The _Cowlitz_ was once more on her course, with the wind nearly right
aft. I guessed, however, from the observations I saw the captain
attempting to take, and his more frequent attention to the chart, that
he was somewhat out of his reckoning. That part of the China seas is
tolerably free from shoals and reefs; but still there are some about
midway between Cochin China and the islands of Luzon, Palawan, and
Borneo, in the neighbourhood of which, after our flight from the
pirates, we must clearly have been.
The navigation among coral reefs is very dangerous; because, as they
rise like mountains of various heights from the depths of the ocean, and
frequently do not appear above the surface, a ship may be among them,
and having passed over some, may too late discover her danger, without
the power of extricating herself. In fine weather, with a clear sky,
they may, from the different colour of the water over them, be perceived
at a distance; but at night, or with thick weather, their neighbourhood
is only known by the noise of the sea dashing over them, or by the white
crests of the breakers rising either ahead, upon either beam of the
ship.
We continued running on all that night, without taking more than the
usual precaution of keeping a look-out ahead. Towards the end of the
morning watch, I came on deck to enjoy the freshness of the air, when,
as I was looking over the side, I observed that the water, broad on the
starboard bow, was of an unusually dark colour. I watched it
attentively, when, turning round, and looking over the larboard quarter,
I there perceived a similar appearance. I felt certain that it could
arise but from one cause--either a sand-bank or a coral reef; for there
was not a cloud in the sky to cast a shadow on the water. I called the
attention of Fairburn to it, as he fortunately just then came on deck to
relieve the first mate. He instantly sprang aloft; and, after taking a
hurried glance all around, he ordered the cabin boy to call the captain,
directing two men to station themselves at each fore-yard arm. The
captain's face exhibited no little consternation, when he saw the
position in which we were placed; but we could now do nothing except
stand on, and keep our eyes about us.
"This is the consequence of not keeping a careful reckoning," said
Fairburn, as I stood beside him. "The poor master, afraid of a fancied
danger, has managed to run us into a real one. However, if the weather
holds good, I think we may yet do well."
"I trust so," I said. "I should think there can be little danger while
we can see the reef as clearly as we now do."
"Oh, you know, there is nothing a sailor hates so much as reefs and
shoals," he replied; "and with good reason. We may see the larger
reefs, but there are some come up almost like the point of a needle, and
if there is a ripple on the water, I defy the sharpest eye to make them
out." He was all this time looking sharply ahead, and urging the men
stationed aloft to do the same.
We had frequently to alter our course to avoid the reefs which appeared
ahead; and at last we seemed to be almost surrounded by them, as we
threaded our course through a narrow channel, where we certainly had no
business to be. Everybody was on deck looking out; for even the ladies
were acquainted with our position, though the master took care to tell
them that it was not his fault we had got into it. However, the sky was
so bright, and the sea so calm and sparkling, that, as we glided slowly
and calmly on, it was difficult to believe the real state of the case.
In time, we even got accustomed to it; and when the steward came to
summon us to breakfast, we went into the cuddy with our usual appetites
not in the slightest degree blunted.
On my return, I went forward to look for Fairburn. "I think we must be
pretty well clear by this time," he observed. "The reefs off that
island there, do not extend to any great distance." He pointed, as he
spoke, to a low little island which I had not before observed. It had a
few trees on it, which seemed growing out of the water, and were clearly
of recent growth. "It does not do, however, to be too certain in a
hurry. Keep a sharp look-out there, my men," he continued, hailing the
people on the fore-yard. Scarcely had he spoken, when the breeze having
freshened somewhat, and the brig going rapidly through the water, a
tremendous blow was felt forward, which almost threw us from our feet,
and her way was instantly stopped. The masts groaned and rocked as if
they would have fallen, and the sails bulging out, fixed the vessel only
faster on the pinnacle on which she had struck. Instantly, loud cries
rose from many of the crew, the master pulled his hair, and puffed out
four times more smoke than usual from the meerschaum he had in his
mouth, while the ladies shrieked and cried with terror. Captain Van
Deck did not seem to know what to do himself, or to order his crew to
do; but Fairburn rushed here and there, calling the people together, and
soon got the sails clewed up.
