Books: Lost in the Fog

J >> James De Mille >> Lost in the Fog

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It was still a beautiful day; the sun was shining brilliantly, and
his rays were reflected in a path of dazzling lustre from the face
of the sea. The wind was fresh, and the little waves tossed up
their heads across where the sunlight fell, flashing back the rays
of the sun in perpetually changing light, and presenting to the eye
the appearance of innumerable dazzling stars. Far away rose the
Nova Scotia shore as they had seen it in the morning, while up the
bay, in the distance, abrupt, dark, and precipitous, arose the
solitary Ile Haute.

Beneath them the waters of the bay foamed and splashed; and though
there was not much surf, yet the waters came rolling among the
rocks, seething and boiling, and extending as far as the eye could
reach, up and down, in a long line of foam.

Reaching the edge, they all looked down. At the bottom there were
visible the heads of black rocks, which arose above the waves at
times, but which, however, at intervals, were covered with the
rolling waters that tossed around them in foam and spray. Nearer
and higher up there were rocks which projected like shelves from
the face of the cliff, and seemed capable of affording a foothold
to any climber; but their projection served also to conceal from
view what lay immediately beneath.

Along the whole beach, however, up and down, there appeared no sign
of human life. Anxiously they looked, hoping to see some human
form, in some part of that long line of rock; but none was visible,
and they looked at one another in silence.

"Wal, he don't turn up yet; that's clar," said Captain Corbet.

"We can see a great deal from here, too," said Bart, in a
despondent tone.

"Ay, an that's jest what makes the wust of it. I thought that one
look from a commandin pint would reveal the wanderer to our eyes."

"Perhaps he is crouching in among the rocks down there."

"Wal, I rayther think he'd manage to git up a leetle further out of
the reach of the surf than all that."

"He may be farther on."

"True; an I dare say he is, too."

"There don't seem to be any place below these rocks, where he would
be likely to be."

"No; I think that jest here he could climb up, as fur as that thar
shelf, certain. He may be old an rheumatic, but he's able enough
to climb that fur."

"I don't think anything could have happened to him here, or we
should see some signs of him."

"Course we would--we'd see his remains--we'd see his basket, or his
hat, floatin and driftin about. But thar's not a basket or a hat
anywhar to be seen."

"The cliff is long here, and runs in so from that point, that if he
went up any distance, it would be easy for him to be caught by the
rising tide."

"Course it would. O, yes, course. That's the very thing that
struck me. It's very dangerous for an ole inexperienced man. But
come, we mustn't stand talkin, we must hurry on, or we may as well
go back agin, at onst."

Starting forward, they walked on for some time in silence. For
about a hundred yards they were able to keep close to the edge of
the cliff, so as to look over; but after that they encountered a
dense alder thicket. In order to traverse this, they had to go
farther inland, where there was some sort of an opening. There
they came to a wood where the underbrush was thick, and the walking
difficult. This they traversed, and at length worked their way
once more to the edge of the cliff. Looking down here, they found
the scene very much like what it had been farther back. The waves
were dashing beneath them among rocks whose black crests were at
times visible among the foam, while from the cliffs there were the
same projecting shelves which they had noticed before.

"See there!" cried Bart, pointing to a place behind them. "Do you
see how the cliff seems to go in there--just where the alder bushes
grow? That looks like a place where a man might be caught. I
wonder if he isn't there."

"Can't we go and see?"

"I don't think you can git thar."

"O, it isn't far," said Bart. "I'll run back and look down. The
rest of you had better go on; I'll join you soon."

"I'll go with you," said Bruce.

"Very well."

Bruce and Bart then set out, and forced their way through the dense
alder bushes, until at length they found themselves near the place.
Here there was a chasm in the line of cliff, reaching from the top
to the bottom. The sides were precipitous, and they could see
perfectly well all the way down. At the bottom the water was
rolling and tossing; and this, together with the precipitous
cliffs, showed them plainly that no one could have found shelter
here.

Sadly and silently they returned, and rejoined the others, who had
been walking along in advance.

"Wal?" said Captain Corbet, interrogatively.

Bart shook his head.

They then walked on for some time in silence. "Come," said Captain
Corbet; "we've been makin one mistake ever sence we started."

"What's that?"

"We've kep altogether too still. How do we know but we've passed
him somewhar along down thar. We can't see behind all them
corners."

"Let's shout now--the rest of the way."

"Yes; that's it; yell like all possessed."

The cries of the boys now burst forth in shrill screams and yells,
which were echoed among the woods and rocks around.

