DAYLIGHT--I MAKE THE LAND--DICK RECOVERS--CAPTURED BY A NATIVE CANOE--
TAKEN ON SHORE--COMPELLED TO WORK AS SLAVES--OUR HOPES OF ESCAPE
DISAPPOINTED--DICK AGAIN ILL--HIS DEATH--I BURY HIM--THREATENING OF
WAR--HARRY JOINS ME--WE WITNESS A SINGLE COMBAT--OUR CHAMPION DEFEATED--
CAPTURED BY THE ENEMY--ILL-TREATED--HARRY DISAPPEARS--I ESCAPE TO THE
BEACH--SEE A BOAT--THE SAVAGES PURSUE ME--RESCUED BY MUDGE.
Anxiously I looked out ahead for land--now on one bow, now on the other;
for I could not tell how far to the westward I had been driven, or on
which side it might appear. It was possible, indeed, that I might have
got so far to the west as to pass the island altogether should I
continue to steer due south; and yet in the uncertainty I hesitated to
take another course.
As I sat in the stern-sheets, I watched Tillard's countenance. He
seemed at length to have fallen into a quiet sleep, and I trusted that
when he awoke he would feel himself much better. I bored a hole in the
end of a cocoa-nut, and also got some fish ready, that I might give him
some food as soon as he awoke. But still he slept on; and the fear came
over me that it might prove the sleep preceding death. Under other
circumstances, I should not probably have thought so; but I was weary
and anxious, and my spirits sank to the lowest ebb. As I sat in the
boat, gliding over the now tranquil sea, glittering with the rays of the
sun, I might have been regarded as a picture of perfect contentment,--
very different, indeed, from what was really the case.
Every now and then I stood up to look out for the wished-for land; till
at length a light mist which had hung over the water was dissipated by
the increasing heat of the sun, and to my joy I caught sight of the
lofty headland we had hoped to double the day before, rising out of the
blue water much nearer than I had expected to find it. My spirits rose;
and I began to hope that, should Dick recover, my troubles and anxieties
would be at an end. I could not help shouting out "Land! land!" though
I was not aware that I had done so till I heard the sound of my own
voice. It had the effect of arousing Dick, however.
"Land, Mr Rayner!" he exclaimed. "I thought we were about to enter the
harbour to meet Mr Mudge and the rest."
I tried to explain what had happened, but his senses were too confused
to allow him for some time to understand me.
"What! have you been at the helm all night? You must be pretty well
knocked up, sir," he said. "Let me take it while you lie down. You
need rest."
I observed, from the way he spoke, that his senses were still confused;
so I told him that I had already had some sleep, and that I was able to
keep at the helm very well for the present.
I now gave him some cocoa-nut milk and a little fish, which he took very
readily; and after eating some of the solid food he appeared much
better, and was soon able to sit up and talk rationally.
Calculating by the time we had taken to reach the headland, he judged
that we should not get into the harbour at soonest till sunset; and he
advised that we should economise our food, in case we should be kept out
still longer, as would certainly be the case did it again fall calm.
We at length got up with the island. On the western side it presented a
succession of high cliffs, along which we coasted. As the day advanced
the breeze freshened, and we ran briskly through the water. We had gone
half a mile or so along the coast, when I caught sight of a sail ahead.
"Hurrah!" I cried out. "Perhaps that is a ship. Yonder craft may be
able to take us and our companions on board."
"She is only a native canoe," observed Dick; "and it is questionable
whether she has friends or enemies on board. If the latter, and she
catches us, we may have our voyage put a stop to in a way we didn't
bargain for."
The craft at which we were looking was one of the large double canoes of
these seas, with a single triangular sail of white matting, which I, in
the first instance, had taken for canvas. On she came towards us,
close-hauled, at a rate which would have made it useless to attempt
escaping her. The two canoes which formed the lower part of her
structure were of great length, and very narrow, supporting a large
platform of some height, which served to keep them some distance apart.
