"Round the stern!" shouted Captain Potter and I together "Get under the lee, and jump for the main channels!"
But they had already seized their last and only opportunity. A smooth patch on the water favoured them; they made the turn nicely, let go their sail, and succeeded in paddling up under our quarter.
"Jump while it's smooth!" I cried "Let the boat go"
My crew had by this time become expert channelsmen. One of them caught the painter, others used their boathooks; and the last load of castaways from the steamer tumbled over the side, more dead than alive, but alive enough to know that they'd been saved. The painter was cast off, the boat drifted clear of the quarter, filled, overturned, and was whirled away on the top of a breaking sea. Safely on our decks, watching this symbol of elemental destruction, stood every soul of the steamer's company.
"I really must congratulate you again!" said Captain Potter heartily "That was a feat of seamanship, sir. You seem to be able to put your ship through the eye of a needle"
"She handles nicely, doesn't she?" I agreed. As a matter of fact, I felt like congratulating myself; I won't deny that I had a feeling of pride, as well as a prayer of thankfulness for our universal good luck. Things had gone without a hitch, at a time when a hitch might easily have called for payment in human life.
So here we were, with sixty people landed suddenly on our decks; with whole topsails set, and a gale of wind turned loose upon us. I'd been obliged to abandon the upper sails, while we were saving the first three boatloads; they had slat themselves to shreds before we could find time to furl them. The chief thing now was to get the upper topsails in. I made up my mind that we would shorten sail with our own crew. The crowd from the steamer were completely fagged out; they had been fighting fire and the Atlantic for twenty-four hours. I told them to go below, in the after cabin or the forward house, anywhere, have a smoke, and rest wherever they could find a chance to lie down; and instructed my steward to pass round a supply of dry tobacco.
When they had faded away and the decks were cleared for action, Captain Potter approached me again. "I hardly dare ask about provisions" he began "I'm sorry to tell you that we brought very little. The fire cleaned out our galley and store-rooms first of all, and we were barely able to save a meal or two of biscuits and canned grub"
I thought a minute, making a rough estimate. "We can furnish provisions to go with the water, Captain" I told him.
"What!—without allowance?" he cried.