CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
HERSCHEL ISLAND.
"Maircy on us!" exclaimed Mr Macdougall, who at that moment was just gingerly passing down the standard compass to Jorrocks, the boatswain, standing up in the stern-sheets of the long-boat alongside, and stretching up his hands as carefully to receive the precious instrument; and the sudden blinding flash of the explosion and concussion of the air that it caused, almost made him drop this in his fright.

"Whateever on airth ees that noo ?" "Matter ?" repeated the skipper after him coolly, taking in cause and effect at a glance.

"Why, the gas generated by the heated coal in the hold has blown out the forepeak, that's all! It is providential, though, that the wrench which the foremast gave to the deck-beams and bulkhead there when it carried away, so far weakened the ship forwards as to enable the gas to find vent in that direction, otherwise the entire deck would probably have been blown up--when it would have been a poor look-out for all of us here aft!" "Gudeness greecious!" ejaculated the mate again, blinking bewilderedly, like an owl unexpectedly exposed to daylight; but Captain Billings did not waste time in any further explanations or unnecessary words.
"I hope nobody's hurt! Run forwards, Leigh, and see," he said to me.
Fortunately, however, all had escaped without a scratch, although fragments of the knees and other heavy portions of the vessel's timbers had been hurled aloft and scattered in all directions, as if a mine had been sprung below--the woodwork descending afterwards in a regular hailstorm on our heads, blown into small pieces no bigger than matches, and mixed up with a shower of blazing sparks and coal-dust, making us all "as black as nayghurs," as Pat Doolan said.
The stump of the foremast, in particular, described a graceful parabolic curve in the air, coming down into the water in close proximity to the bows of the long-boat--where, under the supervision of the boatswain, the steward and the carpenter were stowing provisions under the thwarts, making the two almost jump out of their skins.

It descended into the sea with the same sort of "whish" which the stick of a signal rocket makes when, the propelling power that had enabled it previously to soar up so majestically into the air above being ultimately exhausted, it is forced to return by its own gravity to its proper level below, unable to sustain itself unaided by exterior help at the unaccustomed height to which it was temporarily exalted.
And in this respect, it may be observed here, although I do not believe the remark is altogether original, that a good many human rockets may be encountered in our daily life, which exhibit all the characteristic points and weaknesses of the ordinary material model that I have likened them to--composed of gunpowder and other explosive pyrotechnic substances, and familiar to all--for, they go up in the same brilliant and glorious fashion, and are veritable shining lights in the estimation of their friends and the fickle testimony of public opinion; only, alas, to descend to the ordinary level of every-day mortals, like the rocket- stick comes down in the end! I need hardly say, though, that I had no thought of these reflections now; for, immediately after the explosion forwards, the flames which mounted aloft with it burst forth with full vigour, released from the confined space of the hold to which they had been previously limited, and the entire fore-part of the ship, from the waist to the knight- heads, became a mass of fire, the cavity disclosed by the riven deck adjacent to the fo'c's'le being like a raging volcano, vomiting up clouds of thick yellow smoke from the glowing mass of ignited coal below, which almost suffocated us, as the ship went too slowly through the water for the vapour to trail off to leeward.
The mainmast was still standing, with the mainsail set before the southerly wind, that was blowing in towards the land, the force of the explosion not being vented much further aft than the windlass bitts; but, almost as we looked, tongues of flame began to creep up the main rigging, and the huge sail was presently crackling away like tissue paper to which a lighted match has been applied, large pieces of the burning material being whirled in the air.
The heat now became unbearable, and Captain Billings, much to his grief, saw that the time had come for him to abandon the ship.
"We must leave her, Leigh," said he to me, with as much emotion as another person might have displayed when wishing a last farewell to some dearly-loved friend or relative.

"There is no good in stopping by the old barquey any longer, for we can't help her out of her trouble, and the boats may be stove in by the falling mainmast if they remain alongside much longer.