefrenzied mob. As for the officers and crew of the foundering vessel,they were doing their best to try and preserve order, but the suddenaddition of a swarm of pilgrims rendered their task almostsuperhuman.
Taking the helm, Harborough adroitly manoeuvred the _Titania_ untilshe lost way within ten yards of the sinking vessel. Instantly therewas another rush on the part of the utterly demoralized Mussulmans.
"Women and children first!" roared Harborough. "Does anyone on boardspeak Swahili or Arabic? If so, tell those blacks to keep back. I'llshoot the first man who jumps without permission."
Apparently some of the pilgrims understood English, or else theyguessed the purport of Harborough's words. Calm again succeeded theparoxysm of cowardice.
Carefully avoiding the outswung davits of the huge vessel, Harboroughbrought the _Titania_ alongside so neatly and carefully that therewas hardly any need to employ fenders to absorb the shock. Eventhough the ship was foundering she towered high above the yacht,thereby rendering the task of transhipping the survivors a somewhatdifficult one. Had there been any sea running the operation wouldhave been hazardous, but _lifting_ upon the very gentle swell thevessels, large and small, lay almost motionless, although momentarilythe former was settling deeper and deeper by the head.
Half a dozen women and children were the first to be received onboard the yacht. Then came thirty or forty passengers, mostly French,but with a sprinkling of Italians and Dutchmen. Then the survivors ofthe pilgrim-ship were allowed on board, where, thinking themselvessafe, they squatted on deck and took no further interest in theproceedings, or, if they did, they concealed it under a cloak ofOriental impassivity. Then followed the crew, most of whom had foundtime to collect their personal belongings, for nearly every man helda bundle made of a coloured handkerchief filled to its utmostcapacity. Last of all came the officers, the dark-featured,white-haired Breton captain bringing up the rear.
He seemed reluctant to leave, and not until Harborough shouted awarning did the little Frenchman leap. It was not a moment too soon,for by this time the liner's bows were awash and water was enteringthe boiler-rooms.
The _Titania_, her decks resembling a Bank Holiday Margate steamer,and submerged two feet above her water-line, backed slowly away,keeping her searchlight still running in the hope that they might seeother survivors from the sunken pilgrim-ship.
"We're lucky," remarked Harborough to Villiers. "Decidedly lucky,otherwise I wouldn't give much for our chances if there had been asea running. By Jove! What a pack. Makes one think of the good olddays when Fritz started running amok with his U-boats."
"What are we doing with this lot, sir?" asked Jack.
"Run 'em into Massowah," replied the skipper of the _Titania_. "Seemsto be the easier way out of the difficulty. Massowah's a bit out ofour course, but it's an Italian port. They can't detain us to giveevidence in a Court of Inquiry. At Aden we might be held up. Hallo!There she goes."
The French liner _Cit? d'Arras_ was on the point of disappearing.With the _Titania's_ searchlights flashed upon the scene, herstricken hull looked as though it were fashioned of silver. Her sternwas high out of the water, and, after the _Titania_ had pushed off,she had developed a terrific list to starboard.
A hush fell upon the crowd on the _Titania's_ deck. All eyes weredirected upon the sinking vessel, even the Mussulmans abandoningtheir hitherto impassive attitude to gaze upon the scene.
Steam was still issuing in dense clouds from her boiler-rooms; jetsof water expelled by compressed air leapt
high above her listingmasts as the eddying, foaming water encroached upon her decks.
Then, with a movement not unlike the convulsive spring of a mortallywounded animal, the stricken craft lifted until her twin-propellerswere clear of the water. For perhaps ten seconds she remained thus;then, to the accompaniment of a loud roar as her displaced boilersexploded, she disappeared from sight.
Harborough rang for full speed ahead.