when we consider the illimitable stretches of ocean over which a sailing ship has to work her way by grace and favour of the winds, and the innumerable possibilities, not merely of disaster but of adventure, befalling such a ship on account of the well-known variability of those invisible aids of commerce, it is nothing short of marvellous that there should be so many men afloat who will tell you with perfect truth that they have been sailing for so many years and have never met with an accident of any kind, nay, that they hardly know what bad weather means. to a man who can scarcely cross one ocean without meeting at least a heavy gale, and who looks for trouble as a necessary adjunct to his profession, this is a strong reason for belief in luck, since he cannot disbelieve that what so many of his co-workers tell him is true.
so far, i think frank’s experiences had been about the average, but he was now to meet with something that some men who go all their lives to sea know nothing of—an east indian cyclone. these terrific disturbances of the atmosphere are not peculiar to the indian ocean, but are also met with in the atlantic and pacific within[202] the tropics, and are called cyclones, typhoons, or hurricanes, according to their locality. but the word hurricane, like “awful,” “shocking,” “terrible,” &c., has nearly lost its meaning owing to its being improperly applied very often by some excited passenger to what is really only a moderate gale, and thence getting into a newspaper. it has become suspect, like the oft-repeated phrase met with in print, “the captain said that in all his experience of —— years he had never known such a storm.” captains may say that with a definite purpose in view to a persistent questioner whom they think will report their words, but if it were only partially true it would argue that storms were continually becoming so much more violent than of old that we are in danger of being swept off the surface of the globe altogether.
but the language of exaggeration can hardly be applied to a typical east indian cyclone, because it is one of those appalling manifestations of nature’s energy when man is made to feel his physical insignificance in the scheme of things, so that it is beyond all extravagances of description, which indeed only tend to disfigure and misrepresent its real proportions. so i shall endeavour to be quite simple in my description of the experience which frank was now called upon to pass through. it began very quietly. they were just about in the heart of the trade winds, or about half-way up to java head from st. paul’s, when one evening in the first dog-watch frank, being at the wheel, noticed that the sun at setting had lost his usual splendid lustre, and seemed of a sickly[203] greenish red. at the same time the steady genial breeze which had sent them speedily northward began to falter and die away.
mr. jacks lounged over the lee rail, his eyes fixed upon the western horizon. there was a profound silence only punctuated by the flap of the sails and the creak of the ropes as the ship rolled lazily on the swell in the dying breeze. suddenly the skipper appeared up the companion and cast a comprehensive glance around and aloft. his face was set and stern, but showed no trace of hesitation such as he must have felt. then he strolled over to where the second mate stood and said, “looks queer, mr. jacks.”
“yes, sir,” responded that officer, “very queer. if the glass——”
“yes, it does,” sharply interrupted the skipper, “it’s away down ever so low; 29.34 already, and it only started to fall at noon. but this last hour it has been going and no mistake. well, you can start and get the kites in, and at four bells we’ll put all hands on it. there isn’t much time to lose, i’m sure, and anyway there’s little or no wind to waste.”
thenceforward until eight o’clock the sealark was a scene of the most violent activity, every rag of sail in her with the exception of the main lower-topsail and fore-topmast staysail, both of which were fortified with additional gear for securing them in a hurry, was not only furled with the utmost care, but extra gaskets were put on, and no corner of canvas allowed to show that might invite the grip of the cyclone fiend to[204] seize it and rip the whole sail adrift. every article that could be moved on deck or below was fortified in its position by additional lashings, preventer backstays were set up and life-lines were stretched fore and aft in case of the bulwarks going. finally the ship was put upon the starboard tack in order that when the wind began to haul she should come up to it, and not be liable to the great danger of being caught aback. and then, with the exception of the man at the wheel, all hands were dismissed to rest and a good meal to fortify them for the coming event.
