On hearing this, Miss Marlow darted forward to her father, and seizing him by the arm, tried to force him away from the pumps. He soon yielded to her entreaties, and almost fainting with fatigue, came and sat down aft.
“Now, my lads,” cried Jack to the men, who, one after the other, had thrown themselves down on the deck, “we’ll see if we can’t keep the old craft afloat till we get her into harbour.”
But no one responded to his summons. Just then my eye fell on the white sail of a vessel appearing above the dark horizon right ahead of us. I pointed it out to Jack.
“It’s the cutter, sir, to a certainty,” he exclaimed, after scrutinising it attentively. “Huzza! my lads, there’s help at hand, if you will but hold out an hour longer.”
The men, encouraged by his words and example, resumed their labours, and again sent the water gushing through the scuppers. It was an anxious time; for after all I felt that the sail in sight might not prove to be the cutter, or she might be crossing our course and not see us. Our last remnant of food and water had been served out, with the exception of a biscuit, which I had kept for the little girl and her father; so that all hands were very hungry as well as fatigued. I had tightened my belt round my waist to serve me for my breakfast. I watched the vessel as she rose higher and higher above the horizon; and, to my great joy, I at length saw that she was, at all events, a large cutter, beating up towards us. I called Jack to look at her again.
“She’s the Serpent, and no mistake,” he exclaimed. “She’ll be down to us in another hour, if the wind holds. My doubt is if the ship will swim as long,” he added in a whisper to me; “but we’ll do our best, sir.”
“Let me know in time if the water gains much on us, that we may get the young lady and the gentleman into the boat,” said I.
“Ay, ay, sir,” he answered, as he went forward, and with a loud cheer, resumed his labours.
The minutes dragged slowly on; for, though I had no fear for our lives, I was anxious to get fresh hands to keep the ship afloat.
“Is that little vessel yours?” asked Miss Marlow, pointing to the cutter as she approached.