It was a throw of the dice for life, but it must be
taken. He indulged in a momentary thought as to his own course. Would
he leave the ship in the last boat? Yes, if every wounded man on board
were taken off first; and how could he entertain even a shred of hope
that his cowardly crew would preserve such discipline to the end as to
permit of that being done?
The answer to his mute question came sooner than he expected. He had
been standing there alone about five minutes, intently watching the set
of the sea, so as to determine the best time for lowering a boat, when,
amid the sustained shriek of the wind and the lashing of the spray, he
heard sounds which told him that the forward port life-boat was being
swung outward on the davits. The hurricane deck was a mass of confused
figures. The two boats to starboard, a life-boat and the jolly-boat,
had been carried across the deck in readiness to take the places of the
port life-boats. A landsman might think that medley reigned supreme;
but it was not so. Sailor-like work was proceeding with the utmost
speed and system, when an accident happened.
Pages:
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100