Chapter Twenty-two
The ship lurched violently.
In the captain's cabin, Clytie, who had been standing beside the bed, was thrown forward. Preston, who had a good grip on the bolted down desk, caught her arm and steadied her. Clytie immediately turned to Englehorn, who was sitting up on his bunk, reading the note Preston had brought.
"Preston, go see what just happened," the captain ordered.
Preston nodded. "Yes, sir." And he hurried to obey.
Clytie immediately sat beside of Englehorn on the bed. "Eric, what's going on?"
He smiled wryly. "Do you mean the note or the fact that this ship just stopped?"
"Both," she replied.
"Well, unfortunately, Miss Seaborne, I cannot explain either to you at this moment," he said. He sighed and leaned back against the wall.
Clytie frowned. "Why not?"
"Obviously, I have no clue what is happening on my ship, seeing as I just sent Preston to find out," he explained matter-of-factly. "And then there's the note…" He crumpled it, tossed it up and caught it a few times, then launched it at the waste basket beside his desk. Of course, it landed right inside. "I can't tell you what was in that note right now, Clytie."
She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, studying the captain carefully. "Why not?"
He sighed. "Because I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it."
This frustrated Clytie. She was a naturally inquisitive person, and it bothered her that Englehorn was keeping something from her. But she bit back her curiosity and said, "All right. Just… Tell me whenever you can."
He grinned crookedly at her. "I will." Then, abruptly, he moved to stand. "I'm going out there to see what is happening on my ship."
Clytie knew better than to try and convince him otherwise. "All right. I'm going with you." She helped him stand and looped her arm tightly around his.
Preston suddenly burst back into the cabin, his eyes large and round. "Captain, Clytie--Mr. Galyon just stopped this ship because we were about to run aground on the other island."
"What?" Englehorn exclaimed.
"Somehow, our course got mixed up in the fog," Preston explained. "So now, we're just… floating at the edge of the fog. And that island is out there…"
Englehorn was already pushing past him, heading for the bridge.
(LINE)
Jack, Ann, David, and Darby (of course) were already on the bridge when the captain, Clytie, and Preston arrived.
Darby's green eyes widened in surprise. "Captain! Are you sure you can--?"
"I'm fine, Mr. Galyon," Englehorn said quickly. "What's the situation?" His blue eyes went quickly to the wheel, which was gripped in Darby's tanned hands, then back to Darby's face. Only Clytie noticed the glance.
"Well, right now, we seem to be in a bit of a fix," Darby said. "We didn't hit anything. But…" He sighed. "We have a… situation."
"What do you mean by that?" the captain asked.
"It's Jimmy, up in the crow's nest. I'm pretty sure he's still up there, but…" His eyes were dark with worry. "I can't get him to answer me. I'm afraid he knocked his head or something when we stopped so suddenly."
Englehorn stood akimbo. "Send someone up there to get him."
"There's a problem with that," said Darby grimly. "The ladder up to the nest… Well, it's real loose. It hasn't fallen yet, but… I tried going up, and it almost came down with me on it. So, I was tryin' to think of another way to get up there, but…"
"Someone light could make it, don't you think?" Ann spoke up.
Jack shook his head quickly. "Don't even think of it, Ann."
Darby rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That just might work, though."
"Well how on earth would she get him down?" Preston remarked. "That ladder would probably fall with both of them on it."
"Even if the ladder wasn't loose, it would be difficult for anyone to get him down," David added. He bit his lip, then abruptly walked out of the bridge.
Watching the young archaeologist walk out, Preston raised his eyebrows.
"He's like that," Clytie explained quickly. "He just… does what he wants. He's David." She shrugged, then returned to the matter at hand. "Well, I'd be willing to chance the ladder falling. I'll climb up there if I have to."
"No. You won't," Englehorn said firmly.
She turned on him with a crooked smile. "You'll stop me, then, will you?"
He crossed his arms. "If I have to."
"How, may I ask, do you intend to do that?" she asked, eyebrows raised, hands on her hips.
He worked his jaw, narrowing his blue eyes on her.
"Are you going to shoot me?" she continued, not being able to resist the chance to tease. "You can at least threaten me. You look so attractive when you're threatening to shoot someone."
"You are--You--" He waved his finger at her, frowning deeply, then turned his back to her, muttering in German. Clytie wasn't sure she wanted to know what he was saying. Finally, he turned around to face her. A smile was fighting for leeway at the corner of his mouth. "I'm not going to shoot you. But… I'm asking you, Miss Seaborne, to remain on the deck."
Suddenly, David burst back onto the bridge, carrying a variety of objects in his arms. "Come on. Let's get Jimmy down."
"What are you doing, Seaborne?" Englehorn asked, eyeing what David was carrying, which seemed to consist of all of the captain's rope, grappling hooks, and nets--objects which he used on live animal capture missions.
"Well, my plan is to use the hooks and ropes to get up there," said David. "Then I'll lower Jimmy down in a net if he's still unconscious."
