I do not know how it would have fared with us had we fallen into less careful hands; but my companions and I, in spite of the heat, in a short time recovered.
When I was strong enough to bear conversation, my mother told me how my father, finding his mercantile business in England was not likely to flourish, had resolved to emigrate to Australia, where, as an officer in the navy, he could obtain a grant of land. Following his nautical instincts, he had purchased a brig, on board of which he had shipped all the family; purposing to make a trading voyage before finally settling down, and hoping thus to realise a considerable sum, and pay the expenses of the vessel. He had hitherto been tolerably successful, though they had run no slight risk twice, if not oftener, of being cut off by the treacherous natives--"Treacherous because, I fear, they have been treated treacherously," observed my mother. "We have been mercifully preserved, and are now on our way to Sydney, where we shall sell the brig and commence our settlers" life. Your father, however, intends first visiting New Caledonia; and perhaps New Guinea, and some other islands."
"Oh, then, I will leave the navy and settle with you!" I exclaimed.
"And I am nearly certain that Mudge will also be ready to give up the navy and join us; as also, I am sure, will Harry, and Tom, and Popo."
It was, indeed, most providential that the brig picked us up, for it was more than a fortnight after this that we made New Caledonia, along the northern sh.o.r.e of which we coasted; my father intending to bring up in some convenient harbour, where we could communicate with the natives, and purchase sandal-wood, or other productions of the country. The sh.o.r.e consisted of ranges of hills of some height, mostly covered with wood, with low plains and valleys intervening. We saw several double canoes under sail, such as I have before described.
At last we found a harbour, the appearance of which from the sea tempted my father to enter it. The instant we dropped our anchor, the vessel was surrounded by canoes, which brought off vegetables and all sorts of provisions; but having heard of the way in which many vessels had been cut off by the natives, my father wisely resolved to allow no one to come on board. The crew were kept under arms while he and his mates trafficked with the natives; the articles he had to dispose of being lowered down into the canoes, while the provisions were hoisted up on deck. Had similar precautions been taken by the commanders of other vessels, numerous fearful tragedies might have been prevented.
Some of the canoes I speak of had outriggers; but others, used apparently only for the smooth water of the harbour, consisted merely of four trunks of some light wood, partially hollowed out by fire, and lashed tightly together. Two men sat in them,--one in the bows and the other astern,--who used long pointed paddles like the heads of spears.
They usually carried one pa.s.senger; in some instances this pa.s.senger was a woman, enveloped from head to foot in a cloak of matting.
As the brig had her six guns pointed through her ports, and the crew were seen pacing the deck with cutla.s.ses by their sides and muskets in their hands, the people showed every disposition to behave peaceably, and to traffic on fair terms. Finding that we wanted sandal-wood, they brought off an ample supply, for which my father gave them a price which thoroughly satisfied them. Had all traders behaved as he did, I am convinced that the natives, who have often been stigmatised as treacherous savages, would have gained a very different character.
We again sailed, steering westward, as my father wished to inspect some of the northern portions of the eastern coast of Australia, at that time but little known. His intercourse with savages had led him to believe that, if properly treated, as he had always treated them, they could be easily managed; and he had therefore no fear of settling at a distance from other colonists. Indeed, he wished to be as far as possible from other stations; so that, by keeping the convict servants a.s.signed to him away from the contaminating influence of their old companions, he might have a better opportunity of improving them, while he might at the same time win the confidence of the natives.
I have as yet said nothing about the brig, or those on board. She was called the _Violet_, of nearly two hundred tons burthen. The first and second mates were respectively men selected by my father for their good character, but there was nothing remarkable about them. The boatswain, Ned Burton, took the place in my regard which I had bestowed on poor d.i.c.k Tillard, whom, strangely enough, he knew.
"And a right honest fellow he was, Master G.o.dfrey," said Ned; "and if ever I go to that island from which you have escaped, I"ll pay a visit to his grave. He and I served His Majesty for many a year; and if the peace hadn"t come, we should have been serving him still. When the war was over, and I was paid off, I had made up my mind to remain on sh.o.r.e; and so I should, had not your father, who made his first trip to sea with me, asked me to come out on board the _Violet_. He would have made me second mate; but then, you see, I don"t understand navigation, and so I couldn"t take the situation. Howsomdever, when he said he would make me a boatswain, I couldn"t refuse him; and I"m thinking, when the ship is sold, and if I like the country, of settling down along with him, and sending for my old woman and our two daughters."
I told Ned I thought he would act very wisely; and that in consequence of what Mr Mudge had said to me, and believing that I should have very little chance of promotion, I had made up my mind to quit the service, if Captain Bracewell would allow me.
"Not much difficulty about that, Master G.o.dfrey," answered Ned, laughing. "They don"t set a high value on midshipmen, according to my experience; and as he has probably long before this given you and the rest up for lost, he won"t be ferreting you out in Australia."
