University of Virginia Library

6. CHAPTER VI.

Queen Mary.

The sublime consolations of religion were little felt by
either of the two generous-minded and ardent young men
who were pacing the deck of the Montauk. The gentle and
the plastic admit the most readily of the divine influence;
and of all on board the devoted vessel at that moment, they
who were the most resigned to their fate were those who by
their physical force were the least able to endure it.

“This heavenly resignation,” said Mr. Sharp, half whispering,
“is even more heart-rending than the out-breakings
of despair.”

“It is frightful!” returned his companion. “Any thing
is better than passive submission in such circumstances. I
see but little, indeed no hope of escape; but idleness is
torture. If I endeavour to raise this boat, will you aid
me?”

“Command me like your slave. Would to Heaven there
were the faintest prospects of success!”

“There is but little; and should we even succeed, there
are no means of getting far from the ship in the launch, as
all the oars have been carried off by the captain, and I can
hear of neither masts nor sails. Had we the latter, with
this wind which is beginning to blow, we might indeed prolong
the uncertainty, by getting on some of those more
distant spits of sand.”

“Then, in the name of the blessed Maria!” exclaimed
one behind them in French,“delay not an instant, and all
on board will join in the labour!”

The gentlemen turned in surprise, and beheld Mademoiselle
Viefville standing so near them as to have overheard
their conversation. Accustomed to depend on herself,
coming of a people among whom woman is more energetic
and useful, perhaps, than in any other Christian nation, and
resolute of spirit naturally, this cultivated and generous female
had come on deck purposely to see if indeed there remained
no means by which they might yet escape the
Arabs. Had her knowledge of a vessel at all equalled her
resolution, it is probable that many fruitless expedients
would already have been adopted; but finding herself in
a situation so completely novel as that of a ship, until now
she had found no occasion to suggest any thing to which her
companions would be likely to lend themselves. But, seizing
the hint of Paul, she pressed it on him with ardour, and,
after a few minutes of urging, by her zeal and persuasion
she prevailed on the two gentlemen to commence the necessary
preparations without further delay. John Effingham
and Saunders were immediately summoned by Mademoiselle
Viefville herself, who, once engaged in the undertaking,
pursued it fervently, while she went in person into the
cabins to make the necessary preparations connected with
their subsistence and comforts, should they actually succeed
in quitting the vessel.

No experienced mariner could set about the work with
more discretion, or with a better knowledge of what was
necessary to be done, than Mr. Blunt now showed. Saunders
was directed to clear the launch, which had a roof on
it, and still contained a respectable provision of poultry,
sheep and pigs. The roof he was told not to disturb, since
it might answer as a substitute for a deck; but everything
was passed rapidly from the inside of the boat, which the
steward commenced scrubbing and cleaning with an assiduity
that he seldom manifested in his cabins. Fortunately,
the tackles with which Mr. Leach had raised the sheers and
stepped the jury-mast the previous morning were still lying
on the deck, and Paul was spared the labour of reeving new
ones. He went to work, therefore, to get up two on the
substitute for a main-stay; a job that he had completed,
through the aid of the two gentlemen on deck, by the time

Saunders pronounced the boat to be in a fit condition to receive
its cargo. The gripes were now loosened, and the
fall of one of the tackles was led to the capstan.

By this time Mademoiselle Viefville, by her energy and
decision, had so far aroused Eve and her woman, that Mr.
Effingham had left his daughter, and appeared on deck
among those who were assisting Paul. So intense was the
interest, however, which all took in the result, that the
ladies, and even Ann Sidley, with the femme de chambre,
suspended their own efforts, and stood clustering around
the capstan as the gentlemen began to heave, almost breathless
between their doubts and hopes; for it was a matter of
serious question whether there was sufficient force to lift so
heavy a body at all. Turn after turn was made, the fall
gradually tightening, until those at the bars felt the full
strain of their utmost force.

“Heave together, gentlemen,” said Paul Blunt, who directed
every thing, besides doing so much with his own
hands. “We have its weight now, and all we gain is so
much towards lifting the boat.”

A steady effort was continued for two or three minutes,
with but little sensible advantage, when all stopped for
breath.

“I fear it will surpass our strength,” observed Mr. Sharp.
“The boat seems not to have moved, and the ropes are
stretched in a way to menace parting.”

“We want but the force of a boy added to our own,”
said Paul, looking doubtingly towards the females; “in
such cases, a pound counts for a ton.”