there was a long and very painful period of waiting, during which it was perfectly calm, and the air was hot and oppressive. but the sea gave evident signs of the approaching storm by its steady rise into an enormous swell, long hills of glassy water rolling in upon the ship in solemn orderly succession from the westward, conveying in the most unmistakable language to all what a tremendous force was being exerted upon the sea far beyond the horizon. the sky above grew black and near, and there was a strong smell of sulphur in the air. and the mercury in the tube of the barometer fell steadily, palpitating meanwhile in its glass prison as if in sympathy with some disturbance in the atmosphere as yet unfelt by human sense. at last, when it was close upon midnight, the pitchy heavens began to show tiny trickles of light, fairy-like streakings, such as one may see at almost any time by closing the eyes and pressing the fingers on the lids. then a hot breath of wind, which made every one on deck start[205] and stare in the direction from whence it had come. another and another, fiercer and fiercer, until in five minutes from that first sultry zephyr the tempest had begun.
it only remained to them now to hold on and endure, hoping in the staunchness of their ship, which was tested to the utmost, and thankful to know that all they could do by way of preparation had been done. for in that gigantic conflict of the elements wherein for a time the wind was so far victor that the sea was held flat as by the pressure of the hand of god, no man might expose himself and live, much less do anything, even if aught remained to be done. indeed it was difficult to breathe anywhere except shut up within bulkheads, not merely because of the amazing commotion in the air, but because that air was so mingled with water torn from the surface of the defeated sea that it was almost like inhaling water.
but the skipper and his two faithful officers watched compass and barometer with intense scrutiny, noting with the most jealous care how she lay with regard to the wind, how it was hauling, and hoping that the cyclone would at least obey the regular law, and not complicate matters by any recurving owing to their being so far to the eastward. suddenly the sympiesometer (a more sensitive kind of barometer) began to rise, followed more sedately by the mercury, and the skipper sighed, “thank god, there’s one half of it over anyway.” only the clock warned them that eight hours had passed since the cyclone first struck[206] them, for it was still dark as the pitch lake of trinidad.
and now the floodgates of heaven opened as the wind slowly eased its awful force, and it was difficult indeed to know whether the vessel was still above water or below it. moreover, as the wind fell the sea rose, and she began to tumble about in truly horrible fashion, making it a most difficult thing to maintain a position by holding on with all one’s strength. and this condition of things grew steadily worse, until it seemed as if the two poor boys on their first voyage would die with fright. small blame to them. if ever fear is justifiable, and i hold it most certainly is, it is at such a time as this, when sky and sea meet in the utmost outpouring of their powers. frank and johnson felt many qualms but said nothing—it was no time for talking anyhow, but like good sailors they just held on to their patience and hoped for the best.
the wind still dropped, and the sea rose higher and higher. the roar of the storm had died down, but was succeeded by the immense crashing chorus of the thunder and the falling masses of water—it is absurd to call it rain. it was impossible to feel any lightening of anxiety, although the wind had taken off so greatly, because the pressing dark and hideous tumult forebade the uprising of hope. all felt bound and depressed beyond measure, but also mercifully beyond the reach of fear, for they had passed the limit of human capacity for being afraid. but still they held on mechanically as the staunch ship was flung from sea to sea like a tennis-ball between rackets, only with much more irregular[207] motion. and the one idea predominant in all minds but that of the two youngest boys was, “how long can she possibly endure?” as for the top-hamper, that spread of yards and towering masts, they had forgotten it, or if they did remember it for a moment, it was with an incurious detachment of mind as about something which no longer concerned them, over which at any rate they had no control.
it was almost calm, but the infernal tumult was at its height when suddenly there burst upon them, like the crack of doom, the other half of the storm. it struck them with the impact of an impalpable mountain, irresistible, and over she went. all their senses were merged in one effort to hold on wherever they were, and had she then gone down to the bottom quickly i doubt whether any of them would have suffered more than a momentary spasm of pain. but she did not go farther than over on her beam ends, and then almost as suddenly she righted again. and even then the sufferers noted a certain definite change in her movements, a change for the better, but one for which they could not account. however, it was soon evident that the worst was over, and that they were still alive.
and, as the rain and thunder ceased, a dim light began to struggle through the rifts in the pall of driving clouds, revealing to them the reason of the sudden change in the feel of their ship. that amazing blast had made a clean sweep of her masts above the tops, and only a few remnants of what had been a far-spreading entanglement of topsail,[208] topgallant and royal yards, with their accompanying masts, dangled pathetically downward from the deserted lower masts, while the gear, like a drowned woman’s hair, was wrapped about and mingled with the remaining wreckage, forming a snarled-up mass which appeared only open to one mode of treatment, namely, that of being chopped clean away. men thought grimly of their careful labour in furling those sails so securely which had now gone, yards and all, and then as the claims of their life again began to assert themselves, they thought of what lay before them in the bringing of their ship to some place where she might again be made fit to do her work.
the weather rapidly improved, and captain jenkins, able to walk his quarter-deck once more, looked sternly at the wreck and said to his mate, “we’ve got our hands full here, cope.”
the mate shrugged his shoulders and replied, “no doubt of that, sir. but what are you thinking of doing, working back to mauritius or going on to anjer? seems almost a pity to go back now, doesn’t it, when we are so well over?”
