On a sudden she hauled up the lee claw of her mainsail, boom-ended her studding sails and put her helm over. I knew what this signified, and, clasping my hands, I looked up to God.
Presently a boat was lowered and pulled toward the island. I dropped over the side, tumbling down upon my nose in my weakness, and made with trembling legs to the beach, standing, in my eagerness, in the very curl of the wash there. There were three men in the boat, and they eyed me, as they rowed, over their shoulders as if I had been a spectre.
"Who are you, mate, and what country is this?" exclaimed the man who pulled stroke, standing up to stretch his hand to me.
I pointed to my throat, and gasped, "Water!" I could barely articulate.
Nothing in this wide world moves sailors like a cry to them for water. In an instant the three men had dragged me into the boat, and were straining like horses at their oars, as they sent the boat flashing through the rippling water. We dashed alongside.
"He's dying of thirst!" was their cry.
I was bundled on deck; the captain ran below, and returned with a small draught of wine and water.
"Start with that," said he. "You'll be fitter for a longer pull later on."
The drink gave me back my voice; yet for a while I could scarce speak, for the tears that swelled my heart.
"Are there any more of ye?" said the captain.
I answered "No."
"But what land's this?" he inquired.
"An island uphove by an earthquake," said I.
"Great thunder!" he cried. "And what's that arrangement in shells and weeds atop it?"
"A vessel that's probably been three hundred years at the bottom," I answered.
"The quake rose it, hey?"
"Just as it is," said I
"Well, boil me," cried the worthy fellow, "if it don't seem to good to be true! Mr. Fletcher, trim sail, sir. Best shove along—shove along. Come, sir, step below with me for a rest and a bite, and give me your tale."
A warily eaten meal with another sup of wine and water made me a new man. We sat below a long while, I telling my story, he making notes and talking of the credit he would get for bringing home a report of a new country, when suddenly the mate put his head into the skylight.
"Captain!"
"Hullo!"
"The islands gone, sir."
"What d'you mean? that we've sunk it?"
"No, by the lord; but that it's sunk itself."
We ran on deck, and where the island should have been was all clear sea.
The captain stared at the water, with his mouth wide open.
"Nothing to report after all!" he cried
"I saw it founder!" exclaimed the mate. "I had my eye on it when it sank. I've seen some founderings in my day; but this beats all my going a-fishing!"
"Well," said the captain to me, "we didn't come too soon, sir."
I hid my face in my hands.
The Susan Gray was the name of the brig that rescued me. The Hercules saw the first of the island, and the Susan Gray the last of it. Hence, as I said at the start, it was reported by two vessels only.
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* A Project Gutenberg of Australia eBook *
eBook No.: 0606401h.html
Language: English
Date first posted: August 2006
Date most recently updated: August 2006
This eBook was produced by: Richard Scott