A Jolly Fellowship

  CHAPTER XX.

  THE RUSSIAN BARK.

  We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would belots of ships coming this way. But then, we couldn't see very far. Shipsmay have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anythingabout it. It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, orin her rigging. Sometimes, though, we seemed high enough up, when we goton the top of a wave.

  It was fully noon before we saw another sail. And when we saw this onefor the second or third time (for we only caught a glimpse of it everynow and then), a big man, who had been sitting on the edge of the raft,and hardly ever saying a word, sung out:

  "I believe that's a Russian bark."

  And after he had had two or three more sights at her, he said:

  "Yes, I know she is."

  "That's so," said the captain; "and she's bearing down on us."

  Now, how in the world they knew what sort of a ship that was, and whichway it was sailing, I couldn't tell for the life of me. To me it was alittle squarish spot on the lower edge of the sky, and I have alwaysthought that I could see well enough. But these sailors have eyes likespy-glasses.

  Now, then, we were all alive, and began to get ready to put up a signal.Fortunately, the pole was on the raft,--I believe the captain had itfastened on, thinking we might want it,--and now all we had to do was tomake a flag. We three got out our handkerchiefs, which were wet, butwhite enough yet, and the captain took out his. We tied them together bythe corners, and made a long pennant of them. When we tied one end ofthis to the pole, it made quite a show. The wind soon dried it, afterthe pole was hoisted and held up, and then our flag fluttered finely.

  The sun had now come out quite bright and warm, which was a good thingfor us, for it dried us off somewhat, and made us more comfortable. Thewind had also gone down a good deal. If it had not been for these twothings, I don't know how we could have stood it. But the waves werestill very high.

  Every time we saw the ship, she seemed to look bigger and bigger, and weknew that the captain was right, and that she was making for us. But shewas a long time coming. Even after she got so near that we could plainlysee her hull and masts and sails, she did not seem to be sailingdirectly toward us. Indeed, sometimes I thought she didn't notice us.She would go far off one way, and then off the other way.

  "Oh, why don't she come right to us?" cried Corny, beating her hands onher knees. "She isn't as near now as she was half an hour ago."

  This was the first time that Corny had let herself out in this way, butI don't wonder she did it. The captain explained that the ship couldn'tsail right to us, because the wind was not in the proper direction forthat. She had to tack. If she had been a steamer, the case would havebeen different. We all sat and waited, and waved our flag.

  She came nearer and nearer, and it was soon plain enough that she sawus. The captain told us that it was all right now--all we had to do wasto keep up our courage, and we'd soon be on board the bark. But when themen who were holding the pole let it down, he told them to put it upagain. He wanted to make sure they should see us.

  At last, the bark came so near that we could see the people on board,but still she went past us. This was the hardest to bear of all, for sheseemed so near. But when she tacked and came back, she sailed right downto us. We could see her all the time now, whether we were up or down.

  "She'll take us this time," said the captain.

  I supposed that when the ship came near us she would stop and lower aboat, but there seemed to be no intention of the kind. A group of menstood in her bow, and I saw that one of them held a round life-preserverin his hand,--it was one of the India-rubber kind, filled with air, andto it a line was attached. When the ship was just opposite to us, thisman shouted something which I did not hear, and threw thelife-preserver. It fell close to the raft. I thought, indeed, it wascoming right into the midst of us. The red-faced man with the goldear-rings was nearest to it. He made a grab at it, and missed it. Onwent the ship, and on went the life-preserver, skipping and dancing overthe waves. They let out lots of line, but still the life-preserver wastowed away.

  A regular howl went up from our raft. I thought some of the men wouldjump into the sea and swim after the ship, which was now rapidly leavingus. We heard a shout from the vessel, but what it meant I did not know.On she went, and on, as if she was never coming back.

  "She'll come back," said the captain. "She'll tack again."

  But it was hard to believe him. I don't know whether he believedhimself. Corny was wildly crying now, and Rectus was as white as asheet. No one seemed to have any hope or self-control except thecaptain. Some of the men looked as if they did not care whether the shipever came back or not.

  "The sea is too high," said one of them. "She'd swamp a boat, if she'dput it out."