"Now," cried Captain Corbet, "all together!"

The boys shouted all together.

"That'll fetch him," said the captain, "ef anythin doos. It's a
pity we didn't think of this afore. What an ole fool I must ha ben
to forgit that!"

The boys now walked on shouting, and screaming, and yelling
incessantly, and waiting, from time to time, to listen for an
answer.

But no answer came.

At times Captain Corbet's voice sounded forth. His cry was a very
peculiar one. It was high pitched, shrill, and penetrating, and
seemed as though it ought to be heard for miles. But the united
voices of the boys, and the far-piercing yell of the captain, all
sounded equally in vain. No response came, and at last, after
standing still and listening for a longer time than usual, they all
looked despondingly at one another, as though each were waiting for
the other to suggest some new plan of action.

Captain Corbet stood and looked musingly out upon the sea, as
though the sight of the rolling waters assisted his meditations.
It was some time before he spoke.

"I tell you what it is, boys," said he at last. "We've ben makin
another mistake."

"How so?"

"We've gone to work wrong."

"Well, what can we do now?"

"Wal, fust an foremost, I muve we go back on our tracks."

"Go back?"

"Yas."

"Why?"

"Wal, you see, one thing,--Solomon can't hev come further than this
by no possibility, onless he started straight off to walk all the
way up the bay agin, back to Petticoat Jack by the shore route,--an
as that's too rough a route for an ole man, why, I calc'late it's
not to be thought of. Ef, on the contrairy, he only kem out to
hunt for fish, 'tain't likely he come as fur as this, an in my
pinion he didn't come nigh as fur. You see we're a good piece on,
and Solomon wouldn't hev come so fur if he'd cal'lated to get back
to the schewner. What d'ye say to that?"

"I've thought of that already," said Bruce, sadly. "We've
certainly gone as far as he could possibly have gone."

"Terrew," said Captain Corbet, solemnly.

"But what can we do now?" asked Bart.

"Fust of all, go back."

"What! give him up?"

"I didn't say that. I said to go back, an keep a good lookout
along the shore."

"But we've done that already."

"Yes, I know; but then we didn't begin to yell till quite lately,
whereas we'd ought to hev yelled from the time of fust startin.
Now, I think ef we went back yellin all the way, we'd have a chance
of turnin him up somewhar back thar whar we fust came in sight of
the cliff. Very likely, if he ain't already drownded, he's a
twisted himself up in some holler in the cliff back thar. He
couldn't hev got this fur, certain,--unless he'd ben a runnin
away."

All this seemed so certain to the boys that they had nothing to say
in opposition to it. In fact, as Bruce said, they had already gone
as far as Solomon could possibly have gone, and this thought had
occurred to them all. Captain Corbet's proposition, therefore,
seemed to them the only course to follow. So they all turned and
went back again.

"What I was a goin to say," remarked Captain Corbet, after walking
a few paces,--"what I was a goin to say was this. The mistake I
made was in not gettin a boat."

"A boat? Why we've traced the coast from the cliff well enough--
haven't we?"

"No, not well enough. We'd ought to have planned this here
expedition more kerfully. It wan't enough to go along the top of
the cliff this here way. You see, we've not been able to take in
the lower part of the cliff underneath. We'd ought to hev got a
boat. Some of us could hev gone along the cliff, jest as we hev
ben doin, and the others could have pulled along the shore an kep
up a sharp lookout that way. We've lost any quantity o' time that
way, but that's no reason why we should lose any more; so I muve
that some of us go back, right straight off, an get a boat at the
ship-yard, an come back. I'll go, unless some o' youns think
yourselfes smarter, which ain't onlikely."

"O, you can't run, captain," said Bart. "Bruce and I will go, and
we'll run all the way."

"Wal, that's the very best thing that you could do. You're both
young, an actyve. As for me, my days of youth an actyvity air
over, an I'm in the sere an yaller leaf, with spells o' rheumatics.
So you start off as quick as your legs can carry you, an ef you run
all the way, so much the better."

The boys started off at this, and going on the full run, they
hurried, as fast as possible, back over the path they had
traversed, and through the woods, and over the fields, and down the
cliff towards the ship-yard.

Phil and Pat, however, remained with Captain Corbet; and these
three walked back along the edge of the cliff; still looking down
carefully for signs of Solomon, and keeping up constantly their
loud, shrill cries.

Thus they walked back, till, at length, they reached the place
where the alders were growing. Here they were compelled to make a
detour as before, after which they returned to the cliff, and
walked along, shouting and yelling as when they came.