“Allons!” cried Mademoiselle Viefville, motioning to the
femme de chambre to follow; “we will not be defeated for
the want of such a trifle.”

These two resolute women applied their strength to the
bars, and the power, which had been so equally balanced,
preponderated in favour of the machine. The capstan,
which a moment before was scarcely seen to turn, and that
only by short and violent efforts, now moved steadily but
slowly round, and the end of the launch rose. Eve was
only prevented from joining the labourers by Nanny, who
held her folded in her arms, fearful that some accident might
occur to injure her.

Paul Blunt now cheerfully announced the certainty that
they had a force sufficient to raise the boat, though the operation
would still be long and laborious. We say, cheerfully;
for while this almost unhoped-for success promised
little relief in the end, there is always something buoyant
and encouraging in success of any sort.

“We are masters of the boat,” he said, “provided the
Arabs do not molest us; and we may drift away, by means
of some contrivance of a sail, to such a distance as will
keep us out of their power, until all chance of seeing our
friends again is finally lost.”

“This, then, is a blessed relief!” exclaimed Mr. Effingham;
“and God may yet avert from us the bitterest portion
of this calamity!”

The pent emotions again flowed, and Eve once more wept
in her father's arms, a species of holy joy mingling with her
tears. In the mean time, Paul, having secured the fall by
which they had just been heaving, brought the other to the
capstan, when the operation was renewed with the same success.
In this manner in the course of half an hour the
launch hung suspended from the stay, at a sufficient height
to apply the yard-tackles. As the latter, however, were not
aloft, Paul having deemed it wise to ascertain their ability to
lift the boat at all, before he threw away so much toil, the
females renewed their preparations in the cabins, while the
gentlemen assisted the young sailor in getting up the purchases.
During this pause in the heaving, Saunders was
sent below to search for sails and masts, both of which Paul
thought must be somewhere in the ship, as he found the
launch was fitted to receive them.

It was apparent, in the mean time, that the Arabs watched
their proceedings narrowly; for the moment Paul appeared
on the yard a great movement took place among them, and
several muskets were discharged in the direction of the ship,
though the distance rendered the fire harmless. The gentlemen
observed with concern, however, that the balls passed
the vessel, a fearful proof of the extraordinary power of the
arms used by these barbarians. Luckily the reef, which by
this time was nearly bare ahead of the ship, was still covered
in a few places nearer to the shore to a depth that forbade a

passage, except by swimming. John Effingham, however,
who was examining the proceedings of the Arabs with a
glass, announced that a party appeared disposed to get on
the naked rocks nearest the ship, as they had left the shore,
dragging some light spars after them, with which they
seemed to be about to bridge the different spots of deep
water, most of which were sufficiently narrow to admit of
being passed in this manner.

Although the operation commenced by the Arabs would
necessarily consume a good deal of time, this intelligence
quickened the movements of all in the ship. Saunders, in
particular, who had returned to report his want of success,
worked with redoubled zeal; for, as is usual with those
who are the least fortified by reason, he felt the greatest
horror of falling into the hands of barbarians. It was a
slow and laborious thing, notwithstanding, to get upon the
yards the heavy blocks and falls; and had not Paul Blunt
been quite as conspicuous for personal strength as he was
ready and expert in a knowledge of his profession, he would
not have succeeded in the unaided effort;—unaided aloft,
though the others, of course, relieved him much by working
at the whips on deck. At length this important
arrangement was effected, the young man descended, and
the capstan was again manned.

This time the females were not required, it being in the
power of the gentlemen to heave the launch out to the side
of the ship, Paul managing the different falls so adroitly,
that the heavy boat was brought so near, and yet so much
above the rail, as to promise to clear it. John Effingham
now stood at one of the stay-tackle falls, and Paul at the
other, when the latter made a signal to ease away. The
launch settled slowly towards the side of the vessel until it
reached the rail, against which it lodged. Catching a turn
with his fall, Mr. Blunt sprang forward, and bending beneath
the boat, he saw that its keel had hit a belaying-pin.
One blow from a capstan-bar cleared away this obstruction,
and the boat swung off. The stay-tackle falls were let go
entirely, and all on board saw, with an exultation that
words can scarcely describe, the important craft suspended
directly over the sea. No music ever sounded more

sweetly to the listeners than the first plash of the massive
boat as it fell heavily upon the surface of the water. Its
size, its roof, and its great strength gave it an appearance
of security, that for the moment deceived them all; for, in
contemplating the advantage they had so unexpectedly
gained, they forgot the many obstacles that existed to their
availing themselves of it.

