“Miss Clara will do her best to find her way back to you,” he said. “So will I.”
Clara nodded back at the dog gratefully, feeling sorry that she had ever judged him so harshly. Then she leaped up beside the lifeboat, and Mutt helped lift the kittens toward her. Clara carefully took the scruff of Cosmo’s neck in her jaws and placed him in the boat beside his siblings. “Remember,” she told them, touching her nose to each of theirs in turn. “Stay hidden. Stay safe. And no matter what happens here on deck, do not leave this boat.”
“We promise,” Cosmo said in his tiny voice, while Violet and Jack stared solemnly at the floor.
“I hope to see you again someday,” Clara whispered as she walked away.
CHAPTER 18
MUTT
Monday, April 15, 1912
1 AM
Mutt said a quick goodbye to the kittens, then trotted after Clara, glancing back at the lifeboat every so often to make sure the kittens stayed put.
“They will be all right,” he told Clara when he’d caught up, hoping with every part of himself that it would be true.
Clara didn’t answer. She simply nodded and continued down the deck away from the humans. There seemed to be a definite tilt to the floor beneath Mutt’s feet. Several times he felt himself stumble when the ground wasn’t quite where he’d expected it to be.
“You’re hurt?” he asked, noticing Clara’s limp.
“It’s nothing,” she snapped, not pausing or slowing down, even though she was clearly in pain and her paw was bending at a funny angle. “Which class did you say your human was traveling in?”
“Steerage,” Mutt replied. “Third class—although I guess Alice could be anywhere on the ship now.”
Clara paused and gave him a grim smile. “Third-class cabins are mostly on the E and D decks toward the stern of the ship,” she told him at the top of a flight of stairs. “You’ll have to go down at least two floors. Although… I think I might have seen her earlier. There was a girl called Alice with her father.”
Mutt felt his heart race with a mixture of excitement and dread. If Clara was right, he could finally be reunited with Alice—once he found her. But that would also mean that Alice was in danger. He couldn’t wait a moment longer. He had to find her now.
“Did she have red hair like fire?” he asked.
Clara nodded. “If your girl is on this ship, she will most likely be somewhere down there, if she hasn’t already made her way up to the boat deck.” She paused. “There are gates between the first- and second-class decks and steerage. It might be difficult to find a way back up to the lifeboats.”
“Thank you,” Mutt said. “I have to try. Will you come with me? We can find my girl and then join the kittens.”
Clara shook her head sadly. “A captain never abandons his ship, and a ship’s cat never abandons her captain,” she said.
“I understand,” Mutt said, even though he wished Clara would get into the boat with the kittens and save herself. But he could no more leave Alice than Clara could leave her master. “Thank you for not having me thrown overboard.”
Clara nodded. “Thank you for looking after the kittens,” she said. She started to walk away but paused to look back. “If you see them again, please make sure they find a good home.”
“I will,” Mutt promised. His stomach sank at the thought that his promise might be little more than empty words. The chances of any of them getting out of this alive seemed slim at best. But at least the kittens would have a chance on the lifeboat.
“Oh, and, Mutt?” Clara called back. “I don’t much like dogs,” she said. “But I don’t think I’ve ever met a finer dog than you.”
Mutt opened his mouth to reply, but the ship lurched suddenly and he slid down the deck, narrowly avoiding being hit in the head by a wayward deck chair.
When he had regained his footing, Clara was gone.
“Good luck,” he whispered.
Mutt raced down the stairs to the third-class promenade deck, which was already crammed with passengers, many of them wearing life jackets over their nightclothes. He searched the crowds for any sign of Alice or the master, stopping every few seconds to sniff the air for her scent, but there was no sign of either of them.
Mutt decided to search the lower decks, where Clara had told him the third-class cabins for families were, pushing against the ever-increasing flow of humans flooding onto the deck until he found himself in a nearly abandoned corridor. Water had already started seeping into the carpet. Mutt ran down the hallway, which was now definitely at a tilt, racing along the twists and turns, sniffing as he went, his ears pricked up to listen for any clue that Alice might be close by.
