The Survivors of the Chancellor: Chapter 25

Chapter 25

CHAPTER XXV.

NIGHT OF DECEMBER 4th.--Curtis caught young Letourneur again in
his arms, and running with him across the flooded deck deposited
him safely in the starboard shrouds, whither his father and I
climbed up beside him.

I now had time to look about me.  The night was not very dark,
and I could see that Curtis had returned to his post upon the
poop; whilst in the extreme aft near the taffrail, which was
still above water, I could distinguish the forms of Mr. and Mrs.
Kear, Miss Herbey, and Mr. Falsten The lieutenant and the
boatswain were on the far end of the forecastle; the remainder of
the crew in the shrouds and top-masts.

By the assistance of his father, who carefully guided his feet up
the rigging, Andre was hoisted into the main-top.  Mrs. Kear
could not be induced to join him in his elevated position, in
spite of being told that if the wind were to freshen she would
inevitably be washed overboard by the waves; nothing could induce
her to listen to remonstrance, and she insisted upon remaining on
the poop, Miss Herbey, of course, staying by her side.

As soon as the captain saw the "Chancellor" was no longer
sinking, he set to work to take down all the sails, yards and
all, and the top-gallants, in the hope that by removing
everything that could compromise the equilibrium of the ship he
might diminish the chance of her capsizing altogether.

"But may she not founder at any moment?"  I said to Curtis, when
I had joined him for a while upon the poop.

"Everything depends upon the weather," he replied, in his calmest
manner; "that, of course, may change at any hour.  One thing,
however, is certain, the 'Chancellor' preserves her equilibrium
for the present."

"But do you mean to say," I further asked, "that she can sail
with two feet of water over her deck?"

"No, Mr. Kazallon, she can't sail, but she can drift with the
wind, and if the wind remains in its present quarter, in the
course of a few days we might possibly sight the coast.  Besides,
we shall have our raft as a last resource; in a few hours it will
be ready, and at daybreak we can embark."

"You have not then," I added, "abandoned all hope even yet?"  I
marvelled at his composure.

"While there's life there's hope, you know Mr. Kazallon; out of a
hundred chances, ninety-nine may be against us, but perhaps the
odd one may be in our favour.  Besides, I believe that our case
is not without precedent.  In the year 1795 a three-master, the
'Juno,' was precisely in the same half-sunk, water-logged
condition as ourselves; and yet with her passengers and crew
clinging to her top-masts she drifted for twenty days, until she
came in sight of land, when those who had survived the
deprivation and fatigue were saved.  So let us not despair; let
us hold on to the hope that the survivors of the 'Chancellor' may
be equally fortunate."

I was only too conscious that there was not much to be said in
support of Curtis's sanguine view of things, and that the force
of reason pointed all the other way; but I said nothing, deriving
what comfort I could from the fact that the captain did not yet
despond of an ultimate rescue.

As it was necessary to be prepared to abandon the ship almost at
a moment's notice, Dowlas was making every exertion to hurry on
the construction of the raft.  A little before midnight he was on
the point of conveying some planks for this purpose, when, to his
astonishment and horror, he found that the framework had totally
disappeared.  The ropes that had attached it to the vessel had
snapped as she became vertically displaced, and probably it had
been adrift for more than an hour.

The crew were frantic at this new misfortune, and shouting
"Overboard with the masts!"  they began to cut down the rigging
preparatory to taking possession of the masts for a new raft.

But here Curtis interposed:--

"Back to your places, my men; back to your places.  The ship will
not sink yet, so don't touch a rope until I give you leave."

The firmness of the captain's voice brought the men to their
senses, and although some of them could ill disguise their
reluctance, all returned to their posts.

When daylight had sufficiently advanced Curtis mounted the mast,
and looked around for the missing raft; but it was nowhere to be
seen.  The sea was far too rough for the men to venture to take
out the whaleboat in search of it, and there was no choice but to
set to work and to construct a new raft immediately.

Since the sea has become so much rougher, Mrs. Kear has been
induced to leave the poop, and has managed to join M. Letourneur
and his son on the main-top, where she lies in a state of
complete prostration.  I need hardly add that Miss Herbey
continues in her unwearied attendance.  The space to which these
four people are limited is necessarily very small, nowhere
measuring twelve feet across; to prevent them losing their
balance some spars have been lashed from shroud to shroud, and
for the convenience of the two ladies Curtis has contrived to
make a temporary awning of a sail.  Mr. Kear has installed
himself with Silas Huntly on the foretop.

A few cases of preserved meat and biscuit and some barrels of
water, that floated between the masts after the submersion of the
deck, have been hoisted to the top-masts and fastened firmly to
the stays.  These are now our only provisions.

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