"I can"t say that I"m not hungry," cried Harry, "though I"m afraid we must go without our tea."
David, who felt something like old Jefferies, when pressed, however, by Harry, gladly joined him in discussing such provisions as they could easily get at. Both of them were much refreshed by the nourishment, and in spite of the foreboding looks of the old man could not help holding sanguine hopes of escaping from their perilous position. Still they were hoping against hope, for in spite of the additional lashings they had cast round their raft, first one piece of plank and then another was torn off.
"Hold on tight!" cried Harry, as he gazed astern, "here comes a tremendous sea, and I don"t know how we shall keep before it."
As he spoke a high foaming wave came roaring up. Already the raft was mounting a wave in front, or the consequences would have been more disastrous. The upper part of the sea broke completely over the raft, but it still floated on. Those on it looked anxiously round to see if any of their number were missing. The old man was still at his post at the helm, and the two boys at their places. It was evident, however, that a few more such seas would utterly destroy the raft. As Harry again gazed astern, he saw to his dismay many similar seas preparing to follow; still he would not say this, even to David, and tried in his own hearty way to keep up his companions" spirits. An hour or so thus pa.s.sed away, when the raft gave stronger signs than ever of not having power to hold together.
"How fearful it would be if we were separated!" said David, who clearly comprehended what was likely to happen. Just then another tremendous sea came rolling up, and washed over the raft. The boys clung on for their lives, but when the raft once more rose to the surface, the mast was gone.
"No hope, I fear," said David.
"Yes, there is!" cried Harry; "I see a vessel bearing down directly for us."
The boys eagerly turned their eyes towards the stranger. It seemed doubtful, however, whether the raft would hold together till her arrival, or whether they could avoid being washed off the raft by the sea, which kept continually rolling over them. On she rapidly came.
"I don"t much like her appearance," said the old man; "she doesn"t look much better than the craft which we before refused to go on board."
"We have no choice at all," said Harry. "She looks like a Frenchman; but even the Monsieurs, considering our circ.u.mstances, would not treat us otherwise than with kindness," said David.
The boys waved and shouted with all their might. It seemed doubtful whether or not they were observed; still the stranger, a large topsail schooner, was standing directly for them. Presently they saw her shorten sail.
"All right!" cried Harry; "we"re seen."
She rounded-to close to them, so close, indeed, that the two boys were able to grasp the ropes which were thrown to them, and were immediately hauled up on deck.
"But old Jefferies, we mustn"t desert him!" cried Harry, as he saw the old man still on the raft. "Here! fasten this rope round my waist, and I"ll go and haul him in."
The crew of the stranger seemed to understand him, but at that moment a sea rolling up drove the raft completely under the schooner"s bottom. A few fragments again appeared, but the old man was not to be seen.
"Oh, where is he? where is he?" cried David and Harry; "we must save the good old man."
The people on board looked round on every side. So deep was the grief of the boys for his loss, that they scarcely for the moment seemed to think of their own preservation, nor of the character of the vessel on board which they had got. It was very clear that the old man had sunk for ever, as no signs of him appeared. Once more the vessel was put before the wind, and flew onward on her course.
Harry and David, on looking round, observed she was an armed vessel, carrying sixteen long guns, with swivels and other pieces. From the language they heard spoken by the crew, they knew she was French; while, from the varied dresses of the men and officers, they suspected she was a privateer, and not a man-of-war.
"I"m afraid we shall not much like our quarters here," said Harry. "The best thing we can do is to put a good face on the matter, and go aft and thank the captain for saving our lives; he will see by my uniform that I am an officer, and treat us as gentlemen."
Poor Harry"s patch of white cloth, however, was not likely to be treated with much respect by a French privateer captain of those days.
"I wonder which of these fellows is captain," said Harry, as they approached three or four rough-looking fellows, as they were walking the deck with the air of officers. "Oh, I wonder whether they will understand English, for not a word of French can I speak."
"Nor can I indeed," said David; "I didn"t think of that."
