"The men knew that Bill and I were friends. I heard them talking together and casting looks at him. He was thin enough, poor fellow, by this time; but the rest of us were thinner still, all bones and sinews.
Bill and I were on deck together, and I told him to keep by me when I saw the rest of the men coming aft with a glare in their eyes, the meaning of which I well knew. Telling Bill to keep behind me, I drew my knife, and swore I would kill the first man who advanced. Jos Noakes came on in front of the rest. He had not forgotten the knock-over Bill had given him; still I had little hopes of saving my friend, for when men are desperate they will do anything. Jos was close up to me, and though I might have killed him the rest would have set on me; when just then the sails gave a loud flap, and some of the men, looking round, cried out that there was a fresh breeze coming.
"`My lads," cried Bill, who, though the moment before he expected nothing but death, was suddenly himself again, `that breeze will take us to the island we were steering for in the course of a few hours. You may eat me if you like, but I don"t think you will find your way there without my help."
"The men saw the sense of this, and told him he had nothing to fear.
While he and I went to the helm, the rest trimmed sails, and we were soon running at a brisk rate through the water.
"Fortunately, some small casks of hams which had got stowed away under the sandal-wood were discovered. This satisfied our hunger, though it increased our thirst. The wind, however, brought rain, and we were able to collect enough water to keep us alive. We thought all would go well, in spite of the leak, which made it still necessary to keep the pumps at work.
"Bill and I had just come on deck at night for our middle watch, when just as he had been telling me that he hoped next morning to make the land, the vessel"s keel grated on a coral reef which the look-out had not discovered. On she drove, and I hoped might be forced over it, but the grating, tearing sound which came from below told me that the sharp points were ripping off her planks, and the rest of the crew, springing on deck, cried out that the water was rushing in on every side. We clewed up the sails, and got our only boat ready for launching.
"The wind was increasing, and forcing us further and further on the reef. As we could not tell in what direction to pull, we determined to remain till morning, but before the morning arrived the wind increased, and the sea broke over us. The mainmast went by the board, and most of the men cried out that if we did not get the boat in the water we should be lost.
"Bill and I had gone forward. I heard some loud cries. My shipmates had managed to launch the boat, but the next instant she had been swamped alongside, and they were struggling for their lives in the foaming sea. We clung on to the wreck. The sea was making a complete breach over her, and the after part appeared breaking up. Suddenly she swung round, and seemed to me to be slipping off the rock. At that moment a sea took me, striking me on the head, knocking the senses out of me; the next I found myself in the foaming waters, and looking up, the moon bursting forth just then, caught sight of Bill making his way up the fore-rigging. I sung out to him to heave me a rope and haul me on board. The vessel appeared to have been brought up by a lower part of the reef, and to be sticking there. Bill heard my voice, and unreefing the fore brace, hove it to me just as a sea washed me back towards the wreck. I caught hold of it when pretty nigh exhausted, for though I hadn"t had much enjoyment in life, I didn"t wish to leave it, and so clung on with all my strength, while Bill gradually hauled me up to the fore chains. From thence I made my way into the top, where he and I sat, expecting, however, every moment that the mast would go and carry us overboard.
"`Are the rest all lost, think you?" asked Bill.
"`No doubt about it," said I. `The boat could not have lived a minute in such a sea as there is running. We are better off even here."
"`Terrible," said Bill. `And you and I are left alone out of the whole lot."
"`We may thank our stars for that," said I. `And I say, Bill, if we hold out till morning, and it comes on calm, maybe we shall find some of the pearls, and after all it won"t be so bad a job for us."
"`Don"t talk of the pearls," he answered, with a groan. `I wish that I had never been tempted to try to get them. The captain and the rest have got their deserts, and I would not touch one of them, gained as they were by cruelty and fraud, if they were to be washed up into my hands."
"`I only wish I could catch sight of some of the boxes with the chance of getting them," said I. `And if you were to do so, Bill, I would not trust to your good resolutions."
"`I don"t want to talk about the matter," answered Bill, gloomily.
`What chance have we of getting away from the wreck? we may be miles off from the sh.o.r.e, for what I know."
"`If the wind goes down, we may build a raft and reach the land, or may be a vessel will pa.s.s by and take us off. If not, and it breezes up again, we shall be in a bad case."
"Bill groaned again.
"`I am not prepared to die," he exclaimed. `I would give anything to get on sh.o.r.e."
"`You haven"t anything to give," said I. `So you had better make up your mind to brave it out, just as I mean to do. I wish that I could get at some liquor, though; that would keep up our spirits better than anything else."
"Bill groaned again.
"`I don"t want to die like a brute with my senses gone," he answered.
