"What has that to do with our present situation?" demanded Nora Sayers.
"It means that we've got a sprit rig stowed aboard. In oars2, men! Hi John, we'll be sailing before the wind, so lash3 your oar1 to the for'ard thwart4 to make a boom for the fores'l. Li Fu, break out the canvas. Get the mast stepped, then trim ship."
Over the waves behind, the tumult5 had died, and the distant lights of the Sulu Queen showed only when the boat lifted on a crest6. No pursuit had been made, nor had the searchlight been put into effect. Seemingly, Lim Tock was making no effort to find the boat. Probably the supercargo was for the present unable to get his men in hand and was also very likely to be busy getting the engines into working order.
When the centreboard was let down and the boat was being trimmed, Jim Barnes surveyed her with acute satisfaction. She was a nearly new whaleboat, fitted with a rudder in navy style, and well found in all respects. With a grunt7 of delight, Barnes opened the oiled silk wrapping of the matches, found the compass to be a good one, and set it by his side in the stern. In another ten minutes the sprit was up, the foresail rigged to the makeshift boom, and the whaleboat was running before the wind toward Borneo.
The eldest8 of the three children was barely six; none of them were cognizant of what had happened. After whimpering a little, they were soon asleep amidships, wrapped in the spare sail.
"If you girls will come aft, you can curl up in the bottom of the boat at my feet," said Barnes. "You'll be out of the wind and she'll be better trimmed. I've kept the boat well wet down since we sailed, and she's dry as a bone."
The two women obeyed. Nora Sayers looked up at Barnes.
"The other children? And their mother?"
Barnes tried to speak, but his throat was suddenly dry.
"I—damn it, girl, don't make me think of it! I did what I could. Go to sleep."
Ellen Maggs caught her breath sharply. Then, after a moment, Barnes felt her hand touch his, and he gripped her fingers. Both women were crying, he thought; but after a little they fell quiet, lulled9 by the regular rise and fall of the boat, by the long forward sweep, the rush and hiss10 of water as she drove along on a crest, and the tilted11 drop into the trough only to gather impetus12 anew and hurl13 forward.
The curling sweep of wind and sea, like a cleansing14 breath, wiped out all that was behind them and lessened15 the sharp memory. Once Barnes, looking back, saw a searchlight fingering the water; that was all. The stars blazed cold and brilliant, and the thin crescent of the new moon hung like green silver against the depths above. So passed the hours, and the boat rushed ever onward16 and onward under the steady sweep of wind. Barnes held her on the same course the Sulu Queen had been following, to make the Bornean coast. They were far out of any steamer track, and there was no hope of being picked up unless by some chance trading schooner17.
Dawn found them steadily18 bowling19 along. Li Fu had crept aft and relieved Barnes of the tiller; and Barnes, resting against the stern-thwart, opened his eyes to find the head of Ellen Maggs pillowed upon his shirt, and his arms about her shoulders. How this had come about, he had not the least idea, but made no objection to the arrangement.
Perhaps aroused by his awakening20 stir, the girl opened her eyes a moment later. Nora Sayers was sleeping peacefully. Barnes felt Ellen Maggs catch her breath at sight of the ocean and sky that closed them in, then saw the color come into her cheeks. Before she turned to glance at him, he closed his eyes again. She did not move, but, after realizing the situation, accepted it. Above them the lean form of Li Fu crouched21 at the tiller, dark eyes sweeping22 the water ahead.
"Awake?" asked Barnes after a moment. "Don't move. Sailing a whaleboat before the wind, even with a centreboard, is about as ticklish23 as canoeing. Comfortable?"
"Very, thank you," she responded, although he could see that the color lingered in her cheeks.
"When the kids wake up, we'll stretch our legs a bit and break out some grub," said Barnes. She was silent for a space, then spoke24 quietly.
"Are we going anywhere? Have you seen any ship, or will any see us?"
"Going to Borneo. We'll raise the coast as soon as the sun's up. We won't see any ship unless she sees us first, however."
"But I thought we might see one, and catch her attention——"
"No chance! Novels to the contrary, it just ain't done. A small boat has a horizon of two and a half miles. We could see another boat a mile farther. The bridge of a ship can see us fifteen miles away, and would be sure not to miss our sails. So by the time we saw a ship, she'd be bearing down to take us on board. But we'll not see any; we're way out of the steamer lane."
Behind the boat, all the eastern sky reddened and streamed with the dawn-shafts, and the sun sprang suddenly from the sea-rim, piercing the haze26 and mist of dawn with his level rays of gold. Li Fu bent27 down and touched the shoulder of Barnes. The latter looked. Out ahead of them a purple mass was upheaved above the horizon, running north and south.
"Look!" Barnes pointed28 it out to the girl. "There's Borneo. If the wind holds, we'll make the coast in a couple of hours. The wind's shifting around to the north, too. Wake up, Hi John! Take in your boom, bring the sheet aft, and let the foresail gybe. Mind your helm, Li Fu, as she wears——"
The whaleboat came over nicely, but as she heeled the three children wakened and began to cry out. Nora Sayers sat up, bewildered, then quickly began to mother the little ones. Hi John came aft and relieved Li Fu, who, with Barnes, set to work breaking out the cabin stores put aboard the boat.
When breakfast was somewhat precariously29 made an end of, Barnes turned over the forward portion of the boat to the two women and their charges, bringing the quartermasters back in the stern with him. With the spare sail he contrived30 a low screen which afforded the women some privacy without lessening31 the windage of the sails.
Li Fu curled up to sleep, but Hi John, with a serious effort to improve his English, questioned Barnes about their course and then delivered himself of a matter which drew Barnes' immediate32 and earnest attention.
