the open boat on the pacific—gaff and billy in dreadful circumstances—a message from the sea, and a madman’s death.
while these events are taking place in the busy seaport of wreckumoft, let us return to the little boat which we left floating, a solitary speck, upon the breast of the great pacific ocean.
as long as the whale-ship continued visible, the three occupants of the boat sat immovable, gazing intently upon her in deep silence, as if each felt that when she disappeared his last hold upon earth was gone.
billy was the first to break silence.
“she’s gone, father,” he whispered.
both men started, and looked round at the boy.
“ay, she’s gone,” observed gaff with a sigh; “and now we’ll have to pull for it, night an’ day, as we are able.”
he began slowly to get out one of the oars as he spoke.
“it would have been better if they had cut our throats,” growled captain graddy with a fierce oath.
“you’d have been worse off just now if they had, captain,” said gaff, shaking off his depression of spirits by a strong effort of will. “come, cap’n graddy, you an’ i are in the same fix; let’s be friends, and do our best to face the worst, like men.”
“it makes little matter how we face it,” said the captain, “it’ll come to the same thing in the long run, if we don’t manage to make it a short run by taking strong measures. (he touched the hilt of a knife which he wore at all times in his belt.) however, we may as well pull as not.”
he rose and sulkily took an oar, while gaff took another.
“now, captain,” said gaff, “you know better than me how far we be fro’ land, an’ which is the way to pull.”
“i should think we’re five hundred miles from the nearest land,” said graddy, “in a nor’-east direction, an’ there’s no islands that i know of between us an’ south america, so we may just pull about for exercise till the grub’s done, an’ then pull till we’re dead.”
the captain burst into a loud, fierce laugh, as if he thought the last remark uncommonly witty.
presently he said, “you may as well see how much we’ve got to eat an’ drink before beginnin’ our work.”
“all right, my hearty!” cried gaff, rising with alacrity to examine their store of provisions; “here’s a small bag o’ biscuit as’ll last us three days, mayhap, on half allowance, so we’ll be able to do with quarter allowance for the first few days, an’ then reduce to an eighth, which’ll make it spin out a few days longer. by that time we may fall in with a sail, who knows?”
“we’re far beyond the track o’ ships,” said the captain bitterly. “is there never a drop o’ water in the boat?”
“not a drop,” replied gaff, “i’ve searched all round, an’ only found a empty bottle.”
“ay, meant for to smuggle brandy aboard when they got the chance, the brutes!” said the captain, referring to his recent crew. “well, it don’t matter. we’ve now the prospect of dyin’ o’ thirst before we die of starvation. for my part, i prefer to die o’ starvation, so ye may put yourself an’ your brat on full allowance as long as it lasts.”
poor billy’s horror at the prospect before him was much aggravated by the fierce and brutal manner of graddy, and he would fain have gone and hid his face in his father’s bosom; but he had been placed at the helm while the two were pulling, so he could not forsake his post.
it was a calm evening when they were thus cast adrift on the boundless sea, and as night advanced the calm deepened, so that the ocean became like a sea of ink, in which the glorious host of stars were faithfully mirrored.
hour after hour the two men pulled at the oars with a slow-measured steady stroke, while billy sat at the helm, and kept the boat’s head in the direction of a certain star which the captain pointed out to him. at length the star became like a moon to billy’s gazing eyes; then it doubled itself, and then it went out altogether as the poor boy fell forward.
“hallo, billy! mind your helm!” cried his father.
“i felled asleep, daddy,” said the bu’ster apologetically, as he resumed his place.
“well, well, boy; lie down and take a sleep. it’s too hard on you. eat a biscuit first though before you lie down, and i’ll keep the boat’s head right with the oar.”
the captain made no remark, but the moon, which had just arisen, shone on his hard features, and showed that they were more fierce and lowering than at the beginning of the night.
billy gladly availed himself of the permission, and took a biscuit out of the bag. before he had eaten half of it he fell back in the stern-sheets of the boat, dropt into a sound sleep, and dreamed of home and his mother and tottie.
hour after hour the men pulled at the oars. they were strong men both of them, inured to protracted exertion and fatigue. still the night seemed as if it would never come to an end, for in those high southern latitudes at that time of the year the days were very short and the nights were long.
at last both men stopped rowing, as if by mutual consent.
“it’s a pity,” said gaff, “to knock ourselves up together. you’d better lie down, cap’n, an’ i’ll pull both oars for a spell.”
