ALL through that day the sea continued as rough as at first, and the wind blew as strongly. In the afternoon the wind came up more fiercely, and far surpassed anything they had experienced since they had boarded the Petrel. It sang and roared through the rigging, and so great was its power, that there was a perceptible list in the ship in spite of the tremendous weight of her cargo4 and water-logged hull5. Soon the increasing wind stirred up the sea to greater fury, and the ship began to labor6 most fearfully. Every hour made it worse; and at length the whole ship forward seemed to be perpetually submerged, for nothing could be seen of its deck, and the foaming8 waves rolled backward and forward, and boiled, and seethed9, and swept resistlessly to and fro. Sometimes a dozen huge waves in succession broke in thunder on the helpless ship which lay beneath them, and received these mountain torrents10, quivering and groaning11 in every plank12 and beam.
By this time the boys had certainly become accustomed to the creaking and groaning of the straining ship, but this surpassed all that they had yet seen, and filled them with awe13. They stood there looking at the scene; the land was now forgotten. It had lost its interest. The feeling began to arise that perhaps they might never reach those shores, and if they did turn a glance any longer in that direction, it was solely14 in order to measure the intervening distance, and try whether it might be possible for the ship to reach the shore before going to pieces.
Solomon alone stood unmoved. Faithful to the last, with his one idea, the performance of his duty, Solomon prepared the evening meal. The cook triumphed over the man, and professional feeling rose superior to the frailties15 of humanity. It was ham that they would have, and biscuit, and butter. They should have cheese, too, and sardines16. Pickles17 and mustard should not be wanting. And Solomon laid these on the skylight, one by one, solemnly and in silence, as though the consciousness was present in his breast that this meal might be the last on board. Never before had he arranged a repast more deliberately18 and more thoughtfully. The table was set under circumstances which, indeed, required deliberation and thought. The pitching of the ship was so violent, that it required the most careful management to induce the things to lie in their places; and it was only by covering the biscuit with bits of board, that he succeeded in keeping them to their places. With the ham he had a long struggle, but finally tied it with rope-yarn to the skylight. As to the smaller articles, he had to leave them in the chest.
Solomon was just returning for the last time, carrying a piece of cheese and a box of sardines; the boys were seated on the edge of the skylight, waiting for the preparations to be completed, when suddenly the stern of the ship went down, down, down, very much farther than they had ever known it to descend19 before. An awful thought seized upon all: the ship was sinking! Every one started wildly up, clutching at anything that happened to be nearest, without knowing what they were doing, and looking fearfully through the opening at the end of their shelter.
It was a terrific sight that appeared in that direction.
There rose a wall of water, black, towering high in wrathful menace, with its crest21 boiling in white foam7. For a few moments that great mass hung poised22 above them; and then, with terrific fury, and with resistless might, it descended23 in thunder upon them. For a few moments all was the blackness of darkness, and the boys struggled despairingly with the rolling, overwhelming, foaming waters, which swept them helplessly about. The thought, and the only thought in every mind, was, that the ship was going down, and with this conviction that the last hour of life had come, there rose from each a short prayer, gasped24 out in that moment of agony.
It seemed ages; but at length the ship slowly struggled up, and the waters rolled away. For a few moments they all lay where they had been thrown, heaped up together; and then they struggled to their feet, and each began to call after the others. To their great joy they found that they all were there, and that, except a few bruises25 more or less severe, no evil had been incurred26. But the tarpaulins27 had been torn from the fastenings, and blown away by the fury of the wind, and the boys had been saved from a similar fate only by the quarter-deck rail, against which they had been flung. To this rail they clung as they rose to their feet, and for a short time stood clinging there, not knowing what to do.
But from this stupor28 they were roused by the voice of Solomon.
“Chilen,” said he, “de suppa am ’sposed of, an you got to go widout it dis bressed night. No use settin de table agin. Don’t pay in dis yer weather. Anybody dat wants anytin to eat, had bes go to de barl or de trunk an fish for hisself. Dere all full ob salt water, and dem dat’s fond ob salt junk can get deir fill.”
