The Lighthouse

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER THIRTY.

  OLD FRIENDS IN NEW CIRCUMSTANCES.

  Let us now return to Ruby Brand; and in order that the reader mayperfectly understand the proceedings of that bold youth, let us take aglance at the Bell Rock Lighthouse in its completed condition.

  We have already said that the lower part, from the foundation to theheight of thirty feet, was built of solid masonry, and that at the topof this solid part stood the entrance-door of the building--facingtowards the south.

  The position of the door was fixed after the solid part had been exposedto a winter's storms. The effect on the building was such that the mostsheltered or lee-side was clearly indicated; the weather-side beingthickly covered with limpets, barnacles, and short green seaweed, whilethe lee-side was comparatively free from such incrustations.

  The walls at the entrance-door are nearly seven feet thick, and theshort passage that pierces them leads to the foot of a spiral staircase,which conducts to the lowest apartment in the tower, where the wallsdecrease in thickness to three feet. This room is the provision store.Here are kept water-tanks and provisions of all kinds, including freshvegetables which, with fresh water, are supplied once a fortnight to therock all the year round. The provision store is the smallest apartment,for, as the walls of the tower decrease in thickness as they rise, theseveral apartments necessarily increase as they ascend.

  The second floor is reached by a wooden staircase or ladder, leading upthrough a "manhole" in the ceiling. Here is the lightroom store, whichcontains large tanks of polished metal for the oil consumed by thelights. A whole year's stock of oil, or about 1100 gallons, is storedin these tanks. Here also is a small carpenter's bench and tool-box,besides an endless variety of odds and ends,--such as paint-pots,brushes, flags, waste for cleaning the reflectors, etcetera, etcetera.

  Another stair, similar to the first, leads to the third floor, which isthe kitchen of the building. It stands about sixty-six feet above thefoundation. We shall have occasion to describe it and the rooms abovepresently. Meanwhile, let it suffice to say, that the fourth floorcontains the men's sleeping-berths, of which there are six, althoughthree men is the usual complement on the rock. The fifth floor is thelibrary, and above that is the lantern; the whole building, from base tosummit, being 115 feet high.

  At the time when Ruby entered the door of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, asalready described, there were three keepers in the building, one of whomwas on his watch in the lantern, while the other two were in thekitchen.

  These men were all old friends. The man in the lantern was GeorgeForsyth, who had been appointed one of the light-keepers inconsideration of his good services and steadiness. He was seatedreading at a small desk. Close above him was the blazing series oflights, which revolved slowly and steadily by means of machinery, movedby a heavy weight. A small bell was struck slowly but regularly by thesame machinery, in token that all was going on well. If that bell hadceased to sound, Forsyth would at once have leaped up to ascertain whatwas wrong with the lights. So long as it continued to ring he knew thatall was well, and that he might continue his studies peacefully--notquietly, however, for, besides the rush of wind against the thickplate-glass of the lantern, there was the never-ceasing roar of theventilator, in which the heated air from within and the cold air fromwithout met and kept up a terrific war. Keepers get used to that sound,however, and do not mind it.

  Each keeper's duty was to watch for three successive hours in thelantern.

  Not less familiar were the faces of the occupants of the kitchen. Tothis apartment Ruby ascended without anyone hearing him approach, forone of the windows was open, and the roar of the storm effectuallydrowned his light footfall. On reaching the floor immediately below thekitchen he heard the tones of a violin, and when his head emergedthrough the manhole of the kitchen floor, he paused and listened withdeep interest, for the air was familiar.

  Peeping round the corner of the oaken partition that separated themanhole from the apartment, he beheld a sight which filled his heartwith gladness, for there, seated on a camp-stool, with his back leaningagainst the dresser, his face lighted up by the blaze of a splendidfire, which burned in a most comfortable-looking kitchen range, and hishands drawing forth most pathetic music from a violin, sat his oldfriend Joe Dumsby, while opposite to him on a similar camp-stool, withhis arm resting on a small table, and a familiar black pipe in hismouth, sat that worthy son of Vulcan, Jamie Dove.

  The little apartment glowed with ruddy light, and to Ruby, who had justescaped from a scene of such drear and dismal aspect, it appeared, whatit really was, a place of the most luxurious comfort.

