Читать книгу Edith Percival - May Agnes Fleming - Страница 8

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"Rise! for the day is breaking

Though the dull night be long!

Rise! God is not forsaking

Thy heart—be strong—be strong."

For a few moments the survivors of the wreck stood silent. With death staring them in the face, men are not inclined to be loquacious. Each one inwardly commended his soul to his Maker, and strove to nerve himself to fearlessly meet his doom.

"And can we not even make an effort to save our lives?" said Fred, at last. "Must we die without one attempt to escape the doom which threatens us?"

"While there is life there is hope," said the captain. "Ha!" he exclaimed, as if suddenly struck by a new thought, "here are plenty of loose spars and ropes; why not make a raft."

"This old hulk will go to the bottom before it is half constructed," said Gus.

"It is worth a trial, however," said his friend, springing up with new hope. "Let us not lose time. Every second is precious."

Men working for their lives need little urging. In less than an hour, a sufficient number of spars were lashed together to make a tolerably safe raft.

Captain Harden went below, to discover how much longer they might stay on the wreck in safety.

Turning to his friend, Gus said, as he touched the raft with his foot:

"A desperate venture, Fred, to trust our lives on these few crazy planks, on the wide Atlantic. I fear, my dear friend, the patriot army of Washington will be deprived of two recruits this time."

"Desperate, certainly," said Fred, thoughtfully; "yet I feel a sort of presentiment that our end is not so near."

"Would I could think so, too," said Gus, striving to discover some sign of hope in the threatening scene around. "I cannot but recall the ominous words of that old sailor. They are continually recurring to my mind!"

"To the raft! to the raft, for your lives!" shouted Captain Harden, as he rushed on deck, "the ship is sinking!"

Even as he spoke, she began plunging to and fro, like a frightened steed.

In a moment they had flung their raft over the side, and had leaped from the deck.

They were not a moment too soon. The doomed ship, after a few mad struggles, began rapidly to settle in the water. The waves seemed lashed into fury, and the crest of each huge billow swept the dismantled deck. Suddenly she was whirled round and round by some impetuous force, then rising almost perpendicularly, she plunged down, stern foremost. In the enormous whirlpool thus formed, they almost imagined they could see the bottom; so great was its force, that although they were at some distance, they held their breath for a moment in involuntary terror, as they were swept rapidly toward the hissing vortex. But the waves again closed over her, and every sign of life vanished from the horizon.

"There perished as noble a bark as ever braved the blue Atlantic!" said Captain Harden, dashing the spray from his eyes.

There was no reply, for his companions were lost in thought. How inexpressibly dreary and desolate is all around. Alone on the wide ocean, on a frail raft, that threatened each moment to go to pieces under them by the violence of the waves. The cold spray drenching them to the skin, benumbed them with cold, a dull lethargy was creeping over them, when Captain Harden, who noticed with alarm how frail the raft was, suddenly said:

"Let us try to make this craft of ours a little tighter. It threatens now to go to pieces every moment. Work will keep us warm, too; this cold spray is enough to freeze a man."

The exertion produced the desired effect; and they soon had the pleasure of finding their float much more secure than before. How long the hours seemed that must intervene until morning! As the night slowly wore on, the storm seemed to die away, the waves subsided, and the wind sank to a light breeze. The clouds of night suddenly rolled away before the white wand of morning. Far in the east, the sky and sea were blushing scarlet before the coming of the sun. Up he rose in fiery radiance, glowing and golden, in a canopy of purple, crimson, and blue. Not a cloud obscured the clear blue vault of heaven, that a few hours before had shot forth forked lightning and deafening peals of thunder. Their frail raft rose and fell gayly on the sparkling waves, that the night before had loomed up so dark and frightful. Calm and peaceful the blue sea looked, as though hundreds of brave hearts, that fearful night, had not perished forever beneath.

"What a change a few hours has made!" said Fred, as the light, cool breeze lifted gently the dark hair off his feverish brow; "last night, all was wild, and dark, and tempestuous; this morning, everything breathes peace and beauty. Sunrise on the ocean! was there ever anything more glorious?"

"A sailor's luck, Mr. Stanley," said Captain Harden, shaking the spray from his hair; "a short time ago we were shivering with the cold, and in two hours hence, we will be sweltering in the rays of a sun hot enough to roast an African."

"Do you think there is any chance of our being picked up before night, Captain?" inquired Gus.

"Can't say, sir. I trust so, however. There are always ships cruising about in these latitudes."

The day wore on; and, as the sun approached the meridian, the heat grew almost intolerable. Without shelter to ward off the burning rays of an almost tropical sun, they sank down overpowered, and utterly exhausted. Thirst, too, began to torment them; and the consciousness that they were without means to allay it, added to their suffering. Too languid even to converse, they sat in dreary silence, their eyes fixed on the boundless expanse of sky and ocean.

Slowly the sun began to sink in the west, and the conviction that they must pass another night where they were, added anything but comfort to their situation.

When the glorious sunlight of the following morning fell on them, it found them parched with thirst, and lying utterly exhausted on the miserable float. Fred and Captain Harden still bore up, but the fiery flush on the cheek of Gus and the wild light in his eye, showed the fever that was burning within.

As the morning passed, and noon approached, he grew delirious. He raved wildly, and more than once it required the united strength of his friends to prevent him from plunging bodily into the deep.

"Would to Heaven aid would come!" said Captain Harden, with deep anxiety, as his eye fell on the delirious youth. "Poor boy, I do not wonder he has sunk beneath this trial. He is little inured to the hardships and privations of a sailor's life."

"What is that?" said Fred, who had an eye like a hawk; "there is a vessel bearing down directly toward us. Look! look!"

"By Heaven, yes," exclaimed the captain; "let us display our flag. Ha! they see us! There goes their signal!"

"Saved, Gus! Saved, my dear fellow!" exclaimed Fred, seizing his hand, hot and burning, in both his.

"Saved! saved! I knew we would be! Hurrah!" he shouted, with wild incoherence, as he endeavored to spring to his feet—but weak and exhausted, he fell back in the arms of his friend.

The vessel proved to be an American privateer. In half an hour, the friends were on board, where every kindness that could be required was generously bestowed upon them; and poor Gus was resigned to the care of an experienced surgeon—who, to the great joy of Fred, affirmed, that in a few days he would be out of danger.