"Indeed," he added, "it was precisely such an agreement as I desired to enter into with Mr Marshall, or some other merchant, but none of them would listen to me. And very lucky it is for me that they would not, for with none of them should I have got such a ship as the _Nonsuch_.
What is her tonnage?"
"Just three tons bigger than the _Bonaventure_, accordin" to her measurements," answered Radlett, "but she"ll have twice so much accommodation for a crew as Marshall"s ship have got; because the _Bonaventure_ be built for cargo carryin" while the _Nonsuch_ be built more for fightin" and sailin". _Now_ do "e see?" And the old fellow accompanied his explanation with a dig in the ribs that was intended to convey to George several things that it was best not to discuss too openly.
Of course George fully understood his companion"s meaning, understood-- that is to say--that the _Nonsuch_ had been specially designed and built with a view to her employment as a freebooter, free-trader--as it was then euphemistically termed--or a pirate! But let not the reader be too greatly shocked at this frank admission. For in the days of George Saint Leger piracy was regarded as a perfectly legitimate and honourable trade--always provided that the acts of piracy were perpetrated only against the enemies of one"s country. A pirate, indeed, in those days, was synonymous with the individual who was termed a privateersman at the time of the Napoleonic wars. George Saint Leger, although a perfectly honest and even G.o.d-fearing young man, received old Radlett"s hint, with all that it implied, without turning a hair, for it implied nothing worse than he had contemplated from the moment when he first heard of his brother"s capture. It was generally agreed, at that time, that it was not only quite lawful but actually meritorious to make war upon and spoil the enemy of one"s country, and Spain was England"s enemy just then, secretly at all events. Many people maintained that she was G.o.d"s enemy as well, therefore it was deemed doubly meritorious to make war upon her; so George Saint Leger had not the ghost of a scruple with regard to his projected raid upon the ports of the Spanish Main.
So the bargain was struck there and then, even to the drafting in duplicate and signing by both parties of a doc.u.ment setting forth the several terms and conditions of the agreement. After this George Saint Leger departed for home with a light step and a still lighter heart, to tell his mother the good news. And she, poor soul, listened to him with strangely mingled feelings; for on the one hand her heart was racked and torn with anxiety and fear for her elder son, a captive in the hands of men whose cruelties to enemies, and especially to so-called heretics, were even then sending thrills of horror and dismay through the Protestant world, while her nights were rendered sleepless by the visions of awful torments, conjured up by her too vivid imagination, which that son might even then be enduring. No wonder was it that, under such circ.u.mstances, the one great and paramount desire that possessed her, to the exclusion of all other things, was the deliverance of Hubert from the fate which she pictured for him. Yet, when it came to the point of consenting to the going of her second son to the rescue of her first, her very soul sickened within her lest George, instead of effecting his brother"s deliverance, should himself fall into the toils.
For she, like those merchants whom the lad had unavailingly approached, was convinced that the lad was altogether too young, too immature, too inexperienced to undertake the responsibility of leading such an expedition, and if he should fail, her last state would be worse than her first. And what hope of success for him dared she entertain at the very moment when all England was being profoundly stirred at the news of Hawkins" and Drake"s disastrous failure? If they, seasoned and experienced mariners as they were, found themselves unable to stand against the might of Spain, what chance, she constantly asked herself, would such a mere boy as her George have? Thus she was swayed by first one form of terror and then the other until her reason threatened to give way altogether under the strain, and in sheer desperation she sought, quite unavailingly, to find distraction in preparing George"s wardrobe for the voyage. As for George, he saw the terrible struggle through which his beloved mother was pa.s.sing, read her every thought, realised her every fear, and when he was not engaged at the shipyard with old Radlett, devoted himself strenuously to the almost superhuman task of allaying those fears, driving them out, and infusing some measure of hopefulness in their place. And so energetically did he strive that at length he actually succeeded in convincing not only Mrs Saint Leger, but also himself, that the expedition would certainly be successful and that he would be able to bring home his brother safe and sound.
