The Coming Wave Part 17

"I can sir."

"Are you sure?"

"Certainly I am."

"We don't want to be thrown on the rocks."

"I can go into the river with my eyes shut, any time, sir."

"Very well. Captain Bounce, here is your pilot."

"All right Mr. Hamilton. All his orders shall be obeyed," replied the sailing-master.

"Hoist the jib, then, if you please, and head her to the north-east,"

added Leopold.

"To the north-east!" exclaimed Captain Bounce. "You said the ledges were in that direction."

"I know they are; but I can tell just where to find them."

"We are not anxious to find them," added the sailing-master.

"I am, for I take my bearings from them. Trust me as your best friend, Captain Bounce, and you shall throw over your mud-hook, in just an hour from now, in the river, off Rockhaven."

"All right; the owner says you are the pilot, and I haven't a word to say," replied the captain. "Forward there! Hoist the jib! At the helm!"

"Helm, sir!" replied the quarter-master.

"Keep her north-east."

"North-east, sir."

Leopold turned at that moment, and discovered a bundle of shawls and water-proofs emerging from the companion-way.

"Leopold Bennington! I'm glad to see you!" exclaimed the bundle, in a voice which the young pilot promptly identified as that of Miss Rosabel Hamilton.

"Thank you, Miss Hamilton. I'm happy to see you again," stammered Leopold, rus.h.i.+ng up to the bundle, in which he could hardly make out the beautiful face and form of Rosabel.

"You have come to get us out of an awful bad sc.r.a.pe. We have no fire in the cabin, and are wet through, and nearly frozen. I'm so glad we met you!"

"I'm glad to meet you too," said Leopold. "I'm sure I didn't expect to see you out in this fog. But I'm the pilot of this yacht now and if you will excuse me, I will go forward, and attend to my duty."

"Certainly. Don't let me keep you," answered Rosabel, in those sweet, silvery tones which made Leopold's heart jump. "I shall be so glad when we can see a good, warm fire!"

The young pilot did not like to leave her; but he felt the responsibility of the position he had a.s.sumed, and he hastened forward.

The Orion was moving along through the water at the rate of about four knots an hour. Leopold walked out on the bowsprit as far as the jibstay, and there seated himself. Rosabel, apparently deeply interested in his movements, followed him as far as the forecastle.

"What are you going to do out there, Leopold?" she asked.

"I'm going to keep a lookout for the ledges, which are ahead of us; and as I have to use my ears, I must ask you not to speak to me any more.

Excuse me, but I might not hear the breakers soon enough, if I were talking," added the pilot.

Rosabel excused him, and returned to the cabin, for the cold fog made her s.h.i.+ver, even within her bundle of clothing. Leopold listened with all his might, and in less than half an hour he heard the surges on the ledges, faintly, at first, in the distance.

"Breakers ahead!" shouted Captain Bounce.

"I know it; trust your best friend and don't be alarmed," replied Leopold. "There is water enough here to float a seventy-four."

He allowed the Orion to proceed on her course, till he could hear very distinctly the breakers on the ledges, and was sure they were the High Rock ledges.

"Starboard the helm, and start your sheets," shouted the pilot.

"High time, I should say," growled Captain Bounce, as he gave the necessary orders, and the Orion fell off to her new course.

"Keep her north-west," added Leopold, as he just saw the ledges whitened with sea foam.

He still retained his position on the bowsprit, with his attention fixed upon some point on the weather-bow.

"That's it! Dip point!" said he, as he listened to the breakers. "Keep her nor'-nor'-west!"

Ten minutes later, he ordered the fog-horn to be blown, and a reply came off from the light-house on the point, at the mouth of the river. When the Orion was clear of the point, he directed the yacht to be close-hauled on the starboard tack, in order to beat into the river. The first reach brought her to the high cliff near the hotel, and after a "short leg," he fetched the anchorage off the wharf.

"Let go your jib-halyards!" shouted Leopold. "Hard down the helm! Let go the anchor!"

The Orion swung round to her cable, and the pilot went aft.

CHAPTER XII.

AN EXTENSIVE ARRIVAL.

During the run of the Orion, from the time that Leopold a.s.sumed the charge of her till the anchor buried itself in the mud of the river, the owner and the pa.s.sengers remained in the cabin. They were all city people, and to them the fog was even more disagreeable than a heavy rain. It was cold and penetrating, and the pleasure-seekers found it impossible to remain on deck. They were actually s.h.i.+vering with cold, and perhaps for the first time in their lives realized what a blessing the suns.h.i.+ne is. But Captain Bounce was on deck, and, standing on the forecastle, he nervously watched the progress of the yacht. Doubtless he felt belittled at finding himself placed under the orders of a mere boy, even though the pilot was as polite as a French dancing-master.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CAPTAIN BOUNCE CANNOT SEE THE TOWN. Page 218.]

When the Orion changed her course off the ledges, he caught a glimpse of the dangerous rocks, upon which he had heard the beating surf for a moment before. From that time he did not see anything which looked like a rock or a cliff. Even when the yacht swung around to her anchor, the sh.o.r.e could not be seen from her deck, so dense was the fog.

Captain Bounce had not much confidence in the skill of his pilot. He had not seen the rocks and cliffs which line the coast, and had no idea of the perils which had surrounded him. Whenever Leopold ordered a change in the course, he could just hear the murmuring sea breaking on the sh.o.r.e; but the old sea-dog expected the vessel would be thrown upon the rocks every moment. He was prepared to act upon an emergency of this kind, and had actually arranged in his own mind his plan of procedure, when the order to let go the jib-halyard indicated that the pilot intended to anchor.

Captain Bounce looked about him, but he could see nothing which looked like a town, a port, or a harbor. He was so obstinate in his incredulity, that he was inclined to believe the young man in charge had given up the attempt to find Rockhaven as a bad job, and intended to anchor under the lee of some island. He obeyed the orders given him by the pilot, however. The chain cable ran out, and when its music had ceased, one of the church clocks in Rockhaven struck ten. Captain Bounce heard it distinctly, and of course the sound from a point high above him in the air overwhelmed him with positive proof that the young pilot knew what he was about.

"Ten o'clock!" shouted Leopold, walking up to the captain of the yacht.

"We have been just five minutes short of an hour in coming up."

Leopold looked at his silver watch, which was the gift of Herr Schlager, and rather enjoyed the perplexity of the sailing-master.