CHAPTER FIFTY EIGHT.
For nearly a fortnight, the work upon the stockade continued without anyintermission, when a circumstance occurred which created the greatestalarm and excitement. One day, as the party returned to dinner, MrsSeagrave said with surprise, "Why, was not Tommy with you?"
"No," replied Mr Seagrave; "he has not been near us all day; he wentwith us after breakfast, but did not remain a quarter of an hour."
"No, Missy; I tell Massa Tommy to help carry cocoa-nut leaves, and thenhe go away directly."
"Goodness! where can he be?" exclaimed Mrs Seagrave, alarmed.
"I dare say he is picking up shells on the beach, ma'am," replied Ready,"or perhaps he is in the garden. I will go and see."
"I see him--oh, mercy!--I see him," said Juno, pointing with her finger;"he in the boat, and boat go to sea!"
It was but too true: there was Tommy in the boat, and the boat haddrifted from the beach, and was now a cable's length away from it, amongthe breakers.
William ran off like the wind, followed close by Mr Seagrave and Ready,and at a distance by Mrs Seagrave and Juno; indeed, there was no timeto be lost, for the wind was off the shore, and in a short time the boatwould have been out to sea.
William, as soon as he arrived at the beach, threw off his hat andjacket and dashed into the water. He was already up to his middle, whenold Ready, who had followed him, caught him by the arm and said:
"William, go back immediately. I insist upon it. Your going can do nogood, as you do not understand the thing so well as I do; and go I will,so there will be double risk for nothing. Mr Seagrave, order him back.He will obey you. I insist upon it, sir."
"William," said Mr Seagrave, "come back immediately, I command you."
William obeyed, but before he was clear of the water Ready had swamacross to the first rocks on the reef, and was now dashing through thepools between the rocks, towards the boat.
"Oh, father!" said William, "if that good old man is lost, I shall neverforgive myself. Look, father, one--two--three sharks, here, close tous. He has no chance. See, he is again in deep water. God protecthim!"
In the meantime, Mr Seagrave, whose wife was now by his side, afterglancing his eye a moment at the sharks, which were within a few feet ofthe beach, had kept his gaze steadily upon Ready's movements. If hepassed through the passage of deep water between the rocks he might beconsidered safe, as the boat was now beating on a reef on the otherside, where the water was shallow. It was a moment of intense anxiety.At last Ready had gained the reef, and had his hands upon the rocks, andwas climbing on them.
"He is safe, is he not?" whispered Mrs Seagrave faintly.
"Yes; now I think he is," replied Mr Seagrave, as Ready had gained afooting on the rocks, where the water was but a little above his ankles."I think there is no deep water between him and the boat."
In another minute Ready was over the rocks, and had seized the gunnel ofthe boat.
"He is in the boat," cried William. "Thank God!"
"Yes, we must thank God, and that fervently," replied Mr Seagrave."Look at those monsters," continued he, pointing to the sharks; "howquick they swim to and fro; they have scented their prey on the water.It is fortunate they are here."
"See, he has the boat-hook, and is pushing the boat off the reef intothe deep water. Oh! he is quite safe now."
Such, however, was not the case. The boat had been beating on the rocksof the reef, and had knocked a hole in her bottom, and as soon as Readyhad forced the boat into deep water, she began to fill immediately.Ready pushed as hard as he could with the boat-hook, and tearing off hisneck-cloth, forced as much as he could of it into the hole. This savedthem; but the boat was up to the thwarts with water, and the leastmotion on the part of Ready, or even Tommy, would have upset herimmediately, and they had still to pass the deep water between the reefand the beach, where the sharks were swimming. Ready, who perceived hisdanger, called out to them to throw large stones at the sharks as fastas they could, to drive them away. This was immediately done by MrSeagrave and William, aided by Juno and Mrs Seagrave.
The pelting of the stones had the desired effect. The sharks swam away,and Ready passed through to the beach, and the boat grounded just as shewas up to the gunnel in water, and about to turn over. He handed outTommy, who was so dreadfully frightened that he could not cry.
As soon as Ready landed, William sprang into his arms, crying, "ThankGod, you are safe, Ready!" Mrs Seagrave, overpowered by her feelings,sank her head upon William's shoulder, and burst into tears.
"It was touch and go, William," observed Ready, as they walked up to thehouse, preceded by Mr and Mrs Seagrave. "How much mischief may becreated by a thoughtless boy! However, one can't put old heads on youngshoulders, and so Tommy must be forgiven."
"He has been punished enough, as far as fright goes," replied William;"I'll answer for it, he'll never get into the boat again by himself."
"No, I think not. But now, William, you saw how nearly I was swamped inthe boat; indeed, it was only by his mercy that I was preserved; buttaking the question merely as far as our endeavours could help us, doyou think that if you had gained the boat instead of me, you would havebrought her to the beach as I did?"
"No, Ready; I never could have managed her so skilfully as you did, andtherefore I must have been swamped before I got on shore."
"Well, William, as I am an old sailor and you are not, therefore it isnot vanity which makes me say that you could not have managed the boatso well as I did. Now, as I had not three or four seconds to spare,you, as you say, must have been swamped. I mention this to prove to youthat I was right in desiring your father to order you back."
"Certainly, Ready; but Tommy is my brother, and I felt that it was moremy duty than yours to risk my life for him."
"A very proper feeling, William; but you have other duties, which are,to look after your father and mother, and be a comfort and solace tothem. Your life is more valuable than mine. I am an old man on thebrink of the grave, and a year or two makes no difference, but your lifeis, I hope, of more consequence."
That evening the prayers were more than usually solemn, and thethanksgivings more heartfelt and sincere. Exhausted with the excitingscene of the day, they all retired early to bed.
Masterman Ready; Or, The Wreck of the Pacific Page 58