XIV.

Back again.--Calls and Cries.--Captain Corbet's Yell.--A
significant Sign.--The old Hat.--The return Cry.--The Boat rounds
the Point.

Captain Corbet, with Phil and Pat, walked along the top of the
cliff in this way, narrowly scrutinizing the rocks below, and
calling and shouting, until, at length, they reached the place at
which they had first come out upon the shore.

"Now, boys," said the captain, "from here to the pint down thar is
all new ground. We must go along here, an keep a good lookout. If
we hev any chance left of findin anythin, it's thar. I'm ony sorry
we didn't examine this here fust an foremost, before wanderin away
off up thar, whar 'tain't at all likely that Solomon ever dreamed
of goin. I hope the boys won't be long gettin off that thar boat."

"Perhaps they can't get one."

"O, yes, they can. I saw two or three down thar."

They now walked on a little farther.

At this place the cliff was as steep as it had been behind; but the
rocky shelves were more numerous, and down near the shore they
projected, one beyond another, so that they looked like natural
steps.

"If Solomon was caught by the tide anywhar hereabouts," said
Captain Corbet, "thar's no uthly reason why he shouldn't save
himself. He could walk up them rocks jest like goin up stairs, an
git out of the way of the heaviest surf an the highest tide that
these shores ever saw."

"It all depends," said Phil, "on whether he staid about here, or
went farther up."

"Course--an it's my opinion that he did stay about here. He was
never such an old fool as to go so far up as we did. Why, ef he'd
a done so over them rocks, he'd never have got the use of his legs
agin."

"Strange we don't see any signs of him."

"O, wal, thar's places yet we hevn't tried."

"One thing is certain--we haven't found any signs of him. If
anything had happened, we'd have seen his basket floating."

"Yes, or his old hat."

"I should think, if he were anywhere hereabouts, he'd hear the
noise; we are shouting loud enough, I'm sure. As for your voice,
why, he ought to hear it a mile away; and the point down there
doesn't seem to be a quarter that distance."

"O, it's further than that; besides, my voice can't penetrate so
easily down thar. It gits kine o' lost among the rocks. It can go
very easy in a straight line; but when it's got to turn corners an
go kine o' round the edges o' sharp rocks, it don't get on so well
by a long chalk. But I think I'll try an divarsify these here
proceedins by yellin a leetle lower down."

So saying, Captain Corbet knelt down, and putting his head over the
cliff, he uttered the loudest, and sharpest, and shrillest yell
that he could give. Then he listened in silence, and the boys also
listened in breathless expectation for some time. But there was no
response whatever.

Captain Corbet arose with a sigh.

"Wal, boys," said he, in a mournful tone, "we must git on to the
pint. We'd ought to know the wust pooty soon. But, at any rate,
I'm bound to hope for the best till hope air over."

The little party now resumed their progress, and walked on towards
the point, shouting at intervals, as before.

From this place on as far as the point, the ground was clear, and
there was nothing to bar their way. They could go along without
being compelled to make any further detour, and could keep near
enough to the edge to command a view of the rocks below. They
walked on, and shouted without ceasing, and thus traversed a
portion of the way.

Suddenly Captain Corbet's eye caught sight of something in the
water. It was round in shape, and was floating within a few feet
of the shore, on the top of a wave. As Captain Corbet looked, the
wave rolled from underneath it, and dashed itself upon the rocks,
while the floating object seemed to be thrown farther out. The
tide had turned already, and was now on the ebb, so that floating
articles, such as this, were carried away from the shore, rather
than towards it.

Upon this Captain Corbet fastened his gaze, and stood in silence
looking at it. At length he put his hand on Phil's shoulder, and
directed the attention of the boys to the floating object.

"Do you see that?" said he.

"What?"

"That thing."

"What--that round thing?"

"Yes, that round thing. Look sharp at it now. What doos it look
like to your young eyes?"

Phil and Pat looked at it very carefully, and in silence. Then
Phil looked up into Captain Corbet's face without saying a word.

"Wal?"

"What is it, do you think?" asked Phil, in a low voice.

"What do YOU think?"

"Sure an it's a hat--a sthraw hat," said Pat.

Captain Corbet exchanged a meaning glance with Phil.

"Do you think it's HIS hat?" asked Phil.

"Whose else can it be?"