“oh,” hastily answered the skipper, “i had no idea of mauritius, might almost as well abandon her at once; she would cost a jolly sight more than ship and cargo are worth by the time the port louis folks had picked her bones and we’d got her to hong-kong. no, no, we’ll go on, anyhow. as soon as ever the boys have had a feed and a smoke, turn to and clear away that raffle o’ gear. we’ll save all we can of it, for the lord knows we’ve little enough to make shift with, and i very[209] much doubt the ability of anjer to supply our needs. it’s never been much since krakatoa.”
so after about an hour’s spell, behold all hands toiling like beavers, led by mr. jacks and hansen, who seemed suddenly endowed with the ability to do impossible things, and were seen hanging in the most precarious positions, hacking, shouting, pushing, and infecting everybody with their own feverish energy, the energy of men who had got a task they felt supremely capable of performing, and one moreover entirely after their own hearts. again and again the skipper thanked his stars he had not lost the second mate at penarth, for he knew that such a man as this splendid type of seaman was one of the rarest jewels, and literally priceless in an emergency of this kind.
such was the enthusiasm engendered among the crew by this splendid example that there was no need to enforce labour—every man did his very best, while frank and johnson, their young hearts fired by this splendid opportunity of showing how they had profited by the lessons they had learned, worked so hard that it was necessary to restrain them, lest they should forget their limitations and lay themselves up.
the old carpenter, too, who might have been considered by unthinking folks ashore as almost past his work, wrought steadily with his broad axe, adze, and topmaul to fit the jury spars for their service aloft, muttering congratulations to himself all the while that the lower masts had stood the strain and left a good foundation whereon to erect[210] topmasts and topsail yards at least, with which no ship can be considered helpless.
none of them gave a second thought to the grim fact that all of the boats were gone or else driven in like a bundle of slats, either by force of wind or weight of sea; but then your sailor is apt to think little about boats until the necessity comes to use them, and even resents the good rules that make him in a passenger ship handle them periodically to see that they are all in order.
but on the third day of this great work, when they were saying one to another that they had done so well that another couple of days would see them under as good trim as possible—able at any rate to compass four knots an hour with anything like a decent breeze—while they were in the middle of their multifarious activities, the attention of all was suddenly arrested by the appearance of a thin blue spiral of smoke arising from one of the ventilators and lazily curling upward into the blue above. no word was said, but instantly the heads of all on deck were turned towards it, the minds of all traced it to its origin, and the bowels of all began to heave with that indefinable sense of the imminence of an awful danger, a sensation like that upon first experiencing a shock of earthquake.
this pause only lasted a few seconds, and then the clear, quiet tones of the skipper were heard: “mr. cope, come aft here a minute.”
“aye aye, sir,” replied the mate, mechanically reaching for a wad of oakum and wiping his hands, but without haste, and following the skipper’s steady steps into the cabin. as soon as they[211] entered they felt that their worst anticipations were realised—the cargo of stern coal was on fire by spontaneous combustion, for the smoke was filling the cabin.
“now, cope,” said the skipper quietly, “this is a bad business, especially coming on top of the other, but the first thing is to locate the fire without alarming the chaps. they’re pretty good, but this is calculated to put the fear of god into the best of men who cares what becomes of him. you see the hold’s full of smoke by the way it’s pouring into the cabin, and going down to see is out of the question, so now the only thing to do is to bore through the three hatches, after plugging up all the ventilators, and then lead the monkey pump down the hole that the most smoke comes out of, and try and drown it out. updraught is what we have to fear most, as long as we can keep it smothered it will only smoulder, and we may drown it; of course, we can’t do anything with the gas—as far as that is concerned we must trust to god’s mercy. luckily she’s an iron ship. can you fasten off aloft so as to keep the bit of sail we are carrying safe, and set all hands free to pump for their lives?”
