Voyage of the Dolphin Page 5

  Josh and Sarah were in the forward compartment with Wash. The three of them had long ago stopped commenting on the storm, but now Josh said, “It's getting worse, I think.”

  “I don't see how it could get any worse,” Wash said. “Those waves are high as a pine tree right now.”

  “Do you think the ship's going to hold together?” Sarah asked tensely. All wooden ships creaked, but now the Dolphin seemed to be nothing but creaks. She looked around, anxious, expecting the water to come in at any moment.

  “The captain built it. He said it would stay together,” Wash said loyally. “I think it will.”

  Suddenly Sarah said, “I think I'd better go to Dawn's cabin. She's probably scared to death.”

  “After what she did to you? Let her be scared,” Josh protested.

  “No, I'd better go. I know how I'd feel if I were all alone.”

  Clinging to the bulkhead, Sarah made her way out of the cabin. A sudden shift of the vessel threw her against the wall so that she cried out and fell to the floor. She crawled along the rolling passageway the rest of the way to Dawn's cabin.

  She found Dawn lying on her bunk. Faint light streamed in through the porthole, and Sarah asked loudly, “Are you all right, Miss Catalina?”

  Dawn Catalina was not all right. She had been in the cabin for several days, speaking to no one. She had taken her meals in silence and refused every offer Sarah had made to patch up the matter.

  But this storm was something different! As she turned in the bunk and then sat up, she whispered hoarsely, “What's going to happen?”

  Sarah grabbed at the bunk, which was fortunately fastened to both floor and bulkhead. She sat down beside the girl. “We'll be all right.”

  “I never was in a storm like this before. I—I'm frightened.”

  “I think we all are,” Sarah admitted.

  The ship rose and fell again. It seemed to never stop falling, and both girls took deep breaths. Finally the vessel straightened itself, but water suddenly gushed in through the porthole. Sarah looked at it, and fear shot through her. “We'll just have to have faith that we'll be all right,” she said as quietly as she could.

  “Have faith? Faith in what?”

  “Why, faith in the ship, faith in Captain Daybright— but mostly faith in Goel. He takes care of his own.”

  Dawn stared at her blankly and shook her head. “I've heard of Goél. But I've never had faith in anything.”

  “It might be a good time to begin.” Sarah reached out suddenly and seized the girl's hand and held it.

  Dawn looked at her in amazement. “Don't you hate me?” she demanded.

  “Why, no.”

  “Well, I ... I've hated you, and it was all my fault too. I ... I'm sorry I slapped you.”

  Sarah smiled and squeezed her hand. “It's all right. We all do things we regret sometimes.”

  “I do them all the time.”

  Dawn suddenly began to cry, turning away and putting her face down.

  Sarah put her arm around the girl and patted her shoulder. “It's all right. We'll get out of this. Goél knows where we are. Let me tell you about him.”

  Daybright stared up at the mainmast. The canvas was in ribbons. “We've got to get some kind of sail on her, or well founder.”

  “You mean go up in this kind of weather?” Wash was appalled. The ship was pitching from side to side, and it made his stomach hurt just to think about climbing up the ratlines.

  “I'll do it. You hold the wheel.”

  “No, you'll need help. Dave, come—take the wheel. The captain and I are going to put that sail on the mainmast.”

  Up the pitching ratlines Wash and Daybright went. They struggled valiantly in the violent gale and finally managed to get enough sail up to catch a wind. When they came down, Dave, at the helm, said, “That's better, Captain,” and Daybright knew the rudder had been of no use until the wind in the sail was shoving the ship along.

  Daybright stared upward again. It was hard to tell if it was morning or afternoon. The sky was blotted out by a thick cloud cover.

  “Do you know where we are, Captain?” Wash asked.

  “No. You have to have the sun to know that. Besides, this wind's blown us miles—hundreds of miles, I'd guess—off course.” There was a bleak quality in his voice. He had been through difficult times but had never been at the mercy of a storm like this.

  All afternoon the Dolphin wallowed in the troughs of waves driven by the power of a wind that no man could tame.

