Nancy Dale, Army Nurse
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CHAPTER NINETEEN
ADRIFT
Change had always been stimulating to Nancy, but this time she foundshe could not shake off her depression even after she was aboard ship.Koshu Island was a safe haven she was reluctant to leave. In totaldarkness they went aboard the transport and in total darkness theymoved out to sea again. This ship had detached itself from the convoyto pick up the nurses and several hundred troops. Perhaps by daylightthey would again be part of a great flotilla.
The air on deck was cold after the tropical nights they had enduredashore. Nancy's weakened condition made her super-sensitive to chill.She buttoned her overcoat tightly and turned up her collar, keeping herMae West slung over her shoulder. Immediately on going aboard, and evenbefore they were on the move, they had an abandon ship drill and becameacquainted with the position of their lifeboats. Nancy's and Mabel'sboat was number four, not more than fifty steps from the lounge wherethey were to spend the night.
There was not a bunk left on the tightly packed ship to assign to theselast passengers. They were merely super-cargo, picked up enroute to theship's destination. Since they expected to go ashore some time thefollowing morning, their discomforts would not be too prolonged.
"I surely hate to leave," said Mabel as Koshu Island became a darksmudge on the horizon. "Our life back there will be something toremember forever."
As usual leave-takings were hard for Nancy, too. But most of all shehad hated to say good-bye to Vernon Goodwin. He had brought Tommy soclose to her once more. How she had hated to disturb him with the newsof her departure! She had urged him to insist that they send out asearching plane as soon as he was able to go.
"I've made Major Reed promise to see it through," Nancy told Vernon."Now everything depends on your speedy recovery."
"I'll do my best," he promised. "But I surely hate to see you go."
"No more than I hate to go--with so much at stake here," she replied."But when you're in the service it's Uncle Sam who gives the orders."
Vernon's bony hand took hers a moment. "If it hadn't been for you, MissNancy, I doubt if I would have come through."
"The whole staff was pulling for you," she reminded him.
He saw how frail and worried she looked, and tried to speakconsolingly. "You go on to your new duties with an easy mind, MissNancy. I'll give 'em no rest till a plane goes looking for Tom. We'llbring him back if he's still on that island."
There were others, too, whom Nancy had left behind with realregret--Miss Hauser, Major Reed, Ida and Shorty were special favorites.Having Mabel with her, however, meant more than any of the others couldhave.
"They'll be following pretty soon," said Mabel, who seemed able todrift more lightly through the changing currents of their life thanNancy could.
"I know that's the program now, but you never can tell what will happenin this man's war."
They spoke almost in whispers for they had been warned against loudspeech on deck. The great ship moved silently over the dark waters. Soquiet was everything aboard that the wash of the waves along the hullwas the only audible sound above the low throb of the engines. Onlyonce did they hear the drone of a plane, low on the horizon. Theirjourney promised to be as peaceful and uneventful as a summer excursionup the Hudson.
Mabel, Janice and a couple of men officers made up a bridge game towardmidnight, but Nancy felt too exhausted to play. With her musette bagand helmet beside her, her Mae West dangling from one shoulder shetried to get some sleep on a two-seated couch. By drawing her knees upunder her chin she was fairly comfortable. The game near by was stillgoing on when she dozed.
At the sound of a terrific explosion, shaking the ship from prow tostem, Nancy woke with a jolt to find herself on the floor. Totaldarkness shut her in like a pall, while pandemonium broke loose. Sheclutched at her life-preserver, buckling it into place as she calledthrough the wild confusion, "Mabel, where are you?"
Her friend must have been sleeping on the floor near by, for shereplied almost in Nancy's ear, "Here! So this is it!"
Even while she spoke there came the thunderous voice of the captainthrough the loud speakers, "Abandon ship! We have been struck! We aregoing down!"
To Nancy's surprise now that the crisis was upon them, she felt calmand collected. All lights had gone out with that first impact, but shehad carefully memorized the route from her couch to the lifeboat.Clinging to Mabel with one hand, she felt around for her musette bagand helmet. She couldn't locate her helmet, but she did find her bag.
"Got your bag?" she asked Mabel.
"Went to sleep on it." Even as she spoke Mabel fished out a flashlight,dimmed with blue paper.
Lights twinkled here and there as people hurried by, some babblinghysterically, others silently intent on reaching their boats. The decklisted with a sickening lurch just as Nancy and Mabel got through thedoor. They went sliding with alarming speed toward the rail. Some,caught completely off their guard, were plunged into the water.
"God help us," moaned Mabel. "She's going under before we can get toour boat."
"No, here it is!" exclaimed Nancy, swinging her own light to a focus onnumber four.
It was one of the smaller boats, but three people were already inside.A man gave them a hand.
A woman spoke as they climbed in, "Where are the rest? There'resupposed to be many more."
"I don't know," Mabel replied.
The woman's voice was not that of any of their own nurses.
"We can't wait much longer," said the man. "She's listing badly."
"Why don't they hurry?" wailed the woman.
"Don't be frightened. Here's someone now," said another manreassuringly.
"Is this number eight?" A man's voice asked as he stumbled toward theboat.
"No, but you get in," said the man who had spoken first. "No time tohunt yours. She's going down any minute."
He gave the man's arm a jerk and pulled him into the boat. Another man,evidently a sailor, let the boat into the water. The ship lurcheddangerously and oily spray drenched the boat. They were not a dozen oarstrokes away when acrid smoke billowed from every opening as the shipsuddenly burst into flames. The oarsmen had a race to clear the areawhere flames lapped at the oil-coated water.
