ROUNDING CAPE HORN--A GALE--PUT INTO A PORT IN PATAGONIA--VISIT A
WHALER--A ROMANTIC HISTORY--THE LOST CHILD--A YOUNG LADY--A SNUG
HARBOUR--CLIMB A MOUNTAIN--A NARROW ESCAPE--VALPARAISO--THE CORAL
ISLAND--COMMUNICATE WITH THE NATIVES--AN ADDITION TO OUR CREW--DICKY
POPO LOST OVERBOARD--THE SANDWICH ISLANDS--MY SHIPMATES--SURVEY AN
ISLAND--RECOVER POPO, AND FIND A WHITE BOY--HOW POPO WAS SAVED--GAIN
INFORMATION ABOUT HARRY, THE WHITE BOY.
Little did I think, scarcely six months before, when seated at a desk in
my father's counting-house, that I should ever see Cape Horn; yet there
it rose on our starboard beam, dark, solitary, and majestic, high above
the ocean, which rolled in vast undulations at its base.
Onward we glided, with the ship's head to the westward and the wind aft,
under all sail; now rising to the summit of a glass-like billow, now
sinking deep down into the valley to climb up the watery steep on the
opposite side. We had touched at Rio, to obtain a supply of wood and
water and fresh provisions; but I need not give a description of that
magnificent harbour, as nothing very particular occurred there.
"That's a fine sight!" I exclaimed, as I watched the mighty headland,
which gradually faded from view over our starboard quarter.
"You'll see a good many other fine sights," observed Peter Mudge, who
was somewhat matter-of-fact. "For my part, I have been glad to see the
last of it each time I have come round this way, and to get safe into
the Pacific; for twice I have been driven back, and have been kept
knocking about among the icebergs, with the wind sharp enough to cut our
noses off, for six blessed weeks or more. I only hope that is not to be
our lot this time."
"I hope not," I answered. "I was expecting to be in smooth water, with
a sunny sky overhead, before many days are over."
"So we may, youngster; then we'll hope for the best," said Mudge.
"Still, when a fellow has met with as many ups and downs as I have, he
learns not to fancy himself safe in harbour till he has got there."
This time, however, Mudge, and we his shipmates, were not doomed to
disappointment, and were, ere long, floating on the waters of the
Pacific. We ran to the northward with a flowing sheet, keeping much
closer in with the coast than, I believe, is usual, till we reached the
46th degree of south latitude. It then fell a dead calm. We had just
before caught sight of a sail away to the eastward, beyond which, some
forty or fifty miles off, rose the lofty peaks of the Cordilleras,
covered with eternal snows; or I should say, perhaps, the southern end
of that mighty chain which rises abruptly from the Isthmus of Panama,
and extends the whole length of the continent.
For the entire day we lay rolling our masts from side to side, till it
almost seemed as if they would be shaken out of the ship. The commander
wished to speak the stranger, on the chance of her being lately from
England, and able to give us fresher intelligence than we possessed. He
had ordered a boat to be got ready to be sent away, when, on looking at
the barometer, he found that it was falling, while a bank of clouds was
seen to be rising to the north-west.
"Hold fast with the boat," he said; "before she can return, we may have
a gale down upon us."
We had not long to wait for it; and in half an hour or so we were
dashing through the water under close-reefed topsails, heeling over with
the wind from the north-west till the water came rushing in through the
lee ports. The master, who had been on the coast before, recommended
that, in order not to lose ground, we should run for the Gulf of Penas;
where we could find shelter under the lee of an island, or get into one
of the snug ports of the mainland. The ship's head was accordingly kept
to the eastward. The sail we had seen was also standing in the same
direction, probably with the same object in view. We guessed,
therefore, that she was also bound to the northward, and wished to avoid
being driven back. Mudge expressed his satisfaction that we had not
stood away on the other tack.
"If we had, we should have run a chance of being blown back again round
the Cape into the Atlantic," he observed. "Not every captain, however,
would venture to stand in for the land as we are doing; we must keep our
eyes open and the lead going, or we may chance to run the ship on shore.
But as yonder vessel probably knows her way, we shall have her as a
guide, and may hope to find shelter without difficulty."
We quickly overhauled the stranger, which proved to be a barque; and
from her appearance, as we caught sight of her hull, there was no doubt
that she was a South Sea whaler, and that, consequently, she was likely
to be well acquainted with the coast. As we stood on, we caught sight
of an extensive chain of islands, stretching out from the mainland on
our larboard bow. Gradually they appeared more and more abeam, while
ahead rose up several lofty and rugged peaks. The stranger still kept
the lead; and following her, we at length found ourselves in an
extensive bay, completely sheltered from the gale blowing without.
Being now in perfectly smooth water, and the commander considering it
not prudent to run farther in, we furled sails, and brought up some
distance ahead of the whaler, which had just before come to an anchor.
The spot where we found ourselves was about the wildest I had ever seen:
dark rocks rose out of the sea fringing the shore, and rugged mountains
towered up to the sky in all directions; while not a sign of human life
was visible. As we swept the coast with our glasses, we discovered,
almost abreast of the ship, a deep indentation which looked like the
mouth of a gulf or estuary. This we naturally felt anxious to explore,
and we hoped to have leave to do so the next day.
Soon after we had furled sails, the commander directed Peter Mudge to
take the jolly-boat and board the whaler, with a message to the master
requesting any newspapers of a late date which he might possess. "Yes,
you may go, Rayner," he said to me. "And, Mr Mudge, take him a leg of
mutton my steward will put into the boat, and some oranges we brought
from Rio." We had killed a sheep the previous day.
We were soon on board the whaler. The master, a middle-aged,
grave-looking man, in a long-tailed coat and broad-brimmed hat, not much
like a sailor in outward appearance, received us very civilly, and was
grateful for the present, as his wife, he said, was in delicate health,
and to her it would be especially welcome. He invited us into the cabin
where she was seated. She was a nice, pleasant-looking woman, though it
struck me that her countenance bore a peculiarly melancholy expression.