We could only distinguish three men on her deck; and had Dick been well,
we might easily have resisted them in the event of their exhibiting any
hostile intentions. But he felt himself too weak to show fight, and we
agreed that our best course was to put a bold face on the matter, and to
bid them go on their way, while we continued our course to the
southward. As we drew nearer, however, three more men appeared from
below, holding bows and spears in their hands. Placing the spears on
the deck, each fixed an arrow to his bow; on seeing which--believing
that they were going to shoot--I hauled down the sail, and, holding up
my hands, tried to make them understand that I surrendered. On this
they withdrew their arrows, and the canoe was steered up alongside the
boat. I then pointed to Dick, wishing to explain to them that he was
ill. They took no notice of my signs, however; and two or three of them
leaping into the boat, which they secured by a rope to the canoe,
dragged him and me out of it on to their deck. At first I thought that
they were going to kill us immediately. Dick was too weak to make any
resistance; and I knew that I could do nothing by myself. I endeavoured
to exhibit as little fear as possible, however, and taking one of the
savages by the hand, shook it and smiled, to show that I wished to be on
friendly terms. After they had talked together, they appeared to have
determined to spare our lives; then lowering their sail, they hoisted it
on the other tack, and stood for the shore, towing our boat astern.
Dick was allowed to sit on the deck, while I stood near him, no one
molesting us.
"We're in a bad case, Mr Rayner," he observed; "but it won't do to give
way to despair, and we must try to put a good face on the matter. If I
was well, and able to help you, I shouldn't so much mind it; but I feel
as weak as a baby, and that tries me."
"I hope you will get stronger soon, Dick, and then we must try to make
our escape to our friends," I answered. "I am afraid that the savages
are more likely in the meantime to get hold of them," he observed.
"What puzzles me is, that they didn't find us out before; but I suspect
that, for some reason or other, the southern end of the island is not
inhabited."
I could only account for the circumstance as Dick did; and I hoped that
Mudge would discover that there were natives on the island in time to
guard against them. Of course, I regretted much that he should have
divided our party, as I felt that, united, we might have held out
against them, or, at the worst, have escaped in our boats. However,
there was no use thinking of what had been done; and we must, I felt,
employ our energies in making the best of our situation.
I did my utmost to appear contented, as if I had no fear of our captors.
To show this, I walked about the deck and examined the structure of the
canoe. The separate lower portions, I found, were composed of two large
trees hollowed out, each having a raised gunwale about two inches high,
and closed at the ends with a kind of bulk-head of the same height; so
that the whole resembled a long square trough, about three feet shorter
than the body of the canoe. The two canoes thus fitted were secured to
each other, about three feet asunder, by means of cross spars, which
projected about a foot over the side. Over these spars was laid the
deck, made of small round spars placed close together. On it was a
fire-hearth of clay, on which a fire was burning; and I observed a large
pot suspended over it, with something boiling within which had a savoury
smell. The mast was secured to the deck by knees; the whole being fixed
to a cross-beam resting on the lower sides of the canoe. The sail,
which was composed of matting, was stretched on a lateen yard, the foot
being extended to a boom. The ropes were made of the coarse filaments
of the plantain-tree, twisted into cordage of the thickness of a finger;
and three or four such cords marled together served for shrouds. This
curious craft was steered by a long scull, the handle of which rose four
or five feet above the deck. In calm weather, as I afterwards observed,
the natives propel these canoes simply by sculling; a man standing
astern and working the scull with both hands--a very slow process. They
are, indeed, better fitted for sailing than paddling.
Beginning to feel very hungry, I made signs to our captors that I should
like to have some food; and I also pointed to Dick, wishing to make them
understand that he too required nourishment. One of them on this went
to the pot and stirred it with the handle of his spear, as if to
ascertain whether the contents were sufficiently boiled. Satisfied on
this point, he dived down into one of the canoes and brought up from a
locker a hooked stick and some plantain leaves; whereupon all the party,
with the exception of the helmsman, gathered round the pot, when the
same man drew out some fish and roots, and divided them among his
companions, giving Dick and me an equal share. We thanked them as well
as we could by eating the food. Dick, who relished it very much,
nodding his head and stroking his stomach, exclaimed "Bono, bono,--very
good, master savages." The fish certainly was very good; and as our
captors ate it, we had no doubt that it was wholesome. Dick said he
felt much the better for it, and could now look things in the face with
less despondency than before.
The canoe all this time was gliding smoothly over the water, though I
confess, from her apparently slight structure, I should not have
relished being on board her in a heavy sea. As we approached the
island, I observed a small bay or inlet for which she was steering, with
high cliffs above it, and a valley running up inland to some distance,
while on all the level spots near the beach grew cocoa-nut and other
trees. The aspect of the country was highly picturesque, and altogether
pleasing.
