"You're a bright one, Mostyn," he exclaimed, as he stretched his cramped3 limbs. "Do you call this two hours?"
"I didn't like turning you out," replied the Wireless5 Officer. "After all, I've had quite a soft time. Only had to trim the sheet once, and she carries just the right amount of weather helm."
Balancing himself on the after thwart6 Alwyn scanned the horizon. All around sky and sea met in an unbroken line. Neither land nor vessel7 of any description was in sight. Satisfied on that score the Third Officer took stock of the boat. Underneath8 the tent Hilda Vivian was sleeping soundly. Her regular breathing was sufficient evidence to prove that.
Curled up athwartships, with his head pillowed on one of the canvas water-tanks—for which there had been no need in their original r?le—was Jasper Minalto, snoring like a young bull. He, too, had scarcely stirred for the last four hours.
"Let him stop," said Burgoyne. "I'll take on now. You might get out some grub before you turn in, and there are some tin mugs in the after locker10."
"I brought along some lime-juice," announced Mostyn. "Holmes told me I could have it, and it may come in jolly useful. Branscombe lowered a dozen coco-nuts over the cliff and stowed those on board, too; so we shall be able to have some sort of variety. What's the menu? Bully11 and biscuits?"
The two men ate their first meal on board with evident relish12; then Mostyn turned in, leaving Burgoyne at the helm.
It was a glorious day. As the sun gathered strength its warm rays brought comfort to the helmsman. For the first time for nearly twenty hours his comparatively thin clothing was dry, and his cramped limbs regained13 their usual suppleness14.
"Things might be a jolly sight worse," he soliloquized. "We're clear of the island and no sign of any craft in pursuit. The breeze is fair and steady, we've a reasonable amount of grub in the locker, and a staunch little craft for the trip. I wonder what the others are doing, and whether Strogoff and his bravos are cutting up rough?"
In about half an hour after Burgoyne had resumed the "stick" Minalto stirred himself, and sat up with a look of wonderment on his face, sniffing16 the morning air with deep appreciation17.
"Eh, sir!" he exclaimed. "I've just had a wonderful dream. We wur havin' fried bacon, an' taters an' all. I could smell 'en, real as anythin'-like, an' it doesn't haf smell good."
"'Fraid that's as far as you'll get just now," replied Alwyn with a laugh. "Come on! Biscuits and bully is our mark."
He glanced at the well-filled foresail and then to windward.
"May as well get the rest of the canvas set," he remarked. "The breeze is moderating a bit."
Lashing18 the helm the Third Officer assisted Minalto in the task of hoisting19 the standing20 lug21. Before this was accomplished22 Hilda, disturbed by the noise, awoke and crawled from under the awning23.
"Good morning!" she exclaimed.
"Mornin' to you, young Teddy," replied Jasper, touching24 his trailing forelock, while Alwyn removed his cap from his shock of tousled hair.
"Young Bill's shaved this morning," she continued with a disarming25 smile. "I'm sorry to have to say that Mr. Burgoyne has not."
"I thought I once heard you remark," rejoined Alwyn, "that you were rather partial to beards!"
"Yes, torpedo26 beards, tawny27 for preference," admitted the girl.
The Third Officer complacently28 stroked the stubbly growth of hair that completely hid his cheeks and chin.
"For the matter of that," he observed, "a pair of scissors will do the trick when we get back to civilization."
"But your beard is red, not tawny," countered Hilda laughingly. "But don't worry about that, Mr. Burgoyne. I think I prefer you as you were on board the Donibristle—clean-shaven. That is from an appearance point of view. Just now you look a bit of a ruffian, but you're splendid. I shall never be able to thank you sufficiently29 for all the danger you have gone through—and the others as well, of course—to get me away from the island."
"It's jolly good of you to say that, Miss Vivian," said Alwyn. "We've got you clear of the island, it's true, but we are by no means out of the wood yet. Now: ready for something to eat?"
Telling Minalto to take the tiller Alwyn prepared the girl's breakfast. In the absence of a knife or a tin-opener the bully-beef tin had to be battered30 open with a rowlock, since, as is almost invariably the case, the patent opener provided failed utterly31 in its predestined mission. The biscuits, too, had long lost their crispness, and the water, notwithstanding the addition of a small quantity of lime-juice, was decidedly "cloudy" owing to the continuous motion of the boat. In default of a plate the beef had to be spread out on a piece of canvas which Burgoyne had washed by trailing over the side; while a total deficiency of cutlery resulted in the application of nature's knives and forks.