He at once handed us a bundle of English papers, published long after we
had left home, and which were very welcome.
"You'll stop and take supper with us, gentlemen. I hope," he said; "it
will be on the table immediately. I don't know, however, that I can
offer you better fare than you'll get on board your own ship."
Mudge assured him that he did not care about that, and was happy to
accept his invitation.
While we remained in the cabin, our men were entertained by the crew.
We had just taken our seats, when the door of a side cabin opened, and a
young lady stepped out, looking more like a fairy, or an angel, or some
celestial being, than a mortal damsel. So I thought at the time. Mudge
and I rose and bowed; she returned our salutation with a smile and a
slight bend of her neck. The master did not introduce us, nor did he
say anything to let us know who she was. I, of course, thought that she
was the captain's daughter; but she did not address Mrs Hudson as
mother, and from some remarks she made I doubted whether such was the
case. She at once entered into conversation without the slightest
bashfulness; and it struck me that she was exerting herself, not so much
to entertain us, as to keep up Mrs Hudson's spirits.
The meal did not occupy much time, so that we had but little opportunity
of talking. I thought the young lady's voice very sweet and melodious;
indeed, she seemed to me the most perfect being I had ever seen. But
then, it must be remembered, I was but a midshipman, and my experience
was not very extensive; and the best part of a year had passed since we
left England.
At last, however, Mudge, pulling out his watch, observed that it was
time to be on board again; so getting up, he wished Mrs Hudson and the
young lady good-bye in his hearty way, and I was compelled to follow his
example. Tears came into Mrs Hudson's eyes as she took me by the hand
and murmured, "May Heaven preserve you from the dangers of the sea!"
The young lady smiled very sweetly, and I could not help wishing that I
might have the opportunity of paying another visit to the _Hopewell_.
The first mate had accompanied me on deck, where I found the master
talking to Mudge. I therefore went a little way along the deck to
summon our boat's crew, who were with the men forward.
"Mrs Hudson appears to be very melancholy," I observed to my companion.
"She has reason to be so, poor lady," said the mate. "She has never got
over the loss of her only child, in these seas, some years ago. It was
a sad affair, for he was a fine brave little chap, the pet of all hands.
The master's, and my boat, and the second mate's, had gone off in chase
of whales, when another fish was seen spouting in an opposite direction.
The third mate's boat was lowered, when the little fellow, whose mother
was ill below, asked to be taken. The third mate, instead of refusing,
thoughtlessly consented to let him go; and before the boatswain or any
one else who had sense in his head saw what he was doing, he had carried
him down into the boat; no one on deck, indeed, knew he had gone. Away
pulled the boat, when the look-out at the mast-head shouted that one of
our boats had struck a fish, and the boatswain accordingly made sail
towards her. The whale, however, darted away, towing the boats for a
league or more farther off, and we then had a hard matter to kill it.
It had long been dark before we got alongside, by which time the weather
had changed, and the wind was blowing very strong, while a nasty sea had
got up.
"I shall never forget the state poor Mrs Hudson was in when she could
not discover what had become of her child; while her husband was almost
as bad. At last one of the boys, who had before been afraid to speak,
acknowledged that he saw little Harry in the arms of the third mate just
before the boat shoved off, but that he, being called below at that
moment, could not tell what had become of the child. We at once cut
adrift the fish we had secured, and made sail in the direction the boat
was supposed to have gone, placing lanterns in the rigging and firing
guns to show our whereabouts. The weather, however, had been growing
worse and worse, and with the heavy sea there was running, the boat
herself, we knew, would be in no slight peril.
"All night long we continued cruising over the ground; but not a sign of
the boat could we discover. When morning came, we continued our search,
with the same want of success. Towards noon the weather again
moderated; but though fish were seen spouting, the master would not send
the boats after them; and unwilling as we were to lose them, none of us
had the heart to press him to do so.
"For the best part of a week we stood backwards and forwards in all
directions looking for the boat; till at last the men began to grumble,
and I felt it my duty to urge the master to carry out the object of the
voyage. Almost broken-hearted, he consented to do so. Slowly his poor
wife recovered; and from that day to this they have never found any
trace of their lost child. Probably the third mate had got hold of a
fish; and he having but little experience, his boat must have been
knocked to pieces, or else dragged down by the line becoming foul before
it could be cut."
"A very sad history," I remarked; "and I am not surprised at poor Mrs
Hudson's melancholy. But who is the young lady?" I asked.
"That is more than I can tell you," he answered. "She came on board the
evening before we sailed, but not one of us had ever heard of her till
then, and neither the master nor Mrs Hudson thought fit to enlighten us
on the subject; while she herself, though ready enough to talk to me at
the dinner-table, seldom says anything to any of us on deck."
"How very romantic!" I could not help exclaiming, more interested than
ever in the young lady.
Wishing Captain Hudson good-bye, we shoved off, and as we pulled away we
saw the young lady standing on the poop watching us. I pulled off my
cap, and she waved her handkerchief in return.
The account we gave of her and the master's wife excited much interest
on board.
The next morning, as the gale continued, a party was made up to visit
the shore. It consisted of the second lieutenant and master, Peter
Mudge, Tommy Peck, and I. We pulled in for the opening we had seen, and
which I found to be much farther off than I had supposed--the height of
the rocks at the entrance, which rose sheer out of the water, making the
land appear quite close to us. At length we entered a narrow passage
with high rocks on both sides for some distance, completely bare of
trees; indeed, there was not a spot in which the roots could have fixed
themselves. Gradually, however, the passage opened out, and we found
ourselves in a large basin, the shore of which was covered with the
richest vegetation, extending far up the sides of the mountains rising
around us. Dark rocks peeped out from amid the trees which grew on the
mountain-sides till lost to view, while above them were seen towering
peaks covered with glittering snow. The master sounded as we went in,
and found the depth of water sufficient for the largest ship. Here she
might remain at anchor or moored to the trees, while the fiercest gale
was blowing outside, as securely as in an artificial dock.
