As for the skipper of the poor steamer, he seemed to have lost his head completely, for he was shouting out orders one moment from the bridge and contradicting them the next: while the crew were rushing about the decks aimlessly, one going here and another there, without apparent end or purpose, every one looking bewildered from the want of proper leadership.

"Keep calm, ladies!" the skipper sang out at intervals between his orders to the seamen and firemen, whom the incessant sounding of the engine-room gong had brought up from below. "Keep cool; there's no danger, I tell you!"

He himself, however, appeared so perturbed, that his a.s.surances increased, instead of lessened, the panic amongst the pa.s.sengers, who huddled together in groups like startled sheep; and Nell clasped her aunt's hand tightly, the two awaiting in great anxiety Captain Dresser's return from his inspection of the vessel forwards.

They were not long kept in suspense.

After a brief interview, which seemed an eternity, the old sailor re- appeared aft.

His face looked very grave.

"I'm sorry for the old _Bembridge Belle_" he said in a low tone to Mrs Gilmour, so as not to be overheard by the other pa.s.sengers standing near. "The poor thing has a large hole knocked through her fore compartment, and is filling with water fast!"

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

THE "GOOD SARAH'S" FORGET-ME-NOTS.

"Tell me, is there any danger?" asked Mrs Gilmour, speaking quite calmly, in spite of her fears; for, although of a somewhat hasty disposition and apt to be put out at trifles, she was possessed of a strong, natural courage, which, as is the case with most of the so- called "tender s.e.x," only displayed itself in great emergencies. "You may disclose the worst. I can bear it!"

"Pooh!" grunted the Captain off-hand, rather impolitely. "There's no 'worst' to tell, ma'am. All on board are quite safe, and will be put ash.o.r.e securely as soon as the boats come off. My fears are for the unfortunate vessel, the loss of which will be a sad blow to her skipper, poor fellow, as he has staked his all in her!"

"But, Captain," she rejoined, "why do you look so serious?"

"Serious?" he repeated after her, the hard lines in his face at once relaxing--"so would you, too, look serious, ma'am, if you thought of the matter in the same light. You see, I can't help looking upon a ship as a sort of living creature; and to think of a fine boat like this coming to grief in such a lubberly fashion is enough almost to make one cry!"

His eyes blinked furiously as he said this, the bushy eyebrows above moving up and down; and, taking out his bright bandana handkerchief, he blew his nose with vigour, as if to give vent to his emotion,

Nellie, whose pale face had gained a little more colour since the Captain's rea.s.suring words to her aunt, now sidled up to him, catching hold of his hand affectionately.

"But will the poor steamer really be lost?" she inquired timidly; "wrecked, as sailors call it?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so with the pack of nincomp.o.o.ps we've got on board," he growled. "They're talking of beaching her; and if so, with the wind chopping round to the eastwards, as those porpoises you saw this morning told us it will do by and by, for they're unfailing weather prophets always, why, the unfortunate craft will lay her bones on the shingle.

She will, at all events, if any sort of a sea get up, or call me no sailor!"

Bob, who on his return from the fore-part of the vessel in company with Captain Dresser had stationed himself again by the engine-room hatchway, here gave a shout.

"They're moving," he cried; "I see the piston going up and down, and the shaft turning round!"

The rapid beat of the paddle-wheels on the water alongside gave testimony to the truth of Bob's statement; but to Nell's surprise, no churned-up foam came drifting by astern as before, and she couldn't make it out.

The paradox, however, was made plain to her by h.e.l.lyer, who did not seem to trouble himself much about the mishap, remaining seated on the hamper, which he had placed by the after sponsing of the starboard paddle-box. The coastguardsman, indeed, appeared as unconcerned throughout all the fuss as if he were safe ash.o.r.e in his own little cabin on the beach; while Rover kept close beside him, as he had done since h.e.l.lyer took charge of the hamper which he had brought on board-- the dog evidently considering himself still responsible for all the picnic goods and chattels that his young mistress had told him to watch.

"The paddles is backin' astern," replied h.e.l.lyer; "and so, miss, their wake drifts for'ard instead of aft. That's the reason, miss, you sees nothing washing by."

But this movement did not long continue, two strokes of the gong in the engine-room being heard as the captain of the steamer moved the bra.s.s handle of the mechanical telegraph on the bridge; whereupon, the machinery was suddenly stopped.

Then the gong sounded twice again, the signal being followed by the quick "splash--splash--splash!" of the paddles once more in the water; when Nellie was delighted by seeing the creamy foam tossing up alongside where she and her aunt were now standing again, they having vacated their seats on the first alarm, like others of the pa.s.sengers.

"By Jove!" muttered the Captain, half aloud. "The fool of a fellow is actually going ahead again!"

"What!" cried Mrs Gilmour-- "any new danger?"

"Oh, nothing," he snapped out, evidently very grumpy at things not being done in the way he thought best. "I was only uttering my thoughts aloud, ma'am. If you must know, I think it very risky of our friend the skipper trying to drive the boat ahead when she's down by the bows.

