Books: Lost in the Fog

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

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Then to tumble into the boat, one after another, to grasp the oars,
to push her off, to head her for the schooner, and to dash through
the water on their way back, was but the work of a few minutes.

The row to the schooner was a tedious one to those impatient young
hearts. But as they drew nearer, they feasted their eyes on the
figure of the new comer, and the last particle of doubt and fear
died away. First, they recognized the dress--the familiar red
shirt. Tom had worn a coat and waistcoat ashore at Hillsborough on
that eventful day; but on reaching the schooner, he had flung them
off, and appeared now in the costume of the "B. O. W. C." This
they recognized first, and then his face was revealed--a face that
bore no particular indication of suffering or privation, which
seemed certainly more sunburnt than formerly, but no thinner.

Soon they reached the vessel, and clambered up; and then with what
shouts and almost shrieks of joy they seized Tom! With what cries
and cheers of delight they welcomed him back again, by turns
overwhelming him with questions, and then pouring forth a torrent
of description of their own long search!

Captain Corbet stood a little aloof. His face was not so radiant
as the faces of the boys. His features were twitching, and his
hands were clasped tight behind his back. He stood leaning against
the mainmast, his eyes fixed on Tom. It was thus that he stood
when Tom caught sight of him, and rushed up to shake hands.

Captain Corbet grasped Tom's hand in both of his. He trembled, and
Tom felt that his hands were cold and clammy.

"My dear boys," he faltered, "let us rejice--and--be glad--for this
my son--that was dead--is alive agin--"

A shudder passed through him, and he stopped, and pressed Tom's
hand convulsively.

Then he gave a great gasp, and, "Thar, thar," he murmured, "it's
too much! I'm onmanned. I've suffered--an agonized--an this--
air--too much!"

And with these words he burst into tears.

Then he dropped Tom's hand, and retreated into the cabin, where he
remained for a long time, but at last reappeared, restored to
calmness, and with a smile of sweet and inexpressible peace
wreathing his venerable countenance.

By this time the boys had told Tom all about their long search; and
when Captain Corbet reappeared, Tom had completed the story of his
adventures, and had just reached that part, in his wanderings,
where he had left the island, and found himself drifting down the
bay. As that was the point at which Tom was last lost sight of in
these pages, his story may be given here in his own words.

"Yes," said he, "you see I found myself drifting down. There was
no help for it. The wind was slight, and the tide was strong. I
was swept down into a fog bank, and lost sight of Ile Haute
altogether. Well, it didn't matter very much, and I wasn't a bit
anxious. I knew that the tide would turn soon, and then I'd come
up, and fetch the land somewhere; so I waited patiently. At last,
after about--well, nearly an hour, the tide must have turned, and I
drifted back, and there was wind enough to give me quite a lift;
and so all of a sudden I shot out of the fog, and saw Ile Haute
before me. I was coming in such a way that my course lay on the
south side of the island, and in a short time I came in sight of
the schooner. I tell you what it is, I nearly went into fits--I
knew her at once. A little farther on, and I saw you all cutting
like mad over the beach to my camp. I was going to put after you
at first; but the fact is, I hated the island so that I couldn't
bear to touch it again, and so I concluded I'd go on board and
signal. So I came up alongside, and got on board. Solomon was
down below; so I just stepped forward, and put my head over the
hatchway, and spoke to him. I declare I thought he'd explode. He
didn't think I was a ghost at all. It wasn't fear, you know--it
was nothing but delight, and all that sort of thing, you know.
Well, you know, then we went to work signaling to you, and he took
the fog horn, and I went to the flag, and so it was."

"I don't know how we happened not to see your boat," said Bruce.

"O, that's easy enough to account for," said Tom. "I was hid by
the east point of the island. I didn't see the schooner till I got
round, and you must have been just getting ashore at that time."

During all this time Solomon had been wandering about in a
mysterious manner; now diving below into the hold, and rattling the
pots and pans; again emerging upon deck, and standing to listen to
Tom and look at him. His face shone like a polished boot; there
was a grin on his face that showed every tooth in his head, and his
little twinkling black beads of eyes shone, and sparkled, and
rolled about till the winking black pupils were eclipsed by the
whites. At times he would stand still, and whisper solemnly and
mysteriously to himself, and then, without a moment's warning, he
would bring his hands down on his thighs, and burst into a loud,
long, obstreperous, and deafening peal of uncontrollable laughter.

"Solomon," said Tom, at last, "Solomon, my son, won't you burst if
you go on so? I'm afraid you may."

At this Solomon went off again, and dived into the hold. But in a
minute or two he was back again, and giggling, and glancing, and
whispering to himself, as before. Solomon and Captain Corbet thus
had each a different way of exhibiting the same emotion, for the
feeling that was thus variously displayed was nothing but the
purest and most unfeigned joy.

"See yah, Mas'r Tom--and chil'n all," said Solomon, at last. "Ise
gwine to pose dat we all go an tend to sometin ob de fust portance.
Hyah's Mas'r Tom habn't had notin to eat more'n a mont; an hyah's
de res ob de blubbed breddern ob de Bee see double what been a
fastin since dey riz at free clock dis shinin and spicious morn.
Dis yah's great an shinin casium, an should be honnad by great and
strorny stivities. Now, dar ain't no stivity dat can begin to hole
a can'l to a good dinna, or suppa, or sometin in de eatin line. So
Ise gwine to pose to honna de cobbery ob de Probable Son by a rale
ole-fashioned, stunnin breakfuss. Don't be fraid dar'll be any
ficiency hyah. I got tings aboard dat I ben a savin for dis
spicious an lightful cobbery. Ben no eatin in dis vessel ebber
sence de loss chile took his parter an drifted off. Couldn't get
no pusson to tetch nuffin. Got 'em all now; an so, blubbed
breddern, let's sem'l once more, an ole Solomon'll now ficiate in
de pressive pacity ob Gran Pandledrum. An I pose dat we rect a
tent on de sho oh dis yah island, and hab de banket come off in
fust chop style."