Meanwhile, old Si Radlett was nothing if not thorough in his methods, and, having made up his mind to engage in a speculation that, if decidedly risky, might yet result in enormous profit to himself, allowed no gra.s.s to grow under his feet. Every man in his yard was at once detailed for service on and about the _Nonsuch_, the cradle was built, and on a certain raw but brilliant morning of early March, Mrs Saint Leger, well wrapped up in furs, was escorted by George to the shipyard in Millbay, where she had undertaken to preside at the launch of, and perform the ceremony of christening, the ship which was to bear one of her sons across the tempestuous Atlantic to the rescue of the other.
The launch of a ship in those days was a much less ceremonious affair than it is to-day, yet the piety of the time was so real, and so intimately pervaded the affairs of daily life, that a short religious service was deemed as necessary at the christening of a ship as at that of a child; and accordingly a small platform was erected under the bows of the _Nonsuch_, where, with Mrs Saint Leger beside him, the vicar of the church in which old Radlett worshipped every Sunday morning, read certain pa.s.sages of scripture, preached a short sermon, and then offered up special prayers beseeching G.o.d"s blessing upon the ship. After this the spur-sh.o.r.es were knocked away, and to the blare of trumpets and the roll of drums, Mrs Saint Leger dashed a bottle of wine against the great cut.w.a.ter of the gaily bedizened ship as she began to move down the ways, exclaiming, as she did so:
"G.o.d bless the good ship _Nonsuch_ and all who are to sail in her!" And she said it not perfunctorily, but from her heart; for the lives and fortunes of the two who were nearest and dearest to her in the whole world were irrevocably bound up with the ship.
George did not occupy the platform beside his mother. As soon as he had seen her safely placed, he made his way to a point in the yard from which he could advantageously view the plunge of the ship into "her native element," and his heart thrilled with joy and pride as he noted with a keen, appreciative, and understanding eye the manner in which the hull took the water, the buoyancy with which, after the first deep plunge, she rose to her bearings and sat upon a perfectly even keel, and the cleanness with which she divided the water as she drove out toward the middle of the bay. Then, too, the craft being farther distant from him than he had ever before viewed her, he was the better able to observe the very marked differences in model which Radlett had introduced into her design, the easier and more flowing lines, the more graceful shape, the shallower hull, and the absence of those towering fore and after castles which rendered the ships of those days so awkward, crank, and uneasy in heavy weather; and he told himself grimly that with such a ship as that, and with a good strong st.u.r.dy crew of staunch Devonian hearts to back him up, it should not be his fault if he did not make the word "Englishman" a name of dread from one end to the other of the Spanish Main.
From the moment of the launch the preparations for the voyage progressed rapidly, yet not as rapidly as George could have wished, for the time was one of great difficulty and tension in England; war with France, or Spain, or both, threatened to break out at any moment; the country was swarming with spies, and it was therefore of vital importance to the success of the expedition that the most absolute secrecy concerning it should be maintained. It was even necessary that the very existence of the ship and the fact of her being fitted out should be noised abroad as little as possible, for, as things then were, in the event of a crisis arising it was quite upon the cards that the authorities might lay forcible hands upon the craft and annex her for the service of the country. Such a condition of affairs militated very strongly indeed against extreme rapidity of progress; yet so well did cunning old Radlett manage that, in spite of everything, the process of rigging the _Nonsuch_ and preparing her for sea went forward with surprising speed.
It was of course impossible to keep the fact of her fitting-out an absolute secret from everybody, so when inquisitive people came prowling about the wharf, asking all sorts of inconvenient questions, old Radlett gave them to understand, with many nods and winks of mystery, that he had it in his mind to see what could be done with her in the way of a trading voyage to the eastern Indies, where, he understood, pots of money were to be made by those who were willing to take a little risk.
Every day saw a little further progress made, an additional spar raised into position and secured, a little more added to the complicated maze of rigging; and meanwhile George, accompanied by Robert Dyer, who had been hunted up the moment that his services could be made useful, went hither and thither all over Plymouth and its neighbourhood, day after day, hunting up desirable recruits, including many of the _Bonaventure"s_ former crew, until in process of time they contrived, between them, to get together no less than one hundred men, all of them of the true Devon breed, ready to go anywhere and do anything. Under ordinary conditions so large a crew would have found themselves cramped for room in a ship of the _Nonsuch"s_ tonnage. But the _Nonsuch_ was not designed for cargo carrying. She was essentially a fighting ship, her cargo-s.p.a.ce being only about half the capacity of other ships of her size, the remainder of the hold being fitted to serve as a s.p.a.cious "tween-decks, affording accommodation for an even larger crew than George and her owner had decided was necessary. And, in addition to the "tween-decks, there were of course the cabins, plainly but comfortably fitted up, which included the captain"s state cabin in the stern of the ship, the main cabin, in which the officers would take their meals and which would be used by them at other times as a council chamber and general living-room, and cabins for the pilot or sailing master, the captain of the soldiers, the chaplain, the surgeon, and the purser.