  "Just you wait!" said the captain.

  The bark sailed away so far that I shut my eyes. I could not look afterher any more. Then, as we rose on the top of a wave, I heard a rumble ofwords among the men, and I looked out, and saw she was tacking. Beforelong, she was sailing straight back to us, and the most dreadful momentsof my life were ended. I had really not believed that she would everreturn to us.

  Again she came plowing along before us, the same group on her bow; againthe life-preserver was thrown, and this time the captain seized it.

  In a moment the line was made fast to the raft. But there was no suddentug. The men on the bark knew better than that. They let out some two orthree hundred feet of line and lay to, with their sails fluttering inthe wind.

  Then they began to haul us in. I don't remember much more of whathappened just about this time. It was all a daze of high black hull andtossing waves, and men overhead, and ropes coming down, and seeing Cornyhauled up into the air. After a while, I was hauled up, and Rectus wentbefore me. I was told afterward that some of the stoutest men couldscarcely help themselves, they were so cramped and stiff, and had to behoisted on board like sheep.

  I know that when I put my feet on the deck, my knees were so stiff thatI could not stand. Two women had Corny between them, and were carryingher below. I was so delighted to see that there were women on board.Rectus and I were carried below, too, and three or four rough lookingfellows, who didn't speak a word that we could understand, set to workat us and took off our clothes, and rubbed us with warm stuff, and gaveus some hot tea and gruel, and I don't know what else, and put us intohammocks, and stuffed blankets around us, and made me feel warmer, andhappier, and more grateful and sleepy than I thought it was in me tofeel. I expect Rectus felt the same. In about five minutes, I was fastasleep.

  I don't know how long it was before I woke up. When I opened my eyes, Ijust lay and looked about me. I did not care for times and seasons. Iknew I was all right. I wondered when they would come around again withgruel. I had an idea they lived on gruel in that ship, and I rememberedthat it was very good. After a while, a man did come around, and helooked into my hammock. I think from his cap that he was anofficer,--probably a doctor. When he saw that I was awake, he saidsomething to me. I had seen some Russian words in print, and the lettersall seemed upside down, or lying sideways on the page. And that wasabout the way he spoke. But he went and got me a cup of tea, and somesoup, and some bread, and I understood his food very well.

  After a while, our captain came around to my hammock. He looked a greatdeal better than when I saw him last, and said he had had a good sleep.He told me that Corny was all right, and was sleeping again, and thatthe mate's wife had her in charge. Rectus was in a hammock near me, andI could hear him snore, as if he were perfectly happy. The captain saidthat these Russian people were just as kind as they could be; that themaster of the bark, who could speak English, had put his vessel underhis--our captain's--command, and told him to cruise around wherever hechose in search of the two boats.

  "And did you find them?" I asked.

  "No," said he. "We have been on the search now for twenty-four hours,and can see nothing of them. But I feel quit
e sure they have been pickedup. They could row, and they could get further into the course ofvessels than we were. We'll find them when we get ashore."

  The captain was a hopeful man, but I could not feel as cheerfully as hespoke. All that I could say was: "Poor Corny!"

  He did not answer me, but went away; and soon, in spite of all my doubtsand fears, I fell asleep.

  The next time I woke up, I got out of my hammock, and found I was prettymuch all right. My clothes had been dried and ironed, I reckon, and werelying on a chest all ready for me. While Rectus and I were dressing, forhe got up at the same time that I did, our captain came to us, andbrought me a little package of greenbacks.

  "The master of the bark gave me these," said the captain, "and said theywere pinned in your watch-pocket. He has had them dried and pressed outfor you."

  There it was, all the money belonging to Rectus and myself, which,according to old Mr. Colbert's advice, I had carefully pinned in thewatch-pocket of my trousers before leaving Nassau. I asked the captainif we should not pay something for our accommodations on this vessel,but he said we must not mention anything of the kind. The people on theship would not listen to it. Even our watches seemed to have sufferedno damage from the soaking they had had in our wet clothes.

  As soon as we were ready, we went up on deck, and there we saw Corny.She was sitting by herself near the stern, and looked like a differentkind of a girl from what she had been two or three days before. Sheseemed several years older.