"The island!" cried Tom, in horror. "What! the island? Breakfast
on the island? What a horrible proposal! Look here, captain.
Can't we get away from this?"

"Get away from this?" repeated the captain, in mild surprise.

"Yes," said Tom. "You see, the fact is, when a fellow's gone
through what I have, he isn't over fond of the place where he's had
that to go through. And so this island is a horrible place to me,
and I can't feel comfortable till I get away out of sight of it.
Breakfast! Why, the very thought of eating is abominable as long
as that island is in sight."

"Wal, railly, now," said Captain Corbet, "I shouldn't wonder if
thar was a good deal in that, though I didn't think of it afore.
Course it's natral you shouldn't be over fond of sech, when you've
had sech an oncommon tough time. An now, bein' as thar's no uthly
occasion for the Antelope to be a lingerin' round this here isle of
the ocean, I muve that we histe anchor an resume our vyge. It's
nigh onto a fortnight sence we fust started for Petticoat Jack, and
sence that time we've had rare and strikin vycissitoods. It may
jest happen that some on ye may be tired of the briny deep, an may
wish no more to see the billers bound and scatter their foamin
spray; some on ye likewise may be out o' sperrits about the fog.
In sech a case, all I got to say is, that this here schooner'll be
very happy to land you at the nighest port, Scott's Bay, frincense,
from which you may work your way by land to your desired haven.
Sorry would I be to part with ye, specially in this here moment of
jy; but ef ye've got tired of the Antelope, tain't no more'n's
natral. Wal, now,--what d'ye say--shall we go up to Scott's Bay,
or will ye contenoo on to Petticoat Jack, an accomplitch the
riginal vyge as per charter party?"

The boys said nothing, but looked at Tom as though referring the
question to him.

"As far as I am concerned," said Tom, who noticed this reference to
him, "it's a matter of indifference where we go, so long as we go
out of sight of this island. If the rest prefer landing at Scott's
Bay, I'm agreed; at the same time, I'd just as soon go on to
Petitcodiac."

"An what do the rest o' ye say?" asked the captain, somewhat
anxiously.

"For my part," said Bruce, "I think it's about the best thing we
can do."

The others all expressed similar sentiments, and Captain Corbet
listened to this with evident delight.

"All right," said he, "and hooray! Solomon, my aged friend, we
will have our breakfast on board, as we glide past them thar
historic shores. Pile on what you have, and make haste."

In a few minutes more the anchor was up, and the Antelope was under
way.

In about half an hour Solomon summoned them below, where he laid
before them a breakfast that cast into the shade Tom's most
elaborate meal on the island. With appetites that seemed to have
been growing during the whole period of Tom's absence, the joyous
company sat down to that repast, while Solomon moved around, his
eyes glistening, his face shining, his teeth grinning, and his hips
moving, as, after his fashion, he whispered little Solomonian
pleasantries to his own affectionate heart. At this repast the
boys began a fresh series of questions, and drew from Tom a full,
complete, and exhaustive history of his island life, more
particularly with regard to his experience in house-building, and
housekeeping; and with each one, without exception, it was a matter
of sincere regret that it had not been his lot to be Tom's
companion in the boat and on the island.

After breakfast they came up on deck. The wind had at length
changed, as Captain Corbet had prophesied in the morning, and the
sky overhead was clear. Down the bay still might be seen the fog
banks, but near at hand all was bright. Behind them Ile Haute was
already at a respectful distance, and Cape Chignecto was near.

"My Christian friends," said Captain Corbet, solemnly,--"my
Christian friends, an dear boys. Agin we resoom the thread of our
eventfool vyge, that was brok of a suddent in so onparld a manner.
Agin we gullide o'er the foamin biller like a arrer shot from a
cross-bow, an culleave the briny main. We have lived, an we have
suffered, but now our sufferins seem to be over. At last we have a
fair wind, with a tide to favor us, an we'll be off Hillsborough
before daybreak to-morrer. An now I ask you all, young sirs, do
you feel any regretses over the eventfool past? I answer, no. An
wan't I right? Didn't I say that that thar lad would onst more
show his shinin face amongst us, right side up, with care, in good
order an condition, as when shipped on board the Antelope, Corbet
master, from Grand Pre, an bound for Petticoat Jack? Methinks I
did. Hence the vally of a lofty sperrit in the face of
difficulties. An now, young sirs, in after life take warnin by
this here vyge. Never say die. Don't give up the ship. No
surrender. England expects every man to do his dooty. For him
that rises superior to succumstances is terewly great; an by
presarvin a magnanumous mind you'll be able to hold up your heads
and smile amid the kerrash of misfortin. Now look at me. I affum,
solemn, that all the sufferins I've suffered have ben for my good;
an so this here vyge has eventooated one of the luckiest vyges that
you've ever had. An thus," he concluded, stretching out his
venerable hands with the air of one giving a benediction,--"thus
may it be with the vyge of life. May all its storms end in calms,
an funnish matter in the footoor for balmy rettuspect. Amen!"

It was a close approach to a sermon; and though the words were a
little incoherent, yet the tone was solemn, and the intention good.
After this the captain dropped the lofty part of a Mentor, and
mingled with the boys as an equal.

This time the voyage passed without any accident. Before daybreak
on the following morning they reached Hillsborough, where Mrs.
Watson received them with the utmost joy. In a few days more the
boys had scattered, and Bart arrived home with the story of Tom's
rescue.

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