None of the boys, however, showed any disposition29 to eat. This last wave had destroyed all appetite. It had showed them how the wind had increased. They had hoped all along that the quarter-deck would be spared, and that they would be safe there; but now this hope was lost: where one wave had come, others were sure to follow, and the prospects30 for the night were dark and dismal32 indeed. For the night was before them. The sun was already going down; the sky looked lowering, and dark, and menacing; the wind had grown to a gale33, and all around the waters seemed waiting to ingulf them. Once they had wondered why the captain and crew had fled from the ship; now they understood but too well the reason of that flight. The idea of salvage34 seemed now to all of them a miserable mockery. What would they not have given to have escaped from this ship to any place of safety? Even the days of famine on board the Antelope35 seemed less terrible than the fate that now frowned wrathfully upon them out of the lowering night.
“It won’t do to stay here,” said Bruce. “Another wave’ll follow. Let’s get higher up, out of the way.”
“Where can we go?” asked Tom.
“Up in the rigging,” said Bruce. “Come.” Saying this, he climbed up the mizzen shrouds36 for a little distance on the windward side. The others followed. Last of all came Solomon, who took up his station below them all as though to guard them.
0006
There they all clung, and watched with awful eyes the scene below. It seemed for some time as though they had been premature37 in deserting the quarter-deck, for no wave followed that mountain billow which had precipitated38 itself upon them. But the recollection of that one wave was enough; and though its successor came not for some time, still they all confidently expected it. They knew that it would come before long, followed by many others, for the sea grew higher every minute, and the wrath20 of its waters grew more wild. Forward all was a sea of foam, and the quarter-deck appeared beneath them like a raft over which they hung as they clung to the shrouds.
They did not climb far up. They were not more than ten feet above the deck, having rested at this point, so that they might be out of the reach of the waves and no more. About their lost repast they did not think for one moment. That wave which had swept away their supper, had carried with it all thoughts and all desires concerning it. The only one who gave it a thought was Solomon, who, even now, was still true to his professional duties; and seeing the boiled ham lying against the quarter-deck railing, in the very place where it had been flung, he leaped down, at the peril39 of his life, hastily seized it, pitched it into the trunk, and then clambered back again.
“Boun to skewer40 dat ar ham dis yer time,” said he, in a soliloquizing tone. “No use lettin de win an de sea hab it all deir own way, nohow. Dat ar ham’s too precious to be lost, an I’se boun to’ serve it up yet for breakfus to-morrow, when de storm goes down. Lucky we didn’t try to hist up dat ar cabin stove. Jerusalem! wouldn’t it hab spun41 overboard? Would so. But it’s down deep ’nough now in de water, for de cabin’s chock full. Don’t ebber ’member bein so ’sturbed before in all my cookin ’sperience; an watebbers goin to be de suit ob it all’s more’n I can tell. Beats all; an dese yer chilen’s all boun to catch deir deff ob cold.”
At this Solomon raised his head, and looked at each one of the boys in succession. He saw them all wet to the skin, with the water dripping from their clothes, and their hands clutching fast the rigging. It was a painful sight, too painful: he turned away his face, and drops of brine ran down his face which did not come from the sea.
Suddenly a thunderous sound arose, which made every one look in terror towards the place from which it came. It was forward. In an instant they saw it all. Several great waves had fallen there in swift succession, striking amidships full upon a round-house which stood there, and was used for the reception of deck cargoes42. The force of these blows was resistless; the structure yielded with a crash, and gave way utterly43. For a moment it was brought up against the ship’s bulwarks44, but the waters poured in underneath45, floated it far upward, and tumbled it over into the sea. There it floated at the mercy of the waves, farther and farther away, while the raging billows, like hungry wolves, 茅ncompassed it on every side.
The boys had already felt sufficiently46 awed47 by the scene around to be. hushed into silence, but about this last event there was something so appalling48 that they all uttered an involuntary cry, and clung more closely to the rigging, each one looking at his neighbor with a face of despair. For the only thought now present to each one was, that the ship was breaking up, and that utter ruin and destruction was imminent49. The crash of the wave, as it struck the massive structure and tore it away, was so tremendous that the boys might well have dreaded50 the worst; and the sight of it now, as it tossed and tumbled in the boiling floods, had in it something so terribly suggestive of their own fate, that they shuddered51 and turned their eyes away.
But suddenly Solomon’s voice broke the silence.
