And there was occasion for haste. Before the sails were properly secured, the squall struck them; the foremast was snapped off close to the deck; for a time the ship became unmanageable and drifted rapidly towards the land.
Is that a small island that I see on the weather bow, Olly? said the skipper to his son. Look, your eyes are better than mine.
Yes, father. It looks like a small one.
Steer for that, Grummidge. Well take shelter in its lee.
The sails were braced, and the direction of the vessel was changed, while the wreck of the foremast was being cleared away; but, just as they were drawing near to the island, the wind chopped round, and the hoped-for shelter they were approaching became suddenly a lee shore.
Nothing can save us now, muttered Grummidge, the Water Wagtail is going to her doom.
Youre right, my man. Before another hour goes by, she will have wagged her tail for the last time, said Master Trench, somewhat bitterly.
They were both right. In less than an hour after that the ship was hurled upon the outlying rocks of a low island. Shaken and strained as she had been during her disastrous voyage, it took but a short time to break her up, but the bow had been thrust high between two rocks and remained fast.
Circumstances do not change character, but they often bring it to the front. Heroes and poltroons may remain unknown until a sudden incident or change of condition reveals them. As the crew of the wrecked ship clustered on the fragment of the bow, and gazed on the tumultuous flood of foaming water that seethed between them and the shore, their hearts failed them for fear. Some sternly compressed their lips, and looked like men who had made up their minds to die game. A few even looked defiant, as if daring Fate to do her worst, though the pallor of their countenances gave the lie to the expression of their features; but many of them, in the terror of the moment, cried aloud for mercy, and wildly promised amendment if their lives should be spared. A few were composed and grave. Brave men, though bad. Possibly some of these prayed. If so, they had the sense to do it silently to Him who knows the secrets of all hearts.
No man can cross that and live, said the skipper, in a low, sad tone.
It is my intention to try, Master Trench, said Paul Burns, grasping the end of a light line and tying it round his waist.
Little Oliver looked quickly and anxiously at his friend. His heart sank, for he saw at a glance that it was not possible to follow him. The deed, if done at all, must be done by his friend alone. Great, therefore, was the rebound of joy in the boys heart when Paul said
Now, Olly, attend to me. My life, under God, may depend on close attention to my signals and the management of the line. I can trust your father and the men to haul me back to the ship if need be, but I will trust only you to pay out and read my signals. Observe, now, let there be no slack to the line; keep it just taut but without any pull on it, so that you may feel the signals at once. One pull means pay out faster, two pulls mean haul me aboard, three pulls is all right and fix the big hawser to the line so that I may haul it ashore. Now, Olly, I trust to you to read my signals and act promptly.
Olivers heart was too full to speak. He looked at his friend with swimming eyes and nodded his head.
Men, said Paul to the crew, let me beg you to obey the boys orders smartly. If God wills it so, we shall all be saved.
He leaped over the side as he concluded. Another moment and he was seen to rise and buffet the plunging waters manfully. Great as was the muscular strength of the young man, it seemed absolute feebleness to those who looked on; nevertheless he made headway towards the shore, which was strewn with great boulders with a low cliff behind them. It was among these boulders that his chief danger and difficulty lay, for his strong frame would have been as nothing if dashed against them.
Quickly he was lost to view in the hurly-burly of foam and spray.
With the utmost care did Oliver Trench perform his duty. It required both vigour of hand and delicacy of touch to keep the line right, but it was manipulated by hands whose vigour and touch were intensified by love.
Ease off! he cried, looking back impatiently at the strong fellows who held the slack of the line.
The men obeyed so readily that the line ran out too fast and the boy had much ado to check it. Just as he got it sufficiently taut, he felt what seemed to him like two pullshaul me in! Could it be? He was not certain. In an agony of anxiety he held on, and was about to give the signal to haul in, when his father, who watched his every movement, instantly said, Give him another second or two, Olly.
Just then there was a strong single pull at the line.
Pay out!faster! shouted Oliver, and, at the same moment he eased off his own feelings in a tremendous sigh of relief.
