Chapter XII
The Island

The wind now increased to a hurricane; it veered to the south-west, and attained a velocity of ninety miles an hour. The progress of the schooner was prodigiously rapid; sometimes, indeed, it was literally lifted from the water.

The rolling was fearful. Enormous waves travelled faster than the ship. Dick lashed himself to his place at the wheel by a rope round his waist. Tom and Bat were ready to give him assistance, in case of emergency. Mrs. Weldon remained inside the stern cabin.

The hatchways were hermetically closed. Tom and Bat were left alone at the wheel. To their surprise, Negoro joined them. He inclined to enter into conversation, but found Tom and his son did not answer him. All at once a violent roll of the ship threw him off his feet, and he fell against the binnacle.

Old Tom uttered a cry of consternation so loud that it roused Dick from the light slumber in the cabin, and he rushed to the deck. Negoro regained his feet, and managed successfully to extract the bit of iron from beneath the binnacle. Then he threw it away.

“What’s the matter?” asked Dick; “what is the meaning of all this noise?”

Tom said that the cook fell against the binnacle. Was the compass injured? Dick knelt down to examine its condition. Happily, the instrument had no damage. But Dick was quite unconscious of the removal of the bit of iron. The incident, however, excited his misgiving. The very presence of Negoro in such a place at such a time perplexed him.

“And what brings you here, this hour of the night?” he asked.

“That’s not your business”, retorted Negoro insolently.

“It is my business,” replied Dick resolutely; “and I need an answer; what brought you here?”

“I go where I like and when I like”, answered Negoro. “There is no rule that forbids it.”

“No rule!” cried Dick; “then I make the rule now. From this time forward, I make the rule that you never come astern. Do you understand?”

Negoro made a threatening movement. Quick as lightning, Dick Sand drew a revolver from his pocket.

“Negoro, one act, one word of insubordination, and I blow out your brains!”

Negoro had no time to reply. Hercules grasped him by the shoulder.

“Maybe to put him overboard, captain?” said the negro, with a grin of contempt.

“Not yet,” quietly answered Dick.

The giant removed his hand, and Negoro stood upright again, and began to retreat to his own quarters, muttering, however, as he passed Hercules,

“You will pay for this!”

The young captain could not shake off the suspicion that Negoro was concerned in the loss of the first compass, and had some further designs upon the second. But what possible motive could that man have?

A week passed, and the barometer continued to fall. The “Pilgrim” still made its way northeast. Its speed could not be less than two hundred miles in twenty-four hours. But no land appeared. Dick was perpetually asking himself: was he sailing in a wrong direction?

But no: he was convinced there was no error in his steering. But where is America? Where were they? Why did not the expected coast appear?

To all these bewildering inquiries Dick could find no answer. He studied his chart; but all in vain.

One morning about eight o’clock, Hercules suddenly shouted,

“Land!”

Dick Sand hurried forward to the bow.

“Where’s the land?” he cried.

“There! Look there!” said Hercules, nodding his head and pointing to the north-east.

Dick could see nothing.

Mrs. Weldon heard the shout. She left her cabin. She scanned the horizon in the direction indicated by Hercules. But all to no purpose.

Suddenly, however, after a while, Dick raised his hand.

“Yes!” he said; “yes; sure enough, yonder is land.”

Mrs. Weldon strained her eyes yet more vehemently. Beyond a doubt an elevated peak was there. It was about ten miles to leeward. Dick went back to the wheel. Here was the land!

Negoro appeared on deck; he nodded to the peak familiarly, and retired.

Two hours later, Dick Sand failed to discover any further indications of a coast-line. His only increased; the horizon was clear. Dick took up his telescope again and again; but there was nothing. No indication of the shore.

Dick Sand uttered a sigh of mingled amazement and relief. He went into Mrs. Weldon’s cabin.

“It was only an island!” he said; “only an island!”

“How? Why? What island? What do you mean?” cried Mrs. Weldon incredulously; “what island can it be?”

“The chart perhaps will tell us,” replied Dick; and hurried off to his own cabin. Then he immediately returned with the chart in his hands.

“There, Mrs. Weldon; the land, I suppose it is that little speck in the midst of the Pacific. It must be Easter Island^[22].”

“And do you say,” inquired Mrs. Weldon, “that it is behind us?”

“Yes, entirely.”

“How far is this,” she said Mrs. Weldon; “how far is this from the coast of America?”

“Thirty-five degrees,” answered Dick; “somewhere about 2500 miles.”

“What do you mean?” rejoined the lady astonished; “we made no progress at all! Impossible!”