It was not many minutes before Paul was on the roof of
the launch, had loosened the tackles, and had breasted the
boat to, at the side of the ship, in readiness to receive the
stores that the females had collected. In order that the
reader may better understand the nature of the ark that
was about to receive those who remained in the Montauk,
however, it may be well to describe it.

The boat itself was large, strong, and capable of resisting
a heavy sea when well managed, and, of course,
unwieldy in proportion. To pull it, at a moderate rate,
eight or ten large oars were necessary; whereas, all the
search of the gentlemen could not find one. They succeeded,
however, in discovering a rudder and tiller, appliances
not always used in launches, and Paul Blunt shipped
them instantly. Around the gunwales of the boat, stanchions,
which sustained a slightly-rounded roof, were fitted,
a provision that it is usual to make in the packets, in order
to protect the stock they carry against the weather. This
stock having been turned loose on the deck, and the interior
cleaned, the latter now presented a snug and respectable
cabin; one coarse and cramped, compared with those
of the ship certainly, but on the other hand, one that might
be well deemed a palace by shipwrecked mariners. As it
would be possible to retain this roof until compelled by bad
weather to throw it away, Paul, who had never before seen
a boat afloat with such a canopy, regarded it with delight;
for it promised a protection to that delicate form he so
much cherished in his inmost heart, that he had not even
dared to hope for. Between the roof and the gunwale of
the boat, shutters buttoned in, so as to fill the entire space;
and when these were in their places, the whole of the
interior formed an enclosed apartment, of a height sufficient
to allow even a man to stand erect without his hat.

It is true, this arrangement rendered the boat clumsy, and,
to a certain extent, top-heavy and unmanageable; but so
long as it could be retained, it also rendered it infinitely
more comfortable than it could possibly be without it.
The roof, moreover, might be cut away in five minutes, at
any time, should circumstances require it.

Paul had just completed a hasty survey of his treasure,
for such he now began to consider the launch, when casting
his eye upward, with the intention to mount the ship's side,
he saw Eve looking down at him, as if to read their fate in
the expression of his own countenance.

“The Arabs,” she hurriedly remarked, “are moving
along the reef, as my father says, faster than he could wish,
and all our hopes are centred in you and the boat. The first,
I know, will not fail us, so long as means allow; but can
we do anything with the launch?”

“For the first time, dearest Miss Effingham, I see a little
chance of rescuing ourselves from the grasp of these barbarians.
There is no time to lose, but everything must be
passed into the boat with as little delay as possible.”

“Bless you, bless you, Powis, for this gleam of hope!
Your words are cordials, and our lives can scarcely serve
to prove the gratitude we owe you.”

This was said naturally, and as one expresses a strong
feeling, without reflection, or much weighing of words; but
even at that fearful moment, it thrilled on every pulse of the
young man. The ardent look that he gave the beautiful
girl caused her to redden to the temples, and she hastily
withdrew.

The gentlemen now began to pass into the boat the different
things that had been provided, principally by the
foresight of Mademoiselle Viefville, where they were received
by Paul who thrust them beneath the roof without stopping
to lose the precious moments in stowage. They included
mattresses, the trunks that contained their ordinary sea-attire,
or those that were not stowed in the baggage-room,
blankets, counterpanes, potted meats, bread, wine, various
condiments and prepared food, from the stores of Saunders,
and generally such things as had presented themselves in
the hurry of the moment. Nearly half of the articles were

rejected by Paul, as unnecessary, though he received many
in consideration of the delicacy of his feebler companions,
which would otherwise have been cast aside. When he
found, however, that food enough had been passed into the
boat to supply the wants of the whole party for several
weeks, he solicited a truce, declaring it indiscreet to render
themselves uselessly uncomfortable in this manner, to say
nothing of the effect on the boat. The great requisite,
water, was still wanting, and he now desired that the two
domestics might get into the boat to arrange the different
articles, while he endeavoured to find something that might
serve as a substitute for sails, and obtain the all-important
supply.

His attention was first given to the water, without which
all the other preparations would be rendered totally useless.
Before setting about this, however, he stole a moment to
look into the state of things among the Arabs. It was indeed
time, for the tide had now fallen so low as to leave the
rocks nearly bare, and several hundreds of the barbarians
were advancing along the reef, towing their bridge, the
slow progress of which alone prevented them from coming
up at once to the point opposite the ship. Paul saw there
was not a moment to lose, and, calling Saunders, he hurried
below.

