Chapter XXII: News of the Missing

Tom’s cry echoed over the water and startled those aboard the boat into sudden life. Gaspingly Joe and Abe sat up. Mr. Skeel was galvanized into sudden activity, awakening from a troubled dream. Little Jackie jumped up with a start.

“What--what is it, Tom?” cried Joe.

“Have we struck something?” exclaimed Abe.

“It’s a sail--a sail!” fairly shouted our hero. “See that vessel over there! It’s bearing down on us! A big sailing ship!”

The two sailors and the former professor gazed off to where Tom pointed. There was no doubt of it, they were gazing at a full-rigged ship.

“I saw her as soon as I opened my eyes!” Tom explained. “I was dozing, I guess. At first I couldn’t believe it. But it’s a ship all right, isn’t it?”

He was half afraid that the others would say he was only dreaming. Anxiously he awaited their verdict.

“It’s a ship all right,” agreed Abe.

“And coming this way,” added Tom.

“No, I’m afraid she’s leaving us,” put in Joe, a moment later.

“Don’t say that!” cried Mr. Skeel. “I--I can’t stand any more!” He was fairly quivering with fear.

“It does look as though she was going away from us,” agreed Abe gloomily. “Still, she may come around on the other tack, and see us.”

“Then we must make signals!” cried Tom. “They’ve got to see us! Yell! Shout! Make ’em hear us!”

“It’d have to be a pretty good voice that could carry that far,” spoke Joe weakly. “Still, she sees us. She’s about three miles off. Wave everything you’ve got!”

At once Tom caught up a piece of canvas. Every one, save Jackie, did the same, and soon there was a wildly-waving mass of rags to be observed on board the lifeboat.

“If she only sees us!” gasped Tom. “If she only does!”

Hope awoke anew, and Tom found himself fired with an ambition to do anything that would put him in a position to rescue his father and mother.

“Is--is she turning? Can she see us?” asked Mr. Skeel anxiously, pausing in his exertions.

“It’s too soon to tell--yet,” answered Joe. “Keep on waving.”

They had almost forgotten the professor’s mean and sneaking ways now, in the excitement over a possible rescue. Anxiously they watched the small speck that meant a vessel. Oh how anxiously! Would some one on board see them? Would she put about?

“Can’t you head for her any more directly?” asked Mr. Skeel after a bit. “It seems to me that you’re not heading any where near her.”

“I’m doing the best I can,” declared Abe, who was at the helm. “I can’t make the wind do what I want it to. It all depends on the other ship.”

They waved by turns, and again peered anxiously at the craft on which so much depended. She seemed to grow in size, at times, and again, to their despairing hearts, she appeared to become smaller, showing that she was leaving them.

But at last Joe sprang to his feet with a shout of joy.

“She sees us! She sees us!” he cried. “Look, they are putting about! They’re going to pick us up! We’re saved! We’re saved!”

“Are you sure?” asked Tom, not wanting to have his hopes raised, only to lose them again.

“Of course! Can’t you see by the way her sails are trimmed?”

“Right you are!” agreed Abe. “She’s going to pick us up. She’s seen us!”

This was more apparent to the eyes of the two sailors than to Tom or Mr. Skeel, but they gladly accepted the news. In a little while it was evident, even to Tom, that the vessel he had sighted so opportunely was indeed growing in size, showing that she was coming nearer.

“Water! Water!” gasped Mr. Skeel sinking down in the bottom of the boat. “I’m going to faint!”

Indeed he did look to be in a bad way, and, though the others wanted and needed the precious fluid almost as much as he did, some was given him. Though, as Abe remarked, the professor had had more than his fair share. Still it was not a time to grumble, and, after Mr. Skeel had been revived, the rest of the water was apportioned out among the others. And they needed it very much, for their tongues were swelled more than ever.

“But we’ll soon have all we want,” declared Joe, with a laugh that sounded queer and cracked, coming from between his swollen lips. “Enough water--all we want!”

“And food, too, food!” added Abe. “I’m as hungry--as hungry----” but a simile failed him, and he sat down weakly to stare at the approaching vessel.

There was nothing more to do save to wait for the arrival of the ship, which soon was seen to be a large sailing craft. Nearer and nearer she came, with the big sails bulging out with the wind. Those aboard the lifeboat steered as best they could to make the distance between her and the rescuing vessel as short as possible, but their small sail did not catch much of the breeze.