By the time that this formidable crew had been collected together the _Nonsuch_ was practically complete, so far as rigging and equipment were concerned, and a week later found her with provisions, water, powder, and stores of every description on board, as well as her crew, and only waiting for a fair wind to enable her to go to sea. It was April, and after a long spell of bitter north-easters the weather had changed, a south-westerly wind had set in, with mild, rainy weather, and although George declared himself ready to go to sea and attempt to beat down- channel, old Radlett strenuously opposed the idea, upon the plea that it would be merely a waste of time and a needless risking of the ship. But a day or two later a hint was brought to him to the effect that the attention of the authorities had at last been directed to the _Nonsuch_ and the question of her being taken over by the Government was being discussed, whereupon the old man withdrew his opposition, and, the weather falling opportunely calm at the same moment, George took a hasty farewell of his mother, hurried aboard, gave orders for the lowering and manning of all boats, and on the afternoon of a certain balmy day of mid-April, triumphantly towed his ship out to sea until, abreast of the Mewstone, he fell in with a small southerly air to which he spread his every sail and so pa.s.sed out of sight to the westward, while Mrs Saint Leger, having crossed to Mount Edgc.u.mbe, stood on Rame Head, watching, until the white sails vanished in the golden haze of evening.
CHAPTER FOUR.
HOW THE "NONSUCH" CAME TO TRINIDAD AND WAS CAREENED THERE.
In these strenuous days of severe compet.i.tion and universal education, when there are far more men anxious to obtain responsible positions than there are responsible positions to be filled, a man often reaches middle age before he is able to secure a command of the relative importance conferred upon George Saint Leger when the latter was given the command of the _Nonsuch_. But in those days compet.i.tion was nothing like so keen as it is to-day, especially among seafarers, where men of education were comparatively rare. Such men were only needed to take command of the ships which were being built to meet the requirements of England"s rapidly expanding trade with "foreign parts," and no sooner was a man qualified to command than shipowners were glad enough to snap him up.
Also the sum of seafaring knowledge in those days was infinitely less than it is now. The art of navigation was, comparatively speaking, in its infancy, and it was therefore quite possible to produce a finished seaman in the s.p.a.ce of five years, or even less. Consequently there were many Elizabethan captains who were little more than boys when they obtained their first command, the immortal Drake, Saint Leger"s ill.u.s.trious contemporary, being among them. Boys began life earlier then than they do now, and consequently were often occupying positions of great responsibility at an age when the public school-boy of the present day is just beginning to think of abandoning his studies in order to enter upon a career. Hence it is not surprising that, after seven years of active sea life, George Saint Leger, young as he was, was deemed by his old friend Radlett as fully qualified to command what in those days was considered a very fine ship, and to head an expedition of very great importance. True, Mr Marshall, the owner of the _Bonaventure_, had expressed some doubt as to George being old enough for the responsibility of command, but he did not know the lad so well as old Si Radlett did, and had not followed his career with the same interest; and no sooner was the _Nonsuch_ clear of the channel--which event occurred on the day following that of her departure from Plymouth--than the young commander began to justify the confidence which his new owner had reposed in him.
For, undoubtedly, George Saint Leger was a born seaman. Not only did he ardently love the sea and everything connected with it, but he early developed a faculty of understanding ships, their tackling, and how to handle them. Knowledge that some men acquired only slowly and with difficulty he seemed to grasp intuitively. The mysteries of navigation soon ceased to be mysterious to him, and seven years of active sea experience had taught him all that there was to learn in the way of handling a crew and training it to work together in such a manner that its efforts might be employed to the best advantage. Therefore, once fairly at sea, he began to sedulously exercise his crew, first in the work of reducing and making sail, until he had brought them to a pitch of unsurpa.s.sable perfection in that particular direction. Then he as sedulously drilled them in tacking, veering, and other manoeuvres.