We pulled round one side of the basin, but could find no opening by
which, should we step on shore, we could make our way up the mountain.
We did, indeed, land at two or three places, but it was impossible to
get beyond a few yards from the water's edge. Probably, no human being
had ever before set foot in that wooded region. Not even the chirp of a
bird was heard, nor was any sign of life visible--silence and solitude
reigned around. The whole surface of the ground was one mass of rotten
timber, covered with various descriptions of moss and ferns. The trunks
of trees which had fallen either from age and decay, or from being blown
down by the wind, lay about in all directions; another generation having
grown up to share the same fate, and to be succeeded by others still
proudly rearing their heads green and flourishing.
"Come, it won't do to be balked!" exclaimed the master. "We'll make our
way somehow or other through the forest;" and the boat was run with her
bow against the yielding bank. "You'll follow me!" As he said this he
sprang on shore, or rather on to the trunk of a tree. "All right--come
along," he exclaimed; "do as I do." The next instant, however, over he
went on his nose, and disappeared.
We followed, and found his legs sticking up, while his head and
shoulders were three or four feet deep in damp wood and moss. We
managed to haul him out, covered from head to foot with wet moss; his
blue suit turned into one of green, fitted for the woodland region in
which he was so anxious to roam. Undaunted, however, he made his way
onwards, now climbing over a somewhat firm trunk; only, however, the
next instant to sink up to his middle in the moss and decayed wood.
Tommy followed, but was very nearly smothered, and not without
difficulty we hauled him out; then the master, finding himself alone,
came back grumbling at our cowardice, as he called it.
We now all embarked, and pulled along the shore in the hope of finding a
more practicable way up the mountain. As we got to the head of the
basin, we discovered a stream flowing into it; up this we pulled for
some distance,--the bank on either side being covered with vegetation,--
till we reached a rocky ledge on one side, over which the water had
apparently at one time flowed. A low waterfall a slight distance ahead
showed that further progress was impracticable. We accordingly landed
on the ledge, and once more attempted to make our way up the mountain.
We had much the same sort of ground to go over as that on which the
master had made his first essay; but as the belt of forest which
separated us from the steep side of the mountain was much narrower than
in the former place, we persevered, and soon found that we were
ascending.
Up and up we went, helping ourselves along by the roots and branches of
the trees, the more stunted growth of which at length showed the height
we had reached. We now emerged from the forest, when the ground above
us appeared covered with spongy moss, the walking over which we found
comparatively easy, saturated though it was with snow-water, which fell
in every direction in tiny cascades over the side of the mountain. Even
the grass and moss were at length left behind, and we found ourselves
treading on half-melted snow, which, as we ascended, became more crisp
and solid--the bright glare, as the sun fell on it, proving very trying
to our eyes after the gloom of the forest. Still, on we went for some
distance, the ground being almost level; then we ascended, and, passing
over the ridge, descended once more into a shallow valley, on the other
side of which the mountain rose at a moderate inclination, which, it
appeared to us, we could mount without any impediment till we reached
the summit. Thence we expected to obtain a magnificent prospect over
the sea on one side, and the country towards the interior on the other.
We did get up it somehow or other, panting and exhausted, with our heads
aching and our eyes dizzy, to encounter a fierce snow-storm which shut
out all objects from view. To remain here longer might prove our
destruction; we soon, therefore, began our descent. But the traces of
our upward path were obliterated, and after descending a short distance
we discovered that we had lost our way. I had gone some little distance
ahead of the rest of the party, when I saw before me a gentle slope of
snow, by sliding down which I fancied that I should quickly arrive at
the bottom; so, calling to my companions, I began slipping gently
downwards.
"It's very pleasant and easy," I shouted out--"come along;" and on I
went.
I had gone some hundred yards, when, the atmosphere clearing, I saw
rising before me a perpendicular cliff, which I knew was the opposite
side of a deep chasm. Unless I could stop myself, I should be dashed to
pieces. I thereupon dug my arms and legs into the snow; but still on I
went. I now heard a shout, and looking up I saw Tommy laughing merrily
as he descended, totally unaware of the fearful peril he was in. I
cried out to him to stop himself if he could; but he did not understand
what I said. On I went; not a tree nor a rock appeared to which I could
cling. The precipice could not have been fifty yards before me, when,
making another desperate effort, I got my feet through the snow and
fixed against a rock in the ground. Still Tommy came on, with the rest
of the party some way above him. Just as he shot by me, I seized him by
the leg and brought him up. "Why did you do that?" he cried out, even
then not knowing how close he was to the edge of the precipice. When he
saw it, he joined his shouts with mine; and then pointing to the left,
where I observed that the inclination was less steep, we directed the
party towards it. Scrambling along on our knees and hands, we joined
them; and now, moving with the greatest care, fearing every instant to
be sent sliding down to our right, we at length reached a ledge by which
we made our way into the valley.
The danger was now past, but we had to undergo immense fatigue before we
got back to the boat.
We had intended calling on board the whaler, to pay another visit to
Captain Hudson, but the lateness of the hour compelled our return to the
ship. I was much disappointed, as I hoped to see the young lady by
whose appearance I had been so much struck the previous day; but I
consoled myself with the expectation of being able to go on board the
next morning.
During the night, however, the gale completely ceased; and when I came
on deck I saw the whaler under all sail standing out of the harbour,
with the wind off the land. We followed, but did not again get near
enough to communicate with her. We stood some distance off the coast,
and then continued our course to the northward.