"`As to that, seamen have to go out of the world somehow, and for my part I don"t think myself worse than the rest," I answered; `and with regard to the things done aboard this craft, that was the captain"s look out, not mine, nor yours either; so cheer up, Bill, don"t be down-hearted. Daylight will soon return, and then, may be, we shall find ourselves better off than we fancy."
"You see, I kept up my spirits, and tried to keep up Bill"s; but he got worse and worse, and began raving away so curiously, that I thought he would throw himself into the sea and get drowned.
"To prevent this I pa.s.sed a rope round his body when he didn"t see what I was about, and lashed him to the top.
"As the night drew on the wind dropped, and at daybreak my eyes were gladdened by the sight of the land about two miles away, while between us and it were numerous small rocks scattered about, by means of which we might make our way, even if we had to swim for it. I remembered, however, the sharks, so I determined to build a raft. Poor Bill could not help me, so I set to work by myself. I was some time putting one together to carry us both, and then, being very hungry, I thought I would try to get hold of the keg of hams and the cask of water which were stowed forward, and also that I might pick up some of the boxes of pearls. I got the hams and water, but could not find the pearls.
"I took some of the food up to Bill, but he would only touch the water.
"At last I managed to lower him on to the raft, and, afraid that the weather might again change, shoved off to make our voyage to the land.
It was slow work, for I had only a long pole and a paddle. If Bill had been able to help, we should have got on much faster. At last we came to a small island. I thought to myself I"ll leave Bill here with some ham and water for food, and go back and have another search for the pearls. Bill made no objection; I don"t think even then he knew where he was. I got back with less difficulty than I expected.
"The tide had now fallen, and the after part of the vessel was clear of water. I cannot tell you how I felt when I caught sight of the boxes where I knew the pearls had been stowed in the captain"s cabin. There were a couple of large chests, and in these were several more boxes, with the captain"s money, and some other things of value. I thought to myself, if I turn out everything heavy, these boxes will float and serve to preserve my treasures, even should the raft be capsized. I accordingly, having prepared them as I proposed, put in the boxes of pearls, and having lashed them securely, lowered them on to the raft, loading it with a number of other articles, which I thought would be useful. Shoving off, I made the best of my way towards the rock where I had left poor Bill; it was time I did, for the weather was again, I feared, about to change, and heavy rain was falling. Hoping that he might have revived, I expected to see him looking out for me.
"While making good way through the water, suddenly I found my raft touch ground. The current striking against it drove it further and further on to the reef. To prevent it capsizing, I had to stand up and press my pole against the bottom. There I stood, the rain coming down faster and faster. I shouted to Bill, hoping that he might hear me, and perhaps be able to wade out to my a.s.sistance, but no answer came. I might easily have got off by casting the chest and the other articles adrift, but I could not bring myself to do that, not knowing where they and their precious contents might be carried to. At last I thought of mooring the raft, and trying to reach the rock by wading. I had a large axe which would serve as an anchor. I made a rope fast to it, and stuck it securely, as I thought, in a cleft of the coral reef. I then, with the pole in my hand, made my way towards the rock. Reaching it at last, not without difficulty, I looked about for Bill. What was my dismay not to see him! The provisions and water, and the other things I left with him were there, but he was gone. Whether he had fancied I was going to desert him, and had attempted to swim to the mainland, or in his madness had thrown himself into the sea, I could not tell. I climbed to the end of the rock nearest to the sh.o.r.e, shouting at the top of my voice, and still hoping to see him, but not a soul appeared on the beach. I had taken a liking to him, and I felt more unhappy than I had ever felt before, at the thoughts that he was lost. `It cannot be helped," I said to myself. `I"ll go back and tow the chests one by one to the rock, and so get the raft afloat, and in time reach the sh.o.r.e." At once I went back to the outer end of the rock, and began to wade towards where I had left the raft. The breeze had got up, and there was some sea on. It struck me that the water was deeper than at first. I hadn"t made many steps when, looking at the raft, I felt convinced that it was moving. I tried to hurry on, but found myself floundering in the water almost up to my neck, and had to scramble back to the rock to save my life. The raft went faster and faster. I shouted, I shrieked to it to stop; the pearls which would have made my fortune were every instant getting further from my reach. Then a wave took it and turned it right over, another struck it and dashed it against a rock, and away floated the pieces with the chests in the direction the current was making.
"On getting back to the rock I sat down and cried like a child. I felt as if I was done for. At last I got better and began to hope that the chests might be washed on sh.o.r.e, and that I might secure them after all.
"How was I to reach the land? there was the question. I was a bad swimmer, and if I had been a good one the chances were that I should be picked off by a shark. My only remaining hope was that the natives might not be cannibals, and that some of them coming off to fish might see me, and carry me to their island. Still perhaps some days might pa.s.s before any one might come out so far. I knew therefore that I must husband my provisions to make them last me as long as possible.
