Tales of the Sea | Page 8

it
to keep up your spirits. But what is that?" I exclaimed, suddenly, as we
rose to the crest of a sea. "A large ship standing directly for us."
"Yes; she is close-hauled, beating down Channel," observed Clement.
"She will be right upon us, too, if she keeps her present course."
"We must take care to let her know where we are, by shouting together
at the top of our voices when we are near enough to be heard," I said.

"She appears to me to be a man-of-war, and probably a sharp look-out
is kept forward," Clement remarked. We had not observed the ship
before, as our faces had been turned away from her. The sea had,
however, been gradually working the mast round, as I knew to be the
case by the different position in which the moon appeared to us.
"We must get ready for a shout, Clem, and then cry out together as we
have never cried before. I'll say when we are to begin."
As the ship drew nearer Clem had no doubt that she was a man-of-war,
a large frigate apparently, under her three topsails and courses.
"She is passing to windward of us," I exclaimed.
"Not so sure of that," cried Clem. "She will be right over us if we do
not cry out in time."
"Let us begin, then," I said. "Now, shout away, Hip! Hip!"
"No, no!" cried Clem, "that will not do. Shout `Ship ahoy!'"
I had forgotten for the moment what to say, so together we began
shouting as shrilly as we could, at the very top of our voices. Again and
again we shouted. I began to fear that the ship would be right over us,
when presently we saw her luff up. The moon was shining down upon
us, and we were seen. So close, even then, did the frigate pass, that the
end of the mast we were clinging to almost grazed her side. Ropes were
hove to us, but the ship had too much way on her, and it was fortunate
we could not seize them. "Thank you," I cried out. "Will you take us
aboard?" There was no answer, and I thought that we were to be left
floating on our mast till some other vessel might sight us. We were
mistaken, though. We could hear loud orders issued on board, but what
was said we could not make out, and presently the ship came up to the
wind, the head yards were braced round, and she lay hove-to. Then we
saw a boat lowered. How eagerly we watched what was being done.
She came towards us. The people in her shouted to us in a strange
language. They were afraid, evidently, of having their boat stove in by
the wreck of the mast. At last they approached us cautiously.

"Come, Clem, we will swim to her," I said. "Catch tight hold of my
jacket; I have got strength enough left in me for that."
We had not far to go, but I found it a tougher job than I expected. It
would have been wiser to have remained till we could have leaped from
the mast to the boat. I was almost exhausted by the time we reached her,
and thankful when I felt Clem lifted off my back, I myself, when nearly
sinking, being next hauled on board. We were handed into the
stern-sheets, where we lay almost helpless. I tried to speak, but could
not, nor could I understand a word that was said. The men at once
pulled back to the ship, and a big seaman, taking Clem under one of his
arms, clambered up with him on deck. Another carried me on board in
the same fashion. The boat was then hoisted up, and the head yards
being braced round, the ship continued her course. Lanterns being
brought, we were surrounded by a group of foreign-looking seamen,
who stared curiously at us, asking, I judged from the tones of their
voices, all sorts of questions, but as their language was as strange to us
as ours was to them, we couldn't understand a word they said, or make
them comprehend what we said.
"If you would give us some hot grog, and let us turn into dry
hammocks, we should be much obliged to you," I cried out at last,
despairing of any good coming of all their talking.
Just as I spoke, an officer with a cloak on came from below, having
apparently turned out of his berth. "Ah, you are English," I heard him
say. "Speak to me. How came you floating out here?"
I told him that our vessel had gone down, and that we, as far as I knew,
were the only survivors of the crew.
"And