Finally, he exercised them at the guns, putting them through all the actions of loading, aiming, firing, and sponging out their weapons--but without much expenditure of his precious ammunition--until there was probably no smarter or capable crew afloat than that of the _Nonsuch_.
It must not be supposed that all this was accomplished without developing a certain amount of friction. The ship had not been it sea a full week before her young commander discovered that, despite all his care, he had picked up a few grumblers and shirkers who failed to see the necessity for so much strenuous training, but it was just here that his own personal gifts came to the front. By dint of argument, raillery, and--in one or two particularly bad and obdurate cases-- judicious chastis.e.m.e.nt he finally succeeded in, what is termed in modern parlance, "licking them into shape."
The usual course to the West Indies in those days was by way of the Azores and the Cape Verdes, at one or both of which places ships were wont to renew their supplies of wood, water, and provisions, and from the last of which mariners shaped a due west course before the trade- winds. But, as already hinted, George Saint Leger was a young man of somewhat original ideas, and geography was one of his favourite studies.
He knew that the direct course from the chops of the channel, was, as nearly as might be, south-west; therefore he determined to steer a south-westerly course whenever the wind would permit, instead of following the usual long route via the Azores and the Cape Verde islands; but with the a.s.sistance of a roughly made globe he had also puzzled out the fact, not then generally recognised, that in the lat.i.tude of sixty degrees a degree of longitude was only about half the length of the same degree at the equator, therefore he also determined to make as much westing as possible at the very outset of his voyage.
And this he was able to do with very satisfactory results, for the light southerly air which had sprung up and met him when he towed his ship out of Plymouth Sound not only freshened up into a brisk breeze of such strength that he could only show "topgallants"--as they were then called--to it by rather bold "carrying-on," but it lasted a full week, during which the reckoning showed that the ship--which proved to be amazingly fast--had sailed a distance of fully twelve hundred miles, or more than half the distance between England and Newfoundland. Then a westerly gale sprang up, which lasted nine days, during which the _Nonsuch_, under close-reefed canvas, drove southward to the lat.i.tude of Madeira, where the ship encountered calms and light variable winds for five days before falling in with the trade-winds; after which the troubles of the voyagers were over. For thereupon ensued not only a constant fair wind, but also fine weather, so that the ship sailed on day after day over a sparkling, gently heaving sea of deepest blue tipped with tiny creaming foam-caps out of which leaped those marine marvels the flying-fish in countless shoals as the bows clove the roaring surges, while overhead the sky daily a.s.sumed a deeper, richer tint of sapphire, out of which the sun, scarcely veiled by the solemn drifting trade-clouds, shot his beams with ever-increasing ardour.
And then, at dawn of the thirty-first day after their departure from Plymouth, there was sighted, on the extreme verge of the western horizon, a small wedge-like shape of filmy grey which Dyer, the pilot, p.r.o.nounced to be the island of Barbados, and the crew, weary by this time of a whole month"s gazing upon nothing but sea and sky, swarmed up on deck at the welcome cry of "Land ho!" and leaned over the bows, gazing rapturously at the little spot of solid earth as it grew in size and strengthened in tint. And lo! as they gazed a cloud formed over the island, darkening it into shadow. The underside of the cloud was black and threatening, and presently its bosom shot forth vivid lightnings, green, blue, rosy red, and sun-bright flashes of dazzling brilliancy, the low, deep booming of thunder was heard, and soon the island vanished behind a violet veil of tropical rain, only to reappear, a quarter of an hour later, fresh, green, and sparkling in the ardent rays of the tropic sun.