“no, no, gaff,” replied graddy, with sudden and unaccountable urbanity; “i’m not a bit tired, and i’m a bigger man than you—maybe a little stronger. so do you lie down beside the boy, an’ i’ll call ye when i want a rest.”
gaff remonstrated, protesting that he was game to pull for hours yet, but the captain would take no denial, so he agreed to rest; yet there was an uneasy feeling in his breast which rendered rest almost impossible. he lay for a long time with his eyes fixed on the captain, who now pulled the two oars slowly and in measured time as before.
at last, in desperation, gaff gave billy a poke in the ribs which roused him.
“come, boy,” said his father almost sternly, “you’ve slept long enough now; get up an’ steer. don’t you see the cap’n’s pullin’ all alone!”
“all right, daddy,” said billy, uttering a loud yawn and stretching himself. “where am i? oh! oh!”
the question was put before he had quite recovered consciousness; the terminal “oh!” was something like a groan of despair, as his eye fell on the forbidding countenance of the captain.
billy took the tiller in silence. after a little while gaff drew his son’s ear near to his mouth, and said in a low whisper—
“billy, my lad, i must have a sleep, but i dursn’t do it unless you keep a sharp eye on the captain. he’s after mischief, i’m quite sure o’ that, so give me a tremendous dig in the ribs if he offers to rise from his seat. mind what i say now, lad. our lives may depend on it.”
billy promised to be watchful, and in less than two minutes afterwards gaff was sunk in deep repose.
the boy was faithful to his trust. without appearing to be watching him, he never for one moment removed his eyes so far from where the captain sat labouring at the oars as to give him a chance of moving without being seen. as time passed by, however, billy found it difficult to keep awake, and, in proportion as this difficulty increased, his staring at the captain became more direct and intense. of course graddy perceived this, and the sneering smile that crossed his visage showed that he had made a shrewd guess at the cause of the lad’s attentions.
by degrees billy’s eyes began to droop, and he roused himself frequently with a strong effort, feeling desperately alarmed lest he should be overcome. but nature was not to be denied. again and again did his head fall forward, again and again did he look up with a startled expression to perceive that graddy was regarding him with a cold sardonic smile. gradually billy’s eyes refused to convey a correct impression of what they rested on. the rower’s head suddenly became twice as large as his body, a sight which so alarmed the boy that he started up and could scarce restrain a cry, but the head had shrunk into its ordinary proportions, and the sardonic smile was there as before.
oh! what would not billy have given at that time to have been thoroughly wide-awake and fresh! he thought for a moment of awaking his father, but the thought was only half formed ere sleep again weighed down his spirit, causing his eyelids to blink despite his utmost efforts to keep them open. presently he saw graddy draw the right oar quietly into the boat, without ceasing to row with the left one, and slowly draw the knife which hung at his belt.
the boy tried to shout and arouse his father, but he was paralysed with horror. his blood seemed to curdle in his veins. no sound would issue from his lips, neither could he move hand or foot while the cold glassy eye of the captain rested on him.
suddenly graddy sprang up, and billy’s voice found vent in a shrill cry. at the same moment stephen gaff awoke, and instinctively his hand grasped the tiller. he had no time to rise, but with the same force that drew the tiller from its socket in the helm he brought it forward with crashing violence on the forehead of graddy, who was stooping to plunge the knife into his breast. he staggered beneath the blow. before he could recover himself it was repeated, and he fell heavily back into the bottom of the boat.
“thank the lord,” murmured gaff, as he leaned over his fallen foe, “the villain’s hand has bin stopped short this time. come, billy, help me to lift him up.”
gaff’s blows had been delivered with such vigour that graddy’s head was much damaged, and it was a long time before the two could get him restored sufficiently to sit up. at length, however, he roused himself and looked with a bewildered air at the sun, which had just risen in a flood of golden light. presently his eyes fell on gaff, and a dark scowl covered his face, but being, or pretending to be unable to continue long in a sitting posture, he muttered that he would lie down and rest in the bow of the boat. he got up and staggered to the spot, where he lay down and soon fell fast asleep.
“now, billy lad, we’ll let him rest, an’ i’ll take the oars. you will lie down and sleep, for you’ve much need of it, my poor boy, and while i’m pullin’ i’ll consider what’s best for to be done in the circumstances.”
“better let me take one o’ the oars, daddy. i’m wide-awake now, and not a bit tired.”