Poor chap, I'm afraid he has lost his head, the same as the vessel has hers! Never mind, though, she cannot go very far in this shoal water, or I'm a Dutchman!"

Nor did she.

In less than a minute there was another heavy b.u.mp that shook the deck fore and aft, making all the pa.s.sengers tumble about like ninepins. Bob nearly took a dive through the hatchway of the engine-room, into which he was still peering, and Nellie fell on poor Rover, causing him to utter a plaintive howl; while, as for Mrs Gilmour, she lurched against the Captain as if she were going to embrace him with open arms, treading at the same time on his worst foot, whereon flourished a pet corn that gave the old sailor infinite trouble, which he ever guarded as the apple of his eye.

"O-o-o-o-oh!" he groaned, hopping about the deck on one leg and holding up the injured foot with both his hands, "I knew some further mischief would come from what that idiot of a skipper was doing!"

Meanwhile, the steamboat people on the pier, off which they had grounded only some three or four hundred yards away, seeing the predicament of the vessel, set to work sending off boats to land the pa.s.sengers.

The first of these reached the little vessel just as she struck the sandbank she had run foul of for the second time; then coming to a dead stop as if she meant now to remain there for good and all.

"Are we to go ash.o.r.e in one of those?" asked Bob, pointing out the fleet of small boats making for the steamer, besides the two that had already come up to her; some being launched by the watermen on the beach in addition to those sent off from the pier. "What fun to have a boat all to ourselves, as I suppose we shall!"

"Yes, I suppose so, if we are to get to land at all," replied the Captain, who had become a little more amiable, his natural good-humour a.s.serting itself as the pain in his foot somewhat subsided; "I don't see how we can otherwise, unless we swim for it; the vessel is now stuck quite fast with no chance of her moving until she is lightened of her cargo of pa.s.sengers."

"That will be jolly!" cried Bob. "Why it's just like a regular shipwreck!"

"Ah, my boy," said the old sailor, shaking his head, "if you ever experienced the realities of one, you would not speak so lightly. A shipwreck, let me tell you, is no laughing matter."

"I didn't mean that," explained Bob, "I was only thinking how jolly it would be for us all to have a row, instead of landing at the pier quietly, as we would have done if nothing had happened."

"Sure, and I don't see where your 'jollity' comes in, Master Bob!"

observed his aunt, not by any means relishing the prospect. "It may be all very well for you; but I can't say I like the idea of scrambling down the side of the vessel into one of these c.o.c.klesh.e.l.ls and running the risk of getting drowned."

"Oh, no, you won't, ma'am," rejoined the Captain chuckling again, her comical consternation soothing the last acerbities of his temper. "You shan't drown yourself if I can prevent you, ma'am!"

There was no necessity, however, for the Captain to exert himself especially on her behalf; for, the boats being hauled up in turn alongside and only a proper number being allowed to get into each, no casualty occurred such as Mrs Gilmour dreaded. Thus, in a very short s.p.a.ce of time, all the pa.s.sengers were safely transferred from the stranded steamer to the sh.o.r.e, where a large crowd of sympathising bystanders had now a.s.sembled.

"There!" exclaimed the Captain, as he jumped out of the wherry in which their little party had taken pa.s.sage, "catch me going in one of those excursion craft again! Of all the clumsy lubbers I have ever had the misfortune to be shipmate with, that skipper is about the biggest and most lubberly. You can take the word of an old sailor for that!"

"Why, sure, what could the poor man have done, when the steamer was sinking?" said Mrs Gilmour, as he a.s.sisted her also carefully to land.

"It's none of his fault that I can see."

"What could he have done, eh?" retorted the Captain warmly. "Why, anything else but what he did do. When he saw his fore compartment was full of water, he should have backed the vessel; and then he could have taken her stern-end foremost up to the pier, and landed us comfortably without any bother half an hour ago. Instead of that, what does he do but go backing and filling, first with his engines full speed ahead, and then ditto astern, ending by sticking hard and fast at the same spot where he first struck. While now, to clench the matter, he's going to run the steamer ash.o.r.e and beach her, he tells me, as soon as the tide floats her; the upshot of which will be that she'll break her back and probably become a total wreck."

"Why didn't you advise him?" she asked. "Eh, my old friend?"

"The foolish fellow! I pitied him at first, but I can't say I do so any longer. He wouldn't listen to me. He's just like the intelligent Isle of Wight farmer I've heard of, one of whose calves having got its head entangled in a wooden fence, in lieu of cutting the palings, thought the only way to release the calf was by cutting its head off!"

"Sure, n.o.body could have been so stupid!" cried Mrs Gilmour laughing.

"What, cut off the poor thing's head in order to extricate it?"

"Sure an' they did, ma'am," said he, mimicking her; "and, I'm sorry to say, our friend the skipper is one of the same kidney!"