But there was never a worse storm on any of them than that which raged one night, soon after Buffalo2 Bill’s return to Fort McPherson, on the dark waters of a large lake on the edge of the great plains.
Driving before the squall which had come down with awful suddenness was a schooner3 containing the surveying party that had been sent out from Fort McPherson to make surveys and take soundings of the lake.
The party was under the command of our friend Captain Meinhold, and with him on the Enterprise was his old and trusted friend, Buffalo Bill, who had been requested, at the last moment, to accompany him.
There were several surveyors in the party, and their assistants, besides the sailors of the vessel4 and a few soldiers from Captain Meinhold’s company, who acted as an escort.
Terrified almost out of their wits by the violence of the wind and the fearful height to which the waves ran, tossing the craft up and down as if it were a mere5 cockleshell, were also three women, wives of three of the surveyors.
Suddenly, when the storm was at its height, a wave swept over the quarter of the schooner, washing away a deck house and carrying five men with it.
To save them was impossible. Even if the skipper could have worn schooner, instead of merely driving helplessly before the wind, they could not have been found and picked up on such a stormy night in such a raging sea.
A few minutes later the mainmast went by the board, killing6 two more men and leaving the vessel a helpless wreck7.
The skipper was one of the two men killed by the fall of the mast. His mate had been washed overboard. There was no one left who was competent to navigate8 the vessel, even if she had been navigable.
The well had been sounded a little while before, and it had been found that the craft was leaking badly.
Captain Meinhold ordered one of the seamen9 to find out if the water was gaining. The man did so, and returned with the terrible news that it was simply pouring in and the schooner was fast settling down.
“She’s nothing but a sieve10 now,” said the man. “The fall of the mainmast just racked her to pieces and opened the seams.”
It was not necessary, indeed, to sound the well; for it was obvious to the veriest landsman that the schooner was sinking, and must soon disappear beneath the raging billows.
“We must take to the boats at once,” said Captain Meinhold to Buffalo Bill, who was standing11 calmly by his side, as fearless on sea as on land.
Having anticipated the order which was now given to them, the sailors who survived had already commenced to cut loose the boats, ready for launching.
“I will run down below and get my weapons,” Cody said to Meinhold. “I would not lose them for a trifle.”
He turned to execute this purpose, and as he got to the head of the companionway a tall negro came rushing up the stairs and butted14 into him. He was Joe Congo, the steward15 of the vessel, and one of the best specimens16 of the African race to be met with anywhere.
Buffalo Bill would have gone, nevertheless; but at that moment another wave came sweeping18 over the vessel, carrying Joe Congo off his feet.
The border king, who was gripping a rail on the companion, caught hold of the man with an iron grip, just in time to prevent him from being swept overboard.
“Golly, massa!” said Congo, as soon as he could recover his breath and speak. “Dat was a near t’ing! I owe you a life. Maybe I pay it some day.”
“All right, Congo. Don’t worry about that. I must go below for my guns.”
As he was about to do so a voice sang out in stentorian19 tones that sounded clearly above the roaring of the storm:
“All for the boats! We can’t wait any longer.”
“Leave de guns, massa,” said Congo. “T’ink ob your life.”
Buffalo Bill concluded that this was good advice to follow under the circumstances. Helping20 Congo along, he hurried across the slippery deck to the side where one of the boats was even then being launched.
He helped the three women into it, and then motioned to Congo to enter, following himself.
The other boats were being got away at the same time, and in a few moments all the crew and passengers who survived had left the doomed vessel, which[211] sank below the waves with a heavy lurch21 after they had got a little distance away from it.
The danger of their position was understood by all, and it is probable that not a soul in the company expected to set foot on dry land again.
All through the long night, however, the men battled manfully at the oars22 trying to keep the head of the boats to the waves and avoid being capsized.
It seemed as though the night would never wear through, but at last it ended, and with the first rosy24 streaks25 of dawn the sea moderated somewhat.
The welcome sun revived the sinking spirits of the worn-out men in the boats, and they looked around eagerly for signs of land, but they could see none.
They had little or no knowledge of their location. They had been somewhere near the center of the lake when they were wrecked26, but the only men who could have given them any exact idea of their bearings—the captain and the mate—were both dead.
Buffalo Bill, who had been looking around constantly, in accordance with his usual habit, suddenly exclaimed:
“Hello, what’s the matter with that boat? She’s going over, by thunder! Bad management there! See!”
There was no need to call attention to the foundering27 craft. Yells from a dozen voices in it did that. It was the biggest boat of the lot, and carried the greatest number of men.
Then the oval bottom of the boat was seen, with several men clinging to it for dear life, while others were struggling in the water, upborne by life preservers and floating like corks28 on the billows.
The capsized boat was perhaps about thirty or forty[212] yards from the one in which Buffalo Bill was sitting, and the other was not much farther off.
