"Breakers ahead! breakers on the starboard bow!"
"Down with the helm," shouted the first mate, rushing to a.s.sist the man at the wheel; but ere he reached him an ominous grating noise was heard, the ship trembled through her whole frame, but she surged on.
"We may yet sc.r.a.pe free," cried some of the men, as they sprang to the braces.
The next instant, however, there came a fearful crash; the tall masts tottered, the fore and main topmasts fell over the side, still leaving, however, the lower yards standing; the mizen mast at the same instant went by the board. The wheel spun round, casting the helmsman to the deck. A huge sea striking the devoted ship swept him and several others overboard.
Owen found Nat Midge close to him.
"Let us hold on to the stanchions until daylight, and we shall then see where we are," said Owen. "There is no use in attempting to do anything now, and it is dangerous to move about, as we may be washed overboard."
In the meantime the rest of the officers and the watch had rushed on deck, and a cry arose of "Clear away the boats!" Several of the crew attempted to perform this difficult operation, but the fore-part of the first boat as she was being lowered hung in the falls, and the men who jumped into her were swept out, while she, driven against the side of the ship, was immediately knocked to pieces. An attempt was made to launch another boat on the same side, and although she reached the water, so many sprang into her that she filled before she could be shoved off. A few got on board by the falls, but the rest were drowned.
"We will hoist out the long-boat," cried Mr Sc.o.o.nes. "We shall have to cut away the masts, and we must get her into the water before that."
He issued the orders to rig the necessary tackles. As this boat was to be got into the water on the lee side, there was a greater probability of her swimming, provided she did not encounter any rocks.
"Hadn"t we better try to get in her?" said Nat to Owen.
"She is not in the water yet," answered Owen, "and if she were, I doubt if Mr Sc.o.o.nes would let us; besides, she will run a great risk of being thrown on the rocks, or swamped during the darkness. The ship does not give signs of going to pieces yet; perhaps the wind may abate before morning, we shall then be able to get ash.o.r.e on a raft, if any sh.o.r.e is near, and there is one boat left which n.o.body seems to have thought of launching."
"I"ll do as you advise, but perhaps we may get off in the boat by-and-by," said Nat.
They eagerly watched the operation of launching the long-boat. The seas, which had battered in a portion of the bulwarks, swept across the fore-part of the deck, and rendered it very difficult. Two or three of the men who neglected to secure themselves were carried overboard. One saved himself by a rope, but the shrieks of the others were heard as they struggled vainly in the seething ocean.
What had become of the doctor, and the other officers and apprentices, Owen could not tell. Mr Sc.o.o.nes he could hear issuing his orders, but he had reason to fear that some of the others had been washed overboard, or perhaps killed by the falling blocks and spars. Still a good many men remained, the greater number of whom were engaged in lowering the boat on which they believed their safety depended. At length she was launched over the side, and five or six men got into her, and shouted out far oars.
A search was made for them, but only three could be found; without more she would be almost helpless in the raging sea. She was now held by a warp, floating clear of the ship, which was working fearfully on the rocks.
"She will go to pieces if we do not cut away the masts," shouted Mr Sc.o.o.nes. "Axes! axes!"
They were brought, and the boat being veered off to a safe distance, the two remaining masts were, with a few strokes, cut away, and falling over on the lee side, were allowed to float clear of the wreck.
Nothing more could now be done until morning, for which all hands eagerly waited.
"The boat won"t hold half of us. Let us form a raft, lads," shouted Mr Fidd, the boatswain.
This was no easy matter in the dark. The brave boatswain setting the example, a portion of the crew began to collect such spars as they could find on board, and to drag them to the after part of the deck, which was more protected than the other parts of the ship, over which the sea continually broke, carrying away everything before it.
"We ought to be a.s.sisting," cried Owen, who with Nat had hitherto retained their tolerably secure places. "We are better off here,"
answered Nat. "It"s our duty to help our shipmates," answered Owen, and he, followed by Nat, joined the working party.
They found great difficulty in keeping on their feet. The deck was wet and slippery, and inclined over towards the lee side. The bulwarks on that side had been gradually torn away, so that every instant the risk increased of their being carried overboard. Still, Owen and his companions persevered One only of the apprentices had joined them.
"Where are the others?" asked Owen.
"They are gone, I am afraid. I saw them standing together trying to lower a boat, when a sea took the whole of them off their legs. I was nearly gone too, but got hold of a rope just in time to save myself,"
was the answer.