  Dove was keeping time to the music with little puffs of smoke, and Joewas in the middle of a prolonged shake, when Ruby passed through thedoorway and stood before them.

  Dove's eyes opened to their widest, and his jaw dropt, so did his pipe,and the music ceased abruptly, while the face of both men grew pale.

  "I'm not a ghost, boys," said Ruby, with a laugh, which afforded immenserelief to his old comrades. "Come, have ye not a welcome for an oldmessmate who swims off to visit you on such a night as this?"

  Dove was the first to recover. He gasped, and, holding out both arms,exclaimed, "Ruby Brand!"

  "And no mistake!" cried Ruby, advancing and grasping his friend warmlyby the hands.

  For at least half a minute the two men shook each other's hands lustilyand in silence. Then they burst into a loud laugh, while Joe, suddenlyrecovering, went crashing into a Scotch reel with energy so great thattime and tune were both sacrificed. As if by mutual impulse, Ruby andDove began to dance! But this was merely a spurt of feeling, more thanhalf-involuntary. In the middle of a bar Joe flung down the fiddle,and, springing up, seized Ruby round the neck and hugged him, an actwhich made him aware of the fact that he was dripping wet.

  "Did ye _swim_ hoff to the rock?" he enquired, stepping back, and gazingat his friend with a look of surprise, mingled with awe.

  "Indeed I did."

  "But how? why? what mystery are ye rolled up in?" exclaimed the smith.

  "Sit down, sit down, and quiet yourselves," said Ruby, drawing a stoolnear to the fire, and seating himself. "I'll explain, if you'll onlyhold your tongues, and not look so scared like."

  "No, Ruby; no, lad, you must change yer clothes first," said the smith,in a tone of authority; "why, the fire makes you steam like a washin'biler. Come along with me, an' I'll rig you out."

  "Ay, go hup with 'im, Ruby. Bless me, this is the most amazin'hincident as ever 'appened to me. Never saw nothink like it."

  As Dove and Ruby ascended to the room above, Joe went about the kitchentalking to himself, poking the fire violently, overturning thecamp-stools, knocking about the crockery on the dresser, and otherwiseconducting himself like a lunatic.

  Of course Ruby told Dove parts of his story by fits and starts as he waschanging his garments; of course he had to be taken up to the lightroomand go through the same scene there with Forsyth that had occurred inthe kitchen; and, of course, it was not until all the men, himselfincluded, had quite exhausted themselves, that he was able to sit downat the kitchen fire and give a full and connected account of himself,and of his recent doings.

  After he had concluded his narrative, which was interrupted by frequentquestion and comment, and after he had refreshed himself with a cup oftea, he rose and said--

  "Now, boys, it's not fair to be spending all the night with you here,while my old comrade Forsyth sits up yonder all alone. I'll go up andsee him for a little."

  "We'll go hup with 'ee, lad," said Dumsby.

  "No ye won't," replied Ruby; "I want him all to myself for a while; fairplay and no favour, you know, used to be our watchword on the rock inold times. Besides, his watch will be out in a little, so ye can comeup and fetch him down."

  "Well, go along with you," said the smith. "Hallo! that must have beena big 'un."

  This last remark had reference to a distinct tremor in the building,caused by th
e falling of a great wave upon it.

  "Does it often get raps like that?" enquired Ruby, with a look ofsurprise.

  "Not often," said Dove, "once or twice durin' a gale, mayhap, when abigger one than usual chances to fall on us at the right angle. But thelighthouse shakes worst just the gales begin to take off and when theswell rolls in heavy from the east'ard."

  "Ay, that's the time," quoth Joe. "W'y, I've 'eard all the cups andsaucers on the dresser rattle with the blows o' them heavy seas, but thegale is gittin' to be too strong to-night to shake us much."

  "Too strong!" exclaimed Ruby.

  "Ay. You see w'en it blows very hard, the breakers have not time tocome down on us with a 'eavy tellin' blow, they goes tumblin' andswashin' round us and over us, hammerin' away wildly everyhow, or nohow,or anyhow, just like a hexcited man fightin' in a hurry. Theafter-swell, _that's_ wot does it. _That's_ wot comes on slow, and big,and easy but powerful, like a great prize-fighter as knows what he cando, and means to do it."

  "A most uncomfortable sort of residence," said Ruby, as he turned toquit the room.

