From Powder Monkey to Admiral: A Story of Naval Adventure Read online

  CHAPTER ELEVEN.

  THE WRECK.

  By the roaring sound they heard when they awoke, the lads knew that thestorm was still raging.

  They ate sparingly of their store of food for breakfast; and thencalculating that it must be once more daylight, they made their waytowards the mouth of the cavern. They were not mistaken as to its beingday, but how long the sun had risen they could not tell, as the sky wasstill thickly overcast with clouds.

  The sea was washing, as before, heavily into the cavern, throwing up allsorts of articles, among which were a number of oranges, melons, andother fruits of a southern clime.

  The melons were mostly broken, but they got hold of two unbroken, andvery welcome they were. The oranges were mostly green, though a few hadturned sufficiently red to be eaten.

  "I would rather have had more substantial food," observed Jack; "but Iam glad enough to get these."

  "What's that?" asked Bill, pointing to the opposite side of the cavern,where a creature was seen struggling in a hollow half filled with water.

  Jack dashed across at the risk of being carried off by the receding sea;and, grasping a large fish, held it up as he rushed away to escape fromthe following wave, which came rolling in with a loud roar.

  "Here's a prize worth having," he shouted. "Hurrah! we may spendanother week here without fear of starving."

  He carried his prize well out of the reach of the water, and a knock onthe head put an end to its struggles.

  The lads piled up their various waifs, contemplating them with infinitesatisfaction; but it was evident that what was their gain was somebodyelse's loss.

  "Some unfortunate ship has gone on shore, or else has thrown her cargooverboard," observed Bill.

  He went first to one side of the cavern, and then to the other, so as toobtain as wide a prospect as possible.

  "See! there's a vessel trying to beat off shore," he exclaimed; and justthen a brig with her foretopmast gone came into view, the sail which shewas still able to carry heeling her over till her yard-arms seemedalmost to touch the foaming summits of the seas.

  "She'll not do it, I fear," said Jack, after they had been watching herfor some time. "It's a wonder she doesn't go right over. If the winddoesn't fall, nothing can save her; and even then, unless she brings upand her anchors hold, she's sure to be cast on shore."

  They watched the vessel for some time. Though carrying every stitch ofcanvas she could set, she appeared to be making little headway, and tobe drifting bodily to leeward.

  The lads uttered a cry of regret, for down came her mainmast, andimmediately her head turned towards the shore.

  In a few minutes she struck, though no rock was visible, and the seaswept over her deck, carrying her remaining mast, boats, caboose, andround-house overboard, with every person who could be seen. In aninstant, several human forms were discernible struggling in the seethingwaters alongside, but they quickly disappeared.

  "They are all gone," cried Jack; "not one that I can see has escaped."

  "Perhaps some were below," observed Bill. "If they were, it won't muchmatter, for in a few minutes she will go to pieces."

  He was mistaken as to the latter point, for another sea rolling in,lifted the vessel, and driving over the ledge on which she had firststruck, carried her between some dark rocks, till she stuck fast on thesandy shore. Had the people been able to cling to her till now, somemight possibly have been saved, but they had apparently all been on deckwhen the vessel struck, and been swept away by the first sea whichrolled over her. The seas still continued to sweep along her deck, buttheir force was partly broken by the rocks, and being evidently a stoutvessel, she hung together.

  It was at the time nearly high-water, and the lads longed for the tideto go down, that they might examine her nearer.

  "Even if anybody is alive on board, we cannot help them," observed Jack;"so I vote that we take our fish to the camp, and have some dinner. Iam very sharp set, seeing that we had no breakfast to speak of."

  Bill, who had no objection to offer, agreed to this; so carrying uptheir newly-obtained provisions, they soon had a fire lighted, and someof the fish broiling away before it.

  The fate of the unfortunate vessel formed the subject of theirconversation.

  "I have an idea," cried Bill. "It's an ill wind that brings no one goodluck. If we can manage to get on board that craft which has come onshore, we might build a boat out of her planking, or at all events araft; and should the wind come from the southward, we might manage toget across the Channel, or be picked up by some vessel or other. We arepretty sure to find provisions on board. Perhaps one of her boats mayhave escaped being knocked to pieces, and we could repair her. At allevents, it will be our own fault if that wreck doesn't give us theopportunity of escaping."

  Jack listened to all Bill was saying.

  "I cannot agree with you as to the chance of getting off," he observed."As soon as the wreck is seen, the Frenchmen are sure to be down on theshore, and we shall be caught and carried back to prison instead ofgetting away. The boats are pretty certain to have been knocked intoshreds before this, and as to building a boat, that is what neither younor I can do, even if we had the tools, and where are they to comefrom?"

  "Perhaps we shall find them on board," said Bill. "The vessel has heldtogether till now, and I don't see why she should not hold together tillthe storm is over. `Where there's a will there's a way,' and I don'tsee that we have so bad a chance of getting off."

  "Well, I'll help you. You can show me what we had best do," said Jack."I am not going to draw back on account of the risk. All must depend onthe weather. If the wind comes off shore, and the sea goes down, Ishould say that our best chance would be to build a raft. We can dothat, if we can only find an axe and a saw, and we might get launchedbefore the Frenchmen find out the wreck. The first thing we have to dois to get on board, and when we are there, we must keep a brightlook-out to see that none of the natives are coming along the shore totrap us."

