Hornbill Chapter 2 We’re Not Afraid To Die... If We Can All Be Together

1. (i) On their second day out of Cape Town, they began to encounter strong gales. For the next few weeks they blew continuously and furiously. The size of the waves was alarming. They rose up to 15 metres, as high as their main mast. The captain took certain urgent steps to protect the boat. He decided to slow down the speed of the boat. Storm jib was dropped. Heavy mooring ropes were looped across the stern. They went through their life-raft drill. Lifelines were attached. They put on oilskins and their life jackets. But all these precautions proved inadequate. The roar of high waves increased to a thunder. Then a loud explosion shook the deck.

(ii) A torrent of green and white water broke over the ship. The captain’s head smashed into the wheel. He was aware of sinking below the waves. Suddenly, his head popped out of water. Wavewalker was near capsizing. Her masts had fallen flat. He didn’t leave the wheel. His wife Mary came running. She cried that the decks were smashed and full of water. Larry and Herb were pumping water out like madmen. The whole starboard bulged inward. The captain found a hammer, screws and canvas. He struggled to make repairs. He was successful in spreading canvas over the gaping holes. Most of the water was now deflected over the sides. Another electric pump was connected to the out-pipe. Fortunately, it worked. The water level was now quite under control.

On January 4, the voyagers got some respite. After 36 hours of continuous pumping they could pump much of the water out. Water was still coming in. The pumpers were to keep pace with the water. They could not set any sail on the main mast. So they hoisted the storm jib. Mary found some beef and biscuits. They ate their first meal in almost two days. But their respite was short lived. At 4 pm the wind was back to 40 knots. The waves were rising higher.
By the dawn on January 5, the situation was again hopeless. The narrator went in to comfort the children. Jon asked if they were ‘going to die’. The narrator assured him that they would succeed. His son replied that they were not afraid of dying if they could “all be together”. The captain used an improvised sea anchor. It was made of heavy nylon rope and 22 barrels of paraffin. Those were critical moments. Mary and the narrator sat together holding their hands. They both felt that the end was very near. But Wavewalker rode out (of) the storm and the wind eased by the morning of January 6.

“We are not Afraid to Die.........” is a first person account of an adventurous ordeal that a family experiences during the voyage. There are three sections of the text. The narration of events matches the mood of the voyage. The first section describes how the voyage began with great hope and fanfare in July 1976. They were attempting to ‘duplicate the round-the-world voyage made 200 years earlier by Captain James Cook. Wavewalker had been professionally built. It was thoroughly tested in the roughest weather. They sailed down to Cape Town. The trouble started only when they left Cape Town. On January 2, the waves were gigantic. The narration of the events mirrors the hectic efforts of the captain and the crew to protect Wavewalker.

The second section : “Search for an Island” describes their struggle for survival for the last 15 hours. On January 4, they ate their first meal in almost two days. But the respite was short lived. This also captures the highly emotional response of the children. Jon declared : 'We aren’t afraid of dying if we can all be together—you and Mummy, Sue and I.”

In the last section “Cheerful Landing” the narration shifts back to the relaxed style. The captain was sure to reach lle Amsterdam. Jon gave the good news. The island was in front of them. All the 28 inhabitants were there to cheer and help them ashore.

The way in which the adults and the children reacted when faced with danger was quite on the expected lines. The narrator himself was the captain of the boat. He took all precautions to encounter the gigantic waves. To slow down the boat, the storm jib was drawn. Oilskins and life jackets were put on. Larry and Herb were pumping water out like madmen. The narrator went to see the children in their cabin. He asked : “Are you all right ?” “Yes”, they answered. Sue had a big bump above her eyes. But the narrator had no time to ‘worry about bumped heads’. Mary’s reaction was also quite normal. “We’re sinking !” she screamed. That evening the narrator and Mary sat together holding their hands. Both of them felt that the end was very near.

The children reacted quite boldly. When the narrator went in to comfort the children, Jon asked, “Daddy, are we going to die ?” The narrator tried to assure them that they would succeed. Jon declared : “We aren’t afraid to die if we can all be together—you and Mummy, Sue and I”. The children were excited when the island was sighted. Jonathan wanted to hug his father. He called him “he best daddy in the whole world—and the best captain” They were naturally excited and elated in the end.