Both came to her relief as speedily as possible, not without increased peril29 to themselves. This was still more augmented30 when some of the struggling swimmers came clinging to the sides of the boats and begging to be taken in.
These appeals, of course, could not be disregarded, and the sufferers were hauled in as fast as they came.
Some of them, however, being strong and brave men, and seeing that their comrades were making an attempt to right the boat, swam back to aid in it, for the danger of overloading31 the two other craft was apparent to all.
Captain Meinhold called for volunteers to follow him into the water and help to right the boat, and Buffalo Bill was the first to respond.
Luckily the sea had now gone down still farther, though it was still running high, and thus making the task one of extreme difficulty.
All of the men in the water were buoyed32 up by life preservers, but unfortunately two soldiers who had not worn any had sunk when the boat first went over.
For a time the violence of the sea defeated all the efforts of the men to right the boat, but at last they got it over on its keel again and with infinite labor33 bailed it free of the water.
Its crew got back, and the other men swam to their boats and were hauled in.
The men were so thoroughly34 worn out by their labors35 that Captain Meinhold realized that it was hopeless to try to head for land at present.
He advised them not to still further exhaust their strength by any attempt at making progress while the sea still continued rough, but merely to keep the heads[213] of the boats straight with the waves and avoid being caught broadside on.
“No matter which way we go or how far or how little,” he said, “let your aim be only to keep from filling and upsetting. After it becomes calmer it will be time enough to try to make progress. A few miles more or less now can make little difference. These waves cannot always roll like this. The sea seems to be going down all the time.”
The advice was followed. The utmost vigilance was observed by all, and every attention was given to “trimming ship” by changing positions at critical moments.
Now and then, when nothing else apparently36 would have saved the boats, some of the boldest of the men would spring overboard on the elevated side and by clinging to it restore the equilibrium37.
Thus the day wore on until afternoon. No one but Buffalo Bill continued to be hopeful, for they seemed to have been saved so long only by a series of miracles—and miracles could not go on like that forever.
Had it not been for the border king’s cheery voice and manner some of the men would have thrown down their oars in blank despair; but his heroic helpfulness inspired new life and courage in many a sinking heart.
Fortunately there was as yet no lack of provisions. The schooner’s larder38 had been well provisioned for the surveying trip, and some of the food had been brought up and distributed before the boats left the sinking craft. The passengers and sailors carried their rations39 as best they could in their pockets or in the loose bosoms40 of their rough shirts.
Buffalo Bill continued to talk a great deal, whatever else he might chance to be doing, and listeners were not wanting; for the sound of a cheerful voice without a tremor41 in it was very welcome amid a babel of wails42 and groans43 and stifled44 shrieks—welcome even to those who, having lost their nerve, contributed most to the dismal45 chorus.
The king of the scouts46 took his turn regularly at rowing and at bailing47, for he never shirked a duty—but whether he was doing these things, or taking a brief rest, or clambering with others over the highest gunwale of the boat to avoid a threatened upsetting, he talked incessantly48, loudly cheering, sometimes even jokingly.
Captain Meinhold acknowledged his valuable services in this way again and again, and at one time said to him, pointing the compliment with an expressive50 look:
“I begin to think we shall get through safely after all, old fellow. We certainly ‘carry Cæsar.’”
“I don’t know about that,” was the quick response. “Perhaps you carry Jonah.”
It was right that such a man, who had long sustained the despairing hearts of his fellow voyagers, should be the first to discover for them the signs of a well-grounded hope of safety.
About noon the clouds which had been obscuring the sky began to break away, and the sun came out in all its glory, lighting51 a pathway through the distant haze52.
“Land ahead!” shouted Buffalo Bill, in stentorian tones.
“Land ahead!” came back in wild response from the other boats, while cheer after cheer rose again and again, until the glad voices failed from exhaustion53.
The land was miles distant, and they had only the vaguest idea of what sort of place it might be.
In all probability it was a wilderness54 inhabited by savage55 Indians, who, although nominally56 at peace with the white man, would yet not hesitate to take their scalps when they saw their weak, if not utterly57 hopeless, condition.
Buffalo Bill wished now that Congo had not prevented him from dashing down below and getting his weapons. They were likely to be badly needed when that land was reached.
But the rest of the company recked little of the dangers which might confront them ashore58. The main fact in their minds was that there in front of them was the solid earth—grass-covered, tree-crowned, and beautiful. Could they but reach it and feel sure that a watery59 grave no longer yawned for them they felt that their happiness would be complete.
The greatest care was still needed, for there was danger that the excitement of this joy might produce some indiscretion which would result in wrecking60 them on the shore.
They were no longer content to remain stationary61, and the boats were urged forward with moderate speed, instead of being simply kept head-on to the waves. But as every man was now hopeful and vigilant62, and ready to plunge63 into the water, if necessary, in order to prevent a disaster, the peril rapidly diminished.
