CHAPTER XXIII.
CAPTAIN SAM.
The boys were now badly frightened, and the more so because they didnot know what to do for their chief, who lay dying, as they supposed.His left hand and shoulder were bleeding profusely, and Tom,remembering some instructions that Sam had once given him[3] withrespect to the stopping of a flow of blood, at once examined thewounds, to discover their nature. Two fingers of Sam's left hand hadbeen carried away, and a deep flesh wound showed itself in hisshoulder. By the use of a handkerchief or two Tom soon succeeded instaunching the flow of blood, while one of the other boys sailed theboat. After a little while the dashing rain revived the wounded boy,and while he was still very weak, he was able, within an hour, totake the direction of affairs into his own hands again.
[Footnote 3: See "The Big Brother" Chapter 3.]
But what mischief maybe done in an hour! The boys had never oncethought of anything but Sam, during all that time, and they had beensailing for an hour straight out into the Gulf of Mexico, at a furiousrate of speed! It was pouring down rain, and land was nowhere visible!
When Sam's questions drew out these facts, the boys were disposed tobe very much frightened.
"There's no cause for alarm, I think," said Sam, reassuringly. "Ithink I know how to manage it, and perhaps it is better so."
"Of course you know how to manage," said Sid Russell, admiringly. "I'mprepared to bet my hat an' boots on that, now or any other time. Youalways do know how to manage, whatever turns up. That long head o'your'n's got more'n a little in it."
Sam smiled rather feebly and replied:--
"Wait till I get you out of the scrape we're in, Sid, before youpraise me."
"Well, I'll take it on trust," said Sid, "an' back my judgment on it,too."
"Let me have your compass, Tom," he said; and taking the instrumentwhich he had confided to Tom's hands at starting on the voyage, heopened his map just enough to catch a glimpse of the coast linesmarked on it, having one of the boys hold a hat over it, to protect itfrom the rain as he did so. After a little while he said:--
"Take the helm, Tom, and hold the boat due west. There, that will do.Now let her go, and keep her at that. The wind is north-east, andshe'll make good time in this direction."
"Where are you aiming for, Sam?" asked Tom.
"The mouth of Mobile Bay."
"Does it lie west?"
"Not exactly, but a little north of west. We can sail faster due west,however, and after awhile we'll tack to the north till we see land.It's about forty miles from the mouth of Pensacola Bay to the mouth ofMobile bay, and we're going, I think, about six or seven miles anhour."
"But, how'll you find the mouth of the bay?"
"I don't know that I can, but I can find land easily enough, as itstretches in a bow all along to the north of us. But I want to strikeas near the mouth of the bay as I can, so as to have as littlemarching to do as possible. If I can get into the bay, I can sailclear up to Mobile."
"But, Sam?"
"Well."
"What if it storms? It looks like it was going to."
"Well, I think we can weather it. This boat can't spring a leak, andif she fills full of water she won't sink, for she's only a loghollowed out."
"That's so, but won't she turn over like a log?"
"I think not. She's heaviest at the bottom, and I made her keel veryheavy on purpose."
"Why, did you expect to go to sea in her?"
"No, but I thought I might have to do it, to get away from Pensacola."
"Did you think of that when you planned her, up there in the woods?"
"Yes."
"Yes," said Sid, "of course he did! Don't he always think of everything before it comes?"
It was rapidly coming on to storm. The rain was falling very slightlynow, and the wind was shifting to the east and rapidly rising. Samdirected the boys to shorten sail, and showed them how to do it. Thewind grew stronger and stronger, suddenly shifting to the south. Thesail was still further shortened. The sea now began coming up, and Samsaw that their chief danger was that of getting washed overboard. Hecautioned the boys against this, and changed the boat's course, so asto keep her as nearly as possible where she was. A heavy sea brokeover her, and carried away their only water keg, which was a direcalamity. After a little while their store of food went, and they wereat sea, in a storm, without food or water!
"I say, Sam," said Tom.
"What is it?"
"Is there land all to the north of us?"
"Yes."
"How far is it?"
"Twenty miles, perhaps,--possibly less."
"Why can't we head the boat about, and run for it?"
"Because the wind is blowing on shore, and there's a heavy surfrunning."
"What of that?"
"Why, simply this, that if we run ashore on a long, flat beach, theboat will be beaten to splinters a mile or more from land."