Very frequently, afterwards, did the image of that fair young girl recur
to my memory, though she did not appear to have made so much impression
on Peter Mudge; but he sometimes spoke of the captain's wife, and seemed
to sympathise with her on the loss of her child, though it had happened
so long ago.
The peaks of the Cordilleras again came in sight, at a distance of a
hundred and fifty miles, long before the shore at the base of the mighty
range was visible--one of them, Aconcagua, rising to an elevation of
upwards of 23,000 feet above the ocean. We touched at Valparaiso; which
might, we agreed, possibly be a paradise for fleas, but certainly not
for human beings of good taste. The climate is fine,--of that I have no
doubt,--but the surrounding country is sterile and monotonous, the
vegetation just then on the hills consisting of half-withered cacti,
though in the valleys and the plains to the left of the town we saw
groves of fruit trees and flowering shrubs. I can best describe the
place by saying that it is divided by two deep ravines into three hills,
sprinkled over with whitewashed houses; the hills are called fore-top,
main-top, and mizen-top.
Sailing from thence, during my watch one morning I heard a cry of "Land
ahead!" I looked out, but nothing like land could I see.
"We shall get sight of it before long from the deck," observed Mudge,
"if we keep our eyes open."
The ship, as she glided onward, rose and sank with the swell of the
ocean; and presently, as she rose, I caught sight of what appeared to be
a fleet of vessels at anchor. The next instant they had disappeared;
but as she rose on the next swell I again caught sight of the seeming
masts, which I gradually discovered to be tall cocoa-nut palms or
pandanus trees. On approaching nearer, the whole white beach was
distinctly seen; and above it a narrow belt of land of a light clay
colour, surrounding a perfectly smooth lagoon of a beautiful blue tint;
while against the outer belt the surf was breaking with terrific force.
The highest part of the land appeared to be about ten or twelve feet
above the level of the sea; and we calculated that the belt between the
sea and the lagoon was about seven hundred feet wide, the soil being
composed of coral debris and vegetable matter. Besides the palm-trees,
there were a few shrubs not more than fourteen or fifteen feet in
height. The whole island was about eight miles long, and from one and a
half to two miles wide.
We sounded as we approached, but could obtain no bottom; and it was not
till we got quite close that the lead gave us ninety fathoms, and
farther on seventy, thus proving that the land was the top of a
submerged mountain. Such, indeed, are all the islands of this group.
Once upon a time in the world's history, a mountainous region existed on
the spot over which we were sailing, which gradually sank till the ocean
flowed over all the highest portions. The coral insects finding it a
convenient situation on which to build, the temperature of the water
suiting their constitution, commenced operations, and formed an
encircling reef round the shore. These creatures can only live at a
certain depth beneath the surface; thus, as the land continued to sink,
the first builders died, while others continued to work above their
habitations. Still the land sank, and the coral insects worked on,
building higher and higher till the summit of the mountain was not only
covered, but was many fathoms deep below the surface. This, however,
did not prevent the persevering creatures from continuing their
operations; till at length a time came when the subsidence of the land
ceased. The breakers then washed up portions of the coral on to the
summit of the reef, which by degrees crumbled away from the action of
the atmosphere. Sea-birds made it their home, and deposited the seeds
of various plants, while the ocean washed up other seeds still
containing germinating powers. Thus vegetation commenced; and the trees
and shrubs decaying, more vegetable mould was formed to support the
existence of a further succession of trees and shrubs.
I give this information here, though I did not obtain it till long
afterwards; indeed, I believe that no one at the time understood how the
island was formed. I asked Mudge, who told me that it was placed there
by Nature, as other parts of the earth had been formed, to give a
pleasing variety to the face of the globe.
"It will afford us anything but a pleasing variety, if we have to sail
through a sea studded with such islands as these," I could not help
observing; "for if we don't keep our eyes open, we shall be running on
them."
"You may well say that, my boy," he answered. "And as they extend for
the best part of two thousand miles across the Pacific, we shall be
lucky if our keel escapes acquaintance with some of them, should the
commander take it into his head to cruise through their midst."
The ship having reached the lee side of the island, a boat was lowered,
and Mudge and I accompanied the first lieutenant to try and open a
communication with the inhabitants,--carrying with us some trifles, such
as beads, small looking-glasses, and other trinkets, furnished us at
home to barter with the natives or to use as presents in order to gain
their good-will. As we pulled in, a number of them appeared on the
beach armed with long spears and clubs, which they brandished with
menacing attitudes, as if they would prevent us from landing. We had
taken Dicky Popo with us, under the belief that, seeing a person of a
darker skin than ours among us, they might be inclined to trust us; not
that it was supposed he could understand their language.
As they still continued waving us off, the lieutenant held up a string
of beads and some other articles. Then, not wishing to risk the safety
of the boat by running her on the coral beach,--on which the surf,
beating heavily, might soon have stove in her bows,--we pulled in as
close as we could venture, and he threw the articles on shore. The
savages eagerly picked them up; but still they did not appear satisfied
as to our friendly intentions, and continued waving us off, shouting, at
the same time, at the top of their voices. As they did not throw their
spears, however, or make any other hostile movements, we remained at a
short distance from the beach, hoping that the presents we had given
them would produce a more amiable state of mind. Still, though we did
all we could to win their confidence, whenever we got a little nearer
they again began gesticulating, showing that they had no intention to
let us land if they could help it.
Besides the men on the beach, we saw a group of people at some distance,
who seemed to be watching our proceedings with great interest, and
apparently holding back one of their number who was making efforts to
break away from them. In colour and costume, or rather in the want of
it, he differed but little from the rest; and we therefore concluded
that he was insane, or that from some other cause his companions
objected to his coming near us. As the commander had given orders that
we should on no account force a landing, our lieutenant, believing that
we should be unable to accomplish our object, put the boat round; and we
were pulling off, when the man we had seen escaped from those who held
him, and, dodging round the others, sprang into the water, and with
rapid strokes swam off towards us, in spite of several spears hurled at
him. Mr Worthy instantly pulled back to take him in.