"What is to be done?" I asked.
"We must carry a kedge out astern, and try and haul her off; and if we
succeed we must get a thrummed sail under her bows, and then pump out
the water which will have got into her, for it will not do to stick here
always."
He had scarcely spoken, when the Dutch carpenter came from below with a
face full of consternation.
"The ship will never move from this except to go to the bottom," he
exclaimed, as he heard the order given to get the kedge out. "We had
better think of lowering the boat and saving our lives, for the water is
rushing in like a cataract, and it will very soon be up to the decks."
This was indeed disastrous information, and I soon found it to be too
true, by going myself below to see the state of affairs. I quickly beat
a retreat again on deck, where the ladies and all hands were now
assembled. I must do the master the justice to say, that now the danger
had actually occurred, he behaved far better than I could have expected.
He certainly took things very phlegmatically. Calling the crew aft, he
slowly made them a speech, telling them, that as there was no chance of
the ship's carrying them on farther, they must now take to the boats,
and that he hoped they would all behave well. He then ordered the boats
to be lowered, and the gangway ladder to be rigged, to enable the ladies
to descend with ease. We had three boats--the long-boat, the
jolly-boat, and a skiff. It was arranged that the captain should go in
the long-boat, the first mate in the jolly-boat, and the second mate,
whom I volunteered to accompany, in the skiff, which, though small, was
a very seaworthy boat; and I preferred trusting myself to his
seamanship. The captain and mates then chose the crew in the same way
as is customary in forming a watch--namely, one officer selects a man,
and then the next, and so on till the crew are disposed of. The ladies
were, of course, taken into the long-boat, in which there were in all
fourteen people, and eight in each of the other boats; and it was agreed
that we should keep close together, that we might afford assistance to
each other in case of necessity. Before embarking, we had to arrange a
very important business, the selection of the articles we should take
with us. Fairburn hurried on the people, and urged me to do the same,
whispering in my ear, that any moment the vessel might slip off the
reef, and that we might be engulfed before we were ready. The first
thing we did was to get the ladies into the long-boat; and fortunately
it was so calm that there was no difficulty in so doing, except that
Mrs Van Deck insisted on not being parted from her husband.
"Wait a minute, my dear frow," he shouted to her in return. "I must not
desert my people till I have seen them in safety."
We all agreed that no private property should be taken; but only the
necessary water and provisions, clothing to shelter us from the weather,
arms to defend ourselves, and charts and instruments to guide our
course. Some time was required to select the articles, and during it I
observed that several of the seamen were missing. I mentioned it to
Fairburn.
"The fools!" he exclaimed. "They cannot resist the seaman's curse--even
at this moment they have gone to put an enemy into their mouths to steal
away their wits. Come and help me, we must put a stop to it."
Saying this, he rushed below, seizing an axe, in which I imitated him.
Five of the men had broached a cask of rum, and were drinking from it as
rapidly as they could, while two others were about to join them.
Fairburn, on seeing this, instantly stove in the cask with his axe
before they could prevent him, which they attempted to do; and there
being three others near at hand, we destroyed them likewise.
"Madmen!" exclaimed the mate, "you would throw away your own lives, and
risk those of your shipmates for the sake of a moment's beastly
enjoyment. On deck now, and attend to your duty. I will brain the
first man who lingers."
This determined conduct had the desired effect. The men had not drunk
enough to become intoxicated, and his resolute manner at once awed them
into obedience. Like sulky dogs driven away from a bone, they ascended
on deck. Among the articles selected for the long-boat were three casks
of water, some biscuits, salt beef, pork, hams, and cheese, tea and
sugar, four jars of Hollands, some cooking utensils, a lantern, candles,
tinder-box, and matches, a keg of gunpowder, some muskets and cutlasses,
a chronometer, sextants, quadrants, a compass and necessary books of
navigation; a topgallant studding-sail, boom, and fore-royal were also
thrown into her for a mast and sail; a little canvas, tarpauling, and
some deal boards were not forgotten; and the carpenter was enjoined to
take such of his tools as might prove useful. One boat and the
jolly-boat had their barrels likewise filled with water, and each of us
was provided with our proportion of the same articles, except that we
had fewer arms or blankets; and indeed so small was our stowage room,
that we had to depend on the long-boat for some of our provisions.
