Chapter XXIV--From the Deeps

by Bram Stoker

　　Presently the Captain handed Mrs. Stonehouse a pair of binoculars.For an instant she looked through them, then handed them back andcontinued gazing out to where the two heads appeared--when they didappear on the crest of the waves like pin-heads. The Captain saidhalf to himself and half to the father:'Mother's eyes! Mother's eyes!' and the father understood.As the ship swept back to the rescue, her funnels sending out hugevolumes of smoke which the gale beat down on the sea to leeward, theexcitement grew tenser and tenser. Men dared hardly breathe; womenwept and clasped their hands convulsively as they prayed. In theemergency boat the men sat like statues, their oars upright, readyfor instant use. The officer stood with the falls in his hand readyto lower away.When opposite the lifebuoy, and about a furlong from Harold andPearl, the Captain gave the signal 'Stop,' and then a second later:'Full speed astern.''Ready, men! Steady!' As the coming wave slipping under the shipbegan to rise up her side, the officer freed the falls and the boatsank softly into the lifting sea.Instantly the oars struck the water, and as the men bent to them acheer rang out.Harold and Pearl heard, and the man turning his head for a moment sawthat the ship was close at hand, gradually drifting down to theweather side of them. He raised the child in his arms, saying:'Now, Pearl, wave your hand to mother and say, hurrah!' The child,fired into fresh hope, waved her tiny hand and cried 'Hurrah!Hurrah!' The sound could not reach the mother's ears; but she saw,and her heart leaped. She too waved her hand, but she uttered nosound. The sweet high voice of the child crept over the water to theears of the men in the boat, and seemed to fire their arms withrenewed strength.A few more strokes brought them close, Harold with a last effortraised the child in his arms as the boat drove down on them. Theboatswain leaning over the bow grabbed the child, and with one sweepof his strong arm took her into the boat. The bow oarsman caughtHarold by the wrist. The way of the boat took him for a moment underwater; but the next man; pulling his oar across the boat, stoopedover and caught him by the collar, and clung fast. A few secondsmore and he was hauled abroad. A wild cheer from all on the Scoriaccame, sweeping down on the wind.When once the boat's head had been turned towards the ship, and theoars had bent again to their work, they came soon within shelter.When they had got close enough ropes were thrown out, caught and madefast; and then came down one of the bowlines which the seamen heldready along the rail of the lower deck. This was seized by theboatswain, who placed it round him under his armpits. Then, standingwith the child in his arms he made ready to be pulled up. Pearl heldout her arms to Harold, crying in fear:'No, no, let The Man take me! I want to go with The Man!' He saidquietly so as not to frighten her:'No, no, dear! Go with him! He can do this better than I can!' Soshe clung quietly to the seaman, holding her face pressed closeagainst his shoulder. As the men above pulled at the rope, keepingit as far as possible from the side of the vessel, the boatswainfended himself off with his feet. In a few seconds he was seized byeager hands and pulled over the rail, tenderly holding and guardingthe child all the while. In an instant she was in the arms of hermother, who had thrown herself upon her knees and pressed her closeto her loving heart. The child put her little arms around her neckand clung to her. Then looking up and seeing the grey pallor of herface, which even her great joy could not in a moment efface, shestroked it and said:'Poor mother! Poor mother! And now I have made you all wet!' Then,feeling her father's hand on her head she turned and leaped into hisarms, where he held her close.Harold was the next to ascend. He came amid a regular tempest ofcheers, the seamen joining with the passengers. The officers, led bythe Captain waving his cap from the bridge, joined in the paean.The boat was cast loose. An instant after the engine bells tinkled:'Full speed ahead.'Mrs. Stonehouse had no eyes but for her child, except for one other.When Harold leaped down from the rail she rushed at him, all thosearound instinctively making way for her. She flung her arms aroundhim and kissed him, and then before he could stop her sank to herknees at his feet, and taking his hand kissed it. Harold wasembarrassed beyond all thinking. He tried to take away his hand, butshe clung tight to it.'No, no!' she cried. 'You saved my child!'Harold was a gentleman and a kindly one. He said no word till shehad risen, still holding his hand, when he said quietly:'There! there! Don't cry. I was only too happy to be of service.Any other man on board would have done the same. I was the nearest,and therefore had to be first. That was all!'Mr. Stonehouse came to him and said as he grasped Harold's hand sohard that his fingers ached:'I cannot thank you as I would. But you are a man and willunderstand. God be good to you as you have been good to my child;and to her mother and myself!' As he turned away Pearl, who had nowbeen holding close to her mother's hand, sprang to him holding up herarms. He raised her up and kissed her. Then he placed her back inher mother's arms.All at once she broke down as the recollection of danger swept backupon her. 'Oh, Mother! Mother!' she cried, with a long, low wail,which touched every one of her hearers to the heart's core.'The hot blankets are all ready. Come, there is not a moment to belost. I'll be with you when I have seen the men attended to!'So the mother, holding her in her arms and steadied by two seamenlest she should slip on the wet and slippery deck, took the childbelow.Harold was taken by another set of men, who rubbed him down till heglowed, and poured hot brandy and water into him till he had toalmost use force against the superabundance of their friendlyministrations.For the remainder of that day a sort of solemn gladness ruled on theScoriac. The Stonehouse family remained in their suite, content inglad thankfulness to be with Pearl, who lay well covered up on thesofa sleeping off the effects of the excitement and the immersion,and the result of the potation which the Doctor had forced upon her.Harold was simply shy, and objecting to the publicity which he feltto be his fate, remained in his cabin till the trumpet had blown thedinner call.