“oh yes, sir,” cheerfully answered mr. cope, “a couple of hours at the outside will enable us to carry the fore and main lower-topsails and the lower staysails and spanker. with this breeze she ought to make anjer in a week like that.”
the skipper sighed heavily as if seeing nothing at anjer but safety for his crew, for there was little hope there of saving his ship, he felt, and that is[212] always the chief concern of every skipper worth his salt. but he only said, “all right, cope, make all the haste you can to get finished aloft, while chips and i will see about these hatch-holes.”
the absence of any fuss or symptoms of alarm did just what was needed to prevent any undue worry on the part of the men, although they could not help casting an occasional regretful glance to where the boats had been, and it was equally impossible for them to help now and then looking at the spiral of smoke still ascending, a symbol of the most fateful significance. but they worked with the utmost docility, and frank could not help remarking to hansen, “what a wonderful adventure we are having, to be sure.” hansen only grunted and looked pityingly at the eager face of the youth apparently so unable to realise the danger of the situation.
very soon the loose ends had been secured aloft, and the men coming down were called aft to rig the hand-pump, a quaint old machine used for washing decks, but capable of throwing a good stream of water with four hands to the brakes. the skipper and carpenter had found that a much fiercer volume of smoke ascended from the hole they had cut in the main hatch than anywhere else, and, moreover, there, as they well knew, the coal rose nearer to the main deck, being as usual piled amidships for stowage purposes, making the ship easier in a seaway. so with the suction-hose trailing overboard and the discharge-pipe pointed down the small hole bored in the main hatch, the weary task of pumping water into the ship was[213] begun, and before long the escape of steam from various places showed that the incoming water had reached at least a portion of the fire.
then the most careful stoppage of every outlet was effected, and the skipper said with an air of relief, “well, the steam will help to choke the fire anyhow, although heaven knows how much there is of it.” except for this quiet remark to the mate, captain jenkins might to all appearance have been dealing with one of the most ordinary incidents of a sailor’s career. he felt rather than knew how closely he was being watched by his men, who at a time like this reflect in a remarkable degree the character of their commander.
now, of course, all work that could be avoided was stopped in order that the labour of all hands might be concentrated upon the one needful thing, subduing the fire. it was found that one watch could manage to keep the pump going and do the steering without undue pressure on the men, while the boys and the officers could do a little aloft in adding some lighter sails to those they had been able to set. so that for two or three days the water was steadily poured into her until she began to settle so low that the captain decided it was dangerous to flood her any more.
and yet the fire was obviously not subdued, for, as soon as the ventilating hole was opened, smoke as well as steam burst forth, and, moreover, the ship felt dangerously hot. however, the weather remained beautifully fine and the sea quite smooth, with steady trades, before which the waterlogged sealark crept gradually northward, and the crew,[214] released from the pump, were kept busy adding to their makeshift appliances aloft, but without affecting her speed much, she being now so deep in the water.
but for the whole week never a sail did they see. then there crawled up to them a vessel which had evidently been through a similar stormy experience to their own, for she looked very much as they did aloft. slowly the new-comer ranged alongside of them, revealing herself as the four-masted barque windhover of london, having lost fore and mizzen topmasts and maintopgallant masts, also a goodly portion of her bulwarks, but having all her boats.
she came near enough to speak through the megaphone, and condolences were duly exchanged, while the new-comer naturally inquired whether the sealark had sprung a leak. when he was told the dread truth he immediately offered one of his lifeboats, for, as he said, “you never know what may happen in a case of that kind, and at present you’re very like rats in a trap. without a boat or anything whatever on deck that you can make a raft of—it’s too bad.”
so the two cripples were hove to, and very curious they looked, recalling almost the old battle-pictures of ships after an action; while the crew of the windhover, feeling full of sympathy for their unfortunate sea brethren, worked with a will. they did not at all realise how familiarity with the awful danger beneath the feet of the sealark’s crew had blunted their sense of its terrors, and so were full of wonder also that all the apparently doomed men should be taking things so calmly.