Fortunately the rain had filled some hollows in the rock. I drank as much as I wanted of that, and bailed the remainder into the cask I had left with Bill.
"The day pa.s.sed by and no one appeared, and not only that day but several others went by, and I was still on the rock. I had eaten up all the ham and drunk up nearly every drop of water. I had no means of striking a light, and if I had there was no fuel except my pole, and I could not live long on the raw sh.e.l.l fish which stuck to the rock.
"My last hour I thought was come. I lay down expecting to die, and soon dropped off into a sort of stupor. I was aroused by hearing voices, and looking up I saw a canoe with three brown girls in her, paddling up to the rock. I just lifted my head and made signs that I was very ill; they understood me, and instead of running away managed together to lift me into their canoe. One poured water down my throat, and another fed me with yam. They had been out fishing, and were returning home. They took me to their father"s hut, and fed and nursed me till I recovered.
My thoughts were running on the chests with the pearls, but I could hear nothing of them, nor of poor Bill either, nor have I from that day to this."
CHAPTER FOUR.
"I was just well, and thinking what I should do, when a South Sea whaler put into a harbour close by for provisions and water. She wanted hands, and I shipped aboard her. She was not long out from Sydney, to which port she belonged.
"While I served in her I was again nearly lost. We were after a big whale which had already been struck when the creature caught the boat I was in with its flukes, stove in the bows, and turned her right over, while I and the rest of the crew were left struggling in the water. I managed to climb up on the boat"s stern, and hailed another boat which was under sail, but so eager were those in her in pursuit of the monster that they did not see for some time what had occurred. The rest of my mates had sunk before she came up, and I was taken on board so exhausted that I could not have hung on many minutes longer.
"When the cruise was up the whaler returned to Sydney, and I thought that I would stop on sh.o.r.e, and with the money I had saved try what I could do for a living. My cash was gone, however, before I could well look round; my old friends the crimps got most of it.
"Remembering how I had before been shipped on board a craft without knowing it, I determined that such a trick should not be played me again. Perhaps the crimps thought I was too old to be worth much and would not let me run up a score.
"I was standing one day on the quay with my hands in my pockets, when the skipper of the last sandal-wood trader I had sailed in came up to me. He knew me and I knew him, and a bigger villain I never set eyes on; still considering that my last shilling was gone, I could not be particular about my acquaintances.
"`Boas, old ship," says he. `You know the South Sea Islands as well as most men. I want a few fellows like you for a cruise which is sure to be profitable, and you will come back in a short time with your pockets lined with gold, and be able to live at your ease, if you have a mind to do so, like a gentleman."
"I asked him to tell me what was the object of the voyage.
"`I don"t mind telling you the truth. If you were to ask at the Custom House you would hear we were starting on a voyage after cocoa-nut oil and sea slugs, but there"s poor profit in that compared to what we are really after. We do not call ours a slaving voyage, but our intention is to get as many natives as we can stowed away in our hold, by fair means or foul, and to run them across to Brisbane or some other port in Queensland. The order we receive from our owner is to visit the different islands, and to persuade as many natives as we can to come and work for the settlers. They want labourers, and will pay good wages, and the natives are only to be engaged for three years, and to be carried back again at the end of that time if they happen to be alive, and wish it, to their own islands."
"I told him that was very like the sort of trade I had been engaged in some years before, when we collected natives and carried them to Peru to work in the mines, and how the French didn"t approve of our taking the people from their islands, and had captured a number of our vessels.
`But," says I, `as I suppose that there are no mines in Queensland, the Indians will like Australia better than they did Peru, and won"t die so fast as they did there. But what does the Government say to the matter?
Maybe they"ll call it slaving."
"`Oh we have got a regular licence from the Queensland Government,"
answered the skipper. `It"s all shipshape and lawful, provided we treat the natives kindly, and don"t take them unless they wish to go, and make them clearly understand the agreement they enter into."
"`If that"s the case, Captain Squid, I"m your man," says I. `I am not over particular; but in my old age I have taken a liking to what is lawful and right."
"`Very wise too," says the skipper, giving me a wink. `You will find all our proceedings perfectly lawful, and we run no risk whatever. If the natives get harder worked than they like when they reach Queensland, that"s no business of ours."
"To make a long story short, I that evening found myself on board the `Pickle," schooner of about eighty tons. She hadn"t much room for stowage "tween decks, but as the pa.s.sage between Queensland and the islands where she was to get the natives was short, and as I supposed only a few at a time would be taken, I had no scruples on that score.