"How?"
"By the waves; they would lift her up, and receding let her dropsuddenly on the sands, splitting her to pieces in no time, and thevery next wave would do the same thing for us. We must stay out heretill the storm's over. There's nothing else for it."
The storm lasted long enough to make a furious sea, and the boys coulddo nothing but hold on to the boat's gunwales. As night came on thewind ceased, very suddenly, as it frequently does in Southern seas,but the waves still rolled mountain high.
"When the sea goes down we'll try to make land, won't we, Sam?" askedTom.
"Yes, but before the surf is safe for us, we can sail several hourstoward Mobile, and gain that much. Indeed, I think we can get that farwest before it will be tolerably safe to run ashore. We're hungry andthirsty, of course, but we must endure it. There's no other way."
The boat was presently headed to the west, and the sail unfurledagain, but as the night advanced the wind fell to a mere breeze, andthen died altogether. It began to grow hazy. The haze deepened into adense fog. The sea went down, and the boat rocked idly on a groundswell.
"Now, let's run ashore," said Billy Bowlegs.
"What will we run with? There isn't a cap full of wind on the Gulf ofMexico, and there won't be while this fog lasts."
"What shall we do, then?"
"Nothing, for there is literally nothing to be done," answered Sam.
"Mas' Sam," said Joe, "I'll tell you what."
"Well, Joe, what is it?"
"Ef we jist had a couple o' paddles."
"But we just haven't a couple of paddles," answered Sam. "No, what weneed now is courage and endurance. We must wait for a wind, and keepour courage up. We are suffering already with hunger and thirst, andwill suffer more, but it can't be helped. We must keep our courage up,and endure that which we cannot do anything to cure. It is harder toendure suffering than to encounter danger, but a brave man, or a braveboy, can do both without murmuring."
Sam's words encouraged his companions, and they managed to get somesleep. After awhile day dawned, and the fog was still thick aroundthem, while not a zephyr was astir. Nearly an hour later, a suddenbooming startled them. It was a cannon, and was very near.
"What is that?" asked the boys in a breath.
"A sunrise gun, I think," said Sam, "and it's on a ship or a fort. Nowthen all together with a shout."
They shouted in concert. No answer came. They shouted again and again,and finally their shout was answered. A little later a row boat cameout into the fog, and the first man Sam saw in it was Tandy Walker.
It is not necessary to repeat the greetings and the explanations thatwere given. Sam learned that the gun had been fired from Fort Bowyer,the guardian fortress, which, standing on Mobile Point, commanded theentrance to the bay. The fort had been garrisoned only the day before,and Tandy was one of the garrison. Sam's boat had drifted further westthan he had supposed, and he found himself now precisely at the pointhe had tried to reach.
* * * * *
As Sam was too weak to walk, and there was n
o wind with which to sailup to the town, a messenger was sent by land from the fort, bearing toGeneral Jackson a detailed account of Sam's wanderings and adventuresin the shape of a written report. When the wind served, the littleband of weary wanderers sailed up to Mobile, and when Sam reached thehospital to which he had been assigned for the treatment of hiswounds, he found there an official despatch from General Jackson, fromwhich the following is an extract:--
"The commanding General begs to express his high sense of the servicesrendered by Samuel Hardwicke and his band, and his appreciation of therare courage, discretion and fortitude displayed by the youthfulleader of the Pensacola scouting party. A few blank commissions in thevolunteer forces having been placed in the commanding General's handsfor bestowal upon deserving men, he is greatly pleased to issue thefirst of them to Mr. Hardwicke, in recognition of his gallant conduct,creating him a captain of volunteers, to date from the day of hisdeparture on his recent mission."
"So, you're really 'Captain Sam' after all," said Sid Russell, whenthe document was read in his presence, and the formal commission hadbeen inspected reverently by all the boys.
"Yes, an' he's been a real 'Captain Sam' all the time," said BillyBowlegs.
What became of Jake Elliott?
If he had been an enlisted soldier he would have been tried by courtmartial. As it was, the boys formally drummed him out of theircompany, and he disappeared from Mobile. He did not go home as theboys learned a few months later, when, after the battle of NewOrleans, peace was proclaimed throughout the land, and they were ledback by their favorite hero, Captain Sam.
THE END.
Captain Sam: The Boy Scouts of 1814 Page 23