Forward dashed the whaler to meet the wall of water as near as possible. It seemed as if nothing could prevent the frail craft from being overwhelmed by the avalanche of foam. The oarsmen, "keeping their eyes in the boat", saw nothing of the danger. The midshipman gripped the tiller-lines tightly and set his teeth. d.i.c.k realized the peril, but with great self-control moved hardly a muscle of his face, although he fully expected to find himself and his boat"s crew struggling for dear life in the water within the next few seconds.
Like a feather the boat"s bows rose in the air as she began to climb the wall of water. It seemed as if the strenuous efforts of the rowers would be totally insufficient to enable her to mount the towering barrier. The bowman, missing the resistance to his blade, collapsed in a heap on the thwart. Even in this moment of peril the Sub felt inclined to smile at the grotesque att.i.tude of the unfortunate man.
Then, with less than half a dozen bucketfuls of water in her, the whaler hung irresolute on the crest of the wave, and commenced her rapid plunge down the other side.
Two more waves of less height followed in quick succession. Then in the ensuing "smooth", Farnworth steadied the boat on her course.
"That"s her, sir!" sung out the bowman, who had extricated himself from his undignified position. "Well on the starboard bow now, sir."
The man was right. It was the unfortunate trawler. She lay with a considerable list to port, with the waves breaking right over her. Her mast and funnel had gone by the board. It was too dark to see whether any of her crew remained.
But in the meanwhile what had happened to the _Tremendous"s_ whaler, for there was no sign of her? Had she, d.i.c.k wondered, been overwhelmed by the heavy breakers which had all but swamped his boat?
CHAPTER VII
The "Hammerer"s" Whaler
Sub-lieutenant Crosthwaite was on the horns of a dilemma. His orders were to attempt the rescue of the crew of the mine-sweeper; he was also told to act in concert with the whaler of the _Tremendous_. The latter was nowhere in sight. Which ought he to do? Proceed to the wreck, or go in search of the missing boat?
He made up his mind quickly. The trawler, although badly damaged, did not appear to be breaking up. If any of her crew were on board, having survived the breakers thus far, they ought to be able to hold on a little longer. He would search for the other whaler, or at least communicate the news of her being missing to Lieutenant Bourne and leave the two gigs to take up the search.
"If she"s capsized she"ll drop dead to leeward," declared Midshipman Farnworth, referring to the lost boat. "We"ll back in, sir; I think that will be the best way."
"Certainly," agreed d.i.c.k cordially. He realized that the midshipman knew what he was about. Under the circ.u.mstances it was the safest way.
Watching for an opportunity when a "smooth" occurred between the heavy crested seas, the midshipman contrived to get his boat"s bows on to the general direction of the waves, which, owing to the shoaling of the depth, were almost on the point of breaking. A cauldron of foaming water stretched dead to leeward, and towards it the _Hammerer"s_ whaler was slowly backed, the men ready at the hurried word of command to pull ahead directly a particularly vicious breaker bore down.
Although a smart look-out was kept, no sign of the _Tremendous"s_ boat was to be seen. It was like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack, for, although the outlines of the encircling cliffs could be discerned against the rain-laden sky, objects on the water would be most difficult to distinguish even at a comparatively short distance.
"This is as far as we dare go," remarked the Sub. "We"ll be fairly in broken water if we drift in any farther. There"s no sign of the boat and her crew."
Bidding the men "give way", d.i.c.k awaited developments with certain misgivings. His expectations were presently to be realized, for the rowers, already exhausted by their efforts, were powerless to make the boat gain a foot. For twenty minutes they stuck gamely to their oars, driving the long, narrow craft through the crested waves, yet, owing to the force of the wind and the send of the sea, it seemed impossible to gain an offing.
Meanwhile, all unbeknown to the _Hammerer"s_ whaler, the boat of which they were in search had accomplished her errand. The heavy waves that had accounted for the two whalers becoming separated had smashed three oars of the _Tremendous"s_ whaler. Before the spare ones could be subst.i.tuted and the water baled out, the light craft had drifted many yards to leeward.
The Sub-lieutenant in charge, actuated by a sense of rivalry, took unnecessary risks in keeping his boat almost broadside on to the waves, merely turning her nose into the worst of the breakers.
Unseen and unheard, the boat under Crosthwaite"s orders backed within fifty yards astern of her, and while the _Hammerer"s_ whaler was going to leeward in a vain attempt to find her consort, the object of her search came in sight of the wreck.
