CHAPTER XVIII
BOB ON AN ISLAND
"Keep together, men!" called the captain, as they pulled away. "Wedon't want to lose one another."
"Which way shall we pull, sir?" asked the first mate.
"I'll tell you presently. I'll look at my charts and see if Ican't locate an island somewhere here-abouts. Keep up yourcourage. Luckily this didn't happen down in the Straits. At leastwe have warm weather here."
For the first time Bob noticed that it was very warm. It had beenso, of course, for several days preceding the wreck, but thethought that they were in a tropical climate had been forgotten inthe excitement of the foundering of the ship. Now it was a thingfor which to be thankful.
"Oh! Isn't this the most terrible thing that could occur!"exclaimed Mr. Tarbill, from a seat where he was huddled up. "It isawful!"
"It's not half so awful as if we were drowned and in Davy Jones'slocker," remarked the captain. "I've lost my ship and the cargo,but, fortunately, both were insured. We are lucky to have had timeto get off in the boats, well provisioned as they are. As soon asthis wind goes down a bit we'll hoist the small sails and head forthe nearest land."
The captain was soon busy over his charts. He made somecalculations and announced his belief that there was a group ofislands about a hundred miles off. He could not be sure, for whilethey showed on the chart, he could not exactly determine theposition of the ship when she struck, as no observation had beentaken since the previous noon, and the rate of sailing under theforce of the gale was mere guesswork.
So the men rowed on. The _Eagle_ was now a mere blot on thesurface of the ocean--a speck of blackness amid a swirl of foam,caused by the waves breaking over the ship and the reef. The windcontinued too high to risk raising the sail with which each boatwas provided, and it was slow progress with the oars.
The day was one of terror, for many times waves would break overthe small craft, forcing the men to bail for their lives. Onlycold provisions could be eaten, but in spite of this the littleband of shipwrecked men maintained a cheerful demeanor. As for Bobhe did not deny that he was frightened. He thought with sorrow ofhis father and mother and wondered if he would ever see them again.He and the others had removed their life-preservers, as they didnot need them in the gig.
"That was a plucky thing you did, saving that boat from going downstern first," complimented the captain, a little later that daywhen they were talking over the events of the wreck. "You showedgood judgment, Bob."
"Oh, I guess anybody would have done the same."
"No, they wouldn't. You deserve great credit. Bravery in the faceof danger is bravery indeed. Your father and mother can be proudof you."
There came to Bob's mind a memory of certain times when these wordsof the captain would not have been true. He resolved, if his lifewas spared, to be a more manly boy in the future--to live up to thecaptain's new estimate of him.
Wearily the men labored at the oars. It was hard work to keep theboats' heads to the waves, which, to those in the small craft,looked like great green mountains of water. Now the boats would bedown in a vast hollow, with towering walls on either side. Thenthe stanch craft would be lifted up and, poising on the crests,would slide down a watery hill with a sickening feeling, present atleast in the hearts of Bob and Mr. Tarbill, that they were goingstraight for the bottom. The nervous passenger sat huddled up in aheap, scarcely speaking.
The wind seemed to increase as night drew on. The motion of thecaptain's gig was such that he could not take an observation, and,when the blackness settled down, they had no idea where they were,nor in which direction the nearest land lay.
"I'm afraid we'll be separated in the darkness," said the captain,"but there is no help for it."
The day of terror was succeeded by a night of peril. The sea andwind seemed combining to wreck the small boats. The one commandedby Mr. Carr managed to remain within hailing distance of thecaptain's gig, but the other seemed to have disappeared. Afeeling of gloom settled down over the castaways.
It must have been about the middle of the night that Bob, workinghis way aft to get a drink of water from one of the casks, stumbledover part of the sail that was folded in the bottom of the gig. Heput out his hands, instinctively, to save himself, but, as therewas nothing to cling to, he only grasped the air.
Then, with a cry of terror which he could not suppress, he plungedoverboard and was soon struggling in the water.
He went down, but, being a good swimmer, he at once began to strikeout, and as he got his head above the surface and shook the waterfrom his ears, he heard one of the sailors cry:
"Bob's overboard!"
"Bob! Bob! Where are you?" shouted the captain. "Here's alife-preserver!"
The boy heard a splash in the water near him and struck out for it.
"Back water!" he heard the captain cry.
"Aye, aye, sir!" replied the sailors heartily.
At the same time the captain shouted to Mr. Carr's boat word ofwhat had happened. Bob was weighted down by his wet clothes and hefelt he could not long keep up, but he was swimming strongly,hoping every moment one of the boats would pick him up.
"Here I am!" he shouted, but his voice did not carry far above thewind. He began to have a hopeless feeling, as if he was doomed todrown there all alone on the vast ocean. A nameless terror seizedhim. Then, to his joy, his fingers touched something. It was thefloating cork life-preserver, and he knew he could keep himself upwith it for a long time.
Once more he shouted, but there came no answering hail.
"Have they rowed away and left me?" thought the boy.
He held this idea but for an instant. Then he guessed the truth ofwhat had happened. The boats had been swept on by wind and wave,and, in the darkness, it was impossible to see so small an objectas the boy's head in the water.
The sailors in the two boats rowed about, frantically urged on byCaptain Spark.
"His mother will never forgive me!" he whispered to himself. "I'drather have lost a dozen ships than have Bob drown!"
But, though they rowed about the spot where he had disappeared,neither the captain nor Mr. Carr nor any of the sailors could finda trace of the boy.
"We'll stand by until morning," decided the commander, and theybegan their weary vigil.
Meanwhile Bob was swimming right away from the boats, for he couldnot get the right direction in the darkness. He managed to fastenthe life-preserver to him, and with the buoyancy of the cork to aidhim he swam easily, though he did not make very fast progress.
After the first shock of terror was over Bob became calm. He had amomentary fear of sharks, but he resolved not to think about thesemonsters or the sea, as it sent a cold chill over him and he foundhe could not swim so well.
"I'll just paddle on until morning," he decided, "and by that timemaybe the men in the boats will pick me up."
So, through the remainder of the night, he swam leisurely. Inspite of the storm it was very warm and the water felt pleasant.If he had only had an idea of where he was, Bob would not haveminded his position so very much.
It was just getting light when, happening to let his legs down foran instant to rest them, he felt his feet touch something. Atfirst he had an unreasoning terror that it might be a big fish--awhale or a shark--that had come up under him. Then he feltwhatever it was under his feet to be firm and hard. A dim shapeloomed up before him.
"It's land!" exclaimed Bob. "I've struck land! It must be one ofthose islands the captain told about and that is the sandy beach myfeet are touching."
He swam on a little further, and again let down his feet. To hisdelight he could stand upright, the water coming to his chest.Then, as it grew lighter, he could make out a low, sandy shorelying stretched out before him.
"Land! Land!" exclaimed the boy. "I'm on land! But where are theothers?"