AND but for the land-bird which rested on their mast, and for their own
mercy in sparing it, they would have passed to the eastward, and never
seen that giant palm-tree in mid-ocean.
"Oh, let us put out all our sails, and fly to it!" cried Helen.
Welch smiled and said, "No, miss, ye mustn't. Lord love ye; what! run on
to a land ye don't know, happy go lucky, in the dark, like that? Lay her
head for the tree, and welcome, but you must lower the mainsel and
treble-reef the foresel; and so creep on a couple of knots an hour, and,
by daybreak, you'll find the island close under your lee. Then you can
look out for a safe landing-place."
"The island, Mr. Welch!" said Helen.
"There is no island, or I should have seen it."
"Oh, the island was hull down. Why, you don't think as palm-trees grow in
the water? You do as I say, or you'll get wrecked on some thundering reef
or other."
Upon this Mr. Hazel and Miss Rolleston set to work, and, with
considerable difficulty lowered the mainsail, and treblereefed the
foresail.
"That is right," said Welch. "To-morrow you'll land in safety, and bury
my messmate and me."
"Oh, no!" cried Helen Rolleston. "We must bury him, but we mean to cure
you." They obeyed Welch's instructions, and so crept on all night; and,
so well had this able seaman calculated distance and rate of sailing,
that, when the sun rose, sure enough there was an island under their lee,
distant about a league, though it looked much less. But the palm-tree was
more than twice that distance. Owing to wind and current they had made
lee-way all night, and that tree stood on the most westerly point of the
island.
Hazel and Miss Rolleston stood up and hurrahed for joy; then fell on
their knees in silent gratitude. Welch only smiled.
The breeze had freshened, and, though there were no great waves at sea,
yet breakers, formidable to such a craft as theirs, were seen foaming
over long disjointed reefs ahead, that grinned black and dangerous here
and there.
They then consulted Welch, and he told them they must tack directly, and
make a circuit of the island; he had to show them how to tack; and, the
sea rising, they got thoroughly wetted, and Miss Rolleston rather
frightened; for here was a peril they had wonderfully escaped hitherto.
However, before eleven o'clock, they had stood out to sea, and coasted
the whole south side of the island. They then put the boat before the
wind, and soon ran past the east coast, which was very narrow--in fact, a
sort of bluff-head--and got on the north side of the island. Here the
water was comparatively smooth, and the air warm and balmy. They ranged
along the coast at about a mile's distance, looking out for a good
landing.
Here was no longer an unbroken line of cliffs, but an undulating shore,
with bulging rocks, and lines of reef. After a mile or two of that the
coast ran out seaward, and they passed close to a most extraordinary
phenomenon of vegetation. Great tangled woods crowned the shore and the
landward slopes, and their grand foliage seemed to flow over into the
sea; for here was a broad rocky flat intersected with a thousand little
channels of the sea; and the thousand little islets so formed were
crowded, covered and hidden with luxuriant vegetation. Huge succulent
leaves of the richest hue hung over the water, and some of the most
adventurous of them showed, by the crystals that sparkled on their green
surface, that the waves had actually been kissing them at high tide. This
ceased, and they passed right under a cliff, wooded nearly to the point.
This cliff was broad and irregular, and in one of its cavities a cascade
of pure fresh water came sparkling, leaping and tumbling down to the foot
of the rock. There it had formed a great basin of water, cool, deep,
transparent, which trickled over on to a tongue of pink sand and went in
two crystal gutters to the sea.
Great and keen was the rapture this sight caused our poor parched
voyagers; and eager their desire to land at once, if possible, and plunge
their burning lips, and swelling throats, and fevered hands into that
heavenly liquid; but the next moment they were diverted from that purpose
by the scene that burst on them.
This wooded cliff, with its wonderful cascade, was the very gate of
paradise. They passed it, and in one moment were in a bay--a sudden bay,
wonderfully deep for its extent, and sheltered on three sides. Broad
sands with rainbow tints, all sparkling, and dotted with birds, some
white as snow, some gorgeous. A peaceful sea of exquisite blue kissing
these lovely sands with myriad dimples; and, from the land side, soft
emerald slopes, embroidered with silver threads of water, came to the
very edge of the sands. So that, from all those glorious hues, that
flecked the prismatic and sparkling sands, the eye of the voyagers passed
at once to the vivid, yet sweet and soothing green of Nature; and over
this paradise the breeze they could no longer feel wafted spicy but
delicate odors from unseen trees.
Even Welch raised himself in the boat, and sniffed the heavenly air, and
smiled at the heavenly spot. "Here's a blessed haven!" said he. "Down
sail, and row her ashore."