WE PULL SOUTH-WEST--WANT OF WATER AND FOOD--CATCH SOME FLYING-FISH--
SUFFERINGS FROM THIRST--A BREEZE--A SAIL--TAKEN ON BOARD THE "VIOLET"--
VISIT NEW CALEDONIA--OFF THE AUSTRALIAN COAST--A HURRICANE--BRIG
WRECKED--THE PUMPS MANNED--HOPES OF GETTING HER OFF--LAND IN THE BOATS--
MY FATHER REMAINS ON BOARD.
We pulled on all night, taking it by turns; and when the sun rose next
morning we were out of sight of land. Mudge had come to the
determination of steering to the south, under the belief that the
inhabitants of the islands in that direction were less barbarous than
those we had left. We thought, also, that we should be more likely to
fall in with a whaler or sandal-wood trader belonging to New South
Wales, which Mudge understood were in the habit of visiting the islands
in those seas. Missionaries also, we knew, were settled on some of the
islands to the southward; but, unfortunately, none of us had heard much
about them, though we felt sure that, should we reach a place where one
was established, we should be treated kindly. But the London and
Wesleyan Missionary Societies had not in those days made the progress
they have since done,--the blessings of Christianity and civilisation
having been by their means carried among a very large number of the
brown and black-skinned races of the Pacific. They had for some years
been working among the Society Islands, and a few had visited Tonga,
Samoa, and Fiji; while some of the native converts had gone forth among
the more savage tribes, fearless of the perils they had to encounter.
Mudge proposed that we should at once be placed on an allowance both of
food and water, to which we all readily agreed. We rowed on all day;
but the boat was heavy, and though the water was calm we did not make
more than three knots an hour--and we knew not how many miles we might
have to go before we should reach land. During the day we each pulled
about an hour at a time; and at night, that we might enjoy longer sleep,
those at the oars continued two hours before they were relieved.
Providentially, the weather continued fine, and the sea almost as calm
as a mill-pond; thus we were able to make between sixty and seventy
miles a day.
I cannot describe the events of each day, as they are much confused in
my mind. We did our utmost to keep up our spirits: sometimes we sang,
and sometimes we told such stories as we could remember, either of
fiction or truth. Had poor Dick Tillard been alive and with us, his
fund of yarns would have been invaluable. We frequently spoke of him,
and mourned his loss. Mudge had seen a good deal of service, but he had
not the happy knack of describing what had happened to him in the
graphic, racy way poor Dick had of spinning a yarn. Mudge had been with
Lord Cochrane during the war, and had taken part in some of his most
gallant adventures. He was with him on board the _Pallas_ when her
boats had gallantly cut out the _Tapageuse_ brig, and afterwards in her
action with the _Minerva_, a ship nearly double her size; but his
gallant commander having been, by the malignity of his foes, compelled
to leave the navy, he himself had very little prospect of ever getting
his promotion.
He gave us an account of the capture off Barcelona, by the _Speedy_
sloop-of-war, of the _Gamo_ frigate, more than twice her size. The
_Speedy_ was a little craft, of one hundred and fifty-eight tons only,
and carried fourteen pop-guns--four-pounders--with a crew of fifty-four
men; while the _Gamo_ measured six hundred tons, and had thirty-two
guns, with a crew of three hundred and nineteen men. After a desperate
action, Lord Cochrane laid the little _Speedy_ on board his big
antagonist. He had ordered his men to blacken their faces; and one
party, led by his gallant Lieutenant Parker, boarded at the bow, and
soon gained a footing on the enemy's deck. Their begrimed faces and the
impetuosity of their onset struck dismay into the hearts of the
Spaniards, and they incontinently gave way. Meantime Lord Cochrane
headed the aftermost division; and the enemy, thus unexpectedly assailed
fore and aft, were driven a confused mass into the waist. Here a
desperate hand-to-hand struggle ensued; till one of the _Speedy's_ men,
having by the captain's direction fought his way to the ensign-staff,
hauled down the Spanish colours, when the Spaniards, believing that
their officers had struck the flag, cried out for quarter. The
difficulty was to secure the prisoners, they having been driven into the
main-hold of the _Gamo_. The ladders were removed, and guns were
pointed down on them, a man being stationed with a lighted match, ready
at any moment to fire among them should they attempt to retake the ship.
Meantime sail was made on the prize, and she stood away from the shore
just as a number of gunboats were seen coming out of Barcelona, which,
had they acted with any degree of spirit, might have captured the
_Speedy_, or compelled her to relinquish her prize.
"I wish I had been with him," exclaimed Mudge; "but I was not, for the
best of reasons--I was still in the nursery, and had not thought of
going to sea."
We all said the same, though none of the rest of us happened to have
been born at that time, as it was just the beginning of the century.