"Actually," Darby spoke up, "We could just get someone to repair the ladder or--"
"No, that would take too long," David interrupted. "And who knows how badly Jimmy is hurt?" He grinned broadly. "And anyway, this way is much more fun."
Englehorn sighed and shook his head. "Seabornes." He nodded to David. "Go ahead with your plan. And try not to get yourself killed."
David gave him a jaunty salute. "Yes, sir."
As David exited the bridge, the captain turned to Darby. "Mr. Galyon, how do you propose to get us out of this fog?"
Darby swallowed, finding it hard to meet the captain's piercing blue stare, feeling responsible for this new predicament. "Well, I guess I'll just turn her around and go the way we came, sir, that is, after we get Jimmy down and get ready to go again."
Englehorn nodded. "All right. But this time, let's try not to run into another island." He smiled briefly, then closed his eyes and leaned against the nearest wall.
"Eric." Clytie touched his arm gently. "Are you all right? Do you want to go back to your cabin?"
He shook his head quickly. "No. I'll be fine. I'd just like a chair, if you don't mind getting me one."
"All right." Clytie searched around the bridge until she found the chair Robbins always used. She dragged it to Englehorn's side. "Here you are, Captain."
"Thanks, Clytie." He gave her a quick smile, then gingerly lowered himself into the chair. Even that slight movement pained his ribs and shoulder.
Suddenly, David's voice floated into the bridge. "I need a little help here!"
Jack, Ann, and Preston immediately rushed out of the bridge. Clytie started to follow, then glanced back at Englehorn.
"Go," he said. "I'll stay here with Darby, where I belong. Go help your brother."
She nodded to him, then ran out onto the deck.
(LINE)
David's plan had gone off quite smoothly at first. He had managed to toss a grappling hook, attached to one of the ropes, up to the crow's nest. The hook had caught on the railing quite nicely. And David had managed to climb all the way up. His arms were strong, and he was, as usual, full of energy. Once he had made it to the nest, he had quickly found Jimmy, who was slumped over in the corner, bleeding from cut on his forehead. He had tried to awaken the unconscious cabin boy to no avail. "Well, no problem. I'll use the net." So he had securely fastened Jimmy in a net, tied the net to a rope, and gently began to lower Jimmy, in the net, toward the deck.
Then, the problems began. Jimmy was a bit heavier than David had reckoned on, so the young archaeologist was leaning quite far over the railing of the crow's nest. His arms began to grow tired, and once, he nearly lost his grip on the rope he was lowering Jimmy with. Somehow, he managed to hold on, but this shook him up a bit. Finally, he finished lowering Jimmy down. He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Good work, Seaborne." He felt his beard, frowning. "I need to shave…"
Then he remembered where he was and what he was doing. He went over to the grappling hook and swung his legs over the side, planning to grab onto the rope and slide down. He grabbed at the rope with his right hand, hanging onto the rail with his left. But when he pulled on it, the hook came loose and fell to the deck, narrowly missing Jimmy's unconscious form. And now, David was dangling from one very tired arm from the railing of the crow's nest. That was when he called for help.
(LINE)
"You can tell he's tired," Preston observed, looking up at the dangling Seaborne and shading his eyes. "His arm is shaking."
"What do we do?" Ann asked, grasping Jack's arm nervously.
Jack went over to the grappling hook and rope lying on the deck. "Ann, Preston--you take care of Jimmy. I'm going up there to get him."
Preston raised an eyebrow. "That's ironic."
As Jack attempted to toss up the hook, Ann went quickly to Jimmy's side. "Jimmy!" she called to him, shaking his arm. "Jimmy! Wake up!"
Jimmy groaned and moved his head, but did not wake up.
Preston joined Ann, followed by Clytie, who had just come out on the deck. "Let's get him inside," said Preston. He reached to grab Jimmy under the arms. Clytie quickly took the young sailor by the ankles. The two of them stood, carrying Jimmy between them, and started inside.
Ann stood, also, hesitating, glancing up at Jack, who had finally gotten the hook to stay and was climbing the rope toward David. "Be careful, Jack!" she cried. "I love you!"
(LINE)
Eventually, Jack managed to get to the top of the rope. "David!" he called to the younger man. "Hang on!" He grabbed onto the rail and began inching his way toward David, dragging the hook and rope with him. Finally, he made it to David's side. "The rope's right beside me," he said, reaching out to grab David's right arm. He pulled him up so that he could grab onto the rail.
"Thanks!" David exclaimed, smiling tiredly.
"I'm going down," Jack said, grabbing onto the rope. "Follow me."
(LINE)
Clytie, Preston, and Ann had taken Jimmy to Jack and Ann's cabin and were trying to get him to wake up. He had obviously taken a hard knock on the head, but Clytie was sure it was not life-threatening.
"Here," said Preston, coming to the bedside with a glass of water. "This might help." He dipped his fingers in the water, then sprinkled some on Jimmy's face.
