Young Captain Jack | Page 7

the little cove where the rowboat had been left tied
up.
As they gained the boat Jack gave an exclamation of dismay.
"The oars--they are gone!"
He was right. Marion had shifted their position before leaving the craft,
and bumping against the rocks had sent them adrift.
CHAPTER IV.
ON BOARD THE WRECK.
"Jack, what shall we do now?" asked Marion, as with a blanched face
she gazed into the empty boat.
"Wait--the oars may be close at hand," he replied. "I will make a
search."
"And so will I. Oh, we must find them!"

They ran up and down the rocky shore, looking far and near for the oars,
but without success. Presently they came to a halt, out of breath with
running.
"Gone, sure enough!" groaned the boy. "What a pickle we are in now!"
"We can't stay here, Jack."
"We'll have to stay here, Marion, unless I can find the oars or make
substitutes."
"How are you going to make substitutes?"
"I might take some planks from the wreck."
"But you have no tools."
"I have a stout jack-knife."
"It will take a long time, and see, it is already beginning to rain."
Marion was right, the rain had started, and as it grew heavier they
withdrew to the shelter of the wreck.
"I wouldn't mind staying here until the shower was over, only I
wouldn't want mother to worry about us," went on Marion, when they
were safe under cover.
"That's just it. But we do not know if she is home yet."
The rain soon increased, while the thunder rolled in the distance. But
they felt fairly safe in the cabin of the wreck, and sat down on a bench
running along one of the walls.
"This looks as if it was going to keep up all night," observed Jack, an
hour later, after another look at the sky from the top of the companion
way.
"Oh, you don't mean we'll have to remain here all night!" exclaimed

Marion.
"Perhaps, Marion."
"But I do not wish to remain in such a place all night."
"Are you afraid of ghosts?" and Jack gave a short laugh.
"No, Jack; but you'll admit it isn't a very nice place."
"I know that. But that isn't the worst of it."
"Not the worst of it?"
"No. You must remember that we have nothing to eat or to drink here."
"That is true, but I do not feel much like eating or drinking just now."
"Yes, but you'll be hungry and thirsty before morning, Marion."
"Perhaps. We can drink rain water, if we wish."
Another hour passed and the storm grew more violent. The lightning
flashed across the sky and lit up the wreck from end to end. Then a
blackness as of night followed.
"We could not row ashore now, even if we had oars," observed Marion,
as she listened to the howling of the wind.
"You are right, Marion. My, how it does blow!"
Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps on the deck of the wreck reached
their ears.
"Somebody is coming!" said Jack, and looked up the companion way.
"Why, it's Old Ben!"
He was right; it was Ben the fisherman who had put in an appearance,
market basket in hand.

"Marion! Jack! Am dat yo'?" came in an anxious voice.
"Yes, Ben!" cried both.
"What brought you?" continued the boy.
"I dun thought yo' was a-wantin' ob Ole Ben," grinned the colored man.
"I seed yo' rowin' off an' I didn't see yo' cum back, so I says to myself,
'Da is stuck fast on de wreck.' An' den I says, 'Da aint got nuffin to eat.'
So ober I comes, an' wid a basketful of good t'ings from de plantation."
And he held up the market basket. He was soaked from the rain, and
the water ran from his clothing in a stream.
"Ben, you are a jewel!" burst out Marion and patted his wet coat-sleeve
affectionately.
At this the old negro grinned broadly. He had always been a privileged
character on the Ruthven plantation, and being set free had not ended
his affection for his former mistress and her children.
"It was very kind to come over," said Jack. "Does mother know we are
here?"
"I dun left word dat I was comin' ober an' dat I thought yo' was yeah,
sah," answered Ben.
He had brought all the good things necessary, along with plates, cups,
knives and forks, and soon had the spread ready for them. Then he went
off to another part of the wreck to wring out his wet garments.
"It was very nice of Old Ben to come to us," said Marion, while eating.
"It must have been no easy matter to row from the shore to the rocks."
"Ben is as good a