Tom Fairfield at Sea; or, The Wreck of the Silver Star

by Norman Duncan

  CHAPTER XX

  DAYS OF SUFFERING

  "Does she leak any?" asked Joe anxiously. He was up forward, attendingto the sail, while Abe was at the helm.

  "A few drops coming in," replied the other sailor. "But nothing tospeak of. She'll swell up when she's been in the water a while, and beas tight as a drum."

  "Good! We've got a right proper little boat, I'm thinking."

  "And she sails well, too," declared Tom, observing the behavior of thecraft with a critical glance. "She can go close to the wind, too, Ibelieve."

  "Right you are, matie," exclaimed Abe. "If we had a compass now wecould lay as good a course as any ocean liner."

  But they did not have this aid to navigation, though the two sailorscould manage to get along without it. They held a consultation, anddecided that to steer in a general southwesterly direction would be theproper course.

  "There's islands there, if they're anywhere," declared Abe; "and thereought to be ships we could speak."

  "We ought to be somewhere near the equator, if the heat goes foranything," declared Tom. In fact in the last few days the sun hadbecome unbearably hot.

  "I shouldn't wonder but what we were, matie," assented Joe. "We driftedand sailed quite some distance in the derelict, and we were headed forthe equator when the poor old _Silver Star_ went down to Davy Jones'slocker. So I shouldn't wonder but what we'd soon cross the line, if wehaven't done so already."

  "It sure is hot enough," agreed Abe.

  It was indeed, and being in the open boat they missed the woodenshelter they had had while on the wreck. Still there was a fine breezethat sent the sailboat along at a good speed, and served to make theatmosphere more endurable.

  They had brought along all the sailcloth, and once they were well underway the sailors rigged up a little shelter where Jackie could rest outof the glaring sun. The small chap was delighted with the change to thesailboat, and laughed and chatted as if being shipwrecked was a bigjoke.

  "Though if we get into a blow it won't be so safe in this craft as onthe other," commented Abe. "Still I think we're in for a spell of goodweather now, and we're somewhat out of the region of storms, if I'm anyjudge."

  Now that they were fairly under way again they made their plans forstanding watch. Of course Mr. Skeel was left out of it, save during theday, when he was to take his trick at the helm. He seemed to realizethis, and, though he did not say much, he acted differently. He seemedmuch more humble.

  At night Tom was to take the early trick, so as to enable him to remainnear Jackie during the later hours. Joe and Abe divided up the rest ofthe night watch.

  "We'll keep sailing night and day," Abe said, "for we want to get toland as soon as we can, or speak some vessel, and that may happen afterdark as easily as during the day."

  "The sooner the better," murmured Joe, with a glance at the rapidlydwindling store of provisions.

  They took an account of the stock when it came time to serve dinner,and the total quantity of food left was less than they had imagined.

  "What's to be done?" asked Tom gravely.

  "Have to go on shorter rations--that's all," decided Abe. "That is, usgrown folks."

  "Shorter rations!" exclaimed Mr. Skeel. "I don't see how I can live onany less."

  "It's a question of living several days, or dying sooner--that's whatit is," said Joe, half savagely. "We've got to keep alive until wesight land, or until a ship rescues us, and the only way to do it is toeat as little as possible. Just enough to keep from starving."

  "Then we'll do it," said Tom simply, and he proceeded to deal out muchreduced portions of food. Fortunately there was no need to shorten thewater supply yet, though they did take less, for they all knew thehorror of thirst.

  All that day they sailed before a fair wind, and not a moment but whatthey looked eagerly for a sight of some sail on the horizon, or thesmudge of smoke that would tell of a steamer. But they saw nothing.

  They were more anxious than they had been on the derelict, for, thoughthe weather was calm, and seemed likely to remain so, there was notelling when a storm would sweep over the ocean. And a storm in an openboat was a different matter from one on the big, though water-logged,hulk of the lumber vessel.

  True, the lifeboat had water-tight compartments, and would not belikely to sink, but seas breaking over her would mean the almostcertain destruction of some, if not all, of the little band ofshipwrecked ones. So they looked anxiously for a rescue.

  Night came--a beautiful night with a calm sea, and a great silver moonriding over head. It seemed an augury of good luck and they all felttheir hearts beat a little lighter. Even Professor Skeel looked lessgloomy and sour, though he did not mingle nor talk with the others,sitting by himself.