Their new hope did not deceive them. There began to be more appreciable64 abatement65 in the violence of the waves and the wind—slight, yet plainly perceptible.
After an hour and a half of laborious66 rowing they drew near the shore. Long before the keels grated on the pebbly67 beach some of the men jumped overboard in their excitement and swam to the shore. They were eager to set their feet firmly on it and make sure that it was no mirage—no mocking dream.
The place where they had landed was utterly unknown even to Buffalo Bill, for he had not hitherto explored the coasts of the lake. For all that he knew they might be a hundred miles from any human habitation, except, perhaps, those of men whom it would be dangerous to meet—the redskins.
While most of the men rested and ate their rations the border king set out with Captain Meinhold on an exploring trip.
The news which they had to bring back when they returned to their party toward evening was not encouraging.
They had discovered that they had landed on an island—and one of no great dimensions, either.
They had seen no signs of human habitations—not even a track or so much as a broken twig68 to show that the place was visited by men from the mainland.
This was not strange, for it was evident to the two explorers that the island could not support life for any length of time, certainly not for such a large party as theirs.
The men ate their supper gloomily when they heard these tidings. They had had enough of the boats and never wanted to enter them again, but it was evident that they must.
“Let us wait here for to-night, at all events,” said a young fellow named Hare, who was one of the surveyors, and was now having his first taste of Western life, having been born and bred in the East, where he had left his wife and his people when he got his appointment as surveyor in the government service.
Buffalo Bill agreed that this was a good idea, and all of the party made themselves as comfortable as they could for the night. They were too tired to talk, and soon after dark nearly all of them were fast asleep.
The border king and Captain Meinhold did not think it was necessary to set a watch during the night, for they had satisfied themselves that the island was absolutely uninhabited.
Besides, all the men were too tired to do sentry69 duty, unless their lives certainly and surely depended upon it. Even then it was doubtful if they would have been able to keep awake.
In the morning they were all feeling better for their long and refreshing70 sleep, but a new difficulty presented itself. Their stock of provisions was running perilously71 low, and the island afforded apparently no chance of replenishing it.
This naturally hastened the departure from the island, and the men rowed lustily for the mainland, still out of sight. The bad weather had abated72, though the sea was still by no means smooth. The work was hard, but not by any means so exhausting as on the previous day.
“It looks as if we shall get through our troubles after all,” said Captain Meinhold to Cody.
“I’m sure I hope so,” said the king of the scouts. “When we hit the land we must try to find out where we are, and then make a bee line for Fort McPherson. It won’t be an easy journey, I’m afraid, in the wretched condition we are in. Why, we haven’t even got a rifle with which to shoot game.”
Needless to say, Cody did not let the men overhear this last rather gloomy view of the case. He whispered it to Captain Meinhold. To them he kept a face as smiling and a manner as cheery as ever.
All day the men rowed, but when darkness fell they were still out of sight of land.
During the night another violent squall sprang up on the treacherous73 surface of the lake, and again they had to battle desperately74 for their lives against wind and wave.
When the dawn broke one of the boats was missing.[218] It was the one that had overturned and been righted. After looking vainly for it for some time Meinhold and Cody came to the conclusion that it had been sunk in the squall.
A few hours after dawn, in splendid weather, the shipwrecked party sighted the mainland.
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1
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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navigate
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| v.航行，飞行；导航，领航 | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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sieve
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| n.筛，滤器，漏勺 | |
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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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scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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butted
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| 对接的 | |
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steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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plumb
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| adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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stentorian
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| adj.大声的，响亮的 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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lurch
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| n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行 | |
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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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23
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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rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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foundering
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| v.创始人( founder的现在分词 ) | |
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corks
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| n.脐梅衣；软木( cork的名词复数 )；软木塞 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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Augmented
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| adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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overloading
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| 过载，超载，过负载 | |
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buoyed
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| v.使浮起( buoy的过去式和过去分词 )；支持；为…设浮标；振奋…的精神 | |
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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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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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larder
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| n.食物贮藏室，食品橱 | |
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rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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bosoms
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| 胸部( bosom的名词复数 )； 胸怀； 女衣胸部（或胸襟）； 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
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41
tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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42
wails
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| 痛哭，哭声( wail的名词复数 ) | |
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groans
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| n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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44
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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45
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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46
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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47
bailing
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| （凿井时用吊桶）排水 | |
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48
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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49
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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50
expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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51
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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52
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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53
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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54
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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55
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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56
nominally
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| 在名义上，表面地； 应名儿 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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wrecking
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| 破坏 | |
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stationary
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| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
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vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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63
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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64
appreciable
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| adj.明显的，可见的，可估量的，可觉察的 | |
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abatement
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| n.减(免)税，打折扣，冲销 | |
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laborious
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| adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅 | |
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67
pebbly
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| 多卵石的，有卵石花纹的 | |
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68
twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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69
sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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70
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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71
perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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72
abated
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| 减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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73
treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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74
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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