"Glad get among you," he exclaimed, greatly to our surprise, in
tolerable English, as he climbed over the side.
"Why, my friend, who are you?" asked Mr Worthy.
"I Kanaka," he answered; by which we knew that he was a Sandwich
Islander.
As we returned to the ship, he explained that he had belonged to a
vessel caught in a gale off the island; when, having been washed
overboard from the bowsprit, and no attempt being made to pick him up,
he had remained afloat all night, and succeeded the next morning, in a
way that only a Sandwich Islander could have accomplished, in reaching
the island. Happily the inhabitants did not see him till he had
recovered his strength. He then went boldly among them; and as he was
able to make himself understood, he had, by the way he addressed them,
gained their confidence, though he believed that they would otherwise
immediately have put him to death. His knowledge being superior to
theirs, he was looked upon with much respect; and as he had already
taught them many things they did not before know, the people wished to
retain him among them.
"Dey stupid savages," he observed with a look of contempt; though,
except that he could speak a little English, we were not inclined to
consider him much raised above them in the scale of civilisation.
The lieutenant then inquired the character of the vessel from which he
had been washed overboard. The Kanaka, shaking his head and throwing an
expression of disgust into his countenance, answered, "No good;" and on
further examining him, Mr Worthy came to the conclusion that she was
either a pirate, or a craft engaged in carrying off the inhabitants to
work in the mines of Peru--the rumour having reached us at Valparaiso
that some vessels had been fitted out for that purpose. He had for some
time been serving on board a whaler, where he had learned English; and
having deserted at a port in Peru, had joined this craft in the hope of
getting back to his own island, whither he had understood she was bound.
His name, he told us, was Tamaku. He and Dicky Popo soon became great
friends, and both made themselves very useful on board. It was singular
that they should have joined us much in the same way. Tamaku was likely
to prove of service in acting as interpreter with the natives of
Polynesia; for the language of the Sandwich group differs but slightly
from the dialects of the other brown-skinned races inhabiting the
numerous archipelagoes which dot its surface. The Sandwich Islanders
can thus generally make themselves understood wherever they go.
Tamaku being a merry, obliging fellow, became a favourite with the crew,
and we hoped that we should be able to retain him on board even after
our visit to the Sandwich Islands, to which we were now bound.
We were glad enough to get clear of the Low Archipelago, for it is a
serious matter to be caught in a gale amid its countless coral reefs,
many of which are not to be seen until the ship is close upon them; and
even in fine weather the greatest vigilance is required to avoid
them. We had a look-out at each fore-topsail-yardarm, at the
fore-topmast-head, and often at the bowsprit end, as the submerged reefs
can in calm weather be distinguished only by the darker colour of the
water. Even when we were clear of these, we had still to keep a
look-out for other islands in our course; as well as for the craft which
Tamaku had described to us, or for her consorts, which the commander was
very anxious to catch.
As we were soon afterwards running on with a flowing sheet during the
night, the stars being obscured by clouds, and the wind pretty strong,
"Land! land on the starboard bow!" was shouted from forward. "Land
ahead!" was the next startling cry. What dangerous reef might run off
it was not known. "Starboard the helm!" shouted the officer of the
watch; "brace the yards sharp up!"
"All hands on deck!" was the next cry; for the ship was heeling over so
much to the gale that it became necessary to shorten sail without delay.
As it was, the risk of carrying away the yards, if not the masts, was
very great. While the hands were hauling aft the sheets, a loud clap
was heard. The main-tack had given way, and the clew of the sail was
flapping furiously in the wind, threatening with death all within its
reach.
At the instant it gave way a sharp cry reached my ears. Immediately
afterwards a voice from the poop shouted, "Man overboard!" But, alas!
whoever he was, no assistance could be rendered him. Destruction
awaited the ship should she not weather the land ahead. One of my
messmates who was on the poop--Tommy Peck by name--acting upon the
impulse of the moment, cut the lanyard of the life-buoy, which fell into
the seething ocean; though he either forgot to pull that which would
have ignited the port-fire, or the port-fire itself was damaged, as no
light was seen as it fell into the water.
Some minutes of anxious suspense followed, during which the ship was
ploughing her way through the dark seas which, rolling onward, burst
into masses of foam on the rocky shore to leeward.
At length the open ocean could be seen beyond the point which gradually
appeared over our starboard quarter; but the commander dared not yet
keep the ship away, not knowing how far the reef extending from it might
reach. In the meantime the tack had been secured, and two reefs taken
in the topsail. Even as it was, however, the ship, slashing through the
foaming seas, could scarcely look up to the gale, and I every moment
expected to see her go right over. The water was rushing through her
ports, and rose half-way up the deck to the combings of the hatchway.
With infinite relief, therefore, I heard the order given to port the
helm and square the yards; and once more we flew on before the wind,
leaving the dark land astern. It seemed as if there had come a sudden
lull, so easily did she now speed on her way over the ocean.
All were eager to know who had been lost, and the muster-roll was
called. One after another the men answered to their names, till that of
Dicky Popo was shouted out. No Dicky answered, and it became certain
that he was the unfortunate individual lost. Tamaku expressed his grief
with a loud wail. "O Popo! Popo! why you go overboard?" he cried out.
"You not swim like Kanaka, or you get to shore. But now I know you at
de bottom of de sea."
It was sad, indeed, to think that the poor lad had gone overboard at a
moment when it was utterly impossible to render him any assistance.
Under other circumstances he might easily have been saved, as the sea,
though rough, was not sufficiently so to prevent a boat being lowered.
Now, however, we could not go back to look for him; indeed, as Tamaku
said, he must long before this have perished.
We after this sighted the Marquesas, to which the French have laid
claim, though they have made no attempt to colonise these beautiful and
fertile islands.