“The very title of the story “We’re not Afraid to Die.........” suggests that hope sustains life. The narrator, his wife Mary and children Sue and Jonathan set sail from England. They were trying to repeat the incredible feat of Captain James Cook. Wavewalker had been professionally built and tested in the roughest weather. However, the gigantic waves that started thrashing Wavewalker from January 2, proved disastrous. The boat was capsizing. The narrator accepted his approaching death. But strong optimism saved them. Speed was slowed. Storm jib was dropped. Mooring ropes were tied across the stern. Life-jackets and oilskins were donned. The narrator’s ribs cracked and his mouth was filled with blood and broken teeth. Larry and Herb were pumping water out like madmen. Sue’s head had swollen alarmingly. But hope helped them to “endure the direst stress”. Even Jon was not afraid. He went on “we aren’t afraid of dying if we can all be together”.

At last, their optimism helped them to survive. The island lle Amsterdam was sighted. Jon was ready to hug his father. For Jon he was “the best daddy in the whole world and the best captain”. The next morning all the 28 inhabitants of lle Amsterdam cheered them and helped them ashore.

Life is full of horrors and excitements. There are people who live life as it comes to them. They never fear death. Nor do they hesitate to undertake hazardous experiences. Such ordeals and hazardous experiences are quite rewarding. There is no gain without pains. In the lesson, “We’re not Afraid to Die ......”, the narrator undertakes to duplicate the round-the-world voyage of Captain James Cook. It was a 1,05,000 kilometre journey. Gigantic waves and thundering storms brought untold sufferings and disasters. The boat Wavewalker had been professionally made and tested in the roughest weather. But gales and waves broke over the ship. Wavewalker was near capsizing. The narrator’s eft ribs cracked and his mouth was filled with blood and broken teeth. Even his little daughter Sue had a big bump above her eyes. But the narrator had no time to worry about such things.

Such dangerous experiences teach us to be fearless and brave. Hardships and accidents have to be faced boldly. A perfect team-work helps us to survive against such disasters. The narrator, crewmen like Larry and Herb and even children showed a rare courage. They declared that they were not afraid to die. Hope sustains life. Patience and hardwork are rewarded in the end. The Amsterdam was just in front of their eyes. The next morning, all 28 inhabitants of the island cheered and helped them ashore.

It takes all sorts of people to make this world. Some like a peaceful and quiet life. Others love adventures. They don’t hesitate even to undertake dangerous expeditions. Such things are risky. But still people go on without caring for even death and disasters. They seem to be crazy. Perhaps they are. There is something in them which doesn’t allow them to sit and relax. For them life is a continuous journey. They prefer untrodden paths. The history of mankind shows that all our progress owes to such brave and fearless people. What about the discovery of America? Had Columbus not undertaken his historic voyage, perhaps America would have never been found. It would ever have been hidden from the eyes of the civilized world.

Perhaps it is in the blood of man to crave for adventures. Man wants to go beyond the known. He wants to explore the unknown. All the explorers, navigators and mountaineers have an undying urge to transcend their limitations. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing climbed the highest peak in the world—The Mount Everest. Francis Drake, Walter Releigh, Vasco-da-Gama, Marco Polo, Captain Cook showed to humanity that nothing is impossible. Man’s will and determination conquers all odds and hazards.

The use of words: ‘knot’, ‘stern’, ‘boom’, ‘hatch’ and ‘anchor’ in other contexts other than ship terminology.

(a) Knot (i) Make a knot at the end of the string.

(ii) Her hair is full of knots and tangles.

(iii) Little knots (groups) of people had gathered there.

(iv) My stomach was in knots (tight).

(b) Stern (i) He has a stern (serious) face.

(ii) I gave a stern (harsh) warning to him

(iii) We faced stern (difficult) opposition.

(c) Boom (i) There is a boom (sudden increase) in the car market.

(ii) I could hear the distant boom (loud noise) of the guns.