  The lads, having come to this resolution, hurried back to the entranceof the cave.

  They forgot all about the smugglers' stores, and their intention ofmaking clothes for themselves; indeed, they only thought of getting onboard the vessel. They watched eagerly for the tide to go down. Theday passed by and the night came on, but the clouds clearing away, abright moon shed her light over the scene. The wind had also sensiblydecreased, and the waves rolled in with far less fury than before.

  The water, however, seemed to them a long time moving off; still it wasevidently going down. Rock after rock appeared, and looking over theledge they could see the sand below them.

  Knowing full well that the water would not again reach the beach it hadonce left till the return of the tide, they leaped down withouthesitation, and began to make their way in the direction of the vessel.They had again to wait, however, for, as they pushed eagerly forward, asheet of foam from a wave which came rolling up nearly took them offtheir legs.

  They retreated a short distance, and in a few minutes were able to passthe spot over the uncovered sand. On and on they pressed, nowadvancing, now having to retreat, till they stood abreast of the vessel.The water still surrounded her, and was too deep to wade through.

  They looked round on every side, but not a trace of a boat could bediscovered, though fragments of spars and the bulwarks of the vesselstrewed the beach. Among the spars they found two whole ones, whichthey secured.

  "These will help us to get on board if we find no ropes hanging over theside," observed Bill; "or they will enable us to withstand the seashould it catch us before we can climb up." They now advanced moreboldly.

  The vessel lay over on her bilge, with her deck partly turned towardsthe shore, the sea, after she struck, having driven her round.

  They waded up to her, for their impatience did not permit them to waittill the water had entirely receded. The risk they ran of being carriedoff was considerable, but, dashing forward, they planted the sparsag
ainst the side.

  Bill swarmed up first, Jack followed, and the deck was gained.

  Scarcely were Jack's feet out of the water, when a huge sea came rollingup, which would inevitably have carried him off.

  They knew that they had no time to lose, for the wreck once seen fromthe shore, crowds of people were certain to visit it to carry off thecargo.

  The after-part of the vessel was stove in, and nothing remained in thecabin; but the centre part, though nearly full of water, was unbroken.The water, however, was rushing out like a mill-stream, both at thestern and through some huge holes in the bows. Nothing whateverremained on deck.

  The lads plunged down below, and gained the spar-deck, which was alreadyout of the water. Here the first object their eyes alighted on was achest.

  It was the carpenter's, and contained axes, and saws, and nails, andtools of all sorts.

  There were a good many light spars and planks stowed on one side.

  "Here we have materials for a raft at hand!" cried Bill. "We must buildone; for I agree with you, Jack, that there's no use in attempting aboat. It would take too much time, even if we could succeed in makingher watertight."

  "I said so," replied Jack. "I wish we had some grub, though; perhapsthere's some for'ard. I'll go and find it if I can."

  Jack made his way into the forepeak, while Bill was cutting free thelashings, and dragging out the spars. Jack returned in a short timewith some cold meat, and biscuit, and cheese.

  "See! we can dine like lords," he exclaimed; "and we shall be betterable to work after it."

  They sat down on the chest, and ate the provisions with good appetites.

  Bill cast a thought on the fate of the poor fellows to whom the food hadbelonged; their bodies now washing about in the breakers outside.

  Every now and then they alternately jumped up, and looked east and west,and to the top of the cliff, to ascertain if any one was coming. Thevessel had been driven on shore out of sight of both the villages, orthey would not have been left long alone. It was to be hoped that noone would come along the cliff and look down upon the wreck.

  Their meal over, they set to work to plan their raft.

  They were obliged to labour on deck, as they could not hoist it upthrough the hold, or they would have preferred keeping out of sight. Itwould be a hard job to launch it, but that they hoped to do by fasteningtackles at either side leading to the ring bolts on deck.

  As there were no bulwarks to stop them, they laid the foundation, or, asthey called it, the keel, projecting slightly over the side. They wouldthus have only to shove it forward and tip it up to launch it.

  Their plan was to form an oblong square, then to put on bows at one end;and two pieces crossing each other with a short upright between them, onwhich to support the steering oar. The interior of the framework theystrengthened by two diagonal braces. They lashed and nailed a number ofcrosspieces close together, and on the top of the whole they nailed downall the planks they could find, which were sufficient to form a goodflooring to their raft.

  They discovered also a number of small brandy casks, which theyimmediately emptied of their contents, letting the spirits flow withoutcompunction into the water, and then again tightly bunged them down.

  They fastened ropes around the casks, with which, when the raft waslaunched, they could secure them to either side, to give it greaterbuoyancy. They also brought up a couple of sea-chests, which theyintended to lash down to the centre, so as to afford them someprotection from the sea, and at the same time to hold their provisions.

  Bill was the chief suggester of all these arrangements, though Jack ablycarried them out.

  They worked like heroes, with all the energy they could command, forthey felt that everything depended on their exertions.

  The night being bright, they were able to get on as well then as in thedaytime.