As we drew nearer, I saw a number of dark-skinned natives, almost naked;
some in the water, engaged apparently in fishing, others lolling about
on the beach watching them. At first they took but little notice of the
canoe; but as they caught sight of us, and the jolly-boat towing astern,
those not employed in fishing hurried down to the shore of the harbour,
up which the canoe ran till she reached a secure spot alongside a rock,
on to which her crew could step from the canoe without difficulty.
The captain, or chief man of the canoe, now made a long speech to the
natives on shore, describing apparently how he had found us; on which
Dick, who was now much recovered, and I shook him by the hand, hoping
that what he had said was in our favour. This seemed to please him and
his countrymen; and we were now conducted on shore with far more respect
than we had at first expected to receive. While some inspected our
boat, others, collecting round us, examined our clothes, looking
curiously at our light-coloured skins. After more palavering, we were
led towards their village, when a few old men and a number of women and
children came out to have a look at us, and we had again to endure the
same sort of scrutiny as before.
After a little time, we made out that the captain of the canoe which had
captured us was the son of the old chief of the village, under whose
protection we were placed, or rather whose property we had become. I
asked the old man his name, mentioning my own, and then pointing to Dick
and pronouncing his. The old man understood me, and replied, "Paowang."
I then asked the son his. He replied, "Whagoo;" on which Dick and I
again shook hands with him, thanking them for the information.
"Well, Mr Paowang, I hope you and we shall be friends," said Dick; "and
we shall be further obliged to you if you will show us a house to live
in, for we should be glad to get out of the heat of the sud, and to take
a quiet snooze; and at supper-time, if you will tell your people to
bring us a dish of fish, and any other articles you may think fit, we
shall be further indebted to you."
Although Paowang could not understand Dick's words, he comprehended his
gestures, and pointing to a hut near his own, signified that we might
take possession of it. It was a simple structure, consisting of
uprights on which matting was stretched for walls, the roof being
thatched with plantain leaves. Some coarse mats were also spread on the
floor. It enabled us to escape from the pressure of the crowd, which
was just what we wanted to do.
The personal appearance of most of the people was not specially
prepossessing, though the chief and his son had good-humoured
countenances. The women wore petticoats of matting; and the men kilts
or cloths round their waists and brought between their legs. They were
naturally brown rather than black; but many of them had covered their
bodies with a pigment mixed with either earth or charcoal, which made
them much darker than they really were. The older men had short bushy
beards, and large heads of almost woolly hair. Besides spears and bows,
they carried large heavy carved clubs in their hands, of various shapes,
some being very formidable-looking weapons. They had also darts with
barbed edges, which they threw from a becket or sort of sling fixed to
the hand. With these darts we saw them kill both birds and fish at a
distance of eight or ten yards. The only tools we saw were composed of
stone or shells. Their hatchets were in form like an axe, the pointed
end being fixed to a hole in a thick handle. However, I have not time
at present to describe the people. What disgusted Dick and me most was
to see the poor women compelled to perform all the hard work, and often
to receive blows or abuse from their ill-tempered masters.
We were allowed to rest in quiet till the evening, when the chief sent
us, by one of his daughters, some more fish and a dish of poi,--a sort
of paste made of the bread-fruit or yams. At night, also, we were
allowed to sleep without interruption. The next morning, however, the
chief signified that we must not expect to eat the bread of idleness,
and that we must either work in the taro grounds, or go out hunting and
fishing. Dick at once said that we would go out fishing in our own
boat; hoping, as he whispered to me, that we might thus have the chance
of escaping. I warned him not to show too great eagerness, lest they
might suspect that such an idea had entered our minds.
As we could only converse by signs, we had some difficulty in making
them understand what was meant. Dick was the most successful. He
signified that we could not go out hunting, as we had no arms to hunt
with; then he pretended to hoe and dig, shaking his head to signify that
that was not to his taste; then he went through the attitudes of letting
down the line and hauling up a big fish. The chief nodded his head and
pointed to the sea, and allowed us to go down to the harbour. We showed
our hooks, which were stowed away in the locker; and seeing some small
fish, begged to have them as bait,--quite happy in the thought that we
should be allowed to go out alone, and might thus, having thrown our
captors off their guard, in the course of a few days easily make our
escape,--when three black fellows, with heavy clubs and sharp axes,
stepped in after us, showing by their grinning countenances that they
suspected our intentions.
