In Search of El Dorado

In Search of El Dorado, by Harry
Collingwood

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Title: In Search of El Dorado
Author: Harry Collingwood
Release Date: October 21, 2007 [EBook #23142]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN
SEARCH OF EL DORADO ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

In Search of El Dorado
by Harry Collingwood.
CHAPTER ONE.

ICE!
The Everest, newly launched, the biggest and fastest boat in the
Trans-Atlantic services, was on her maiden voyage to New York. The
fortunes of that voyage concern our story simply from the fact that it
brought our two adventurers together and helped to show the manly
stuff of which they were made. Thereafter the sea was not for them, but
the far-off swamps and forests of the mighty Amazon Valley, where
most amazing adventures befel them. On the Everest Dick Cavendish
was fifth officer.
The run from Liverpool to Queenstown was made under easy steam in
order that the ship might arrive off the Irish port at a reasonable hour in
the morning; but no sooner were the Irish passengers and the
supplementary mails shipped than the word went quietly round among
the officers that the "Old Man" was bent upon breaking the best
previous record for the run across the herring pond and setting up a new
one unassailable by any other craft than the Everest herself. And
certainly when, as the liner passed Daunt Rock lightship shortly after
nine o'clock on the Sunday morning following her departure from
Liverpool, and the moment was carefully noted by chronometer, the
omens were all most favourable for the weather was fine, though cold,
with a light northerly wind and smooth water, and with her turbines
running at top speed the chief engineer reported that the hands in the
stokeholds were keeping a full head of steam without difficulty. At
noon the patent log showed that the Everest was within a fraction of
eighty miles from the lightship; and Captain Prowse already began to
picture himself as holding the blue ribbon of the Atlantic.
And so things continued without a hitch or break of any description
until half the journey across the Atlantic had been accomplished; the
weather remained fine, with light winds, no sea, and very little swell to
speak of, while the ship ran as smoothly and steadily as though she
were travelling on land-locked waters instead of in mid-Atlantic.
Meanwhile she kept in almost hourly touch with other ships going east
or west, reporting her position and progress and asking from time to
time for the latest news; but it was not until Tuesday afternoon, about

three o'clock, local time, that she got any intelligence of the slightest
moment, this being a message from the homeward bound liner Bolivia,
to the following effect--
"Warning! S.S. Bolivia, New York--Liverpool, Latitude 45 degrees, 7
minutes North, Longitude 37 degrees, 57 minutes West. Just cleared
large area consisting of detached masses of field ice with several bergs,
through which we have been working for the last three hours. Very
dangerous. Advise ships approaching it to observe utmost caution,
particularly at night time."
This message was duly handed to Captain Prowse in his own cabin by
the wireless operator, who waited while the skipper read it, to see
whether the latter desired to address any inquiry to the Bolivia. But
after cogitating over it for two or three minutes, the skipper crumpled
up the paper and thrust it into his pocket, saying--
"All right, `Sparks', that'll do. And--look here, youngster--just keep this
message strictly to yourself, d'ye see? Don't say a word to anybody
about it. I'll see that all necessary precautions are taken; but I don't want
the news of there being ice ahead to be talked about; it'll only make the
passengers unnecessarily nervous and uneasy; and I don't want that.
Besides, it will be easy enough to alter the course a few degrees south if
it should be found desirable. You understand me?"
"Perfectly, sir," answered `Sparks,' lingering for a moment at the cabin
door. "Anything else, sir?"
"No," answered the skipper, "nothing more at present, thank you. But
keep your ears open for any further messages."
The operator saluted and vanished; whereupon the skipper produced the
chart of the North Atlantic, by the aid of which he was navigating the
ship, spread it open upon the table, and studied it intently. A pencil
mark consisting of a number of straight