Poor Mudge--and there were many officers at that time, like him, old
enough to be post-captains, who were still master's mates--often sighed
as he talked of the events of former days, and I have seen him more than
once brushing away a tear as he spoke of his disappointed hopes and
blighted prospects.
Day after day we pulled on, each day looking more eagerly than ever for
land or for a ship. Our food was rapidly diminishing; and we had barely
sufficient water to give us a wine-glassful apiece for two more days.
Still, what might not happen in that time? Mudge urged us to keep up
our spirits and pull on. Tommy grumbled a little now and then, and
expressed a wish that he had never come to sea; but neither Harry nor
Popo uttered the slightest complaint. When it was their turn to row,
they pulled away with all their might; when they knocked off, they
generally lay down in the bottom of the boat and went to sleep. The day
was the most trying period, when the sun beat down on our unprotected
heads. Even with an ample supply of food and water we should have found
it trying; as it was, we suffered doubly. But then came the cool
refreshing night and an unbroken sleep of two hours, when we all
revived, and felt much better in the morning.
With a feeling which I cannot well describe, we at length emptied our
last nut-shell of the salt, strong-tasting liquid it contained.
"I trust we shall make the land before many hours are over, lads," said
Mudge, in as cheerful a tone as he could command; "or maybe we shall
fall in with some craft or other. I should prefer the latter, provided
she happens to be English, with a good supply of water on board."
"But suppose we don't," said Tom, gloomily.
"We mustn't think of that, lad," said Mudge; "we can all easily hold out
for another four-and-twenty hours; and we have still some cocoa-nuts,
which we must chew to prevent ourselves from feeling thirsty."
We now counted the hours as they went by. As yet our strength was not
materially decreased. Though our arms ached, we could still
mechanically labour at the oars when we got into our seats; but I very
much doubt that we made as much as three knots an hour.
That next night was the most trying we had yet passed in the boat. We
had had no breakfast in the morning, not a drop of water to cool our
parched tongues, or even to moisten our cracked lips. We might have
made the water, by more economy, hold out another day, but there was no
use regretting that now. We felt the heat greater than ever. Tom
proposed getting overboard; but there was the difficulty of getting in
again; so Mudge advised that we should simply dip our clothes in the
water and put them on again, that we might thus imbibe some moisture
through our skins. He charged us on no account, however thirsty we
might feel, to drink the salt water, pointing out the fearful result
which might ensue.
Once more the sun went down, and we tried to row, but could now scarcely
move the oars. At length, afraid of losing them, Mudge told Harry and
me, who were then rowing, or rather trying to row, to haul them in; and
we all stretched ourselves in the bottom of the boat and went to sleep.
Morning came again, and one by one we sat up and looked about us, and
then gazed into each other's faces without speaking.
"I vote we have breakfast," said Tom at length, "for I'm sharp set and
very thirsty."
"There's neither food nor water remaining, boy," answered Mudge in a
hollow tone. "God may, if he thinks fit, send us help before the day is
over. We can hold out a few hours longer, I should hope; but if help
does not come, we must make up our minds like men to die. It has been
the lot of many; why should we complain?"
These remarks were not calculated to raise our spirits. Perhaps Mudge
knew that it would be useless to make any attempt to do so. He spoke
but the truth, and we all knew that. It was a perfect calm; no vessel
could approach us, and we were too weak to row. Mudge and I made the
attempt, telling Tom to steer; but after a few strokes I could row no
more, and nearly let my oar slip before I could get it inboard.
"We must wait for a breeze," said Mudge, "which will come some time or
other; it is our only hope."
For some time he was silent. He alone continued seated on a thwart, the
rest of us having sunk down with our heads upon them, while we leaned
against the side of the boat. As the sun rose, the heat became more and
more oppressive.
"Lads, it won't do to give way to despair," exclaimed Mudge suddenly,
after he had been silent for an hour or more. "Can't some of you sit up
and talk?"
On hearing him say this, I endeavoured to arouse myself. Just then I
heard a gentle splash in the water not far off. "What's that?" I
exclaimed.
"A shoal of flying-fish," cried Mudge. "They are heading this way. Get
out your oar, Rayner, and we will try and intercept them."
By a desperate effort I did as he told me, while he pulled the oar on
the opposite side.
"That will do now," he cried. "Stand by, lads, and try to catch your
breakfast as they come this way."
The appeal was not in vain; even Tom showed that he had still some life
in him. The next instant several flying-fish fell into the boat, while
with the stretchers we knocked down others which came alongside. They
were pursued by a couple of albacores; one of these would have supplied
us with ample food for several days, but so rapid were their movements
that we got but a single blow at one of them. It dashed by the boat,
and was in an instant lost to sight.
The shoal having passed by, we had no hope of catching more, so we
immediately set to work eating those we had captured--more in the
fashion of ravenous beasts than human beings. They had died directly
they were out of the water, or we should scarcely have waited to give
them a knock on the head as a quietus before we dug our teeth into them.
