Free The Survivors of the Chancellor by Jules Verne

pretty calm; otherwise the dashing
of the waves against her sides, as she lies motionless, might
have been attended by serious consequences.
    As might be supposed, the height of the water in the hold
increased with the tide from five feet to nine; but this was
rather a matter of congratulation, inasmuch as it sufficed
to inundate another layer of cotton.
    At half-past eleven the sun, which had been behind the
clouds since ten o'clock, broke forth brightly. The captain,
who had already in the morning been able to calculate an
horary angle, now prepared to take the meridian altitude,
and succeeded at midday in making his observation most
satisfactorily. After retiring for a short time to calculate
the result, he returned to the poop and announced that we
are in lat. 18 deg. 5' N. and long. 45 deg. 53' W., but that the reef
on which we are aground is not marked on the charts. The
only explanation that can be given for the omission is that
the islet must be of recent formation, and has been caused
by some subterranean volcanic disturbance. But whatever
may be the solution of the mystery, here we are 800 miles
from land; for such, on consulting the map, we find to be
the actual distance to the coast of Guiana, which is the near-
est shore. Such is the position to which we have been
brought, in the first place, by Huntly's senseless obstinacy,
and, secondly, by the furious northwest gale.
    Yet, after all, the captain's communication does not dis-
hearten us. As I said before, our spirits are reviving. We
have escaped the peril of fire; the fear of explosion is past
and gone: and oblivious of the fact that the ship with a
hold full of water is only too likely to founder when she
puts out to sea, we feel a confidence in the future that for-
bids us to despond.
    Meanwhile Curtis prepares to do all that common sense
demands. He proposes, when the fire is quite extinguished,
to throw overboard the whole, or the greater portion of the
cargo, including, of course, the picrate; he will next plug
up the leak, and then, with a lightened ship, he will take ad-
vantage of the first high tide to quit the reef as speedily as
possible.
CHAPTER XVII
M. LETOURNEUR IS PESSIMISTIC
    OCTOBER 30. — Once again I talked to M. Letourneur about
our situation, and endeavored to animate him with the hope
that we should not be detained for long in our present pre-
dicament; but he could not be brought to take a very san-
guine view of our prospects.
    "But surely," I protested, "it will not be difficult to
throw overboard a few hundred bales of cotton; two or
three days at most will suffice for that."
    "Likely enough," he replied, "when the business is once
begun; but you must remember, Mr. Kazallon, that the very
heart of the cargo is still smoldering, and that it will still be
several days before anyone will be able to venture into the
hold. Then the leak, too, that has to be caulked; and, un-
less it is stopped up very effectually, we shall only be doomed
most certainly to perish at sea. Don't then, be deceiving
yourself; it must be three weeks at least before you can ex-
pect to put out to sea. I can only hope meanwhile that the
weather will continue propitious; it wouldn't take many
storms to knock the Chancellor, shattered as she is, com-
pletely into pieces."
    Here, then, was the suggestion of a new danger to which
we were to be exposed; the fire might be extinguished, the
water might be got rid of by the pumps, but, after all, we
must be at the mercy of the wind and waves; and, although
the rocky island might afford a temporary refuge from the
tempest, what was to become of passengers and crew if the
vessel should be reduced to a total wreck? I made no
remonstrance, however, to this view of our case, but merely
asked M. Letourneur if he had confidence in Robert Curtis?
    "Perfect confidence," he answered; "and I acknowledge
it most gratefully, as a providential circumstance, that Cap-
tain Huntly had given him the command in time. What-
ever man can do