Voyage of the Dolphin (5 page)

The meal was very pleasant. Dawn said nothing complimentary about the food, but everyone else did.

Finally Dawn said, “I want some more of this juice.”

She held out her goblet in a demanding fashion.

Sarah arose at once and took it. She went over to where a pitcher was fastened down and filled the goblet, then started back to the table. Unfortunately, the ship shifted at that moment, causing Sarah to stumble. She caught her balance, but a few drops of the liquid fell on the bosom of Dawn's dress.

At once Dawn rose up, crying, “You clumsy girl! Can't you do anything right?” Her hand flew through the air, and she slapped Sarah on the face.

The sound of the slap was very loud and caught everybody off guard. A mutter went up from Josh, and he began rising to his feet, his face pale with anger.

Captain Daybright caught his arm in a steely grasp and forced him back down. He looked down the table and said, “It's not my custom to give lessons in manners.”

A silence fell over the room.

Daybright's blue eyes were fixed on the face of the young woman, who glared back at him. “I'll have to ask you to apologize to Miss Sarah,” he said quietly.

Dawn's eyes flashed with anger. Her lips curled up in a twist of arrogance. “Apologize to a servant? Never!”

Again silence fell over the room. Every one of the Sleepers turned his eyes to Daybright.

The captain leaned forward, put his hands flat on the table, and pressed them down. He'd kept his temper under firm control thus far, and he did so now. His voice was low. “I'll give you a simple choice, Miss Catalina. You'll either apologize right now—or you will have the rest of your meals in your cabin.”

“You wouldn't dare!”

Daybright stared at the girl's face. It was flushed, and her lips were open in an “O” of surprise. He suspected she had never been crossed in her whole life, and he knew he was risking part of his fee to cross her now. He had been paid a portion in advance by the girl's father, the remainder to be collected from the king when she was safely delivered. But he was angry clear through, and he said firmly, “The choice is yours—apologize or go to your cabin.”

“I won't be treated like this! You can't make me go to my cabin!”

“Don't force me to do something we may both regret.”

Dawn's face went pale. Her lips drew into a tight, stubborn line as she shook her head. “I won't apologize, and you can't make me.”

Captain Ryland Daybright rose from the table.

Dawn's eyes opened wider, and she stared at him as he moved around the table, walking with precise steps.

When he stood over her, he said, “Your last chance, Miss Catalina.”

“No! You won't dare—”

Daybright pulled out her chair with one hand, grasped her arm with the other. She was a strong young woman, but the bulk of the sailor made her seem almost like a child.

“Let me go!” she cried out. She tried to slap him, but he grabbed her other hand.

He held both wrists with one hand and said, “I will take you to your cabin.”

He dragged her out of the galley, and when they got to the ladder she cried, “I won't go up there! You can't make me!”

“Oh, yes, I think that can be arranged.”

The Sleepers all watched as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Her legs were kicking, and she was beating him on the back ineffectually with her fists, screaming with all her might.

“Put me down! Put me down!”

The captain's legs disappeared up the ladder, and his tread could be heard on the deck.

“Well, I guess we know what kind of a man our captain is,” Dave said in awe. “I didn't think he'd do it.”

“Well, I did,” Josh said, “and he did it just right.”

“You think he'll make her stay in that cabin?” Abbey asked.

“I expect he will.” Wash was grinning from ear to ear. “And a good thing too. That young lady, she needs to learn how to behave herself.”

Josh sidled up to where Captain Daybright was standing at the wheel, staring out to the horizon. “Getting dark, Captain,” he said.

Daybright didn't answer for a moment. He was eyeing the sky. “Yes, it is. Josh, be sure things are tied down pretty well. I think we're in for a blow.”

Josh looked over and saw the dark clouds on the horizon. “Why, that's a long way off.”

“I know, but this air's got a blow in it. Feel the ship lifting? See those sails?”

Josh was no sailor, but he could sense something like a moody quality in the sky, and he looked anxiously at Daybright. “You think we're in for a storm?”

“I wouldn't be surprised if we had a little blow.”

Josh stood there for a while before saying, “Captain, are you ever going to let Miss Catalina out of her cabin?”

“I'm not keeping her there. She can come out any time she's ready to apologize to Sarah.”

“She won't ever do that. She's prouder than a peacock.”

“Then it's time she learned a little humility.'' Day-bright looked ahead and said under his breath, “If we have a real blow, that may teach her a little.” His face was stern, and he looked at Josh, a thoughtful light in his eyes. “Nobody feels important when they head into a hurricane. We're all of us mighty small.”

“You think it's a
hurricane
up there?” Josh was alarmed. “I've heard they get pretty bad.”

The captain repeated, “Nobody feels very big when he's in the midst of a hurricane—not even Dawn Catalina.”

I
never knew wind could blow this hard!”

The shrill whistling snatched the words from Reb's lips. He knew he had shouted at Dave as loud as he could, but his words sounded feeble and thin.

The two were on deck and had obeyed Daybright's orders to tie themselves down so they wouldn't be washed overboard. Underneath their feet the
Dolphin
plunged up and down in a frightening manner.

Dave looked up to where Captain Daybright was fixed at the wheel, a solitary figure. The others were all below deck.

“I never thought a storm could be this bad,” Dave shouted into Reb's ear. “To tell the truth, I'm a little bit scared.”

Reb turned his pale blue eyes on his friend. “Ain't nothing wrong with being scared. Right now I don't mind admitting I'm about as scared as a feller can get. Never did like water nohow.”

The
Dolphin
bobbed up and down like a wood chip. Overhead the skies were black and ominous. The sea rolled in huge waves. At times the ship would poise on top of a monstrous wave, then would skim down into the trough.

“It's like a blamed rollercoaster!” Reb shouted as they plunged downward. He looked at the wall of water now seemingly as high as the top of the mainmast. “I hope we come out of this!”

Below deck, the Sleepers were clinging to whatever support they could find. In the galley, Jake had tried to fasten everything down, but doors popped open, dishes flew out, and he yelled at Abbey, “Good thing we put that fire out! That's all we need—to have the ship catch on fire.”

The
Dolphin
reached the depth of a trough, then rose up at a sharp angle.

Abbey reached over and grabbed Jake's hand. “I'm scared,” she cried. Her eyes were large, and her lips trembled. “I think we're all going to die.”

Jake held her hand, and they braced their backs against the bulkhead. “We'll be all right. Goél, wherever he is, hasn't forgotten about us,” he said. “Don't worry.”

Abbey found a faint smile. “Tell me
how
not to worry, and I'll be glad to do it. I've never been in anything like this, Jake.”

“Me neither,” Jake admitted. He wiped his forehead, and his hand was not steady. “I guess I'll have to admit I'm a little nervous myself.”

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.

Daybright 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.”