After that the line ran steadily for a few seconds, and no signals came. Then it ceased to run, and poor Olivers fears began to rush in upon him again, but he was speedily relieved by feeling three distinct and vigorous pulls.
Thank God, hes safe, cried the boy. Now then, pass along the hawserquick!
This was done, the light line was attached to a three-inch rope, and the party on the wreck waited anxiously.
Give it a pull, Olly, by way of signal, suggested Master Trench.
He did not tell me to do that, father, returned the boy, hesitating.
No doubt he forgot it in the hurrytry it, anyhow.
A hearty pull on the line was accordingly given, and they soon had the satisfaction of seeing the hawser move over the side and run towards the shore. When it ceased to run out they knew that Paul must have got hold of the end of it, so, making their end fast to the heel of the bowsprit, they waited, for as yet the rope lay deep in the heaving waters, and quite useless as a means of escape.
Presently the rope began to jerk, then it tightened, soon the bight of it rose out of the sea and remained thererigid.
Well done, Paul, exclaimed the skipper, when this was accomplished. Now, Olly, you go first, youre light.
But the boy hesitated. No, father, you first, he said.
Obey orders, Olly, returned the skipper sternly.
Without another word Oliver got upon the rope and proceeded to clamber along it. The operation was by no means easy, but the boy was strong and active, and the water not very cold. It leaped up and drenched him, however, as he passed the lowest point of the bight, and thereafter the weight of his wet garments delayed him, so that on nearing the shore he was pretty well exhausted. There, however, he found Paul up to the waist in the sea waiting for him, and the last few yards of the journey were traversed in his friends arms.
By means of this rope was every man of the Water Wagtails crew saved from a watery grave.
They found that the island on which they had been cast was sufficiently large to afford them shelter, and a brief survey of it proved that there was both wood and water enough to serve them, but nothing of animal or vegetable life was to be found. This was serious, because all their provisions were lost with the wrecked portion of the ship, so that starvation stared them in the face.
If only the rum-kegs had been saved, said one of the men, when they assembled, after searching the island, to discuss their prospects, we might, at least, have led a merry life while it lasted.
Humph! Much good that would do you when you came to think over it in the next world, said Grummidge contemptuously.
I dont believe in the next world, returned the first speaker gruffly.
A blind man says he doesnt see the sun, and dont believe in it, rejoined Grummidge: does that prove that theres no sun?
Here Master Trench interposed.
My lads, he said, dont you think that instead of talking rubbish it would be wise to scatter yourselves along the coast and see what you can pick up from the wreck? Depend ont some of the provisions have been stranded among the rocks, and, as they will be smashed to pieces before long, the sooner we go about it the better. The truth is, that while you have been wastin your time running about the island, Master Burns and I have been doin this, an weve saved some things alreadyamong them a barrel of pork. Come, rouse up and go to worksome to the shore, others to make a camp in the bush.
This advice seemed so good that the men acted on it at once, with the result that before dark they had rescued two more barrels of pork and a barrel of flour from the grasp of the sea, besides some cases of goods which they had not taken time to examine.
Returning from the shore together, laden with various rescued articles, Paul and Oliver halted and sat down on a rock to rest for a few minutes.
Olly, said the former, what was that I saw you wrapping up in a bit of tarred canvas, and stuffing so carefully under the breast of your coat, soon after the ship struck?
Mothers last letter to me, said the boy, with a flush of pleasure as he tapped his breast. I have it safe here, and scarcely damaged at all.
Strange, remarked Paul, as he pulled a well-covered packet from his own breast-pocket; strange that your mind and mine should have been running on the same subject. See here, this is my mothers last gift to me before she dieda letter, too, but it is Gods letter to fallen man.
With great care the young man unrolled the packet and displayed a well-worn manuscript copy of a portion of the Gospel of John.
This is copied, he said, from the translation of Gods Word by the great Wycliffe. It was given to my mother by an old friend, and was, as I have said, her parting gift to me.
The friends were interrupted in their examination of this interesting M.S. by the arrival of one of the sailors, with whom they returned to the encampment in the bush.
Chapter Three.