  "Do you really think the other boats were picked up?" she said, themoment she saw us.

  Poor thing! She began to cry as soon as she began to speak. Of course,we sat down and talked to her, and said everything we could think of toreassure her. And in about half an hour she began to be much morecheerful, and to look as if the world might have something satisfactoryin it after all.

  Our captain and the master of the bark now came to us. The Russianmaster was a pleasant man, and talked pretty good English. I think hewas glad to see us, but what we said in the way of thanks embarrassedhim a good deal. I suppose he had never done much at rescuing people.

  He and our captain both told us that they felt quite sure that the boatshad either reached the Florida coast or been picked up; for we hadcruised very thoroughly over the course they must have taken. We were alittle north of Cape Canaveral when the "Tigris" took fire.

  About sundown that day, we reached the mouth of the Savannah river andwent on board a tug to go up to the city, while our bark would proceedon her voyage. There were fourteen grateful people who went down theside of that Russian bark to the little tug that we had signalled; andsome of us, I know, were sorry we could not speak Russian, so we couldtell our rescuers more plainly what we thought of them.

  When we reached Savannah, we went directly to the hotel where Rectus andI had stopped on our former visit, and there we found ourselves theobjects of great attention,--I don't mean we three particularly, but thecaptain and all of us. We brought the news of the burning of the"Tigris," and so we immediately knew that nothing had been heard of thetwo boats. Corny was taken in charge by some of the ladies in the hotel,and Rectus and I told the story of the burning and the raft twenty orthirty times. The news created a great sensation, and was telegraphed toall parts of the country. The United States government sent a revenuecutter from Charleston, and one from St. Augustine, to cruise along thecoast, and endeavor to find some traces of the survivors, if there wereany.

  But two days passed and no news came. We thought Corny would go crazy.

  "I know they're dead," she said. "If they were alive, anywhere, we'dhear from them."

  But we would not admit that, and tried, in every way, to prove that thepeople in the boats might have landed somewhere where they could notcommunicate with us, or might have been picked up by a vessel which hadcarried them to South America, or Europe, or some other distant place.

  "Well, why don't we go look for them, then, if there's any chance oftheir being on some desert island? It's dreadful to sit here and wait,and wait, and do nothing."

  Now I began to see the good of being rich. Rectus came to me, soon afterCorny had been talking about going to look for her father and mother,and he said:

  "Look here, Will,"--he had begun to call me "Will," of late, probablybecause Corny called me so,--"I think it _is_ too bad that we shouldjust sit here and do nothing. I spoke to Mr. Parker about it, and hesays, we can get a tug-boat, he thinks, and go out and do what lookingwe can. If it eases our minds, he says, there's no objection to it. SoI'm going to telegraph to father to let me hire a tug-boat."

  I thought this was a first-class idea, and we went to see Messrs. Parkerand Darrell, who were merchants in the city, and the owners of the"Tigris." They had been very kind to us, and told us now that they didnot suppose it would do any real good for us to go out in a tug-boat andsearch along the coast, but that if we thought it would help the poorgirl to bear her trouble they were in favor of the plan. They werereally afraid she would lose her reason if she did not do something.

  Corny was now staying at Mr. Darrell's house. His wife, who was atip-top lady, insisted that she should come there. When we went aroundto talk to Corny about making a search, she said that that was exactlywhat she wanted to do. If we would take her out to look for her fatherand mother, and we couldn't find them after we had looked all we could,she would come back, and ask nothing more.

  Then we determined to go. We hadn't thought of taking Corny along, butMr. Darrell and the others thought it would be best; and Mrs. Darrellsaid her own colored woman, named Celia, should go with her, and takecare of her. I could not do anything but agree to things, but Rectustelegraphed to his father, and got authority to hire a tug; and Mr.Parker attended to the business himself; and the tug was to be readyearly the next morning. We thought this was a long time to wait. But itcouldn't be helped.

  I forgot to say that Rectus and I had telegraphed home to our parents assoon as we reached Savannah, and had answers back, which were very longones for telegrams. We had also written home. But we did not sayanything to Corny about all this. It would have broken her heart if shehad thought about any one writing to his father and mother, and hearingfrom them.