When people are situated as we were, they do things at which under
other circumstances they would be horrified.
But eight fish had been caught; we had consumed five, and thus only
three remained to be divided among us for our next meal. However, even
the small amount of food we had taken somewhat restored our strength,
and I felt that I could hold out another day if water could be obtained;
but there was no prospect of rain--the only source from whence it could
be derived.
"If a bird would just tumble into the boat, it would give us meat and
drink," observed Mudge. "We must hope for that, since no rain is likely
to come."
In vain, however, did we look around for sea-fowl; by their
non-appearance we feared that we must still be far distant from land.
Though we felt the gnawings of hunger, we suffered still more from
thirst. When I at length dropped off to sleep, I dreamed of sparkling
fountains; I saw bottles of champagne, and bitter beer, and all sorts of
cooling beverages,--which, however, in some unaccountable way, I could
not manage to carry to my lips.
But I will not dwell longer on the sufferings my companions and I
endured; the subject is a painful one.
Mudge would not let us take the remainder of the fish that night,
observing that it would last till the next morning, when we should want
it for breakfast. We all acquiesced in his decision. He was constantly
awake during the night, but the rest of us dozed for the greater part of
it. At daylight, when I awoke, I saw that he had rigged one of the oars
as a mast, to the upper end of which he had fastened a large
handkerchief.
"Rouse up, boys!" he said, "and take your breakfast; we shall obtain
relief to-day, or I am much mistaken."
"Why?" I groaned out--for I could scarcely speak.
"Because there is a breeze coming. And look up there at those birds--
perhaps one of them will come down and pay us a visit; and if so, we
mustn't stand on ceremony, but knock it inhospitably on the head."
Mudge got out the fish, and cut each in two.
"You must take a whole one," I said; "you require more food than we do,
and our lives depend on your keeping up your strength."
"No; I shall reserve it for luncheon," he answered; "even that little
will be better than nothing, and it will be something to look forward
to."
So dry were our mouths, however, we could scarcely masticate the
uncooked fish.
We again sank down into our places. I felt that I could not hold out
many hours longer; while the rest appeared still more exhausted.
Not a word was uttered by any of us excepting Mudge, who in vain
appealed to us to talk. "Say something, boys! say something!" he every
now and then cried out; "this silence is bad for us all. I won't ask
you to crack a joke, or tell a funny story; but talk, boys--talk!" A
groan was the only answer any of us gave.
A gentle breeze blew from the eastward; I had just consciousness enough
to be aware of that--to see honest Mudge sitting near me, and constantly
looking about him.
What length of time had passed I know not, when I heard him shout, "A
sail, boys! a sail!--we shall be saved!" His voice aroused me, and I
saw him standing up, shading his eyes with his hand, while he leaned
against the oar which formed the mast. "She's standing this way; do
try, my lads, to hold out for an hour or so longer, and we shall have as
much water to drink and food to eat as we want," he exclaimed. "Here,
you shall have your luncheon;" and taking the half fish, he divided it
into four equal portions.
"No, no, I don't want any; I can hold out well enough," he answered,
when I made signs to him to take some. The rest of the party stretched
out their hands feebly for the portion he gave them, but could with
difficulty carry the food to their lips, or swallow it when they had got
it into their mouths. So exhausted were we, indeed, that though we knew
that a vessel was approaching, we were unable to sit up and watch her.
I too saw her, and as she got nearer Mudge sang out that she was a brig
under English colours; yet I could not believe that she was a reality.
I several times heard him speaking about her approach. Once he
exclaimed, with a deep groan,--"She's hauled her wind, and is standing
away from us!" then again,--"No, no; she sees us!--thank God, we're
saved! we're saved!" Still, his words had no effect upon me or the rest
of the party. Again I heard him hail; and a voice came from the brig in
return. I was just conscious that we were alongside, and soon
afterwards I felt myself lifted upon the deck; but my senses were
confused; I could not understand anything that was going forward, and
soon lost all consciousness.
How long I thus lay I could not tell, when, on opening my eyes, I saw a
face bending over me; it was that of my mother. I was sure that I was
dreaming, and again closed my eyes. The next time I opened them, they
fell on the sweet features of my young sister Edith. She stood by the
side of the cot in which I lay. I gazed at her for some seconds. There
she stood, watching me eagerly; yet I could not persuade myself that it
was really her. I knew how very vividly I had often seen persons and
objects in my dreams.
I was in a neatly furnished cabin; just before me was a picture of our
house at Clifton, and near it were hanging a girl's straw hat and
mantle. Again I turned my eyes towards the figure at my side. "Edith,"
I murmured, not expecting to receive a reply.
"Yes, yes, dear Godfrey, I am Edith! Oh, how thankful I am that you are
getting better, and know me."
The reply was very distinct, but so are often replies in dreams. Just
then I heard a voice which came down the skylight, giving an order to
the crew in an authoritative tone: it was that of my father, I was sure.
