Percival Keene

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER FORTY.

  The frigate was head to wind, rising and pitching with the heavy sea,but not yet feeling the strain of the cables: the masts lay rolling andbeating alongside.

  The ship's company had most of them returned on deck, to view theirimpending fate, and the carpenters, who had already received theirorders, were battening down the hatchways on the main-deck. In a minutethe frigate rode to her anchors, and as soon as the strain was on thecables, she dipped, and a tremendous sea broke over her bows, delugingus fore and aft, nearly filling the main-deck, and washing thecarpenters away from their half-completed work. A second and a thirdfollowed, rolling aft, so as to almost bury the vessel, sweeping awaythe men who clung to the cordage and guns, and carrying many of themoverboard.

  I had quitted the gangway, where there was no hold, and had repaired tothe main bitts, behind the stump of the main-mast. Even in thisposition I should not have been able to hold on, if it had not been forBob Cross, who was near me, and who passed a rope round my body as I wassweeping away; but the booms and boats which had been cut adrift, incase of the ship driving on shore broadside, were driven aft with thelast tremendous sea, and many men on the quarter-deck were crushed andmangled.

  After the third sea had swept over us, there was a pause, and Cross saidto me, "We had better go down on the main-deck, Captain Keene, and getthe half-ports open if possible." We did so, and with great difficulty,found the people to help us; for, as it may be imagined, the confusionwas now very great; but the carpenters were again collected, and thehalf-ports got out, and then the battening down was completed; for,although she continued to ship seas fore and aft, they were not so heavyas the three first, which had so nearly swamped her.

  I again went on deck, followed by Cross, who would not leave me. Mostof the men had lashed themselves to the guns and belaying pins, but Ilooked in vain for the first lieutenant and master; they were standingat the gangway at the time of the first sea breaking over us, and it isto be presumed that they were washed overboard, for I never saw themagain.

  We had hardly been on deck, and taken our old position at the bitts,when the heavy seas again poured over us; but the booms having beencleared, and the ports on the main-deck open, they did not sweep us withthe same force as before.

  "She cannot stand this long, Bob," said I, as we clung to the bitts.

  "No, sir, the cables must part with such a heavy strain; or if they donot, we shall drag our anchors till we strike on the sands."

  "And then we shall go to pieces?"

  "Yes, sir; but do not forget to get to the wreck of the masts, if youpossibly can. The best chance will be there."

  "Bad's the best, Cross; however, that was my intention."

  The reader will be surprised at my having no conversation with any otherparty but Cross; but the fact was, that although it was onlyoccasionally that a heavy sea poured over us, we were blinded by thecontinual spray in which the frigate was enveloped, and which preventedus not only from seeing our own position, but even a few feet from us;and, as if any one who had not a firm hold when the seas poured over thedeck, was almost certain to be washed overboard, every man clung towhere he was; indeed, there were not fifty men on deck; for those whohad not been washed overboard by the first seas, had hastened to getunder the half-deck; and many had been washed overboard in the attempt.

  The most painful part was to hear the moaning and cries for help of thepoor fellows who lay jammed under the heavy spars and boats which hadbeen washed aft, and to whom it was impossible to afford any reliefwithout the assistance of a large body of men. But all I have describedsince the anchors were let go occurred in a few minutes.

  On a sudden, the frigate heeled over to starboard, and at the same timea sea broke over her chesstree, which nearly drowned us where we wereclinging. As soon as the pouring off of the water enabled us to recoverour speech, "She has parted, Cross, and all is over with us," said I.

  "Yes, sir; as soon as she strikes, she will break up in ten minutes. Wemust not stay here, as she will part amidships."

  I felt the truth of the observation, and, waiting until a heavy sea hadpassed over us, contrived to gain the after ladder, and descend. Assoon as we were on the main deck, we crawled to the cabin, and seatedourselves by the after-gun, Cross having made a hold on to a ring-boltfor us with his silk neck-handkerchief.