The Sandwich Islands were at length reached, and we brought up off
Honolulu, in the island of Oahu. We were more struck with the beauty of
the scenery than with that of the female portion of the inhabitants; but
as the islands have been so often described, I will not attempt to do
so; merely remarking that they are eleven in number, some of them about
a hundred miles in circumference. Hawaii, formerly known as Owhyhee, is
very much the largest, being eighty-eight miles in length by sixty-eight
in breadth; and it contains two lofty mountains, each upwards of
thirteen thousand feet in height--one called Mauna Kea, and the other
Mauna Loa, which latter is for ever sending forth its volcanic fires,
while it casts its vast shadow far and wide over the ocean.
After leaving Honolulu, which in those days was a very different place
to what it is now, we brought up in the Bay of Kealakeakua, celebrated
as the place where Captain Cook lost his life. As we entered the bay we
could see in the far distance the towering dome of Mauna Loa. The whole
country round bore evidence of the volcanic nature of the soil; broken
cliffs rose round the bay, on the north side of which a reef of rocks
offers the most convenient landing-place. It was here that Captain Cook
was killed, while endeavouring to reach his boat. A few yards from the
water stands a cocoa-nut tree, at the foot of which he is said to have
breathed his last. The _Imogene_ carried away the top of the tree; and
her captain had a copper plate fastened on to the stem, the lower part
of which has been thickly tarred to preserve it. On the plate is a
cross, with an inscription--"Near this spot fell Captain James Cook, the
renowned circumnavigator, who discovered these islands, A.D. 1778."
Tamaku having been allowed to remain on shore during the time we were
here, came off again of his own free will, and expressed his readiness
to continue on board.
We again sailed to the southward. The commander had been directed to
visit the archipelagoes on the western side of the Pacific, but he
wished first to make a survey of the island on which we had so nearly
run during the gale on our course northward.
I have, by-the-by, said very little about my messmates, except Mr
Worthy, Peter Mudge (who acted as my Mentor, as he was likewise that of
all the youngsters), and my chum Tommy Peck. There was another mate,
who had lately passed,--Alfred Stanford, a very gentlemanly, pleasing
young man. We had, besides, a surgeon, a master's assistant, the
captain's clerk and the purser's clerk, who made up the complement in
our berth. My chief friend among the men was Dick Tillard, an old
quartermaster, to whom I could always go to get instruction in
seamanship, with the certainty that he would do his best to enlighten
me. He had been at sea all his life, and had scarcely ever spent a
month on shore at a time. He was a philosopher, in his way; and his
philosophy was of the best, for he had implicit confidence in God's
overruling providence. If anything went wrong, his invariable remark
was,--"That's our fault, not His who rules above; trust him, lads, trust
him, and he will make all things right at last."
I have very little to say about our second lieutenant, or the master, or
surgeon, or purser,--who, as far as I knew, were respectable men, not
above the average in intellect, and got on very well together in the
gunroom; so that our ship might have been looked upon as a happy one, as
things go, though I confess that we cannot expect to find a paradise on
board a man-of-war.
I must not omit to mention our boatswain, a person of no small
importance on board ship. So, at all events, thought Mr Fletcher
Yallop, as he desired to be called; and if we youngsters ever wanted him
to do anything for us, we always thus addressed him--though, of course,
the commander and officers called him simply Mr Yallop. If the men
addressed him as Mr Yallop, he invariably exclaimed,--"Mr Fletcher
Yallop is my name, remember, my lad; and I'll beg you always to
denominate me by my proper appellation, or a rope's end and your back
will scrape acquaintance with each other."
He explained his reasons to me in confidence one day. "You see, Mr
Rayner, I expect before I die to come into a fortune, when I shall be,
of course, Fletcher Yallop, Esquire. I can't make the men call me so
now, because I am but a simple boatswain; but I like the sound; it keeps
up my spirits. When I get out of sorts, I repeat to myself: `Fletcher
Yallop, Esquire, be a man; be worthy of your future position in society
when you take your place among the nobility of the land, and perhaps
write M.P. after your name,'--and in an instant I am myself again, and
patiently bear the rubs and frowns to which even warrant-officers are
subjected. In truth, though I wish you not to repeat it, Mr Rayner, I
may become a baronet; and I always look with trembling interest at the
Gazette, to see if a certain person, whose heir I am, has been raised to
that dignity."
I ventured to ask the boatswain on what he grounded his hopes of
fortune.
"That is a secret, Mr Rayner," he replied, "which I must not divulge,
even to you; but you would not doubt my word, I am sure. That must be
sufficient for the present; and I must request you not to make the
matter a subject of conversation among your messmates. They would not
enter into my feelings as you do."
I found, however, that Mr Yallop had been equally confidential to Tommy
Peck, though he had not ventured to talk of his hopes either to Mudge or
Stanford. Tom and I, on comparing notes, came to the conclusion that
the boatswain was under a hallucination; though, as it was a very
harmless one, and afforded him intense satisfaction without in any way
interfering with his duty, we agreed that it was as well to let him
enjoy it. He was, indeed, a first-rate seaman and an excellent
boatswain, though he handled the rope's end pretty freely when any of
the ship's boys or ordinary seamen neglected their duty. He was a
broadly built man, with enormous black whiskers; and no one would have
supposed that he possessed a single grain of romance in his composition.
He had an eagle eye, and a sun-burned, weather-beaten countenance; but
I believe he had as tender a heart as any man in the ship.
Nothing of importance occurred till we sighted the island against which
we had so nearly run. Standing in with the lead going, we found good
anchorage in a wide bay, protected by a high point of land on one side
and a reef on the other. The captain wishing to survey the island, and
the weather being fine, he ordered his gig to be manned, and, much to my
satisfaction, told me to be ready to accompany him. We took a supply of
provisions for the day, as we did not expect to be back till late in the
evening.
