The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 260: what you’re looking at

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254 THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI'S YOUNG CAPTAIN. to old England, and Joel still remained in close confinement, But, as they approached the English coast, nasty murky weather came on, cag é The wind increased to a frightful gale within four and twenty hours, The good brig “ Dolphin” pitched and plunged about at a terrible rate, and shipped frequent seas, All boats were washed away from the quarter, and a frightful wave plunged right in upon the deck, carrying away the cook-house, store-room, the black cook and all. Such a storm the captain had never seen before although he had been ploughing the briny main for upwards of thirty years. The sailors were on duty both night and day. The ship still tossed and buffeted the waves right gallantly, but the sails were rent asunder, and flapped against the mast like so many rags. The thunder pealed over head with an awful roar that made the good brig shiver and shake from stem to stern, Lightning, vivid and blinding, flashed out from the inky clouds, and shivered the main-mast into a thousand splinters. New sails were hoisted, but the cruel, savage wind rent them into shreds almost the same instant that they were hauled taut, The captain, old seaman as he was, knew not what to do. The passengers were confined to their berths, and for the first time in all his life, old Lancaster was glad to make a meal off uncooked pork, and dry biscuits as hard’as nails, i Messrs. Squills and Blunt put on water-proof boots, and right gallantly assisted the sailors the best way they could, and pulled away at the ropes like true Britons, Two men were lashed to the wheel, but even their united strength and the energy of despair could not keep the vessel on her course. To add to the miseries of all on board the car- penter now reported the doleful tidings that the ship was leaking fast ! “Leaking, eh?” said the captain, scarcely able to keep his legs from the constant pitching and rolling. ‘How many feet of water are there in the hold?” ‘ Two feet, sir, and fast gaining,” ‘‘ All hands to the pumps, then,” said the captain, “ Passengers and all, sir ?” ‘Yes, passengers and all. Why not? Let every oné turn out. This isno time for/holding back, or standing on one’s dignity.” . “All hands to the pumps, eh?” said old Lan- caster, in dismay, ‘f never heard of such a thing !” “Can’t help it, sir,’ said the second mate, ‘the ship is leaking fast, and I fear, from the looks of the weather that the storm will not abate for a day or two.” “ But suppose I refuse to do such menial labour,” said old Lancaster, “what then? Haven’t I almost starved for this last day or two? What next, I wonder ?”’ If you refuse, all,” ‘Forced ! forced !”” gasped the reluctant and purse-proud man. ‘ Why, do you know who I am, sir? Iam worth tens of thousands, and could buy twenty ships such as this,” ‘‘I dare say you could, sir; but I don’t suppose the sharks would think your body sweeter than that of the poorest sailor, if it comes to that,” ‘Sharks, eh? Oh, lors!” said old Lancaster, slr, you must be Jorced, that’s Shuddering, as he buttoned up his coat, and mixed with the sailors at the pumps. It almost broke his back, and he staggered and groaned most pitifully. : But it was all to no purpose. He was obliged, like the rest, to work his alloted time, and when he had a rest he almost fell to the deck with weakness. . ‘The fishes are no respectors of men,” said the captain ; “so work away, my hearties.”’ “We are in a sad plight, captain,” said the first officer. | ’ . &, ‘True, mate ; while there is life there is hope; — but if the rudder gets washed away I fear our hours are numbered.” But what of Joel Flint during all this storm ? For the first day the captain refrained from calling upon him for his assistance because “ he was sick.” But on the second day of the storm he muffled himself up as best he could, and was so disguised in many ways that neither Blunt nor Squills re- cognised him, tol But he suffered more frightful tortures of mind than any one on board. So changed was his countenance that the captain himself could scarce recognise him.’ He felt as if his last hour had come. All the wickedness and villany of his whole life ran before his affrighted mind, He could have shouted out aloud from mental agony, but dared not, This horrible state of feeling was increased by a remark which fell from one of the sailors, as, with downeast head and heavy heart, Joel worked at the pumps. “J never saw such weather. in all my life,” said the mate ; “it is as if all the devils and furies were fighting against us.” : “True, sir,” said a weather-beaten old sailor; “I have had a good many years afloat, but I never saw such weather anywhere, not even round Cape Horn.”’ ‘“Here we are almost in sight of land,” said the mate, ‘and yet can’t make the least headway.” | ‘‘ As I said when the storm commenced, sir, there must be some bad cargo on board.” ‘‘ What do you mean?” “Why, I begins to think, Mr, Mate, that there — must be a murderer or some such wicked wretch on board, or else the heavens wouldn’t be fighting against usin this way.” “I wish we could find him out, then, we'd soon pitch him: overboard.” “Tm sure there must be a murderer on board,” continued the old sailor, “and Tye always felt | certain of it,” | These remarks fell like a thunderbolt on Joel’s © ears. What would he not have given to be once more | safe on shore again? | His heart sank within him, He was actually in sight of England’s rugged shores ; it looked no farther than a mile from where he then was, and yet he felt almost certain that no one, at least himself, would ever live to tread it. He would have parted with all he had on earth to be safe once more. All that the safe contained he counted as nought compared to life. He wished to pray, but could not, He dared not look at the black threatening clouds above, . When it thundered, he expected that a lightning stroke would strike him dead. my hearty ; GComicboo