In Search Of A Son Part 4

FIRE AT SEA.

"At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me. I turned around and saw nothing. Nevertheless, I still heard that sound in my ears. It was a strange sound. One might have thought that an immense punch had been lighted in the interior of the s.h.i.+p, and that the liquid, stirred up by invisible hands, was tossed up and down, hissing and crackling. The quick movement of my head had arrested George in the midst of his caresses. Now he looked up at me with astonished eyes. The uneasiness which I felt in spite of the absence of any cause must have appeared upon my face, for my wife, standing beside me, leaned over to ask, in a subdued voice,--

"'What is the matter?'

"I think I answered, 'Nothing.' But my mind had dwelt upon an awful danger,--that danger of which the most hardened seamen speak with a beating heart,--fire at sea. Alas! my fears were to be realized. From one of the hatches there suddenly leaped up a tongue of flame. At the same instant we heard the awful cry, 'Fire!' To add to our distress, the wind had increased, and had become so violent that it fanned the flames with terrible rapidity, and had enveloped the state-rooms in the rear, whence the pa.s.sengers were running, trembling and crying. In a few minutes the back of the s.h.i.+p was all on fire. My wife had s.n.a.t.c.hed George from my arms, and held him closely against her breast, ready to save him or die with him. The captain, in the midst of the panic of the pa.s.sengers, gave his orders. The boats were being lowered into the sea,--those at least which remained, for two had already been attacked by the fire. Accident threw the captain between me and my wife at the very moment when he was crying out to his men to allow none but the women and children in the boats. He recognized me. I had been introduced to him by a common friend, and he said, in a voice choked with emotion, pointing to my wife and my son,--

"'Embrace them!'

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"Then he tore them both from my arms and pushed and carried them to the last boat, which was already too full. Night had come. With the rise of the wind, clouds had collected, obscuring the sky. By the light of the fire I saw for the last time--yes, for the last time--my wife and my child in the boat, shaken by an angry sea. Both were looking towards me.

Did they see me also for the last time? And in my agony I cried out, 'George! George!' with a voice so loud that my son must surely have heard that last cry. Yes, he must have heard it. I stood rooted to the spot, looking without seeing anything, stupefied by this hopeless sorrow, not even feeling the intense heat of the flames, which were coming towards me. But the captain saw me. He ran towards me, drew me violently back, and threw me in the midst of the men, who were beginning a determined struggle against the fire which threatened to devour them.

The instinct of life, the hope to see again my loved ones, gave me courage. I did as the others. Some of the pa.s.sengers applied themselves to the chain; the pumps set in motion threw ma.s.ses of water into the fire; but it seemed impossible to combat it, for it was alcohol which was burning. They had been obliged to repack part of the hold, where there were a number of demijohns of alcohol which the bad weather the first days had displaced. During the work one of these vast stone bottles had fallen and broken. As ill luck would have it, the alcohol descended in a rain upon a lamp in the story below, and the alcohol had taken fire. So I had not been mistaken when the first sound had made me think of the crackling of a punch. We worked with an energy which can only be found in moments of this sort. The captain inspired us with confidence. At one time we had hope. The flames had slackened, or at least we supposed so; but in fact they had only gone another way, and reached the powder-magazine. A violent explosion succeeded, and one of the masts was hurled into the sea. Were we lost? No; for the engineer had had a sudden inspiration. He had cut the pipes, and immediately directed upon the flames torrents of steam from the engine. A curtain of vapor lifted itself up between us and the fire, a curtain which the flames could not penetrate. Then the pumps worked still more effectually. We were saved."

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CHAPTER VI.

MISS MIETTE'S FORTUNE.

"The rudder no longer guided us. What a night we pa.s.sed! We made a roll-call: how many were wanting? and the boats which contained our wives, our children,--had those boats found a refuge? had they reached land anywhere? The ocean was still rough, and, notwithstanding the captain's words of hope, I was in despair,--antic.i.p.ating the sorrow that was to overwhelm me. Every one remained on deck. At daybreak a new feeling of sadness seized us at the sight of our steamer, deformed and blackened by the fire. The deck for more than forty yards was nothing but a vast hole, at the bottom of which were lying, pell-mell, half-consumed planks and beams, windla.s.ses blackened by fire, bits of wood, and formless ma.s.ses of metal over which the tongues of flame had pa.s.sed. Notwithstanding all this the steamer was slowly put in motion.

We were able to reach Havana. There we hoped we might hear some news.