While the first lieutenant and master were surveying the bay in which
the ship lay, and the coast in its immediate neighbourhood, we pulled
round to the opposite side of the island. We had as yet seen no
natives, but as cocoa-nut trees were visible on shore, we concluded that
some parts of it were inhabited. The centre was of considerable height,
and was evidently of volcanic origin, the highest point being apparently
a volcano, though no smoke or fire was seen proceeding from it.
We had been pulling on for three or four hours, keeping at some distance
from the shore, to avoid the reefs which ran off it, as the captain
wished to make the whole circuit during the day, when, just as we had
doubled the point, we saw right ahead, some way from the shore, a small
canoe with a flag flying at her bow. The commander ordered the men to
give way, fearing that the natives in the canoe, when they saw us, would
attempt to escape, and he specially wished to gain information from
them. (Tamaku, I should have said, formed one of the crew, having been
taken to act as interpreter.) There appeared to be no one on board the
canoe, which was at anchor; but as we drew nearer we saw the head of a
person rise up above the gunwale, when, as it seemed, he for the first
time caught sight of us. He gazed towards the gig with astonishment,
though without uttering any cry of alarm.
"He has an unusually white skin for a native," observed the captain;
"indeed, he must be, I am sure, a European."
The boy, for his features showed that he was very young, took something
from the bottom of the canoe, as we drew near, and kneeling down in the
bow in a suppliant manner, held out his hand towards us. The commander,
anxious not to alarm him, ordered the gig to pull round and back in
quietly astern, while, standing up, he leaned forward to examine what
the boy had got in his hand. Just at that moment another head rose
above the gunwale of the canoe from the outside; but that was black as
jet; and what should I see but Dicky Popo's astonished countenance, his
ivory teeth gleaming whitely as his mouth distended from ear to ear.
"Oh, ky! cappen--and you, Massa Rayner--where you come from?" he
exclaimed, as he rested on his elbows before getting into the canoe.
So interested was the captain in the appearance of the white boy,--more
even than in the number of beautiful pearls he held in his hand,--that
he scarcely recognised Popo.
"Who are you, and where do you come from?" asked the commander.
The lad only shook his head, as if he did not understand his question--
still keeping his hand extended, with the pearls in it.
"He no speakee English," said Popo, who had just scrambled into the
canoe.
"Why, Dicky Popo," cried the commander, "you here, my boy!"
I could not resist shaking Popo by the hand, so delighted was I to see
him.
"Yes, massa cappen; me no drownee," he answered.
"That's very evident," said the commander; "and I shall be glad to know
how you escaped. But first I want you to set the mind of this poor lad
at rest, as he seems in a great fright. Tell him we are friends, and
will do him no harm, for he does not understand what I say to him."
Popo, more by signs than words, quickly succeeded in tranquillising the
lad.
"Who is he?" asked the commander, "for his skin is as white as ours; and
I cannot suppose that he is a native."
"He not say who he is," answered Popo; "but by-and-by perhaps talkee
more."
"Well, we must wait patiently," said the commander. "Ask him if he has
any objection to accompany us; and if he is ready to come we will take
you and him into the gig, while we tow the canoe astern." After a few
more signs and incomprehensible words had passed between Popo and the
white boy, they both stepped into the gig; the latter still holding the
pearls in his hand, which, as soon as he was seated, he again offered to
the commander, who this time received them, and after examining them put
them into his pocket. The canoe was then made fast to the gig astern,
and we continued our course round the island.
The commander was engaged in noting its headlands and bays and other
features, and could not give his attention to the lad; but I lost no
time in trying to learn from Popo how he had escaped,--also drawing from
him anything he knew about the white boy. On the first point he quickly
enlightened me.
On falling overboard, he had caught sight of the life-buoy which Peck
had providentially let go; and being a good swimmer, he had reached it,
and climbing up, had made himself fast to it. With a feeling of dismay
he saw the ship sailing on, but he did not gave way to despair, as after
some time he discovered that the life-buoy was drifting towards the
land. Still, he knew that, should it be driven among the breakers, he
should in all probability be dashed to pieces on the rocks. However, as
he told me, he hoped for the best, and clung on, finding himself getting
nearer and nearer the shore.
When morning broke, he found that he was not more than a few
cable-lengths from the beach. As the light increased he looked out
anxiously, and, much to his satisfaction, saw that he was drifting
towards a sandy bay. He cast off the lashings which had hitherto
secured him, that he might swim on shore, knowing that the life-buoy
would in all probability be rolled over and over.
It now advanced but little; and he was on the point of parting from it
and beginning to swim, when he saw several natives come down to the
beach, and among them a white lad. The former stood gazing at him,
apparently indifferent to the rude breakers; the lad, however, directly
afterwards began to launch a small canoe which lay on the beach, and
jumping into it and actively working the paddle, made his way through
the breakers towards him. Popo being quite sure that he came as a
friend, left the life-buoy as soon as he drew near, and with a few
strokes reached the bow of the canoe, over which he soon scrambled; when
the boy at once paddled back to the beach, carrying him safely through
the breakers. The savages, who were as brown as those he had before
seen, gathered round him and examined his skin with much curiosity,
supposing, he observed, that he had got on a black coat. They then made
him and the white boy stand together, grinning at the contrast which
their colours presented, and evidently satisfied that they themselves
were the just medium.
Popo, who was very hungry, now made signs that he wanted something to
eat. His new friend, hastening away, quickly returned from a hut at no
great distance with some food, which the brown savages did not prevent
his giving him. Popo soon found, however, that although his life was to
be spared he was to be treated as a slave, as the white boy appeared to
be.
