CHAPTER XXVII--ON THE BEACH
Late on a gloomy evening Jimmy and his friends sat down for a fewminutes' rest on the beach of a lonely island on the northern coast.With the help of Jaques they had fitted out the sloop, and had sailedmuch earlier in the year than was prudent, fearing that Clay mightarrive ahead of them. The voyage proved trying, for they spent days hoveto while the sloop was blown to leeward by bitter gales, and they werenow and then forced to run off their course for shelter. Still, theystubbornly fought their way north. The strong breeze that Clay'sschooner-yacht had met badly buffeted the smaller boat. In driving herto windward through a steep head-sea the heavy strain upon the shroudsstarted a leak under her channel plates, and after a long spell ofsteady pumping the men reluctantly decided to seek a sheltered harbor,where the damage could be repaired.
This had not proved a difficult task, for some caulking was all that wasrequired, but in order to reach the leak they had to lay her on thebeach, and Jimmy thought it a desirable opportunity for filling up thewater-breakers. Taking them ashore in the dory, they carried the smallcraft up; and after getting the water they set out for a walk across theisland, because the sloop would not float until nearly high tide. Theisland was barren except for a few clumps of stunted trees, but theyenjoyed the ramble, and were now feeling tired by the unusual exercise,as well as hungry, because they had not troubled about taking any lunch.
Picking a sheltered spot, Bethune lighted his pipe and languidly lookedabout. Dingy clouds were driving across the island, and the leaden waterbroke with an angry splash among the stones. There had been a lightbreeze from seaward when they went ashore, but it had changed, and nowblew moderately fresh off the land. It was very cold, with a rawnessthat penetrated. Bethune shivered.
"We ought to be getting on board," he said; "but I wish we had a paidcrew to carry down the breakers and row us off. And I'd enjoy my supperbetter if I didn't have to cook it myself. It's curious how luxurioustastes stick to you."
"If you'd been a lobster fisher, you wouldn't have had any," Moranremarked.
"I expect that's true," Bethune laughed. "No doubt it depends on the wayone is brought up; but you don't often surprise us with thesereflections. Anyway, I can't help thinking of our opponent sitting atthe saloon table on board his yacht with a smart steward waiting tobring him what he wants, while we squat over our tin plates in thecubby-hole with our knees against the centerboard trunk and our headsamong the beams. It's a painful contrast."
"The sooner you finish moralizing and make a move, the sooner we'll getsupper," Jimmy reminded him.
"I wish it was Hank's turn, only that one doesn't have much pleasure ineating the stuff he cooks. Still, it will be a comfort to work with thestove upright, and not to have to hold the things on. That's why I waswaiting until the tide lifted her."
"She's afloat now," said Moran.
Bethune, looking up, saw that this was correct, for the sloop's mastbegan to move across the rocks in the background. Then there was arattle of chain, and she drifted faster.
"Taking up the slack of her cable," said Jimmy. "We'd better get onboard. I didn't give her much scope because I wanted to keep her off thestones."
"Wait until I've smoked my pipe out," Bethune said lazily; and they satstill for a few minutes.
The sloop brought up, sheering to and fro in the eddying gusts. WhenMoran turned to look at her he jumped up with an exclamation.
"She's off again!"
They watched her mast, and saw a gap open between it and a boulder. Itwas obvious that she was moving out to sea.
"The wind has changed since we left!" exclaimed Jimmy. "When she swung,she got a turn of her cable round the anchor-fluke and pulled it up."
"We'd better run for the dory!" Bethune cried, setting off along theshore.
"No use!" Jimmy called after him. "There isn't time." He jerked off hisheavy sea-boots as he added: "She's dragging her cable along the bottomnow, but it won't check her long."
The others saw that he was right. The water got deeper suddenly belowthe half-tide line, and when the boat had picked up her anchor herprogress would be rapid.
"It's too cold for swimming, and you can't catch her!" Bethuneexpostulated breathlessly.
"I must do the best I can," said Jimmy, flinging off his jacket andplunging into the water.
