The Lifeboat Page 5

  CHAPTER FIVE.

  THE GALE--FALSE ECONOMY AND ITS RESULTS--A WRECK ON THE GOODWIN SANDS.

  What seamen style a "whole gale" seemed to be brewing when the "Nancy"tripped her anchor and shook out her sails.

  Sailors have a quiet, matter-of-fact, and professional way of talkingabout the weather. Landsmen would be surprised (perhaps somethingmore!) if exposed to what Jack calls a stiff breeze, or a capful ofwind. A "whole gale" may sound peculiar to some ears, but if the saidgale were to sound _in_ the same ears, the hearers would be apt to styleit, in consternation, "a most tremendous hurricane!"

  On board the "Nancy," Bax and Bluenose had some suspicion that_something_ was brewing, but whether a "whole gale," or "half a gale,"or a "stiff breeze," they could not be expected to divine, not beingpossessed of supernatural gifts.

  Had they been possessed of a good barometer they would have been able toforetell what was coming without supernatural gifts; but Messrs. Denham,Crumps, and Company were economical in their tendencies, and deemedbarometers superfluous. Being, to some extent, ignorant of nauticalaffairs (as well as of scientific), and being to a large extentindifferent to the warning voices of those who knew better, they thoughtfit to intrust the "Nancy" to the unaided wisdom of the intelligentyoung seaman who commanded her.

  Of course, being acute men of business, they took every "needful"precaution, and being men of experience, they were not blind to the factthat many vessels were annually lost; they therefore insured schoonerand cargo to their full value. Having done so, Messrs. Denham, Crumps,and Company felt at ease. If the "Nancy" should happen to go down--nomatter; it would perhaps be a more rapid and satisfactory way ofterminating a doubtful venture! It was just possible that in the eventof the "Nancy" going down _lives_ might be lost, and other livesrendered desolate. What then? The "Firm" had nothing to do with that!The lives embarked in the "Nancy" did not belong to Denham, Crumps, andCompany. If they should go to the bottom, there would be nothing tolose, and nothing to pay; perhaps a trifle to the widows and children,that was all! In regard to this also they felt quite at ease.

  On the strength of such views and opinions the tackling of the "Nancy"was allowed to become rotten; the cables and the anchors of the "Nancy"were economically weak and insufficient; the charts of the "Nancy" wereold and inaccurate, and the "Nancy" herself was in all respects utterlyunseaworthy.

  It could scarcely be expected, however, that the operations of Naturewere to be suspended because of the unprepared condition of this vessel;not to mention hundreds of others in similar condition. The galecontinued to "brew." A stiff breeze carried the "Nancy" down the Thamestowards the open sea; then a sudden calm left her to float withoutprogressive motion on the water. As evening approached the breezesprang up again and freshened. Then it chopped round to the east, andwhen night fell it began to blow hard right in the teeth of the littlevessel.

  Bax was a good and a bold seaman. He knew the coast well, and hoped, indue course, to double the North Foreland, and find shelter in the Downs.He knew the channels and buoys thoroughly, and had often run the samecourse in stormy weather. But the gale which now began to buffet thelittle schooner was of more than ordinary violence. It was one of thosefierce hurricanes which, once in a year, or, it may be, once in three orfour years, bursts upon our island, strews the coast with wrecks, fillsmany homes and hearts with desolation, and awakens the inhabitants ofthe inland counties to a slight sense of the terrible scenes that are ofconstant occurrence on the shores which form the bulwark of theirpeaceful homes.

  "We shall have rough weather to-night, I fear," observed Mr Burton,coming on deck some time after sunset, and addressing Bax; "doubtlessyou know the channels well, young sir?"

  "I do," replied the sailor, with a peculiar smile. "Twelve years'experience has not been altogether thrown away on me. I have sailedthese waters in old Jeph's lugger since I was a little boy."

  "Is that old Jeph the smuggler, sometimes called the mad philosopher,from the circumstance of his mind being much taken up with odd notionsabout lifeboats?" inquired the missionary.

  "The same," replied Bax, "though I'll go bound for it there's not anhonester man in Deal than old Jeph is now, whatever he may have done inthe smuggling way when he was young. I have known him only as a goodold man; and in regard to these same notions he has about lifeboats,it's my firm belief that we'll see his plans, or something like them,carried out before long. He's not so mad as folk think, and certainlynot half so mad as the people who give no thought whatever to thesesubjects."

  Bax said this warmly, for there was a strong bond of sympathy betweenhim and his old friend, whom he could not bear to hear mentioned in aslighting manner.