  They slept by turns, though not as comfortably as on the derelict.Still they realized that they were making better time, and time was agreat object with them now.

  Morning came, and found them afloat on a still calm sea, a sea thatextended all around them, unbroken by any haze or mist that might meanland, or any speck or cloud that might indicate a sailing or steamingvessel. The sun beat down in a blaze of heat.

  It was at noon, when Tom went to serve out the frugal meal, that hemade a discovery that alarmed him.

  "Look here!" he cried to Abe. "One of the water kegs has sprung a leak,and it's empty."

  "Empty!" gasped the sailor, making his way to where Tom stood by thewater supply.

  "Yes, not a drop in it."

  Abe shook the keg. There was no welcome sound of water splashing aroundinside it. He drew the bung, and a few drops trickled out. Then, tyinga length of rope to it, the sailor lowered it overboard.

  "What's that for?" asked Tom.

  "I want to see where the leak is," was the quiet answer. "I don't seehow a sound keg could spring a leak in the night."

  "Then you think----" began Tom.

  "I don't know what I do think--yet," was the reply. He held the kegaloft, and aside from the water that dripped from the outside nonecame from it. "There's no leak there," half growled Abe. "Some one hasemptied that water butt!" He looked to where Mr. Skeel stood at thehelm.

  "Do you think----" began Tom in a whisper.

  "Wait. Don't say anything yet," cautioned Abe. "But we'll keep our eyesopen."

  But if Mr. Skeel knew he was suspected he did not show it. He acceptedhis small share of food and water with the others, and he did notcomplain, as he usually did.

  For three more days they sailed on, each hour adding to theirsufferings, for it was very hot. And they scarcely seemed to cool offin the night before it was daylight again.

  The water got lower, and to Tom's horror, one day, as he went to serveout the food, he saw that the supply was much lower than he had thought.

  "I'm sure there was more than this," he said to the sailors when theprofessor was at the helm.

  "There's something wrong going on here," decided Joe, "and I'm going tosee what it is. There's got to be a search made."

  One was soon under way, but it revealed nothing. Mr. Skeel had been inthe habit of sleeping on a pile of the canvas and this was looked over.The man was evidently aware of the suspicion in which he was held, buthe said nothing, and quietly moved away when the sailors looked underhis canvas bed.

  "Unless some sort of a sea monster boarded us in the night, I don't seehow the food and water could disappear," said Tom.

  "There's no sea monsters that could do such a thing," declared Joe,knowing Tom was only joking. "And yet--well, we'll have to get alongwith less, that's all."

  They were down now to almost the limit of human endurance in theallowance of food and water. All but Jackie--he had nearly all he askedfor.

  Half a week passed. Their sufferings had increased from day to daywith the heat of the sun. Their lips and tongues began to swell andget black from lack of sufficient water, and their stomachs gnawedconstantly from hunger. They were days of suffering indeed.

  Their eyes were strained from looking for a sail, or
a sight of land.They were weak and feverish. By dousing their bodies with sea watersome of the pangs of thirst were lessened, but the matter of food couldnot be remedied.

  Tom watched Mr. Skeel narrowly and it seemed that the professor didnot suffer as did the others. Yet he did not appear to have any secretstore of food or water. Indeed in a small boat it was difficult toimagine where he could hide it. Yet Tom was suspicious.

  It was one cloudy night when our hero made his important discovery.It was his trick at the helm, and he had put Jackie to sleep, andmoved aft to take the rude steering sweep. Professor Skeel's positionwas well forward, in the bow, and the two sailors, worn out by theirsuffering and hardships, were lying amidships.

  Tom began to feel light-headed. He imagined he saw land ahead in thedarkness--a ship coming to their rescue--a ship filled with ice waterand good things to eat. He imagined he heard his father and mothercalling to him.

  "Come, this won't do!" he exclaimed, half aloud. "I must keep a bettergrip on myself. Maybe we'll be rescued to-morrow."

  He stretched himself, and tried not to think of cool water and tablespiled with food. And yet the more he tried to stop it, the more oftendid visions of great glass pitchers filled with ice water come beforehim. That day they had had only a single tin cup full of watereach--one cup full for the whole hot day!

  "Oh, for a good, long drink!" whispered Tom.

  And then he started. Surely that was the tinkle and drip of water thathe heard! Where did it come from?