The Survivors of the Chancellor: Chapter 43

Chapter 43

CHAPTER XLIII.

JANUARY 11th to 14th.--Owen's convulsions returned with increased
violence, and in the course of the night he expired in terrible
agony.  His body was thrown overboard almost directly; it had
decomposed so rapidly that the flesh had not even consistency
enough for any fragments of it to be reserved for the boatswain
to use to bait his lines.  A plague the man had been to us in his
life; in his death he was now of no service!

And now, perhaps, still more than ever, did the horror of our
situation stare us in the face.  There was no doubt that the
poisoned barrel had at some time or other contained copperas; but
what strange fatality had converted it into a water-cask, or what
fatality, stranger still, had caused it to be brought on board
the raft, was a problem that none could solve.  Little, however,
did it matter now:  the fact was evident; the barrel was
poisoned, and of water we had not a drop.

One and all, we fell into the gloomiest silence.  We were too
irritable to bear the sound of each other's voices; and it did
not require a word, a mere look or gesture was enough, to provoke
us to anger that was little short of madness.  How it was that we
did not all become raving maniacs, I cannot tell.

Throughout the 12th no drain of moisture crossed our lips, and
not a cloud arose to warrant the expectation of a passing shower;
in the shade, if shade it might be called, the thermometer would
have registered at least 100deg., and, perhaps, considerably
more.

No change next day.  The salt water began to chafe my legs, but
although the smarting was at times severe, it was an
inconvenience to which I gave little heed; others who had
suffered from the same trouble had become no worse.  Oh!  if this
water that surrounds us could be reduced to vapour or to ice!
its particles of salt extracted, it would be available for drink.
But no!  we have no appliances, and we must suffer on.

At the risk of being devoured by the sharks, the boatswain and
two sailors took a morning bath, and as their plunge seemed to
refresh them, I and three of my companions resolved to follow
their example.  We had never learnt to swim, and had to be
fastened to the end of a rope and lowered into the water; while
Curtis during the half-hour of our bath, kept a sharp look-out to
give warning of any danger from approaching sharks.  No
recommendation, however, on our part, nor any representation of
the benefit we felt we had derived, could induce Miss Herbey to
allay her sufferings in the same way.

At about eleven o'clock, the captain came up to me, and whispered
in my ear,--

"Don't say a word, Mr. Kazallon; I do not want to raise false
hopes, but I think I see a ship."

It was as well that the captain had warned me; otherwise, I
should have raised an involuntary shout of joy; as it was, I had
the greatest difficulty in restraining my expressions of delight.

"Look behind to larboard," he continued in an undertone.

Affecting an indifference which I was far from feeling, I cast an
anxious glance to that quarter of the horizon of which he spoke,
and there, although mine is not a nautical eye, I could plainly
distinguish the outline of a ship under sail.

Almost at the same moment the boatswain who happened to be
looking in the same direction, raised the cry, "Ship ahoy!"

Whether it was that no one believed it, or whether all energies
were exhausted, certain it is that the announcement produced none
of the effects that might have been expected.  Not a soul
exhibited the slightest emotion, and it was only when the
boatswain had several times sung out his tidings that all eyes
turned to the horizon.  There, most undeniably, was the ship, and
the question rose at once to the minds of all, and to the lips of
many, "Would she see us?"

The sailors immediately began discussing the build of the vessel,
and made all sorts of conjectures as to the direction she was
taking.  Curtis was far more deliberate in his judgment.  After
examining her attentively for some time, he said, "She is a brig
running close upon the wind, on the starboard tack, If she keeps
her course for a couple of hours, she will come right athwart our
track."

A couple of hours!  The words sounded to our ears like a couple
of centuries.  The ship might change her course at any moment;
closely trimmed as she was, it was very probable that she was
only tacking about to catch the wind, in which case, as soon as
she felt a breeze, she would resume her larboard tack and make
away again.  On the other hand, if she were really sailing with
the wind, she would come nearer to us, and there would be good
ground for hope.

Meantime, no exertion must be spared, and no means left untried,
to make our position known.  The brig was about twelve miles to
the east of us, so that it was out of the question to think of
any cries of ours being overheard; but Curtis gave directions
that every possible signal should be made.  We had no fire-arms
by which we could attract attention, and nothing else occurred to
us beyond hoisting a flag of distress.  Miss Herbey's red shawl,
as being of a colour most distinguishable against the background
of sea and sky, was run up to the mast-head, and was caught by
the light breeze that just then was ruffling the surface of the
water.  As a drowning man clutches at a straw, so our hearts
bounded with hope every time that our poor flag fluttered in the
wind.

For an hour our feelings alternated between hope and despair.
The ship was evidently making her way in the direction of the
raft, but every now and then she seemed to stop, and then our
hearts would almost stand still with agony lest she was going to
put about.  She carried all her canvas, even to her royals and
stay-sails, but her hull was only partially visible above the
horizon.

How slowly she advanced!  The breeze was very, very feeble, and
perhaps soon it would drop altogether!  We felt that we would
give years of our life to know the result of the coming hour!

At half-past twelve the captain and the boatswain considered that
the brig was about nine miles away; she had, therefore, gained
only three miles in an hour and a half, and it was doubtful
whether the light breeze that had been passing over our heads had
reached her at all.  I fancied, too, that her sails were no
longer filled, but were hanging loose against her masts.  Turning
to the direction of the wind I tried to make out some chance of a
rising breeze; but no, the waves were calm and torpid, and the
little puff of air that had aroused our hopes had died away
across the sea.

I stood aft with M. Letourneur, Andre and Miss Herbey, and our
glances perpetually wandered from the distant ship to our
captain's face.  Curtis stood leaning against the mast, with the
boatswain by his side; their eyes seemed never for a moment to
cease to watch the brig, but their countenances clearly expressed
the varying emotions that passed through their minds.  Not a word
was uttered, nor was the silence broken, until the carpenter
exclaimed, in accents of despair,--

"She's putting about!"

All started up:  some to their knees, others to their feet, The
boatswain dropped a frightful oath.  The ship was still nine
miles away, and at such a distance it was impossible for our
signal to be seen; our tiny raft, a mere speck upon the waters,
would be lost in the intense irradiation of the sunbeams.  If
only we could be seen, no doubt all would be well; no captain
would have the barbarous inhumanity to leave us to our fate; but
there had been no chance; only too well we knew that we had not
been within the range of sight.

"My friends," said Curtis, "we must make a fire; it is our last
and only chance."

Some planks were quickly loosened and thrown into a heap upon the
fore part of the raft.  They were damp and troublesome to light;
but the very dampness made the smoke more dense, and ere long a
tall column of dusky fumes was rising straight upwards in the
air.  If darkness should come on before the brig was completely
out of view, the flames we hoped might still be visible.  But the
hours passed on; the fire died out; and yet no signs of help.

The temper of resignation now deserted me entirely; faith, hope,
confidence--all vanished from my mind, and like the boatswain, I
swore long and loudly.  A gentle hand was laid upon my arm, and
turning round I saw Miss Herbey with her finger pointing to the
sky.  I could stand it no longer, but gliding underneath the tent
I hid my face in my hands and wept aloud.

Meanwhile the brig had altered her tack, and was moving slowly to
the east.  Three hours later and the keenest eye could not have
discerned her top-sails above the horizon.

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