  "I meant not to say a word against old Jeph," replied Mr Burton,quickly. "I merely spoke of him in the way in which seamen in theseparts commonly refer to him. It pleases me much to hear so good acharacter of him from one who, I have no doubt, has had good opportunityof judging."

  Here Guy Foster, who was standing near the binnacle, turned round andsaid earnestly:--

  "I can testify to the fact that old Jeph is a good Christian man; atleast if love to our Saviour, and anxiety for the salvation of souls, isto be accepted as evidence."

  The missionary said that there was no better evidence than that, and wasabout to question Bax further in regard to the old man who bore such apeculiar character, when a loud peal of thunder drew the attention ofall to the threatening aspect of the weather.

  "Heave the lead, Bill!" cried Bax to one of the men.

  "Ha! that's wot I've been lookin' for," observed Bluenose, spitting hisquid over the lee bulwarks, and replacing it with a fresh one. "I'venever got no confidence in a skipper as don't keep his lead a-goin' inshoal water. Specially in sich waters as them 'ere, wot shifts more orless with every gale."

  The command to heave the lead was followed by an order to reduce sail,and as the gale freshened and the night closed in, this order wasrepeated more than once, until the schooner was beating to windwardunder the smallest possible amount of canvas.

  An anxious expression rested on Bax's face as he stood by the steersman,glancing alternately at the sails and at the horizon where clouds of theblackest kind were gathering.

  "Does your barometer indicate very bad weather?" inquired Mr Burton.

  "I have no barometer," replied Bax, bitterly.

  The missionary looked surprised, and Guy Foster bit his lip, for he feltthat this piece of false economy was a blot on the firm to which hebelonged. In order to change the subject, he inquired for Lucy, who,since the time of her rescue, had remained in bed.

  "My daughter does well, thanks be to God!" said Burton. "I think thatno evil will flow from her accident, for she was but a short time in thewater; thanks to _you_, friend Bax."

  "And to my 'prentice, Tommy Bogey," said Bax, with an arch smile whichwas peculiar to him when he felt humorously disposed.

  The smile fled, however, and was replaced by an anxious look, as Tommyhimself came aft and reported that the schooner had sprung a leak.

  Bax instantly went below, and returned with the assurance that the leakwas trifling.

  "The `Nancy' is a sorry old hulk," said he, "but half an hour more onthis tack, and I'll 'bout ship and run for the Downs, where we will becomparatively safe."

  The gale had by this time increased so much that the little craft layover with her lee bulwarks almost under water at times.

  Little fear would her gallant commander have felt had she been tight,and trim and sound; but he knew that her rigging was old, and one of hermasts unsound, and he felt that the best seamanship could be of no availwhatever against her numerous defects. His experienced eye told himthat a storm of no ordinary severity was coming, and he trembled for thelife of the young girl who had been so unexpectedly placed under hiscare.

  Had the dangers attendant upon an unseaworthy vessel and the difficultyof navigating the channels of these celebrated Sands, been all that Baxhad to fear, he wou
ld have felt comparatively at ease; but theeconomical spirit of Denham, Crumps, and Company had supplied him withanchors and chains which he feared were neither new enough norsufficiently powerful to hold his vessel after she had gained heranchorage-ground. In these circumstances, he resolved to run for theshelter of Ramsgate Harbour.

  Before he could carry out his intentions the wind chopped round to thenorth, and for some time blew so hard as to threaten the capsizing ofthe schooner. The cross sea also rendered her almost unmanageable, sothat, ere long, she was driven to leeward of the outer lightship thatmarks the north end of the Goodwins.

  Again the wind shifted a few points to the eastward, and soon the"Nancy" was flying like a racehorse towards the shore.

  Pilots and seamen alone can properly comprehend the peculiar dangersthat attend the navigation of this part of our coast. It would onlyperplex a landsman to be told in detail the proceedings of the "Nancy"and her crew after this point. Suffice it to say that Bax handled herwith consummate skill, and did all that man could do for the safety ofhis vessel, and the human lives that were dependent on his knowledge andcare.

  "Is your daughter dressed?" inquired Bax of Mr Burton, as a fiercergust than usual nearly laid the schooner on her beam-ends, and delugedthe decks with water.

  "No, she sleeps soundly, and I am loth to disturb her. Do you think weare in much danger?"

  "In none, if the schooner were seaworthy, but in much, seeing that shehas not got a sound plank or spar. Go down, sir, and get her dressed atonce; and, harkee, let her put on every wrap she happens to have withher."