“no, boy, no. lay down. the next time i require to sleep i must have you in a more wakeful condition—so turn in.” gaff said this in a tone of command that did not admit of remonstrance; so billy lay down, and soon fell into a deep slumber.
for a long time gaff rowed in silence, gazing wistfully up into the sky, which was covered with gorgeous piles of snowy clouds, as if he sought to forget his terrible position in contemplating the glories of heaven. but earth claimed the chief share of his thoughts. while he rowed with slow unflagging strokes during these calm morning hours, he did indeed think of eternity; of the time he had mis-spent on earth; of the sins he had committed, and of the salvation through jesus christ he had for so many years neglected or refused to accept.
but invariably these thoughts diverged into other channels: he thought of the immediate danger that menaced himself and his son; of death from thirst and its terrible agonies—the beginning of which even at that moment were affecting him in the old familiar way of a slight desire to drink! he thought, too, of the fierce man in the bow of the boat who evidently sought his life—why, he could not tell; but he surmised that it must either be because he had become deranged, or because he wished to get all the food in the boat to himself, and so prolong for a few days his miserable existence. finally, his thoughts reverted to his cottage home, and he fancied himself sitting in the old chimney-corner smoking his pipe and gazing at his wife and tottie, and his household goods.
“i’ll maybe never see them agin,” he murmured sadly.
for some minutes he did not speak, then he again muttered, while a grieved look overspread his face, “an’ they’ll never know what’s come o’ me! they’ll go on thinkin’ an’ thinkin’, an’ hopin’ an’ hopin’ year after year, an’ their sick hearts’ll find no rest. god help them!”
he looked up into the bright heavens, and his thoughts became prayer.
ah! reader, this is no fancy sketch. it is drawn after the pattern of things that happen every year—every month—almost every week during the stormy seasons of the year. known only to him who is omniscient are the multitudes of heartrending scenes of protracted agony and dreary death that are enacted year by year, all unknown to man, upon the lonely sea. now and then the curtain of this dread theatre is slightly raised to us by the emaciated hand of a “survivor,” and the sight, if we be thoughtful, may enable us to form a faint conception of those events that we never see. we might meditate on those things with advantage. surely christians ought not to require strong appeals to induce them to consider the case of those “who go down into the sea in ships, who do business in the great waters!” and here let me whisper a word to you ere i pass on, good reader:— meditation, unless it results in action, is worse than useless because it deepens condemnation.
while gaff was gazing upward a bright look beamed in his eyes.
“that’s not a bad notion,” he muttered, drawing in both oars, and rising. “i’ll do it. it’ll give ’em a chance, an’ that’s better than nothin’.”
so saying he put his hand into the breast-pocket of his jacket, and drew out a letter, which he unfolded, and tore off a portion of the last leaf which was free from writing. spreading this upon the thwart, he sought for and found a pencil which he was in the habit of carrying in his vest-pocket, and prepared to write.
i have shown elsewhere that gaff could neither read nor write. yet it does not follow that he had no knowledge whatever of these subjects. on the contrary, he understood the signification of capital letters when printed large and distinct, and could, (with inconceivable pains and difficulty no doubt), string a few simple words together when occasion required. he could also sign his name.
after much deep thought he concocted the following sentence:—
at see in pasifik. no land for 5000 miles. opn boet. the skiper, billy, and mees kast adrift by krew. skiper mad, or else a vilin. foar or five dais biskit; no watter. jess, dear las, my last thoats are of yoo.
stephen gaff.
he meant to put down 500, and thought that he was right!
having completed his task, he folded up the letter carefully, and addressed it to “mrs gaff, sailor’s wife, the cove, england.” then he inserted it into the empty bottle to which reference has been made, and corking it up tight committed it to the waves with an earnest prayer for its safe arrival at its destination. he then resumed his oars with a feeling of great relief, as if a heavy weight had been taken off his mind, and watched the precious bottle until it was out of sight astern.
by this time the face of nature had changed somewhat. with the advancing day the wind arose, and before noon it was blowing a stiff breeze. the rolling of the boat awoke billy, who looked up anxiously.
“ay, it’ll be all over sooner than i thought on,” murmured gaff, as he glanced to windward.
“what’ll be all over, daddy?” inquired the boy, who, being accustomed to boating in rough weather, thought nothing of the threatening appearance of things.
“nothin’, lad, nothin’; i was only thinkin’ aloud; the wind’s freshenin’, billy, an’ as you may have to sit a long spell at the tiller soon, try to go to sleep agin. you’ll need it, my boy.”
in spite of himself, gaff’s tone contained so much pathos that billy was roused by it, and would not again try to sleep.
“do let me pull an oar, daddy,” he said earnestly.