While all these preparations were going forward, my sensations were far
from pleasant; for I could not help feeling that any moment the ship
might slide off into deep water, and carry us all down with her. The
captain thought differently, and nothing would hurry him. At length her
stern perceptibly sunk, and this was the signal for a general rush
towards the boats.
"Stay!" exclaimed the captain; "I tell you she will not go yet; and have
I not a right to know? There is plenty of time to get quietly into the
boats; you will be tired enough of them before you get out of them
again. We must see that we have left nothing we may want behind."
Fairburn volunteered for this duty, and one by one the men were told off
into the other boats. They then examined everything that was in the
boats; a few trifling articles were suggested as likely to prove useful;
we searched for them, and then took our places in the skiff. As we
pulled round under the bows, we could see, through the clear water, the
immense hole which the coral had made through the stout planking; at the
same time so securely hooked did she appear, that I doubt whether she
could have sunk unless the coral point on which she hung had broken off,
or the sea had knocked her to pieces.
In the hurry of getting into the boats at the last moment everybody had
forgotten poor Ungka, who was seen leaning over the bows looking most
imploringly and mournfully at us. Little Maria was the first to draw
our attention to him.
"Oh! Ungka, poor Ungka! we must not go without him," she exclaimed.
Her appeal was not to be resisted. We in the skiff, pulled back, and
Ungka, seizing a rope which hung from the bowsprit, lowered himself into
the boat, as we pulled under him. The other three monkeys, seeing where
he had gone, attempted to follow his example. One was in so great a
hurry that he fell into the water, but we picked him out; the other two
reached us without wetting their jackets. Ungka looked at them very
seriously, and seemed to think that they ought to have been left behind.
At Maria's solicitation, we sent Ungka into the long-boat, and while we
were alongside the others leaped in after him. But to more serious
matters. A short hour ago we were sailing securely on with a good ship
under us--now we were homeless wanderers on the wide ocean, at a time of
the year when storms might be expected, and in the neighbourhood of
coasts inhabited by piratical tribes, who would show us but little mercy
if we fell into their hands.
After pulling some little distance from the ship, we lay on our oars, of
one accord, to give her a last parting glance, and we then all came
close together to consult what course we should steer. The nearest port
where we should find civilised people was the Spanish settlement of
Manilla, in Luzon; but that was nearly to windward, and if we failed to
make it we might be driven on some shore where we might find no means of
escape. The next place was Singapore, which, though much farther off
than Manilla, was to leeward, and from thence the Dutch people were
certain of finding an easy means of return to Batavia.
Some of the crew wished to pull to the little island we had passed, in
order to refit the boats, and by raising the gunwales, better to prepare
them for encountering any rough seas; but Captain Van Deck did not think
this necessary, and was, besides, unwilling to lose the advantage of the
favourable breeze which was now blowing, and the smooth water which
would render our voyage easy. We lost sight of the _Cowlitz_ just as
the sun sunk in the western wave. We were now gliding calmly over the
starlit sea--the beautiful firmament above us shining with a splendour
peculiar to the torrid zone. The boats sailed well, and kept company
easily together.
"This is one of the vicissitudes to which a seaman is exposed, Mr
Seaworth," observed Adam Fairburn, as I sat by his side. "I have been
so knocked about, and have met with so many, that to me it does not seem
strange; but it must so to you."
"Not so much as you may suppose," I answered. "I have read so
constantly of shipwrecks and disasters at sea, that I am scarcely
surprised to find myself an actor in one of them. How soon shall we
reach Singapore, do you think?"
"It may take us eight or ten days, or less if the wind holds fair; but
even that seems a long time to sit in an open boat, and yet people have
passed as many weeks, with a scarcity of food, and have been preserved."
"I have no fear of the future, even did not the present calm weather
almost preclude the sensation of fear; for I have been taught that God
is everywhere, and has power to preserve us if He so will it." I said
this in answer to Fairburn's remark.