(d) Hatch (i) Ten chicks hatched (came out of the egg) out this morning.

(ii) The eggs are about to hatch (to break open).

(iii) Have you been hatching (creating a secret plan) up a deal with her ?

(e) Anchor (i) Make sure that the table is securely anchored (fixed firmly).

Airship — An airship is a large aircraft without wings, filled with a gas which is lighter than air, and driven by engines.

Flagship — A flagship is the main ship in a fleet of ships in the navy. Lightship — A lightship is a small ship that stays at a particular place at sea and that has a powerful light on it to warn and guide other ships.

In the third paragraph of the account the word ‘take sb on’ means to employ some body.

For example:

‘We took on two crewmen—American Larry Vigil and Swiss Herb Seigler—to help us tackle one of the world’s roughest seas..........’

For self-attempt.

For Self-attempt.

The narrator loved adventures. He had an ambitious plan. He wanted to duplicate the round-the-world voyage made 200 years earlier by Captain James Cook. Captain Cook discovered Australia. So the narrator set sail from Plymouth in England in July 1976 on 1,05,000 kilometre journey. His wife and two children also accompanied him.

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Imp.

The narrator had dreamt of sailing in the wake of the great explorer Captain James Cook. He set sail in Wavewalker, the boat that was specially designed and made for the purpose. It was a 23 metre, 30 ton wooden hulled boat. It had been professionally built. It had been tested for months in the roughest weather. The long 1,05,000 km voyage was to be covered in three years in different phases.

Everything went well in the first leg of their ‘planned three-year 1,05,000 kilometre journey’. It passed pleasantly as they sailed down the west coast of Africa to Cape Town. But the trouble started when they left Cape Town. On the second day out of Cape Town, they began to encounter strong waves and gales.

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Imp.

Everything went on well till they sailed down the west coast of Africa and reached Cape Town. The trouble started on the second day out of Cape Town. They began to encounter strong gales. They blew continuously for the next few weeks. Gales didn’t worry them. But the size of the waves was alarming—up to 15 metres. They rose as high as up to the main mast. They expected the weather to improve on the New Year’s Day. The weather changed but for the worse.

On the second day they left Cape Town. They started encountering strong gales. December 25 found them 3,500 kilometres east of Cape Town. The weather was quite hostile. But they had a beautiful holiday. They celebrated Christmas with a Christmas tree. New Year’s Day saw no improvement in the weather. But they celebrated the Day with the hope that the weather would change soon.

The first indication of the impending disaster came at about 6 p.m. on January 2. An ominous silence prevailed all around. The wind dropped. The sky immediately grew dark. Then came a growing roar. A huge vertical wave, almost twice the height of the other waves, came roaring towards the ship. These were sure indications of the coming disaster.

On New Year’s Day the weather changed for the worse. The waves were gigantic. Strong gales did trouble them. As the ship rose to the top of each wave, they could see endless huge waves rolling towards them. The howling of the wind and the spray was painful to the ears. The sky grew dark. A torrent of green and white water broke over the ship. The captain was thrown overboard.

Huge waves came rolling towards the boat. The howling of gales and spray was painful to the ears. First of all they decided to slow down the boat. The storm jib was dropped. Heavy mooring ropes were looped across the stern. They went through their life-raft drill. They attached lifelines. Oilskins and life-jackets were donned. Larry and Herb were continuously pumping water out like madmen.

Tips: -

Imp.

The narrator saw a torrent of green and white water breaking over the ship. His head smashed into the wheel. He felt himself flying overboard and sinking below the waves. He was losing consciousness. He accepted his approaching death without murmuring. He felt quite peaceful even when death was approaching and Wavewalker was near capsizing.

Wavewalker was capsizing. Her masts had fallen. Huge waves struck the boat upright. The narrator grabbed the guard rails and sailed through the air into Wavewalker’s main boom Waves tossed him around the deck like a rag doll. His left ribs cracked and his mouth was filled with blood and broken teeth.

Tips: -

Imp.