“not yet, lad, not yet. in a short time i will if the breeze don’t get stiffer.”
“why don’t he pull a bit, daddy?” inquired billy pointing with a frown at the figure that lay crouched up in the bow of the boat.
just then a wave sent a wash of spray inboard and drenched the skipper, who rose up and cursed the sea.
“you’d better bale it out than curse it,” said gaff sternly; for he felt that if there was to be anything attempted he must conquer his desperate companion.
the man drew his knife. gaff, noticing the movement, leaped up, and catching hold of the tiller, which billy handed to him with alacrity, faced his opponent.
“now, graddy,” he said, in the tone of a man who has thoroughly made up his mind, “we’ll settle this question right off. one of us must submit. if fair means won’t do, foul shall be used. you may be bigger than me, but i don’t think ye’re stronger: leastwise ye’ll ha’ to prove it. now, then, pitch that knife overboard.”
instead of obeying, graddy hurled it with all his force into gaff’s chest. fortunately the handle and not the point struck him, else had the struggle been brief and decisive. as it was, the captain followed up his assault with a rush at his opponent, who met him with a heavy blow from the tiller, which the other received on his left arm, and both men closed in a deadly struggle. the little boat swayed about violently, and the curling seas came over her edge so frequently that billy began to fear they would swamp in a few moments. he therefore seized the baling-dish, and began to bale for his life while the men fought.
gaff soon proved to be the better man, for he finally flung the captain over the middle thwart and almost broke his back.
“now, do ye give in?” he shouted fiercely, as he compressed the other’s throat with both hands.
graddy gasped that he did; so gaff allowed him to rise, and bade him take the baling-dish from the boy and set to work without delay.
the wretched man was so thoroughly cowed that he thereafter yielded instant obedience to his companion.
the wind was blowing furiously by this time, and the waves were running high, so that it required constant baling, and the utmost care in steering, to keep the boat from being swamped. fortunately the storm was accompanied by heavy rain, so that by catching a little of this in their jackets and caps, they succeeded in quenching their thirst. hunger they had scarcely felt up to this time, but soon the cravings of nature began to be imperious, and gaff served out the first ration, on the short allowance scale, which was so small that it served only to whet their appetites. there was no need to row now. it was absolutely necessary to run before the wind, which was so strong that a single oar, set up in the place where the mast should have been, was sufficient to cause the light craft to fly over the waves.
each took the helm for a couple of hours by turns. thus employed they spent the day, and still thus employed the dark night found them.
bad though things looked when there was light enough to enable them to see the rush of the black clouds overhead, the bursts of the driving spray and the tumultuous heavings of the wild sea, it was inconceivably worse when the darkness settled down so thick that they could barely see each other’s faces, and the steering had to be done more by feeling, as it were, than sight. gaff took the helm during the greater part of the night, and the other two baled incessantly; but the gale increased so much that the water at last came in faster than it could be thrown out, and they expected to be swamped every instant.
“we’re goin’ down, daddy,” said billy, while a strong inclination to burst into tears almost choked him.
“here, lad,” shouted gaff in a loud voice, for the noise of the wind and waves rendered any other sound almost inaudible, “take the helm and keep her right before the wind. ye used to steer well; do yer best now, my boy.”
while he spoke billy obeyed, and his father sprang into the middle of the boat, and grasped the three oars and boat-hook with which the boat was supplied. there were two small sails, which he wrapped hastily round these, and then tied them all together tightly with a piece of rope. in this operation he was assisted by graddy, who seemed to understand what his comrade meant to do.
the boat was now half full of water.
“down the helm—hard down,” roared gaff.
“ay, ay, sir,” responded billy, with the ready promptitude of a seaman.
the boat flew round; at the same moment gaff hurled the bundle of sails and spars overboard, and eased off the coil of rope to the end of which it was attached. in a few seconds it was about forty yards away to windward, and formed a sort of floating breakwater, which, slight though it was, proved to be sufficient to check the full force of the seas, so that the little boat found partial shelter to leeward.
the shelter was terribly slight, however; only just sufficient to save them from absolute destruction; and it was still necessary for one of their number to be constantly employed in baling out the water.
during the night the clouds cleared away, but there was no abatement of the wind; and having no water they were obliged to eat their allowance of biscuit either in a dry state or moistened in the sea.
next day the sun rose in a cloudless sky, and all day it shone upon them fiercely, and the wind moderated enough to render baling unnecessary, but still they did not dare to haul in their floating bulwark.
extreme thirst now assailed them, and graddy began in an excited state to drink copiously of salt water.