"Why, Edith, how has it all happened?" I asked; "is it a reality, or am
I still dreaming?"
"It is all real, I assure you," answered Edith. "I must call mamma.
Oh, how thankful she will be! We were afraid sometimes that you would
not get better, and poor Pierce has been so unhappy, and so have I; but
papa said he knew that you would recover, and we ought to have
remembered that he is always right. And now you must get well as fast
as you can."
As she said this, I began to be convinced that I was awake, and that
Edith really stood by my side. I did not detain her; and in another
minute my mother was bending over me, and folding me in her arms, just
as she had done the night before I came to sea. In a short time Pierce
made his appearance, but was only allowed to remain a few seconds. Then
my father came down, and said a few words expressive of his happiness;
and then Edith, who had gone away, returned with a cup of broth, with
which my mother fed me just as she had done when I was a baby.
I wanted at once to know how it had all happened, and what had brought
my family out into the Pacific.
"It is a long story, and you are not strong enough to listen to it now,"
answered my mother; "we will tell you in good time. One thing I may
say: we were providentially sent to rescue you and your companions."
"Are they all right?" I asked. "Have Mudge, and Harry, and Tom, and
Popo been saved?"
"Mr Mudge has almost recovered; and the rest are, I trust, out of
danger, though at first they appeared even weaker than you were,"
answered my mother. "Mr Mudge has told us Harry's interesting history.
Your father knows Captain Hudson, who is an old shipmate, and he will
do his best to restore the long-lost boy to his parents. However, we
must not talk more at present. Go to sleep again. Our medical book
says, that the more a person exhausted as you have been can sleep, the
sooner he will get well."
My mother having arranged a shawl over my shoulders, and bidding Edith
sit down out of sight, glided out of the cabin. When I tried to talk,
Edith only answered, "Hush!" and in a few minutes I was again asleep.
I do not know how it would have fared with us had we fallen into less
careful hands; but my companions and I, in spite of the heat, in a short
time recovered.
When I was strong enough to bear conversation, my mother told me how my
father, finding his mercantile business in England was not likely to
flourish, had resolved to emigrate to Australia, where, as an officer in
the navy, he could obtain a grant of land. Following his nautical
instincts, he had purchased a brig, on board of which he had shipped all
the family; purposing to make a trading voyage before finally settling
down, and hoping thus to realise a considerable sum, and pay the
expenses of the vessel. He had hitherto been tolerably successful,
though they had run no slight risk twice, if not oftener, of being cut
off by the treacherous natives--"Treacherous because, I fear, they have
been treated treacherously," observed my mother. "We have been
mercifully preserved, and are now on our way to Sydney, where we shall
sell the brig and commence our settlers' life. Your father, however,
intends first visiting New Caledonia; and perhaps New Guinea, and some
other islands."
"Oh, then, I will leave the navy and settle with you!" I exclaimed.
"And I am nearly certain that Mudge will also be ready to give up the
navy and join us; as also, I am sure, will Harry, and Tom, and Popo."
It was, indeed, most providential that the brig picked us up, for it was
more than a fortnight after this that we made New Caledonia, along the
northern shore of which we coasted; my father intending to bring up in
some convenient harbour, where we could communicate with the natives,
and purchase sandal-wood, or other productions of the country. The
shore consisted of ranges of hills of some height, mostly covered with
wood, with low plains and valleys intervening. We saw several double
canoes under sail, such as I have before described.
At last we found a harbour, the appearance of which from the sea tempted
my father to enter it. The instant we dropped our anchor, the vessel
was surrounded by canoes, which brought off vegetables and all sorts of
provisions; but having heard of the way in which many vessels had been
cut off by the natives, my father wisely resolved to allow no one to
come on board. The crew were kept under arms while he and his mates
trafficked with the natives; the articles he had to dispose of being
lowered down into the canoes, while the provisions were hoisted up on
deck. Had similar precautions been taken by the commanders of other
vessels, numerous fearful tragedies might have been prevented.
Some of the canoes I speak of had outriggers; but others, used
apparently only for the smooth water of the harbour, consisted merely of
four trunks of some light wood, partially hollowed out by fire, and
lashed tightly together. Two men sat in them,--one in the bows and the
other astern,--who used long pointed paddles like the heads of spears.
They usually carried one passenger; in some instances this passenger was
a woman, enveloped from head to foot in a cloak of matting.
As the brig had her six guns pointed through her ports, and the crew
were seen pacing the deck with cutlasses by their sides and muskets in
their hands, the people showed every disposition to behave peaceably,
and to traffic on fair terms. Finding that we wanted sandal-wood, they
brought off an ample supply, for which my father gave them a price which
thoroughly satisfied them. Had all traders behaved as he did, I am
convinced that the natives, who have often been stigmatised as
treacherous savages, would have gained a very different character.
