Stranded.
When the ship stranded on the reef all on board were thrown from their
feet, and the anguishing cries of the shipwrecked mingled with the
creaking of the vessel and the roaring of the waves. The two boys
found themselves in utter darkness in a corner of the cabin. Willy,
the first to recover himself sufficiently to speak, said:
"Oh, Peppo, are you alive?"
"I thought the ship was sinking and that we were drowning. Oh, if we
had only all repented and atoned," groaned Peppo.
"Hear your people calling," said Willy.
"They are not baptized and will go to hell. Shall we not try to
baptize them? Come, quickly, let us try. If I could only find the
door--here it is. Come, come."
Willy wished to make the effort with his little friend acting as
interpreter and preacher, but scarcely had he and Peppo groped their
way out of the cabin before they found themselves caught in a crowd of
human beings, who screaming and howling at the top of their lungs, were
making their way from the steerage into which the water was streaming.
The prow of the ship had struck the reef and was high above the water
while great waves washed over the stern. All were crowding up the
narrow gangway and soon with three hundred Chinaman on deck there was
not an inch of space not covered with water which was unoccupied. In
their fear of death they climbed what was left of the rigging and hung
there like monkeys calling upon Buddha and all the heathen gods for
help and giving utterance to wild, maniacal shrieks. The boys would
have been pushed overboard in this panic had it not been that they fell
in with the Captain and helmsman who protected them as best they could.
"Tell your people," cried Green to Peppo, "that there is no need of
this frightful, insane howling. We are so securely lodged that we
cannot possibly sink, and the wreck will hold together until morning.
Five minutes ago when I saw that we were going to strike the reef, I
wouldn't have given a pipeful of tobacco for all our lives." And the
Captain said to Willy in a more friendly manner than he had ever
spoken: "You prayed well, my little man."
"Will the first officer also be good to me?" asked Willy, happy to
receive a kind word.
"Hello, Redfox," cried Green, "we quite forgot you in this mad
scramble," and the helmsman went to him and helped him along the deck.
"We are all in the same fix, and as Christians who pray 'Our Father' we
should forgive and be brothers. Here is my hand." The first officer
refused the proffered hand, turning his back on the honest helmsman.
The night with its raging storm wore away; towards morning the moon
showing itself in a rift in the clouds lighted the scene. Scarcely two
ships' lengths away the sea thundered on the beach; farther out the
waves, mountain-high, rolled in endless succession; to the right and
left extended the reef like a wall, several meters above the water,
except in one place it sank down so abruptly that even at low tide it
was under water.
"Truly it is a marvel that we struck this reef just in this particular
place, instead of there where it breaks off so abruptly," said the
Captain, "yet we are not in a fortunate position. We have been saved
from sudden death, but in its place we shall have a lingering and
perhaps more agonizing one. The ship is a total loss. The provisions
in the stern are under water, and the nearest port is a thousand miles
away."--Today the great island of Bougainville, on the east coast of
which the "St. George" stranded, belongs to Germany, and now it is not
so difficult for those who meet with misfortunes at sea to reach a
German harbor, but at the time of my story the nearest ports were those
of Australia and New Caledonia.--"How are three hundred Chinamen to
live here for an indefinite length of time?"
The full light of day revealed the fact that the reef which was of
great length was only a few feet wide and separated from the main land
by an inlet of water. The first thing that the Captain did was to
order the Chinamen to take what was left of the sails and build
themselves tents; then he gave his attention to the question of the
water supply.
"We must cross to the main land and get some drinking water," he said,
"for we have only one cask left."
"Just enough to last the big boat on its trip to Australia," whispered
Redfox to the Captain. "You and I and Gray, and a couple of the
strongest of the young fellows will attempt the journey. Let Green and
the boys stay here with the Chinamen until we bring help. Our plans
will come out all right after all. The half million for which the ship
is insured will be ours--and we shall be able to take it with a clear
conscience, too."
