Morning had finally come and my greatest fear was about to over. The captain came up on deck and announced that the fire was finally put out. For me it was a night of horror. I had spent the last six hours praying steadfastly asking Almighty God how I was going to die. Would it be by fire or by water . It was late December 1979. I was a passenger on a forty feet wooden schooner named the Lady Ophelia. I had previously boarded this ship in Union Island on route to Port Kingstown on the Mainland. I was heading home to spend Christmas with the rest of my family. On boarding the vessel that evening, I noticed that the wind was extremely strong and, I was startled by the large number of metal drums laden with gasoline that the schooner was transporting. Oil was spilled all over the deck, and the scent was very offensive. For someone who was not accustomed to riding boats, this simply made me sick. The first thought was to catch another boat. There was another boat that was going to the Mainland. It was The MV Seimstrand . But The Lady Ophelia was the Mail Boat. It was chartered by the government to transport the mails. Government workers who were on assignment to the Grenadines were transported free of cost. Catching the MV Seimstrand, would have cost me an extra forty dollars. I simply could not have afforded that money. Hence, I took the Lady Ophelia. Half way between Canouan and Bequia, a strange scent caught my nose. It was the scent of burning rubber. I was quick to draw it to the attention of one of the crew men. I was told that it was the exhaust that I was smelling. I grew up in a family who owned trucks and I knew that scent very well. Nevertheless I took his word, pushed back my seat and dozed away. At around midnight, I was awakened by a violent explosion which almost tore the boat apart. In a few minutes, the passengers cabin was filled with smoke. I could have hardly breathe and the heat was fast becoming unbearable. I tried to go out on deck, but the wind was howling, and the sea was raging in all of its fury. Any move to go on deck would have resulted in one being washed overboard and drowned. We were certainly trapped in what was fast becoming a burning inferno. All of a sudden, a thousand thoughts came to my mind. I remembered my mother. I had promised to buy her a stove for Christmas. My sister who was teaching had lost her job because she had made a baby. I wanted to see the baby. My girlfriend whom I had promised to engage on Boxing Day would be there waiting for me. Now, at any moment, my dreams were about to be shattered. My world was about to end. I was between a rock and a hard place. There was no getting away on this one I was surely going to die. The area directly below us had quickly became a hub of activities. The captain and his men were extremely busy trying to put out the fire which had started in the engine room. The floor that we were standing on had become so hot that the pitch that was used to sealed the timber had started melting. Through the empty crevices, we could have seen the raging fire . It illuminated the entire darkness and reflected on the water like huge tongues. It was as if Gods Judgment had descended upon us. I prayed like ten pundits. I sang the song Jesus is my deliverer as if it was composed by me. The other passengers on board prayed until they lost their voices. A Baptist Pointer who was next to me ,told me secretly My dear brother, put your house in order I knew what he meant. Those very words were told to my grand mother shortly before she died. Death has been my lifes companion. I knew that it was inevitable but I certainly was not going to accommodate him, no not at this time. I had too much to live for. I prayed harder. The immense heat had dried out all the saliva that was in my mouth I felt myself becoming speechless . I fell on the floor. As I fell, my hand touched something. It was the bucket that was used to vomit in. I quickly took it up and emptied the contents on my chest. It cooled me down. I was beginning to roast. It was then a very important thought came to my mind. I used the same vomit bucket to scoop up water which I poured upon myself. We all took turns at using the bucket. As if by magic, the same Baptist Pointer found a crocus bag. He soaked it and threw it to the crew men. This did the trick. Immediately the smoke lessened and the heat subsided . A short while later, the captain emerged on deck. He announced that the fire was put out. As he uttered the last word, he fell on the floor. He was completely exhausted. As I struggled to pick him up, I distinctly noticed that all the hair on his head along with his treasured beard were singed. Two of his fingers were completely missing. He had lost them . They were completely burnt off during the fire. And the rest of us, We were rescued by the MV Seimstrand. Thirty two years later, I visited Union Island and asked for the gentleman. I was taken to the Clifton cemetery where I was shown a tomb stone. On it was written The Lion Sleeps.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 09:17:35 +0000
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