Before heading cast from Cape Town, the narrator employed two crewmen. They were Larry Vigil and Swiss Herb Seigler. They were to help them ‘to take one of the world’s roughest seas, the Southern Indian Ocean. Larry and Herb did their job quite well. When the gigantic wave’s struck Wavewalker, they continued pumping water out of the boat.

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Imp.

The narrator crawled into the children’s cabin to find out if they were safe. Sue told him that her head was hurt a bit. He saw a big bump over her eyes. Sue’s head had swollen alarmingly. She showed a deep cut on her arm. But she didn’t, want to worry them when they were trying to save them all.

By morning on January 3, the situation showed a little improvement. Pumps had been working round the clock. The water level was sufficiently under control. The crewmen could take two hours’ rest in rotation. But there was still a tremendous leak somewhere below the water line. No doubt, they had survived for 15 hours since the wave hit Wavewalker. But it would not hold long enough for them to reach Australia.

On January 2 at 6 p.m. Wavewalker was hit and swept away by an ominous wavestorm. The captain and the crew tried their best to pump water out and steer the ship to safety. When nothing seemed to work well, May day calls or S.O.S. signals were sent for rescue and help. But they didn’t get any replies. It was not surprising in that remote corner of the world.

On January 4, after 36 hours of continuous pumping, they could pump the water out. Mary found some corned beef and biscuits. They ate their first meal in almost two day But their respite was short lived. At 4 pm black clouds began building up behind them. The wind was back to 40 knots and the wave rose high. By the morning of January 5, the situatio was again grim. The narrator and Mary sat together holding hands in the evening. Both of them felt that the end was very near.

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V. Imp.

By the morning of January 6, the wind eased. The narrator was back in the chart room and read on the sextant. They were somewhere in 1,05,000 kilometres of ocean searching for a 65 kilometre-wide island. At about 2 pm he went on deck and asked Larry to steer a course of 185 degrees. If they were lucky they could expect to see the island at about 5 pm. Then with a heavy heart, he went below and dozed off. When he woke up at 6 pm he knew they must have missed the island.

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Imp.

Children were excited. They sighted the island before the narrator. Jonathan asked if he could have a hug. The narrator was surprised. His son declared that he was “the best daddy in the whole world and the best captain”. The narrator replied: “Not today”. The children shouted that the island was in front of them and it was as big as a battleship.

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V. Imp

When the narrator rushed on the deck he was relieved to see the outline of Ile Amsterdam. It was a French base. It was ‘a black piece of volcanic rock’. It had little vegetation but still it appeared to he ‘the most beautiful island in the world’. They anchored offshore for the night. The next morning all 28 inhabitants of the island cheered them and helped them ashore.

The lesson is aptly and logically titled: “We’re not Afraid to Die.........These are the words of Jonathan, the son of the narrator. Like his brave father, Jon declared that they were not afraid to die. But it would be better if they died together—Daddy and Mummy and Sue and he. These words sum up the courage shown by the narrator, his wife and children and, of course, the crewmen.

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V. Imp.

“We’re not Afraid to Die” is the story of rare courage and perseverance that was shown by the narrator, crewmen, his wife and children. All the dangers and disasters were confronted with patience, courage and determination. Never did anybody shake or waver even for a second. Even the children showed an exemplary courage. They were not afraid to die and were ready to die with their daddy and mummy together.

The narrator wanted ‘to duplicate’ the round-the-world voyage made 200 years earlier by Captain James Cook. For the past 16 years they had been making preparations. They got a boat professionally built for this purpose. It was a 23 metre, 30 tonne wooden-hulled boat. It was tested for months in the roughest weather. The first leg of their 1,05,000 kilometre journey passed pleasantly. They sailed down the west coast of Africa to Cape Town. Before heading east, they employed two crewmen—American Larry Vigil and Swiss Herb Seigler.

Their troubles started on the second day out of Cape Town. They encountered strong gales. Waves rose as high as their main mast. On January 2, the waves were alarming. The boat was slowed down. The storm jib was dropped. Heavy ropes were looped across the stern. Lifelines were attached, oilskins and life jackets were donned. Wavewalker was near capsizing. Sue got a big bump over her eyes. The narrator was tossed over the deck. His left ribs cracked and teeth were broken. By morning on January 3, Larry and Herb brought the water level sufficiently under control.