But as the ship sped on it was seen, to the bitter disappointment of all, and especially of those who were beginning to suffer from that terrible scourge of sailors, scurvy, that it was not the intention of the young captain to call there, and deep murmurings of discontent arose as the _Nonsuch_ went rolling past the southern extremity of the island, at a distance of not more than a mile, and it was seen to be covered with tropical trees glorious in every conceivable shade of green and gorgeous with many-tinted flowers, for it seemed a very fairy land to those men, whose eyes were weary of the unending sameness of sea and sky, day after day, for thirty-one days. Besides, many of those trees doubtless bore luscious fruits, and oh! how grateful would those fruits be to the palates of men dry and burnt with a solid month of feeding upon salt beef and pork! George heard the murmurings and saw the black looks, and called Dyer to him. Then the two went forward. Mounting the topgallant-forecastle, where he could be seen and heard by everybody, George waved his hand for silence, and presently began to speak.
"Men of Devon," he said, "I perceive that you are disappointed because I do not intend to touch at yonder island. And I can well understand your disappointment, for truly never have I seen a fairer sight than it presents. I can tell, by my own feelings, how greatly you would enjoy a run ash.o.r.e there. But, lads, there is a good reason for our avoidance of that island, and it is this. G.o.d has been very good to us, so far, in granting us such a splendid pa.s.sage across the vast Atlantic ocean; but splendid as that pa.s.sage is, it has still been long enough to develop scurvy among us; and at the suggestion of Doctor Chichester, I have decided, in council, that before making our attempt against the Spaniards I will put in and give you all a fortnight ash.o.r.e, both to regain your health and also to careen the ship and remove the weed which you have only to look overside to see. Judging from sight alone, no better harbourage could we find than that which we have just pa.s.sed.
But, men, our pilot tells me that the place--which is named Barbados--is much frequented by the Spaniards, if indeed they have not already taken possession of it; and we should find ourselves in sorry plight if, while the ship is hove down, two or three Spanish sail were to appear and attack us. Doubtless we should beat them off; but we"ve not come all this way to fight just for fighting"s sake. I fight when and where I choose, and to please myself, not the enemy. Therefore, instead of touching at Barbados, where we are liable to attack, we are going two days" sail farther on, to an island twenty times as big as Barbados, twenty times as beautiful, and quite safe, because, beautiful as the island is, the Spaniards have not yet found time to settle upon it. Mr Dyer, here, knows the place, and he"ll tell you all about it." And he stood aside, giving place to the pilot.
"Shipmates," said Dyer, turning to the crowd of eager-eyed men cl.u.s.tered thickly about the deck below him, "you do all look most terrible disapp"inted because we"m leavin" thicky island astern, instead of goin"
in and anchorin" before mun. But though he do look so good and enticin"
he baint quite so good as he do look. For all about here--and this here island o" Barbados in partic"lar--I"ve heard tell be subject to the most dreadful hurricanes that it"s possible for mortal man to imagine, and we don"t want to go in there and have our ship hove half a mile up into the woods by a storm-wave so that she won"t be no more use to us. Besides that, as our cap"n have said, the place is used, off and on, by the Spaniards, and we don"t want "em to come lookin" for us until we be ready to meet "em. So we"m going on a matter o" two days" sail to the most beautiful island in these here parts, called Trinidad, after the impious fashion o" the Spaniards, where I knows of a fine, snug little cove where the ship"ll be so safe as ever she was to Millbay, and where we needn"t fear either hurricanes or Spaniards. There we can take our ease and enj"y the lovely fruits that the Almighty have provided for the refreshment of poor sea-worn mariners."
"Then, baint there no Spaniards to Trinidad, Mr Dyer?" demanded one of the men.
"Not yet there baint," answered Dyer. "Doubtless in time they"ll find their way there; but at present they"m so eager after gold that they only settles where gold is to be found. And there"s no gold in Trinidad, nothin" but harmless Indians, and fruit in plenty--and snakes.
You"ll have to be wary and keep a good look out for snakes, when you gets ash.o.r.e to Trinidad; but that du hold good of all the Indies."
So the men settled down again to wait in patience for the appearance of the earthly paradise promised them by Dyer, and, sure enough, the dawn of the second day after pa.s.sing Barbados revealed high land on the larboard bow, serrated in outline, and tree-crowned to its very summit.
