CHAPTER XXIX
THE PROSPECT OF A WATER-FAMINE
Morris and Louis were quite as thoroughly startled as Pitts had been when he made the discovery that the water-casks were all empty; for he had sounded all of them, and afterwards shaken them, listening for the noise of the needed fluid.
"What shall be done?" asked Morris, who had just relieved the wheel, as he directed a blank gaze at Louis.
"It is not for me to say what is to be done," replied the deck-hand, remembering that he was such, and not a leader of the big four, as he had generally been.
"We can't get along without water," added Morris.
"We cannot; and I am as thirsty as a grounded polywog," answered Louis, as he turned to the ice-pitcher with which the pilot-house was supplied.
Pitts passed it out of the window to him, and he drank a copious draught.
"That is good," he added, "though it is a little warm."
"But there is plenty of ice on board, sir," interposed the cook and steward, as he took the pitcher from the deck-hand. "I will put some in it, for it is nearly full of water; and that may be all there is on board."
There was an ice-chest built into the after part of the run, which had been filled from the ship's supply, and the provisions were stored around it.
"Pitts can't even make any coffee for us," continued Morris ruefully. "It takes water to make coffee."
"That is as true as truth itself," replied Louis cheerfully; "but we will not cry about it."
"I don't mean to cry about it; but it is a serious question, for the Guardian-Mother cannot overhaul the Maud in less than twelve or fifteen hours more, and we want something to eat and drink to-day."
"I think we can stand it one day," added Louis, laughing. "I went longer than that on a New Jersey sand-spit without a drop of drink of any kind."
"I can melt the ice and get water enough to cook with," interposed Pitts.
"But suppose the Guardian-Mother should fail to find us, as she did your party, Louis, when you made the run in this boat from Funchal to Tarifa?" suggested Morris.
"That is possible, but not probable," added Louis.
"Why did the commander of the ship instruct Captain Scott to make a port at Valetta in the island of Malta?" demanded the first officer.
"Because, as I said, it is possible that the ship may fail to find the Maud. But this question is no more to me than to the rest of the party; and I am willing to do what the majority think best, Morris," replied Louis, when the mate began to be a little warm in the discussion.
"I think we had better call the captain, and have the matter decided at once," added Morris.
Louis was sent aft to attend to this duty, as the mate decided. Scott was sleeping very soundly, and he was entitled to another hour nearly in his bed. He woke with a start when Louis put his hand on the arm of the dreamer, as he appeared to be.
"Eight bells?" demanded Captain Scott, as he sat up in his bed.
"Not yet, Captain; it wants almost an hour of it; but the mate ordered me to call you, for we have got into a sort of difficulty," replied Louis.
"What kind of a difficulty? Is the Pacha chasing us?"
"Not that I am aware of; but the water has all leaked out of the casks in the run," said the messenger, telling the whole truth all in a heap.
"How can that be?" asked the captain blankly.
"I am sure I don't know. Pitts found the casks empty when he went to the run for water."
"What's the matter now?" asked Felix, springing up in his bed. "Has the bottom dropped out of the little steamer?"
"No; but the bottom has dropped out of the water-casks, and we are likely to be a thirsty set," replied Louis, as the captain proceeded to dress himself in readiness to consider the difficult question.
Felix followed his example, and in a few minutes they were all on the forecastle. Louis expressed his view of the question as he had before, and Morris did the same. While they were talking about it, Pitts went to the run again, and made another examination of the casks, and then he carried the four to the standing-room, from which the velvet cushions had been removed the night before. It was clear enough to him now, as it had been before, that there was no water in the casks. Taking off his shoes and stockings, he descended to the run again. He stubbed his foot against something, which proved to be a plug in the flooring, used to let the water off when the run was washed out, which was frequently done to keep it clean as a receptacle for the provisions.
There was but a small quantity of ice in the chest, and that was needed to preserve the meats in it. Then he went on deck and looked over the casks. He could insert the small blade of his knife in some of the seams in them. They had not been in use on board of the ship, and had dried up in their place by the fire-room. They had been lowered into the run in the night, and the hands had failed to observe that there was any serious leak in them. Pitts reported what the situation was.
"I think we are in danger of being missed by the Guardian-Mother," said Captain Scott in the course of the discussion, as Pitts appeared upon the forecastle. "She might pass us in the night or in a fog. We don't know when she sailed from Gib, or what time she will sail; and I hardly think Captain Ringgold, from what he said to me, expected to overhaul the Maud before she arrived at Valetta."
"There is not a drop of water in any of the casks, Captain," reported Pitts at this point of the discussion. "There is not ice enough to last us more than to-day; and the meats will spoil without it, for it is hot in the run."
