"I shook Bill by the hand and thanked him, and we were friends ever afterwards.
"Bill told me that the craft I had so curiously found myself aboard was the `Catfish," and that she was on a voyage round the islands to pick up sandal-wood, cocoa-nut oil, or pearls, which he told me were to be found among some of the low-lying coral islands to the eastward.
"`I shall like well enough to go after pearls," I observed; `for I know their value and the price people on sh.o.r.e will give for them."
"`That made me ship on board the "Catfish,"" said Bill. `I remember my mother used to wear such things in her hair, and that a small string of them was worth some hundred pounds, and I thought that if I could get a few I should be a rich man, and be able to go back to Old England, for I am pretty well sick of this sort of life, though, mate, as you know, when a man is down in the world it"s a hard job to get up again."
"`Then I suppose, Bill, from what you say, you are a gentleman"s son, and you have come out to these parts to make your fortune," I remarked.
"`Yes, I am well born, and might have been very different from what I am," he answered with a sigh. `But I came away to sea because I was a wild scamp, and no one could make anything of me at home. However, if I can get hold of a few of those pearls, so as to start fair, I intend to turn over a new leaf, and go back to my friends, provided I can do so with a good coat on my back, and not like the ragged beggar I have been of late. I have got a few articles to trade with, and I shipped on condition that I should do what I liked with them."
"`I"ll help you, my lad, as far as I can," said I, for I had taken a fancy to Bill, who might have been all he said of himself. To my notion he was as brave and warm-hearted a fellow as ever stepped.
"I have already described the various ways the sandal-wood traders manage to obtain their cargoes. Our captain was in no degree more particular than most of them, and played a few odd tricks among the natives to get what he wanted. On one occasion we got a chief on board, and the captain told him that he must make his people cut a dozen boat-loads of sandal-wood, or we would carry him away as a prisoner to Sydney. The chief refused, and declared that the wood was not to be got. On this the captain called two or three of his people on board, and then had him triced up and gave him a dozen, and told him that he should have it every morning if the wood was not forthcoming. Still the savage held out, and he was heard to tell his people not to bring any.
"Next morning some of his people came off, when, as they brought no wood, preparations were made to give him another dozen. On seeing this his courage gave way, and he told his people to go back and get the wood. He got his dozen though, for the captain was a man to keep his word on those sort of matters.
"Two or three boat-loads came off that very evening, and in a couple of days all the captain asked for was supplied. The chief was then set at liberty, and told to go about his business.
"The captain observed that he was doing his duty to his owners, and getting a cargo in the cheapest way he could; he seemed, indeed, to pride himself on his cleverness.
"As sandal-wood was becoming scarce in most of the islands, we took on board, whenever we had the opportunity, as many casks of cocoa-nut oil as we could collect; but pearls were our chief object, and we continued our voyage till we reached the island I mentioned.
"The natives were said to be friendly to white men, and therefore we had no fear of them. They had a few pearls already, which the captain took in exchange for some of the beads, cutlery, looking-gla.s.ses, and trinkets we had brought to trade with. He then told the natives that they must go off in their canoes to the reef where the pearl-oysters were to be found, and be quick in bringing him as many as he wanted, threatening them if they were not sharp about it he would carry off their chiefs, cut down their cocoa-nut trees, and leave their wives and children to starve. This made them all alive, though they grumbled a little, and every evening they returned bringing a fair supply of sh.e.l.ls. They dared not refuse to work, seeing that they had no muskets; and as their island was perfectly flat, they had no place to fly to and hide themselves, so that by landing a few of our men we could, if we had wished, have burned their huts, cut down their trees, and have carried off as many of them as we wanted.
"One day when they had brought fewer sh.e.l.ls than usual, the captain sent a party of us on sh.o.r.e, and having caught two of their chiefs, we brought them on board, and kept them in irons, telling them that we should carry them away unless their people would stir themselves.