On January 4, they received some respite. On January 5, the respite proved to be short lived. The situation was again quite grim. Jon asked if they were going to die. They were not afraid of dying if they could all die together. But by the morning of 6 January, Wavewalker rode out (of) the storm. Jon gave the great news. lle Amsterdam was just in front of them. The next day all 28 inhabitants cheered and helped them ashore.

Tips: -

Imp.

Just on the second day when they left Cape Town, Wavewalker began to face all kinds of troubles. Strong gales lashed the boat for the next few weeks. The size of the waves was really alarming. They went up as high as the main mast. The captain took immediate steps to save the boat. The boat was slowed down. The storm jib was dropped. Heavy mooring ropes were lashed across the stern. Lifelines were attached. Oilskins and life-jackets were donned. A tremendous explosion shook the deck. A torrent of green and white water broke over the ship. Wavewalker was near capsizing. Her masts had fallen flat. Waves tossed him around the deck like a rag doll. Larry and Herb continued pumping water out like madmen. If they couldn’t make some repairs, they would surely sink. Waterproof covers across the open holes were covered. Most of the water was now being thrown over the sides.

All the urgent steps were taken. Fortunately, they proved quite effective. By the morning of January 6, the wind eased. Wavewalker rode out storm. But still it couldn’t hold for long to reach Australia. Hence, the search for islands began. In the end, Wavewalker had a cheerful landing at lle Amsterdam.

The narrator, his wife and children set sail from Plymouth, England with great hope, excitement and determination. The narrator was a 37- year old businessman. He had dreamt of duplicating the round-the-world voyage made 200 years ago by Captain James Cook. He had worked hard in sharpening his seafaring skills in British waters. The first leg of their journey passed pleasantly. Their troubles started when they moved out of Cape Town. But even hostile weather couldn’t dampen their spirits. Though the weather changed for the worse on the New Year’s Day, they all participated in its celebrations.

The captain (the narrator himself) really showed his heroic qualities. He was aware of being thrown overboard and sinking below the waves. He didn’t panic. His left ribs cracked and his mouth was filled with blood and broken teeth. Somehow, he found the wheel and hung on. Even the behaviour of the crewmen Larry and Herb was quite praiseworthy. They continued pumping water out like madmen. The narrator’s wife Mary didn’t panic either. She only cried “We’re sinking”.

Jonathan and Sue proved that they were the children of brave and adventurous parents. Jon declared that they were “not afraid of dying if they could all die together.” The children were really excited when they sighted the island lle Amsterdam. Now the narrator was not an ordinary father but “the best daddy in the whole world—and the best captain.”

12 Picadally Circus

London

20 March, 2008

Dear Matthew

Sea attracts not only me but all the members of our family. My father had a long cherished dream of ‘duplicating’ the voyage undertaken by Captain James Cook about 200 years ago. A special boat Wavewalker was made for this mission. We set sail from Plymouth in England. Everything went on well till we reached Cape Town. Troubles started on the second day when we left Cape Town. Gigantic waves and gales lashed Wavewalker. The waves left nothing but ruin. The sails were lying flat. My father, the captain of the ship, tried to save it. He took urgent steps. He slowed down the speed and tied heavy ropes round the stern. Life-jackets and oilskins were donned. A torrent of green and white water broke over the boat. Wavewalker was near capsizing.

My daddy proved to be the best daddy in the whole world and also the best captain. His efforts bore fruit. By the morning of January 7, the boat was out of the storm. I was not afraid of dying if we all died together. But they say all is well that ends well. And it ended well for us. lie Amsterdam was sighted. We anchored off the shore that night. The next morning, all 28 inhabitants came to cheer us and help us ashore.
Yours sincerely
Jonathan

Words for ‘storm’ in Hindi :

‘Catamaran’ is a long narrow ratt ot logs.

This word is derived from the Tamil word ‘kalta maram’ which means ‘tied wood’. A Usually boatmen’s songs express the onward movement of life. They sing of life as a never ending journey. All songs end in the belief that sooner or later they will touch the coast or reach the destination.