"That does not look like a very pleasant prospect for water," added Captain Scott.
"There is a water-jar in the cabin," suggested Louis. "How much is there in that?"
"I filled it up last night, and there must be some in it," replied Pitts.
The steward was sent to examine the jar, and reported that it contained about two quarts.
"We can get along a while on that, and we will not change our course at present," said the captain, settling the matter, at least for a time. "Don't boil any potatoes, Pitts; fry them, and keep what water there is for coffee."
"How far are we from the island of Alboran?" asked Louis.
"About fifty miles."
"We ought to be able to get some water there; for if the island is inhabited, as they say it is, the people there cannot live without it. The lightkeeper must have water."
"I don't know anything about it," replied Captain Scott. "There isn't a mile of land on it, and I should not care to go a great way off the course with the expectation of filling our casks there. Keep her going east by south, Morris."
Captain Scott went back to the cabin, followed by Felix, and both of them were soon fast asleep again. Pitts drew off the water from the jar, and went to work in the galley; but it was eight o'clock when breakfast was ready, for the cook had been delayed by the water question. The table was set in the cabin at the last moment, so that the sleepers might not be disturbed; and they were called only when the meal was ready.
Morris had just relieved the helm, and he insisted that Louis should go to breakfast first. The captain took his place at the head of the table, with Morris on his right and Louis on his left. Pitts left them to take care of themselves while he served the meal for the engineers; for they had decided to breakfast together in the engine-room, where a shelf served as a table.
"This is not bad for a beginning," said Captain Scott, as he seated himself and looked over the dishes on the table. "Ham and eggs are to my mind, though I served them half the time on board of the Seahound. They look very nice, and Pitts appears to be a good cook."
"I don't believe we shall starve, or suffer from thirst, in spite of the water famine," added Morris.
"The praties are moighty foine," said Felix. "Ye's couldn't get a betther male in an Oirish castle."
"What's an Irish castle, Flix?" asked Morris.
"A noice bit of a house tin fate shquare, wid a thatched roof and a mood flure."
"But they have water to boil their potatoes in an Irish castle," added the captain.
"Faix, they have; the foinest wather in the wurruld."
"But we mustn't stay here too long to talk; for the owner of the Guardian-Mother is at the wheel, and it is time for the starboard watch to go on duty," said Captain Scott, as he broke open a hot biscuit.
Not much ceremony was used at the meal, and it was soon finished. As the trio passed the engine-room on their way to the forecastle, a flood of Spanish speech struck their ears, and it was evident that the engineers were enjoying their morning meal. As soon as the steward saw the captain he hastened aft to rearrange the table; and Louis was served as elegantly as became the dignity of a ship-owner, though he put on no airs. He ate his breakfast alone; but he had a good appetite, for he had been up since the morning watch was called at four o'clock.
By nine o'clock Pitts had cleared the tables, and put everything in good order in the galley. His head was still full of the water-casks, and he went to the standing-room to examine them again. They were simply dried up when the water was drawn into them from the tanks. In six hours they had drained themselves empty, which was a leakage from each of only about four gallons an hour; but he wondered that Mr. Gaskette, who had superintended the work of putting them in the run, had not discovered the condition of the casks.
While he was engaged in his examination Don joined him. The engineer had slept most of the night, and he had no desire to turn in again. He looked the casks over with the steward, and declared that he could make them as tight as when they were new in fifteen minutes. He went to the engine-room, and returned with a hammer and a piece of iron in his hands. He calked the casks as though he had been a cooper all his life, and then proceeded to drive the hoops.
In less than half an hour the job was completed, and Don was sure the casks would not leak a drop. Morris and Louis went aft when they heard the sound of the hammer, and the former reported to the captain what was going on at the stern. Louis examined the casks when they were finished, and tried to penetrate the seams with the blade of his penknife; but they appeared to be perfectly tight.
"We have the casks, and all we want now is the water to fill them," said he. "Do you know anything about Alboran, Don?"
"I have seen it, but I never went ashore there," replied the second engineer. "I think there must be water there."
The captain was at the wheel. Pitts had sounded the water-jar in the cabin, and declared that there was hardly water enough left to enable him to get dinner; and he reported accordingly at the pilot-house.
"Alboran is not more than a dozen miles off our course, and we will try there," said Captain Scott, after he had looked the water-question over again. "We have passed Malaga; and the next place on the Spanish coast is Almunecar, but it is thirty-five miles off our course. Then we have no papers; and I am afraid we should be sent into quarantine."
The captain changed the course to south-east.