Menhardoc Part 24

Hooray! Oh, look at that!"

He had just awakened to the fact that d.i.c.k had come to himself sufficiently to alter his position, and was lending his aid by scooping out the water with both hands till a wave came with a slight wash and half demolished all their work.

"Keep on," shouted Will; and once more the splas.h.i.+ng went forward at a tremendous rate.

A handful of water, or as much as it will throw, out of a full boat is not much; but when three hands are busy ladling with all their might a tremendous amount of water can be baled out, and so it was, that when the balers rested again there were three inches of freeboard, as sailors call it, and the next wave did not lessen it a quarter of an inch.

"Ready again?" cried Josh. "Go ahead, youngster."

The splas.h.i.+ng went on once more; and now both Will and Josh could support themselves easily by holding on to the gunwale, the boat increasing in buoyancy every moment, while three hands scooped out the water with long and vigorous well-laden throws.

It became easier for d.i.c.k too now, for he found that he could sit astride one of the thwarts, holding on in position by twisting his legs beneath; and this gave him power to use both hands, which he joined together and scooped out the water in pints that became quarts, gallons, and bucketsfull.

"Hooray!" cried Josh with a cheer, and there was a few minutes' rest.

"A mussy me! it's child's play now. Look here; s'pose you roll out now and take my place. No: go out on Will's side and hold on by him while I get in."

d.i.c.k s.h.i.+vered at the idea. It seemed so horrible to give up his safe position and trust to the sea once more. But he did not hesitate long.

Taking tight hold of the bulwark, he literally rolled over the side and let himself down into the sea, with the phosph.o.r.escence making his body, limbs, and feet even, visible like those of his companion. But there was no time to study the wonders of Nature then, or even look at the way in which the keel of the boat was illumined by myriads of golden points.

"Hold on! Steady! Keep her down!" cried Josh; and then, as the two lads clung to the gunwale they were raised right up, as there was a wallow and a splash; the opposite side went down so low that it began to s.h.i.+p water, but only for a moment; Josh had given a spring, and rolled in over the side.

"Now, then, leave him there, Will, lad, and work round, by her starn.

I'll soon have some of the water out now."

He began feeling about as he spoke with his hands beneath the thwarts forward, and directly after he uttered a cry of joy.

"Here she be," he said, tearing out the half of a tin bucket that had held the bait. "Now we'll do some work."

As he spoke he began dipping and emptying, pouring nearly a gallon of water over the side at every turn; and in ten minutes, during which he had laboured incessantly, he had made such a change that he bade Will come in.

"Now you can bale a bit," he said. "My arms are about dead."

Will climbed in and took the bucket, scooping out the water with all his might, while Josh bent over d.i.c.k.

"You're 'bout perished, my lad. Come along."

He placed his hands under d.i.c.k's arm-pits, and though he said that his own arms were about dead he hoisted the boy in almost without an effort, and then left him to help himself, while he resumed baling with his hands, scooping out the water pretty fast, and each moment lightening the little craft.

"Good job we'd no stone killicks aboard, Will," he said, "or down she'd have gone."

"There's the buoys too wedged forward," said Will; "they have helped to keep her up."

"'Bout balanced the creepers," said Josh. "It's a question of a pound weight at a time like this. There, take it steadily, my lads. We're safe now, and can see that the tide's carrying of us in. Lights look bigger, eh?"

"Yes," said Will, who was working hard with his baler. "Where shall we drive ash.o.r.e?"

"Oh! pretty close to the point," cried Josh. "I say, youngster, this is coming fis.h.i.+ng, eh?"

"Oh! it is horrible," said d.i.c.k, piteously.

"Not it, lad," cried Josh. "It's grand. Why, we might ha' been drownded, and, what's wuss, never washed ash.o.r.e."

d.i.c.k s.h.i.+vered as much from cold as misery, and gazed in the direction of the lights.

"Wonder what steamer that was as run us down!" said Josh, as the vessel he used to bale began now to sc.r.a.pe the wood at the bottom of the boat.

"French screw," replied Will. "An English boat would have kept a better look-out. Why, you are cold!" he added, as he laid his hand on d.i.c.k.

"Ye-es," said the latter with a shudder. "It is horribly cold. Shall we ever get ash.o.r.e?"

"Ash.o.r.e! yes," cried Josh. "Why, they'd be able, 'most to hear us now.

Let's try."

Taking a long breath, he placed both hands to his cheeks, and then gave vent to a dismal hail--a hail in a minor key--the cry of the sailor in dire peril, when he appeals to those on sh.o.r.e to come to his help, and save him from the devouring storm-beaten sea.

"Ahoy--ah!" the last syllable in a sinking inflexion of the voice a few seconds after the first.

Then again:

"Ahoy--ah!"

He went on baling till no more water could be thrown out, and the boat drifted slowly on with the tide.

Away to their left there rose the lamp-lit windows and the pier light.

Lower down, too, were a couple of dim red lamps, one above the other, telling of the little dock; but no answer came from the sh.o.r.e.

"There's sure to be some one on the cliff, Josh; hail again," said Will.

"Ay, if we had a flare now, we should bring out the life-boat to fetch us in," cried Josh. "Why, Will lad, we shall be taken a mile away from the town, and perhaps out to sea again. I wish I had an oar."

"Ahoy--ah!"

Then again and again; and still there was no response, while they drifted slowly on over the sea, which looked to d.i.c.k, as he gazed down into its depths, alive with tiny stars, and these not the reflections of those above.

"Ahoy--ah!" shouted Josh again, with all the power of his stentorian lungs.

"They're all asleep," he growled; "we shall have to drift ash.o.r.e and walk home. If I only had one oar I'd scull her back in no time. Ahoy-- ah!"

Still no response, and the boat floated on beneath the wondrous starry sky, while every time those in the boat made the slightest movement a golden rippling film seemed to run from her sides, and die away upon the surface of the sea.

"She brimes a deal," said Josh, in allusion to the golden water; and then, leaping up, he began to beat his breast with his arms; "I'm a-cold!" he exclaimed. "Now, then; let's have a try;" and, placing his hands to his face once more, he uttered a tremendous hail.

"Ahoy--ah!"

Long drawn out and dismal; and then d.i.c.k's heart gave a quick hopeful leap, for, from far away, and sounding faint and strange, came an answering hail, but not like Josh's dismal appeal. It was a sharp, short, cheery "_Ahoy_!" full of promise of action.

"They've heard us at last!" cried Will eagerly. "That's the coastguard, and they'll come off in their gig, as it's so smooth."