Nearer and nearer came the ship. A crowd of sailors could now be made out on her deck, lining the rail to find out the meaning of the strange sight of a small open boat on the trackless ocean.

“Lifeboat ahoy!” came the hail when the big ship was near enough. “Are you in distress? Do you need help?”

“We sure do!” cried Tom. “We’ve been shipwrecked, and on a derelict. Take us off. We have no food or water.”

“What ship are you from?”

“_Silver Star_ out from San Francisco for Sydney. Wrecked by a derelict about two weeks ago,” answered Tom. “Who are you?”

“The _Alexandria_, from Melbourne, bound for Honolulu. We’ll have you on board shortly. Do you want your boat saved?”

Thus answered the first mate of the rescuing vessel. Tom looked at his sailor companions, and they shook their heads. The lifeboat, patched as it was, could be of little real service or value, and to hoist it aboard would delay matters.

“We don’t need it,” sang out Abe. “It was hard enough to rebuild, but it’s served its turn. Take us aboard without it.”

“All right,” came the hail, and a little later Tom and his companions, so strangely wrecked and rescued at sea, were on the big deck of the _Alexandria_.

She proved to be a large merchant ship, carrying no passengers, and the crew crowded around the refugees to hear their story.

“Water first--water,” pleaded Mr. Skeel, who, now that he was safe, seemed to resume some of his former arrogant airs. “I must have a fresh drink of water.”

“And I guess this little chap needs some as well as you,” spoke the mate, with a shrewd guess as to the true character of the former Latin instructor. “Come below and we’ll look after all of you.”

A little later, water and warm soup having been cautiously administered, Tom was telling the story of the shipwreck.

“Do you think it possible that any of the passengers or crew of the _Silver Star_ were saved?” he asked.

“Quite possible, though we haven’t heard of it,” answered Captain Buchanan of the _Alexandria_. “If they got away in a lifeboat it’s very likely that they were picked up. They were in the zone of ship travel, according to what you tell me, but you and the others drifted out of it on the derelict, and you’ve been out of it ever since. It’s lucky you put the small boat into use or you might have been there yet. And now what do you want me to do with you?”

“I’d like to go on to Honolulu,” said Mr. Skeel, as if he was the first one to be considered. “I have business there.”

“I’m going that way, and I’ll stop and put you off,” answered Captain Buchanan dryly. “What of the rest of you?”

“Any place suits me, where we can get a ship,” spoke Abe, and Joe nodded in agreement.

“What about you, Tom Fairfield?”

“Well, I’d like to go to Sydney, if it’s possible. If not, I can go to Honolulu, and take a ship there to continue the search for my father and mother.”

“Your father and mother!” exclaimed the captain. “Are they lost, too?” for our hero had not told of his reasons for being aboard the _Silver Star_.

“They were wrecked on the _Kangaroo_, or so I believe,” replied Tom, and he showed the newspaper clippings that had been the means of starting him on such a long and adventurous quest.

“The _Kangaroo_!” exclaimed the mate. “That’s the vessel we heard----”

“Yes, yes!” assented the captain eagerly.

“Oh, have you heard any news of her?” asked Tom eagerly. “Were any of her passengers saved? Tell me!”

“It’s almost providential!” exclaimed Captain Buchanan, “but a few days ago we did speak a vessel that had some news of the missing ship--the one your parents sailed on. It seems that she picked up a boat load of sailors some distance out to sea. They were from the _Kangaroo_. That was some time ago, you understand, for we have been from port some time, held back by contrary winds. But this ship, the _Belgrade_ she was, had some of the rescued sailors.”

“And--and were they the only ones saved?” asked Tom.

“I can’t be sure of that,” answered the captain, “but from the captain of the _Belgrade_ I learned that another boat load of other survivors of the _Kangaroo_ set out for some island near Tongatabu, in the Friendly group. They may have reached it. They may be there yet.”

“Were there passengers among them?” asked Tom, his heart beating with a new hope.

“There were, my boy, though I can’t tell you to hope that your parents were there. Still it may be that they were.”

“I’m going to hope!” cried our hero eagerly. “Now how can I get to Sydney, or some Australian port, and set out for that island?”

“I’ll speak the first Australian bound ship we meet,” promised Captain Buchanan, “and put you aboard. Oh, boy, I hope you find your folks!” and he shook Tom’s hand.