Yes, there she was. The cloud had lifted suddenly, and a ragged bore of blue sky let a long stream of sunshine down on her tall masts and stately hull as she lay rolling some four or five miles to the eastward; but, as for land, none was to be seen.
"There she is, and here we are," said Cary; "but where is here; and where is there? How is the tide, master?""Running up channel by this time, sir."
"What matters the tide?" said Amyas, devouring the ship with terrible and cold blue eyes. " Can"t we get at her?"Cary looked at him. His whole frame was trembling like an aspen. Cary took his arm, and drew him aside.
"Dear old lad," said he, as they leaned over the bulwarks, " what is this? You are not yourself, and have not been these four days.""No; I am not Amyas Leigh; I am my brother"s avenger. Do not reason with me, Will; when it is over I shall be merry old Amyas again"; and he passed his hand over his brow.
Cary went away with a shudder. As he passed over thehatchway, he looked back. Amyas was whetting away at his sword-edge, as if there was some dreadful doom on him to whet and whet for ever.
The weary day wore on. The strip of blue sky was curtained over again, and all was dismal as before, though it grew sultrier every moment; and now and then a distant mutter shook the air to westward. Nothing could be done to lessen the distance between the ships for the Vengeance had had all her boats carried away but one. and that was much too small to tow her.
About two, Yeo came up to him.
"He is ours safely now, sir. The tide has been running to the eastward for these two hours.""Safe as a fox in a trap. There comes the thunder at last."And, as he spoke, an angry growl from the westward heavens seemed to answer his words, and rolled and loudened nearer and nearer till, right over their heads, it crashed against some cloud-cliff far above, and all was still.
Each man looked in the other"s face; but Amyas was unmoved.
"The storm is coming." said he,"and the wind in it. It will be eastward-ho now, for once, my merry men all ! Here comes the breeze. Round with the yards, or we shall be taken aback." The yards creaked round; the sea grew crisp around them; the hot air swept their cheeks, tightened every rope, filled every sail, bent her over. A cheer burst from the men as thehelm went up, and they staggered away before the wind right down upon the Spaniard, who lay still becalmed.
"There is more behind, Amyas," said Cary. " Shall we not shorten sail a little?""No; hold on every stitch," said Amyas." Give me thehelm, man. Boatswain, pipe away to clear for fight."It was done; and, in ten minutes, the men were all at quarters, while the thunder rolled louder and louder overhead, and the breeze freshened fast.
"We shall have it now, and with a vengeance; this will try your tackle, master," said Cary.
He answered with a shrug, and turned up the collar of his rough frock as the first drops flew stinging round his ears. Another minute, and the squall burst full upon them, in rain which cut like hail-hail which lashed the sea into froth, and wind which swept the waters into one white, seething waste.
"Get the arms and ammunition under cover, and then below with you all," shouted Amyas from the helm.
"And heat the pokers in the galley fire," said Yeo, "to be ready if the rain puts our linstocks out. I hope you"ll let me stay on deck, sir, in case--""I must have some one, and who better than you? Can you see the chase?"No; she was wrapped in the grey whirlwind. She might be within half a mile of them for aught they could have seen of her.
"Hurrah ! there she is! right on our larboard bow."There she was indeed, two musket-shots off, staggeringaway, with canvas sprit and flying.
" What shall we do now?" said Yeo, rubbing his hands. "Range alongside, and try our luck once more."On they swept, gaining fast on the Spaniard.
" Call the men up, and to quarters; the rain will be over in ten minutes."Yeo ran forward to the gangway, and sprang back again, with a white face and wild.
"Land right ahead ! Port your helm, sir! Port your helm!"Amyas, with the strength of a bull, jammed the helm down, while Yeo shouted to the men below.
She swung round. The masts bent like whips; crack went the foresail like a cannon. What matter? Within two hundred yards of them was the Spaniard; in front of her and above her, a huge, dark bank rose through the dense hail and mingled with the clouds, and, at its foot, plainer every moment, pillars and spouts of leaping foam.
"What is it?-Motto? Hartland?"
It might be anything for thirty miles.
"Lundy!" said Yeo. "The south end; I see the head of the Shutter in the breakers. Hard aport yet, and get her as close- hauled as you can, and the Lord may have mercy on us still ! Look at the Spaniard!"II
Yes,look at the Spaniard!
On their left hand, the wall of granite sloped down from the clouds towards an isolated peak of rock, some two hundred feet in height. Then, a hundred yards of roaring breaker upon a sunken shelf, across which the race of the tide poured like a cataract; then, amid a column of salt smoke, the Shutter, like a huge, black fang, rose waiting for its prey; and, between the Shutter and the land, the great galleon loomed dimly through the storm.
He, too, had seen his danger, and tried to turn. But his clumsy mass refused to obey the helm. He struggled a moment, half hid in foam, fell away again, and rushed upon his doom.
"Lost ! lost ! lost!" cried Amyas, madly; and, throwing up his hands, let go the tiller. Yeo caught it just in time.
"Sir! sir! what are you at? We shall clear the rock yet."Another minute. The galleon gave a sudden jar, and stopped; then one long heave and bound, as if to free herself; and then her bows lighted clean upon the Shutter.