  The missionary needed no second bidding. He went below to rouse andassist Lucy, while Bluenose, Guy, and the rest of those on board, heldon to ropes, and belaying pins, and awaited the result in silence. Thenoise of the wind, and the peals of thunder that seemed to tear theheavens asunder, rendered conversation impossible. They all felt that afew minutes would decide whether this terrible rush landward wouldterminate in safety or disaster, and they knew that everything, as faras human skill had to do with it, depended on Bax.

  With a look of calm, sober gravity the young seaman stood grasping theweather-shrouds of the mainmast, and looking intently towards thelight-ship called the Gull Light, which is anchored off theNorth-sand-head.

  During this period of suspense the lead was kept constantly going, andreported almost every half-minute. Precious, significant, half-minutesthose, as much so as are the last few grains of sand in the hour-glass!

  "Keep her away two points," cried Bax.

  "Ay, ay, sir," answered the steersman. At that moment a violent gustsnapped the topsail-yard, and the sail was instantly blown to ribbons.The dashing of this spar about carried away the foretop-mast, and almostas a necessary consequence, the jib with the jib-boom went along withit.

  The schooner instantly became unmanageable, and was driven bodily toleeward.

  Seizing an axe, Bax, with the prompt assistance of the crew and hisfriends, soon cleared away the wreck, and once more got the head of hisvessel round towards the Gull Light, the lanterns of which were seenfaintly gleaming through the murky atmosphere. But it was too late.The breakers of the North-sand-head were already roaring under theirlee, and also right ahead of them.

  "Port! port! hard a-port!" shouted Bax.

  "Port it is," replied the steersman, with that calm professionalsing-song tone peculiar to seamen.

  At that instant, the schooner struck the sand, passed over the firstline of breakers, and rushed onwards to certain destruction.

  "Bring Lucy on deck," cried Bax.

  Mr Burton ran below to obey, but the words had scarce been spoken whenGuy Foster entered the cabin, and seizing the trembling girl in hisarms, bore her gently but swiftly to the deck.

  Here the scene that met her gaze was truly awful. It seemed as if aboveand below there were but one wild chaos of waters over which brooded asky of ebony. The schooner had by this time got into the hideousturmoil of shallow water, the lurid whiteness of which gleamed in thedark like unearthly light. As yet the vessel was rushing fiercelythrough it, the rudder had been carried away by the first shock, and shecould not be steered. Just as Lucy was placed by Bax in a position ofcomparative shelter under the lee of the quarter-rails, the "Nancy"struck a second time with fearful violence; she remained hard and faston the sands, and the shock sent her foremast overboard.

  If the condition of the little vessel was terrible before, its positionnow was beyond description awful. The mad seas, unable to hurl heronward, broke against her sides with indescribable fury, and poured tonsof water on the deck; so that no one could remain on it. Havingforeseen this, Bax had prepared for it. He had warned all on board tokeep close by the main shrouds, and take to the mast when the schoonershould strike. He himself bore Lucy aloft in his strong arms as if shehad been a little child, and placed her on the main cross-trees. Hereshe clung with a convulsive grasp to the main-topmast, while Guy securedher in her position with a rope.

  Sitting down on the cross-trees and holding on to them by his legs--amatter of no little difficulty, as the vessel was rolling violently fromside to side, Bax began to strip off his thick pilot-coat, intending tocover the girl with it. But he was arrested by the boy Tommy Bogey.

  "Hold on," he shouted into his commander's ear, "I fetched up this un; Iknow'd ye'd want it for 'er."

  Tommy had thoughtfully carried up one of Bax's spare coats, and nowhanded it to his master, who, assisted by Mr Burton, wrapped itcarefully round Lucy, and then descended the rigging to examine thestate of the vessel.

  She heeled very much over to leeward, but the form of the bank on whichshe lay fortunately prevented her being thrown altogether on herbeam-ends. Had this happened, the cross-trees would have been buried inwater, and all must have perished.

  When Bax re-ascended the mast, Bluenose put his mouth close to his earand shouted:

  "Couldn't ye send up a rocket?"

  "Han't got any," replied Bax.

  There had been a signal-gun aboard, but at the first shock it tore itsfastenings out of the old planks, and went crashing through the leebulwarks into the sea.

  "Couldn't we get up a glim no-how?" pursued Bluenose. "Ay, couldn'tthat be done?" cried Guy, who clambered towards them in order to takepart in the consultation, for the shrieking of the storm rendered everyvoice inaudible at the distance of anything more than an inch or twofrom the ear.

  "The matches were in the cabin, and that's flooded now," said Bax.

  Guy replied by taking a tin box from his pocket, in which were a fewmatches.

  "Ha! that'll do," cried Bax eagerly, "there's a can of turpentine justunder the fore-hatch, which can't have been damaged by water. I'll goand fetch it."

