Ralph Denham's Adventures in Burma: A Tale of the Burmese Jungle Page 5

  CHAPTER V

  ADRIFT ON THE OCEAN

  Night fell over the shipwrecked men, a strange one for the denizens ofthe raft.

  There, at least, was peace, and a hearty determination to make the bestof their position.

  They had some sailcloth and a boat cloak. The men arranged the packages,which had been turned out to disencumber the boat, so as to make atolerably comfortable back; they laid down a couple of planks closetogether, rolled up the sailcloth into a kind of cushion above them, andplaced Mr. Gilchrist upon it, wrapped in the cloak.

  That gentleman would gladly have shared these accommodations among someof them, but the men would not hear of it.

  "Lord love you, zur," said Osborn, "there's enough for one, but twowouldn't zay thank'ee for a part. We'm used to roughing it. 'Tis fineand cool after all the heat and pother to-day."

  Ralph, upon whom his friend urged his wishes more strongly, onlylaughed. He seated himself upon one leg on a packing-case, the otherfoot dangling; he crossed his arms on the head of the biscuit-barrelagainst which Mr. Gilchrist leaned, half-sitting, and, burying his faceupon them, said he should sleep like a top there, for he was so tired hecould not keep his eyes open.

  The sailors squatted down, finding such ease as was possible, and quietfell over all. The night was a dark one, and very still; there was not abreath of wind to fill the sail in the boat, half the men there weregetting what repose they could, and the others trusted more to thecurrent than to their oars through the darkness. Silence had fallen uponall there as well as on the raft.

  But Mr. Gilchrist could not sleep. He was a nervous, excitable man, andthe new and excessively perilous position in which he found himselfprecluded all possibility of sleep. His senses seemed rather to bepreternaturally acute, and he could not even close his eyes.

  The lapping of the sea against the raft, the occasional gleam ofsomething swiftly passing, and which he believed to be a sharkaccompanying the crazy little craft,--for what purpose he shuddered tothink,--the occasional sounds which reached him from the boat, all kepthim awake.

  He lay, half-reclining, with his face towards the boat, which was fullin his view. He could faintly see the oars dipping into the water,keeping way on the boat, and Kershaw's slim figure holding the tillerropes. Presently he saw the one set of men relieved by the other, hesmiled to observe the mate's long arms tossed out, evidentlyaccompanying a portentous yawn, and then he was replaced by a shorter,broader back, which Mr. Gilchrist knew must belong to Kirke.

  A sort of half-doze succeeded for a short time, then Ralph changed hisposition, which startled him into wakefulness once more, anddiscontented tones reached him from the boat.

  "What are you about? Steer straight. You will tip us all over. What'sthe fellow doing?"

  "Dropped my cap overboard. I was not going to lose it. Shut up!"

  A few more murmurs, then all was still again; but, was he mistaken? didhis eyes, unaccustomed to judge of objects in the darkness, deceive him,or were they farther from the boat than before?

  He peered anxiously into the gloom, and felt certain that the motion ofthe raft was changed. There was less ripple against its prow.

  "Wills," said he softly to the old carpenter, who lay full length withinreach of his hand,--"Wills, there is something wrong."

  The man was on the alert instantaneously.

  "Zur?" he asked.

  "I fear we have parted the towline," said Mr Gilchrist.

  Wills cautiously moved to where the rope had been fastened--it hungloose, there was no tension upon it, and he hauled it in hand over hand.

  "My God!" he cried, "we are lost!"

  They shouted to the men in the boat, but the distance was widening everymoment between them. Kirke did not seem to hear, to understand. The menclamoured, the first mate arose, took the helm, and tried to turn herhead so as to row back, but the darkness was greater than ever. Those inthe raft could no longer distinguish the boat, what chance thereforeexisted of those in the boat seeing the raft, which lay so much lower inthe water?

  They raised a shout, hoping to direct their friends by means of sound,but that hope failed them. They kept it up till they were exhausted,till a long line of faint light illumined the east, till daylight leaptout of the sea and all was bright about them. A little breeze sprang upwith the dawn, the water had not yet quite calmed down from thedisturbance caused by the tornado; they looked north, south, east, andwest, but saw the boat nowhere.

  They were alone upon the sea, with but a plank between them and death;with no means of helping themselves, with only enough food for one day,and the sharks swimming around them in sure certainty of their mealsooner or later.

  One of the seamen took hold of the end of the towline, and held it upfor the rest to see.

  It had been severed with a knife! It had not been so rotten as to giveof its own accord from the strain put upon it; it had not frayed itself,or broken at any weak spot, it _had been cut_.

  They had been cast adrift by their own companions, of malice prepense.

  "God forgive him!" ejaculated Mr. Gilchrist.

  "Who?" gasped Ralph.

  "The unhappy wretch who did this."

  Ralph made no further remark; there was but one among the boat's crewwho was malicious enough to be even suspected of such a crime, and theboy could not bear to think it of him. But that _somebody_ had severedthe rope, was beyond doubt.

  The fierce sun blazed down upon the waste of water, there was nothing tobe done but to sit still and bear it. Their limbs were cramped fromtheir inability to change their positions, there was no help for that.Raging headache came on; there was a small tin pail, and Wills tried todip up sea-water and cast it over Mr. Gilchrist's fevered brow. With thefirst movement such a rush of sharks was made to the place as causedthem all to shudder. What had they expected that they snapped so eagerlyat the pail?