"Next day a double quant.i.ty was brought on board. The captain seemed mightily pleased.
"`Now, my boys, this shows what you can do," he said, in the lingo the savages spoke. `I am going to make a cruise to some other islands not far off, and I shall take your chiefs with me. If, when I come back, you have not got as many pearls as I want," and he told them the quant.i.ty he should require, `up go your chiefs to our yard-arms."
"I don"t mean that he said this in as many words, but it was what he wished the people to understand.
"The other islands we visited could supply us only with cocoa-nut oil, and though we had a quarrel now and then about it, we generally managed to get what we wanted at the price we chose to give.
"On our return we found the supply of sh.e.l.ls the captain had ordered.
"I thought that he would have allowed the chiefs to go on sh.o.r.e, but he was too deep a hand for that. He had found the plan answer so well that he determined to have some more pearls before sailing, so he pretended that the natives had not brought him enough, and told them that they must go off and collect more. They grumbled, declaring that they would do no such thing, and demanded their chiefs back.
"`You shall have them," he answered, `but they shall swing at our yard-arms first," and he ordered the ropes to be rove to hang them by.
"The chiefs were then brought on deck. They did not look much like chiefs, half-starved and dirty as they were, for they had been kept below during the voyage for fear of their jumping overboard, and making their escape. The natives set up a loud yell when they saw them, and made as if they would attack us, and try to rescue them. On this the captain ordered us to present our muskets, and fire if they approached.
Bill was the only person who refused to obey, declaring that it was a shame, and that he would sooner let the natives kill us than shoot one of them. The captain, hearing this, threatened to trice him up with the chiefs, and to my mind he meant what he said. The natives, however, thought better of it, and paddled off to try to get more pearls.
"`It"s lucky for you, Bill, that the savages played us no tricks; but I"ll not forget you, my lad," exclaimed the captain, shaking his fist at him.
"In a couple of days the natives appeared paddling towards us. They kept, however, at a distance, and one canoe only with three men in her came alongside, bringing a few pearls. They said they had got more, but they had resolved to throw them into the sea unless their chiefs were first delivered up to them.
"The captain grinned at this, and replied that they should have one chief, and when the pearls were brought they should have the other. The natives after talking a long time were obliged to comply. The chiefs embraced; they might have suspected that the one who remained would run a great chance of swinging at the yardarm, notwithstanding the captain"s promise. At last he told the younger of the two that he might go, thinking, probably, that he was of less consequence than the other. The poor fellow was lowered into the canoe, and away his countrymen paddled to the sh.o.r.e.
"I thought that the elder man looked well pleased at the escape of his companion, as he squatted down on deck, resting his head on his hands, though he looked up every now and then at the rope hanging from the yardarm, as if he expected to be dangling from it before long.
"The same canoe returned in a couple of hours, bringing a further supply of pearls, while the rest of the natives were seen gathering in the distance.
"Perhaps the captain thought that if he did not deliver up the chief-- driven to desperation, they might attack the vessel, and that though many might have been killed, we should not have got off scathless. The natives were indeed in great numbers advancing closer and closer. He therefore told the chief he might go. The old man rose, and with the help of his countrymen got into the canoe, which immediately paddled away towards the rest, advancing rapidly to meet him.
"The breeze was fair out of the harbour. Sails were loosed, the anchor tripped. There was no time to be lost, for some scores of canoes were close up to us.
"`Give the savages a parting volley to teach them that we are not to be insulted with impunity," cried the captain.
"Several shots were fired at the canoes, and two or three of the savages were hit. I cannot say whether all fired, but Bill did not.
"The brig had gathered way, and we were distancing the canoes, and though the captain ordered another volley to be fired, the shot fell short of them.
"`We have managed that pretty cleverly," he observed, as he walked the deck, rubbing his hands. `I never expected to get so many pearls, and we have not paid dear for them either," and he chuckled to himself as he turned aft.