After remaining on the beach a short time, the savages led him to their
village, which consisted of a number of low huts. The women had been
preparing their morning meal, after which some of the men went out to
kill birds, while others occupied themselves in a taro plantation on
some level ground to the rear of their village. Popo, meantime, who
could scarcely keep his eyes open, was conducted by his white friend to
a hut, where the latter spread a mat for him, and made signs that he
might lie down. Scarcely had he done so when he fell fast asleep.
The next day, the weather being finer, many of the men went off in their
canoes; Popo and the white boy being taken out in that of the chief.
Popo found that they were engaged in diving for pearl-oysters. The
white lad appeared to be among the best of their divers. He fearlessly
plunged overboard with a net and a small axe--the net being attached to
the boat by a line; and when his net was hauled up it was invariably
full of oysters. The chief made signs to Popo that he must do the same.
Though he was a good swimmer, he had never been accustomed to diving;
but the white boy showed him how he could accomplish the feat, and after
some practice he was able to go down, and succeeded almost as well as
his companion.
Since he had been there, three vessels had come and purchased all the
pearls which had been collected, when he and the white boy had been
carried off some way from the shore, so that they might not communicate
with the crews. After each visit paid by the pearl-traders, all the men
in the village had become excessively tipsy; and on the first two
occasions they, fearing that they might be ill-treated, had run off and
hidden themselves, though they did not escape punishment. Popo had
begun to learn his companion's language; which he spoke, however, in a
way very different from the natives. They were thus able to communicate
with each other.
Only the day before our arrival another trader had gone away, and at the
present time every man in the village was drunk. As the old chief had
on previous occasions beaten them, when he came to himself, for not
having some pearls ready for him, they had come off in the canoe by
themselves, and were engaged in fishing,--for so it may be called,--when
we found them.
Such is an outline of the account Popo gave me.
All the time I was talking to Popo, the lad had his eyes fixed intently
on me, as if he was endeavouring to understand what we were saying.
"And you, Popo," I asked; "are you glad to escape from the savages?"
"Yes, massa; dat I am," answered Popo.
"And do you think your companion is the same?" I added, looking towards
him.
"Yes, yes," said the white boy, looking up at me.
"Why, you must be English; you have thoroughly understood what I said,"
I exclaimed.
"Me tink so too," observed Popo.
The commander, who had been listening to what we had been saying, now
called Tamaku aft, and desired him to try if he could understand the
white boy, who after he had last spoken seemed abashed, and could not be
got to utter a word. Tamaku at once began to ask him questions, which
he answered with apparent readiness in the same language, differing but
slightly in sound.
"Can you make out how he came to be among the natives?" asked the
commander, when Tamaku and the boy had ceased speaking.
"He not know much," answered the Kanaka; "long time wid dem--say dey
find him in a boat at sea, and bring him here and make him slavey."
"Try and find out his name," said the commander; "whether it is Tom or
Dick, or Jack or Harry."
Scarcely had he uttered the last word when the boy exclaimed, "Harry!
Harry! dat my name," and seemed almost overcome by hearing it uttered.
"Well, Harry, my boy, can't you talk a little more English? Since you
remember your name, tell us something about your father and mother, or
any of your other friends," continued the commander.
"Father--mother," repeated the boy, with a look of pleasure, as if they
were words once familiar to his tongue.
"Well done, my boy," exclaimed the commander, pleased with the result of
his experiment; "you'll remember more words by-and-by, when you get on
board. And we'll not yet pay your drunken friends a visit to let them
wish you good-bye."
It was difficult to say whether the boy understood him; but, at all
events, the commander's kind tone of voice gave him confidence, and he
seemed contented and happy.
As we had only just time to get round the island, the commander did not
put on shore anywhere; also, with so small a party, he thought it
imprudent to go among the natives, who might prove hostile--especially
if they found that he was carrying off their slaves. Popo and the white
boy appeared well-pleased at this; and it was evident that the latter
had no great affection for those among whom he had lived so long.
Frequently during the remainder of the day we heard the boy saying to
himself, "Yes, yes--Harry--father--mother," as if pleased with the sound
of those long-forgotten words. Then I was nearly certain that I heard
him muttering to himself a verse of a child's hymn; but the words were
indistinct.
He listened attentively to every word we said, and now and then uttered
a word after us.
"I suspect that in the course of a few days he will be able to tell us
more about himself than he can do now," observed the captain; "in the
meantime, we must not bother him too much."
We got on board just before darkness set in. Popo was greeted warmly by
the whole of the crew, who were delighted to find that he had escaped
and to have him back among them again; while Harry, as the white boy was
at once called, was received with much curiosity, every one being eager
to know who he was and how he had fallen into the hands of the savages.
As may be supposed, he had not been many minutes on board before he was
rigged out in a shirt and trousers and jacket, with a handkerchief round
his neck, and a broad-brimmed hat on his head. He made no objection to
putting on the dress, which really became him; and Dick Tillard, who
acted as his valet, observed that it was surely not the first time he
had been so rigged out.
Next day, the commander went on shore with a strongly-armed party,
taking Tamaku with him, that he might try and obtain further information
from the natives. The latter showed no signs of fear, being apparently
accustomed to the sight of white men. They inquired what had become of
the boys, and demanded to have them back. Tamaku replied that one of
them belonged to the ship, and that the other desired to remain on
board, so that they could not be given up; but the English commander
would make a present to them if they would inform him honestly how they
came to have the white boy among them. After this, by Tamaku's account,
they had a long palaver, when the old chief, stepping forward, said that
he was ready to declare the truth: that some seven years before, as he
and his people were on board a large canoe on their way to this island,
they had fallen in with an English boat containing several men and a
little boy; but the men had all died; and the little boy had been taken
care of, and had lived with them ever since.
Tamaku had his suspicions that the men had been put to death; however,
it was not worth while pressing the matter home on the chief, as, of
course, he would have denied it.
The commander having finished his survey of the island, and obtained all
the information respecting the boy which he could collect, we again made
sail and stood to the westward.