  The men were hungry, but thirst overpowered hunger, and they musteconomise their little stock of biscuit and water. For how many dayswould it avail to keep life in them were they not picked up?

  About noon, as well as they could judge, Wills served out a biscuiteach, and about a half-pint of water.

  Ralph sickened at thought of eating, and laid the biscuit down.

  "That won't do, Ralph," said Mr. Gilchrist. "You must take what meansare in your power to keep your life, it is your plain duty. Your life isnot your own, you are only placed in charge of it, and will have torender up an account of your stewardship. How can you tell for what yourMaster wants you? He may be preparing you by this terrible trial for thework He created you to do."

  "Lord, zur, 'ee du spit it out like a buke," said Osborn admiringly."Eat it now, Maister Ralph, do 'ee now, like a good chield."

  Ralph was fain to smile, and took up the biscuit again, feeling lesssick when he had swallowed it.

  At nightfall another was given round, and a few mouthfuls more water;then the long hours of darkness fell again upon them, only moreendurable in that they were cooler. They knew that but one more mealremained, the pangs of starvation must then be theirs. It was no wonderthat they had not much to say to each other, although none slept.

  They were in the track of ships going to Rangoon, that was their onlyhope; but so low were they in the water, so impossible was it to raise asignal in any manner, that even in broad daylight fifty ships might passwithin sight of them and never perceive their extremity. But there wereno ships to be seen, nothing to break the skyline, nothing of any sort_upon_ that wide expanse of heaving water but themselves, while--thesharks--the sharks were _beneath_ its surface.

  Towards morning, when the light breeze brought something of coolness andrefreshment even to them, a little oblivion, a temporaryhalf-forgetfulness of all around came over most of them, deepening intoreal sleep with some.

  Ralph slept, and dreamed happily. He thought he saw his mother andsisters walking together. He did not think it strange that they shouldbe walking on the sea; they were talking earnestly to each other, whenh
is youngest sister, a pretty flaxen-headed child of three years old,popped a rosy face out of the waves at their feet, and bubbled over intosuch merry laughter that he laughed too, and woke himself.

  "Why, Ralph!" exclaimed Mr. Gilchrist, aroused by so unexpected a sound.

  "Christ Jesus!" shrieked Wills at the same moment, awakened also."Christ Jesus! What is here?"

  His yell was echoed by all the others, for a huge black mass reareditself almost above their heads, and was bearing down upon them.

  With the desperation of men at their last gasp they shrieked out, "Hoi,hoi! Hallo! Hallo!"

  Their voices seemed to make no noise, they raised them impotently totheir own ears; but that was only the fancy of despair, they had aproper volume of sound in reality. They were heard, answered with anEnglish cheer; English faces rushed to look over the top of that greatthing; English voices clamoured; chains rattled; word of command wasgiven; paddles splashed; a boat was lowered; men dropped into it overthe side; a few strokes brought it to them; and they were taken onboard, among exclamations of wonder and welcome.

  So stiff and spent were they that they had almost to be lifted into theboat, and were assisted up from it into the steamer which had rescuedthem; but movement eased them, and the joyous excitement of all aroundhelped to restore them.

  Crew, firemen, officers, passengers, swarmed around them, tocongratulate them, to shake them by the hand, to clap them upon theback. Hot coffee was brought as if by magic, and proved a wonderfulrestorer; wine, food, fruit, were lavished upon them; dry, comfortableclothes and beds were ready for their repose.

  Oh, how exquisite to feel the cool, clean linen around them, to bathetheir scorched, blistered faces in fair water, to remove the dirt ofdays' accumulation, to be revived with food so delicious to theirpalates, to feel the sweetest sleep stealing over them as they laidtheir heads down in security once more!

  Until they had been fed, clothed, and rested, they were unable to giveor understand information as to their whereabouts; but so completely hadthey lost their bearings, so utterly miscalculated the strength of thecurrent, that though they had hoped to make Diamond Island, they hadreally passed that place, and missed all indications as to the entranceof the Rangoon river.

  The Krishna Shoal had been passed unseen, the Barogna Flats unheeded.They had never perceived the lighthouse, or been aware that they werenear it, but were drifting aimlessly about just beyond that place.

  The steamer was taking passengers from Rangoon to Moulmein, where theywere landed in the course of the next day, and carried straight intohospital in high fever.

  The seamen were tough fellows, and soon recovered. Mr. Gilchrist, thoughconsidered so delicate a man, also suffered less than Ralph, who, havingkept up so bravely through the whole of their trials, now proved to havereceived a severe shock to his constitution. His brain was violentlyaffected, and delirium was most distressing and persistent.

  For some days the doctors feared whether he would ever recover hisreason even were his life spared to him; and, when the fever left him,his prostration was great.

  Youth and natural good health conquered at last, and he recovered. Thenhe learnt that the news of their rescue had been sent to Rangoon, andjoyfully received by his uncle and shipmates. Rogers had made the pilotstation on Diamond Island, and been helped into Rangoon, where he wascordially received by the friends of his owners, and businessconnections.

  The _Pelican of the North_ had been insured, though the cargo was not.The Liverpool firm of Herford Brothers was a wealthy and liberal one,Rogers and the other officers were to return home in another of itsships then unloading in Rangoon; the seamen could obtain berths in anyhomeward-bound vessel.

  But there was bad news for Ralph. The firm of rice merchants to which hewas going had failed, and his hope of a situation in it doomed todisappointment.

  For some time the fate of the boat remained uncertain.