They left him and ran along the beach, stumbling among the stones. Itwas some distance to the dory, and darkness was coming on. The _Cetacea_would drift to leeward fast, and they feared that she would be out ofsight before they could begin the chase, but they might be in time topick up their exhausted comrade. There was no doubt that he soon wouldbecome exhausted, because the water was icy cold, and a short, troubledswell worked into the bay. Besides this, the horror of their positionlent them speed. It looked as if they would be left without food orshelter from the inclement weather on the desolate island. They had noteven a line to catch fish with, and Bethune remembered that he had onlythree or four loose matches in his pocket.
He fell into a hollow between two boulders, hurting his leg, but was upagain in a moment, making the best speed he could, with Moran clatteringamong the rocks a yard or two behind. Fortunately, the tide was almostup to the dory when they reached her. Thrusting her off they jumped onboard and rowed with savage determination, pulling an oar each. Thelight craft lifted her bows and leaped forward in time to their powerfulstrokes, but a steeper swell was working in against the wind as the tiderose, and the long undulations checked her. Though the air was keen, thesweat dripped from the men as they rowed with throbbing hearts andlabored breath, turning their heads for a glance forward every now andthen.
They could not see their comrade, but that was hardly to be expected: aman's head is a small object to distinguish at a distance in brokenwater. The _Cetacea_, however, was still visible, and she did not seemto be much farther offshore. It was possible that Jimmy had got onboard, and that they might overtake her before she felt the full forceof the wind. The hope put fresh heart into them, and they strained everymuscle to drive the dory faster across the irregular heave.
When Jimmy plunged into the icy water he gasped as it closed about him.The cold took away his breath and paralyzed his limbs, and he let hisfeet fall with an unreasoning desire to scramble out again. This,however, lasted only for a moment; before he could touch bottom heovercame the impulse, and, throwing his left hand forward, struck outvigorously. His was not a complex character, and his normal frame ofmind was practical rather than imaginative, but he had been endowed withcertain Spartan virtues. Moreover, he had learned in the sailing shipsthat what is needful must be done, no matter how the flesh may shrink.
Now, though he could not think collectively, he knew that it was hisbusiness to overtake the sloop. He could swim better than either of hiscomrades, and he set about his task with the unreflecting stubbornnessthat generally characterized him when an effort must be made. His mindwas fixed on his object, and not on the risk he ran.
After the first half-minute the shock began to pass, and he sufferedless, but he dully realized that he was making very poor progress. Hisclothing hampered him, the swell flung him back, the only thing in hisfavor was that the ripples the wind made ran behind him instead ofsplashing in his face. He swam with a powerful overhand stroke, but heknew that the _Cetacea_ would drift at double his speed unless he couldcatch her while she was still in shallow water. When he swung up withthe swell she was clearly in sight, but he could not judge whether hewas gaining. She was still an alarming distance off, and moving away,but he hoped that the cable might check her, as it trailed along theuneven bottom.
But as the moments passed Jimmy began to despair of reaching her. Thecold was sapping his vitality, his legs were getting cramped, and hisbreath was failing; but he turned upon his breast and swam on. He musthold out until his strength was spent; besides, he could not make thebeach if he turned back. For a while he could not see the boat: his eyeswere full of water, for the swell, which was getting steeper,occasion
ally broke over his head. Indeed, he hardly cared to look andcontemplate the distance still to be covered. At last, however, when hestopped for a moment and raised his head, hope crept into his heart. The_Cetacea_ was much nearer than he had expected. He must make a last,determined effort.
She had swung round, beam to wind, when he feebly clutched her railamidships. For a few moments he held on; he had now to solve thedifficulty of getting on board. As she drifted, his body trailed outaway from her, and he could not get his knees against the planking. Evenif he were able to do so, he had not the strength to lift himself ondeck; and there was no rope hanging over that he could seize. Then hethought of the wire bobstay that ran down from the end of the bowspritand was fastened to the stem near the waterline. He must try to reach itand climb on that way. He cautiously moved his hands along the rail; forif they slipped off, he might not be able to get hold again.
Foot by foot he worked forward, and, stopping for some moments, tried toget up by the shrouds. He slipped back with only three fingers on therail, and the risk he had run of letting go altogether unnerved him. Hewaited until he recovered, and then dragged himself forward, moving onehand over the other a few inches at a time. This was more difficult now,because as the boat's sheerline rose sharply at the bows he was higherout of the water and there was a greater weight on his arms; but at lasthe clutched the bowsprit and hung on by it, splashing feebly as he feltfor the wire stay with his feet. Now that he was almost in safety,terror seized him. He found the wire, slid his foot along it, andlifting himself to the bowsprit fell forward, limp and inert, on deck.He lay there for a minute, and then with an effort roused himself,realizing that if he remained much longer he would perish of exhaustionand cold.
