Ocean Valley
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The sunset with the wind in their face. The sky was deep red and the stars were coming out before midnight when a voice came down from the lookout’s perch, ‘Land ahead!’
‘What sort of land?’ Captain Bannen demanded immediately.
It took several minutes for the reply to come back; a low misty green hill rising above a wide valley. ‘Could be land or could be another island,’ one of the deckhands said doubtfully.
‘We’ll have it confirmed on the glass.’ With that Captain Bannen ordered all hands aloft; it would not do to take an uninformed decision.
As he watched the men climbing up from below decks he saw something else moving in the distance. He had to blink his eyes against a sudden glare of light as the masthead lanterns swung round to point at it.
It was a ship; a small one but unmistakably a man-of-war’s cutter making fast astern off Cape Horn. As soon as she was close enough he could see that she was a sloop, armed with no more than nine guns.
‘That can’t be good news.’ The crewmen looked at him quizzically. ‘There are other ships here; the French should be watching us closely,’ he added unnecessarily. They nodded understanding but they did not look pleased.
Captain Bannen turned away, trying not to watch the two ships as they drew closer together and then slipped past each other. The first was much smaller and lighter than he expected but he knew that there would still be plenty of gun power aboard her.
She might even have been sailing without any men at all. It was impossible to tell; the sails were full and the hull was covered by canvas as well. As the sailcloth caught the last rays of the setting sun it glowed a warm yellow, casting a long pale line across the sea.
‘I hope we’re faster.’ Captain Bannen was already climbing up into the rigging to make sure that everything was in order; the ship would be underway before dawn if there was wind enough to move her. He hoped that there was.
When he finally made it back onto the quarterdeck it was just after midnight and the night was clear; a few clouds high overhead marked where the moon would soon rise.
The wind was steady and although it was blowing steadily into their faces, with enough strength to make the mainsail flap like a bird’s wings, it was blowing almost directly out from shore so the ship would not be moving as quickly as usual.
There had also been some rain squalls during the day so there was a fine layer of mist over the ocean which was slowly dispersing as the night grew longer.
It seemed to Captain Bannen that the mist hung in thicker than it usually did at this time of year; as though it was afraid of being washed away by a stronger breeze. As if she could sense his thoughts, the mist began to thin, becoming translucent as he stared out across the water.
A large dark shape appeared to float in the air a couple of hundred yards off the starboard bow. At least, that was what he thought it was until he noticed that it was drifting slowly across the waves as if it were a huge raft with nothing supporting it on the bottom.
It was a large berg, its sides covered in kelp, but he realized that it must have broken free from a bigger iceberg some time ago; it now drifted aimlessly toward them. The crew watched him expectantly as he peered through the telescope, searching for some sign that this wasn’t just a freak of nature.
‘Well? What’s that?’ Someone shouted out excitedly.
Captain Bannen turned away. ‘A rock?’
‘No…it’s moving. Look how big it is! There aren’t many rocks like that in these waters.’
‘Then why didn’t we pick it up on our chart?’ Captain Bannen asked. There was always a chance that he might have missed something but there couldn’t be more than one in a hundred thousand ships that failed to spot such a large rock. But then again he had no reason to look for such a thing either.
‘It’s only a little way out so let’s get some men to check it out.’ He turned to his helmsman, ‘Mr. Cairns, you have the helm. Let’s get alongside it so we can find out what we’re dealing with.’
They waited tensely for the lookout man to call that they had got close enough but when he did they found it difficult to believe what they saw. There was a great hole in the side of the berg; it ran right up to the top as if someone had cut away the center of the mountain in an attempt to destroy a giant oak tree.
The water that rushed through was churned and frothy but, even as they watched, it began to slow down, falling into the gap between the two blocks of ice. A strange smell came from the opening; one that the captain had never experienced before.
He took his telescope back from Mr. Cairns, craning his neck to peer at the source of the stench. It looked like a black lake, the surface dotted with islands and patches of white foam, but as he watched he saw that there was movement amongst the bubbles – tiny things bobbing about in the depths, wriggling as they went.