[215]as soon as the boats were ready, the captain of the windhover paid a visit to the sealark, and was of course warmly welcomed by his brother skipper, who took him below and offered such hospitality as he had at his command. then the new-comer did the only thing possible, offered to take them all off the ship if captain jenkins should feel so inclined, knowing at the same time that were their positions reversed he would never dream of accepting such an offer.
“thank you very much,” said captain jenkins, “but i think we’ll see her through. i’ve got as good a crew as a man could wish for, from the mate downwards, and if the worst should come—through your kindness we have now got the means of escape—all i’ll trouble you for is that you’ll report me at anjer and see if they can rake up some spare spars for me. i don’t want to be detained there any longer than i can help.”
“right you are,” replied the skipper; “i’ll see to it, and now with all my best wishes i’ll bid you so-long and hope we shall meet all square in hong-kong. you may be there as soon as i am, unless my coal takes it into its head to combust spontaneously too.”
and off he went, having rendered the only assistance in his power. but he could not help looking wistfully back as he regained his ship, and feeling an overwhelming sympathy for that brave little crowd so quietly doing their allotted duty under circumstances so difficult and dangerous.
it is always pleasant to record success, and so i rejoice to say that after eight days of the strong[216] steady suasion of the kindly trades the look-out at the fore-topmast head of the sealark sighted java head, and the next day the good ship crept quietly up to her anchorage at anjer, still seaworthy and mutely testifying to the faithfulness of those in charge of her. she was immediately surrounded by a horde of touts, all eager to share in the plunder of an unfortunate ship. men to whom the advent of a vessel in distress is a boon, a feast, an occasion of great rejoicing, people who, however necessary, feed fat upon the misfortunes of others, and whose rapacity knows no limit except the impossibility of getting more.
very few indeed are the ports of the world into which a ship can enter in need without being immediately the prey of men like this, whose only but all-sufficient excuse is, when they condescend to make any, “that the underwriters can well afford to pay.” and indeed in these days of scanty earnings and absence of perquisites, a skipper must needs be made of stern stuff who can resist this, practically the only opportunity he ever gets of “making a bit” by standing in with the gang who are making a great deal.
they anchored without any incident worth recording, and, as soon as ever she was well cleared up, the skipper chose his agent and demanded a gang of labourers to investigate the condition of things below. off came the main hatches and up shot a dense cloud of smoke, steam, and gas almost like the first ejection from the crater of a volcano. all the javanese fled aghast to the rail, prepared to dive overboard, and gazed awestricken upon the[217] open mouth of the ship from which she was vomiting the elements she had endured so long.
but after an hour or two it became possible to get below and ascertain the extent of the fire. and it was found that there was still an immense heap of coal forward of the main hatch which had been as yet untouched by the water, and which on being disturbed glowed fiercely. the pump was at once brought into play, and amid blinding smoke and suffocating gas the lively javanese toiled manfully through a day and night until it began to be evident that the fire was under control. meanwhile the water was pumped out of the lower hold, where there could no longer be any danger of fire, since she had been practically flooded up to her ’tween-deck beams for three weeks.
it would be sheer waste of words to say how anxious and worried captain jenkins was all this time. his first command, surrounded by a gang of foreign harpies who looked upon his ship as their legitimate prey, but could not work their will upon her without his signature, the one vestige of authority left to a captain in a foreign port where there are no accredited agents, and, above all, his high desire to accomplish his voyage, he, like any other man in a similar position, must demand all our sympathies. his men, on the other hand, were quite happy. they felt like conquerors who in the face of fearful odds had succeeded in overcoming the most terrible forces of nature, and were now reaping the rewards of victory.
especially was this the case with frank. he literally grew with the occasion, felt proud of his[218] ship, his shipmates, and himself with a grand and legitimate pride, and yet went on learning in the great business of re-rigging the ship and preparing her to resume her voyage. this is no place to talk technicalities, or i would like to tell of the stupendous labours of mr. jacks and the crew, all of whom were given over to him to work aloft, while the mate superintended the work of the coolies on deck and below.
well, in the end the sealark regained her normal trim appearance under the hands of mr. jacks and his hard-working crowd, and the captain, chafing with impatience as day succeeded day and the prospect of his leaving seemed as remote as ever, at last began to see a possibility of getting to sea again, where he would be free of those landsharks who made life a burden to him. it is of course impossible in a book like this to give any detailed account of his adventures, every day of which would furnish materials for a most exciting story, but i may go so far as to give his conversation of a few minutes with mr. cope when at last the ship was considered ready for sea.
