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Thecoracle—asIhadamplereasontoknowbeforeIwasdonewithher—wasaverysafeboatforapersonofmyheightandweight,bothbuoyantandcleverinaseaway;butshewasthemostcross-grained,lop-sidedcrafttomanage.
Doasyoupleased,shealwaysmademoreleewaythananythingelse,andturningroundandroundwasthemanoeuvreshewasbestat.
EvenBenGunnhimselfhasadmittedthatshewas“queertohandletillyouknewherway.”
CertainlyIdidnotknowherway.SheturnedineverydirectionbuttheoneIwasboundtogo;themostpartofthetimewewerebroadsideon,andIamverysureInevershouldhavemadetheshipatallbutforthetide.
Bygoodfortune,paddleasIpleased,thetidewasstillsweepingmedown;andtherelaytheHispaniolarightinthefairway,hardlytobemissed.
Firstsheloomedbeforemelikeablotofsomethingyetblackerthandarkness,thenhersparsandhullbegantotakeshape,andthenextmoment,asitseemed(for,thefartherIwent,thebriskergrewthecurrentoftheebb),Iwasalongsideofherhawserandhadlaidhold.
Thehawserwasastautasabowstring,andthecurrentsostrongshepulleduponheranchor.
Allroundthehull,intheblackness,theripplingcurrentbubbledandchatteredlikealittlemountainstream.
Onecutwithmysea-gullyandtheHispaniolawouldgohummingdownthetide.
Sofarsogood,butitnextoccurredtomyrecollectionthatatauthawser,suddenlycut,isathingasdangerousasakickinghorse.
Tentoone,ifIweresofoolhardyastocuttheHispaniolafromheranchor,Iandthecoraclewouldbeknockedcleanoutofthewater.
Thisbroughtmetoafullstop,andiffortunehadnotagainparticularlyfavouredme,Ishouldhavehadtoabandonmydesign.
Butthelightairswhichhadbegunblowingfromthesouth-eastandsouthhadhauledroundafternightfallintothesouth-west.
JustwhileIwasmeditating,apuffcame,caughttheHispaniola,andforcedherupintothecurrent;andtomygreatjoy,Ifeltthehawserslackeninmygrasp,andthehandbywhichIhelditdipforasecondunderwater.
WiththatImademymindup,tookoutmygully,openeditwithmyteeth,andcutonestrandafteranother,tillthevesselswungonlybytwo.
ThenIlayquiet,waitingtosevertheselastwhenthestrainshouldbeoncemorelightenedbyabreathofwind.
AllthistimeIhadheardthesoundofloudvoicesfromthecabin,buttosaytruth,mymindhadbeensoentirelytakenupwithotherthoughtsthatIhadscarcelygivenear.
Now,however,whenIhadnothingelsetodo,Ibegantopaymoreheed.
OneIrecognizedforthecoxswain’s,IsraelHands,thathadbeenFlint’sgunnerinformerdays.
Theotherwas,ofcourse,myfriendoftherednight-cap.
Bothmenwereplainlytheworseofdrink,andtheywerestilldrinking,forevenwhileIwaslistening,oneofthem,withadrunkencry,openedthesternwindowandthrewoutsomething,whichIdivinedtobeanemptybottle.
Buttheywerenotonlytipsy;itwasplainthattheywerefuriouslyangry.
Oathsflewlikehailstones,andeverynowandthentherecameforthsuchanexplosionasIthoughtwassuretoendinblows.
Buteachtimethequarrelpassedoffandthevoicesgrumbledlowerforawhile,untilthenextcrisiscameandinitsturnpassedawaywithoutresult.
Onshore,Icouldseetheglowofthegreatcamp-fireburningwarmlythroughtheshore-sidetrees.
Someonewassinging,adull,old,droningsailor’ssong,withadroopandaquaverattheendofeveryverse,andseeminglynoendtoitatallbutthepatienceofthesinger.
Ihadhearditonthevoyagemorethanonceandrememberedthesewords:
“Butonemanofhercrewalive,
Whatputtoseawithseventy-five.”
AndIthoughtitwasadittyrathertoodolefullyappropriateforacompanythathadmetsuchcruellossesinthemorning.
But,indeed,fromwhatIsaw,allthesebuccaneerswereascallousastheseatheysailedon.
Atlastthebreezecame;theschoonersidledanddrewnearerinthedark;Ifeltthehawserslackenoncemore,andwithagood,tougheffort,cutthelastfibresthrough.
Thebreezehadbutlittleactiononthecoracle,andIwasalmostinstantlysweptagainstthebowsoftheHispaniola.