As the ship stood on, driven smoothly forward by the good trade-wind, bringing the saw-like ridges back toward the beam, it was seen that the land consisted of two islands instead of one, the nearer and lesser of which is to-day known as Tobago. But Dyer knew nothing of Tobago, whereas he had been inside the Gulf of Paria once before; therefore the _Nonsuch_ held steadily on until Tobago drew out clear upon the larboard quarter, when a break in the continuity of the land ahead was descried, and presently this break revealed itself as an opening full ten miles wide, in the eastern half of which stood three islands--or four, rather, for upon a still nearer approach it was seen that the middle island was divided into two by a channel so narrow that at a little distance it looked as though a man might leap across it. And upon either side of the opening, up sprang the land sheer out of the sea to a height of eighteen hundred feet, steep, and s.h.a.ggy, with tropical foliage of the most varied and glorious tints.
Straight for the centre of the pa.s.sage between the middle and the most easterly island steered Dyer, and when presently the ship entered the pa.s.sage and her sails were almost becalmed by the intervention of the high land to windward, the amazed seamen found themselves entering a magnificent land-locked gulf so deep and so wide that they could not determine the limits of it. It was not until some time afterward that they found it to measure some fifty miles deep by ninety miles wide!
And thus they got their first glimpse of the wonderful Gulf of Paria.
Once clear of the pa.s.sage--now known as the Boca de Huevos--Dyer trimmed his yards flat and brought the ship as close to the wind as she would lay, keenly watching the various points and indentations as they opened out, one after the other, until at length a group of five small tree- crowned islets opened out clear of an intervening island, when he rubbed his hands and chuckled delightedly.
"Ah, ah!" he exclaimed, "there a be, there a be! I was a"most beginnin"
to fear as I"d forgot, or that an earthquake had happened, or somethin".
But "tis all right. You see they five little bits of islands away over yonder, Cap"n? Well, they be my landmarks, and as soon as we"ve stood far enough on to fetch "em we"ll go about."
As the ship opened out from under the lee of the weather sh.o.r.e it was found that the trade-wind was piping up briskly athwart the gulf, but notwithstanding this it was nearly an hour before the _Nonsuch_ had reached far enough to the southward to enable her to make the islets on the next tack, and when at length she was hove about it was another full hour before she glided close past a low point and rounding-to, let go her anchor in three fathoms, in a snug little cove that looked as though it had been specially formed for the careening of ships.
The cove was situated within a bay, and was formed by a hook-like projection of land high enough not only to hide the ship from the view of any chance voyager who might happen to enter the gulf for reconnoitring purposes, but also effectually to protect her in the unlikely event of the trade-wind dying down and giving place to a gale from the westward. Moreover, the high land to the eastward so effectually protected the place from the trade-wind that a perpetual calm existed in the cove, even when the trade-wind was piping up with the strength of half a gale a few hundred yards away. The sh.o.r.e was a narrow strip of sandy beach, completely submerged at high water, beyond which lay a s.p.a.ce of low, flat ground about half a mile in width, gradually rising as it receded from the sh.o.r.e, and running up in a sort of tongue for a distance of about two miles between two lofty, steep- sided hills, densely covered with trees of various kinds, while the entire sh.o.r.e, for miles in either direction, was thickly fringed with coconut trees. Strangely enough, for some unknown reason, the ground between the narrow fringe of coconut trees bounding the sh.o.r.e-line and the base of the hills, was bare of trees, the soil being covered with a dense growth of guinea-gra.s.s, with a few bushes and flowering shrubs spa.r.s.ely dotted about here and there--it therefore offered ideal facilities for camping.
After George and the surgeon, accompanied by Dyer, had gone ash.o.r.e and very carefully inspected the place, it was decided at once to unbend the ship"s sails, carry them ash.o.r.e, and temporarily convert them into tents for the accommodation of all hands, which would afford the sick an opportunity to recover their health and strength while the operation of careening and sc.r.a.ping the ship was proceeding. This was accordingly done, and by nightfall the camp was ready for occupation, and the entire crew, with the exception of an anchor watch, slept ash.o.r.e that night.
