Natalie; Or, A Gem Among the Sea-Weeds

by Emma V. Hallett

The captain could scarce believe his eyes; seeing by the smile upon the face of every man on deck, that he had been decidedly sold, he hailed him again.

"Mast-head, ahoy!"

"Aye, aye, sir."

"Take your bearings from the fog bank to your leeward, and tell me how she heads."

The boy hesitated; he "saw which way the wind blew," and bethinking himself of a small pocket compass which he had about him, sung out, "East-south-east by east, sir, two points off." The man at the wheel responded, "East-south-east by east, two points off."

It would not do; the captain saw that he had mistaken his man, and called all hands to pipe down. As Mr. Sampson passed him, he doffed his tarpaulin, remarking, "I think, sir, the youngster will do very well for trying the strength of our cats."

It was evident to Harry, before he had sailed many days under Captain Jostler, that he had one of the most tyrannical of masters. He had been a perfect stranger to him when he shipped for the voyage, being a native of Canada, and from the frozen condition of his heart no one would have doubted it; had he been a Nantucket man, master Harry would have found it more difficult in getting away so privately; as it was, no inquiries were made of him. How different was Harry's situation from what it would have been had his father procured for him a berth; as it was, he was doomed to no common hardships, for the captain, having taken a dislike to him from the first, seemed to take pleasure in making him as uncomfortable as possible; and had it not been that he was a favorite with the crew, he would have suffered many times from exposure. Many a cold, stormy night had he been ordered to take his turn in the watch, upon deck, in spite of the petitions of the men to fill his place; and he would walk the deck for hours, to keep from becoming benumbed with the cold; but, as his mother had predicted, the hardships and dangers to which he was exposed did not serve to dampen his spirits, and for that very reason, did the captain shower upon him many abuses; for in spite of his cruel treatment toward him, he never had had the pleasure of seeing him look anything but cheerful. At such times, when the wind was howling fiercely, and the salt spray came dashing over the deck, freezing upon the cheek of the youthful mariner, but never penetrating that heart, which was warmed by the remembrance of other days, the boy would think of home, of his mother, and as he uttered the name of the Sea-flower aloud, those deep-toned voices of the sea would appear as if the wild reëchoings of the tone; and the low moanings of the wind through the shrouds were of pity for that lone one on the deck of the "outward bound." Could the boy have had old Nep for a companion in his midnight watchings, he would have served to while away the time, but that pleasure was not allowed him, for Captain Jostler had threatened to throw the dog overboard, if he came in contact with him in any of his walks; consequently Harry had doomed him to a life in the hold, seldom venturing to visit him, except to carry the food which he had saved from his own short allowance; and he often wondered how the poor fellow could keep alive on such short rations, not knowing of the purloined bits which were bestowed upon him from Sampson's commodious jacket-sleeve.

"There she blows! there she blows!" hailed the look-out from the mast-head, as a school of whales hove in sight, about three miles astern, one afternoon, when they had been four months on the whaling grounds. It was the first discovery that had been made, they having been thus far unsuccessful. All hands were immediately called up; every man was at his post, making ready for the coming scene of action; not as a man-of-war, in the charging of cannon, the priming of musketry, and the brandishing of swords, a battle between man and man, but the boats were lowered, the harpoons were got out, and everything was made ready for an encounter with the monster of the ocean. Now was the time when the captain would exhibit his skill as a whaler; all depends on his management as to their success; he must be cool, and collected, working systematically; for not only does it require great skill and caution in the capturing of the whale, but there are many dangers attendant upon the encounter.

"There she blows!" No sooner did Captain Jostler hear the report, than it seemed as if he would go beside himself; every man was ready to do his duty, and had they possessed the right kind of commander, might have done well; but where there is no head, nothing is accomplished. Everything was confusion; the captain, springing into the first boat, bade his men follow, leaving, beside Harry, but two worthless fellows, who hardly knew a skysail from a jib-sheet, in charge of the ship. Harry kept his eye upon the boats for hours; he perceived they were evidently having a hard time of it. Running aft to get a glass, as they distanced him, he discovered a fog had sprang up, and was shutting in heavily on all sides; he returned to mark the boats; they were nowhere to be seen; he had lost them entirely; nothing was to be seen on all sides but thick fog banks! What was to be done? where they were, how far from the boats, and in what direction, they knew not. The boy was aware that they were all ignorant of the management of the ship, and what was worse, should the least breeze spring up, they would be borne,--they knew not whither. A couple of hours passed, and the fog did not lift. Night was coming on, and from the increased darkness, together with a low, rumbling noise of the sea, it was evident a storm was brewing. Harry anxiously walked the quarter deck; it would be certain destruction if they remained in that position till night should overtake them. The boy called to the men, asking what was to be done; but they in terror could do nothing but lament their situation, calling out against the captain for leaving them in such a state. Harry hesitated; what was done must be done speedily. To take in sail was his first thought; then, with the assistance of the clumsy seamen, he rolled out a small cannon-piece, and for one long hour did he keep up an incessant fire. The coming storm was now plainly discernible; the distant rolling of thunder was heard, the sea was agitated, and occasionally a flaw would shake the rattlings. They were in momentary expectation that the storm would burst upon them. Harry had left his firing, and ascending the hurricane deck, stood with folded arms, as if bracing himself to meet the foe. It is coming in all its fury! kind heaven! the fog lifts! it rolls itself away as it were a great scroll. The ink-black heavens are fearfully majestic, seen in the lightning's lurid glare. A speck! yes, 't is the boats! do they see them? Once more the boy flies to the cannon, not pausing to see if they are nearing the ship; his heart beats wildly; 'tis their only chance for life! the hurricane has burst upon them! the enraged deep responds loudly to the deafening roar! Once again the feeble voice of the cannon is doing its best to be heard, when lo! the flash mingling with the forked lightnings which play in the rigging, reveals the men, as they come tumbling over the ship's side! They are saved! saved by that noble boy, who does not know of their approach, so intent is he upon his exertions, until Sampson clasps him in his arms, and a "God bless you!" is upon the lips of every man, save the captain, who, having received a slight wound from a harpoon, and irritated by their bad luck, utters a curse which vies in blackness with that dreadful night.

"Down your helm!" shouted the captain; "hard down your helm!" The order was hardly given, when they were thrown on their beam ends; down, down they went, as if never to rise again, completely engulfed in the dark abyss! The boy, where is he? down in the hold, his arm made fast to the collar of old Neptune, that they may go down together; he kneels, his mother's gift, the bible, in his hand, calmly awaiting his time. Nature seems terrified, yet that boy knows no fear. Crash succeeds crash; ah, who can describe the scene! He alone who has stood upon the frail plank, which only separates him from death. Again a terrific crash,--their masts have gone by the board! It would seem that the enraged billows were bent upon their destruction. Still their stout bark is unwilling to give up, and trembling from stem to stern, she clings to life, nobly resisting the gigantic attacks of the storm-king, who, having fought with terrific fierceness through the livelong night, puts on a less demon-like expression as his strength is well nigh spent, and the gray dawn sees no traces of the despoiler, who perhaps has slain thousands, save the swelling surges, which angrily gaze as if disappointed of their prey.