It would have been better if Mr Sc.o.o.nes had endeavoured to keep all the men employed. As soon as he had declared that nothing more could be done until daylight, several of them stole away instead of joining those working at the raft. Some time had pa.s.sed, when Owen heard voices coming out of the captain"s cabin, some singing sea ditties, others shouting loudly in discordant tones.
"The rascals have gone in and got drunk," cried the boatswain, who heard them also. He made his way into the cabin, intending to turn them out.
His efforts were in vain, they jeered and laughed at him.
"If the ship goes down, we intend to go down with her," cried one of his own mates. "A short life and a merry one. Oh! come and join us, old Fidd."
The boatswain finding remonstrance useless, and unwilling to waste time returned to his labours. Just at that moment there came a fearful crash, the stout timbers and beams were rent, as if composed of mere touchwood. The ship broke in two. The sea, rushing through the stern ports, swept every one out of the cabin, and the ribald songs and jests of those within were in a moment changed for cries of help and mercy.
Owen and Nat regained their former position, where they were partially protected by the only portion of the bulwarks remaining above water.
The survivors of the crew on the after part of the ship here joined them. The raft, still incomplete, remained on deck. What had become of the boat they could not tell, but shouts were heard amid the roaring of the sea, which came either from her, or from some of the men who had gained the other part of the wreck. No one having seen Mr Sc.o.o.nes, it was supposed that he had shared the fate of the other officers.
Never had a night appeared so long to Owen. Eagerly he and his companions in misfortune looked out for the first streaks of dawn in the eastern horizon. They appeared at last, and a faint cheer burst from the seamen.
"A sail! a sail!" cried Mike Coffey, an Irish seaman. All eyes were at once turned in the direction he pointed, but, as the light increased, disappointment took the place of the hopes which had been raised, and the jagged point of a rock, whitened by the sea-birds perched upon it, was seen rising above the troubled waters. The remnant of the shipwrecked crew now looked out in the opposite direction, in the hope of discovering land.
A line of rocks rising a few feet out of the water were alone visible at the distance of eighty or a hundred fathoms from the ship.
The long-boat, on which their hopes of safety depended, had been carried away when the ship parted, and was nowhere to be seen. By the increasing light, however, some people were observed on the rock. Those on the wreck waved to them. The signal was returned. Some of their shipmates had thus reached a place of comparative safety. As daylight increased the wind considerably lessened, but still the heavy surges continued beating against the wreck.
"Come, lads," cried the boatswain, "we will finish the raft, and get away from this before the old ship goes to pieces completely."
A second invitation was not required, and all hands set to work with a will. It was soon finished and launched, but how to guide it to the rocks was a difficult question.
"Before we shove off we must try and get some provisions and water,"
said Owen, more thoughtful than his companions.
"You are right, youngster," answered Mr Fidd. A cask of water which had washed up was fortunately secured, as was a tub of b.u.t.ter, a barrel of salt beef, and another of flour, and some cases containing cheese, dried fruit, and biscuits.
Here was sufficient food to support the crew for a few days, should they reach the rocks in safety. There seethed, however, a greet likelihood of their not doing that, as the raft must inevitably be turned over by the surf as it reached the rocks, and dashed against them.
"We must find a warp, lads, and then we will do it," cried the boatswain.
A search was made, and a rope of sufficient length and strength was discovered. One end was secured to the firmest part of the wreck, the rest of the coil being thrown on the raft.
"Now, lads, steady," cried the boatswain; "let each man take his place-- four to the paddles, and the rest to stand by the warp to pay it out as I direct."
The raft was all this time surging up and down, go that the men had no little difficulty in seating themselves on it. Had there been any scrambling, many probably would have been washed off. The boatswain culling them by name, they sprang on to the raft two at a time, and secured themselves as he directed. Owen and Nat had not been summoned.
"Are we to be left behind?" cried Nat.
"Not if we can help it," said Owen.
Some of the men on the raft were shouting out, "Shove off! shove off!"
Those nearest the wreck got out their knives and cut the ropes which held it. Owen and Nat rushed across the deck, and were about to spring on board, when the men who had charge of the warp paid it out, and a heavy sea sweeping round, carried the raft to a considerable distance.
"Haul in again, lads, we must not leave those boys behind," shouted the boatswain.
But the men did not appear to heed him. They scarcely, indeed, had the power to do as he ordered. The raft went tossing up and down, and was carried farther and farther from the wreck.
"Oh! they have deserted us," cried Nat.