Adrift in the Wilds; Or, The Adventures of Two Shipwrecked Boys Read online

  CHAPTER III.

  AFLOAT.

  As Tim O'Rooney spoke, he pointed to the bow of the steamer, where, inthe bright moonlight, some smoke could be seen rising--where, too, thenext instant, they caught sight of a gleam of fire.

  "Oh, heaven! what shall we do?" exclaimed Elwood, struck with a panic.

  "Wait and trust to Providence."

  "Let us jump overboard; I'd rather be drowned than burned to death.Come, Howard, let's jump over this minute!"

  He made a move toward the stern of the steamer, near which they had beenseated, as if he intended to spring overboard, when his arm was sternlycaught by the Irishman, who said in an indignant tone:

  "Kaap cool! kaap cool! don't make a fool of yoursilf. Can ye swim?"

  "Yes," answered Howard, "we can both swim very well. Can you?"

  "Indaad, I can--swim like a stone."

  "But good heavens!" exclaimed Elwood, who had not entirely recoveredfrom his excitement, "the land is miles off, and we can't swim there,not taking into account the heavy sea."

  "What does that mean?"

  As Howard spoke, the bow of the steamer made a sweeping bend to theright.

  "They've headed toward shore," said Elwood.

  This snatch of conversation had occupied the shortest possible space oftime. The fire had been discovered by the officials on board fully assoon as by our friends, and the men could be seen running hurriedly toand fro, all quiet and still, for they knew too well what the resultwould be if the alarm was communicated to the sleeping passengers. Thepilot had headed the vast craft toward land, and by the furiousthrobbing of the engines it could be seen that the doomed vessel wasstraining to the utmost, like some affrighted, faithful horse strivingto carry his master as nearly as possible to the port of safely ere hedropped down and died.

  It was fully midnight, and, as a matter of course, very nearly all thepassengers were in their berths. There were a few, however, who werelingering on the promenade deck, some smoking--here and there a coupleof lovers all unconscious of everything else--one or two avariciousspeculators; and but a few minutes could elapse before the startlingdanger should become known.

  The last words, which we have given as spoken by our friends, hadscarcely been said, when a man, who apparently had been stretched outsound asleep, suddenly sprung up, wild with terror. "The boat is onfire! _fire! fire_!"

  He darted hither and thither like some wild animal compassed on everyhand by death, and then suddenly made a leap overboard, and wasswallowed up in the sea.

  The alarm spread with fearful rapidity, and was soon ringing throughevery part of the steamer, and now began that fearful confusion andpanic which no pen can clearly picture, and which, once seen, can neverbe forgotten to the dying day.

  Our three friends were gathered at the stern of the steamer, earnestlyand anxiously discussing the best course to pursue.

  "Let's stay here," said Howard, "for every second is taking us nearerland."

  "That is what nearly all will do," said Elwood, "but we can never reachthe shore, and when the time comes we shall all be in the sea together,struggling and sinking, and we shall then be sure to go down."

  "Yez are right," said Tim, addressing the last speaker. "Our only chanceis to jump overboard this very minute, before the sea is full of thepoor fellows. They'll begin to go over the ship's side and will kaap itup until the thing is burned up."

  "It's time then that we hunted our life-preservers," said Howard.

  "Git out wid yer life-presarvers!" impatiently exclaimed Tim. "Didn't meuncle wear one of 'em for six months, and then die with the faver! I'llheave over one of these settaas, and that'll kaap up afloat."

  "Be quick about it, Tim," urged Elwood, who was beginning to getnervous. "See, the fire is spreading, and everybody seems to have foundout what the matter is."

  There was indeed no time to be lost. The steamer was doomed beyond allpossibility of salvation, and must soon become unmanageable, wheneverything would be turned into a pandemonium. One of the large setteeswas wrenched loose and lifted over the stern of the steamer.

  "Now," said Tim, "the minute it goes over yez must follow. The owldstaamer is going like a straak of lightning, and if aither of yez wait,he'll be lift behind."

  "All right, no danger, go ahead!"

  They now clambered up, and sat poised on the stern. In this fearfulposition Tim O'Rooney held the settee balanced for a few minutes.

  "Be yez riddy?"

  "Yes."

  "Do yez jump a little to the right, Elwood, and yez a little to theleft, Howard, so as not to hit the owld thing. All riddy; here we go!"

  The next moment the three were spinning down through the air, and struckthe water. They went below the surface, the boys sinking quite adistance; but almost instantly they arose and struck bravely out.

  "Tim, where are you?" called out Elwood, not seeing his friend.

  "Here, to the left," responded the Irishman, as he rose on a huge swell."Can ye swim to me?"

  "I hope so, but my clothes bother me like creation."

  Strange! that not one of the three had once thought of removing theirsuperfluous clothing before jumping into the ocean. But Elwood was afine swimmer, and he struggled bravely, although at a greatdisadvantage, until his outstretched hand was seized by the Irishman,and he then caught hold of the settee and rested himself.

  "Where is Howard?" he asked, panting from his exertions.

  "Here he is," responded Howard himself. "I struck the water so closethat when I came up my hand hit the settee."

  "I tell you what it is," said Elwood. "We ought to have broughtsomething else with us beside this. We have got to keep all of ourbodies underwater for this to bear us."

  "And what of it?"

  "Suppose some poor fellow claims a part. Gracious! here comes a man thisminute!"

  "We can't turn him off," said Tim, "but this owld horse has all thegrist he can carry."

  A dark body could be seen struggling and rapidly approaching them.

  "Whoever he is, he is a good swimmer," remarked Howard, watching thestranger.

  "Of course he is, for it comes natural; don't you see it isn't a man,but old Terror."

  "Thank heaven for that! we never thought about him. I am glad he is withus."

  The next moment the Newfoundland placed his paw on the settee and gave alow bark to announce his joy at being among his friends. The sagaciousbrute seemed to understand how frail the tenure was that held them allsuspended over eternity; for he did nothing more than rest the top ofhis paw on the precious raft.