Yet Hilda enjoyed the rough-and-ready repast. She was naturally a high-spirited girl, passionately32 fond of an open-air life, and the novelty of the situation appealed to her. Burgoyne thought she looked the picture of health, with her finely-modelled features, of rich bronze hue33 by reason of exposure to the sun and rain, her closely-bobbed hair, and her mirth-loving eyes. Even her present costume suited her, the canvas jumper and the battered straw hat setting off to perfection her slim figure and the naturally graceful34 poise35 of her head.
For the four or five hours all went well with the Argonauts, but about midday the breeze died utterly away and the boat drifted idly with her sails drooping36 listlessly from the yards. The heat was terrific. Almost overhead the sun blazed down mercilessly, while the reflected rays from the mirror-like ocean seemed almost as hot as the sunshine itself.
With the paint blistering37 and the woodwork too hot to touch comfortably the boat was like a small furnace. Even the water left in the lands and bilges quickly disappeared, throwing out a noxious-smelling vapour.
Leaving one man to keep watch, the rest of the crew sat under hastily-devised awnings38 over which salt water was frequently poured in the hope that the rapid evaporation39 would lower the temperature under the canvas. Sleep was an impossibility; speech became a matter of difficulty, for even frequent small draughts40 of water failed to keep their throats from being parched41 and dry. Sweltering in the enervating42 heat they existed listlessly, their jangled nerves still further jarred by the monotonous43 slatting of the canvas and the steady thud of the yards against the gently-swaying masts.
Suddenly Mostyn, whose turn it was to keep a lookout44, startled the others by shouting:
"Land ahead!"
Shaking off his lethargy Burgoyne emerged from under the awning. For some reason he could see nothing but a red mist that swam in front of his eyes.
"Where away?" he inquired.
"Right ahead," repeated the Wireless Officer, rather astonished that Alwyn could not see what was only too clear to him: a dark line almost on the horizon.
"Land!" exclaimed Burgoyne, his normal vision returning. "That's not land, old son. It's a breeze ruffling45 the water, and pretty strong, too. We'll have it in a few minutes—and dead in our teeth, worse luck."
Aided by Minalto, Burgoyne quickly stowed the awning, then casting loose both sheets he awaited rather anxiously the approach of the breeze.
"Looks more like a squall," he said, half to himself. Then raising his voice he continued: "Stow the mizzen. Mostyn, you stand by the fore9 halliard, and douse46 the sail in a brace47 of shakes if I give the word."
Soon there was no doubt about the nature of the approaching wind. It was a white squall—one of those dangerous puffs48, often attaining49 a strength of from forty to sixty miles an hour, that swoop50 down with devastating51 effect upon the vessel whose careless look-out has allowed it to take him unawares.
"Down foresail!" shouted Burgoyne. "We'll have to ride to a sea-anchor."
Abandoning the useless tiller, which Mostyn had already yielded to him, Alwyn sprang forward to assist the rest of the crew in preparing a floating breakwater to which the boat could with safety ride to the wind and waves. Quickly the kedge was attached to the clew of the sail, a span bent52 to the yard and at its centre the whole scope of the boat's painter with an additional length of rope.
In desperate haste the whole contraption was hove overboard. The yard and sail, weighed down by the kedge, sank like a stone.
The next instant, with a weird53, almost blood-curdling shriek54, the squall burst. In an instant the hitherto placid55 surface of the ocean was lashed56 into an expanse of white foam57.
Caught fairly on the broadside the life-boat was knee deep in water before she took up the strain of the sea-anchor. Then riding to a tautened cable she swung round bows on to the now threatening breakers.
The three men baled desperately58. Hilda, too, realizing the importance of freeing the boat from water, plied4 an empty bully-beef tin vigorously. Her straw hat had been whisked off, although Mostyn had caught it as it swept to leeward59; her short locks were streaming in the wind, spray lashed her face like the sting of a whip, yet in the wild display of Nature's elements her faith in the prowess and skill of the three men was undiminished. Without a trace of fear she was toiling60, not because she thought she was in danger, but because she knew she could be of assistance to her companions.
In ten minutes the worst was over. The wind dropped considerably61, and though the waves were not running exactly mountains high, they had quite a menacing appearance. Yet the sea-anchor, which was now only a few feet below the surface, and fifty yards ahead of the boat, broke the angry seas in a way that imparted confidence to all hands.
It was an hour later before Burgoyne thought it prudent62 to rehoist sail. The mizzen, close-reefed, was first hoisted63 and sheeted home. Then the foresail got inboard, single-reefed and set. The boat's head fell away, then gathering64 way she darted65 buoyantly over the long, crested66 waves.
Contrary to Alwyn's expectations the wind had neither veered67 nor backed. It blew strongly from the same quarter, which meant that for every mile made good the boat had to sail thrice that distance.