We again sailed, steering westward, as my father wished to inspect some
of the northern portions of the eastern coast of Australia, at that time
but little known. His intercourse with savages had led him to believe
that, if properly treated, as he had always treated them, they could be
easily managed; and he had therefore no fear of settling at a distance
from other colonists. Indeed, he wished to be as far as possible from
other stations; so that, by keeping the convict servants assigned to him
away from the contaminating influence of their old companions, he might
have a better opportunity of improving them, while he might at the same
time win the confidence of the natives.
I have as yet said nothing about the brig, or those on board. She was
called the _Violet_, of nearly two hundred tons burthen. The first and
second mates were respectively men selected by my father for their good
character, but there was nothing remarkable about them. The boatswain,
Ned Burton, took the place in my regard which I had bestowed on poor
Dick Tillard, whom, strangely enough, he knew.
"And a right honest fellow he was, Master Godfrey," said Ned; "and if
ever I go to that island from which you have escaped, I'll pay a visit
to his grave. He and I served His Majesty for many a year; and if the
peace hadn't come, we should have been serving him still. When the war
was over, and I was paid off, I had made up my mind to remain on shore;
and so I should, had not your father, who made his first trip to sea
with me, asked me to come out on board the _Violet_. He would have made
me second mate; but then, you see, I don't understand navigation, and so
I couldn't take the situation. Howsomdever, when he said he would make
me a boatswain, I couldn't refuse him; and I'm thinking, when the ship
is sold, and if I like the country, of settling down along with him, and
sending for my old woman and our two daughters."
I told Ned I thought he would act very wisely; and that in consequence
of what Mr Mudge had said to me, and believing that I should have very
little chance of promotion, I had made up my mind to quit the service,
if Captain Bracewell would allow me.
"Not much difficulty about that, Master Godfrey," answered Ned,
laughing. "They don't set a high value on midshipmen, according to my
experience; and as he has probably long before this given you and the
rest up for lost, he won't be ferreting you out in Australia."
"But I should not like to do anything dishonourable," I said; "and if
the captain were to insist on my returning in the ship, I am bound to do
so: besides which, I left my chest on board, and there is pay due to
me."
"I thought a midshipman's pay was always nothing, and find yourself,
Master Godfrey," said Ned. "And as for your chest and its contents,
they've been sold by auction on the capstan-head long ago, so that it
would be a hard job to get them back again."
I talked the matter over with Pierce, who earnestly advised me not to
think of quitting our father, and said he was sure that he would give me
the same advice, as he had often said how much he wished I could have
been with him.
I must not forget to mention my young sister's pet goat Nanny, which had
long afforded her and my mother milk for breakfast and tea. Nanny was
the most affectionate of animals; and the moment Edith appeared on deck
in the morning would come bounding up to her, and seemed delighted at
being fondled, though she would butt at any one else who touched her.
She, however, made friends with Harry, and when Edith was below would
come up to him and wait to be caressed; but no sooner did she see her
mistress, than she would hasten to her--looking at Harry, as much as to
say, "I like you very well, but I like her best."
We were progressing favourably on our voyage, which would in a short
time terminate. I have said little or nothing about the wonders of the
ocean, for they have been so often described. I cannot, however, avoid
mentioning a beautiful phenomenon which occurred one night as we were
approaching the Australian coast. There was a light breeze, which just
rippled the water into wavelets, amid which the brig glided onward. The
sky was overcast sufficiently to hide the stars. Dark as it was
overhead, the whole ocean was flashing with light,--at some places in
streaks, at others in vast masses, the spouts of several whales
appearing like jets of liquid fire; while numberless huge medusae
floated about, appearing as if composed of molten silver.
"I wonder the ship doesn't catch fire!" exclaimed Tommy, who had just
come on deck. "It would be a bad job if it did, for how should we ever
put it out again? What can light up the water in this fashion?"
My father overheard him. "We call it the phosphorescence of the sea,
because it resembles the glow emitted by phosphorus," he answered.
"Those who have studied the subject say that it is caused by the
presence of myriads of minute marine organisms, some soft and
gelatinous, and others--such as the Crustacea--of a hard nature; but, in
reality, under some conditions of the atmosphere all sorts of marine
creatures, like those huge medusae, shine both in the water and out of
it."
This appearance continued many hours. I got up Edith, who had already
retired to her cabin, to look at it. She was as delighted as we were,
and wanted us to have a bucketful brought on deck. Greatly to our
surprise, the water in the bucket shone almost as brilliantly as it did
in the ocean.
The next day the wind changed, and the weather became much worse than it
had been since we had been taken on board. The wind was continually
shifting, now coming from one quarter and now from another. I saw that
my father was unusually anxious. He felt that the safety of the vessel,
and the lives of all on board, depended on him. It was a long time
since he had been at sea, and he had never been off this coast before.
