The storm raged with unabated fury, and the darkness was only just pierced by the rising moon, itself invisible, but which cast a strange weird whiteness athwart the gloom.
The worst had not yet come. It was about midnight that cries arose above the storm, and a violent shock told that the _Galatea_ had struck on a rock. There was no hope then--the _Galatea_ was doomed.
The boats had been kept in readiness, and the captain"s voice was heard, shouting his orders to let them down. For the _Galatea_ had parted in midships, and was settling down into those black waters where, here and there, the white surf on the wave-crests was seen with ghastly clearness in the murky gloom.
"All women and children first," the captain ordered; and Peter"s mother, clasping the child close, with the few pa.s.sengers, were let down into the first boat.
"Back, you coward!" the mate shouted, as the man who had been so unfeeling to Jack, on first starting, stumbled forward and tried to jump into the boat. Alas! too late was the command to stop. The boat was swamped, and smothered cries arose from the surging depths. The other boats were lowered, and old Colley remained to the last.
"Now, captain," he said, "it"s your turn. She"s settling down fast."
And between the roar of the storm and the more distant roll of the thunder, a swishing, gurgling noise told that the water was fast gaining ground, and the _Galatea_ going down.
"I leave the ship last, or die with her. Forward, Colley! Do you hear?"
"After you, captain; after you."
"Colley, old fellow, you never disobeyed me before. You won"t do it now."
Then a great shudder seemed to thrill through the ship, and she turned on her side, and with a mighty rush the waves seized their prey, and the _Galatea_ went down into the stormy waters.
Jack found himself struggling in the surging waves; but a boat was near him, and a hand seized him and dragged him in.
It was old Colley"s hand, and he had in his other arm little Peter, and a whine told that Toby was with his master.
It was a perilous position--the boat was tossed like a feather on those stormy billows; while above the raging of the storm could be heard cries for help from those who were clinging to broken rafts and pieces of the wreck.
"She was cracked like a walnut," Colley said; "and the captain"s heart was broken--that"s why he said he would die with her."
CHAPTER IX.
_ON THE WIDE, WIDE SEA._
The boat was drifting off, and every minute seemed to put a further distance from the place where the _Galatea_ had struck the rock and perished. At this time the fury of the storm had abated, and a rift in the clouds showed the moon in its last quarter floating like a boat on its back in a silvery sea. The pale rays shed a flickering light upon the waters, and there was a lull. Behind them rose a low black ma.s.s, with the points of the masts showing where the _Galatea_, had gone down. No other object was visible, and Colley covered his face with his hands.
"I don"t believe there"s one of "em saved," he said; "I don"t indeed.
The boats were swamped, and this is the only one that righted. But, boy, I don"t know where we are, nor where we are drifting."
"Are we going home?" said a little voice from the bottom of the boat.
"I want to get home with mother."
"Ay, my lad; but I expect we must all three give up an earthly home, and turn our thoughts to a heavenly one."
When morning dawned they were far out on the trackless waters, and not a sail in eight. Jack, at Colley"s bidding, tied his shirt to the oar, in the hopes that, fluttering in the breeze, it might attract the notice of some pa.s.sing vessels. But although several sail were seen on the horizon, none seemed to come across the track of the little lonely boat. The scorching sun of noon beat on their unprotected heads, and poor little Peter cried and moaned with a pain in his head. Hunger too, and thirst, began to be unbearable; and Colley had some difficulty in preventing Jack from drinking the sea-water, and giving it to little Peter.
"Don"t you do it, boy; it will drive you mad, and you will repent it if you touch it."
Towards evening the air became cooler, and Peter, pulling at Jack"s trousers, said--
"There is something hard under my head, and Toby is sniffing at it."
Oh, how untold was the thankfulness with which Colley pulled out a canvas bag of sea biscuits, which had been stowed away under one of the seats, with a stone jar in which was a little rum!
"Thank the Lord, you won"t starve, you young ones; there"s enough to keep you alive."
"Enough to keep us all alive!" Jack said; "and I shan"t touch a crumb unless you eat the same quant.i.ty as I do."
The boy lying at their feet had already set his teeth into a biscuit like a hungry dog, and was putting his mouth to the stone bottle.
"Gently, now, gently," Colley said, trying to take the bottle away from the child. But he did not succeed till he had swallowed a considerable quant.i.ty, and lay in a kind of stupor.
Another night closed in, and the stillness and darkness were acceptable after the burning heat of noon. At day-dawn Jack saw a ship. Surely it was coming nearer and nearer. He stood up and called "Ahoy!" with all his might, and poor Toby whined and barked. Colley, awakened from a light dose, stood up also, and joined in the cry. But, alas! there was no answer, and the white sails, glistening in the level rays of the rising sun, vanished like a bird taking flight.
"It is no use hoping for help," Jack said, sinking down. "I say, Colley, are we to go on floating over the wide sea for ever?"
"Nay, lad, nay; it won"t be for ever. Please the Lord, He"ll put an end to these long watches in His own time."
"Colley," Jack said, "do you think I am being punished for my sins? I ran away in a fit of temper, and I know how my mother is waiting and watching for me, as she did for my father, and she will watch and wait in vain. Oh, Colley, do you think G.o.d is very angry, and that this is my punishment--to die out here, with no one to care, no one to----"
Jack broke down, and hid his face on his sleeveless arms, for his blue jersey was fluttering in the morning breeze.
"Boy," Colley said, "it is just this: You wanted your own way, and you were let to take it. You have made your own punishment; but as to G.o.d"s anger--well, if you turn your heart to Him in Christ"s name, He won"t send you empty away. He will speak peace for His dear Son"s sake, whether He lets you go back to you poor mother, or whether He takes you through the Valley of Death to His kingdom in heaven."
"Colley," Jack said vehemently, "I don"t want to die. I want to live, and show my mother I am sorry."
"We can"t choose, boy, we can"t choose; and we are just in G.o.d"s hands, and must be quiet."
But, oh! through that long day of heat and oppression it was hard to be quiet. The poor child moaned, and was rapidly becoming insensible.
Jack"s lips were so sore and chapped he could not bite the hard biscuit; and though Colley soaked his in a few drops of rum, he felt sick at the smell and taste of the spirits, and when offered a morsel, he turned away, saying--
"It reminds me of Skinner. I hate the smell."
The great waste of waters, of varied opal hues, in the clear depths of which the forms of many sea creatures could be seen darting hither and thither--how desolate it was!
Above, snowy gulls flew and floated now and again on the waves. One came so near that Colley seized it and took it into the boat. It looked up with wondering eyes, and Colley said--
"You poor stupid thing! You have come to your death;" and then he wrung the bird"s neck, saying, "If the worst comes to the worst, we must eat it raw."
"I would sooner die," Jack said wearily. "I begin to wish to die, Colley. Yesterday I wanted to live, but I don"t feel to care now, and I believe that poor little darling is going."
"Help me to lift him up--lift him up," Colley said; and between them, feeble as they both were, the old man and the boy, they managed to get the poor child"s head to rest on Colley"s knees.
Towards evening the child opened his eyes. "Mother," he said, "I"m coming." Then he smiled, and Jack said, "He is better."
But Colley shook his head. "No; but he will be better soon;" and then he said a few words of prayer, and bid Jack think of some hymn his mother had taught him.
Jack tried to summon a verse from his confused brain, and the one little Miss Joy had often said came to his lips, and he repeated in a low voice, quavering with weakness and emotion--