It worked. Jimmy's face scrunched up into a frown, then he opened his eyes. He sat up quickly, holding a hand to his forehead. "Ow," he muttered. "My head hurts." He blinked a few times, disoriented, then looked up into the three concerned faces staring down at him. "What happened?"
"You hit your head in the crow's nest," Clytie explained. "David got you down."
"And now he's stuck," said Preston.
"And Jack is going after him," Ann added.
"Oh." Jimmy shook his head, trying to clear away the dizziness. "Well I'm very grateful to him." He frowned. "I was having a weird dream." He glanced at Clytie. "It was about that T.S. Eliot poem, the one we were reading a few weeks ago."
"The Waste Land?" asked Clytie.
"Yeah. That's the one." Jimmy winced. "Wow, what a headache."
"I'll get you a cold cloth," said Ann. She hurried off to wet a cloth with cold water, trying to keep her mind off of Jack and Jack's safety…
(LINE)
When David Seaborne's booted feet hit the deck, he nearly bent down to kiss it. His legs wobbled a bit, but he smiled and clapped Jack heartily on the shoulder. "Thanks a lot, Driscoll! You save my life!"
"And you saved Jimmy's," Jack replied with a smile. "Let's go see how he's doing."
(LINE)
Supper in the galley that night was full of emotion. The passengers of the Venture had been through so much. They talked excitedly, sharing stories and thank-you's. But beneath all the cheerfulness and high-spirits was nervousness and anxiety. No one was sure what was going to happen next. Would they make it back through the fog? Would they end up crash landed on one of the island? There was so much bad that could happen…
"Mr. Galyon says they aren't sure which direction to go in," Preston commented between bites of (more) porridge. "The fog has really messed us up."
"Yeah, it has," David said. "Clytie's got a good sense of direction, and the captain does, too, and neither of them can tell which direction we should go in." He frowned. "If only we had a map of some kind! Then we would know which direction to take…"
Everyone was quiet for a moment.
"Wait," Clytie spoke up, her voice low and serious. "We do have a map… Or… we did at least. I don't know if it works..."
"What are you talking about?" Jack asked.
"Jack, Carl filmed that map on the wall of the cave. We've got the map on board this ship!" Clytie exclaimed.
"That's right," said Ann. "Carl's film!"
"But how are we going to play it?" Jake spoke up. "We don't have a projector on board."
"Yes, we do."
Everyone turned to look at where Bruce sat by himself, eating his porridge.
"What do you mean?" Preston asked.
"I had Carl bring a projector and everything--all the equipment we need," Bruce explained matter-of-factly. "It's on this ship. I wanted to see how I looked in all the shots before production."
"Are you serious?" Jack asked.
Bruce nodded. "Yes."
Jack jumped to his feet excitedly. "Clytie, you're right! We've got our map!"
(LINE)
Captain Englehorn stood with Clytie, Jack, Ann, David, Darby and Preston in the galley, watching Carl's film. Robbins had the wheel, and Jimmy and Schmidt had Carl, tied up with rope, just outside the door.
Englehorn watched his fight with Wilson, frowning at the memory. He felt Clytie slip an arm around his waist, and his frown faded.
"You are very strong, Captain," she whispered lightly in his ear.
He was finding it very hard to concentrate on the movie. Clytie's closeness, the touch of her arm, her voice and breath in his ear… It was all very distracting. He cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes on the screen Preston had set up, willing himself to pay close attention.
Finally, the reel reached the part where Carl had filmed the cave wall. David, who was an excellent sketcher, began to quickly draw the map on a blank sheet of paper.
"There. That's where we are." Darby pointed to a spot on the screen. "That rock formation is the one we're straight across from, on this island."
"You're right, Mr. Galyon," said Englehorn. "That would mean…" He peered closely at the map. "We need to turn to port… That would be north. This map appears to be quite accurate." He glanced down at the copy David was sketching. "When you're finished with that, Mr. Seaborne, I'd like to see it. Then I can figure out exactly how many degrees we need to turn." He reached to take Clytie's hand. "Excuse me. I need to speak with Miss Seaborne for a moment. It's a bit urgent."
Everyone nodded absently, absorbed in the map on the screen.
"What I wouldn't give to explore that…" Clytie heard her brother say as Englehorn fairly dragged her out the door.
Suddenly, she felt nervous, wondering what he wanted to see her about. Did it have to do with that message he had received? She let him lead her, not really sure where they were going, her mind on that mysterious message…
Finally, the captain stopped walking.
Clytie looked around. They were in some part of the ship that she didn't recognize… "Eric, what did you want to see me about?" she asked nervously. Did he have some horrible secret to confess to her? Some stinging rebuke of her actions, perhaps (why she wasn't sure)?
"This," he said, his voice low and vibrant with emotion. He was suddenly drawing her into his arms, drawing her close, one arm around her waist, one behind her head.
And as he kissed her, she forgot everything else, including the mysterious note…
(A/N: As usual, reviews are always appreciated! And don't be disappointed that the new island didn't come into play, because it will. :) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Twenty-three is under construction!)