I believe that it would have been better for us had we at once stood off
the land. It was too late to hope to do so, when the wind, coming round
to the eastward, began to blow a perfect hurricane. My father then
hoped to find shelter within the coral reefs which ran along the coast
at a distance of from five to a dozen miles, on which Captain Cook's
ship, the _Endeavour_, was nearly cast away, in his first voyage.
Soon after daybreak, the hurricane came down with redoubled fury. The
brig was hove-to under close-reefed fore-topsails. She behaved well;
and we hoped, believing that we were still some thirty miles or more
from the coast, that she would not near the reefs till the gale had
abated. An anxious look-out, however, was kept all day to leeward. My
father did not tell my mother and Edith the danger we were in, but
merely begged them to remain in the cabin.
It was about three o'clock in the afternoon, when the first mate, who
had been seated in the main-top looking out, came down on deck, and gave
my father the alarming intelligence that he saw a line of breakers to
leeward, extending north and south as far as the eye could reach.
"Could you discover no opening in them?" asked my father.
"I am not certain at this distance that there is none, though the line
of surf appeared to me without a break for its whole length," was the
answer.
"It will take us some time to drift so far, at all events," observed my
father; "and before then the wind may come down."
The mate looked anxiously to the eastward. "I don't see any sign of
that," he answered.
"We must trust in Providence, then," said my father. "However, I will
go aloft; and if we can discover an opening, we will endeavour to carry
the ship through it."
I followed my father to the main-top, and stood looking out with him for
some minutes. At length it appeared to me that about half a mile to the
southward there was a space where the ocean was much less agitated than
in other parts. I pointed it out to my father.
"You are right," he said, after a pause. "It may afford us the means of
escape; for should the gale continue during the night, no human power
can save us--long before it is over, we should be on the reef."
Having accordingly taken the bearings of the opening, he descended the
rigging.
The operation of keeping away, when a ship has been hove-to, is at all
times a dangerous one, and requires the most careful management, as the
sea may otherwise strike her, and wash everything from her decks. The
crew were ordered to their stations. The first mate, with a couple of
trusty hands, went to the wheel.
"Up with the helm!" cried my father, waiting till an enormous sea had
passed by us. "Brace round the fore-yard!"
It was done, and the brig's head fell off to the westward. The
main-topsail, closely reefed, was set, and we had then as much canvas as
she could stagger under. As it was, several seas swept over her deck,
carrying away portions of her bulwarks, and doing other damage; but all
hands clung on to the stanchions around the mast, and happily no one was
washed overboard. As we flew on, we could see the breakers flying high
up on our starboard bow; while ahead appeared the opening which we had
before made out. The wind, it should be understood, was on our port, or
larboard quarter, as it was then called. The topsail-yards bent with
the pressure put upon them. Should they go, the brig, deprived of her
after-sail, would be unable to weather the southern end of the reef.
On and on we flew. A few minutes would decide our fate. Huge seas came
rolling up astern, threatening to break aboard us; while, on either
hand, the white breakers rose to the height of our tops,--those on the
starboard side being so near us that it appeared even now that we should
be overwhelmed. We flew through it, however; and I heard an expression
of thankfulness escape my father as the white wall of foam appeared over
our starboard quarter. For the present we were in comparative safety;
but night was coming on, and the shore could not be far off. Once more
we hauled up to the northward; then hove-to under the lee of the reef,
hoping that the drift during the night would not carry us on shore.
Still, our position was not free from danger. The water, even under the
lee of the reef, was considerably agitated, although there was but
little risk of the seas actually breaking on board as long as we
remained afloat. The order was given to range the cable, and get ready
for anchoring, should we approach the shore.
No one turned in, for we could not tell at what moment all hands might
be required. Towards the end of the first watch, the gale began to
moderate, and our hopes of ultimately escaping rose considerably. My
father waited till midnight, and then ordered the watch just relieved to
turn in, to be ready to take their duty in the morning. It was my
morning watch; so I followed his directions, and turned in to my berth,
hoping at daylight to see the coast of Australia, which I had pictured
in glowing colours.
I was awakened by an ominous grating sound, and then by a blow which
made the vessel quiver from stem to stern. She lifted for an instant,
and then down she came again with a crash which seemed to be wrenching
her timbers asunder. I knew too well what had happened. We were on
shore; and in an instant I realised all the horrors of our situation.
The cries and shouts which reached me from the deck left no doubt about
the matter.
Shipping on my clothes, I hurried into the cabin, where I found my
mother and Edith. Entreating them to remain where they were till my
father summoned them, I next went on deck to ascertain the worst.
The brig had been carried over a sunken reef, and lay with her masts
pointing towards the shore, which could be distinguished through the
gloom not more than half a mile away. My father stood by the mainmast
perfectly composed, issuing orders as if nothing had occurred. Hands
were sent aloft to furl the foretopsail; and he then directed that the
boats on the starboard side should be brought over, so as to be launched
into the smoother water under our lee--where, on sounding, we found that
there was sufficient depth to float them without risk of their striking
the coral below. We had driven on to a small inner reef--a portion,
probably, of what was once the fringing reef of the continent.
