AND now for the strange report that landed at Juan Fernandez while
General Rolleston was searching Masa Fuero.
The coaster who brought it ashore had been in company, at Valparaiso,
with a whaler from Nantucket, who told him he had fallen in with a Dutch
whaler out at sea, and distressed for water. He had supplied the said
Dutchman, who had thanked him, and given him a runlet of Hollands, and
had told him in conversation that he had seen land and a river reflected
on the sky, in waters where no land was marked in the chart; namely,
somewhere between Juan Fernandez and Norfolk Island; and that, believing
this to be the reflection of a part of some island near at hand, and his
water being low, though not at that time run out, he had gone
considerably out of his course in hopes of finding this watered island,
but could see nothing of it. Nevertheless, as his grandfather, who had
been sixty years at sea, and logged many wonderful things, had told him
the sky had been known to reflect both ships and land at a great
distance, he fully believed there was an island somewhere in that
longitude, not down on any chart; an island wooded and watered.
This tale soon boarded the _Springbok,_ and was hotly discussed on the
forecastle. It came to Captain Moreland's ears, and he examined the
skipper of the coasting-smack. But this examination elicited nothing new,
inasmuch as the skipper had the tale only at third hand. Captain
Moreland, however, communicated it to General Rolleston on his arrival,
and asked him whether he thought it worth while to deviate from their
instructions upon information of such a character. Rolleston shook his
head. "An island reflected in the sky!"
"No, sir; a portion of an island containing a river."
"It is clearly a fable," said Rolleston, with a sigh.
"What is a fable, general?"
"That the sky can reflect terrestrial objects."
"Oh, there I can't go with you. The phenomenon is rare, but it is well
established. I never saw it myself, but I have come across those that
have. Suppose we catechise the forecastle. Hy! Fok'sel!"
"Sir!"
"Send a man aft; the oldest seaman aboard."
"Ay, ay, sir."
There was some little delay; and then a sailor of about sixty slouched
aft, made a sea scrape, and, removing his cap entirely, awaited the
captain's commands.
"My man," said the captain, "I want you to answer a question. Do you
believe land and ships have ever been seen in the sky, reflected?"
"A many good seamen holds to that, sir," said the sailor, cautiously.
"Is it the general opinion of seamen before the mast? Come, tell us.
Jack's as good as his master in these matters."
"Couldn't say for boys and lubbers, sir. But I never met a full-grown
seaman as denied that there. Sartainly few has seen it; but all of 'em
has seen them as has seen it; ships, and land, too; but mostly ships.
Hows'ever, I had a messmate once as was sailing past a rock they call
Ailsa Craig, and saw a regiment of soldiers a-marching in the sky. Logged
it, did the mate; and them soldiers was a-marching between two towns in
Ireland at that very time."
"There, you see, general," said Captain Moreland.
"But this is all second-hand," said General Rolleston, with a sigh; "and
I have learned how everything gets distorted in passing from one to
another."
"Ah," said the captain, "we can't help that; the thing is rare. I never
saw it for one; and I suppose you never saw a phenomenon of the kind,
Isaac?"
"Hain't I!" said Isaac, grimly. Then, with sudden and not very reasonable
heat, "D---- my eyes and limbs if I hain't seen the Peak o' Teneriffe in
the sky topsy-turvy, and as plain as I see that there cloud there"
(pointing upward).
"Come," said Moreland; "now we are getting to it. Tell us all about
that."
"Well, sir," said the seaman, "I don't care to larn them as laughs at
everything they hain't seen in maybe a dozen voyages at most; but you
know me, and I knows you; though you command the ship, and I work before
the mast. Now I axes you, sir, should you say Isaac Aiken was the man to
take a sugar-loaf, or a cocked hat, for the Peak o' Teneriffe?"
"As likely as I am myself, Isaac."
"No commander can say fairer nor that," said Isaac, with dignity. "Well,
then, your honor, I'll tell ye the truth, and no lie. We was bound for
Teneriffe with a fair wind, though not so much of it as we wanted, by
reason she was a good sea-boat, but broad in the bows. The Peak hove in
sight in the sky, and all the glasses was at her. She lay a point or two
on our weather quarter like, full two hours, and then she just melted
away like a lump o' sugar. We kept on our course a day and a half, and at
last we sighted the real Peak, and anchored off the port; whereby, when
we saw Teneriffe Peak in the sky to winnard, she lay a hundred leagues to
board, s'help me God!"