The quartermaster had discovered that the captain had changed the course of the Sulu Queen toward Borneo by reason of something the serang Gajah had said to him. Further, he knew that there was much opium33 on the steamer, which Lim Tock meant to transfer to a junk which was to meet her somewhere. Putting these facts together, the inference was that the Sulu Queen was to meet the junk somewhere near the mouth of the Sesajap, for which the skipper had headed her.
"I don't know but what you're right, John," said Barnes thoughtfully. "We might run into that junk, eh? But no great matter if we did. They'd be Chinese and would leave us alone."
Hi John shook his head at this. The boat was stenciled34 with the name of the Sulu Queen, and the men aboard the junk would not be exactly fools. Barnes nodded assent35.
"You're right. Still, the chances are ten to one that we'll not see her. How badly did you smash those engines? What did you do to them?"
"Me no savvy," said the quartermaster with a shrug36. He had smashed them, and that was all he knew, except that he had done it in a hurry and at considerable risk.
Jim Barnes had fetched along no charts, but needed none for this coast. To the north was Point Elphinstone and British territory, and no settlements along the coast. To the south were several Dutch stations within a hundred miles or so. As Hi John claimed to know the coast fairly well, Barnes decided37 to run straight in for the land, if possible identify their position, and then strike south for the nearest Dutch settlement. The boat was staunch; the storm season was gone, and there was nothing to fear.
"And the quicker I can get a gunboat after that devil, Lim Tock, the better!" reflected Barnes. He still saw red at thought of what he had witnessed the previous night.
An hour passed, and another, and the coast opened up before them as the breeze held. The mountains of the interior rose in a dull purple mass, against which stood the brighter green of the low shores. An island presently detached itself to the north, and after studying the coast-line carefully, Hi John declared this to be Bunju, with the island of Tarakan a little off the port bow. South of Tarakan were Dutch posts on the Bulangan River mouths, so Barnes let her fill off a little, heading southeast by east.
The children, meantime, had begun to explore, and two of them appeared aft, staring at the three men with wondering brown eyes, but too shy to talk. Barnes was paying little heed38 to them; both he and Hi John were examining the coast ahead. Then, suddenly, Li Fu uncurled, and came out of his sleep with a blood-curdling yell.
For an instant Barnes thought the quartermaster had gone mad, until he saw the man staring at the wet leg of his dungaree trousers. Wet! A chattering39 cry from Li Fu drove the warning home. He plunged40 forward.
It was one of those slight accidents upon which destiny hangs and veers43. The Arab boy had found the lanyard of the plug in the boat's bottom, and now stood holding up the plug curiously44 while the water spouted45 into her.
At the cry and plunge41 of Barnes, the boy scrambled46 away forward. Nora Sayers came aft, and ran into him. They fell together, just as Barnes flung himself on the plug and attempted to replace it. Hi John, too startled to mind his helm properly, let her yaw on the crest of a wave—and the big mainsail gybed.
Barnes, who had jammed the plug back into place, thought she was gone; but the water that she had shipped saved her in that instant. The mast, bone-dry and rotten, went with a rending47 crash, smashing the sprit with it. She swept up on the next sea with a pile of canvas dragging over her bow and the frightened children screaming.
Seizing Li Fu's knife, Barnes went into the tangle48 furiously, for somewhere beneath it was Ellen Maggs. He found her unhurt, however, her arms about the youngest child.
"Lord, girl! I thought the mast had hit you. Get aft, now. Both of you girls take pannikins and bail49. Li, put out an oar and keep her from broaching50. John, come along and help clear away. Move sharp, everybody!"
In five minutes the dripping canvas was hauled in amidships and the damage ascertained51. The sprit was gone beyond repair, and the upper half of the mast. Against the stump52, Barnes held an oar while Hi John deftly53 lashed54 it in place.
"What happened?" demanded Nora Sayers.
"We all picked the lee side to fall on," and Barnes laughed as he spoke. "Cheer up! No harm done! We'll run into shore and replace the spars, then be on our way. Eh, John?"
"Can do," grunted55 Hi John, examining the coast line. "Plenty bamboo. Hey! Catchum sail off sta'board counter!"
Barnes leaped to a thwart and took one look to the north. A brown, square sail was in sight, creeping from behind one of the islands.
He turned.
"Now, John, move! Get that canvas up, anyway at all so it'll draw—come on! Use that long piece of the sprit for a gaff; lash the canvas to it and then lash it as high on the oar as you can. Look alive! That's your junk, yonder."
The two men fell furiously to work, while the women bailed56 and Li Fu tugged57 at the long oar to keep the whaleboat from broaching. And the brownish yellow matting sail crept down on them like an ungainly water-spider.
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1
oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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7
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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8
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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lulled
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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impetus
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| n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力 | |
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hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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14
cleansing
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| n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词 | |
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15
lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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18
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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bowling
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| n.保龄球运动 | |
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awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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21
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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ticklish
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| adj.怕痒的；问题棘手的；adv.怕痒地；n.怕痒，小心处理 | |
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24
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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27
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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precariously
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| adv.不安全地；危险地；碰机会地；不稳定地 | |
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contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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lessening
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| 减轻，减少，变小 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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opium
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| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
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stenciled
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| v.用模板印（文字或图案）( stencil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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39
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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40
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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41
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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42
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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43
veers
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的第三人称单数 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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44
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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45
spouted
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| adj.装有嘴的v.（指液体）喷出( spout的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
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46
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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47
rending
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| v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破 | |
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48
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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49
bail
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| v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人 | |
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50
broaching
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| n.拉削；推削；铰孔；扩孔v.谈起( broach的现在分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体 | |
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51
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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53
deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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54
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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55
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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56
bailed
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| 保释，帮助脱离困境( bail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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