"But I should not like to do anything dishonourable," I said; "and if the captain were to insist on my returning in the ship, I am bound to do so: besides which, I left my chest on board, and there is pay due to me."
"I thought a midshipman"s pay was always nothing, and find yourself, Master G.o.dfrey," said Ned. "And as for your chest and its contents, they"ve been sold by auction on the capstan-head long ago, so that it would be a hard job to get them back again."
I talked the matter over with Pierce, who earnestly advised me not to think of quitting our father, and said he was sure that he would give me the same advice, as he had often said how much he wished I could have been with him.
I must not forget to mention my young sister"s pet goat Nanny, which had long afforded her and my mother milk for breakfast and tea. Nanny was the most affectionate of animals; and the moment Edith appeared on deck in the morning would come bounding up to her, and seemed delighted at being fondled, though she would b.u.t.t at any one else who touched her.
She, however, made friends with Harry, and when Edith was below would come up to him and wait to be caressed; but no sooner did she see her mistress, than she would hasten to her--looking at Harry, as much as to say, "I like you very well, but I like her best."
We were progressing favourably on our voyage, which would in a short time terminate. I have said little or nothing about the wonders of the ocean, for they have been so often described. I cannot, however, avoid mentioning a beautiful phenomenon which occurred one night as we were approaching the Australian coast. There was a light breeze, which just rippled the water into wavelets, amid which the brig glided onward. The sky was overcast sufficiently to hide the stars. Dark as it was overhead, the whole ocean was flashing with light,--at some places in streaks, at others in vast ma.s.ses, the spouts of several whales appearing like jets of liquid fire; while numberless huge medusae floated about, appearing as if composed of molten silver.
"I wonder the ship doesn"t catch fire!" exclaimed Tommy, who had just come on deck. "It would be a bad job if it did, for how should we ever put it out again? What can light up the water in this fashion?"
My father overheard him. "We call it the phosph.o.r.escence of the sea, because it resembles the glow emitted by phosphorus," he answered.
"Those who have studied the subject say that it is caused by the presence of myriads of minute marine organisms, some soft and gelatinous, and others--such as the Crustacea--of a hard nature; but, in reality, under some conditions of the atmosphere all sorts of marine creatures, like those huge medusae, shine both in the water and out of it."
This appearance continued many hours. I got up Edith, who had already retired to her cabin, to look at it. She was as delighted as we were, and wanted us to have a bucketful brought on deck. Greatly to our surprise, the water in the bucket shone almost as brilliantly as it did in the ocean.
The next day the wind changed, and the weather became much worse than it had been since we had been taken on board. The wind was continually shifting, now coming from one quarter and now from another. I saw that my father was unusually anxious. He felt that the safety of the vessel, and the lives of all on board, depended on him. It was a long time since he had been at sea, and he had never been off this coast before.
I believe that it would have been better for us had we at once stood off the land. It was too late to hope to do so, when the wind, coming round to the eastward, began to blow a perfect hurricane. My father then hoped to find shelter within the coral reefs which ran along the coast at a distance of from five to a dozen miles, on which Captain Cook"s ship, the _Endeavour_, was nearly cast away, in his first voyage.
Soon after daybreak, the hurricane came down with redoubled fury. The brig was hove-to under close-reefed fore-topsails. She behaved well; and we hoped, believing that we were still some thirty miles or more from the coast, that she would not near the reefs till the gale had abated. An anxious look-out, however, was kept all day to leeward. My father did not tell my mother and Edith the danger we were in, but merely begged them to remain in the cabin.
It was about three o"clock in the afternoon, when the first mate, who had been seated in the main-top looking out, came down on deck, and gave my father the alarming intelligence that he saw a line of breakers to leeward, extending north and south as far as the eye could reach.
"Could you discover no opening in them?" asked my father.
"I am not certain at this distance that there is none, though the line of surf appeared to me without a break for its whole length," was the answer.
"It will take us some time to drift so far, at all events," observed my father; "and before then the wind may come down."
The mate looked anxiously to the eastward. "I don"t see any sign of that," he answered.
"We must trust in Providence, then," said my father. "However, I will go aloft; and if we can discover an opening, we will endeavour to carry the ship through it."
I followed my father to the main-top, and stood looking out with him for some minutes. At length it appeared to me that about half a mile to the southward there was a s.p.a.ce where the ocean was much less agitated than in other parts. I pointed it out to my father.
"You are right," he said, after a pause. "It may afford us the means of escape; for should the gale continue during the night, no human power can save us--long before it is over, we should be on the reef."
Having accordingly taken the bearings of the opening, he descended the rigging.
The operation of keeping away, when a ship has been hove-to, is at all times a dangerous one, and requires the most careful management, as the sea may otherwise strike her, and wash everything from her decks. The crew were ordered to their stations. The first mate, with a couple of trusty hands, went to the wheel.
"Up with the helm!" cried my father, waiting till an enormous sea had pa.s.sed by us. "Brace round the fore-yard!"
