Foul Play
Page 37
CHAPTER XXXVII.
HELEN looked up; and there was the ship fast, and on her side. She was onthe White Water Reef. Not upon the black rocks themselves, but on a partof them that was under water.
Hazel ran down to the beach; and there Helen found him greatly agitated.All his anger was gone; he had but one thought now--to go out to herassistance. But it still wanted an hour to high water, and it was blowingsmartly, and there was nearly always a surf upon that reef. What if thevessel should break up, and lives be lost?
He paced the sands like a wild beast in its cage, in an agony of pity,remorse, and burning impatience. His feelings became intolerable; he sethis back to the boat, and with herculean strength forced it down a littleway to meet the tide. He got logs and put them down for rollers. Hestrove, he strained, he struggled, till his face and hands were purple.And at last he met the flowing tide, and in a moment jumped into theboat, and pushed off. Helen begged with sparkling eyes to be allowed toaccompany him.
"What, to a ship smitten with scurvy, or Heaven knows what? Certainlynot. Besides, you would be wet through; it is blowing rather fresh, and Ishall carry on. Pray for the poor souls I go to help; and for me, whohave sinned in my anger."
He hoisted his sail, and ran out. Helen stood on the bank, and watchedhim with tender admiration. How good and brave he was! And he could gointo a passion, too, when she was wronged, or when he thought she was.Well! she admired him none the less for that. She watched him at firstwith admiration, but soon with anxiety; for he had no sooner passed NorthGate, than the cutter, having both sails set, though reefed, lay downvery much, and her hull kept disappearing. Helen felt anxious, and wouldhave been downright frightened, but for her confidence in his prowess.
By and by only her staggering sails were visible; and the sun set ere shereached the creek. The wind declined with the sun, and Helen made twogreat fires, and prepared food for the sufferers; for she made sure Hazelwould bring them off in a few hours more. She promised herself thehappiness of relieving the distressed. But to her infinite surprise shefound herself almost regretting that the island was likely to be peopledwith strangers. No matter, she should sit up for them all night and bevery kind to them, poor things; though they had not been very kind toher.
About midnight, the wind shifted to the northwest, and blew hard.
Helen ran down to the shore, and looked seaward. This was a fair wind forHazel's return; and she began to expect him every hour. But no; hedelayed unaccountably. And the worst of it was, it began to blow a gale;and this wind sent the sea rolling into the bay in a manner that alarmedher seriously.
The night wore on; no signs of the boat; and now there was a heavy galeoutside, and a great sea rolling in, brown and foaming.
Day broke, and showed the sea for a mile or two; the rest was hidden bydriving rain.
Helen kneeled on the shore and prayed for him.
Dire misgivings oppressed her. And soon these were heightened to terror;for the sea began to disgorge things of a kind that had never come ashorebefore. A great ship's mast came tossing. Huge as it was, the waveshandled it like a toy.
Then came a barrel; then a broken spar. These were but the forerunners ofmore fearful havoc.
The sea became strewed and literally blackened with fragments; partwreck, part cargo, of a broken vessel.
But what was all this compared with the horror that followed?
A black object caught her eye; driven in upon the crest of a wave.
She looked, with her hair flying straight back, and her eyes almoststarting from her head.
It was a boat, bottom up; driven on, and tossed like a cork.
It came nearer, nearer, nearer.
She dashed into the water with a wild scream, but a wave beat herbackward on the sand, and, as she rose, an enormous roller lifted theboat upright into the air, and, breaking, dashed it keel downwards on thebeach at her side--empty!