Staggering aft, he entered the cabin, and pulled off his clothes. Therewas no liquor on board, but he found some garments which were not verydamp, and after trying to rub himself he put them on and munched aship's biscuit while he did so. Feeling somewhat better after this, hewent up on deck, for he must get in the cable and hoist some canvas, inorder to gain control of the boat, which was fast driving out to sea.When he seized the chain he realized how greatly the swim had exhaustedhim. It was a heavy cable, but he had often hauled a long scope of it inwhen the anchor was holding and he had the boat's resistance toovercome. Now, however, he was beaten when he had laboriously pulled upa fathom or two. Trying again, he raised a few feet, and then had hardwork to secure the chain round the bits.
He sat down to rest a minute, and looked about for the dory. He made herout indistinctly, but she seemed a long distance off, and as the breezewas freshening he did not know whether she could overtake the sloop. Bysetting some canvas he could pick her up, and the foresail would not behard to hoist; but the _Cetacea_ would not sail to windward with theheavy cable hanging from her bows. Jimmy remembered that there was agood length of it below; indeed, there might be scope enough to allowhim to drop several fathoms on the bottom. The weight of this would actas a drag, and might, perhaps, bring her up. It depended on the depth ofwater.
He let the chain run, and watched it anxiously as it rattled out of thepipe. For a time it showed no sign of stopping, and then he felt athrill as the harsh clanking slackened. The lower end had found bottom;but the vessel would soon lift a fathom or two, and he could not tellwhether she would stop. The links ran slowly forward in a slanting line,and Jimmy saw by the absence of any splashing at the bows that she wasstill adrift. Then the rattle of the cable recommenced, which showed atleast that there was more below, and she slowly stopped. In a fewmoments he felt her tug and strain, and white ripples broke angrilyagainst the planking. She had either stopped or was drifting veryslowly. Standing up on the cabin top, he waved his jacket that hiscomrades in the dory might see he was on board, and then went below outof the bitter wind. He could do no more.
It was some time later when the dory struck the side, and Moranclambered on board and entered the cabin. Jimmy could not see his face,but his gruff voice had an unusual tone.
"That was a mighty good swim, partner," he said. "I was scared youwouldn't make it."
"So was I," smiled Jimmy. "I was too dead beat to heave the cable when Igot on board."
"Of course," Moran agreed sympathetically. "Now you lie off and leavethings to us."
Then Bethune came down and let his hand rest for a moment on Jimmy'sshoulder.
"Thanks, old man! Neither Hank nor I could have reached her."
They were none of them sentimentalists, and Jimmy felt that enough hadbeen said.
"I'm a bit worried about my thick jacket and sea-boots," he replied."You see, I'll need them."
"That's so," said Moran. "As soon as we've got sail on her, we'll pullback and look."
Jimmy protested. They were tired and hungry, and it would be a hard rowto the beach against the rising breeze, but Moran laughed, and Bethunetold him to sit still when he would have gone up to help them. Helighted the stove, and when they called him the reefed mainsail wasbanging overhead, and Bethune was in the dory, while Moran, kneelingunder the jib, freed a coil of chain from the fluke of the anchor.
"I guess that's what made the trouble," he said. "We won't be long, andwhen you have made two or three tacks you can show a light."
He jumped into the dory, and it disappeared into the dark, while Jimmydrove the sloop ahead, close-hauled, until he dimly made out theboulders on a point. Then he came round and stretched along-shore on theother tack, until he left the helm for a few moments and lighted alantern. Soon after he had done so he heard a shout and when he hove theboat to there was a splash of oars. Then the dory emerged from the gloomand Moran, seizing the rail, threw a jacket and pair of long boots ondeck.
"Got them all right. They were a fathom from the tide; the beach ispretty steep."
"I must have had the sense to throw them well back, though I can'tremember it," Jimmy answered with a laugh.
"We're going to have a better supper than I thought we would get notlong ago," Bethune remarked as he lifted the dory in; and Jimmy gave thehelm to Moran and went below to help in preparing the meal.
The Secret of the Reef Page 27