The Boats of the Glen-Carrig | Page 4

were fain to rest a hand by
their sheath-knives; for the happenings of the past night were
continually in our minds, and we were in great fear; so that we had
turned back to the sea but that we had come so nigh to the end of our
provisions.

II
The Ship in the Creek
Then, it was nigh on to evening, we came upon a creek opening into the

greater one through the bank upon our left. We had been like to pass
it--as, indeed, we had passed many throughout the day--but that the
bo'sun, whose boat had the lead, cried out that there was some craft
lying-up, a little beyond the first bend. And, indeed, so it seemed; for
one of the masts of her--all jagged, where it had carried away--stuck up
plain to our view.
Now, having grown sick with so much lonesomeness, and being in fear
of the approaching night, we gave out something near to a cheer, which,
however, the bo'sun silenced, having no knowledge of those who might
occupy the stranger. And so, in silence, the bo'sun turned his craft
toward the creek, whereat we followed, taking heed to keep quietness,
and working the oars warily. So, in a little, we came to the shoulder of
the bend, and had plain sight of the vessel some little way beyond us.
From the distance she had no appearance of being inhabited; so that
after some small hesitation, we pulled towards her, though still being at
pains to keep silence.
The strange vessel lay against that bank of the creek which was upon
our right, and over above her was a thick clump of the stunted trees.
For the rest, she appeared to be firmly imbedded in the heavy mud, and
there was a certain look of age about her which carried to me a doleful
suggestion that we should find naught aboard of her fit for an honest
stomach.
We had come to a distance of maybe some ten fathoms from her
starboard bow--for she lay with her head down towards the mouth of
the little creek--when the bo'sun bade his men to back water, the which
Josh did regarding our own boat. Then, being ready to fly if we had
been in danger, the bo'sun hailed the stranger; but got no reply, save
that some echo of his shout seemed to come back at us. And so he sung
out again to her, chance there might be some below decks who had not
caught his first hail; but, for the second time, no answer came to us,
save the low echo--naught, but that the silent trees took on a little
quivering, as though his voice had shaken them.
At that, being confident now within our minds, we laid alongside, and,
in a minute had shinned up the oars and so gained her decks. Here, save
that the glass of the skylight of the main cabin had been broken, and
some portion of the framework shattered, there was no extraordinary
litter; so that it appeared to us as though she had been no great while

abandoned.
So soon as the bo'sun had made his way up from the boat, he turned aft
toward the scuttle, the rest of us following. We found the leaf of the
scuttle pulled forward to within an inch of closing, and so much effort
did it require of us to push it back, that we had immediate evidence of a
considerable time since any had gone down that way.
However, it was no great while before we were below, and here we
found the main cabin to be empty, save for the bare furnishings. From
it there opened off two state-rooms at the forrard end, and the captain's
cabin in the after part, and in all of these we found matters of clothing
and sundries such as proved that the vessel had been deserted
apparently in haste. In further proof of this we found, in a drawer in the
captain's room, a considerable quantity of loose gold, the which it was
not to be supposed would have been left by the free-will of the owner.
Of the staterooms, the one upon the starboard side gave evidence that it
had been occupied by a woman--no doubt a passenger. The other, in
which there were two bunks, had been shared, so far as we could have
any certainty, by a couple of young men; and this we gathered by
observation of various garments which were scattered carelessly about.
Yet it must not be supposed that we spent any great time in the cabins;
for we were pressed for food, and made haste--under the directing of
the bo'sun--to discover if the hulk held victuals whereby we might be
kept alive.
To this end, we