Jack was merrily running over the deck or romping with Dingo. Sometimes he missed the companionship of Dick; but his mother told him that Dick was the captain. And the child understood that his old friend had new duties.
As a general rule Dick Sand remained at the wheel all night. He was sleeping in the daytime, and during the time when he was lying down he entrusted the wheel to Tom or Bat. Under his instructions they became very fair helmsmen.
Although in these waters they saw no vessel, Dick lighted the signals: a green light to starboard and a red light to port.
On the night of the 13th, Dick was so tired that he asked Tom to relieve him at the helm whilst he went down for a few hours’ rest. Acteon and Hercules remained on watch.
The night was very dark; the sky was covered with heavy clouds, and the sails on the top-masts were lost in the obscurity. Towards three o’clock in the morning Tom’s eye lost its power of vision, and he fell into a doze. Meantime a light shadow glided stealthily along the deck. Creeping gradually up to the binnacle, Negoro put down something heavy that he had in his hand. Then he made his way back, unseen and unheard.
Almost immediately afterwards, Tom awakened from his slumber. His eye fell instinctively on the compass, and he saw that the ship was out of its proper course. By a turn of the helm he brought the ship’s head to the east. But he was mistaken. During his brief interval of unconsciousness a piece of iron was deposited beneath the magnetic needle. The “Pilgrim” speeding along towards the south-east now!
Chapter XI
The Storm
During the next week nothing particular occurred on board. The “Pilgrim” made on the average 160 miles every twenty-four hours.
Dick was sure that the schooner was crossing the track of the vessels plying between the eastern and western hemispheres. But day after day passed, and yet there was no ship at all.
Very different, however, was the true position of the “Pilgrim” from what Dick supposed. Our young captain was convinced that they were proceeding steadily eastwards. He hoped to see the American coast very soon.
Although the youth of the apprentice did not allow him to have any advanced scientific knowledge, he was a real sailor. Captain Hull was a clever meteorologist and taught Dick to draw correct conclusions from the indications of the barometer.
On the 20th of February, the storm began. For three days the gale continued, yet without any variation in its direction. And the barometer was falling. The sky was overcast; clouds, thick and lowering, obscured the sun, and it was difficult to sail. There was cause for uneasiness. Dick maintained a calm exterior, but he was really tortured with anxiety.
About four o’clock one afternoon, Negoro emerged from his kitchen, and skulked to the fore. Dingo was fast asleep, and did not growl. For half an hour Negoro stood motionless, he was surveying the horizon. Negoro looked long at the water; he then raised his eyes and scanned the sky. Then he smiled and soon stealthily retreated to his own quarters.
Time passed on, and the 9th of March arrived without material change in the condition of the atmosphere. The sky remained heavily burdened.
The “Pilgrim” pitched and rolled frightfully. Fortunately Mrs. Weldon could bear the motion without much inconvenience, but her little boy was a miserable sufferer. Cousin Benedict was investigating cockroaches; he hardly noticed the weather or wind. Moreover, it was fortunate that the negroes did not suffer from sea-sickness, and consequently were able to assist their captain in his arduous task.
Dick was sure that the land was not far away. Surely, the shore must be almost in sight. But there was no land at all.
Next day as Dick was standing at the bow, Mrs. Weldon approached him. She asked him whether he could see anything. He lowered the telescope and answered,
“No, Mrs. Weldon, I cannot see anything. I cannot understand why we don’t see any land. It is nearly a month since we lost our poor dear captain. There is no delay in our progress, no stoppage. I cannot understand.”
“How far were we from land when we lost the captain?”
“We were scarcely more than 4500 miles from the shores of America.”
“And the rate?”
“Not much less than nine score knots a day.”
“How long, then, do you reckon, Dick, we will arrive at the coast?”
“In six-and-twenty days,” replied Dick.
He paused before he spoke again, then added,
“But what mystifies me even more is this: we don’t see a single vessel. And vessels are always traversing these seas.”
“But do you not think,” inquired Mrs. Weldon, “that you made some error in your reckoning?”
“Impossible, madam,” replied Dick, “I made no errors.”
But Dick did not know that the compass was misleading him entirely!
The “Pilgrim” was running with a terrific speed. Early on the morning of the 12th, Dick noted that the barometer now registered only 27.9°. Dick Sand became more uneasy than ever. The next moment Negoro appeared on deck; he pointed mysteriously to the horizon. The he looked round with a malevolent smile, and immediately left the deck, and went back to his cabin.
Chapter XII
The Island
The wind now increased to a hurricane; it veered to the south-west, and attained a velocity of ninety miles an hour. The progress of the schooner was prodigiously rapid; sometimes, indeed, it was literally lifted from the water.
The rolling was fearful. Enormous waves travelled faster than the ship. Dick lashed himself to his place at the wheel by a rope round his waist. Tom and Bat were ready to give him assistance, in case of emergency. Mrs. Weldon remained inside the stern cabin.
The hatchways were hermetically closed. Tom and Bat were left alone at the wheel. To their surprise, Negoro joined them. He inclined to enter into conversation, but found Tom and his son did not answer him. All at once a violent roll of the ship threw him off his feet, and he fell against the binnacle.
Old Tom uttered a cry of consternation so loud that it roused Dick from the light slumber in the cabin, and he rushed to the deck. Negoro regained his feet, and managed successfully to extract the bit of iron from beneath the binnacle. Then he threw it away.
“What’s the matter?” asked Dick; “what is the meaning of all this noise?”
Tom said that the cook fell against the binnacle. Was the compass injured? Dick knelt down to examine its condition. Happily, the instrument had no damage. But Dick was quite unconscious of the removal of the bit of iron. The incident, however, excited his misgiving. The very presence of Negoro in such a place at such a time perplexed him.
“And what brings you here, this hour of the night?” he asked.
“That’s not your business”, retorted Negoro insolently.
“It is my business,” replied Dick resolutely; “and I need an answer; what brought you here?”
“I go where I like and when I like”, answered Negoro. “There is no rule that forbids it.”
“No rule!” cried Dick; “then I make the rule now. From this time forward, I make the rule that you never come astern. Do you understand?”
Negoro made a threatening movement. Quick as lightning, Dick Sand drew a revolver from his pocket.
“Negoro, one act, one word of insubordination, and I blow out your brains!”
Negoro had no time to reply. Hercules grasped him by the shoulder.
“Maybe to put him overboard, captain?” said the negro, with a grin of contempt.
“Not yet,” quietly answered Dick.
The giant removed his hand, and Negoro stood upright again, and began to retreat to his own quarters, muttering, however,