Fielding did not reply. He was busy racking his brains over the new conditions of the problem he had to tackle.
"Sit tight, sonny," replied the American. "I've been in a few tough sets-to in my time; but take the word of Hiram B. Rutter—that's me—that you can't beat sitting tight."
"That's it," assented Fielding. "We must sit tight. Luckily we're in comfortable quarters; the captain's cabin, as well as those of the other officers, are at our disposal, and I think we have access to the after bread-room, so we won't exactly starve. But they're calming down, I fancy. They'll be a bit surprised when they find we are in possession of the after part of the ship. Look here, Mr. Rutter, would you mind taking these men with you, and keeping your eyes on the after ladder? I'll watch this one pretty carefully. Directly they open the hatches wide fire a volley and rush on deck. Be sharp; they're coming!"
CHAPTER XVI
CARDYKE TO THE RESCUE
The collision with the iceberg had, as Fielding anticipated, completely unnerved the Dago crew. Even Juan Cervillo realised that there were great difficulties and perils in his path that were as formidable as the retributive warships he had hitherto escaped. As the Independencia steamed off on her aimless course the Spanish captain contrived to induce some of the engineers to go below and shut off steam, and, gradually losing way, the cruiser came to a standstill. Cervillo would wait till the fog lifted rather than risk another collision. It might be for days, but there were enough provisions and water to last for nearly a month.
As soon as the vessel had slowed down an examination of the damage caused by the collision was made. The principal injury was to the bows, where the massive steel plating had been fractured and buckled for a distance of twenty feet from the stem. The whole of the fore-peak was flooded; but the inrush of water was prevented from making its way aft by the water-tight bulkheads. Even the foremost of these was strained to such an extent that the doors let in a considerable quantity of water. As the cruiser slipped off the berg the torrent of ice-laden sea that broke over her decks literally swept everything removable as far as the base of the after tripod mast, while of the boats taken from the Steephill Castle only three remained. The aftermost funnel, struck by a huge fragment of ice, had been carried away, leaving a jagged ridge of steel projecting five or six feet above the casings. This accounted for the loss of ten of the crew; another thirty or forty had been swept away when the Independencia had dipped beneath the waves, while several more were severely injured by the first concussion and the subsequent violent motion of the stricken craft.
No wonder, then, that Juan Cervillo was almost at his wits' end. He realised that he had made a mistake in seeking refuge in northern waters. The irresistible craving to increase the amount of his booty, instead of retiring to a South American port with the proceeds of his successful captures, had caused his present plight. In a partially crippled ship, incapable of making more than ten knots, and separated from his ultimate port of refuge by thousands of miles of carefully patrolled ocean, his position was hazardous in the extreme. Further captures by the Independencia were almost impossible, since the usual speed of tramp steamers considerably exceeded that of the damaged cruiser.
In the midst of these calamities Cervillo's thoughts were not for the safety of his rascally crew, but how he could effect his own escape with the riches that the pirates had so unlawfully acquired. The question of fellow-feeling for his comrades in distress troubled him not one moment; they could shift for themselves as best they might, provided he was safely off the disabled ship with the booty. How could this be done? he asked himself. It was more than the task of a single man; but did the crew know of his plans his life would not be worth a moment's purchase. Plan after plan flashed across his mind, only to be condemned as impracticable, till his cunning brain evolved a scheme that seemed capable of being put into execution.