Isles of the Sea by Oliver Optic

The sound of the bell was heard again in a few minutes. It had a heavy and dull tone, unlike that of the bells of the schooners. All hands on the Ville d'Angers listened attentively to the sound.

"I think it must be the bell of one of the consorts," said Capt. O'Hara, when he had heard the bell at least a dozen times.

"It don't sound like the bell of the Tritonia," replied Tom Speers, after he had heard it once more. "And all the sounds are from the same bell. If the two schooners were off in that direction, we should hear the bells of both of them."

"I'll tell you what it is: the fog makes the difference in the sound from what we are accustomed to hear. We never heard the bell except when we were on the deck where it was rung. It stands to reason that it would be another thing when heard at a distance, and in a thick fog," continued the captain, who wished the sound might come from the consorts, and was influenced by his desire.

The sound seemed to be a long way off; and the captain said it bothered him to know how they happened to hear it when it was so far off. He called Mr. Shakings and Capt. Fairfield, and asked them to give their opinion in regard to the tones of the bell. They did not think it was the bell of the Josephine, to which they were more accustomed to listen on board; but it might be, for bells sounded different under varying circumstances. At last O'Hara decided to run for the sound of the bell, and directed the officer of the deck to change the course to north, for this was the direction from which the sound came.

Capt. O'Hara could not reconcile himself to the sound of the bell; but he thought, as had been suggested, that the condition of the atmosphere might alter the tone of the Tritonia's bell. He concluded that the schooners had fallen off their course as the wind veered, and the Ville d'Angers had run ahead of them. This was the only explanation he could give; and, in the absence of a better one, it satisfied him for the time. The firemen did their duty now, though Shakings showed himself to them once in a while so that they need not forget him.

Every thing seemed to be going well on board, and a sharp lookout was kept for the rest of the fleet ahead. The bell to the northward sounded more and more distinctly as the steamer advanced; and the nearer she came to it, the louder it sounded.

"That can't be the bell of the Tritonia," said Tom Speers, as he met the captain on the poop-deck.

"Begorra, I don't believe it is! " exclaimed O'Hara, in whose mind the question had been raised anew. "Upon my sowl, it is big enough for a church-bell; and we have come nearer to it than we were when we first heard it."

"It must be some other vessel," added Speers. "It isn't a steamer, or she would whistle in such a fog as this."

"No: sure it's not a steamer; and what the blazes is it? " queried the captain, very much puzzled. "I hope we shall not miss the rest of the fleet."

"I hope not; but, if the schooners stood down to the southward, we have very little chance of seeing them again, unless this fog lifts soon," replied Speers.

"Have you seen Gregory and Clinch since the ship's company was stationed? " asked O'Hara, suddenly changing the topic of the conversation, though he did not cease to peer into the dense fog ahead.

"Neither of them has been on deck since the second part of the starboard watch took the deck," answered Speers.

"Where are they?"

"I don't know. They went into the cabin, and I suppose they are there now. They have a state-room together."

"I don't quite like the conduct of Gregory, who is the first officer," added O'Hara, in a low tone. "He took the trouble to tell me he did not approve the arrangement of the watches as I had made it."

"I dare say he will assent to it," added Tom. "I don't know him at all, and never served in the same vessel with him."

"He used to be a mighty hard boy at the time he was in the steerage of the Young America; but when he got into the Josephine, he reformed; and Mr. Fluxion believes he has made a man of him. Perhaps he has: I don't know. If he has, there has been a big change in him."

"Let us hope he will be a good officer while he is on board of the steamer."