"I asked Bill if he had got as many as he had hoped for.
"`No," he answered. `The skipper kept too sharp a look-out to allow me to trade honestly as I had intended, and I"d sooner not have got a single one, than obtain them in the vile abominable way he has done. I wish that I was clear of the craft, and hope that I may never set eyes on him again."
"I told Bill that he was too particular.
"`No, no," he exclaimed. `I am a vile wretch as it is, but I am not sunk so low as to stand by and see such things done without exclaiming against them."
"We had a quick run to the westward, and the captain was congratulating himself on making a prosperous voyage. We had still room, however, for some more sandal-wood, and he took it into his head to visit the place where he had given a couple of dozen to a native chief for refusing to bring off sandal-wood. He was mad, you will allow, to make the attempt.
He thought he could catch the chief, and play the trick a second time.
"Bringing up before the place, and telling us to keep our arms ready for use, and to let no native on board, away he went in the boat with six hands well armed. The natives, instead of running off, came down to the beach quite in a friendly manner, and welcomed him on sh.o.r.e. He thought, I suppose, that they did not know the brig again, or that the chief had forgotten his flogging.
"We watched him from the deck, and he and two men advanced up the beach towards the very chief himself, who came down to meet him.
"The captain"s idea was, I have no doubt, to seize the chief and bring him off.
"In another instant we saw one of the men running, and a party with clubs and spears, who had remained hidden behind some rocks, rushing towards the captain. Before he could escape, his brains were dashed out, and his companion was struck to the ground. The other man reached the boat with a spear in his back, and was hauled in just before the savages got up to him. The boat shoved off and pulled away towards us, a shower of spears following her. Another man was. .h.i.t, for we saw an oar dropped. The remaining three pulled away for their lives. We, meantime, loosed the sails and got under way; and time it was to do so, for we saw a number of canoes, which had been concealed behind rocks along the sh.o.r.e, darting out towards us. As soon as the boat was alongside, we hauled up the men, one of whom was pretty near dead by that time, cut the cable, let the boat go adrift--we had no time to hoist her up--sheeted home the sails, and stood away from the sh.o.r.e.
"We had a narrow escape of it, for though we kept firing at the advancing canoes, they were almost up to us; and it"s my belief the savages would have got on board in spite of all we could have done to resist them, for they seemed resolved to have their revenge. As it was, another man was. .h.i.t, and our deck was covered with spears and darts.
"We at last got clear of the land, and the mate, who took command, said he would shape a direct course for Sydney, and have nothing more to do with trading. We soon, however, began to suspect that he was but a poor navigator, and Bill said he was sure of it.
"Three or four days afterwards a gale sprung up from the westward. We lost our topmasts, and were driven before it for a week or more.
"Whether or not the mate was a bad navigator, we had no means of proving, for one night he was washed overboard. Bill, who was the only scholar among us, looked at the log; that had not been written up, nor had our course on the chart been p.r.i.c.ked off; so there we were, driving before a heavy gale, and not knowing what island might be in our course to bring us up. The brig also had sprung a leak, and we had to turn-to at the pumps. Our provisions and water were running short. We were in a bad case. Even had we sighted an island, we should have been afraid to go ash.o.r.e, for we had played so many tricks at different places, that, after what had happened, we thought that we might be treated in the same way as the captain had been.
"The gale at length came to an end. Still we had to keep the pumps going. Our last biscuit was eaten; we had not a drop of water in the casks. Bill, who had been studying the chart, told us that if we would keep up our spirits he hoped in another day or two to make an island to the southward, where we had not before touched. That night, however, there came on a dead calm.
"When the sun rose the next morning the sea was like gla.s.s, with not a sign of a breeze.
"When men are starving they will eat anything. We began to stew down our shoes and every bit of leather we could find about the ship. The lockers were searched for biscuit crumbs, or lumps of grease, or anything eatable, till nothing which could keep body and soul together remained.