第9章

A cool, refreshing breeze had been blowing up to his time, but the wind now developed a sudden violence, and the sea was lashed into huge waves that quickly swamped nearly every one of the little cockle-shell boats.Fortunately, they could not sink, and as Iwatched I saw that the Malays who were thus thrown into the water clung to the sides of the little boats, and made the best of their way to the big craft in charge of Captain Jensen.Every moment the sea became more and more turbulent as the wind quickened to a hurricane.When all the Malays had scrambled into the whale-boat, they attempted to pull back to the ship, but I could see that they were unable to make the slightest headway against the tremendous sea that was running, although they worked frantically at the oars.

On the contrary, I was horrified to see that they were gradually drifting AWAY FROM ME, and being carried farther and farther out across the illimitable sea.I was nearly distracted at the sight, and I racked my brains to devise some means of helping them, but could think of nothing feasible.I thought first of all of trying to slip the anchor and let the ship drift in their direction, but Iwas by no means sure that she would actually do this.Besides, Ireflected, she might strike on some of the insidious coral reefs that abound in those fair but terribly dangerous seas.So I came to the conclusion that it would be better to let her remain where she was--at least, for the time being.Moreover, I felt sure that the captain, with his knowledge of those regions, would know of some island or convenient sandbank, perhaps not very far distant, on which he might run his boat for safety until the storm had passed.

The boats receded farther and farther from view, until, about nine in the morning, I lost sight of them altogether.They had started out soon after sunrise.It then occurred to me that I ought to put the ship into some sort of condition to enable her to weather the storm, which was increasing instead of abating.This was not the first storm I had experienced on board the Veielland, so I knew pretty well what to do.First of all, then, I battened down the hatches; this done, I made every movable thing on deck as secure as I possibly could.Fortunately all the sails were furled at the time, so I had no trouble with them.By mid-day it was blowing so hard that I positively could not stand upright, but had to crawl about on my hands and knees, otherwise I should have been hurled overboard.I also attached myself to a long rope, and fastened the other end to one of the masts, so that in the event of my being washed into the raging sea, I could pull myself on board again.

Blinding rain had been falling most of the time, and the waves came dashing over the deck as though longing to engulf the little ship;but she rode them all in splendid style.The climax was reached about two o'clock, when a perfect cyclone was raging, and the end seemed very near for me.It made me shudder to listen to the wind screaming and moaning round the bare poles of the sturdy little vessel, which rose on veritable mountains of water and crashed as suddenly into seething abysses that made my heart stand still.

Then the weather suddenly became calm once more--a change that was as unexpected as the advent of the storm itself.The sky, however, continued very black and threatening, and the sea was still somewhat boisterous; but both wind and rain had practically subsided, and I could now look around me without feeling that if Istirred I was a doomed man.I clambered up the lower portion of the main rigging, but only saw black, turbulent waters, hissing and heaving, and raging on every side, and seemingly stretching away into infinity.With terrible force the utter awfulness and hopelessness of my position dawned upon me, yet I did not despair.

I next thought it advisable to try and slip my anchor, and let the ship drift, for I still half-fancied that perhaps I might come across my companions somewhere.Before I could free the vessel, however, the wind veered completely round, and, to my horror and despair, sent a veritable mountain of water on board, that carried away nearly all the bulwarks, the galley, the top of the companion-way, and, worst of all, completely wrenched off the wheel.

Compasses and charts were all stored in the companion-way, and were therefore lost for ever.Then, indeed, I felt the end was near.

Fortunately, I was for'ard at the time, or I must inevitably have been swept into the appalling waste of whirling, mountainous waters.This lashing of myself to the mast, by the way, was the means of saving my life time after time.Soon after the big sea--which I had hoped was a final effort of the terrible storm--the gale returned and blew in the opposite direction with even greater fury than before.I spent an awful time of it the whole night long, without a soul to speak to or help me, and every moment Ithought the ship must go down, in that fearful sea.The only living thing on board beside myself was the captain's dog, which Icould occasionally hear howling dismally in the cabin below, where I had shut him in when the cyclone first burst upon me.

Among the articles carried overboard by the big sea that smashed the wheel was a large cask full of oil, made from turtle fat, in which we always kept a supply of fresh meats, consisting mainly of pork and fowls.This cask contained perhaps twenty gallons, and when it overturned, the oil flowed all over the decks and trickled into the sea.The effect was simply magical.Almost immediately the storm-tossed waves in the vicinity of the ship, which hitherto had been raging mountains high, quieted down in a way that filled me with astonishment.This tranquillity prevailed as long as the oil lasted; but as soon as the supply was exhausted the giant waves became as turbulent and mountainous as ever.