Three or four small casks were soon found, when the
steward brought them to the tank to be filled. Luckily the
water had not to be pumped off, but it ran in a stream into
the vessel that was placed to receive it. As soon as one
cask was ready, it was carried on deck by the gentlemen,
and was struck into the boat with as little delay as possible.
The shouts of the Arabs now became audible, even to those
who were below, and it required great steadiness of nerve to
continue the all-important preparation. At length the last
of the casks was filled, when Paul rushed on deck, for, by
this time, the cries of the barbarians proclaimed their presence
near the ship. When he reached the rail, he found
the reef covered with them, some hailing the vessel, others
menacing, hundreds still busied with their floating bridge,
while a few endeavoured to frighten those on board by discharging
their muskets over their heads. Happily, aim was

impossible, so long as care was taken not to expose the body
above the bulwarks.

“We have not a moment to lose!” cried Mr. Effingham,
on whose bosom Eve lay, nearly incapable of motion.
“The food and water are in the boat, and in the name of a
merciful God, let us escape from this scene of frightful barbarity?”

“The danger is not yet so inevitable,” returned Paul,
steadily. “Frightful and pressing as it truly seems, we have
a few minutes to think in. Let me entreat that Miss Effingham
and Mademoiselle Viefville will receive a drop of this
cordial.”

He poured into a glass a restorative from a bottle that had
been left on the capstan as superfluous, in the confusion of
providing stores, and held it to the pallid lips of Eve. As
she swallowed a mouthful, nearly as helpless as the infant
that receives nourishment from the hand of its nurse, the
blood returned, and raising herself from her father's arms,
she smiled, though with an effort, and thanked him for his
care.

“It was a dread moment,” she said, passing a hand over
her brow; “but it is past, and I am better. Mademoiselle
Viefville will be obliged to you, also, for a little of this.”

The firm-minded and spirited Frenchwoman, though pale
as death, and evidently suffering under extreme apprehension,
put aside the glass courteously, declining its contents.

“We are sixty fathoms from the rocks,” said Paul calmly,
“and they must cross this ditch yet, to reach us. None of
them seem disposed to attempt it by swimming, and their
bridge, though ingeniously put together, may not prove long
enough.”

“Would it be safe for the ladies to get into the boat where
she lies, exposed as they would be to the muskets of the
Arabs?” inquired Mr. Sharp.

“All that shall be remedied,” returned Paul. “I cannot
quit the deck; would you,” slightly bowing to Mr. Sharp,
“go below again, with Saunders, and look for some light
sail? without one, we cannot move away from the ship, even
when in the boat. I see a suitable spar and necessary rigging
on deck; but the canvas must be looked for in the

sail-room. It is a nervous thing, I confess, to be below at
such a moment; but you have too much faith in us to dread
being deserted.”

Mr. Sharp grasped the hand as a pledge of a perfect reliance
on the other's faith, but he could not speak. Calling
Saunders, the steward received his instructions, when the
two went hastily below.

“I could wish the ladies were in the boat with their
women,” said Paul, for Ann Sidley and the femme de
chambre were still in the launch, busied in disposing of its
mixed cargo of stores, though concealed from the Arabs by
the roof and shutters; “but it would be hazardous to
attempt it while exposed to the fire from the reef. We shall
have to change the position of the ship in the end, and it
may as well be done at once.”

Beckoning to John Effingham to follow, he went forward
to examine into the movements of the Arabs, once more,
before he took any decided step. The two gentlemen placed
themselves behind the high defences of the forecastle, where
they had a fair opportunity of reconnoitring their assailants,
the greater height of the ship's deck completely concealing
all that had passed on it from the sight of those on
the rocks.

The barbarians, who seemed to be, and who in truth
were, fully apprised of the defenceless and feeble condition
of the party on board, were at work without the smallest
apprehension of receiving any injury from that quarter.
Their great object was to get possession of the ship, before
the returning water should again drive them from the rocks.
In order to effect this, they had placed all who were willing
and sufficiently subordinate on the bridge, though a hundred
were idle, shouting, clapping their hands, menacing, and
occasionally discharging a musket, of which there were
probably fifty in their possession.

