But after an hour or two it became possible to get below and ascertain the extent of the fire. And it was found that there was still an immense heap of coal forward of the main hatch which had been as yet untouched by the water, and which on being disturbed glowed fiercely. The pump was at once brought into play, and amid blinding smoke and suffocating gas the lively Javanese toiled manfully through a day and night until it began to be evident that the fire was under control. Meanwhile the water was pumped out of the lower hold, where there could no longer be any danger of fire, since she had been practically flooded up to her ’tween-deck beams for three weeks.
It would be sheer waste of words to say how anxious and worried Captain Jenkins was all this time. His first command, surrounded by a gang of foreign harpies who looked upon his ship as their legitimate prey, but could not work their will upon her without his signature, the one vestige of authority left to a captain in a foreign port where there are no accredited agents, and, above all, his high desire to accomplish his voyage, he, like any other man in a similar position, must demand all our sympathies. His men, on the other hand, were quite happy. They felt like conquerors who in the face of fearful odds had succeeded in overcoming the most terrible forces of nature, and were now reaping the rewards of victory.
Especially was this the case with Frank. He literally grew with the occasion, felt proud of his ship, his shipmates, and himself with a grand and legitimate pride, and yet went on learning in the great business of re-rigging the ship and preparing her to resume her voyage. This is no place to talk technicalities, or I would like to tell of the stupendous labours of Mr. Jacks and the crew, all of whom were given over to him to work aloft, while the mate superintended the work of the coolies on deck and below.
Well, in the end the Sealark regained her normal trim appearance under the hands of Mr. Jacks and his hard-working crowd, and the captain, chafing with impatience as day succeeded day and the prospect of his leaving seemed as remote as ever, at last began to see a possibility of getting to sea again, where he would be free of those landsharks who made life a burden to him. It is of course impossible in a book like this to give any detailed account of his adventures, every day of which would furnish materials for a most exciting story, but I may go so far as to give his conversation of a few minutes with Mr. Cope when at last the ship was considered ready for sea.
“Cope, I’d rather face the cyclone again than deal for another day with these fellows. They smother me, they make me doubt myself, make me feel that whatever I want to be I am bound to become an infernal thief and liar such as I am sure the majority of them are by choice. They are like the villains I have met in London and Liverpool, ready to curse or bless anybody and everybody for payment. Yet they have never lost sight of anybody they had a down on, while it was safe they’d do their best to ruin him, or her, it didn’t matter which, for their price could always be paid and the payer passed at once from being an unspeakable villain to an angel of truth and, especially, of financial rectitude. I’m choking to get out to sea again, Cope. If I stay here much longer I shall lose all faith in either God or man. It isn’t right that we should fight the sea and winds as we do to conquer them only to become the prey of a gang of beach-combers like these, for that’s what they are, I don’t care what swagger names or offices they put up, they are even less reputable than the pukka beach-comber.”
“Never mind, sir,” replied Cope, “you have fought the good fight.”
“At a price, my boy, at a price,” interjected the despondent skipper.
“Anyhow,” continued Cope, “we are all right again after as hard a time as a man can have. The owners will have a nice letter to cheer you up in Hong-Kong. But apart from all that, sir, what a good sturdy crowd we’ve got, haven’t we? And those two lads, Frank and Johnson, they’ll make splendid officers if they’ll only stick to it, I think they’re the right stuff.”
“Yes, Cope, they’re good, I know, but I’m dead tired of the whole thing, and wondering whether the game is really worth the candle or not. I know I’m a bit out of sorts with all these bloodsuckers hanging on to me; perhaps I’ll feel better when I get out on the clean sea again. We’ll get under-weigh to-morrow morning at daylight, and before any of this nest of liars and thieves are awake we’ll be well on our way to where it’s clean. Good night.”
From all of which it may be inferred that alone among his whole crew Captain Jenkins was despondent, unsatisfied, his victory having brought him no joy. You can see why for yourself. Everybody else who had no thought of financial details, and who when their work was done had nothing else to think of until turn-to time again, was supremely happy. Especially as within certain limits Captain Jenkins had ordered them a free bumboat, that is, fruit and eggs and vegetables and soft-tack for nothing.