It may seem strange that my father had not gone into the cabin, but his
professional duty overcame all other considerations. His first thought
was to take measures for preserving the lives of all on board.
As soon as he heard my voice near him, he directed me to go back to the
cabin, to assure my mother and Edith that, though the brig might be
lost, he felt perfect confidence that we should all be conveyed safely
on shore, and desired them to put together such things as they were most
likely to require under the circumstances that we might be placed in.
Although my mother was alarmed, her fears did not overcome her; and
Edith, seeing her comparatively calm, did not give way to terror.
"This is indeed a sad misfortune," said my mother; "but God's will be
done. We must trust to him to protect us. Tell your father we will do
what he desires, and shall be ready to leave the vessel as soon as he
summons us."
I went on deck, and found my father and the mates, aided by Mudge,
labouring with the crew in getting two of the boats into the water. Our
boat had unfortunately been stove in by the falling of the topmasts when
the brig struck.
"It is as well to be on the safe side, and to have the boats ready to
shove off in case it should be necessary," I heard Mudge observe to my
father. "But, if I mistake not, it was somewhere about here that
Captain Cook, on his first voyage round the world, was nearly lost in
the _Endeavour_; though I think he must have been further off-shore.
His ship was in a worse condition than ours, I suspect, for she went on
shore at high-water; and it was not till after two or three tides had
fallen and risen, and a large quantity of her stores had been hove
overboard, that she was got off. Even then she would have foundered,
had not a fothered sail--the use of which was not so generally known
then as at present--been got under her bottom, by which she was kept
afloat till she was carried into Endeavour River. Never perhaps was a
ship so nearly lost; and yet, bad as was her condition, she continued
her voyage round the world, and arrived safely in England."
"You hear what Mr Mudge says, my men," observed my father to the crew;
"it ought to encourage us: but whether we get the ship off or not, I
feel very confident that we shall reach the shore without difficulty."
"Never fear for us, sir," cried Ned Burton--"we'll do our duty; and if
the brig don't budge, it will not be our fault."
In the meantime, while I was below, the sails were furled, and the
carpenter, by my father's orders, had sounded the well. He now reported
six feet of water in the hold; which showed that the water must be
rushing in with fearful rapidity. The pumps were immediately manned,
and all hands set to work to keep it under as much as possible.
While the mates were labouring with the men at the pumps, my father and
Mudge and I tried the depth of water round the ship. Although there was
sufficient on the lee side to float the boats--we found six feet
astern--there were not more than eight feet on the weather or starboard
side. We thus knew that she must have beaten over the ledge into a sort
of basin, from which it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to
extricate her. As the sea, however, did not beat against her with much
force, we hoped, should the wind not again increase, that she would hold
together till we could get such stores out of her as would be necessary
for our support. We were, we knew, a long way from any of the
settlements, and, though we might reach them in the boats, a voyage
along that rocky and inhospitable coast would be a dangerous one. My
father did not perhaps express what he thought to the crew, as he wished
to keep up their spirits, and to make every possible effort to get off
the brig before he abandoned the attempt as hopeless. Nothing effectual
could be done till the return of high-water, however, and daylight would
enable us to see our position more clearly than at present.
As soon as "Spell O!" was cried, my father and Mudge and I took our turn
at the pumps, and worked away as energetically as any one, though we
well knew that all our efforts might be in vain. Again and again the
carpenter sounded the well, and each time reported that, notwithstanding
our exertions, the water was gaining on us. Still we laboured on, till
at length the first streaks of morning appeared in the sky. It was very
nearly high-water when we first drove on the reef; the tide had since
been falling, and for the present it would be utterly impossible to move
the ship. Our fear was that should we leave her she would fill, and the
stores and cargo be damaged.
My father now for the first time went below, and I accompanied him. We
found my mother and Edith still employed in packing up the articles they
considered would most be required on shore.
"This is a sad event, my dear wife," he said; "but we must bear it
patiently, and endeavour to do the best we can in the circumstances in
which we are placed. I am anxious to land you and Edith without delay;
and I propose to send you and the boys under the charge of Mr Mudge or
one of the mates, with a tent and as many provisions as the boat will
carry, so that should bad weather come on you will be out of danger."
"I will do as you wish," answered my mother; "but I would far rather
remain on board till you yourself think it necessary to leave the brig.
I don't like the thought of landing on a strange shore without you; and
I should be very anxious there while you are still on the wreck and
exposed to danger."
"I don't expect to incur any danger by remaining; and should it become
necessary to leave the brig in a hurry, we shall be able to do so far
more easily when you are already safe on shore," answered my father.
"However, as you wish it, you can wait a little longer. In the
meantime, the boat can be got ready; and you and those who are to
accompany you can have breakfast."