‘What do those things look like?’ he called down to Mr. Cairns who stood beside him. ‘Are they fish or…?’
‘We don’t know yet sir,’ replied the young officer. ‘It could be either.’ He turned to the helmsman. ‘Take us closer sir. I’d rather not get any closer myself.’
Captain Bannen nodded, watching in fascination as the berg began to sink beneath them; its underside growing ever darker as the ice melted away from above. Then, suddenly, something moved out of the corner of his eye and he spun around, looking for whatever had disturbed him. A small shape shot past his feet, diving into the water without making a sound.
He looked back at the hole and tried to work out whether this was all part of some grand scheme designed to trick sailors like himself into believing that there were sea monsters lurking in the depths, ready to pounce. He wondered what would happen to the creature that had come out of the hole.
If it had been attacked then he knew that they wouldn’t stand a chance of catching it. Perhaps it was already too late to save it and perhaps he should call out a warning to warn others that this berg was not to be approached too closely.
But there was no sign of anyone else nearby. Even as he watched, one of the small creatures popped its head up into the air, staring back at him from the darkness below.
‘There’s something in there!’ he called down to Mr. Cairns.
The helmsman turned to him and shrugged his shoulders in response. ‘It looks like it. Do you want me to bring us back to the ship? Maybe we’ll have more luck with some of the other ships.’
Captain Bannen shook his head. ‘No…not yet. We need to see what happens next. Besides,’ he added, as an afterthought, ‘I’m curious to know what they’re going to try and catch in there.’
The lookout man on deck called out that they had drawn near to shore, the sound of the surf breaking over the reef filling his ears. In his mind he could picture the scene; the water swirling into the mouth of the cave, carrying whatever creature it contained with it as if it was nothing more than a leaf caught up in a gale.
He looked down towards the island and thought of the people that lived there; their lives dictated by the changing seasons, their food coming from the sea rather than from the ground.
‘We’re drawing nearer now,’ he called down to Mr. Cairns. ‘Maybe we should get some men on deck and send down a boat. It’s best to keep your distance until we’ve seen what they’re doing.’
‘Aye, sir.’
As the berg sank below the water’s surface they waited patiently for another signal, hoping that something would reveal itself from within the hole in the ice, but none came. Instead, they heard sounds coming from outside the berg – the creak of wooden timbers rubbing together as a ship’s hull slid across them.
They waited, hoping that the sound would stop, but it didn’t. As time passed, the noise became louder, the ship moving against the reef with more urgency. The helmsman looked at Captain Bannen questioningly.
‘Something is happening,’ he said quietly.
Captain Bannen turned to where Mr. Cairns stood at the wheel, looking out to sea with his back to the rest of the ship. He saw something dark rising from the depths in front of him.
He looked at the young officer for an explanation, expecting to be told that there was some sort of animal trapped inside the berg that was now being released onto the surface, but instead, Mr. Cairns just shook his head slowly, his eyes fixed firmly on the water in front of him.
The crew watched as the black mass rose up towards the light, the surface gradually becoming visible under the waves, its outline growing clearer as it emerged from the murky waters of the sea. It was a whale, the first they had ever seen. It lifted its head clear of the water to take a deep breath, then dived again almost immediately.
There were others, all swimming about in the same place, a whole group of them as if they had come to check out the new arrivals. One of the seamen, standing behind them, shouted in surprise, pointing out over the rail to where two other whales surfaced, one close to the ship and one further out in the distance.
‘It’s a pod,’ someone yelled from somewhere down by the stern of the ship.
‘And there are dolphins! Dolphins leaping through the air!’
They watched as the three animals swam together, diving beneath the waves to reappear a few moments later a little way off, their spouts rising into view before they vanished into the ocean depths again. It was a strange sight to behold as if these creatures had traveled far beyond their own world to pay them a visit. Most of the crew had never even seen such things before.
Mr. Cairns kept watching, his gaze focused only on the water ahead of the ship. Then suddenly the whole mass broke away from the berg and surged out to sea. The captain turned quickly to him.
‘What’s happened?’
‘There’s something else in the sea. I can’t tell how many there are or what it is, but I can see it now. They’re heading for the berg.’