Boarding on the lee side, the Sub in charge of the _Tremendous"s_ whaler succeeded in getting the whole of the mine-sweeper"s crew into his boat, and, dangerously overladen, the whaler began her bid for safety. More by good luck than by good management the party crossed the dangerous bay, and having fallen in with the two gigs, the rescued men were distributed between the boats.
"Seen anything of the _Hammerer"s_ whaler?" asked Lieutenant Bourne anxiously, for, until the transhipment of the major portion of the trawler"s people was being effected, he was under the impression that d.i.c.k and his crew were following in the wake of the other boat.
The Sub-lieutenant had to reply that he had not.
Bourne did not give way to recriminations. It not a time for reproaches. Ordering a rocket to be fired, he led his little flotilla from under the lee of the reef and awaited a recognition of his signal.
"There"s the gig signalling, sir!" exclaimed one of the seamen to d.i.c.k.
"They"ll be coming to look for us."
"Pity them if they did," thought the Sub grimly, as he groped for the flashing-lamp under the stern-sheets.
Holding the lamp well above his head, for owing to the erratic motion of the boat he was unable to stand up, d.i.c.k made the preparation signal--a series of short flashes. This was promptly answered, but from the fact that the light was frequently interrupted, the Sub knew that the intervening waves made the chances of an intelligible signal very remote.
"Close on a lee sh.o.r.e," he morsed. "Do not proceed to our a.s.sistance.
Propose to beach boat and proceed to rendezvous by the beach."
Back came the reply:
"Am proceeding to your a.s.sistance."
"Hang it!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed d.i.c.k. "They"ve missed the "Do not". I"ll try again."
Before he could get the lamp in position a ripple of flashes burst through the darkness, followed by the sharp crackle of musketry.
Bullets began to fall perilously near to the boat.
"That"s done it," continued Crosthwaite. "The light"s drawn the enemy"s fire."
"Do not proceed to our a.s.sistance; no a.s.sistance required," signalled the Sub, deliberately making a redundancy in order that there would be less possibility of a further misreading.
"I understand," came the reply in Morse; then the light vanished.
Already it had shared the attention of the fire of the Turkish troops.
The Sub looked at the jaded expressions on the faces of his men. They were almost "done up". Clearly they could not row much longer.
"My lads!" he exclaimed. "We"re in a tight corner, but we won"t go under tamely. Back her in, and we"ll see if we can"t send those fellows to the right-about."
At the prospect of a sc.r.a.p the boat"s crew forgot their fatigue.
Promptly they began to back the whaler towards the sh.o.r.e.
"Unship the rudder," ordered the Sub. "Two oars will be sufficient to give her way. The rest of you look to your small-arms. Keep the sight-protectors on your rifles until you"re ash.o.r.e."
One thing--a most important business--d.i.c.k did not forget to do. He hurled the signal-book over the side. Heavily weighted, it sank like a stone. Happen what may, the enemy would not gain possession of that highly important and confidential manual.
Carried at a great rate by wind and waves, the doomed whaler was not long in striking bottom. Her heel hit a rock with tremendous force, while her bows, lifted by a heavy wave, shot up clear of the water, throwing several of the crew off their thwarts. Then, surging broadside on, the boat was filled with the next wave and hurled on her side upon the beach.
Agilely, and without sustaining any injuries, the officers and men leapt clear of the boat, and struggling through the "undertow" as the wave receded from the beach, succeeded in gaining the sh.o.r.e.
Instinctively they took cover and waited for orders.
The men found themselves on a broad, gently shelving beach interspersed by cl.u.s.ters of weather- and sea-worn rocks. Between the fringe of the breakers and the base of the cliffs was a distance of nearly fifty yards. The sea being practically tideless, there was no danger of being cut off by the water.
Two hundred feet or more above, the Turkish soldiers on the summit of the cliff were still blazing away in the supposed direction of the boats, which had now rowed well clear of the bullet-flecked patch of angry water. The landing of the _Hammerer"s_ whaler had been unnoticed by them in the darkness and confusion, while fortunately d.i.c.k did not precipitate matters by giving orders to his men to open fire.
For quite five minutes the whaler"s crew kept under cover; till, finding that they were not the mark of the Ottoman fire, the Sub gave the word for the men to advance until they reached the base of the cliff.