"That is wonderful," said General Rolleston.
"That will do, Isaac," said the captain. "Mr. Butt, double his grog for a
week, for having seen more than I have."
The captain and General Rolleston had a long discussion; but the result
was, they determined to go to Easter Island first, for General Rolleston
was a soldier, and had learned to obey as well as command. He saw no
sufficient ground for deviating from Wardlaw's positive instructions.
This decision soon became known throughout the ship. She was to weigh
anchor at 11 A.M. next day, by high water.
At eight next morning, Captain Moreland and General Rolleston being on
deck, one of the ship's boys, a regular pet, with rosy cheeks and black
eyes, comes up to the gentlemen, takes off his cap, and, panting audibly
at his own audacity, shoves a paper into General Rolleston's hand and
scuds away for his life.
"This won't do," said the captain, sternly.
The high-bred soldier handed the paper to him unopened.
The captain opened it, looked a little vexed, but more amused, and handed
it back to the general.
It was a ROUND ROBIN.
Round Robins are not ingratiating as a rule. But this one came from some
rough but honest fellows, who had already shown that kindliness and tact
may reside in a coarse envelope. The sailors of the _Springbok,_ when
they first boarded her in the Thames, looked on themselves as men bound
on an empty cruise; and nothing but the pay, which was five shillings per
month above the average, reconciled them to it; for a sailor does not
like going to sea for nothing, any more than a true sportsman likes to
ride to hounds that are hunting a red herring trailed.
But the sight of the general had touched them afar off. His gray hair and
pale face, seen as he rowed out of Plymouth Harbor, had sent them to the
yards by a gallant impulse; and all through the voyage the game had been
to put on an air of alacrity and hope, whenever they passed the general
or came under his eye.
If hypocrisy is always a crime, this was a very criminal ship; for the
men, and even the boys, were hypocrites, who, feeling quite sure that the
daughter was dead at sea months ago, did, nevertheless, make up their
faces to encourage the father into thinking she was alive and he was
going to find her. But people who pursue this game too long, and keep up
the hopes of another, get infected at last themselves; and the crew of
the _Springbok_ arrived at Valparaiso infected with a little hope. Then
came the Dutchman's tale, and the discussion, which ended adversely to
their views; and this elicited the circular we have now the honor to lay
before our readers.
[We who sign
About this line,
hope none offence and mean none
We think Easter Island is out of her
course. Such of us as can be spared are
ready and willing to take the old cutter, that
lies for sale, to Easter Island if needs be; but to
waste the Steamer it is a Pity. We are all agreed
the Dutch skipper saw land and water aloft
sailing between Juan Fernandez and Norfolk Isle,
and what a Dutchman can see on the sky we
think an Englishman can find it in the sea,
God willing. Whereby we pray our good
Captain to follow the Dutchman's course
with a good heart and a willing crew.
And so say we
Whose names here be.]
General Rolleston and Captain Moreland returned to the cabin and
discussed this document. They came on deck again, and the men were piped
aft. General Rolleston touched his cap, and, with the Round Robin in his
hand, addressed them thus:
"My men, I thank you for taking my trouble to heart as you do. But it
would be a bad return to send any of you to Easter Island in that cutter;
for she is not seaworthy, so the captain tells me. I will not consent to
throw away your lives in trying to save a life that is dear to me. But,
as to the Dutchman's story about an unknown island, our captain seems to
think that is possible; and you tell us you are of the same opinion.
Well, then, I give up my own judgment, and yield to yours. Yes, we will
go westward with a good heart (he sighed), and a willing crew."
The men cheered. The boatswain piped; the anchor was heaved, and the
_Springbok_ went out on a course that bade fair to carry her within a
hundred miles of Godsend Island.
She ran fast. On the second day some ducks passed over her head, one of
which was observed to have something attached to its leg.
She passed within sixty miles of Mount Lookout; but never saw Godsend
Island; and so pursued her way to the Society Islands; sent out her
boats; made every inquiry around about the islands, but with no success;
and, at last, after losing a couple of months there, brought the
heart-sick father back on much the same course, but rather more
northerly.