Dick passed his hand across his brow. He did not know what to say. After an interval of silence, he said,

“I can’t explain this strange delay. It is inexplicable to myself. Maybe the readings of the compass are wrong. But at least we know where we really are. If this hurricane ceases, we will be on our proper course to the shores of America.”

Chapter XIII
Land at Last

Dick’s sanguine expectations were partially realized. The sea remained exceedingly rough, but the violence of the wind perceptibly diminished.

Mrs. Weldon was the first to leave her imprisonment. She was anxious to speak to Dick.

“Well, Captain Dick, how are you?” she said, as she advanced towards him holding out her hand.

Dick smiled.

“You call me captain, Mrs. Weldon,” he answered, “but you do not submit to captain’s orders. Did I not direct you to keep to your cabin?”

“You did,” replied the lady; “but I could not resist the temptation to disobey you.”

“Yes, madam, I really trust the worst is over now.”

“Thank Heaven!” she replied, and after a few moments’ silence, she added,

“But now, Dick, you must really take some rest; it is absolutely necessary.”

“Rest!” the boy repeated; “rest! I want no rest. I only did my duty.”

“You act like a man,” said Mrs. Weldon; “and my husband, like myself, will never forget your services. I am sure he will not refuse, that you will complete your studies, and you will become a captain.”

Tears of gratitude rose to Dick’s eyes. Mrs. Weldon assured him that he was dear as a son to her, and pressed a gentle kiss upon his forehead.

“Now, my men, I have some work for you today,” he said to the negroes when he came on deck at daybreak.

“All right, captain,” answered Hercules.

“Why didn’t you blow with your big mouth?” said little Jack. “You could have beaten the wind all to nothing.”

Dick laughed, and said, “Not a bad idea, Jack!”

“I’ll be most happy,” retorted the giant, and he inflated his huge checks.

“But now to work!” cried Dick; “we must hoist another topsail. Not an easy matter, I can tell you.”

“I dare say we’ll manage it,” replied Acteon.

“Can’t I help?” inquired Jack.

“Of course you can,” answered Dick; “run along to the wheel, and assist Bat.”

Under Dick’s directions, the negroes commenced their difficult task.

Although the clouds continued to travel all the next day with great rapidity, the “Pilgrim” was bathed in sunlight. The weather cleared.

“Upon what part of South America will we find ourselves?” asked Mrs. Weldon.

“I think somewhere hereabouts,” replied Dick.

He was pointing on the chart to the long shore-line of Chili and Peru. They both examined the chart with attention.

“Here, you see,” resumed Dick, “here is the island; we must see the land soon. The coast has plenty of harbours. From any one of them you will be able easily to get to San Francisco.”

“Ah, well; we will see all this,” Mrs. Weldon said, smiling.

It was the 5th of April. More than two months ago the “Pilgrim” quitted New Zealand. Sometimes Tom, sometimes Hercules, or one of the others were sure that a distant speck was a mountain ridge; but their delusion was dispelled.

At last, at eight o’clock one morning the horizon was clear. Dick’s voice rung out, – “Land! Land ahead!”

Every one was on deck in an instant: Mrs. Weldon, little Jack, Cousin Benedict, old Nan, and the negroes; all, with the exception of Negoro, all were on deck.

They soon distinguished the shore they were approaching. There was land not far ahead! A few miles to the east there was a long coast.

The “Pilgrim” was going rapidly towards the land. But they saw no human habitation, no harbour.

The wind remained brisk, and the schooner was driving directly towards the land. With eager eyes Dick scrutinized his situation. Straight ahead was a reef. The wind seemed brisker than before.

Dick went quickly aft and took the helm. He did not speak a word.

Dingo was trotting up and down the deck. Was it possible that the animal recognized the coast?

The howling of the dog attracted Negoro’s attention; the man emerged from his cabin. Mrs. Weldon, who was watching him, saw a flush rise to his face^[23].

She did not mention it to Dick, who, at that moment, left the helm, and came and stood beside her. In a few moments he turned round to Mrs. Weldon, and said quietly, – “Mrs. Weldon, I am disappointed. I hoped to get the schooner into yonder cove; but there is no chance now. In half an hour the schooner will be upon that reef. I must run it aground. It will be utter destruction to the ship, but there is no choice. Your safety is the first and paramount consideration.”

“Do you mean that there is no other course, Dick?”

“None whatever,” said Dick decidedly.

“It must be as you will,” she said.

Dick steered the schooner right into the narrow channel; the sea was furious. There was a sudden shock. An enormous wave caught the ship. The masts fell, fortunately without injury to any one on board. But the vessel was foundering. In less than ten minutes the “Pilgrim’s” captain, crew, and passengers were all landed at the foot of the cliff.