"No, Redfox, enough of your machinations. I have resolved to turn over
a new leaf, and to do good hereafter, that is, if there is any good
left in me. We must fix up these people the best that we can with the
wreckage of the ship, build a fort for them yonder on that little
brook, and give them arms and provisions, then we will cast lots as to
who is to go in the open boat to the nearest Australian port."
The Captain went on then with preparations for crossing to the island
for drinking water and edible fruits. Unfortunately the powder and
firearms were all under water, so that the men had to make the
dangerous landing armed only with clubs and knives. The Captain led
the party, taking with him four sailors, a dozen or more Chinamen, and
small Peppo to act as interpreter. Willy would have gone gladly, but
his uncle would not hear to his risking his life unnecessarily.
"I'll pray for you, uncle," said the boy, "that it won't go with you
as--as--"
"As certain people had planned it for you and others," the uncle
finished the sentence of the faltering child. "Yes, pray that the old
saying that 'He who digs a grave for another, himself falls therein,'
may not be fulfilled." Turning to Redfox, he asked: "Don't you want to
go with me?"
The latter muttered something under his breath and slipped away. The
Captain gave the signal and soon they were on the opposite shore. A
group of natives came down to greet them, seemingly in friendly
fashion, offered them fruit, and helped to roll the casks up on the
beach; then all of a sudden with unearthly shrieks they fell upon them
with their clubs. With difficulty the Captain and two sailors managed
to get into the boat and across the inlet, to where their companions,
pale with fear, stood shuddering to think of the awful fate of their
comrades.
"Poor, poor Peppo," wailed Willy, "can't we help him? Will he be eaten
up by the cannibals?"
Immediately there appeared on the shore whole troops of cannibals, and
more poured out of the woods. Swinging their clubs and giving
frightful war cries they challenged the intruders to do battle with
them.
"Quickly, boatswain," said the Captain, "order the Chinaman to make a
raft from the beams of the boat, and to arm themselves as best they
can. We must force a landing and get some drinking water or we are
lost. It we only had half a dozen guns and some ammunition.--Just
listen to the cries of these men whom they are putting to death," said
the Captain, turning his eyes away from the sickening sight. [1]
By means of signs the boatswain tried to incite the Chinamen to action.
They understood perfectly well what was wanted but remained passive,
for Lihoa reminded them of the warning of the God of the Golden Fish
not to engage in any strife.
"Leave the cowards to their fate," said Gray. "We'll take the single
cask of water, the salted meat and hardtack which we fished out of the
sea and get out of here tonight secretly."
The sailors to a man agreed to this plan, but as the boat would hold
only six persons the thing could not be managed. The Captain offered
to remain, and asked who was willing to stay with him. The helmsman
was the only one to signify his willingness to stay; the rest preferred
to settle the matter by drawing lots. According to this Redfox and
Gray were to remain, so the Captain appointed Green to direct the boat
to Australia.
"Green, you are the only man equal to the task, and I give my nephew
into your keeping. The boy's life must be saved. The dangers which
threaten you on this perilous trip are scarcely less than those which
we face here. Perhaps on some neighboring island you can get
drinking-water, perhaps you will fall in with some ship which will come
to our rescue. If we are here a month, yes, a week, even, without
drinking-water, what then? But as God wills. For my part I will
willingly offer my life as a sacrifice in atonement for the past. May
the best of fortune favor you, and may you save the life of my nephew.
The insurance on this boat all goes to him; and if you rescue him, send
him to Father Somazzo in Hongkong. If you cannot save us, come back
and see that our bones receive decent Christian burial."
Thus spoke the Captain. The helmsman, who would willingly have stayed
behind on the dreary reef, made ready for the trip and at midnight set
sail with the ebb of the tide.
[1] NOTE.--What is told here and in the following chapter concerning
the cannibals happened at the time that the "St. Paul" was wrecked on
the Island of Rossel in July, 1858. Compare this account with the one
found in Jos. Spillmann's story, called "Over the South Sea."