taking a step forward, said urgently, ‘There’s a ship out there, Mrs Hardy. Can you see it? A big ship, there, through the mist. But there’s somethin’ wrong.’
‘A ship you say, lass?’ Enid bent slightly forward as though the extra inch or two would help her failing eyesight.
By the time a couple of their neighbours joined them Daisy knew the vessel out at sea was foundering, and so quickly did she turn and run towards the cottage of one of the men she had spoken to the day before that Enid wasn’t aware of her departure for some moments.
‘Our Jed, lass?’ The big woman who had opened the door to Daisy was heavy with her fourth child in as many years, her overall bulk increased by her enormous stomach. ‘He’s not here. He’s gone with Dan to get a sack of taties an’ flour an’ bits, been’s as they couldn’t take the boat out. What’s the matter anyway, hinny? Is it your granny?’
Daisy’s heart sank. Apart from a few elderly men who were too old or too sick to fish anymore, Jed and Dan were the only fishermen who hadn’t sailed with the fleet the day before. And now there was a ship sinking in front of their very eyes and no one to help.
Daisy gave Jed’s wife a quick explanation and left the other woman shouting to her children to remain indoors while pulling a shawl over her head and following Daisy outside. But what help would a pregnant woman be? What help would any of the women be? It was one of the oddities of fisherfolk life that very few of their menfolk, let alone the women, had ever learnt to swim, the general feeling being that if they were unlucky enough to find themselves at the mercy of the North Sea no amount of swimming would help them. And no fisherman in his right mind would swim for pleasure.
Daisy glanced at the women clustered together on the shore, some four or five of them now as more of the cottagers became aware of the drama out to sea, but didn’t join them. Instead she ran down on to the sand itself, her heart pounding as she saw that the ship was now listing badly. The women followed her down to the water’s edge, mostly silent, several clasping their hands together and one or two praying out loud.
‘We have to do somethin’.’ Daisy glanced about her wildly.
‘You can’t do nowt, lass.’ Enid’s voice was low, her eyes fixed on the ship which had moved nearer to shore in its death throes but was now sinking fast. ‘Them rocks out there are meaner than shark’s teeth. Once they’re in the water the cold’ll finish ’em in minutes. An’ look at them waves, lass. You’d be knocked off your feet even if there was a boat to launch. Poor devils, whoever they are.’
‘It’s goin’ down . . .’
One of the women spoke and there was a concentrated drawing in of breath as the ship stood almost vertically in the water for a moment. As it remained there for some seconds the women heard a noise, either an explosion or perhaps the engines and machinery coming loose from their bearings and falling the length of the ship, and then it stopped, the ship first sinking back a little at the stern and then sliding slowly forward through the waves in a slanting dive as the sea closed over her.
‘Oh, dear God, have mercy on them in the hour of their distress . . .’
Daisy was aware of Enid murmuring at the side of her and of one or two of the women crying while others were busy ushering children back towards the cottages and away from the debris which could now be clearly seen in the water. The waves were huge and it was difficult to discern any human beings amidst the wreckage, but once or twice Daisy thought she saw an arm lifted or what looked like a body or two clinging to anything which floated, but within a short while these had disappeared.
Mrs Hardy was right, no one could survive for long when the sea was like this and the coldness of the water froze the will to fight and resist. But in spite of
‘A ship you say, lass?’ Enid bent slightly forward as though the extra inch or two would help her failing eyesight.
By the time a couple of their neighbours joined them Daisy knew the vessel out at sea was foundering, and so quickly did she turn and run towards the cottage of one of the men she had spoken to the day before that Enid wasn’t aware of her departure for some moments.
‘Our Jed, lass?’ The big woman who had opened the door to Daisy was heavy with her fourth child in as many years, her overall bulk increased by her enormous stomach. ‘He’s not here. He’s gone with Dan to get a sack of taties an’ flour an’ bits, been’s as they couldn’t take the boat out. What’s the matter anyway, hinny? Is it your granny?’
Daisy’s heart sank. Apart from a few elderly men who were too old or too sick to fish anymore, Jed and Dan were the only fishermen who hadn’t sailed with the fleet the day before. And now there was a ship sinking in front of their very eyes and no one to help.
Daisy gave Jed’s wife a quick explanation and left the other woman shouting to her children to remain indoors while pulling a shawl over her head and following Daisy outside. But what help would a pregnant woman be? What help would any of the women be? It was one of the oddities of fisherfolk life that very few of their menfolk, let alone the women, had ever learnt to swim, the general feeling being that if they were unlucky enough to find themselves at the mercy of the North Sea no amount of swimming would help them. And no fisherman in his right mind would swim for pleasure.
Daisy glanced at the women clustered together on the shore, some four or five of them now as more of the cottagers became aware of the drama out to sea, but didn’t join them. Instead she ran down on to the sand itself, her heart pounding as she saw that the ship was now listing badly. The women followed her down to the water’s edge, mostly silent, several clasping their hands together and one or two praying out loud.
‘We have to do somethin’.’ Daisy glanced about her wildly.
‘You can’t do nowt, lass.’ Enid’s voice was low, her eyes fixed on the ship which had moved nearer to shore in its death throes but was now sinking fast. ‘Them rocks out there are meaner than shark’s teeth. Once they’re in the water the cold’ll finish ’em in minutes. An’ look at them waves, lass. You’d be knocked off your feet even if there was a boat to launch. Poor devils, whoever they are.’
‘It’s goin’ down . . .’
One of the women spoke and there was a concentrated drawing in of breath as the ship stood almost vertically in the water for a moment. As it remained there for some seconds the women heard a noise, either an explosion or perhaps the engines and machinery coming loose from their bearings and falling the length of the ship, and then it stopped, the ship first sinking back a little at the stern and then sliding slowly forward through the waves in a slanting dive as the sea closed over her.
‘Oh, dear God, have mercy on them in the hour of their distress . . .’
Daisy was aware of Enid murmuring at the side of her and of one or two of the women crying while others were busy ushering children back towards the cottages and away from the debris which could now be clearly seen in the water. The waves were huge and it was difficult to discern any human beings amidst the wreckage, but once or twice Daisy thought she saw an arm lifted or what looked like a body or two clinging to anything which floated, but within a short while these had disappeared.
Mrs Hardy was right, no one could survive for long when the sea was like this and the coldness of the water froze the will to fight and resist. But in spite of
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