Atthesametime,theschoonerbegantoturnuponherheel,spinningslowly,endforend,acrossthecurrent.
Iwroughtlikeafiend,forIexpectedeverymomenttobeswamped;andsinceIfoundIcouldnotpushthecoracledirectlyoff,Inowshovedstraightastern.
AtlengthIwasclearofmydangerousneighbour,andjustasIgavethelastimpulsion,myhandscameacrossalightcordthatwastrailingoverboardacrossthesternbulwarks.InstantlyIgraspedit.
WhyIshouldhavedonesoIcanhardlysay.
Itwasatfirstmereinstinct,butonceIhaditinmyhandsandfounditfast,curiositybegantogettheupperhand,andIdeterminedIshouldhaveonelookthroughthecabinwindow.
Ipulledinhandoverhandonthecord,andwhenIjudgedmyselfnearenough,roseatinfiniterisktoabouthalfmyheightandthuscommandedtheroofandasliceoftheinteriorofthecabin.
Bythistimetheschoonerandherlittleconsortwereglidingprettyswiftlythroughthewater;indeed,wehadalreadyfetcheduplevelwiththecamp-fire.
Theshipwastalking,assailorssay,loudly,treadingtheinnumerablerippleswithanincessantwelteringsplash;anduntilIgotmyeyeabovethewindow-sillIcouldnotcomprehendwhythewatchmenhadtakennoalarm.
Oneglance,however,wassufficient;anditwasonlyoneglancethatIdursttakefromthatunsteadyskiff.
ItshowedmeHandsandhiscompanionlockedtogetherindeadlywrestle,eachwithahandupontheother’sthroat.
Idroppeduponthethwartagain,nonetoosoon,forIwasnearoverboard.
Icouldseenothingforthemomentbutthesetwofurious,encrimsonedfacesswayingtogetherunderthesmokylamp,andIshutmyeyestoletthemgrowoncemorefamiliarwiththedarkness.
Theendlessballadhadcometoanendatlast,andthewholediminishedcompanyaboutthecamp-firehadbrokenintothechorusIhadheardsooften:
“Fifteenmenonthedeadman’schest—
Yo-ho-ho,andabottleofrum!
Drinkandthedevilhaddonefortherest—
Yo-ho-ho,andabottleofrum!”
IwasjustthinkinghowbusydrinkandthedevilwereatthatverymomentinthecabinoftheHispaniola,whenIwassurprisedbyasuddenlurchofthecoracle.
Atthesamemoment,sheyawedsharplyandseemedtochangehercourse.
Thespeedinthemeantimehadstrangelyincreased.
Iopenedmyeyesatonce.Allroundmewerelittleripples,combingoverwithasharp,bristlingsoundandslightlyphosphorescent.
TheHispaniolaherself,afewyardsinwhosewakeIwasstillbeingwhirledalong,seemedtostaggerinhercourse,andIsawhersparstossalittleagainsttheblacknessofthenight;nay,asIlookedlonger,Imadesureshealsowaswheelingtothesouthward.
Iglancedovermyshoulder,andmyheartjumpedagainstmyribs.
There,rightbehindme,wastheglowofthecamp-fire.
Thecurrenthadturnedatrightangles,sweepingroundalongwithitthetallschoonerandthelittledancingcoracle;everquickening,everbubblinghigher,evermutteringlouder,itwentspinningthroughthenarrowsfortheopensea.
Suddenlytheschoonerinfrontofmegaveaviolentyaw,turning,perhaps,throughtwentydegrees;andalmostatthesamemomentoneshoutfollowedanotherfromonboard;IcouldhearfeetpoundingonthecompanionladderandIknewthatthetwodrunkardshadatlastbeeninterruptedintheirquarrelandawakenedtoasenseoftheirdisaster.
IlaydownflatinthebottomofthatwretchedskiffanddevoutlyrecommendedmyspirittoitsMaker.
Attheendofthestraits,Imadesurewemustfallintosomebarofragingbreakers,whereallmytroubleswouldbeendedspeedily;andthoughIcould,perhaps,beartodie,Icouldnotbeartolookuponmyfateasitapproached.
SoImusthavelainforhours,continuallybeatentoandfrouponthebillows,nowandagainwettedwithflyingsprays,andneverceasingtoexpectdeathatthenextplunge.
Graduallywearinessgrewuponme;anumbness,anoccasionalstupor,felluponmymindeveninthemidstofmyterrors,untilsleepatlastsupervenedandinmysea-tossedcoracleIlayanddreamedofhomeandtheoldAdmiralBenbow.
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