  "Not a bit, when ye git used to it," said the smith. "At first we wasrather skeered, but we don't mind now. Come, Joe, give us `Rule,Britannia'--`pity she don't rule the waves straighter,' as somebodywrites somewhere."

  So saying, Dove resumed his pipe, and Dumsby his fiddle, while Rubyproceeded to the staircase that led to the rooms above.

  Just as he was about to ascend, a furious gust of wind swept past,accompanied by a wild roar of the sea; at the same moment a mass ofspray dashed against the small window at his side. He knew that thiswindow was at least sixty feet above the rock, and he was suddenlyfilled with a strong desire to have a nearer view of the waves that hadforce to mount so high. Instead, therefore, of ascending to thelantern, he descended to the doorway, which was open, for, as the stormblew from the eastward, the door was on the lee-side.

  There were two doors--one of metal, with thick plate-glass panels at theinner end of the passage; the other, at the outer end of it, was made ofthick solid wood bound with metal, and hung so as to open outwards.When the two leaves of this heavy door were shut they were flush withthe tower, so that nothing was presented for the waves to act upon. Butthis door was never closed except in cases of storm from the southward.

  The scene which presented itself to our hero when he stood in theentrance passage was such as neither pen nor pencil can adequatelydepict. The tide was full, or nearly so, and had the night been calmthe water would have stood about twelve or fourteen feet on the sides ofthe tower, leaving a space of about the same height between its surfaceand the spot at the top of the copper ladder where Ruby stood; but suchwas the wild commotion of the sea that this space was at one momentreduced to a few feet, as the waves sprang up towards the doorway, ornearly doubled, as they sank hissing down to the very rock.

  Acres of white, leaping, seething foam covered the spot where theterrible Bell Rock lay. Never for a moment did that boiling cauldronget time to show one spot of dark-coloured water. Billow after billowcame careering on from the open sea in quick succession, breaking withindescribable force and fury just a few yards to windward of thefoundations of the lighthouse, where the outer ledges of the rock,although at the time deep down in the water, were sufficiently near thesurface to break their first full force, and save the tower fromdestruction, though not from many a tremendous blow and overwhelmingdeluge of water.

  When the waves hit the rock they were so near that the lighthouseappeared to receive the shock. Rushing round it on either side, thecleft billows met again to leeward, just opposite the door, where theyburst upwards in a magnificent cloud of spray to a height of full thirtyfeet. At one time, while Ruby held on by the man-ropes at the door andlooked over the edge, he could see a dark abyss with the foam shimmeringpale far below; another instant, and the solid building perceptiblytrembled, as a green sea hit it fair on the weather-side. A continuousroar and hiss followed as the billow swept round, filled up the darkabyss, and sent the white water gleaming up almost into the doorway. Atthe same moment the sprays flew by on either side of the column, so highthat a few drops were thrown on the lantern. To Ruby's eye these spraysappeared to be clouds driving across the sky, so high were they abovehis head. A feeling of awe crept over him as his mind gradually beganto realise the world of water which, as it were, overwhelmed him--waterand foam roaring and flying everywhere--the heavy seas thundering on thecolumn at his back--the sprays from behind arching almost over thelighthouse, and meeting those that burst up in front, while an eddy ofwind sent a cloud swirling in at the doorway, and drenched him to theskin! It was an exhibition of the might of God in the storm such as hehad never seen before, and a brief sudden exclamation of thanksgivingburst from the youth's lips, as he thought of how hopeless his casewould have been had the French vessel passed the lighthouse an hourlater than it did.

  The contrast between the scene outside and that inside the Bell RockLighthouse at that time was indeed striking. Outside there was madlyraging conflict; inside there were peace, comfort, security: Ruby, withhis arms folded, standing calmly in the doorway; Jamie Dove and JoeDumsby smoking and fiddling in the snug kitchen; George Forsyth reading(the _Pilgrim's Progress_ mayhap, or _Robinson Crusoe_, for both workswere in the Bell Rock library) by the bright blaze of the crimson andwhite lamps, high up in the crystal lantern.

  If a magician had divided the tower in two from top to bottom while someship was staggering past before the gale, he would have presented to theamazed mariners the most astonishing picture of "war without and peacewithin" that the world ever saw!