"We must make our intentions known, however," said Harry, "and I must muster up what I can say. I know they always begin by saying "Monsieur"
if they want to be polite, so I"ll say "Monsieur Captain, Monsieur Captain,"" looking round as he spoke, "we have to thank you for taking us aboard your vessel, and should be still further obliged if you could give us a change of clothes while ours are drying."
The Frenchmen looked at the boys with an air of indifference.
"Monsieur Captain," again began Harry, "I say we want to thank you for pulling us out of the water."
"Perhaps the captain is not among these men," suggested David.
"I want to see the captain," said Harry, bowing as before.
At length a small wizen-faced man appeared from below. His countenance wore anything but a pleasant aspect. By his dress, and the respect with which the others seemed to treat him, the boys had little doubt that he was the person of whom they were in search. They accordingly approached him.
"Are you the captain?" said Harry, bowing as before, for he did not forget his politeness, in spite of his wet clothes.
"Yes, I am," said the wizen-faced man.
"Oh, you speak English; how glad we are!" answered Harry, "because we can thus thank you for saving our lives."
"No great reason to thank me," said the man, in an unpleasant tone.
"You speak English very well, sir," said Harry, wishing to soothe him.
"I have had plenty of time to learn it," said the captain.
"Where was that, sir?" asked Harry.
"In an English prison," answered the Frenchman, with a grin, turning on his heel; "and I"ve no great cause to love those who kept me there, or their countrymen."
"I"m afraid we"ve gained very little by the expression of our grat.i.tude," said David; "what are we to do?"
CHAPTER EIGHT.
THE GOOD-NATURED SEAMEN--PIERRE LAMONT--DAVID"S EMPLOYMENT--THE REPUBLICAN OFFICER.
No one seemed disposed to pay the slightest attention to the two boys.
The officers glanced at them superciliously. The captain, after taking a few turns on deck, scowled on them as he pa.s.sed on his way below.
They were left standing on the deck of the schooner, which went flying on before the still increasing gale. They were wet and cold, and grieving for the loss of their old friend, as well as very anxious about the sorrow their absence would cause their relatives at home.
"I suppose the Frenchmen won"t let us starve altogether," said David.
"The officers indeed don"t seem inclined to treat us well, but perhaps the men may be differently disposed. I propose that, having done what we considered our duty, we go forward and throw ourselves upon their kindness. Still, as I"m a quarter-deck officer, we ought to be treated with respect by the officers. I"m sure, if we had picked up two French midshipmen on board our frigate, we should have made regular pets of them, and given them no cause to complain."
"But remember this is not a frigate," observed David; "I think it will be wiser to put our dignity in our pockets, and make the best of things as they are."
Still Harry held out for some little time; but at length the surly looks of the officers, not to mention his hunger, made him yield to David"s suggestions, and they quietly worked their way forward. As soon as the backs of the officers were turned the men came round them, and by the expression of their countenances showed that they at least bore them no ill-will. One or two, by signs, invited them below, and they were very glad to escape from the cold autumn gale which was blowing through their wet clothes. Although unable to communicate by words, the lads had no difficulty in making their wishes known to the Frenchmen by signs. Some dry clothes were quickly produced from the bag of a young seaman. As soon as Harry and David had dressed themselves in these, some provisions and a bottle of wine were brought to them, the Frenchmen standing round looking on with great satisfaction while they discussed them.
"_Buvez, me amis_," said a stout good-natured looking seaman, pouring out a gla.s.s of claret. The boys guessed by his signs clearly enough what he said, and thanked him by nodding in return. They both felt considerably better for their repast.
"If it wasn"t for the loss of poor old Jefferies, I should not have minded it at all," said David; "but for him to lose his life, and for us to find ourselves little better than prisoners on board a Frenchman, is very trying."
"As you remember, nearly his last words were, "Trust in G.o.d,"" remarked Harry; "so let us go on trusting; he was a good old man, and is gone to heaven I"m sure, so we ought not to mourn for him much. It would have broken his heart to find himself on board this vessel."
"I wonder in what direction we are going?" said David.