Dick looked in no way disconcerted, but putting the oars into their
hands, bade them sit down and pull. Of this, however, they had no
conception; so he and I had to row the boat out of the harbour, thus
letting them see how we managed the oars. After some time two of them
proposed trying; but they were not very successful. First one caught a
crab, then the other toppled right over on his back and very nearly lost
the oar; then the first went over with his legs in the air, bringing his
head with a crack against the thwart behind him. Dick and I could not
help laughing at the hideous faces he made--at which he grew angry, and
seizing his club, threatened to use it on Dick's head. Dick, patting
him on the back, advised him to cool his temper; then telling him to
steer, took the oar to show him how he could use it.
At last, having got some distance from the shore, Dick proposed bringing
up and trying our luck. Almost immediately I got a bite, and pulled up
a big fish; Dick directly afterwards caught another; and thus we went
on, greatly to the delight of the natives. Indeed, our hooks and lines
caught more fish in the course of three hours than their nets usually
entrapped in a day.
The chief, when we got back, was highly pleased, and bestowed the name
of Big-fish-man on Dick.
Several days went by. We were in high favour with Paowang, and the rest
of the people treated us with much kindness; still we were slaves, and
we felt very anxious about the fate of our companions. Should the
savages discover them, and they be tempted to defend themselves, they
might not be treated so well as we were; whilst, should they be
captured, our chances of escape would be smaller than ever.
A fortnight or more had gone by; and the natives began to treat us more
capriciously than at first. Several of them had by this time learned to
row, and sometimes Dick was compelled to go out to fish by himself with
a couple of natives; sometimes I was sent, while Dick was ordered to
work in the taro fields. When I was kept on shore, I had to perform the
same sort of labour, in company with the women and girls. I should not
have minded it very much, had it not been for the heat of the sun: and
from this I found Dick also suffered extremely; indeed, he was looking
very ill, and I much feared that he would have a relapse.
My worst apprehensions were too soon fulfilled. One evening, when I and
my black crew returned home from fishing, I found Dick lying in our hut
scarcely able to speak. He had been out the whole day in the fields,
scantily supplied with food, and had received a sun-stroke. He was in a
high fever. I ran to the chief and entreated him to give me a supply of
cocoa-nut milk, which I hoped, at all events, might alleviate his
sufferings. The chief replied that I might help myself to some
cocoa-nuts, but offered me no other assistance. In desperation I
climbed the nearest tree, on which some were still hanging, and threw
them to the ground; two were split and the milk lost, but I brought home
three others. I feared, however, as I offered the contents of one of
them to my poor companion, that it was too late to afford him any
relief. I sat up with him all night, giving him from time to time some
of the cooling beverage; but he was evidently getting worse. Once only
he spoke to me. "Get off in the boat, Mr Rayner," he said; "it is your
only chance. Trust in God; he will help you in time of need."
He was silent after this, and, overcome with fatigue, I dropped off to
sleep. When I awoke the light was shining in through the door of the
hut. I looked at Dick's countenance; it was calm and pleasant. I took
his hand--it dropped by his side. Then I knew that my poor friend was
dead; and I burst into tears.
When I recovered myself I got up and told the chief what had happened,
begging that some men might be sent to help me to dig his grave, for
already the flies were gathering about his face. The chief complied
with my request; so we dug a grave on the top of a hill a short distance
from the village, and within view of the sea. In the evening we carried
him there, and I took my last look of his honest countenance ere the
soil was thrown in on his body. I then got some young saplings and
planted them round the grave, which I covered up with a pile of earth.
On this also I planted some flowering shrubs. Next day I employed
myself in carving on a piece of wood his name, and the date, as far as I
could calculate it, of his death.
Soon after this I discovered that something unusual was going forward in
the village. The chief had evidently important intelligence brought
him; for the warriors were arming, and the women were in a state of
agitation. What it was all about I could not tell, and the savages did
not think fit to enlighten me. They did not, however, neglect their
taro fields; and I was sent out as usual to work.