  "Stay, _I_ will go. Do you look after Lucy and her father," said Guy;and, without waiting for a reply, he slid down one of the back-stays andgained the deck.

  To traverse this was an act involving great danger and difficulty. Thewaves broke over it with such force that Guy's arms were nearly torn outof their sockets while he held to the bulwarks. He attained his object,however, and in a short time returned to the cross-trees with the can.Bax had in the meantime cut off some of the drier portions of hisclothing. These, with a piece of untwisted rope, were soaked inturpentine, and converted hastily into a rude torch; but it was longbefore a light could be got in such a storm. The matches were nearlyexhausted before this was accomplished. Only those who have been insimilar circumstances can adequately appreciate the intense earnestnesswith which each match was struck, the care with which it was guardedfrom the wind, and the eager anxiety with which the result was watched;also the sinking of heart that followed each effort, as, one by one,they flared for an instant and went out!

  At last the saturated mass caught fire, and instantly a rich flame oflight flashed over the wild scene, and clearly revealed to them theappalling circumstances in which they were placed. Poor Lucy shuddered,and covering her eyes cast herself in prayer on Him who is "mighty to
save." Bax raised the burning mass high over his head, and waved it inthe black air. He even clambered to the top of the broken mast, inorder to let it be seen far and wide over the watery waste. Theinflammable turpentine refused to be quenched by the raging storm, andin a few seconds they had the comfort of seeing the bright flame of arocket shoot up into the sky. At the same moment a flash in thedistance showed that their signal had been observed by the light-ship.

  The sound of the gun was not heard by those on the wreck, but both itand the rocket were observed from the shore, where many a hardy seamanand pilot, knowing full well the dangers of such a night, kept watch andward in order to render prompt assistance to their fellow-men indistress.

  It would be a matter of some interest to ascertain how many of theinhabitants of this busy, thickly-populated isle are aware of the factthat during every storm that blows, while they are slumbering,perchance, in security and comfort in their substantial dwellings, thereare hundreds, ay, thousands, of hardy seamen all round our coasts,standing patiently in such sheltered spots as they can find, encased inoilskin, and gazing anxiously out into the dark sea, regardless of thepelting storm, indifferent to the bitter cold, intent only on renderingaid to their fellow-men, and ready at a moment's notice to place lifeand limb in the most imminent jeopardy,--for what? Can any one supposethat they do this for the sake of the silver medal, or the ten or twentyshillings awarded to those who thus act by the Lifeboat Institution? Domen in other circumstances hold their lives so cheap? Assuredly thereis a higher, a nobler motive that prompts the heroes of our coast totheir deeds of self-sacrifice and daring.

  To those who clung to the main-top of the "Nancy" these signals were abright gleam of hope, with the exception of Lucy, whose spirit sank whenshe endeavoured in vain to penetrate the thick darkness that followed.Suspecting this, Bluenose, who clung to the cross-trees beside themissionary, and assisted him to shelter his daughter from the storm,shouted in her ear to keep her mind easy, "for the people on shore wouldbe sure to send off the lifeboat, and there would be no danger if themast held on!"

  "If the mast held on!" Ha! little did Lucy know how much anxiety filledthe heart of Bax in regard to the mast holding on! With much difficultyhe had persuaded Denham, Crumps, and Company, about a year before theevents we are now relating, that the mainmast of the "Nancy" was utterlyuseless, and obtained their unwilling consent to have it renewed. Butfor this it would have shared the fate of the foremast, and those whonow clung to it would have been in eternity. But although the mast wasstrong, its step and holdfasts, Bax knew, were the reverse of sound; andwhile he stood there cheering his companions with hopeful remarks, healone knew how frail was the foundation on which his hopes were founded.

  Fortunately for Lucy and her father, they looked to a higher source ofcomfort than the young skipper of the "Nancy." They knew that it was nouncommon thing for men, women, and children to be saved, on the coastsof Britain, "_as if_ by miracle," and they felt themselves to be in thehands of Him "whom the winds and the sea obey."

  Guy held on to the weather-shrouds close to Bax. Speaking so as not tobe heard by the others, he said:

  "Is there much chance of a boat putting off to us?"

  "Not much," replied Bax. "A lugger could scarcely live in such a sea.Certainly it could not come near us in this shoal water. I doubt evenif the lifeboat could come here."

