I closed my eyes and, to my later amazement, I obeyed.
When I awoke the sun had risen. So a new day had broken. I looked about me. The sky was stained red which threw a pink reflection over the sea. There was still a strong breeze which set white crests on the waves. It meant that we were moving along at a fair pace. Where to, was anyone’s guess. We were at the mercy of the wind.
Lucas lay still at the bottom of the boat. The other man was watching me intently.
“You sleep?” he asked.
“Yes, for a long time, it seems.”
“You needed it. Feel better?”
I nodded.
“What’s happened?”
“You can see we are in calmer waters.”
“The storm has gone.”
“Keep your fingers crossed. It’s abated for the time being. Of course, it can spring up in a matter of minutes … but at the same time we’ve got a second chance.”
“Do you think there is a hope of our being picked up?”
“Fifty-fifty chance.”
“And if not?”
“The water won’t last long.”
“You said something about biscuits.”
“H’m. But water is most important. We’ll have to ration it.”
“What about him?” I asked, indicating Lucas.
“You know him.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Yes. We were friends on board.”
“I’ve seen you talking to him.”
“Is he badly hurt?”
“I don’t know. We can’t do anything about it.”
“What of his leg?”
“Needs setting, I expect. We’ve nothing here …”
“I wish …”
“Don’t wish for too much. Fate might think you were greedy. We’ve just had what must be one of the most miraculous escapes possible.”
“I know. Thanks to you.”
He smiled at me rather shyly.
“We’ve still got to go on hoping for miracles,” he said.
“I wish we could do something for him.”
He shook his head.
“We have to be careful. We could overturn in half a second. He’s got to take a chance just as we have.”
I nodded.
“My parents …” I began.
“It could be that they got into one of the boats.”
“I saw one of the boats go off … and go under.”
“Not much hope for any of them.”
“I’m amazed that this little craft survived. If we get out of this it will be entirely due to you.”
We fell into silence and after a while he took out the water can. We each took a mouthful.
He screwed it up carefully.
“We’ll have to eke it out,” he said.
“It’s lifeblood to us … remember.”
I nodded.
The hours slipped by. Lucas opened his eyes and they alighted on me.
“Rosetta?” he murmured.
“Yes, Lucas?”
“Where …” His lips formed the word but hardly any sound came.
“We’re in a lifeboat. The ship has sunk, I think. You’re all right.
You’re with me and . “
It was absurd not to know his name. He might have once been a deck hand but now he was our saviour, the man in charge of our brilliant rescue.
Lucas could not hear properly in any case. He showed no surprise but shut his eyes. He said something. I had to lean over him to catch it.
“My leg …”
We ought to do something about it. But what? We had no medical supplies, and we had to be careful how we moved about the boat. Even on this mild sea it could bob about in an alarming fashion and I knew it would be easy for one of us to be thrown overboard.
The sun came up and the heat was intense. Fortunately the breeze -now a light one-persisted. It was now blowing us gently along but neither of us had any notion in what direction.
“It will be easier when the stars come out,” said our rescuer.
I had learned his name which was John Player. I fancied he had admitted to it with a certain reluctance.
“Do you mind if I call you John?” I asked, and he had replied: “Then I shall call you Rosetta. We are on equal terms now … no longer passenger and deck hand. The fear of death is a good leveller.” I replied: “I do not need such fear to call you by your Christian name. It would be absurd to shout, ” Mr. Player, I am drowning. Please rescue me. “
“Quite absurd,” he had agreed.
“But I hope you will never have to do that.”
I asked him: “Shall you be able to steer by the stars, John?”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“I am no trained navigator, but one picks up a bit at sea. At least if we get a clear night we might have some idea of where we are heading for. It was too cloudy last night to see anything. “
“The direction could change. After all, you said it de pended on the wind.”
“Yes, we have to go where we are taken. That gives one a great sense of helplessness.”
“Like depending on others for the essential things in life. Do you think Mr. Lorimer is going to die?”
“He looks strong enough. I think the main trouble is his leg. He must have got a battering when the lifeboat overturned.”
“I wish we could do something.”
“The best thing is to keep our eyes open. If we see the smallest sign on the horizon we must do something to attract attention. Put up a flag …”
“Where could we find a flag?”
“One of your petticoats on a stick … something like that.”
“I think you are very resourceful.”
“Maybe, but what I am looking for now is another piece of luck.”
“It may be that we had our share when we got away from the wreck.”
“Well, we need a little bit more. In the meantime, let’s do our best to find it. Keep your eyes open. The least speck on the horizon and we’ll send up a signal of some sort.”
The morning passed slowly. It was afternoon. We drifted slowly along.
Lucas opened his eyes now and then and spoke, although it was clear that he was not fully aware of the situation.
The sun was fortunately obscured by a few clouds which made it more bearable. I did not know what would be worse rain which might mean a storm or this burning heat. John Player had suddenly dropped into a sleep of exhaustion. He looked very young thus. I wondered about him. It took my mind off the present desperate situation. How had he come to be a deck hand? I was sure there was some hidden past. There was an air of mystery about him. He was secretive . almost furtively watchful. At least during the last hours I had not noticed these qualities because he was intent on one thing. saving our lives. That had brought about a certain relationship between us. I suppose it was natural that it should.
I could not keep my mind from my parents. I tried to imagine them coming out on to that deck in that childlike, bewildered way in which they faced life which did not centre round the British Museum. They were quite unaware of the practicalities of life. They had never had to bother about them. Others had done that, leaving them free to pursue their studies.
Where were they now? I thought of them with a kind of tender exasperation.
I imagined their being hustled into a lifeboat . my father still mourning the loss of his notes rather than his daughter.
Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps they had cared for me more than I realized. Hadn’t they called me Rosetta, after the precious stone?
I scanned the horizon. I must not forget that I was on watch. I must be ready if a ship came into sight. I had removed my petticoat and it was attached to a piece of wood. If I saw anything like another craft, I would wake John and lose no time in waving my improvised flag madly.
The day wore on and there was nothing-only that wide expanse of water all around us . everywhere . to the horizon . wherever I looked there was emptiness.