I had started at daybreak, that I might get as much done as possible
during the cool hours of the morning, and was labouring away, when,
hearing a noise in the bushes near me, I looked up and saw a figure
spring out from among them. The next instant I recognised Harry Hudson,
who ran towards me.
"Come along," he exclaimed; "I am pursued, and we may both be captured.
I'll tell you what has happened when we reach a place of safety."
I set off with him towards the village. Our appearance, with the
account we gave, made all the warriors turn out, led by Whagoo, to stop
the progress of the enemy; for by Harry's account the hostile party was
approaching, and would, if not stopped, quickly destroy the taro fields
and cut down all the trees in their course. The chief expressed his
gratitude to Harry for giving him the warning, and promised to defend
him should those from whom he had escaped attempt his recapture. To my
surprise, Harry was able to make himself clearly understood, though the
dialect he spoke evidently differed considerably from that of Paowang
and his people.
"But I am eager to learn how you found your way to this place, and knew
that I was here," I observed.
Harry then, having said how anxious he and the rest of them had become
at not hearing of Dick and me, told how one day he and Tamaku had set
off on an exploring expedition farther to the north than they had yet
ventured, in search of cocoa-nuts and other fruit, which was becoming
scarce around them; that they had crossed a stream which seemed to
separate the southern from the northern end of the island; but as they
were going through a forest which extended down to the sea, they were
suddenly set upon by a large party of savages; when Tamaku, attempting
to defend himself, was struck down, and, he feared, killed. The savages
then hurried him along with them to their village, where they treated
him with tolerable kindness; but still he dreaded lest, should he by any
chance offend them, they might without ceremony kill him, and he
intended to make his escape, if possible, in order to warn Mudge and the
rest of their danger. Understanding tolerably well what they said, he
learned that a white man and a boy--and of course he had no doubt that
Dick and I were spoken of--had been captured in a boat by their enemies
at the northern end of the island, and that an attack upon Paowang's
tribe had been planned. The chief of the party into whose hands he had
fallen was, he found, called Oamo; he appeared to be a fierce,
sanguinary savage, and he felt that his own life, while he remained in
the chief's power, was very insecure. So, finding that he could much
more easily reach us than get back southward, and that his captors were
less likely to look out for him on our side, he resolved to escape; and
that very night succeeded in doing so.
On hearing this, Paowang and Whagoo hurried on their preparations; and,
led by the latter, the warriors sallied forth in battle array, taking
Harry and me with them. As we had no arms, and should have been
unwilling to fight even had we possessed any, we were surprised at this;
but Whagoo insisted that it was necessary, and we were compelled to
comply. We marched on at a rapid rate till we reached a broad stream,
which separated, we learned, the territory of Paowang from that of Oamo.
On reaching the stream we caught sight of Oamo's forces drawn up on the
opposite side. The two armies then set to work to hurl abusive epithets
at each other, instead of, as we expected, making use of murderous
weapons. This had the effect, however, of exciting their courage and
working up their anger. Harry told me, that as far as he could make
out, each party was trying to induce the other to cross the stream and
fight.
At length Whagoo dared Oamo to come over and engage in single combat.
The challenge, after some deliberation, was accepted; and that chief,
with about twenty of his followers, wading across the stream, formed on
the northern bank, where they stood facing our party at about the
distance of fifty yards. The two champions then advanced to meet each
other, armed with the formidable carved clubs I have described, one blow
from which would, it appeared, quickly decide the contest. As they
advanced slowly, they narrowly eyed each other, waiting for a favourable
moment to deal the first blow. Whagoo was young and active, but Oamo
appeared to possess superior strength. Cautiously he advanced, holding
his club with both hands towards the ground; while Whagoo kept his
elevated above his shoulders, as if ready to bring it down on his
antagonist's head. For a minute or more they stood facing each other,
their eyes glaring like balls of fire, when like lightning Oamo bounded
towards his antagonist and dealt a blow of force sufficient to bring an
ox to the ground; but Whagoo, actively leaping on one side, avoided it,
and prepared to strike in return. In an instant Oamo, recovering
himself, lifted his club in a position to receive his enemy's attack.
They thus stood for another minute or more face to face, each unwilling
to risk defeat by giving a fruitless blow.