The composed way in which my father spoke considerably reassured my
mother. Having given orders to the steward to get breakfast ready, with
as much calmness as if we were still running on under easy sail in an
open sea, my father went on deck.
Mudge assisting us, we immediately set to work to get up such stores as
could be most easily reached, with some sails and several spars for
rigging a tent. While we were thus engaged, the mates got a hawser
ranged ready to carry the stream-anchor out ahead, to be ready to try
and haul the brig off at the top of high-water; the rest of the people
still labouring at the pumps.
My father now sent Pierce and Tommy Peck into the cabin, telling them to
eat a good breakfast, that they might be able to make themselves useful.
Harry, Mudge, and I followed; but we scarcely sat down a minute,
tumbling the food into our mouths as fast as we could, and drinking our
coffee while standing with the cups in our hands. Mudge was off again
almost immediately, to allow my father to come down and take his
breakfast. I was struck by the way in which my mother presided at the
table, Edith helping her as if nothing unusual had occurred.
Harry and I soon followed Mudge, whom we found engaged in stowing the
boat. We were assisting him, when we were again summoned to the pumps;
for they could not be allowed to rest for a moment, and the gang who had
just been working at them were quite tired out, and required their
breakfast.
All this time the sea, though it did not break over the vessel, was
striking her side, and every now and then made her give a lurch which I
thought would send the masts out of her. The tide having turned, was
now again rapidly rising; so the anchor was carried out ahead, and
preparations made to heave her off! As the tide rose the seas began to
beat with greater force against the side of the vessel, frequently
flying over her deck.
"Mudge," said my father, "I must no longer delay sending Mrs Rayner and
the young people on shore; I confide her and them to your charge,
feeling sure that you will act, according to the best of your judgment,
for their good. I trust that you will meet with no natives; but if you
do, and they appear to be hostile, you have arms with which to keep them
at a distance."
"Depend on me, sir," said Mudge; who now, with the men chosen to man the
boat, hauled her alongside.
My father went below, and returned conducting my mother and sister.
They were then carefully lowered into the boat, in which Mudge and the
crew were seated; Pierce went next; Harry, Tom, Popo, and I followed.
"Oh, may we have Nanny with us?" cried Edith, not even then forgetting
her favourite.
"Where's Nanny? where's Nanny?" was cried along the deck; it was feared
at first that she had been washed overboard.
"Here she is, all right," cried the cook, who had looked into the
caboose, where it was found that the goat had wisely taken shelter on
finding herself neglected by her friends. Her usually sleek hair was
somewhat blackened, but that did not matter. She was hauled out of her
hiding-place and carried to the side of the vessel. On seeing Edith in
the boat she would of her own accord have leaped in after her, but as in
doing so she might have pitched upon some of our heads, she was lowered
carefully down.
"Thank you, thank you," cried Edith, as she patted the head of her
favourite, who was exhibiting her satisfaction at being with her young
mistress.
As we shoved off, my mother looked anxiously at the brig, still
evidently not liking to leave my father on board. He had told Mudge to
ascertain if there were any natives in the neighbourhood; and should he
be certain that there were none, to send the boat back, that she might
either assist in getting the brig off, or take more stores and
provisions on shore. As we pulled away the position of the brig
appeared hopeless indeed, and I believe my father would have thought so
had he been with us; but he could not bring himself to abandon her till
he had tried every possible means of getting her off. She was heeling
over on her side; and as the pumps were kept going, the water flowed out
at the scuppers in a continuous stream.
"Is there no hope, Mr Mudge, of getting the vessel off?" asked my
mother.
"The commander thinks that there is, or he would not have remained," he
answered evasively, not giving his own opinion; but I saw by his
countenance that he did not think there was any hope.
Our attention was now turned towards the shore. As we approached we
discovered what appeared to be the mouth of a river some way to the
south of where the brig lay, and as Mudge considered we should obtain a
better landing-place within it than was offered by the beach, all along
which the surf broke with some force, he steered towards it. We found
that it was directly opposite the passage through the reef by which we
had entered. The ground on the south side rose to a considerable
height, with a line of cliffs facing the sea-shore; while on the north
the country was much lower, and covered sparsely with trees of a curious
growth, such as I had never before seen, and with no underwood anywhere
visible; but the mouth of the river on the lower side was lined with
mangroves, which extended into the water.
There was some sea on the bar, but not sufficient to make Mudge hesitate
about entering. He waited, however, for a good opportunity. "Give way,
my lads," he shouted. Just then a roller came foaming up astern, which
made me dread that my mother and Edith would get a wetting, even if the
consequences were not more serious; but we kept ahead of it, and in
another minute were in smooth water.
We soon discovered a rocky point on the north side, which offered a good
landing-place, with green turf and a few trees growing on the upper
side; and here we first set foot on the shores of Australia.