He had almost given up hope when he turned another corner, panting and out of breath, and caught the briefest flash of red hair heading toward another stairwell. Alice! Mutt ignored the cramps in his legs and the burn in his lungs and raced toward her, barking again and again, feeling as though his heart might explode with joy. The girl was being pulled along by a tall, broad-shouldered man.
“Papa! I hear Mutt,” she was saying to him. “Papa!”
But the master was pulling her so hard that she couldn’t turn, so Mutt ran up and grabbed the master’s heel in his jaws, clamping down hard.
“Argh!” the master yelled, spinning to see what had caught him. His face changed from fear to anger to surprise all in the space of a single breath. “Mutt?” he said. “Is that really you? How on earth…?”
“Mutt!” Alice cried, dropping to her knees with a sob that turned into a fit of giggles as Mutt licked at her face and her hands, his tail wagging so hard it felt as if it might drop off. He rubbed his nose to hers as she laughed and kissed him and cried his name over and over again. “Mutt, Mutt, Mutt. I thought I’d never see you again!” she whispered. She looked up at her father. “How did he get on board the ship?”
The master shook his head, rubbing his eyes as though he couldn’t quite believe what was right there in front of him. He opened his mouth to answer as a heavy crash rang out along the corridor. The floor beneath them shifted slightly downward and a door flew open, smashing into the wall. Thousands of pieces of broken crockery and glass came tumbling out into the hallway.
Water ran along the floor, covering their feet and paws. The master grabbed Alice’s hand, pulling her away from Mutt. “We need to get to the lifeboats,” he said. “Now!”
They ran through the ever-rising water, with Mutt hot on their heels. A single rat swam past Mutt, heading in the opposite direction. For a second, Mutt’s breath caught in his throat as he thought it might be King Leon, but then he saw the rat’s long pink tail and realized it wasn’t. King Leon’s words came back to him, though, and he stopped, barking up at Alice and the master, keeping his eyes trained on the rat, not wanting to lose sight of it because the moment he did, he knew they would be lost. Mutt barked again and gripped the hem of Alice’s nightdress between his jaws, pulling as hard as he could in the direction of the rat.
“He wants us to follow him!” Alice cried.
“Don’t be silly, Alice!” the master shouted. “We need to follow the other passengers. That’s not the right way!”
Mutt narrowed his eyes and dug his claws into the floor, pulling harder and more urgently at the sodden hem of Alice’s nightdress until it felt as if it was going to rip in two. The rat was almost at the end of the corridor, which meant Mutt would lose sight of him any second. Follow the rats, King Leon had told him, and that was exactly what Mutt intended to do. Mutt pulled Alice so hard that she stumbled a few steps forward. He took advantage of the slight momentum and yanked harder, dragging Alice along little by little until she relented and ran after him.
“Come on, Papa!” she shouted. “Mutt is showing us the way.”
CHAPTER 19
CLARA
Monday, April 15, 1912
1:30 AM
Clara slipped through the crowd, hurrying away from Mutt as fast as she could manage, strugglin
g to stay upright with the searing pain that burned through her leg. She didn’t allow herself to look back. She hoped he would find his human and a way onto one of the lifeboats before it was too late.
“Women and children first!” the officers and crew shouted above the roaring noise of the passengers gathering on the deck. The head baker and his staff passed by, heading toward the lifeboats with their arms full of loaves of bread.
The crew continued to load the boats one by one, calling out directions and swinging them out over the open water to be lowered into the ocean far below. Many of the passengers pushed and fought their way forward, desperate to get a space on a lifeboat. The reluctance to leave the great ship had long passed, replaced with urgency as the humans realized what would happen to them if they stayed behind. Clara hoped the kittens would stay in their own lifeboat and not try to find her. Violet was a sensible kitten, Clara told herself. She would make sure that her brothers did as they were told.