“Dar,” said he; “dar’s how I knowed it was goin for to be. I bet high on de cook’s galley52. Dem dar round-houses only built for show; dey got no rail strenf. Now de cook’s galley down dar ain’t goin to gib way dat fashium; she’s boun to stan, jes like de rock ob Gibberalter, an de stove too,—dat’s so.”
There was something in Solomon’s tone which was so cool and matter-of-fact that the others felt a little reassured53, and recovered a little of their former coolness. They saw that the ship was still holding together, and as the waves rolled back, they saw the smooth firm deck where the roundhouse had stood, and learned from this that the round-house did not constitute a portion of the ship, but was merely an erection on that deck, and therefore to some extent a movable.
But Solomon’s confidence in the cook’s galley was by no means warranted by facts. Thus far it had been protected to some extent from the sweep of the waves by the round-house, and the loss of this barrier left it all exposed to the full fury of the waters. For some time it bore up gallantly55, and as each wave rolled over it, Solomon cheered exultantly56, to see it come forth58 erect54 from the rolling torrents. At length, however, Solomon’s exultant57 cries grew fainter, and finally ceased altogether. For the galley was shaking, and quivering, and yielding. At length one side started, and was beaten out; the rest soon followed, until all was crushed to fragments, and its separate portion hurled59 out upon the angry sea.
“Anyhow,” said Solomon, “dat ar galley held out pooty tough, mind I tell you; an dar’s de stove yet, as large as life, an it’s goin to take a good many waves afore they’ll be able to start her. Yes, dat ar stove’s goin to hold on, mind I tell you; an I’se a goin to bile a kittle ob water on her yet, you see. Will so.”
Whether Solomon really meant what he said, is an open question. He may have really believed it all, or, as is most probable, he may have expressed himself in this way merely for the purpose of giving courage and confidence to the boys, and preventing them from sinking into despair. Certain it is that his words had this effect; and seeing that the loss of the round-house and galley had made no material difference in the ship herself, they clung to hope, and tried to believe that the stout60 hull, with its firm cargo, would ride out the storm.
But by this time the sun had set; and now, in addition to their other troubles, there was added the dismal prospect31 of the coming night. Dark, indeed, would that night be to all of them. Fearful enough was their position already; but when, in addition to this, they would find the light of day cut off, and the horror of great darkness all around, what support could they find for their sinking souls, or what hope of escape? Already the land was fading out of sight, lost in the gathering61 shadows of evening. By the dim twilight62 they could see that they had drawn63 much nearer, and their distance seemed now but a few miles. Thus far they had regarded the land only with pleasure; now, however, as the night came down, and the darkness deepened, and the storm increased, they began to experience other feelings with regard to this dreary64 shore. That it was rocky and forbidding they had already seen, nor had they hitherto been able to detect any part of the coast here which was at all inviting65 or favorable to a landing. If in such a storm the ship should be driven upon such a shore, what could save her from being shattered to pieces? If in such a darkness they were driven upon those rocks, what could save them from destruction? Yet towards that unknown shore they were every moment drawing nearer, and wind and tide seemed alike to urge them onward66 towards it.
It was not yet dark, when suddenly a giant wave rose high from underneath the stern, and hung suspended over the quarter-deck. It was the counterpart of that wave which had struck them an hour before. For a few moments it hung, poised and quivering, and then it fell, in thunder, down. It poured all over the barrels of biscuit that were lashed67 to the mizzen-mast, it swept down through the skylight into the cabin, it rolled in a flood over the deck, and rushed forward, pouring down, and blending its waters with those that boiled and foamed68 amidships.
The ship now seemed unable to rise. She seemed to have sunk into some vortex, and being without anything like buoyancy, the waters held her fast. Wave after wave rolled in, and poured over the quarter-deck. The whole ship, from stem to stern, seemed to be one mass of foam. The hull was lost to sight. They seemed supported by masts that rose out of the sea. Destruction appeared close at hand. Clinging to the rigging with death-like tenacity69, they could only murmur70 their prayers of despair to that mighty71 unseen Being who holds the waters in the hollow of his hand.