At length Whagoo, losing patience, gave a sudden bound for the purpose
of reaching the right side of Oamo, who, however, quickly faced him and
made a blow at his head; which he avoided by dropping on his knee,
receiving it on the blunt part of his club. In an instant he was again
on his feet, and with another bound attempted to reach Oamo's unguarded
shoulder. The latter, however, was too wary to allow him to succeed.
Thus they continued springing round each other, Oamo's aim being
evidently to exhaust the strength of his antagonist. At last he
succeeded in bringing his weapon down on Whagoo's left shoulder, and
inflicted a fearful wound; sufficient apparently to disable him
completely, for the blood gushed forth in a way which must quickly, it
seemed, drain his veins of their contents. He, however, took no notice
of it, though it had evidently excited his rage and made him abandon the
caution he had hitherto maintained.
I now began seriously to fear for the result. Oamo saw his advantage,
and allowed Whagoo still further to exhaust his strength.
"What are we to do, Harry, if our friend gets beaten?" I asked.
"We must try and escape, for otherwise I fear that we shall be handed
over to the victorious party," he answered.
"Will they kill us?" I asked.
"Not if Oamo escapes without a wound," he answered; "they will be so
delighted with their victory that they will keep us as trophies. I
don't like the look of things, however."
Our fears were still further increased when Oamo succeeded in bringing
his weapon down on Whagoo's thigh, leaping back quick as lightning to
avoid the blow which the other dealt in return. In his eagerness to
strike, and much weakened by his wounds, Whagoo overbalanced himself,
and before he could again recover his feet or raise his club Oamo
brought his weapon with tremendous force down on his unguarded skull,
which with a single blow he clove in two, and our champion fell dead to
the earth.
Oamo's followers, uttering loud shouts of triumph, immediately rushed
forward, and before Harry and I, who stood rooted with horror to the
spot, could make our escape, they had surrounded us; Whagoo's party
having bounded off like startled deer the instant they perceived the
fall of their chief. Satisfied with his victory, Oamo did not attempt
to follow them, aware probably that Paowang, with the rest of his tribe,
would quickly be down upon them to avenge his son's death.
We were at once dragged off across the stream; after which the whole
party, carrying us with them, retreated southward, singing songs of
triumph.
Our captors did not halt till they reached their village, when the women
came out in crowds to welcome them and to gaze at us. I expected
nothing less than torture and death; but even Oamo, savage as he was,
did not look at us fiercely, as if intending to do us any harm: possibly
he was so well-pleased with his victory that he was inclined to treat us
more kindly than he would otherwise have done. We were, however,
doomed, we found, to captivity; and I naturally supposed that they would
keep so strict a watch over us that we should have no chance of
escaping.
"I do not despair, however, of doing that," said Harry, when we were
talking over the subject. "They are not aware that I understand what
they say, and I shall thus be able to learn what they are about; so we
may be able to get off by watching an opportunity. From what I
understand, the southern end of the island is tabooed, having belonged
to a chief who was looked upon as a priest, or sacred character of some
sort. He, before setting out on an expedition with all his people, from
which he never returned, threatened to visit with the most fearful
curses any who should take possession of his territory during his
absence. Oamo and his people had therefore been afraid to occupy it,
and thus we were allowed to remain there so long unmolested. I thus
hope that if we can once get across the stream which divides it from
this region, we shall be safe."
Harry's remarks greatly raised my spirits, and I was better able to
endure the annoyances to which we were subjected than I should have been
had there been less hope of escape.
Day after day passed by, and we were treated much as I had before been
by Paowang and his people. We were not compelled, however, to go out
and fish, for the best of reasons--our captors had no canoes: indeed,
Harry learned that Paowang possessed but the one canoe, which had
captured us; and as Whagoo was dead, there was no one in the tribe to
command it, so that in all probability it was either laid up on shore or
kept in the harbour. This seemed at first to be a matter of little
consequence to us; but on further consideration we saw that, should we
find it necessary to escape in our boat, there would be little risk of
our being pursued.
