It is an ill wind that blows nobody good; and Billy was congratulating himself on the happiness of spending a few more days in the society of Angelica, but the motion of the ship had produced the same effect on her as it had on her papa, and when at length she did appear on deck, Tom remarked that she looked wonderfully yellow about the region of the mouth.
“I say, Billy,” he observed, mischievously, “I think it would be very appropriate to compare her to the sunflower now.”
In vain Billy tried to console her; she was too miserable to speak. He at length had to lead her below to the door of her cabin.
The calm continued all night, though the weather looked very threatening. In vain the engineers toiled on without ceasing. It might take two or three days even now before the damage could be repaired. The night came on. The captain, first lieutenant, and master felt too uneasy to turn in. Either the second or third lieutenant remained on the forecastle, ready to issue the necessary orders for letting go the other cable, should the first give way. It held on, however, until morning, but still the same heavy surf as before rolled on the shore, from whence, in answer to Jack’s signals, the reply came, “Troops cannot yet land.”
“I think, sir, before long, we shall have a breeze,” said the master. “I hope it won’t come due south; and from the look of the sky I should say that we shall have it from the south-west, or perhaps from the westward.”
“I trust, if we do get it, that it will be from a quarter which will enable us to make sail,” answered Jack.
Still hour after hour went by, and no breeze came. At length, towards night, a few ripples were seen on the water. They became more frequent. The dog vanes blew out.
“Hurrah! here comes a breeze!” cried the master. “We shall have it strong enough presently to make sail,” he added. “We may then get that ironwork of ours to rights.”
The capstan was manned. Scarcely had the men commenced tramping round than a loud report was heard. The messenger had given way, when the cable ran out to the clench, carrying away the stoppers, and running through both compressors. By great exertions, however, the messenger was again shackled together and the anchor hove up. No sooner did it appear above water than Tom, who was on the forecastle, exclaimed—
“Both flukes carried away, sir; nothing but the shank and stock remaining.”