First Experiences on the Island
A wonderfully picturesque appearance did these shipwrecked mariners present that night when, under the shelter of the shrubbery that crowned their small island, they kindled several camp-fires, and busied themselves in preparing supper.
As there was no law in the islandand our skipper, having lost his ship, forbore to assert any right to commandevery one naturally did what seemed right in his own eyes.
As yet there had arisen no bone of contention among them. Of food they had secured enough for at least a few days. Fire they had procured by means of flint, steel, and tinder. A clear spring furnished them with water, and ships buckets washed ashore enabled them to convey the same to their encampment. Fortunately, no rum-kegs had been found, so that evil passions were not stirred up, and, on the whole, the first night on the island was spent in a fair degree of harmonyconsidering the character of the men.
Those who had been kindred souls on board ship naturally drew together on shore, and kindled their several fires apart. Thus it came to pass that the skipper and his son, the two mates, and Paul Burns found themselves assembled round the same fire.
But the two mates, it is right to add, were only sympathetic in a small degree, because of their former position as officers, and their recent imprisonment together. In reality they were men of no principle and of weak character, whose tendency was always to throw in their lot with the winning side. Being a little uncertain as to which was the winning side that night, they had the wisdom to keep their own counsel.
Oliver presided over the culinary department.
You see, Im rather fond of cookin, he said, apologetically, thats why I take it in hand.
Ah, that comes of his bein a good boy to his mother, said Master Trench in explanation, and with a nod of approval. Olly was always ready to lend her a helpin hand in the house at anything that had to be done, which has made him a Jack-of-all-tradescookin among the rest, as you see.
A pity that the means of displaying his powers are so limited, said Paul, who busied himself in levelling the ground beside the fire for their beds.
Limited! exclaimed Trench, you are hard to please, Master Paul; I have lived on worse food than salt pork and pancakes.
If so, father, said Oliver, as he deftly tossed one of the cakes into the air and neatly caught it on its other side in the pan, you must either have had the pork without the pancakes or the pancakes without the pork.
Nay, Master Shallowpate, I had neither.
What! did you live on nothing?
On nothing better than boiled sheepskinand it was uncommon tough as well as tasteless; but it is wonderful what men will eat when theyre starving.
I think, father, returned the boy, as he tossed and deftly caught the cake again, that it is more wonderful what men will eat when theyre not starving! Of all the abominations that mortal man ever put between his grinders, I think the worst is that vile stuff
He was interrupted by a sudden outbreak of wrath at the fire next to theirs, where Big Swinton, Grummidge, and several others were engaged, like themselves, in preparing supper.
There will be trouble in the camp before long, I see plainly enough, remarked Paul, looking in the direction of the disputants. These two men, Swinton and Grummidge, are too well-matched in body and mind and self-will to live at peace, and I foresee that they will dispute your right to command.
They wont do that, Paul, returned Trench quietly, for I have already given up a right which I no longer possess. When the Water Wagtail went on the rocks, my reign came to an end. For the future we have no need to concern ourselves. The man with the most powerful will and the strongest mind will naturally come to the topand thats how it should be. I think that all the troubles of mankind arise from our interfering with the laws of Nature.
Agreed, heartily, replied Paul, only I would prefer to call them the laws of God. By the way, Master Trench, I have not yet told you that I have in my possession some of these same laws in a book.
Have you, indeed?in a book! Thats a rare and not altogether a safe possession now-a-days.
You speak the sober truth, Master Trench, returned Paul, putting his hand into a breast-pocket and drawing forth the packet which contained the fragment of the Gospel of John. Persecution because of our beliefs is waxing hotter and hotter just now in unfortunate England. However, we run no risk of being roasted alive in Newfoundland for reading Gods blessed Wordsee, there it is. A portion of the Gospel of John in manuscript, copied from the English translation of good Master Wycliffe.
A good and true man, Ive heard say, responded the skipper, as he turned over the leaves of the precious document with a species of solemn wonder, for it was the first time he had either seen or handled a portion of the Bible. Pity that such a friend of the people should not have lived to the age o that ancient fellowwhats his nameThoosle, something or other?