It was done, and the brig"s head fell off to the westward. The main-topsail, closely reefed, was set, and we had then as much canvas as she could stagger under. As it was, several seas swept over her deck, carrying away portions of her bulwarks, and doing other damage; but all hands clung on to the stanchions around the mast, and happily no one was washed overboard. As we flew on, we could see the breakers flying high up on our starboard bow; while ahead appeared the opening which we had before made out. The wind, it should be understood, was on our port, or larboard quarter, as it was then called. The topsail-yards bent with the pressure put upon them. Should they go, the brig, deprived of her after-sail, would be unable to weather the southern end of the reef.
On and on we flew. A few minutes would decide our fate. Huge seas came rolling up astern, threatening to break aboard us; while, on either hand, the white breakers rose to the height of our tops,--those on the starboard side being so near us that it appeared even now that we should be overwhelmed. We flew through it, however; and I heard an expression of thankfulness escape my father as the white wall of foam appeared over our starboard quarter. For the present we were in comparative safety; but night was coming on, and the sh.o.r.e could not be far off. Once more we hauled up to the northward; then hove-to under the lee of the reef, hoping that the drift during the night would not carry us on sh.o.r.e.
Still, our position was not free from danger. The water, even under the lee of the reef, was considerably agitated, although there was but little risk of the seas actually breaking on board as long as we remained afloat. The order was given to range the cable, and get ready for anchoring, should we approach the sh.o.r.e.
No one turned in, for we could not tell at what moment all hands might be required. Towards the end of the first watch, the gale began to moderate, and our hopes of ultimately escaping rose considerably. My father waited till midnight, and then ordered the watch just relieved to turn in, to be ready to take their duty in the morning. It was my morning watch; so I followed his directions, and turned in to my berth, hoping at daylight to see the coast of Australia, which I had pictured in glowing colours.
I was awakened by an ominous grating sound, and then by a blow which made the vessel quiver from stem to stern. She lifted for an instant, and then down she came again with a crash which seemed to be wrenching her timbers asunder. I knew too well what had happened. We were on sh.o.r.e; and in an instant I realised all the horrors of our situation.
The cries and shouts which reached me from the deck left no doubt about the matter.
Shipping on my clothes, I hurried into the cabin, where I found my mother and Edith. Entreating them to remain where they were till my father summoned them, I next went on deck to ascertain the worst.
The brig had been carried over a sunken reef, and lay with her masts pointing towards the sh.o.r.e, which could be distinguished through the gloom not more than half a mile away. My father stood by the mainmast perfectly composed, issuing orders as if nothing had occurred. Hands were sent aloft to furl the foretopsail; and he then directed that the boats on the starboard side should be brought over, so as to be launched into the smoother water under our lee--where, on sounding, we found that there was sufficient depth to float them without risk of their striking the coral below. We had driven on to a small inner reef--a portion, probably, of what was once the fringing reef of the continent.
It may seem strange that my father had not gone into the cabin, but his professional duty overcame all other considerations. His first thought was to take measures for preserving the lives of all on board.
As soon as he heard my voice near him, he directed me to go back to the cabin, to a.s.sure my mother and Edith that, though the brig might be lost, he felt perfect confidence that we should all be conveyed safely on sh.o.r.e, and desired them to put together such things as they were most likely to require under the circ.u.mstances that we might be placed in.
Although my mother was alarmed, her fears did not overcome her; and Edith, seeing her comparatively calm, did not give way to terror.
"This is indeed a sad misfortune," said my mother; "but G.o.d"s will be done. We must trust to him to protect us. Tell your father we will do what he desires, and shall be ready to leave the vessel as soon as he summons us."
I went on deck, and found my father and the mates, aided by Mudge, labouring with the crew in getting two of the boats into the water. Our boat had unfortunately been stove in by the falling of the topmasts when the brig struck.
"It is as well to be on the safe side, and to have the boats ready to shove off in case it should be necessary," I heard Mudge observe to my father. "But, if I mistake not, it was somewhere about here that Captain Cook, on his first voyage round the world, was nearly lost in the _Endeavour_; though I think he must have been further off-sh.o.r.e.
His ship was in a worse condition than ours, I suspect, for she went on sh.o.r.e at high-water; and it was not till after two or three tides had fallen and risen, and a large quant.i.ty of her stores had been hove overboard, that she was got off. Even then she would have foundered, had not a fothered sail--the use of which was not so generally known then as at present--been got under her bottom, by which she was kept afloat till she was carried into Endeavour River. Never perhaps was a ship so nearly lost; and yet, bad as was her condition, she continued her voyage round the world, and arrived safely in England."
"You hear what Mr Mudge says, my men," observed my father to the crew; "it ought to encourage us: but whether we get the ship off or not, I feel very confident that we shall reach the sh.o.r.e without difficulty."
"Never fear for us, sir," cried Ned Burton--"we"ll do our duty; and if the brig don"t budge, it will not be our fault."