Phil was silent, and his gaze was once more directed to the
floating object. As it rose and fell on the waves, it showed the
unmistakable outline of a straw hat, and was quite near enough for
them to recognize its general character and color. It was dark,
with the edges rather ragged, a broad brim, and a roomy crown, not
by any means of a fashionable or graceful shape, but coarse, and
big, and roomy, and shabby--just such a hat as Solomon had put on
his head when he left Grand Pre with them on this memorable and
ill-fated voyage.

They looked at it for a long time in silence, and none of them
moved.

Captain Corbet heaved a deep sigh.

"This here," said he, "has been a eventfool vyge. I felt a derred
persentment afore I started. Long ago I told you how the finger of
destiny seemed to warn me away from the ocean main. I kem to the
conclusion, you remember, that henceforth I was to dwell under my
own vine an fig tree, engaged in the tender emplymint of nussin the
infant. But from this I was forced agin my own inclynations. An
what's the result? Why, this--that thar hat! See here, boys;" and
the venerable seaman's tone grew deeper, and more solemn, and more
impressive; "see here, boys," he repeated; "for mor'n forty year
hev I follered the seas, an traversed the briny deep; but, though
I've hed my share of storms an accydints, though I've ben
shipwrecked onst or twiste, yet never has it ben my lot to
experience any loss of human life. But now, but now, boys, call to
mind the startlin events of this here vyge! Think of your
companion an playmate a driftin off in that startlin manner from
Petticoat Jack! An now look here--gaze upon that thar! Words air
footil!"

"Do you give him up, then?" cried Phil. "Poor, poor old Solomon!"

Captain Corbet shook his head.

"'Deed, thin, an I don't!" cried Pat. "What's a hat? 'Tain't a
man, so it isn't. Many's the man that's lost his hat, an ain't
lost his life. It's a windy place here, an ole Solomon's hat's a
mile too big for him, so it is--'deed an it is."

Captain Corbet shook his head more gloomily than ever.

"Ow, sure an ye needn't be shakin yer head that way. Sure an
haven't ye lost hats av yer own, over an over?"

"Never," said the captain. "I never lost a hat."

"Niver got one blowed off? 'Deed an ye must have."

"I never got one blowed off. When the wind blowed hard I allus kep
'em tied on."

"Well, Solomon hadn't any tie to his, an it cud tumble off his old
pate asy enough, so it cud. Sure he's lost it jumpin over the
rocks. Besides, where's his basket?"

"At the bottom, no doubt."

"Sure an it cud float."

"No; I dar say it was full of lobsters."

"Any how, I'll not believe he's gone till I see him," cried Pat,
earnestly. "Seein's believin."

"Ef he's gone," said Captain Corbet, more solemnly than ever,
"ye'll never see him. These waters take too good care of a man for
that."

"Well, yer all givin up too soon," said Pat. "Come along now;
there's lots of places yet to examin. Give one of yer loudest
yells."

Captain Corbet did so. In spite of his despondency as to poor old
Solomon's fate, he was not at all unwilling to try any further
chances. On this occasion he seemed to gain unusual energy out of
his very despair; and the yell that burst from him was so high, so
shrill, so piercing, and so far penetrating, that the former cries
were nothing compared to it.

"Well done!" cried Pat. "Sure an you bet yerself that time, out an
out."

"Stop!" cried Phil. "Listen. What's that?"

Far away, as they listened, they heard a faint cry, that seemed
like a response.

"Is that the echo?" asked Phil, anxiously.

"Niver an echo!" cried Pat, excitedly. "Shout agin, captain,
darlin."

Captain Corbet gave another shout as loud and as shrill as the
preceding one.

They listened anxiously.

Again they heard the cry. It was faint and far off; yet it was
unmistakably a human cry. Their excitement now grew intense.

"Where did it come from?" cried Phil.

"Wal, it kine o' seemed to me that it came back thar," said the
captain, pointing to the woods.

"'Deed an it didn't," cried Pat; "not a bit of it. It was from the
shore, jest ahead; from the pint, so it was, or I'm a nagur."

"I think it came from the shore, too," said Phil; "but it seemed to
be behind us."

"Niver a bit," cried Pat; "not back there. We've been there, an
whoever it was wud have shouted afore, so he wud. No, it's ahead
at the pint. He's jest heard us, an he's shoutin afther us.
Hooray! Hurry up, an we'll be there in time to save him."

Pat's confidence was not without its effect on the others. Without
waiting any longer, they at once set off at a run, stopping at
intervals to yell, and then listening for a response. To their
delight, that response came over and over again; and to their still
greater joy, the sound each time was evidently louder.

Beyond a doubt, they were drawing nearer to the place from which
the sounds came.