Clara wove through the legs of people lining up along the deck, trying to get into the boats.
“I need to get on a lifeboat!” a woman shouted.
“Me too!” another yelled. “I have two children with me.”
“What about the men?” a man yelled. “We deserve a spot, too.” A group of men close by roared in agreement at this and started pushing harder against the crowd.
Earlier, the passengers had formed orderly lines at the lifeboats, patiently waiting their turn. But now, as it became glaringly clear that more than half the lifeboats had already been filled and there were still hundreds of humans left on the ship, the crowd was panicked and disorderly.
High above, flares were being launched into the sky in an attempt to get the attention of any boats or ships sailing close by. Red flashes of light streaked out into the darkness, then floated slowly down to be extinguished by the water below. Some of the humans screamed as the boat listed forward, and at the sight of the flares, which made it all too clear just how much danger they were in. Clara jumped to avoid being crushed under the feet of a particularly rowdy group of men who were demanding to be let onto a boat.
Clara hobbled beneath a wooden bench to catch her breath, the pain in her leg almost unbearable, then she forced herself to continue on, desperate to get to the comfort of her captain’s arms. As she passed the smoking room, she saw a group of men in full evening dress. They wore black jackets and trousers with white silk cravats and bow ties. They were drinking whiskey and smoking cigars as though they hadn’t a care in the world. Clara thought it strange that they weren’t panicking like the other passengers, but then she realized that they had accepted their fate—just as she had. There was nothing to be done now. Either help would come in time to rescue them all, or it wouldn’t. Neither fear nor anger could change that fact.
The band had gathered near the stern of the ship, close to where the final lifeboats were being loaded, and had started playing a jolly tune in an attempt to keep spirits up, Clara supposed. They, too, had probably decided to play out their roles to the end, and that was what Clara intended to do. She was the captain’s cat, and she would not abandon her post now.
Thomas Andrews, the ship’s architect, stood a little way away, listening to the music but seeming lost in thought. A steward was trying to get his attention, holding up a white life jacket and urging him to at least put it on, but Andrews waved him away, and after a moment, the steward left him alone. When she reached the wheelhouse, Clara felt her heart swell as she was finally reunited with her captain. He shouted out orders to his officers to continue sending up flares until there were none left, while the wireless operators continued to send out distress calls in the Marconi room, hoping that a ship might be close enough to come to their rescue in time.
“I think I see a boat!” someone called.
“Use the Morse lamp to send out a signal,” the captain said. “They must come at once!”
The captain and officers rushed to the deck to send flashing light signals across the water using the Morse lamp, then waited with bated breath. A second later there was a flash of light in reply on the horizon, and Clara felt her hopes soar—maybe salvation was in sight after all.
The captain’s man signaled again, the Morse lamp clicking on and off. Again they waited, hoping that the faintest of lights along the horizon was a passing ship.
“Try again!” the captain ordered.
But as they watched, the faint light on the horizon that they had taken for another ship faded, along with their hopes of rescue. If there were any boats around now, they would all be too far away to reach them in time. The captain knew this as well as Clara. He turned to look at each of the remaining officers in turn.
“It’s every man for himself now,” he told them, officially relieving them of their duty.
The men paused, looking at one another, then back to the captain for some other sign, some other way for them to save the day at the last minute. But there was none. And so, one by one, with a shake of the captain’s hand and a brief “Good luck” or “Farewell,” they left the bridge, and Clara and her captain were alone.
Clara gave a small meow to let the captain know that she was still there and wouldn’t be going anywhere. He picked her up gently and smiled. “Dearest Clara,” he said, stroking her head. “It looks as though this will be our final voyage.”
Clara meowed again to tell him she understood. The captain kissed her head. Then, still holding her close, he gripped the ship’s wheel, taking charge of his ship for the last time.