“cope, i’d rather face the cyclone again than deal for another day with these fellows. they smother me, they make me doubt myself, make me feel that whatever i want to be i am bound to become an infernal thief and liar such as i am sure the majority of them are by choice. they are like the villains i have met in london and liverpool, ready to curse or bless anybody and everybody for payment. yet they have never lost sight of anybody they had a down on, while it was safe they’d do[219] their best to ruin him, or her, it didn’t matter which, for their price could always be paid and the payer passed at once from being an unspeakable villain to an angel of truth and, especially, of financial rectitude. i’m choking to get out to sea again, cope. if i stay here much longer i shall lose all faith in either god or man. it isn’t right that we should fight the sea and winds as we do to conquer them only to become the prey of a gang of beach-combers like these, for that’s what they are, i don’t care what swagger names or offices they put up, they are even less reputable than the pukka beach-comber.”
“never mind, sir,” replied cope, “you have fought the good fight.”
“at a price, my boy, at a price,” interjected the despondent skipper.
“anyhow,” continued cope, “we are all right again after as hard a time as a man can have. the owners will have a nice letter to cheer you up in hong-kong. but apart from all that, sir, what a good sturdy crowd we’ve got, haven’t we? and those two lads, frank and johnson, they’ll make splendid officers if they’ll only stick to it, i think they’re the right stuff.”
“yes, cope, they’re good, i know, but i’m dead tired of the whole thing, and wondering whether the game is really worth the candle or not. i know i’m a bit out of sorts with all these bloodsuckers hanging on to me; perhaps i’ll feel better when i get out on the clean sea again. we’ll get under-weigh to-morrow morning at daylight, and before any of this nest of liars and thieves are awake we’ll[220] be well on our way to where it’s clean. good night.”
from all of which it may be inferred that alone among his whole crew captain jenkins was despondent, unsatisfied, his victory having brought him no joy. you can see why for yourself. everybody else who had no thought of financial details, and who when their work was done had nothing else to think of until turn-to time again, was supremely happy. especially as within certain limits captain jenkins had ordered them a free bumboat, that is, fruit and eggs and vegetables and soft-tack for nothing.
and frank had bought a monkey, a furry gentle thing black as erebus, but with a pathetic expression upon its furry flat face and in its big eyes that touched him strangely. he had never had a pet before, although often conscious of a strange need which he could not name. it was time that need was supplied, for he was growing up curiously unsympathetic, from the absence of anything or anybody whereon to lavish the affection which is possessed by all of us, but in the absence of the opportunities for its exercise almost certainly dies away, leaving in its place a cold heartlessness and selfishness which is dangerous. from this jacko came just in time to save frank, although it must be confessed that his advent was not altogether an unmixed blessing, seeing that his native predilection for mischief kept most of frank’s shipmates wondering what he would be up to next. but after all he was a healthy stimulant to the activities of the crew, who, after their late strenuous life, were in danger of stagnation.
[221]by this i wish to convey that having got clear of anjer the wind and weather were so uniformly kind to them as to reduce the absolutely necessary work to a minimum. the navigation of what we always call the china sea, meaning the indian archipelago, after passing through either the straits of sunda or malacca from the westward, is difficult and dangerous, especially for a sailing ship, but the weather is often perfection itself for a week at a time, and so it was now. true, the ship was in a parlous state as regards cleanliness of paint, &c., but her skipper being a just man, could not see the force of harassing his boys with work that the first day of discharging cargo in hong-kong would undo.
so all hands had a very easy time, only just doing enough simple tasks to keep the devil out of their minds, as we say. this they all fully recognised and accepted as their due, although, of course, nothing was said upon the subject by anybody. and so the much-tried ship with her doughty crew crept slowly northward through the tortuous ways of the china seas, until one morning there rose before their delighted eyes the towering mass of victoria peak, the culmination of the british island of hong-kong. it was a triumphant sensation which they experienced then, remembering all the struggle they had waged to this end, followed by deep satisfaction as steering up towards green island pass they received on board the queer slant-eyed pilot, just one hundred and fifty days from cardiff roads, a passage which under all the circumstances might be looked upon as highly meritorious.