This stimulated them all the more, so that they hurried on faster.

The edge of the cliff was not covered by any trees, but the ground
at its summit had been cleared, so that progress was not at all
difficult. They therefore did not take much time in traversing the
space that intervened between the spot where they had first heard
the cry, and the point where the cliff terminated. The cry grew
steadily louder, all the way, until at last, when they approached
the point, it seemed to come directly from beneath.

The cliff here was perpendicular for about forty feet down, and
below this it seemed to retreat, so that nothing could be seen.
The tide was on the ebb; but it was still so high that its waves
beat below them, and seemed to strike the base of the rock.
Beyond, on the right, there was a sloping ledge, which descended
from the cliffs into the sea, over which the waves were now
playing.

It was from the hollow and unseen recess down at the foot of the
cliff that the cry seemed to arise, which had come in response to
the calls of those on the summit. On reaching the place above,
they knelt down, and looked over, but were not able to distinguish
any human being, or any sign of the presence of one. But as they
looked anxiously over, the cry arose, not very loud, but quite
distinct now, and assured them that this was the place which
sheltered the one who had uttered that cry.

Captain Corbet now thrust his head over as far as he could, and
gave a call in his loudest voice.

"Hal-lo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!"

To which there came up in answer a cry that sounded like--

"Hi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i!"

"Solomo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-on!"

"He-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-ey!"

"Is that yo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ou?"

"It's me-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e!"

"Where are y-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ou?"

"He-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-re!"

"Come u-u-u-u-u-u-u-up!"

"Ca-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-n't!"

"Why no-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ot?"

"Too hi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-gh!"

"Go round the pi-i-i-i-i-i-nt!"

"Too high ti-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-de!"

"Wa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-it!"

"All ri-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-ght!"

Captain Corbet now sprang up as nimbly as a young lad, and looked
at Phil and Pat with an expression of such exceeding triumph, that
his face seemed fairly to shine.

"It IS Solomon!" he cried. But it was of no use for him to convey
that piece of information to the boys, who already knew that fact
quite as well as he did.

"It IS Solomon," he repeated; "an now the pint is, how air we to
git him up?"

"Let me go down," said Pat.

"How?"

"Sure an I can git down wid that bit o' rope you have."

"Mebbe you can, an then agin mebbe you can't; but s'posin you was
to git down, how upon airth would that help the matter?"

"Sure an we cud give him a pull up."

"I don't think we could manage that," said Captain Corbet, "and you
couldn't, at any rate, if you were down thar with him. As far as I
see, we'll hev to wait till the tide falls."

"Wouldn't it be better," said Phil, "for us to go around, so as to
come nearer?"

"How? Whar?"

"Why, down to the beach, and then we could walk around the point."

"Walk? Why, it's high water."

"So it is--I forgot that."

"The fact is, we can't git any nearer than we air now. Then, agin,
the boys'll be along in a boat soon. They ought to be here by this
time; so let's sit down here, an wait till they heave in sight."

With a call of encouragement to Solomon which elicited a reply of
satisfaction, Captain Corbet sat down upon the grass, and the boys
followed his example. In this position they waited quietly for the
boat to come.

Meanwhile, Bart and Bruce had hurried on as rapidly as their legs
could carry them, and at length reached the path which went down to
the beach. Down this they scrambled, and not long afterwards they
reached the ship-yard. Here they obtained a boat without any
difficulty, which the workmen launched for them; and then they
pushed off, and pulled for the point, with the intention of rowing
along opposite the shore, and narrowly inspecting it.

Scarcely had they reached the point, however, when a loud and well-
known voice sounded from on high. They both turned and looked up,
still pulling. There they saw Captain Corbet, and Phil, and Pat,
all of whom were shouting and making furious gestures at them.

"We've found him! Come in closer!" cried Captain Corbet.

"Whe-e-e-re?" cried Bruce.

But before any answer could come, a loud, shrill scream, followed
by a yell of delight, burst forth from some place still nearer.

Burt and Bruce both started, and looked towards the place from
which this last cry came.

There a very singular and pleasing sight met their eyes.

About six feet above the water was a shelf of rock, that ran down
sloping to the beach, and over this there projected a great mass of
the cliff. In this recess there crouched a familiar figure. He
had no hat, but between his legs, as he sat there, he held a
basket, to which he clung with his knees and his hands. As he sat
there his eyes were fixed upon them, and their whites seemed
enlarged to twice their ordinary dimensions, while yell after yell
came from him.

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