CHAPTER 20
MUTT
Monday, April 15, 1912
1:50 AM
Mutt chased after the rat with Alice and the master following, despite the master’s protests. The rat moved quickly, skillfully turning left and right without any hesitation, as though he had lived on the ship his entire life. Finally, they reached a narrow stairwell and the rat scurried up the stairs. Mutt found himself out in the open air, back on the boat deck, where large crowds were forming.
“See?” Alice said to her father. “I knew Mutt would lead us the right way.”
There was a sudden explosion in the sky above, and Mutt yelped as the night was filled with a crimson light that turned the faces of the humans bloodred as they all looked up. Three more lights followed in swift succession, and the sight seemed to work the crowd up into a worried frenzy as they pushed forward, all vying for a space on one of the few lifeboats that remained on the deck. At the back of the ship, a group of men worked to untie the two collapsible lifeboats, but as they tried to attach the first one to the strange winchlike contraption that lowered the boats into the sea, it fell, landing with a loud smack upside down on the deck below.
The master glanced down at Mutt, giving him a doubtful look, then turned his attention back to the remaining lifeboats.
“We have to get you onto a boat,” the master told Alice, placing his large, callused hand on her back to push her forward.
“There are too many people, Papa!” she cried, clinging to a tuft of Mutt’s hair with one hand and her father’s arm with the other. “I’m scared.”
“It’s all right,” the master said. “They have to let you on one of the boats—it’s women and children first. Go on, now. I’m right behind you.”
They continued to push their way through the crowd. It was easier for Alice and Mutt because of their small size, but a few times Mutt turned to see the master jostling and elbowing other men in the crowd to keep up. To their left, a large group of men who appeared to be from third class, judging by their worn clothes and tired, haggard-looking faces, began shouting and arguing with one of the officers, who was telling them to stay back.
“Women and children only!” the officer yelled, but the men paid him no mind, trying to push past and swarm the lifeboat, which was already swinging precariously out over the water. A woman screamed, and before Mutt knew what was happening, an earsplitting gunshot rang out as an officer fired his gun in the air, silencing the crowd.
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The master seized his chance and pushed Alice through to the front so that she was standing directly in front of the lifeboat. “I have a child here!” he yelled. “Let this child on the boat.”
The officer manning the boat nodded and held out his hand to Alice to help her on board, but she pulled back, shaking her head. “Not without my papa and Mutt,” she said.
“Alice,” the master urged, pushing her forward. “Go on, now. Me and Mutt will be right behind you, won’t we, boy?” he said, glancing down at Mutt.
Mutt looked from the master to Alice and then at the lifeboats. There were two remaining: the one to their left and the one right in front of them. The one on the left was already being lowered into the water. The kittens’ boat was no longer on the deck, and Mutt hoped they were still safely hidden under the bench.
Mutt realized this was Alice’s only chance. If she didn’t get on the boat, she wouldn’t get on one at all. He nudged Alice forward with his head, and the officer peered down at him.
“No dogs allowed,” the officer said.
“But she has a dog!” Alice cried, pointing to a lady already seated in the lifeboat. She was dressed in a thick brown fur coat that reached to the floor. At first, Mutt couldn’t see what Alice was referring to, because the dog was camouflaged against his human’s coat, but then Mutt spotted him. It was Fifi, the little yappy dog, shivering in his mistress’s arms.
The officer sighed impatiently. “She is a first-class passenger,” he told them. “And she insisted.”
The lifeboat started to swing away from the boat deck, and Alice spun to bury her face in the master’s stomach. “I want to stay with you and Mutt, Papa!” she cried.
“Alice,” the master said, his voice cracking. “Please. You have to get on the boat now. It’s going to leave without you. Please, Alice.”
Mutt watched as the boat moved inch by inch, out and away from the deck. There was no more time to think. He had to make Alice get on the lifeboat. He had to save her. He took Alice’s nightdress in his teeth and pulled. The master, seeing what Mutt was doing, nudged Alice toward the officer, giving him a small nod. The officer grabbed Alice beneath the arms and lifted her into the boat just as it moved away.
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