  “I don't see how we're ever going to find ourselves. If we don't sink, I mean,” Josh said.

  He looked over at Reb Jackson, who had been seasick for hours. Reb's fighting spirit seemed to be rising again, though. “Never was a horse couldn't be rode,” he muttered. He slapped the deck. “We'll ride this one. Don't you worry, Josh.”

  The Dolphin rode out the storm for two more days.

  Jake managed to fix enough cold food to make do, for there was no such thing as making a fire. He rattled around in the galley, making sandwiches. He wrapped them in oilcloth and took some to the captain, standing with his feet braced on the deck.

  “You have to eat something, Captain! I'll hold her if you want to go below.”

  Daybright looked at the boy. He was weary to the bone. He had not slept, except in fitful stretches for a few minutes at a time. “No, I'll eat here.” He unwrapped a sandwich and bit into it. He found out he was hungry and ate ravenously. When he was through, he said, “That was good, Wash. Ill take the wheel now.”

  The captain stood by the wheel for hours, it seemed, Wash at his side. Then suddenly Daybright was shouting, “Look! Land ahead!”

  Wash wiped his eyes free of saltwater and stared into the darkness. “I can't see nothing.”

  “There! See! Right along the horizon!”

  Wash stared hard. “Glory!” he said. “I knew we'd make it.”

  “We haven't made it yet. Those are rocks, and we're headed right toward them.” The captain's voice was tense. “Go tell everybody to put on the warmest clothes they've got and get up on deck. Go by my cabin and bring me some.”

  “Well, they'll be wet, Captain. Everything's wet.”

  “That's all right. We can dry out when we hit shore.”

  Ten minutes later, the Sleepers and Dawn Catalina were on deck. Daybright saw that Dawn's face was as pale as paper. He kept his voice as calm as he could and shouted over the wind. “We're going to hit those rocks.” He pointed out over the raging ocean. “No way to dodge them. The ship'll break up, but we'll be all right if we don't lose our heads.”

  “I can't swim!” Dawn cried. “I'll drown!”

  “You stay close to me,” he said. “I'll take you in. Can the rest of you swim?”

  They could.

  “Look around and find something that'll float. The force of the waves will carry you in. Just keep heading for that beach. Hurry now! We're going to hit any minute.”

  Josh stood beside Sarah. He reached out and took her hand. “Stay with me, Sarah.”

  She turned a wan smile on him. “It's all right, Josh,” she said. “We've been through hard times before. Lots of them.”

  “Sure have. And Goel will help us through this one.” He paused, then shouted, “There's the rocks!”

  The ship struck with a grinding crash, and the timbers snapped as if they were toothpicks. Everyone was thrown to the deck with the force of the blow.

  Daybright yelled, “All right! Over the side. The beach isn't more than forty yards away! Let the waves take you in!” He let go of the wheel and turned, saying, “Come on, Dawn.”

  “I'm afraid!” she cried. “I always was afraid of water.”

  Daybright felt sorry for girl. He spoke reassuringly into her ear. “We'll be all right. Just hang onto me.” He led her across the deck and saw that the ship was already sinking fast. “Come,” he said, “don't fight me. I'll take you ashore.”

  “Take care of me,” she pleaded.

  Dayb
right felt a sudden protective urge come over him. He determined to save this girl if it killed him to do it. “Here we go,” he said.

  He held her as they jumped off the ship. The water closed over his head, and he hoped she was holding her breath. He came upward with powerful strokes and held her up. He could see her pale face.

  “I've got you!” he said. He turned her onto her back, then kicked water until he was moving toward the shore. When his feet touched bottom, he sat her upright. “It's all right now. We're safe.”

  He helped her to the beach, then said, “Wait here. I'll help the others.”

  Soon the Sleepers were safely ashore. All gathered in a small group and surveyed the scene. The ship was being torn to pieces by the force of the waves. She was held by the rocks, and the winds seemed to slash at her with mighty fists.

  “Well, she was a good ship,” Daybright said bleakly as he stared at the vessel he had poured his life into.

