Part 37 (2/2)
”As the water is rushi+ng into her fearfully fast, I don't see what chance there is of her floating,” answered Toive up all hope while she remains above water Perhaps, when the squall is passed over, wethe et hold of sos or spare spars to form a raft”
”We must be quick about it, then,” observed Deso down at anyas it is now, there is no usethe attempt,” said Tom ”She does not appear to me to have sunk lower than she did when she first went over She has a light cargo, and will float longer than a vessel heavily laden”
The midshi+pmen, however, could not talk much, for it was a difficult matter to make each other hear, ith the sound of the wind, and the sea dashi+ng against the hull of the brig, while showers of spray fell over theures of Casey and Peter, with another , but as yet they had been unable to exchange words with theo their hold, lest they should be washed off by the sea The gale continued to blow furiously, and for two hours a perfect hurricane raged It suddenly ceased, and the sea--though not so rapidly--began to go down
On this their hopes revived Tom was anxious to ascertain Casey's opinion, and
”I'd stick to the hull, sir,” answered Pat ”The brig has floated so long; she ht before we attempt to make a raft We e sharks et hold of us”
Toained his for to any of the party Notwithstanding their position, however, Billy was constantly dropping off to sleep, and Tom and Desmond had to hold him on, or he would to a certainty have fallen into the water As theapproached, the sea became perfectly calht bring some vessel to their succour
What hope could they have of surviving ? The sun rose Almost exhausted, the midshi+pmen could with difficulty hold on As they turned their weary eyes in all directions, not an object was in sight
”No land to be seen?” asked poor Billy
”That may be a couple of hundredto our help?” again inquired Billy, who, stretched on the rigging, could not lift his head
”Without a breath of air, there is no chance of that,” said Des this way”
”There are notin this direction,” observed To, ill hope for the best”
”Oh! I'erto eat?”
”If ere to go into the cabin, we should find nothing,” said Desmond
”The last cask of water was on the starboard side, with the hung out, and must be full of salt water by this tiain relapsed into silence
The sun rose higher and higher, its bea doith fury on their heads; even Toest, felt that they could not hold out er Hour after hour went by; still, if they were not to perish, so must be done He asked Casey and the other men whether they had by chance any fish-hooks in their pockets? They searched, but in vain, and as to going below to look for the, however, continued to float; that was so that they would be unable to hold out another night Even he, as he felt the pangs of hunger and his an to despair
Desazed at the countenances of his two messmates ”They'll never see another sun rise, and shall I?” Toan seriously to consider how best to prepare hi out, ”A breeze! a breeze! I felt it on er with his parched tongue, but could hardly do so He held up his hand ”It's froe to build a raft, we et into the line of vessels running between Sydney and the northern ports”
These exclamations aroused Tom; even Desmond looked up
”A breeze! Yes, indeed, there is, and a sail too She is standing towards us!” He pointed to the southward A patch of white canvas, on which the sun was shi+ning brightly, appeared on the blue ocean Casey, at at the saht of it
”Hurrah! hurrah! we are saved; she cannot fail to see us”
The cheer was taken up by his companions in misfortune Even Billy lifted up his head
”Is it true, Rogers, that you see a sail?” he asked
”As true as that we are here, but wediscovered,” replied Tom