  For two hours after this they remained silently in their exposedposition, their limbs stiffening with cold, drenched continually withspray, and occasionally overwhelmed by the crest of a monstrous wave.Sometimes a rocket from the lightship shot athwart the dark sky, and atall times her lights gleamed like faint stars far away to windward.When the sea broke around them in whiter sheets than usual, they couldsee the head of the broken foremast drawn against it like a black lineto leeward. Everything else above and below, was thick darkness.

  One of the seamen, who had been for some time in bad health, was thefirst to give way. Without uttering a word he loosened his hold of theshrouds and fell backwards. Guy saw him falling, and, making adesperate grasp at him, caught him by the breast of his shirt, but thegarment gave way, and next moment he was down in the boiling flood.Guy, with an impulse that was natural to him, was about to leap off tohis rescue, but Bluenose caught him by the collar and held him forciblyback. In another moment the man was gone for ever.

  So silently did all this pass, and so furious was the tumult of thestorm, that Lucy and her father were not aware of what had occurred.

  Our brave little friend Tommy Bogey was the next who failed. Whether itwas that witnessing the seaman's death had too powerful an effect on hisspirit, or that the cold acted more severely on his young muscles thanon those of his companions, it is impossible to say, but, soon after theloss of the man, the boy felt his strength giving way. Turning withinstinctive trust to his friend in this extremity, he shouted:--

  "Bax, give us a hand!"

  Before his friend could do so, his grasp relaxed and he fell back with apiercing shriek that rose above even the howling wind.

  Almost an instant after he struck the water, Bax dived head-foremostinto it, and came up with him in his arms. Both man and boy went toleeward instantly. The former had counted on this. The fate of theseaman who had just perished had led him to reflect that a vigorouseffort might have enabled him to gain the stump of the fore-mast, whichstill stood, as we have said, to leeward of the main-mast. Acting onthis thought, he had plunged without hesitation when the moment foraction came, although it did come unexpectedly.

  A faint shout soon told his horror-stricken companions that he hadgained the point of safety.

  "It won't do to leave 'em there," cried Bluenose, starting up, andclambering as far out on the cross-trees as he dared venture; "even ifthe mast holds on, them seas would soon wash away the stoutest manliving."

  "Oh! save my preserver!" cried Lucy, who, regardless of the storm, hadsprung wildly up, and now stood clinging to a single rope, while hergarments were almost torn from her limbs by the fury of the hurricane.

  "Can nothing be done to save them?" cried the missionary as he kindlybut firmly dragged his daughter back to her former position.

  "Nothin', sir," said one of the sailors. "There ain't a cask, nornothin' to tie a rope to an' heave to wind'ard--an' it's as like as notit wouldn't fetch 'em if there wos. They'd never see a rope if it wosveered to 'em--moreover, it wouldn't float. Hallo! Master Guy, wot areye up to?"

  Guy had hauled in the slack of one of the numerous ropes attached to themain-mast that were floating away to leeward, and was fastening the endof it round his waist. Bluenose and the missionary turned quickly onhearing the seaman's shout, but they were too late to prevent the boldyouth from carrying out his design, even if they had wished to do so.

  Taking a vigorous spring to windward, Guy was in the sea in a moment.In another instant he was lost to view in darkness. Bluenose seized theend of the rope, and awaited the result in breathless suspense.Presently a shout so faint that it seemed miles away, was heard toleeward, and the rope was jerked violently.

  "Now lads, all hands a-hoy!" cried Bluenose in wild excitement. "Justgive 'em time to haul in the slack, and tie it round 'em, and then pullwith a will."

  The incident and the energy of the Captain seemed to act like a spell onthe men who had up to this time clung to the shrouds in a state ofhalf-stupor. They clustered round Bluenose, and each gaining the bestfooting possible in the circumstances, seized hold of the rope.

  Again the rope was shaken violently, and a heavy strain was felt on it.The men pulled it in with difficulty, hand over hand, and in a shorttime Bax, Guy, and Tommy were once more safe in their former position onthe cross-trees.

  Terrible indeed their danger, when such a position could be spoken of asone of safety!

  Another hour passed away. To those who were out on that fatal night theminutes seemed hours--the hours days.

  Still no succour came to them. The storm instead of abating s
eemed tobe on the increase. Had it not been for the peculiar form of the shoalon which they lay, the old vessel must have been dashed to pieces in thefirst hour of that terrible gale.

  Gradually Bax ceased to raise his encouraging voice--indeed thewhistling wind would have rendered it inaudible--and the party on thecross-trees clung to their frail spar almost in despair. As the galeincreased so did the danger of their position. No chance of deliveranceseemed left to them; no prospect of escape from their dreadful fate; theonly ray of hope that came to them fitfully through the driving storm,was the faint gleaming of the lightship that guards the Goodwin Sands.