And we did hear news,--but what news! A sailing-vessel had found on the morrow of the catastrophe a capsized boat on the coast of the island of Andros, where the boat had evidently been directed. A sailor who had tied himself to the boat, and whom they at first thought dead, was recalled to life, and told his story of the fire. From Havana, where the sailing-vessel had stopped, a rescuing-party was at once sent out. They found and brought back with them the debris of boats broken against the rocks and also many dead bodies. These were all laid out in a large room, where the remaining pa.s.sengers of the Britannic were invited. We had to count the dead; we had to identify them. With what agony, with what cruel heart-beats I entered the room. I closed my eyes. I tried to persuade myself that I would not find there the beings that were so dear to me. I wished to believe that they had been saved, my dear ones, while my other companions in misfortune were all crying and sobbing. At last I opened my eyes, and, the strength of my vision being suddenly increased to a wonderful degree, I saw that in this long line of bodies there was no child. That was my first thought. May my poor wife forgive me! She also was not there; but it was not long before she came. That very evening a rescuing-party brought back her corpse with the latest found."

Monsieur Roger ceased speaking. He looked at his friends, Monsieur and Madame Dalize, who were silently weeping; then his eyes travelled to Miette. She was not crying; her look, sad but astonished, interested, questioned Monsieur Roger. He thought, "She cannot understand sorrow, this little girl, who has not had any trials."

And the eyes of Miette seemed to answer, "But George? George? did they not find him?"

At last Monsieur Roger understood this thought in the mind of Miette without any necessity on her part to express it by her lips, and, as if he were answering to a verbal question, he said, shaking his head,--

"No, they never found him."

Miette expected this answer; then she too began to weep.

Monsieur Dalize repeated the last words of Monsieur Roger.

"They did not find him! I do not dare to ask you, my dear friend, if you preserve any hope."

"Yes, I hope. I forced myself to hope for a long time. But the ocean kept my child in the same way that it buried in its depths many other victims of this catastrophe, for it was that very hope that made me remain in America. I might have returned to France and given up my engagements; but there I was closer to news, if there were any; and, besides, in work, in hard labor to which I intended to submit my body, I expected to find, if not forgetfulness, at least that weariness which dampens the spirit. I remained ten years in Texas, and I returned to-day without ever having forgotten that terrible night."

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There was a silence. Then Monsieur Dalize, wis.h.i.+ng to create a diversion, asked,--

"How does it happen that you did not announce to me beforehand your return. It was not until I received your telegram this morning that we learned this news which made us so happy. I had no reason to expect that your arrival would be so sudden. Did you not say that you were to remain another six months, and perhaps a year, in Texas?"

"Yes; and I did then think that I should be forced to prolong my stay for some months. My contract was ended, my work was done. I was free, but the mining-company wished to retain me. They wanted me to sign a new contract, and to this end they invented all sorts of pretexts to keep me where I was. As I did not wish to go to law against the people through whom I had made my fortune, I determined to wait, hoping that my patience would tire them out; and that, in fact, is what happened. The company bowed before my decision. This good news reached me on the eve of the departure of a steamer. I did not hesitate for a moment; I at once took s.h.i.+p. I might indeed have given you notice on the way, but I wished to reserve to myself the happiness of surprising you. It was not until I reached Paris that I decided to send you a despatch; and even then I did not have the strength to await your reply."

"Dear Roger!" said Monsieur Dalize. "And then your process, your discovery, succeeded entirely?"

"Yes, I have made a fortune,--a large fortune. I have told you that the enterprise was at my risk, but that the company would give me ten per cent. on all the ore that I would succeed in saving. Now, the mines of Texas used to produce four million dollars' worth a year. Thanks to my process, they produce nearly a million more. In ten years you can well see what was my portion."

"Splendid!" said Monsieur Dalize; "it represents a sum of----"

Madame Dalize interrupted her husband.

"Miette," said she, "cannot you do that little sum for us, my child?"

Miette wiped her eyes and ceased crying. Her mother's desire had been reached. The little girl took a pencil, and, after making her mother repeat the question to her, put down some figures upon a sheet of paper.

After a moment she said, not without hesitation, for the sum appeared to her enormous,--

"Why! it is a million dollars that Monsieur Roger has made!"

"Exactly," said Monsieur Roger; "and, my dear child, you have, without knowing it, calculated pretty closely the fortune which you will receive from me as your wedding portion."

Monsieur and Madame Dalize looked up with astonishment. Miette gazed at Monsieur Roger without understanding.

"My dear friends," said Roger, turning to Monsieur and Madame Dalize, "you will not refuse me the pleasure of giving my fortune to Miss Miette. I have no one else in the world; and does not Mariette represent both of you? Where would my money be better placed?"

And turning towards Miss Miette, he said to her,--

"Yes, my child, that million will be yours on your marriage."

Miette looked from her mother to her father, not knowing whether she ought to accept, and seriously embarra.s.sed. With a sweet smile, Monsieur Roger added,--

"And so, you see, you will be able to choose a husband that you like."

Then, quietly and without hesitation, Miss Miette said,--

"It will be Paul Solange."

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