The following day was devoted to the task of transferring to the sh.o.r.e the whole of the ordnance, weapons, ammunition, and a considerable portion of the ship"s stores, one party attending to this business while a second party, under George"s personal supervision, proceeded to entrench the camp and otherwise put it into a state of defence, a third party of half-a-dozen men, under Chichester, the surgeon, exploring the woods in the immediate neighbourhood in search of fruit, of which they brought in large quant.i.ties, consisting of bananas, mangoes, p.r.i.c.kly pears, _ananas_, custard-apples, soursops, guavas, and a sackful of coconuts which Dyer showed the men how to open so that they could get at and quaff the refreshing "milk." And oh, how delighted everybody was to find himself in this tropical island paradise, where strange fruits of the most exquisite flavour were to be had for the mere trouble of plucking, where the air was fragrant with a thousand mingled perfumes, where there was a perfect riot of flowers of strange shapes and most gorgeous colouring to delight the eye, and where humming-birds flashed hither and thither like living gems in the dazzling, blistering rays of the sun. True, there were one or two drawbacks--the heat, for instance, was terrific in that hemmed-in valley where only a transient breathing of the trade-wind penetrated at rare intervals; and the men soon found that paradise still harboured the serpent, for several snakes were seen and one was killed--a diabolically handsome but most wicked-looking creature clothed in a skin of greyish black ornamented with a diamond pattern consisting of lattice-like lines of yellow, and having the flat heart-shaped head which betrayed its venomous character. Also there were innumerable insects and creeping things, notably centipedes up to a foot in length, whose bite would certainly result in several hours of excruciating agony which might even terminate in death, and small black ants which insinuated themselves between a man"s clothing and his skin and tormented him to the verge of madness. But these things troubled the men very little, for under Dyer"s tuition they soon learned how to protect themselves against the plagues; and meanwhile the salubrious air, the luscious fruits, the perfume from the flower-laden woods, and the many beautiful sights which surrounded them were real things in the enjoyment of which they forgot all drawbacks. Thus far, no natives, or human beings of any sort other than themselves, had been seen the inference therefore was that the island, at all events that part of it in which the Englishmen had established themselves, was uninhabited, and they therefore went about their work without fear of disturbance or interruption of any kind.
By the end of the week the ship was empty and all ready for heaving down; and when the men knocked off work on the Sat.u.r.day night George let it be known that nothing would be done on the following day, and that after divine service in the morning all hands would be free for the rest of the day, and at liberty to amuse themselves as they pleased.
Nevertheless he warned them all not to stray far from the camp, and even then to keep together in little companies of half a dozen or so, and also to go fully armed. For although they had seen no natives thus far, it was quite possible that the woods might be full of them, watching and only waiting for an opportunity--when the English were off their guard-- to rush the camp and destroy every one of its occupants. Accordingly, on the Sunday, after prayers and an early dinner, those who were bent upon exploration armed themselves and wandered off up the valley in small parties in accordance with George"s directions. But the heat was so intense that few of the men were disposed to ramble very far. They had been working hard ever since the arrival of the ship and were more disposed to spend the day in camp, resting quietly or practising archery at the b.u.t.ts which they set up.
Seeing this, George, the parson, and the surgeon decided to rig the quarter boat and proceed on a voyage of exploration eastward in her; and this they did, arriving, after a beat to windward of some five and a half miles, off the mouth of a river which seemed to be discharging down a long and very tempting-looking valley. There were no natives to be seen, or any signs of them; therefore, tempted by the possibilities which the exploration of the river held out to them, they entered and sailed up it until it shoaled so much and its bed became so obstructed with rocks that the boat could proceed no farther. Then it became a question whether they should adopt the dictates of prudence and return to the ship, or whether they should risk something by landing and pursue the further exploration of the river on foot. Eventually they decided that as the afternoon was still young, and nothing had been seen that was in the slightest degree alarming or suggestive of possible danger, they would take such small amount of risk as was involved in landing and investigate the course of the river a little farther, the beauties of the place very strongly appealing to them. Accordingly they landed, concealing the boat beneath the foliage of a remarkable tree that conveniently overhung the stream.
Having cunningly hid the boat and looked carefully to the priming of their firearms, the adventurous trio stepped ash.o.r.e, George, with drawn sword, leading, while Chichester, the surgeon, brought up the rear.