As time went on, our captivity became more and more galling, though it
was a satisfaction to us to be allowed to remain together; and during
the evenings, when our work was over, I had a constant source of
amusement in endeavouring to impart such knowledge as I possessed to
Harry. I fortunately remembered portions of the Bible, and numerous
pieces of poetry and prose; and by repeating them to him, he also was
able to get them by heart. I used to tell him all about England, and
how various articles in common use were manufactured. I taught him a
good deal of history and geography; and even arithmetic, by making use
of pebbles. By this exercise of my memory I benefited greatly, as I was
thus induced to recall subjects which I should otherwise in time have
forgotten.
Our comparatively pleasant life was, however, at length to come to an
end. From some motive which we could not understand--perhaps because
they thought we should attempt to escape--the savages at length
separated us, and compelled us to sleep in different huts; while we were
employed apart during the day. Harry, however, contrived one evening to
find me; and I then urged him, if he had an opportunity of escaping by
himself, not to run the risk of being caught by coming to look for me.
I said that I would either follow, or that perhaps Mudge would manage by
some means or other to obtain my liberty, should he not already have
left the island. There was some risk of this being the case, we agreed;
and if so, Harry said that he would come back to me rather than have to
live alone in Taboo Land, as we called it.
Several days passed after this, and though I looked about for Harry, I
could nowhere meet with him, so I began to hope that he had escaped.
Sometimes the dreadful idea occurred to me that the savages might have
killed him; and I was more inclined to think this, owing to the way in
which they began to treat me. I was made to work harder than ever; and
even the women, who had hitherto looked kindly on me, turned away their
faces; and I was often almost starving, being glad of the scraps left by
the women after their lords and masters had handed them the remains of
their meals. Still, being of a buoyant disposition, I did not give way
to despair, and trusted that I might some day effect my escape. I had
various plans for doing so. If I could get down to the coast, I thought
that I might make my way along the beach, hiding among the rocks in the
day time, and moving on in the water just at the margin at night, so
that no traces of my footsteps might be left.
As I returned very regularly to my hut at night, my savage masters
became less vigilant than before. At last I felt my captivity so
irksome that I determined at all risks to put my plan into execution. I
came back as usual to the village in the evening, and, pretending to
have hurt my foot, as soon as I had eaten the scanty meal given to me I
lay down, as if about to go to sleep. I waited anxiously till all
noises had ceased in the village, and then quietly stole out of my hut;
and, having well noted the way, as soon as I had got to such a distance
that my footsteps were not likely to be heard, I ran as fast as I could
to the west shore, which was much the nearest. In about an hour I
reached it, and at once began to make my way, as I had proposed, along
the beach. At all events, Oamo would not be able to ascertain whether I
had gone to the north or to the south. Fortunately the water was high,
so that I had the soft sand to tread on, my feet being on the margin.
As fast as I could move, afraid even for an instant to step on the dry
sand lest I might leave a footprint behind me, I went on. Sometimes I
had to climb over rocks; but fortunately there were no cliffs in this
part of the island rising sheer out of the water, or my progress would
have been effectually stopped.
All night long I went on; the light of the moon, which rose soon after I
reached the shore, enabling me to make way with less difficulty than I
had anticipated. In spite of the temptation to continue my course, when
morning dawned I sought shelter among some rocks, amid which I judged
that I should be effectually concealed from any pursuers on the shore.
How far I had gone I could not well calculate, but I supposed that I was
still a long way from the harbour, where I hoped to find Mudge. As I
was well beyond the high-water mark, I had no fear of being overwhelmed
by the rising tide; therefore, feeling very tired, I composed myself on
my somewhat hard couch to sleep. I awoke with the idea that a pair of
huge wings were fanning me; and on looking up I saw a large sea-fowl, as
big as an albatross, about to pounce down on my head. I started to my
feet, defending my face with my arm, and shouting at the top of my voice
to frighten it off. My cries had the desired effect; and as I watched
its flight seaward, I saw a small speck on the water. Eagerly I gazed
at it; it was a boat, not a canoe, as I had at first feared. It came
nearer and nearer, evidently steering along the coast. I feared that I
should not be seen among the broken rocks where I had concealed myself,
and I could scarcely hope to make my voice heard so far. My only chance
was to run along the light-coloured sand, and to wave my hands, trusting
that I might attract the attention of my friends in the boat--for that
they were my friends I felt certain.
