CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
The storm now raged furiously, the lightning was accompanied by loudpeals of thunder, and the children awoke and cried with fright, tillthey were hushed to sleep again. The wind howled as it pressed with allits violence against the tents, while the rain poured off in torrents.One moment the canvas of the tents would bulge in, and the cords whichheld it strain and crack; at another, an eddy of wind would force outthe canvas, which would flap and flap, while the rain found many anentrance. The tent in which Mrs Seagrave and the children reposed wason the outside of the others, and therefore the most exposed. Aboutmidnight the wind burst on them with greater violence than before. Aloud crash was heard by Ready and Mr Seagrave, followed by the shrieksof Mrs Seagrave and Juno; the pegs of the tent had given way, and theinmates were exposed to the fury of the elements. Ready rushed out,followed by Mr Seagrave and William. So strong was the wind andbeating rain, and such was the darkness, that it was with somedifficulty that by their united efforts the women and children could beextricated. Tommy was the first taken up by Ready: his courage had allgone, and he was bellowing furiously. William took Albert in charge andcarried him into the other tent, where Tommy sat in his wet shirtroaring most melodiously. Juno, Mrs Seagrave, and the little girl wereat last carried away and taken into the other tent: fortunately no onewas hurt, although the frightened children could not be pacified, andjoined in chorus with Tommy. Nothing more could be done except to putthe children into bed, and then the whole party sat up the remainder ofthe night listening to the noise of the wind, the roaring of the sea,and the loud patter of the rain against the canvas. At dawn of day,Ready went out, and found that the gale had spent its force, and hadalready much abated; but it was not one of those bright gloriousmornings to which they had been accustomed since their arrival at theisland: the sky was still dark, and the clouds were chasing each otherwildly; there was neither sun nor blue sky to be seen: it still rained,but only at intervals, and the earth was soft and spongy; the littlecove, but the day before so beautiful, was now a mass of foaming andtumultuous waves, and the surf was thrown many yards upon the beach: thehorizon was confused--you could not distinguish the line between thewater and the sky, and the whole shore of the island was lined with awhite foam. Ready turned his eyes to where the ship had been fixed onthe rocks: it was no longer there--the whole frame had disappeared; butthe fragments of it, and the contents of the holds, were floating aboutin every direction, or tossing amongst the surf on the beach.
"I thought as much," said Ready, pointing to where the ship had lain, ashe turned round and found that Mr Seagrave had followed him; "look,sir, this gale has broken her up entirely. This is a warning to us notto remain here any longer: we must make the most of the fine weatherwhich we may have before the rainy season sets in."
"I agree with you, Ready," replied Mr Seagrave,--"and there is anotherproof of it," pointing to the tent which had been blown down. "It was amercy that none of them were hurt."
"Very true, sir; but the gale is breaking, and we shall have fineweather to-morrow. Let us now see what we can do with the tent, whileWilliam and Juno try if they can get any breakfast."
They set to work. Ready and Mr Seagrave made it fast with fresh cordsand pegs, and very soon had it all ready; but the beds and bedding werewet through. They hauled over the wet canvas, and then left it to go totheir breakfast, to which Juno had summoned them.
"We need do no more at present," said Ready, "by night-time it will notbe so wet, and we can handle it easier. I see a break in the sky nowwhich promises fine weather soon. And now we had better work hardto-day, for we may save a great many things, which may be dashed topieces on the rocks, if we do not haul them on the beach."