They were compelled to closely follow the course of the stream, since the woods on either hand were so dense and impenetrable that it would have been impossible to pa.s.s through them, save by hewing their way, and this was of course not to be thought of. Besides, it was the river that they desired to explore, since only by following its banks could anything be seen of the many strange and beautiful things that surrounded them; therefore they pressed forward, now on the solid ground close by the river margin, and now scrambling, ankle and sometimes knee deep, along the boulder-strewn bed of the stream itself, pausing at frequent intervals to admire some forest giant dressed in vivid scarlet blossoms instead of leaves, or another thickly festooned with trailing creepers gorgeous with blooms of marvellous form and most extravagant hue, or a graceful clump of bamboo, soaring like gigantic plumes of feathers a hundred feet into the heat-palpitating air. Frequently, too, they halted to watch the motions of some tiny humming-bird hovering like a living gem over the cup of a flower, or the flight of a gaudily painted kingfisher or parrot. A great silence pervaded the woods, for the trees were for the most part so lofty that the sough of the wind in their topmost branches was inaudible, and it was the hour when the insect world indulged in its daily siesta. Animals there were none to be seen, but an occasional sudden quick rustle of the gra.s.s told them that snakes were to be watched for and guarded against.
In this fashion the trio proceeded slowly up the river, talking but little save when one of them in a low voice directed the attention of the others to some object worthy of notice, until gradually their ears caught a sound which told them that they were approaching a waterfall; and five minutes later they sighted it close at hand--and involuntarily halted, struck dumb and motionless for the moment by the extraordinary beauty of the picture which lay before them. The waterfall, the sound of which had reached them a few minutes earlier, was some sixty feet in height and about twelve feet wide, the river tumbling vertically down the perpendicular face of the cliff into a wide basin, the lofty sides of which were draped with the graceful fronds of giant ferns, the broad leaves of the wild plantain, crimson-leaved acacias, enormous bunches of maidenhair, and several varieties of plant and bush, the names of which were unknown to the trio of gazers, and which were brilliant with blossoms of the most lovely hues. The fall leaped out of a kind of tunnel formed by the intertwined branches of overhanging trees, the sombre foliage of which was brightened by numerous festoons of flowering creepers. But it was not so much the extraordinary fairy-like beauty of the scene as a whole--the charm of which was further enhanced by the loveliness of the humming-birds and great b.u.t.terflies that flitted hither and thither in the cool, spray-laden atmosphere of the place--nor the marvellous profusion of new and wonderful flowers of every conceivable tint that everywhere met the eye, which so powerfully fascinated the beholder; it was the wonderful, exquisite blue colour of the water in the basin itself, which, although of crystalline transparency, receives its marvellous colouring through some freak of sky reflection penetrating through the branches of the overhanging trees. The effect of this wonderful colouring must be seen to be appreciated. And it is seen and admired every day by enthusiastic sightseers, some of whom have journeyed thousands of miles to feast their eyes upon the beauties of the famous Blue Basin of Trinidad, which is not very greatly altered now from what it was when those three adventurous Devonians stood and gazed enraptured upon it, probably the first white men who ever beheld its magic loveliness.
For a s.p.a.ce the trio stood spellbound, silent and motionless; then the spell relaxed its grip upon them sufficiently to permit of renewed movement and speech, and they burst into rapturous e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns as they moved forward to gaze again at closer quarters.
"Beautiful! beautiful beyond the power of human mind to imagine, or human tongue to tell," exclaimed "Sir" Thomas Cole, the ship"s chaplain.
"Well might the Psalmist say: "O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches." And I"ll warrant that David never looked upon such a scene as this, for "tis not recorded that he was ever to the tropics. And if G.o.d hath seen fit to make this earth so beautiful, think, my masters, what must Heaven, His own abode, be like?"
"Ay, well may you say that, Sir Thomas," answered Chichester "and yet, if there seems a chance of any of us going there, we"re willing to do almost anything to delay our departure."
"Well, and "tis not to be wondered at when this old earth of ours can show such loveliness as this," commented literal, plain-spoken George.
"For my part, I"m willing enough to be here, just now, to enjoy the beauty that the Lord has made to delight His people"s eyes. And what a glorious spot it is for a bathe! Come on, gentles; who"s for a dip?
There"s time enough for a swim across and back again if we don"t delay too long. "Twill be delightfully cooling and refreshing after our long walk from the boat."
The proposal found immediate acceptance, for the heat had been overpowering, and the trio were streaming perspiration at every pore.