He turned to Mr. Cairns and nodded at something that he had seen in the water, something white that glinted briefly in the sunlight. ‘What do you think it might be?’ he asked.
Mr. Cairns frowned for a moment, then spoke quickly, not wanting to let any more time pass without an answer. ‘I think it might be another whale,’ he said at last. ‘But one that has died, or maybe one that is injured. It’s lying on its side in the water.’
‘Do you really think so? How could you tell?’
‘Well…that’s hard to explain,’ Mr. Cairns said, ‘but look for yourself.’
He pointed out over the bow, and as the captain moved toward where he was standing, a flash of silver in the water caught his eye. He saw it too: an object resting gently on the sea’s surface, motionless for a moment, before it began to move.
‘That’s it! Yes, it is another whale that has broken up on the rocks!’ Mr. Cairns was excited. ‘Look! It’s right in front of us now, coming in closer…’
The captain stepped back a little to give himself a better view as the creature appeared in front of them, rising smoothly above the waves with a powerful surge of its tail. There seemed to be something wrong with its head; it was misshapen somehow, the top half larger than the bottom.
A fin rose high above the surface, then disappeared back beneath the waves as the creature turned to look at them, sending up a spray of seawater as it did so. The men on board stared at the huge creature in awe, their eyes wide with shock at its size.
It was at least twice as long as the ship itself, with a large mouth opening and a long, thin snout that curved upwards as it lifted its head and tilted it forward, staring right at the ship with its milky-white eyes.
Then it opened its mouth and bellowed loudly. Captain Bannen looked back at Mr. Cairns in surprise as the sound echoed around them. ‘Is that what you mean?’ he asked. ‘You think this might be a whale that has died? Is it badly hurt?’
Mr Cairns shook his head. ‘No, I don’t think so—not badly hurt. Not like the one we found earlier.’ He pointed out over the bow again. ‘There are other whales in the sea.’ He turned to stare back at the creature, which had begun moving again. ‘Maybe one that has been injured or sick, and has tried to swim back to the sea?’
Captain Bannen watched as it rose higher and higher into the sky, its body twisting slowly in the air until its back was pointing directly at them. Its huge mouth was open and it made no attempt to close it, the teeth clearly visible as it continued its slow ascent.
The creature was enormous, bigger than any whale they had ever seen before, and yet when it finally fell into the sea it came crashing down in front of the ship as easily as if it were jumping from a ledge. One massive, flapping flap of its enormous wing brought it down in front of the deck, landing heavily on the wood just as the ship pitched over slightly, knocking everyone from their feet.
As the creature hit the water, the whole berg shuddered as it struck it from below. Huge sections of ice crashed down on the deck and broke apart. Some slid across to the starboard side of the ship where they smashed into the railings and smashed through the windows, while others flew in all directions, splashing and rolling around in the waves.
The ship rolled and rocked, and water poured in through every hole that was not tightly sealed by iron hoops. Everyone who had been standing near the railing clung desperately to it, trying to keep their balance against the pitching.
Even those who were already seated remained rooted to their seats, staring in horror as water gushed in through the holes, rushing past them in a torrent of foam, cascading over the edge of the vessel as the berg continued to roll and rock violently beneath them.
The captain looked frantically at him for some way of controlling the ship but found nothing. All around him the sea surged in great waves, smashing over the sides of the ship, sweeping away everything in its path. Water poured in through the cracks in the hull and the crewmen scrambled up onto the upper deck, struggling to make sure that there were no holes left open.
Captain Bannen stood on the quarterdeck watching helplessly as the entire side of his vessel was ripped apart before his eyes. Pieces of the boat floated up to the top deck, where they collided with other pieces of the shattered hull. They bounced off each other, colliding and bouncing until they became lodged between the rails that ran along either side of the deck.
Then they sank to the bottom of the ship, where they were sucked under, disappearing beneath the waves almost instantly. Only after many minutes had passed was any of it recovered.
As the water continued to pour in through the holes in the deck and the ship began to list over heavily to port, more and more ice continued to fall from above, crushing everything else that came into contact with it, including the wooden deck itself.