“They work with judgment at their pontoon,” said Paul,
after he had examined the proceedings of those on the reef
for a few minutes. “You may perceive that they have
dragged the outer end of the bridge up to windward, and
have just shoved it from the rocks, with the intention to permit
it to drift round, until it shall bring up against the bows

of the ship, when they will pour on board like so many
tigers. It is a disjointed and loose contrivance, that the
least sea would derange; but in this perfectly smooth water
it will answer their purpose. It moves slowly, but will
surely drift round upon us in the course of fifteen or twenty
minutes more; and of this they appear to be quite certain
themselves, for they seem as well satisfied with their work
as if already assured of its complete success.”

“It is, then, important to us to be prompt, since our time
will be so brief.”

“We will be prompt, but in another mode. If you will
assist me a little, I think this effort, at least, may be easily
defeated, after which it will be time enough to think of
escape.”

Paul, aided by John Effingham, now loosened the chains
altogether from the bitts, and suffered the ship to drop astern.
As this was done silently and stealthily, it occupied several
minutes; but the wind being by this time fresh, the huge
mass yielded to its power with certainty; and when the
bridge had floated round in a direct line from the reef, or
dead to leeward, there was a space of water between its end
and the ship of more than a hundred feet. The Arabs had
rushed on it in readiness to board; but they set up a yell of
disappointment as soon as the truth was discovered. A
tumult followed; several fell from the wet and slippery
spars; but, after a short time wasted in confusion and
clamour, the directions of their chiefs were obeyed, and they
set to work with energy to break up their bridge, in order to
convert its materials into a raft.

By this time Mr. Sharp and Saunders had returned, bringing
with them several light sails, such as spare royals and
top-gallant studding-sails. Paul next ordered a spare mizzen-top-gallant
mast, with a top-gallant studding-sail boom, and
a quantity of light rope to be laid in the gangway, after
which he set about the final step. As time now pressed in
earnest, the Arabs working rapidly and with increasing
shouts, he called upon all the gentlemen for assistance,
giving such directions as should enable them to work with
intelligence.

“Bear a hand, Saunders,” he said, having taken the steward

forward with him, as one more accustomed to ships than
the others; “bear a hand my fine fellow, and light up this
chain. Ten minutes just now are of more value than a year
at another time.”

“'Tis awful, Mr. Blunt, sir — werry awful, I do confirm,”
returned the steward, blubbering and wiping his eyes
between the drags at the chains. “Such a fate to befall
such cabins, sir!—And the crockery of the werry best
quality out of London or New York! Had I diwined such
an issue for the Montauk, sir, I never would have counselled
Captain Truck to lay in half the stores we did, and most
essentially not the new lots of vines. Oh! sir, it is truly
awful to have such a calamity wisit so much elegant preparation!”

“Forget it all, my fine fellow, and light up the chain.
Ha!—she touches abaft! Ten or fifteen fathoms more will
answer.”

“I've paid great dewotion to the silver, Mr. Blunt, sir, for
it's all in the launch, even to the broken mustard-spoon;
and I do hope, if Captain Truck's soul is permitted to superintend
the pantry any longer, it will be quite beatified and
encouraged with my prudence and oversight. I left all the
rest of the table furniture, sir; though I suppose these
muscle-men will not have much use for any but the oyster-knives,
as I am informed they eat with their fingers. I declare
it is quite oppressive and unhuman to have such wagabonds
rummaging one's lockers!”

“Rouse away, my man, and light up! the ship has caught
the breeze on her larboard bow, and begins to take the chain
more freely. Remember that precious beings depend on us
for safety!”

“Ay, ay, sir; light up, it is. I feel quite a concern for
the ladies, sir, and more especially for the stores we abandon
to the underwriters. A better-found ship never came out of
St. Catherine's Docks or the East River, particularly in the
pantry department; and I wonder what these wretches will
do with her. They will be quite abashed with her conveniences,
sir, and unable to enjoy them. Poor Toast, too!
he will have a monstrous unpleasant time with the muscle
men; for he never eats fish; and has quite a genteel and

ameliorated way with him. I shouldn't wonder if he forgot
all I have taken so much pains to teach him, sir, unless he's
dead; in which case it will be of no use to him in another
world.”

“That will do,” interrupted Paul, ceasing his labour;
“the ship is aground from forward aft. We will now hurry
the spars and sails into the boat, and let the ladies get into
her.”

In order that the reader may better understand the present
situation of the ship, it may be necessary to explain what
Mr. Powis and the steward had been doing all this time.
By paying out the chains, the ship had fallen farther astern,
until she took the ground abaft on the edge of the sand-bank
so often mentioned; and, once fast at that end, her bows
had fallen off, pressed by the wind, as long as the depth of
the water would allow. She now lay aground forward and
aft, with her starboard side to the reef, and the launch between
the vessel and the naked sands was completely covered
from the observations and assaults of the barbarians
by the former.