  There were many men in the cabin, silently waiting their doom. Theyknew that all was over, that nothing could be done, yet they stillcontrived to touch their hats respectfully to me as I passed.

  "My lads," said I, as soon as I had secured my hold, "the cables haveparted, and the ship will strike, and go to pieces in a very short time;recollect that the masts to leeward are your best chance."

  Those who were near me said, "Thank you, Captain Keene;" but the wordswere scarcely out of their mouths, when a shock passed through the wholevessel, and communicated itself to our very hearts. The ship had struckon the sand, and the beams and timbers had not ceased trembling andgroaning, when a sea struck her larboard broadside, throwing her over onher beam-ends, so that the starboard side of the main-deck and the gunswere under water.

  It would be impossible after this to detail what occurred in a clear andcorrect manner, as the noise and confusion were so terrible. At everysea hurled against the sides of the vessel the resistance to them becameless. What with the crashing of the beams, the breaking up of thetimbers, and the guns to windward, as their fastenings gave way,tumbling with a tremendous crash to leeward, and passing through theship's sides, the occasional screams mixed with the other noise, thepouring, dashing, and washing of the waters, the scene was appalling.At last, one louder crash than any of the former announced that thevessel had yielded to the terrific force of the waves, and had partedamidships. After this there was little defence against them, even wherewe were clinging, for the waters poured in, as if maddened by theirsuccess, through the passage formed by the separation of the vessel, andcame bounding on, as if changing their direction on purpose to overwhelmus. As the two parts of the vessel were thrown higher up, the shockswere more severe, and indeed, the waves appeared to have more power thanbefore, in consequence of their being so increased in weight from thequantity of sand which was mixed up with them. Another crash! the sidesof the after-part of the vessel had given way, and the heavy guns,disengaged, flew to leeward, and we found ourselves without shelter fromthe raging waters.

  The part of the wreck on which Cross and I were sitting was socompletely on its beam-ends that the deck was within a trifle of beingperpendicular. To walk was impossible: all that we could do was toslide down into the water to leeward; but little was to be gained bythat, as there was no egress. We therefore remained for more than anhour in the same position, wearied with clinging, and the continualsuffocation we received from the waves, as they deluged us. Weperceived that the wreck was gradually settling down deeper and deeperin the sand; it was more steady in consequence, but at the same time thewaves had more power over the upper part; and so it proved; for oneenormous sea came in, blowing up the quarter deck over our heads,tearing away the planking and timbers, and hurling them to leeward.This, at all events, set us free, although it exposed us more thanbefore; we could now see about us, that is, we could see to leeward, andCross pointed out to me the mainmast tossing about in the boiling water,with the main-top now buried, and now rising out clear. I nodded myhead in assent. He made a sign to say that he would go first after thenext wave had passed over us.

  I found myself alone, and as soon as I had cleared my eyes of thesalt-water, I perceived Cross in the surge to leeward, making for thefloating mast. He gained it, and waved his hand. I immediatelyfollowed him, and, after a short buffet, gained a place by his side,just behind the main-top, which afforded us considerable shelter fromthe seas. Indeed, as the main-mast was in a manner anchored by the leerigging to the wreck of the vessel, the latter served as a breakwater,and the sea was, therefore, comparatively smooth, and I found myposition infini
tely more agreeable than when I was clinging on thewreck. I could now breathe freely, as it was seldom I was wholly underwater; neither was it necessary, as before, to cling for your life.

  On looking round me, I found that about twenty men were hanging on tothe mast. Many of them appeared quite exhausted, and had not strengthleft to obtain a more favourable berth. The position taken by Cross andmyself was very secure, being between the main-top and the catharpings,and the water was so warm that we did not feel the occasional immersion;five other men were close to us, but not a word was said,--indeed,hardly a recognition exchanged. At that time we thought only ofimmediate preservation, and had little feeling for anybody else.