At length, shuddering72, and groaning, and trembling in every fibre, like some living thing, the ship struggled up out of the mass of waters, and freed herself for a time. The boys could see the quarter-deck. They could see the barrels lashed to the mizzen-mast still secure. They breathed more freely. It seemed as though they had received a reprieve,—as though their despairing cries had been heard and answered.
“Boys,” said Bruce, “we can’t hang here all night. We’ll fall off. Lets go up higher. There’s room for all of us, I think, in the mizzen-top. Come.”
With these words he started upward. The rest followed. Solomon went up last. They all reached the mizzen-top in safety, and, on reaching it, found that it was spacious73 enough to afford room for them all.
Here Pat proceeded to possess himself of a line which ran through a block close by, after which he began to tie himself to the mast.
“What are you up to, Pat?” asked Bart, in some wonder.
“Sure it’s tying meself to the mast, I am, so it is.”
“Tying yourself to the mast?” repeated Bart, in amazement74. “What in the world is that for?”
“What is it for?” said Pat. “Sure and what else is it that people always do in shipwrecks75? It’s the reg’lar thing, so it is.”
“Well, for my part,” said Bart, “I’d rather have my hands free. If this mast should go over, I’d rather not be fastened to it as tight as that. You’d better not.”
“Sure an won’t I float ashore76 on it without any trouble?”
“Yes; only the trouble may be to keep your head above water. Don’t do it, Pat.”
But Pat was deaf to argument. Slowly, but pertinaciously77 and securely, he wound the rope round and round the mast, binding78 himself to it tighter at every turn.
“Ye’d best follow my lade,” said Pat. “There’s enough left in this bit of a line to tie ye’s all fast and firrum, so there is.”
But the others refused. They preferred liberty of action, and did not like the idea of swathing themselves up like mummies. They wished to be able occasionally, if possible, to lie down, or sit down, and not remain all night on their feet.
Thus there they stood in the mizzen-top. And the night came down, and the darkness gathered deeper and deeper around them. And the storm rose to its height, and night, and storm, and darkness, in all their terrific power, environed them as they stood in their giddy perch79.
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1
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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obdurate
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| adj.固执的，顽固的 | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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6
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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7
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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8
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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9
seethed
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| （液体）沸腾( seethe的过去式和过去分词 )； 激动，大怒； 强压怒火； 生闷气(~with sth|~ at sth) | |
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10
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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11
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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12
plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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14
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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15
frailties
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| n.脆弱( frailty的名词复数 )；虚弱；（性格或行为上的）弱点；缺点 | |
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16
sardines
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| n. 沙丁鱼 | |
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17
pickles
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| n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 )；处于困境；遇到麻烦；菜酱 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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19
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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21
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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22
poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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23
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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24
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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25
bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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26
incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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27
tarpaulins
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| n.防水帆布，防水帆布罩( tarpaulin的名词复数 ) | |
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28
stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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29
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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30
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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31
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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32
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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33
gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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34
salvage
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| v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救 | |
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35
antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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36
shrouds
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| n.裹尸布( shroud的名词复数 )；寿衣；遮蔽物；覆盖物v.隐瞒( shroud的第三人称单数 )；保密 | |
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37
premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
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38
precipitated
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| v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的过去式和过去分词 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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40
skewer
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| n.（烤肉用的）串肉杆；v.用杆串好 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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42
cargoes
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| n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负 | |
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43
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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bulwarks
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| n.堡垒( bulwark的名词复数 )；保障；支柱；舷墙 | |
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45
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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46
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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47
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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49
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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50
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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51
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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52
galley
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| n.（飞机或船上的）厨房单层甲板大帆船；军舰舰长用的大划艇； | |
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53
reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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54
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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55
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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56
exultantly
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| adv.狂欢地，欢欣鼓舞地 | |
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57
exultant
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| adj.欢腾的，狂欢的，大喜的 | |
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58
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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59
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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61
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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62
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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63
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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64
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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66
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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67
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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68
foamed
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| 泡沫的 | |
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69
tenacity
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| n.坚韧 | |
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70
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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71
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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72
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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73
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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74
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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75
shipwrecks
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| 海难，船只失事( shipwreck的名词复数 )； 沉船 | |
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76
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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77
pertinaciously
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| adv.坚持地；固执地；坚决地；执拗地 | |
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78
binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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