It was awful to see that towering bulk become a flaming carnival forsome Jap, watching through the periscope of the sub that had struckthem. A few minutes later the mighty ship went down with such anexplosive churning of water that those in the lifeboats had to cling tothe gunwale to keep from being swept overboard. For some time after theflames were extinguished they drifted in Stygian darkness. Nancycouldn't even see Mabel sitting next to her.
In those first stunned moments of escape Nancy had been aware of otherboats around them, and people in the water. But when they foundthemselves in calmer seas some time after the sinking they seemed to beutterly alone.
"Where are the others?" the strange woman across from them asked.
"God only knows," replied her companion.
By the location of their voices Nancy surmised they also were sittingside by side. There was some comfort in feeling the physical nearnessof another in that vast, empty darkness.
"We'll drop anchor and ride it out here till morning," the seamandecided. "We were due to be in sight of the convoy by dawn. If they gotour SOS somebody should pick us up then."
The last man they had taken aboard had not spoken since their arrival.Nancy wondered if he had gone overboard while the boat pitched sowildly after the ship went down. But a few minutes later she realizedshe was ankle deep in water. When she lifted her feet she strucksomething in the bottom of the boat.
"Somebody's lying in the bottom!" she exclaimed. She found she had losther flashlight in the scramble, but Mabel had hers.
"Don't use a flash!" warned the sailor. "Those yellow devils can seeone miles away."
They could tell he was bending in the bottom of the boat as he spoke.Then they could hear him tugging at s
omething. "It's that last chap whocame aboard," he said. "He must have been knocked out."
"Lucky he is--not knowing he has anything to worry about," said theother man.
The sailor eased the man's head to a higher level and began bailing outthe water. But the small boat heaved and pulled on her anchor chain sothey took in almost as much as he cleared out. In another hour the girlacross from Nancy was violently sick. But it was not long before Nancy,Mabel and the other man were all agonizing over the side of the boat.Only the sailor and the sleeping man in the bottom of the boat keptsteady stomachs.
For the first time in her life Nancy prayed for death to relieve hersuffering. Sick, cold and miserable as she was, the struggle didn'tseem worth the effort.
From troubled dozing against Mabel's shoulder Nancy woke to find dawnbreaking on a sea as empty and placid as a mountain lake. No rescueship, nor even any lifeboat was visible on all that gray expanse. Howcould she endure this awful plight that daylight had revealed?
Nancy's gaze came back from her futile search to look around at hercompanions. The bluejacket sat on the floor in the prow, his arms bentover the seat, cradling his head. She discovered it was a youngcorporal who had come aboard last. He still slept in the bottom of theboat. The girl across from them was a nurse of another unit. She lay onthe seat. The first class private who sat beside her couldn't have beenmore than nineteen Nancy thought, as she studied the sleeping face.
Everyone was covered with an oily scum that had swept over them fromthe sinking boat, and Nancy knew she must look as repulsive as therest. Even before her inspection was finished the sailor roused anddragged himself to the seat. He took one look across the empty water.
"Well if that ain't a way to do us!" he growled, when the drowsycorporal sat up and wanted to know what the row was about. "They allbeat it off to safety without ever waiting to see who else was here."
"They may have gone under for all you know," said Mabel.
"Where's the water?" asked the corporal. "I'm dry as a desert."
"You'll get your share along with the rest," stated the bluejacket. Hehad the look of a seasoned seaman. Nancy judged him to be well overthirty, the oldest person aboard. Suddenly he seemed to accept thesituation with what grace he could. He glanced around at his boat-matesand said, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, looks like we're in for it."
Even while he spoke a brilliant red sun slowly became a burning diskwhere sea and sky met. It seemed a warning of what they had to endure.
"First thing in order," said the sailor, "is to take stock of allsupplies--food and water."
Nancy and Mabel reached into their musette bags to bring out their barsof chocolate and the small tins of concentrated food to add to thecommon stock.
Nancy noticed that the girl across from them had her canteen, but nobag.
"I see the young ladies are good seamen and have brought theircanteens," continued the sailor.
"I have mine, too," said the private, putting his hand to his hip.
"Looks like I forgot mine," said the dazed corporal, making a futilesearch for his canteen.
The bluejacket got out the boat's supplies and stored with them whatNancy and Mabel had contributed. There was food and water enough surelyto last until they were picked up, and navigation instruments, too, incase no help came.
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_The Corporal Reached for the Water Keg_]
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"I want some water now," demanded the complaining corporal, reachingfor the water keg between the bluejacket's feet.
"You'll get your water when portions are dealt to all alike," statedthe sailor.
"That's what you think," growled the corporal and made a lunge for thewater.
The young private sitting behind him swung out a strong hand and drewthe man back before he could reach the sailor. It took some handling toget him quiet in the stem of the boat, well away from the frightenedwomen.
"You'll face court martial for this!" growled the corporal. "I'm yoursuperior officer. I'm in command of this boat!"
"If anyone is put in command it must be one of the nurses," said theprivate promptly. "They are all lieutenants."
"That suits me fine," said the bluejacket.
"We know nothing about what should be done here," Nancy told themmiserably. "Or at least I don't. I'll leave it up to Mabel or--" shepaused to glance at the other girl.
"Hilda Newton," said the strange nurse. "But heavens, I have no ideawhat we should do."
"Neither have I," stated Mabel. "If you're all agreed I move we put thebluejacket in command. He probably knows more about this business thanall of us put together."
This met with the hearty approval of all except the surly, stillbefuddled corporal. The sailor introduced himself as Olan Meyer, andthe rest in turn told their names.
A few minutes later Olan dealt out the morning's portion of food andwater. And so began the monotonous round of nights and days that wereto stretch on as endlessly as the sea on which they drifted.
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