"Do you know," he observed, "that when I am at sea especially, as now,
in an open boat, or in a small craft, or during the raging of a storm,
that I always feel more clearly that I am in the hands of the Almighty,
or perhaps, I might say, a sense of man's perfect helplessness. We are
too apt to forget this when roving on shore, in the full enjoyment of
high health and spirits; yet, if we consider how small an injury is
sufficient to make the strongest man as feeble as an infant, we should
cease to boast of any strength which is in us."
Such was the style of our conversation, as we sat side by side hour by
hour, in the boat. I gave Fairburn an outline of my history, and he in
return related to me his own adventures, which were romantic in the
extreme; indeed, since he came to sea, not a week had passed away
without affording him matters worthy of note.
We had run on some hours, when, as the skiff was in the wake of the
long-boat, we observed that the people in her were, by their movements,
in a great state of alarm. Some were hard at work baling, while the
ladies were turning round as if imploring our help. We instantly got
out our oars, and pulled up to her as fast as we could. We found that
she was leaking very much, from having been long out of the water, and
that it required the constant labours of the crew to keep her free. As
the jolly-boat and skiff were already as full as was safe for them, we
could do nothing to assist our consort, though we would have run every
risk rather than see them perish, yet it was utterly impossible to take
them on board with the slightest hope of saving our lives, should any
bad weather come on. While we were almost in despair what to do, one of
the men, whose duty it was to keep a look-out, declared that he saw land
ahead. We all turned our eyes in the same direction, and there, sure
enough, was a grove of trees just rising out of the water. This raised
our spirits, and enabled the crew of the long-boat to renew their
exertions. We ran on, when by degrees the stems of the trees appeared,
and we saw before us a small but thickly-wooded island. The breeze had
freshened up, and though the sea was tolerably smooth, a heavy surf was
breaking along the whole northern coast. To the eastward, a reef
extended a considerable way; so we stood more to the west, and hauled
round the island, in the hopes of finding a spot on which we could land.
After sailing along for a mile, we observed a yellow sand beach in a
little bay, free from rocks, where the boats might be hauled up free
from danger. We joyfully entered it, and scarcely had our keels touched
the shore, than the crews leapt out, rejoicing at the feeling that they
were at liberty, even although it was on a desert island. A tent was
first made with our boats' sails, by the aid of boughs, for the ladies,
and we then set to work to repair the long-boat. The carpenter
pronounced some of the planks so rotten and worm-eaten, as to make it
surprising that she had not at once gone to the bottom, and he was
afraid of doing anything to them lest he should make matters worse. Our
only means, therefore, of stopping the leaks, was to nail some canvas we
fortunately had with us over the bottom of the boat; having first
carefully inserted some oakum between the planks, and rubbed them over
with tallow.
Everybody was busily employed: some were drying the bread, which had got
wet by being carelessly thrown into the bottom of the boat; others were
gathering oysters, of which a large number were found; and the largest
number were scouring the island in search of water, lest our present
stock should fall short; while little Maria Van Deck was amusing herself
by taking care of poor Ungka, who appeared fully to comprehend the
nature of our disaster. A chain had been fastened to him to prevent his
escaping when we landed, though he seemed to have no inclination to
leave his human companions; but no sooner did the other little fellows
find themselves on shore, than off they set towards the nearest trees,
and leaped and frolicked about in the full enjoyment of unrestrained
liberty. Off they went, springing up from bough to bough; and when any
one approached, they redoubled their exertions, showing clearly that
they did not intend again to trust themselves to the dangers of the
deep.
To make the boats more seaworthy, we formed bulwarks of canvas all the
way round them, and converted the fore-royal into a lug and a jib for
the long-boat. We then again launched them; and as they floated
securely in the little bay, we rejoiced to find that none of them leaked
sufficiently to cause uneasiness.
Our work being over, we assembled to take our last meal on shore; and,
as we sat round the fire we had lighted to dress our provisions, we
looked more like a picnic party than a set of shipwrecked people. The
ladies had recovered their spirits, and Mrs Van Deck presided at the
feast with becoming dignity. The captain then made the people a speech.
He told them that they had behaved very well, and that he hoped they
would continue to do so; and drawing the boats to shore, we finished
loading them, and stepping in, once more continued our voyage.