By this time most of the men on board were lying prostrate on the deck, unable to get back on their feet, but still, they waited to see how long it would take the ice to fill the ship.
‘What do we do now?’ Captain Bannen shouted, turning to his second mate. He had never seen anything like it—such sudden destruction and complete loss.
The man shook his head as he stared at the rapidly filling gap in the ship’s side. ‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘We can’t move. We’ve lost our rudder and all our sails.’
Captain Bannen stared back at him. ‘Then we are going to sink?’
The man nodded. ‘It will only be a matter of time.’
The captain turned away and walked slowly toward the stern of the ship. There was something he could do.
‘Do you need help there, sir?’ one of the crew shouted after him.
‘I’m fine.’
He climbed the ladder to the upper deck, where the men were still holding on to the railings as best they could, even though there was little else they could do at this point. The ship was listing too much for them to stand upright, so instead, they sat down, gripping the rails with both hands.
Most of them had already taken off their boots, their legs were soaked through, and soon water would start pouring in through their shoes. The men were silent and tense, staring out over the side into the dark water beyond as they waited for the end.
When he reached the top of the stairs, the first officer turned round to face him. He knew what the man was going to say but didn’t want to hear it.
‘How is she doing, Mr. Gellhorn?’ he asked. The first officer’s eyes met his own. He saw the concern written on his face.
‘She’s dying, sir,’ he answered quietly.
‘No!’ The captain stepped forwards and grabbed hold of him. It took him several moments to realize that the officer was crying. His own eyes burned with tears as he watched the water rising up over the bow. ‘What am I supposed to do?’ the captain cried out.
‘You have no choice but to abandon her.’
‘What? How could you think such a thing?’
‘There is nothing more we can do for her. She is too badly damaged.’
‘But we cannot leave her here!’
‘I told you there is nothing we can do,’ Gellhorn said sadly, looking up at him.
‘We must save her! At least until we get her somewhere safe,’ the captain pleaded.
‘I don’t understand,’ Gellhorn said, shaking his head. ‘Why wouldn’t we leave her to die?’
‘Because I can’t lose this ship! Not now! Not like this! We’ve been together so long—we’re friends, you and me. And we’ve just survived an incredible adventure, only to find ourselves on our knees before the last battle! We can’t let it end like this!’
Gellhorn was confused. ‘But if we stay with her, she’ll sink?’
‘Yes!’ the captain cried out. ‘And then my career as a captain will be finished!’
Gellhorn looked around as he heard footsteps behind him, realizing that someone had come to see what was happening. When they appeared, however, he realized that they weren’t crewmen, but two officers who had just arrived on board. They had to be the new captains.
‘Mr. Gellhorn?’ one of them asked.
‘Yes, sir,’ the first officer replied.
‘Is everything alright?’
‘No, not really, sir.’
‘We’re sorry to hear about your ship,’ the second officer said sympathetically. ‘It looks terrible out there.’
The first officer nodded and began to explain what had happened. The pair listened attentively, but when he was done neither of them showed any sign of sympathy or understanding. Instead, they just stood there waiting for the story to finish.
‘That’s sad,’ the first one finally commented. ‘But what’s done is done.’
‘Indeed it is, Mr. Withers,’ the second one agreed. ‘So I guess we should just make sure we’re safe.’
The first officer turned to him again. ‘Do you think you might be able to help us?’
Withers smiled sadly. ‘You mean by getting rid of this big hole in the side of the ship, sir?’
‘Exactly.’
‘I can’t say, sir,’ Withers explained. ‘It’s a bit late for that now.’
The captain sighed as he watched the water continue to rise around the ship.
‘Well, if there’s nothing else I’m going down to join my crew,’ the second officer said. ‘Good luck, Mr. Withers. If anyone survives, it will probably be you.’
The captain watched him go, then turned back to the first officer. ‘Thank you,’ he said quietly. ‘At least some good may yet come from all of this.’
The first officer looked at him sadly. ‘I’m sorry, Captain. But we can’t change fate. All we can do is try to survive.’
The End