“don’t go for to do that, cap’n,” remonstrated gaff.
a derisive laugh was the only reply.
presently graddy arose, and going into the head of the boat, took up the baling-dish and again drank deeply of the sea-water. “ha! ha!” he laughed, tossing his arms wildly in the air, and gazing at gaff with the glaring eyes of a maniac, “that’s the nectar for me. come, boys, i’ll sing you a ditty.”
with that he burst into a roaring bacchanalian song, and continued to shout, and yell, and drink the brine until he was hoarse. but he did not seem to get exhausted; on the contrary, his eyes glared more and more brightly, and his face became scarlet as the fires that were raging within him increased in intensity.
billy clung to his father, and looked at the captain in speechless horror. even gaff himself felt an overpowering sense of dread creep over him, for he now knew that he had to deal with a raving maniac. not knowing what to do, he sat still and silent in the stern of the boat with the tiller in his hand, and his eyes fixed immovably on those of the madman, who seemed to feel that it was a trial as to which should stare the other down, for he soon gave up singing and drinking, and devoted all his energies of body and soul to glaring at his enemy.
thus they continued until the sun began to set. then gaff’s heart sank within him, for he felt sure that, whenever it was too dark for each to see the other, the madman would summon up courage to make a sudden attack.
the attack, however, was precipitated by gaff inadvertently glancing over his shoulder to observe how far the sun had yet to descend.
instantly, with the leap of a panther, graddy was upon him with both hands grasping tightly at his throat. down, down, he pressed him, until gaff lay on his back with his head over the gunwale. his strength now availed him nothing, for unnatural energy nerved the madman’s arm.
billy sprang up and tried to disengage him from his grasp. as well might the rabbit try to unlock the boa’s deadly coil. wrenching the tiller from his father’s grasp he hit the madman on the head with all his might; but the poor boy’s might was small. the blow seemed to have no effect at all. again and again he brought it down in an agony of haste lest his father should be strangled before the other was felled. at last he hit him with all his force behind the ear, and graddy’s grasp relaxed as he fell prone on the body of his insensible victim.
to pull him off and haul his father into a more convenient position was the work of a few seconds.
“o daddy, daddy, speak to me,” he cried, loosening his father’s neckcloth and unbuttoning his shirt. “oh, quick! get better before he does,” cried billy wildly, as he shook his father and laved water on his face; “oh! he’ll get well first and kill you.”
in order to do all that lay in his power to prevent this, billy suddenly sprang up, and, seizing the tiller, dealt the prostrate graddy several powerful blows on the head. it is not improbable that the frightened boy would have settled the question of his recovery then and there had not his father revived, and told him to stop.
for some minutes gaff sat swaying about in a confused manner, but he was roused to renewed action by seeing graddy move.
“we must hold him now, billy. is there a bit of rope about?”
“not a inch, you tied it all round the oars.”
“it’s awkward. however, here’s my necktie. it an’t strong, but it’s better than nothin’.”
gaff was about to take it off when graddy recovered suddenly and attempted to rise. the others sprang on him and held him down; but they did so with difficulty, for he was still very strong.
all that night did they sit and hold him, while he raved and sang or struggled as the humour seized him. they did not dare to relax their hold for a moment; because, although he lay sometimes quite still for a lengthened period, he would burst forth again without warning and with increased fury.
and still, while they sat thus holding down the maniac, the wind blew fiercely over the raging sea, and the waves curled over and burst upon their tiny breakwater, sending clouds of spray over their head, insomuch that, ere morning, the boat was nearly half full of water.
when morning at last broke, father and son were so much exhausted that they could scarcely sit up, and their cramped fingers clung, more by necessity than by voluntary effort, to the garments of the now dying man.
graddy was still active and watchful, however. his face was awful to look upon, and the fire of his restless eyes was unabated. when the sun rose above the horizon both gaff and billy turned their weary eyes to look at it. the madman noted the action, and seized the opportunity. he sprang with an unearthly yell, overturned them both, and plunged head foremost into the sea.
twice he rose and gave vent to a loud gurgling cry, while gaff and his son seized the rope attached to the oars, intending to pull them in and row to his assistance, for he had leaped so far out that he was beyond their reach. but before they had pulled in half of the cable the wretched man had disappeared from their view for ever.
slacking off the rope they let the boat drift astern again to its full extent. then, without a word, without even a look, father and son lay down together in the stern-sheets, and were instantly buried in a profound deathlike slumber.