  “You can build another one, Captain,” Wash said, reaching out to take the captain's hand.

  Daybright managed a smile. “You're right, Wash. I can always build another one.” Then he turned and said, “Come on, folks. We've got to find shelter.”

  6

  “This Here Place Ain't Natural!”

  A thin gray light broke over the horizon and cast a feeble gleam on the ocean. The waves were still tossing high, but the fury of the storm had abated.

  “Well, I reckon we got thrown up on the shore just like Jonah,” Reb said. He tried to smile but shivered, for the night had been cold.

  They had all huddled together in their wet clothes, having found no shelter better than a bank that broke the fierce wind.

  Daybright stood up and looked out over the sea. “Not much left of the Dolphin,” he murmured. He saw a few scattered boards and the ribs of the ship, sticking up like a skeleton out of the waves that still pounded her. Turning to the land, the captain stared into the murky light, saying, “I guess we'd better try to find better shelter than this.”

  “Couldn't we make a fire?” Sarah asked. Her voice shook with the cold, and she hugged herself. “We could dry our clothes out at least.”

  “I guess we should have brought some supplies, but all I was thinking about was getting us off that ship alive.” Daybright looked down at Dawn. “Are you all right, Mistress Catalina?”

  “Y-yes,” the girl murmured. She hugged herself too, as did the others. “It—it's just cold.”

  Daybright nodded. “It is for a fact. Let's get off this beach. I hope we find a village or a farm or someplace where there are people.”

  He was sure that another thought came to several of them at once: What if there are no people! What if this is a desert island? No one voiced that thought, however, and they began to trudge through the wet sand.

  It was a dismal morning. The wind was still blowing hard, and they had to lean against it to keep from being shoved backward. The sun rose higher, a pale disk visible at last, but there was no sign of any habitation.

  “This is about the worst country I've ever seen,” Jake muttered. “No sign of anybody living here. Looks like the worst parts of Arizona.”

  “At least Arizona was warm,” Dave argued. “I'd settle for almost anything if I could just get warm.”

  “Wait a minute! I've got an idea,” Wash said. “I can start a fire.”

  Everyone turned to look at him.

  He jammed his hands down in his pants pockets and came out with a small magnifying glass. “If the sun heats up just a little bit, I can get a fire going.”

  “Everything's wet!” Dave shook his head. “And that sun's not hot enough to make a burning glass any good.”

  “It'll get hot later,” Wash said confidently.

  Three hours later the sun was high in the sky, and Wash said, “I'm going to try and make a fire.”

  Daybright watched him prowl about, breaking off tiny fragments of sticks.

  When he saw an old dead tree trunk, a huge one, lying on the ground, Wash said, “That's about the biggest tree I ever saw. It looks like a sequoia. It ought to be dry and rotten down inside.”

  He broke into the tree trunk and found the inside crumbled to a dry punk. “This is great!” he said. He brought out a handful, brushed away the wet dirt, and made a little mound of the dry material. He gathered his small fragments of sticks close to one side and said, “Now, let's see about this.”

  He held the glass up to the sun and focused a tiny point of light on the punk. Then he sat down and held his wrist with his left hand so that he could keep it steady. For a time, nothing happened, but then he said, “Look! It's starting to smoke!”

  The others crowded around; and sure enough, a tiny spiral of smoke was rising.

  “Steady as she goes,” Daybright murmured. “I believe you've got something there.”

  The smoke grew thicker, and suddenly a spark appeared. Carefully Wash blew, and the light grew more prominent. “Come on now, little fire,” he breathed, “let's see a little yellow flame there.”

  As if the fire understood, it suddenly burst into a tiny blaze. A cheer went up, and Wash carefully put the smallest of his sticks over the tiny flame. It caught almost at once. He put the glass down and began adding sticks, very cautiously.

  Soon a cheerful fire was going, and the boys were enthusiastically hauling in the driest chunks of wood they could find.

  Josh came dragging a huge limb, puffing. “I never saw such a big tree!” he said. “It's enormous.” He looked around, and the mist was clearing. “They're all big, though. Look at'em!”

