"It would at least do no harm," Eau-douce mildly re-plied."By bringing the cutter head to sea we should les-sen her drift; and even if we dragged through the break-ers, it would be with the least possible danger.I hope, Master Cap, you will allow the pilot and myself to _prepare_for anchoring, since the precaution may do good, and can do no harm.""Overhaul your ranges, if you will, and get your anchors clear, with all my heart.We are now in a situation that cannot be much affected by anything of that sort.Ser-geant, a word with you aft here, if you please."Cap led his brother-in-law out of ear-shot; and then, with more of human feeling in his voice and manner than he was apt to exhibit, he opened his heart on the subject of their real situation.
"This is a melancholy affair for poor Mabel," said he, blowing his nose, and speaking with a slight tremor.
"You and I, Sergeant, are old fellows, and used to being near death, if not to actually dying; our trades fit us for such scenes; but poor Mabel! -- she is an affectionate and kind-hearted girl, and I had hoped to see her comfortably settled, and a mother, before my time came.Well, well!
we must take the bad with the good in every v'y'ge; and the only serious objection that an old seafaring man can with propriety make to such an event is, that it should happen on this bit of d----d fresh water."Sergeant Dunham was a brave man, and had shown his spirit in scenes that looked much more appalling than this; but on all such occasions he had been able to act his I part against his foes, while here he was pressed upon by an enemy whom he had no means of resisting.For him-self he cared far less than for his daughter, feeling some of that self-reliance which seldom deserts a man of firmness who is in vigorous health, and who has been accustomed to personal exertions in moments of jeopardy; but as respects Mabel he saw no means of escape, and, with a father's fondness, he at once determined that, if either was doomed to perish, he and his daughter must perish together.
"Do you think this must come to pass?" he asked of Cap firmly, but with strong feeling.
"Twenty minutes will carry us into the breakers; and look for yourself, Sergeant: what chance will even the stoutest man among us have in that caldron to leeward?"The prospect was, indeed, little calculated to encourage hope.By this time the _Scud_ was within a mile of the shore, on which the gale was blowing at right angles, with a violence that forbade the idea of showing any additional canvas with a view to claw off.The small portion of the mainsail actually set, and which merely served to keep the head of the _Scud_ so near the wind as to prevent the waves from breaking over her, quivered under the gusts, as if at each moment the stout threads which held the complicated fabric together were about to be torn asunder.The driz-zle had ceased; but the air, for a hundred, feet above the surface of the lake, was filled with dazzling spray, which had an appearance not unlike that of a brilliant mist, while above all the sun was shining gloriously in a cloud-less sky.Jasper had noted the omen, and had foretold that it announced a speedy termination to the gale, though the next hour or two must decide their fate.Between the cutter and the shore the view was still more wild and ap-palling.The breakers extended nearly half a mile; while the water within their line was white with foam, the air above them was so far filled with vapor and spray as to render the land beyond hazy and indistinct.Still it could be seen that the latter was high, -- not a usual thing for the shores of Ontario, -- and that it was covered with the verdant mantle of the interminable forest.
While the Sergeant and Cap were gazing at this scene in silence, Jasper and his people were actively engaged on the forecastle.No sooner had the young man received permission to resume his old employment, than, appealing to some of the soldiers for aid, he mustered five or six as-sistants, and set about in earnest the performance of a duty which had been too long delayed.On these narrow waters anchors are never stowed in-board, or cables that are in-tended for service unbent, and Jasper was saved much of the labor that would have been necessary in a vessel at sea.
The two bowers were soon ready to be let go, ranges of the cables were overhauled, and then the party paused to look about them.No changes for the better had occurred, but the cutter was falling slowly in, and each instant rendered it more certain that she could not gain an inch to wind-ward.
One long, earnest survey of the lake ended, Jasper gave new orders in a similar manner to prove how much he thought that the time pressed.Two kedges were got on deck, and hawsers were bent to them; the inner ends of the hawsers were bent, in their turns, to the crowns of the anchors, and everything was got ready to throw them over-board at the proper moment.These preparations com-pleted, Jasper's manner changed from the excitement of exertion to a look of calm but settled concern.He quitted the forecastle, where the seas were dashing in-board at every plunge of the vessel, the duty just mentioned having been executed with the bodies of the crew frequently buried in the water, and walked to a drier part of the deck, aft.
Here he was met by the Pathfinder, who was standing near Mabel and the Quartermaster.Most of those on board, with the exception of the individuals who have already been particularly mentioned, were below, some seeking re-lief from physical suffering on their pallets, and others tardily bethinking them of their sins.For the first time, most probably, since her keel had dipped into the limpid waters of Ontario, the voice of prayer was, heard on board the _Scud_.