Without further consideration, I rushed from my hiding-place, and began
frantically waving my hands, shouting at the same time at the top of my
voice. As I for a moment ceased, I heard an echo to my cries; and
looking over my shoulder, I saw a party of dark-skinned savages
descending the hill towards the beach. From the glimpse I got of them,
I saw that they differed in appearance from those among whom I had so
long been held captive; I saw, also, that they had neither bows nor
spears. With fierce cries they rushed down the hill towards me; while
louder and louder I shouted, and waved my hands more vehemently towards
the boat. The savages, with pointed daggers in their hands, had reached
the foot of the hill; and I was almost abandoning myself to despair,
when I saw the boat's head turned towards the shore, and a figure in the
bows stand up and wave to me, while a friendly cheer reached my ears.
In a few minutes more--long before the boat could get up to me--the
savages were on the beach. Though I knew that sharks abounded on the
coast, I no longer hesitated, but, rushing into the water, waded as far
as I could, and then struck out towards the boat. I did not take time
to throw off my jacket, but, fully clothed as I was, swam on; one
glance, as I looked backward, revealing the savages not a dozen yards
behind me. If they chose to swim after me, I should have scarcely a
chance of escaping; but that thought did not make me abandon the
attempt. I struck out boldly, and my friends in the boat pulled away
lustily to meet me.
On turning on my back for one moment to rest, though not to stop, for I
still struck out with my feet, I saw the savages on the margin of the
water, fiercely threatening me with their daggers, but not daring to
swim off in pursuit. My mind was greatly relieved; but there was the
risk of cramp, or giving way from fatigue, as also the still greater
danger of being snapped up by a huge shark. My friends, however, knew
this as well as I did, and continuing to exert themselves as at first,
at length came up with me. The time, however, seemed very, very long,
and I was almost fainting from my exertions, when I felt a strong hand
seize me by the collar of my jacket, and Mudge--for it was he who had
got hold of me--pulled me over the gunwale and placed me in the
stern-sheets.
I soon recovered, and the first face my eyes fell upon was that of
Harry. The pleasure of seeing him soon restored me. He told me that he
had effected his escape just as I was attempting to do, though he had
been compelled to remain concealed for several days among the rocks. As
soon as he reached the harbour he told Mudge, who had given up all
expectation of ever seeing me again alive, of my captivity; and arranged
with him a plan for rescuing me. Harry's intention was to land after
nightfall, and boldly make his way up to the village; where, knowing my
hut, he hoped to be able to find me, and to conduct me back to the boat
before daylight. The boat, however, had first to be brought round to
the east side; so Mudge, himself, and Tom went across the island
together, and brought her round by the south end.
The day after his arrival, while they were employed in putting on board
provisions for the expedition, Popo, who had been out shooting with his
bow and arrows, came rushing back, saying that he had seen a party of
savage natives, who were evidently advancing towards the harbour. They
had but just time to jump into the boat, leaving a large portion of the
provisions they had prepared behind them, and to shove off, when the
savages came rushing down with threatening gestures, shouting and
shrieking. From Harry's account, they were similar in appearance to the
men from whom I had escaped, and we agreed that they were probably part
of the tribe who had been absent, and had just returned to Taboo Land.
In the meantime, Mudge had put the boat round, and we were pulling away
from the shore. One of the plans formed by my friends, they told me,
had been, as soon as they had recovered me, to try and cut out our
jolly-boat, as the small boat was but ill adapted for the long voyage we
might have to take. They were afraid, however, should we linger on the
coast, that the savages who had just landed would pursue us in the
canoes in which they had arrived; and hence our only safe course was at
once to get to a distance, in the hope that we might either fall in with
a whaler, or reach some island inhabited by people of a more hospitable
disposition. With reluctance, therefore, we abandoned the design of
trying to get hold of the jolly-boat. There would, of course, have been
danger in the attempt, and we therefore considered it altogether wiser
to avoid it.
Unhappily, we had no sail, and only a couple of rough oars, formed by
Tamaku; we had a few salted fish and birds, a basket of eggs, and some
cocoa-nuts. Our stock of water was contained in a dozen
cocoa-nut-shells, prepared as bottles by poor Tamaku. This stock would
not last us many days; and should it be exhausted before we could reach
another island, or fall in with a ship, we must starve.
Such were our prospects as we rowed away from the island, without chart
or compass, or any other means of guiding our course, with the exception
of the stars by night and the sun by day.