For the rest of the day they sailed close-hauled, tacking68 at the end of every hour. All three men knew how to get the best out of the boat, keeping her sufficiently full to allow the canvas to draw well.
Sunset came with every indication of bad weather. The sun sank behind a bank of copper-coloured clouds, while the sky resembled what Minalto described as a "basin o' pea-soup".
"We're in for it, I think," remarked Burgoyne to Mostyn. "I think we'd better close reef the foresail while it's light. Then you take first watch—two hours only this time, mind; I'll take the next, and Minalto carries on after me. That will give you four hours' sleep."
"Right-o," agreed Mostyn, preparing to go for'ard with Minalto to reduce canvas still further. "Go about at the end of each watch, I suppose?"
"Yes," agreed Alwyn, "unless, of course, it's blowing too hard for one hand to dip the sail. In that case it'll be all hands 'bout15 ship."
At about nine o'clock Burgoyne awoke and relieved the Wireless Officer at the helm. During a lull70 in the wind the manoeuvre71 of putting the boat on the port tack69 was a fairly simple one.
Left to himself the Third Officer steered72 by the wind, occasionally checking his course by means of his pocket compass. It was now pitch dark, not a star was visible. Very soon it began to rain—big drops that borne by the stiff breeze rattled73 with considerable force against the helmsman's face. Spray he could and did endure with equanimity74; in fact he rather revelled75 in the salt-laden showers, but Burgoyne had the deep-sea man's rooted objection to rain.
Pulling the peak of his disreputable cap well down over the left side of his face and drawing a piece of painted canvas over his shoulders, Alwyn settled down to make the best of things.
His trick was almost done when it suddenly occurred to him that the seas were no longer regular; in fact the boat was entering a patch of confused water.
Thinking it was a sudden shift of wind that accounted for the nasty cross seas Burgoyne glanced at his compass. The wind had backed; a point, perhaps, not more; and that was not sufficient to justify76 the agitation77 of the water.
He glanced to leeward. Above the howling of the wind his ear caught the unmistakable sound of surf. Not only abeam78 but ahead a line of milky79 foam warned him of the peril80 that threatened. The boat, close-reefed, was driving to leeward, and was already within two hundred yards of one of those dangerous coral reefs with which certain parts of the Pacific Ocean are studded.
"All hands!" he shouted. "Stand by and 'bout ship."
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1
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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4
plied
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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5
wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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6
thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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7
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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8
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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10
locker
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| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
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bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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12
relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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13
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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suppleness
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| 柔软； 灵活； 易弯曲； 顺从 | |
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15
bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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sniffing
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| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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17
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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18
lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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hoisting
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| 起重，提升 | |
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20
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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21
lug
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| n.柄，突出部，螺帽；(英）耳朵；（俚）笨蛋；vt.拖，拉，用力拖动 | |
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22
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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23
awning
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| n.遮阳篷；雨篷 | |
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24
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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25
disarming
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| adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒 | |
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26
torpedo
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| n.水雷，地雷；v.用鱼雷破坏 | |
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27
tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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29
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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30
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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31
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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33
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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34
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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35
poise
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| vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信 | |
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36
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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37
blistering
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| adj.酷热的；猛烈的；使起疱的；可恶的v.起水疱；起气泡；使受暴晒n.[涂料] 起泡 | |
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38
awnings
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| 篷帐布 | |
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39
evaporation
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| n.蒸发，消失 | |
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40
draughts
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| n. <英>国际跳棋 | |
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41
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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42
enervating
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| v.使衰弱，使失去活力( enervate的现在分词 ) | |
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43
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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44
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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45
ruffling
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| 弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱 | |
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46
douse
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| v.把…浸入水中，用水泼；n.泼洒 | |
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47
brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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48
puffs
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| n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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49
attaining
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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50
swoop
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| n.俯冲，攫取；v.抓取，突然袭击 | |
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51
devastating
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| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
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52
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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53
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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54
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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55
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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56
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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57
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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58
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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59
leeward
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| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
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60
toiling
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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61
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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62
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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63
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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65
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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66
crested
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| adj.有顶饰的，有纹章的，有冠毛的v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的过去式和过去分词 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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67
veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（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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68
tacking
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| （帆船）抢风行驶，定位焊[铆]紧钉 | |
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69
tack
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| n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝 | |
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70
lull
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| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
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71
manoeuvre
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| n.策略，调动；v.用策略，调动 | |
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steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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74
equanimity
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| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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revelled
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| v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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abeam
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| adj.正横着(的) | |
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milky
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| adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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