THREE DAYS AND NIGHTS

“We were a goodly company on board that mechanical whale – a handsome fish, I can assure you – and no man of us even dreamt of the trick she was to play us, transforming us into Jonahs. She took a header many fathoms deep, as, indeed, she was intended to do, but she elected to remain at the bottom far beyond her proper time. The Book tells us that Jonah – he was alone, too, poor fellow – was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. We did not exceed his record, but ran it close. We were in the belly of our whale, lying fathoms deep, part of three-days and part of three nights.

Then the smile on the mariner’s face vanished.

“They aged myself and my fellow prisoners by years, I reckon. I’m told that I was about the last to abandon hope. It’s a small ray that does not get about my heart – but this time it was pretty pitch-dark. When the first night of imprisonment passed, and it appeared from our watches – we had artificial light enough to see the time – that the dawn of a new day had come with no sign of release; some of the company threatened to chuck hope. But others of us put as bright a face on a black outlook as we could, and gave them such cheer as a waterless and breadless situation would allow. Of course, too, we had to remember that our air supply was running out.

“Then a great thing happened. Two heroes came forward and offered to risk all in an attempt to win to the surface. All honour to them! How they did it and at what a cost may be told later on, but the thing was done, and the outer world was thus made aware of our terrible plight. That much we realised when we knew of the presence of divers about our craft. What a relief! We had been located, practical measures were being taken for our salvage, and that splendid prospect made us take in a draught of new life.

“Our ordeal as it turned out was but a young thing as yet, however. We had still a long way to go. The day dragged through, and when we entered on the silence and uncertainty of the night, we were a forlorn enough lot. However, we were given further indications that the great work of rescue was well in hand. The constant tapping of the divers outside was a cheering sound, and brought hope to those of us who, in the steadily increasing stifle of the atmosphere, were now breathing hard to live.

“But rescue was long delayed, and in the early hours of the following day most of us wrote our last farewell to our loved ones – short, tender messages scrawled in pencil – and some of us made our wills. Then, as if by a miracle, three strong strands in the ladder of escape came to us from above. We got air, water, and food, in only the smallest quantities, but just enough to stir us into new life. That was a godsend as welcome as it was unexpected. And we had not to wait long for the opening of our prison door. It verges on the miraculous. When we scrambled into freedom we were a dazed and shaken lot of men, but I warrant you our hearts were full of gratitude to God for saving mercies.”