Dinner ended, Bob and I adjourned to the deck to make preparations for transferring our fair young guest to the Water Lily, so as to be fairly away from the wreck again before nightfall.
As soon as we were out of the cabin, Bob observed:
“I call the falling in with this here wrack,” (so he pronounced the word) “downright providential, Harry. Here we has, fust of all, the very great pleasure of being of sarvice to a most charming young ’oman; and next, we has a chance of filling up our stores and water—and not afore ’twas time, too, for I bethought me this morning of seeing how our tank stood, and I’m blest if we ain’t a’most at our last drop. It’s lucky there’s plenty of it aboard here. I sees more water-casks about the deck than will supply all as we wants; and I think our first job had better be to get the hose and pump under weigh, and fill up our water; a’ter which we can soon strike a few odds and ends into the cutter such as’ll be useful, and then the sooner we’re off the better.”
We set to work with a will; and Ella coming on deck at the moment, I requested her to pack her boxes in readiness for sending them over the side, asking her, at the same time, whether it would take her long.
She replied briskly, Oh, no; she had brought hardly anything with her—only three large boxes and one small one.
Only! A chest apiece held Bob’s and my own stock of clothing, and we considered ourselves opulently supplied; and here was a young girl who had brought hardly anything with her—only such few trifles as she could stow away in three large boxes and one small one. The three large boxes, by the way, turned out to be considerably larger than either of our sea-chests, and the small one would have sufficed for a seaman on a three years’ voyage.
We did not hesitate about helping ourselves freely to the best the ship afforded, judging that it was highly improbable she would ever reach a port, unless fallen in with and taken possession of by an exceptionally strong-handed vessel (and even then our petty appropriations would never be missed); and we laid in a liberal stock of dainties of various kinds, for the especial benefit of our lady passenger, which we should never have dreamed of taking on our own account. We also transferred one coop, with as many fowls as it would conveniently accommodate, to the cutter; and I made free with a very handsome swinging-cot which I found in the captain’s cabin, also for our passenger’s use, together with a good stock of bedding.
All these we collected together on the lee-side of the deck; and when everything was ready, we got the cutter alongside, and, with considerable difficulty, got them over the side and down on her deck.
Bob went on board the Water Lily to receive them and stow them away as I lowered them down, and at length all was ready, and it only remained to get Ella herself on board and shove off.
We had less difficulty with her than I expected. She was rather nervous; but, nevertheless, she seated herself courageously with her beloved kitten in her lap, in the bo’sun’s chair I had rigged for her accommodation, and held on tight, shutting her eyes as she swung off the ship’s bulwarks, until she felt Bob’s brawny arms receive her on the deck of the cutter.