  The Sleepers were not interested in the trees, however, but in getting warm. Most had on at least two sets of clothes, so they arranged branches and dried out one set before the fire. When they were dry, the boys walked off and let the girls change. Then the girls did the same for them.

  “Well, it feels better to be dry. Let's go. We'll find somebody. Hope the natives are friendly'' Daybright said.

  “I just hope they ain't cannibals,” Jake muttered.

  They continued walking steadily until, perhaps an hour later, Abbey said, “See! See those big bushes. Are those berries?”

  They ran to where she pointed. Sure enough, bushes higher than their heads were loaded down with berries almost as large as apples.

  “Hope they're not poison,” Jake said.

  “I'll find out.” Reb took one of the black berries, bit into it, and chewed for a moment. A grin broke out on his face. “It's too good to be poison,” he said. He grabbed another one. “Pitch in. Breakfast is on the table.”

  The berries were sweet and delicious and, since they all had empty stomachs, brightened their eyes considerably.

  “Let's take all these we can with us,” Dave said in a practical voice.

  They used their extra clothes to make slings and tied them on sticks.

  “We look like tramps,” Jake said as they started out.

  “Are you all right, Miss Catalina?” Daybright asked.

  “I'm—yes, I suppose so.”

  “Your mouth's all smeared with berry juice,” he said. He handed her a handkerchief. “Maybe you could wipe it off with this.”

  Dawn rubbed her lips and stared at the handkerchief. “Thank you,” she said, handing it back.

  “Better keep it. We may find more berries.”

  As the group made its way inland, more than anything else Daybright noticed the enormous size of the trees.

  “I was in California once,” Josh said. “The sequoias were like this, but they were the biggest trees on earth at the time.”

  Daybright was uneasy. “If this island's deserted,” he muttered to Josh, “we'll be in a bad condition.”

  “Why is that, Captain?”

  “Because no ships come this way. I don't know where we are exactly, but it's way off the beaten track. Surely somebody lives here. But not according to the charts.”

  By midafternoon everyone was very tired. They had seen birds flying high overhead but
no sign of animals or people.

  Then Reb said, “Come and look at this.” He had wandered off to one side, and the others came to where he was pointing down at something.

  “What is it?” Abbey whispered.

  “It's a footprint—some kind of animal.” Reb stared down at it and shook his head. “It sure is a big critter. Look at the size of that thing!”

  “That looks like a dog's footprint—but bigger'n any dog I ever saw.” Reb put his hands down and spread his fingers out over the track. The print was so big that his hand barely spanned it. He stood up slowly and looked around thoughtfully. “I guess we better be a mite careful from here on. If his feet's that big, I'd hate to think how big his mouth is!”

  That thought had occurred to Daybright, and he saw the fear on their faces. “We'd better get on our way,” he said quietly.

  Reb looked around, back at the footprint, then up at the towering trees. “This here place ain't natural!” he whispered, his voice low and tense.

  They made their way into the forest, and the trees covered the sky. It was like walking through a gigantic cathedral. Finally they broke out of the giant forest into a place with smaller trees—not small but seeming so.

  “I guess this is the scrub stuff,” Dave said, looking about. “I don't know—”

  Just then a large animal burst from the trees a hundred yards away.

  “Look out!” Daybright yelled. “Take cover!”

  “Up this tree!” Josh cried. “All of you!”

  Dawn and the Sleepers scurried to the tree, which had limbs growing very close to the ground.

  Josh glanced back and saw that Daybright had picked up a club and was waiting. Beyond the captain he saw the animal—a giant dog or wolf—coming at a dead run. He helped Abbey up, then Dawn, saying, “Climb as quick as you can.”

  Then Josh turned around, picked up a stick, and went to stand beside Daybright.

  “Get up that tree, Josh!” the captain ordered.

  Josh shook his head stubbornly. “No, I won't do it.”

  “And we won't either.”

  They both turned to see Reb, Dave, and Jake armed with heavy sticks.