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It struck the vessel with tremendous force, and swept waist deep along the deck; while the vessel, herself, surged forward. There was another shock, but this time much slighter and, as the next wave carried them on, there was a general cheer from the sailors. "She has floated, she is through it, hurrah!" She was, indeed, over the bar. "There are men in the water," Fairclough shouted.
The Malay interpreter stood by the captain's side. "Why do you come here?" was their first question. "We bring a high officer of the Governor General at Calcutta, to confer with the lord of Singapore," Fairclough answered, through the interpreter. "Our lord thought that it might be so," one of the officials said, "and therefore sent us off to enquire."
Then there was a deafening crash, and a blaze of light. The fore-top mast was riven in fragments, but none of these fell on the deck, the wind carrying them far ahead. "You had better make your way forward, Mr. Hardy," Fairclough shouted, into the lieutenant's ear, "and see if anyone is hurt."
One watch was below, the men of the other were for the most part gathered aft, and lashed to belaying pins. Fairclough was standing near the wheel. With some difficulty, Harry made his way to him. "Not much change since last night," he said. "I feel quite ashamed of myself, for having been sleeping in my berth while you have all been exposed to this gale."
"I was up until two o'clock, as it happened," he replied, "but I knew nothing about the matter until it was brought to my notice officially." Helen Fairclough, who was doing the honours for Lady Cranston, her absent hostess, assumed the slight air of superiority to which the circumstances of the case entitled her. "I heard it distinctly," she declared; "in fact it woke me up.
Then the conversation flagged, and Fairclough said, presently: "I think that we may as well follow the men's example, and turn in. I can hardly keep my eyes open." The gale was still blowing strongly, in the morning, though its force had somewhat abated.
Fairclough placed himself at the wheel, and told the two midshipmen to go round, and tell the crew that there was an inlet ahead, but the depth of the water was uncertain. When they approached it, all hands would come aft, so as to avoid being crushed by the falling masts.
On looking at the chart, he said to Fairclough: "I should have thought that it would have been shorter to go on the other side of the islands." "It would have been rather shorter; but there are four or five islands to the north of the Andaman, and another very small one halfway between it and Negrais, so I preferred going outside.
T. Matthewson, who was a really expert bomber, and by my orderly L.-C. Fairclough. This training took all morning, and as far as I could judge the men were interested in the course and did their best to learn the intricacies of this new weapon. In the afternoon I was free to wander round and examine the surrounding country.
At the rate at which we are sailing, we shall take at least three weeks before we get there. You see, we are only just clear of the northern point of Sumatra; and it is already a month since we got up anchor." "But we shall have the wind almost behind us, Fairclough." "Yes, when it has settled down. It is the change that I do not like.
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