Eve, Mademoiselle Viefville, and Mr. Effingham now got
into the launch, while the others still remained in the ship to
complete the preparations.

“They get on fast with their raft,” said Paul, while he
both worked himself and directed the labour of the others,
“though we shall be safe here until they actually quit the
rocks. Their spars will be certain to float down upon the
ship; but the movement will necessarily be slow, as the
water is too deep to admit of setting, even if they had poles,
of which I see none. Throw these spare sails on the roof
of the launch, Saunders. They may be wanted before we
reach a port, should God protect us long enough to effect so
much. Pass two compasses also into the boat, with all the
carpenter's tools that have been collected.”

While giving these orders, Paul was busied in sawing off
the larger end of the pole-mizzen-top-gallant-mast, to convert
it into a spar for the launch. This was done by the time
he ceased speaking; a step was made, and, jumping down
on the roof of the boat, he cut out a hole to receive it, at a
spot he had previously marked for that purpose. By the

time he had done, the spar was ready to be entered, and in
another minute they had the satisfaction of seeing a very
sufficient mast in its place. A royal was also stretched to
its yard, and halyards, tack and sheet, being bent, everything
was ready to run up a sail at a moment's warning. As
this supplied the means of motion, the gentlemen began to
breathe more freely, and to bethink them of those minor
comforts and essentials that in the hurry of such a scene
would be likely to be overlooked. After a few more busy
minutes, all was pronounced to be ready, and John Effingham
began seriously to urge the party to quit the ship; but
Paul still hesitated. He strained his eyes in the direction of
the wreck, in the vain hope of yet receiving succour from
that quarter; but, of course, uselessly, as it was about the
time when Captain Truck was warping off with his raft, in
order to obtain an offing. Just at this moment a party of
twenty Arabs got upon the spars, which they had brought
together into a single body, and began to drift down slowly
upon the ship.

Paul cast a look about him to see if anything else that
was useful could be found, and his eyes fell upon the gun.
It struck him that it might be made serviceable as a scarecrow
in forcing their way through the inlet, and he determined
to lodge it on the roof of the launch, for the present,
at least, and to throw it overboard as soon as they got into
rough water, if indeed they should be so fortunate as to get
outside of the reef at all. The stay and yard tackles
offered the necessary facilities, and he instantly slung the
piece. A few rounds of the capstan lifted it from the deck,
a few more bore it clear of the side, and then it was easily
lowered on the roof, Saunders being sent into the boat to set
up a stanchion beneath, in order that its weight might do no
injury.

The gentlemen at last got into the launch, with the exception
of Paul, who still lingered in the ship watching the
progress of the Arabs, and making his calculations for the
future.

It required great steadiness of nerve, perfect self-reliance,
and an entire confidence in his resources and knowledge,
for one to remain a passive spectator of the slow drift of the

raft, while it gradually settled down on the ship. As it
approached, Paul was seen by those on it, and, with the
usual duplicity of barbarians, they made signs of amity and
encouragement. These signs did not deceive the young man,
however, who only remained to be a close observer of their
conduct, thinking some useful hint might thus be obtained,
though his calmness so far imposed on the Arabs that they
even made signs to him to throw them a rope. Believing it
now time to depart, he answered the signal favourably, and
disappeared from their sight.

Even in descending to the boat, this trained and cool
young seaman betrayed no haste. His movements were
quick, and everything was done with readiness and knowledge
certainly, but no confusion or trepidation occasioned
the loss of a moment. He hoisted the sail, brought down
the tack, and then descended beneath the roof, having first
hauled in the painter, and given the boat a long and vigorous
shove, to force it from the side of the vessel. By this
last expedient he at once placed thirty feet of wate between
the boat and the Montauk, a space that the Arabs had no
means of overcoming. As soon as he was beneath the roof
the sheet was hauled in, and Paul seized the tiller; which
had been made, by means of a narrow cut in the boards, to
play in one of the shutters. Mr. Sharp took a position in
the bows, where he could see the sands and channels through
the crevices, directing the other how to steer; and just as a
shout announced the arrival of the raft at the other side of
the ship, the flap of their sail gave those in the boat the welcome
intelligence that they had got so far from her cover
as to feel the force of the wind.